Europe

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Russia told South Korea on Wednesday not to be surprised if Moscow retaliates against Seoul for expanding the list of goods which cannot be exported from the East Asian nation to Russia without special permission.

Seoul said this week it would add over 600 types of goods which could potentially be used for military purposes to its export control list for Russia.

The list includes heavy construction equipment, rechargeable batteries, aeronautical components, and some cars.

MOSCOW, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A move by Japan to provide Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine will have "grave consequences" for Russia-Japan ties, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Relations between Moscow and Tokyo, already difficult, have deteriorated sharply since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Japan has joined its Western allies in imposing sweeping economic sanctions on Russia.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s political battle over state media continued Wednesday as the president filed a revised spending bill in defiance of the new pro-European Union government ‘s goal of freeing the media from political control.

President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the previous right-wing government, had vetoed the new government’s bill that provided 3 billion zlotys ($762 million) for the public media. His proposed bill strips that funding out.

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine on Wednesday lost her appeal against election officials’ refusal to accept her nomination for the country’s presidential race that President Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win.

Former regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova has promoted her vision of a “humane” Russia “that’s peaceful, friendly and ready to cooperate with everyone on the principle of respect.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired almost 50 Shahed drones at targets in Ukraine and shelled a train station where more than 100 civilians were gathered to catch a train to Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. The barrages killed at least five people and knocked out power in most of the southern city of Kherson.

The aerial barrage came a day after Ukrainian warplanes damaged a Russian ship moored in the Black Sea off Crimea as both sides’ soldiers struggle to make much progress along the front line of the 22-month war.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: The probability of Russia inviting poll watchers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly to observe the 2024 presidential election is "next to zero," because the OSCE is "occupied by Western states" that have already made clear their intention to shun recognizing the vote as legitimate, Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament, or "senate") Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: Moscow expects a wide range of solutions to be developed ahead of the group’s next summit, set to take place in the Russian city of Kazan in October 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: Ukrainian troops have retreated from the town of Maryinka in the Donetsk People's Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said at a televised news conference.

"Ukrainian troops have withdrawn. In some places they have entrenched themselves in the vicinity of Maryinka, and in other places - a little further away," he said.

Zaluzhy also said that "the city of Maryinka no longer exists".

BERLIN, December 26. /TASS/: The current material and technical condition of Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr, has deteriorated sharply over the past two years, Colonel (Ret.) Ralf Thiele, a retired Bundeswehr officer told the Focus Online publication.

"At the beginning of the attack (the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine - TASS), the Bundeswehr was already understaffed. Now it is even worse," he contends.

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/: The West has given Belgrade an ultimatum, effectively forcing it to choose "anything but Russia," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.