In Moscow, some of the best architecture may lie many metres underground. With its vaulted ceilings, marble floors and tiled mosaics of Vladimir Lenin and the Red Army, the Moscow metro is a crown jewel of the Russian capital.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The Russian economy is in an increasingly precarious state as a result of a shift to a war mode and of Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a report by the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) said on Tuesday.

Ukrainian drone strikes have heightened anxiety across Moscow ahead of this year’s May 9 parade on Red Square, where President Vladimir Putin will be watching with other leaders.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on Thursday for possible direct peace talks with Ukraine, but did not disclose who would be there from Moscow's side. Russian President Vladimir Putin in the early hours of Sunday proposed direct negotiations in Turkey on Thursday "without any preconditions,

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski says is ordering the closure of Russia’s consulate in the southern city of Krakow after Polish authorities said Russia was responsible for a fire that destroyed a shopping center in Warsaw last year.

NBC News' Keir Simmons reports on the world leaders present at Russia's parade to mark the end of World War II. Brazilian President Lula also weighs in on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Last week, NBC's Dateline released videos of "never-before-reported" evidence in the Moscow Murder trial. The episode included photos, videos and other digital materials from the investigation, including footage of a white car investigators say was seen in the area around the time of the killings.

As Russia celebrates its 80-year-old victory over Nazi Germany, Putin wants the world to see that despite the new conflict in Europe, he still has friends in high places.

A huge parade in the Russian capital to celebrate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, attended by leaders of more than 20 countries, comes amid faltering attempts to end the war in Ukraine.

Serbia remains committed to its plan to join the European Union and wants to speed up its membership bid, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday after his recent trip to Moscow drew Western criticism.