President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Trump on his election victory, in the Russian leader's first public comments since the outcome of US balloting.

Vladimir Putin congratulates 'brave man' Donald Trump on US election win

It marks the first time Russia has lost territory to a foreign army since the Second World War, and has left the Kremlin floundering.

Ukraine's incursion makes Putin look less man of steel and more man of straw

Foreign journalists report from an observation point while smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Vladimir Putin's statement doesn't wash with Kharkiv's mayor, who has seen intensified fighting in his region as Russian troops make daily advances.

Putin says he wants buffer zone in Kharkiv but denies wanting to capture city

Sergei Shoigu, a long-standing ally of Putin will be moved to another role, as the head of Russia's national security council.

Putin set to move Sergei Shoigu as Russia's defence minister

Russian Air Force Su-25 jets fly over Red Square leaving trails of smoke in the colours of the Russian national flag during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 9, 2024, marking the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo)

Putin has used the celebration to showcase his stranglehold on Russian politics and perhaps more importantly, his justification for the war in Ukraine. 

Putin says Russian army 'always ready' at World War II Victory Day parade

Having already been in office for almost 25 years, Putin is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin. 

Why was Steven Seagal at Putin's fifth inauguration as president?

An AI-generated Russian president and footage shot of the invasion of Ukraine has been turned into a feature film by a Polish studio.

Nappies and karate: AI-generated biopic on Putin set for release

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron denounced the election, saying 'this is not what free and fair elections look like'.

Putin win 'underlines the depth of repression' in Russia, says David Cameron

Ms Navalnaya has vowed to not "give up" on her husband's campaign after he died in a Russian penal colony last month.

Who is Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of vocal Putin critic Alexei Navalny?

Voters headed to the polls in Russia on Friday for a three-day presidential election which is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule by six more years.

Russian voters pour ink into ballot boxes and throw firebombs in Putin protest

As Putin ages, dissident voices continue to shout and the West monitors the war on Ukraine - is there any risk to his premiership?

'Putin will leave the Kremlin horizontally': What will end the president's rule?

With the prospect of removing Putin from power despairing, the polls are essentially a constitutional box-ticking exercise.

Car-boot polling booths and a fixed win: What to expect from Russia's election

The Russian president said that Moscow had the weapons to strike Western targets if the West was to send its own troops to fight for Ukraine.

Putin's global nuclear war threats are 'deplorable', foreign minister says

Navalny, known as Vladimir Putin's most recognisable opposition figure within Russian politics, suddenly died at an Arctic prison on February 16.

Putin had Navalny killed to sabotage prisoner swap, claims ally

Since February 22, Russia has displaced or deported at least 19,546 unaccompanied Ukrainian children, according to official figures.

Vladimir Putin

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