Latvia on Thursday took down a Soviet-era monument in Riga following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite protests from the Baltic state's ethnic Russian minority to keep it. 

Demolition machinery was used to remove the 79-meter World War II memorial, which has become a rallying point for Kremlin supporters in Latvia, according to an AFP

President Vladimir Putin ordered the expansion of the Russian military Thursday as Moscow struggles to fulfill its objectives in Ukraine six months after the invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.

As part of the changes, the total number of military and civilian staff in the Russian Armed Forces will increase from 1.9 million to nearly 2.04 million.

Updates to correct the court decision.

A court in Yekaterinburg restricted internet access and freedom of movement for the city’s former mayor and opposition figurehead Yevgeny Roizman on Thursday, local media outlet E1.ru reported. 

Roizman, 59, was detained at his apartment in Yekaterinburg a day earlier on charges of “discrediting” the Russian Arm

Russia’s largest carmaker AvtoVaz regained its top sales spot in the Russian capital last month for the first time in more than a decade, according to market researcher Autostat.

The car market in Russia has been cleared of most competition after Western and Asian automakers suspended operations after the invasion of Ukraine or faced supply