The BBC’s Russia editor speaks to people in the country as the war in Ukraine nears a fourth year.

Fighters with Ukraine’s 57th Motorized Brigade have captured a Russian serviceman who had been hiding behind the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ lines in the Kharkiv region.

Chinese people pay a 13% sales tax on contraceptives from 1 January, while childcare services are exempt.

The results of 2025 indicate that Russia’s industry has shifted into stagnation following a brief period of growth driven by a sharp increase in defense spending in 2023-2024.

The move is dividing the nation - some welcome it as a bold leap forwards, but others fear it will lead to economic stagnation.

Five people, including one teenager, were injured in Zaporizhzhia as a result of enemy shelling.

The first 30 of 260 passenger buses transferred to the Kyiv region by the Île-de-France region have arrived in the Kyiv region.

French President Emmanuel Macron believes that Russia’s war against Ukraine remains a key factor of instability on the European continent, and that Europe must accelerate the development of its own defense and make specific commitments to protect Ukraine.

In 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky made about 60 visits abroad, received almost 100 heads of foreign states and governments in Ukraine, held 20 international video conferences, made over 230 phone calls with leaders of states and governments, and participated in almost 150 events in Ukraine.

Video verified by the BBC shows a crowd breaking the gate of the governor’s office in Fasa.