President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned "Western elites" against trying to sabotage a potential rapprochement between Russia and the United States, saying Moscow would use its diplomats and intelligence services to thwart such efforts.

If anyone thought Mr Merz was being alarmist, they were swiftly disabused. On February 24th, on a UN resolution that blamed Russia for invading Ukraine, America voted against its European allies and sided with Russia and North Korea.

Many of the reports provided by Russian media or government representatives are propaganda. They are part of the information warfare waged by the Russian Federation.