Putin

The 44-year-old opposition leader was arrested in January after returning from Germany, where he was recovering from a near-fatal poisoning that he and Western governments have blamed on the Kremlin.

The Russian leader contacted U.S. President-elect Joe Biden after the Electoral College affirmed his victory. Putin was one of the last major world leaders to do so.

The 44-year-old fell ill last month on a domestic flight in Russia. German doctors confirmed he had consumed a Soviet-era nerve agent.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Russian leader says he's pushing back a constitutional referendum that could pave the way for him to remain in power until 2036.

In his new book, The New Yorker's Joshua Yaffa is as much an ethicist as he is a reporter, presenting a portrait of the Russian state through those who have decided to compromise with it.

Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, revered experts on the Russian secret service, give the book a credibility most others on Russian clandestine operations lack — and they also change the optics.

The two leaders spoke by phone Wednesday. The Kremlin said Putin "regards the US President's offer as a sign that it is possible that full-scale bilateral relations will be restored in the future."

Navalny, a longtime critic of President Vladimir Putin, was recently arrested after calling for a mass protest in Moscow.

Demonstrators are demanding fair elections for the City Duma and for opposition candidates to be allowed on the ballot.