The Russian government has been a historic opponent of bitcoin, banning its use for domestic payments, but has recently come to see the potential benefits of virtual currencies for evading U.S. and Western sanctions.

Russian companies are using bitcoin to evade Western sanctions, thanks to a new law, the country's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov confirmed in a television interview. Why it matters: Russia's economy has been hampered by difficulties in making and receiving international payments,

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia is open to a Slovakian proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine to end a conflict he said Russia was determined to bring to a conclusion.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said that the so-called "special military operation" ("SVO") - as Russian propaganda refers to the war against Ukraine - should have been launched even earlier. He made this remark when asked whether he would change his mind if he could return to February 2022.

Slovakia could host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the future after receiving approval from Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader who this week hosted Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico in Moscow,