Soviet Union

Western spy chiefs say that sophistication of Beijing's intelligence operations is now comparable to the Kremlin's.
There is growing fear in Europe that the Chinese spy and counter-intelligence services represent an ever-increasing threat to Europe, even greater than the one coming from Russia.

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor and the Foreign Ministry responded to the death of last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Wednesday. Slovenians will remember Gorbachev as a great historic figure who understood the call for ending the Cold War, for democratic revival and European integration and cooperation, Pahor tweeted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his "deepest condolences" on the death of the former president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Mikhail Gorbachev had a "huge impact on the course of world history", in a condolence telegram sent on Wednesday.

At the age of 91, after a long illness, the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, died, world agencies reported.

"This evening, after a severe and prolonged illness, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev died," said the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow, quoted by the TASS agency.

Mikhail Gorbachev, who set out to revitalize the Soviet Union but ended up unleashing forces that led to the collapse of communism, the breakup of the state and the end of the Cold War, died on Aug. 30. The last Soviet leader was 91.

Gorbachev died after a long illness, according to a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow. No other details were given.

Sad news was published by the Russian media.
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 and was the political leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Russian forces Wednesday launched a rocket attack on a Ukrainian train station on the embattled country's Independence Day, killing 22 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after warning for days that Moscow might attempt "something particularly cruel" this week.

That holiday, which "marks" six months after the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, will be celebrated without organized festivities and under the threat of land, air and sea attacks, reports Reuters.

The sense of dread deepened Tuesday in Ukraine because of warnings that Russia may try to spoil the country's Independence Day holiday and mark the war's six-month point with intensified attacks.

Ljubljana – Defence analyst Iztok Prezelj has assessed that the war in Ukraine is gradually turning into a war of attrition in which the side with more technical resources at its disposal will be more successful. He noted that the war could take several more years despite the sanctions, so conditions for coexistence with Russia should be created.