Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted citizenship to Tara Reade, a former aide to U.S. President Joe Biden, according to a decree published on the Kremlin’s website on September 22.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to visit Moscow this week, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov informed reporters.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov announced at a press briefing on December 23 that nine countries will officially join BRICS as partner states in January 2025, News.az reports citing foreign media.

An influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the West and the U.S.-led NATO alliance had been directly involved in planning Ukraine's surprise attack on Russia's Kursk region, News.az reports citing Reuters .