here is our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg. n russia, it is the season of goodwill, but peace on earth is in short supply. russian armor is massing near the border with ukraine. at the same time, moscow is demanding an end to nato largement and nato military activity in eastern europe. what is russia signaling? i asked the deputy foreign minister. has moscow decided to reverse the results of the cold war? >> we are not re-examining the results of the cold war. we are reassessing the expansion the west has carried out in recent years against russian interests. enough is enough. steve: state tv has been queen vladimir putin's claim that nato activity close to russia threatens russia's security, and moscow has this warning. >> if ukraine joins nato or nato develops military infrasucture there, we will hold a gun to america's head. russia has the world's best weapons, hypersonic. you'd get the cuban missile crisis all over again, but with a shorter flight time for missiles. we propose trying to avoid the situation. otherwise, everyo

our correspondent steve rosenberg is in moscow for us tonight and has this were or. >> it's the mostderful time of the year, if you happen to like long news conferences. the end of your press briefing is always a marathon affair. for four hours the kremlin leader fielded questions and he used the event to vent his resentment ahow nato had launched after the full -- fall of the soviet union. >> they told us in the 1990's not to move one inch to the east and look what happened. they deceived us. brazenly tricked us. they found ways to expand and now missile systems are appearing in romania and poland. >> is this the russian response? a buildup of the russian troops near the ukrainian border? the kremlin denies it plans to invade, but this is pressure and on the west, too, as moscow demands an end to no enlargement and military activity in eastern europe, what they call security guarantees. >> they must give us guarantees. they must do that immediately. now. we won't be palmed off with decades of idle chatter about the need for security wle the other side carries out its own plans. >> v

our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports.s if russia is turning the clock back. "liquidate," the judge says, as she orders one of russia's oldest civil rights groups, international memorial, to shut down. the ngo was found to have broken russia's draconian foreign agents law. "disgraceful decision," the reaction from the gallery. it's 100% a political thing. and the substance of this political decision isjust one more step from authoritarian regime to totalitarian. for more than 30 years, memorial has been shining a light on one of the darkest chapters of russian history, what became known as the great terror. it's been painstakingly cataloguing the victims ofjosef stalin's mass repressions. up to 20 million soviet citizens are believed to have been sent to the gulag, to stalin's prison camps. hundreds of thousands were executed. memorial was set up to keep their memory alive. the founding of memorial in the late 1980s was a symbol, a symbol of the soviet union opening up and facing up to its past, to the crimes ofjosef stali

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.kishkovsky is a freelance journalist who worked for almost two decades in moscow and she is now based in new york. thank you forjoining us. tell us a little bit because you know, an extremely well. what is it about this organisation thatis is it about this organisation that is wrangling so much with the authorities in moscow that it needs to be liquidated, as they put it? it it needs to be liquidated, as they put it?— they put it? it is considered uncontrollable. _ they put it? it is considered uncontrollable. in _ they put it? it is considered uncontrollable. in fact, - they put it? it is considered | uncontrollable. in fact, they refer to themselves not so much as an organisation as a movement. it started very much as a cross roads movement of people looking for stories of their own families who died in their own families who died in the great terror. when russia opened up, they were able to find that information during the robert rock era. —— gorbachev. russians have face prosecutio

our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. musical sting.s conferences. vladimir putin's end—of—year press briefing is always a marathon affair. forfour hours, the kremlin leaderfielded questions and he used the event to vent his resentment at how nato enlarged after the fall of the soviet union. translation: "we won't move one inch towards the east," _ they told us in the 1990s, and what happened? they deceived us. they brazenly tricked us. there were five waves of nato expansion, and now missile systems are appearing in romania and poland. is this russia's response? a build—up of russian troops near ukraine's border. the kremlin denies it plans to invade, but this is pressure — and on the west, too — as moscow demands an end to nato enlargement and nato military activity in eastern europe, what it calls �*security guarantees'. you must give us guarantees. you must do it immediately, now. we won't be palmed off with decades of idle chatter about the need of security for all while the other side carries out its own plans. vladimir putin spok

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.against a former chinese vice premier. in a video interview, filmed by singaporean chinese language newspaper lianhe zaobao, she said the comments she'd made on social media had been misunderstood. translation: first and - foremost, i must emphasise i have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. that's a very important point. the weibo post is my personal issue. i know there are many misunderstandings, but there is no distorted interpretation. peng shuai speaking to lianhe zaobao there. the women's tennis association has said it's still concerned that ms peng is still being censored by the state — and although it welcomes her apperance in a public setting, it doesn't alleviate or address the concerns about her wellbeing. just before we go, i want to bring you a short history lesson because, in 1992, history was made when the world's first text message was sent, which simply said merry christmas. today, that text will be auctioned off as a non—fungible token — or nft —

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ny people to relocate to be closer to their families — and how that meant some had to move to a new country. the world of music has been paying tribute to george michael who died of suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states trapps — more than three decades. the united states troops have _ more than three decades. the united states troops have been _ more than three decades. the united states troops have been trying - more than three decades. the united states troops have been trying to - states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manwell, the pentagon says it's failed and its principal objective to capture him and taken to the united states to face drugs charges. the mega hammer and sickle was a slave taken away, the russian flag was hosted over what is now the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. the next day broke and made at the c's n

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.rnment has defended its decision to hold off on introducing new coronavirus restrictions in england before the new year, saying it will monitor the situation closely. there are restrictions on socialising in the other nations that form the uk: wales, scotland and northern ireland. the latest data shows that there have again been record numbers of cases across the country. our health correspondent, sophie hutchinson reports. a vaccination centre in lambeth in london. among the boroughs worst affected areas by omicron in the uk. the staff here say there is no shortage of demand for the jabs. i'm a schoolteacher, i've got to go back. there's zero mitigation in class. i don't want to get sick. i'm 57, so i'm quite frightened of that and i don't want to pass it on to my loved ones. it's really important because i'm a recently retired senior head of education at university college so i preach it to my staff so i have to jolly well do it as well! unlike the rest of the uk which has increased

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. assault, that she made against a former chinese vice premier. in a video interview, filmed by singaporean chinese language newspaper lianhe zaobao, she said the comments she'd made on social media had been misunderstood. translation: first and foremost i must emphasise _ translation: first and foremost i must emphasise i _ translation: first and foremost i must emphasise i have - translation: first and foremost i must emphasise i have never - i must emphasise i have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. that is a very important point. the post is my personal issue. i know there are many misunderstandings but there is no distorted interpretation. the women's tennis association has said it's still concerned that ms peng is still being censored by the state — and although it welcomes her apperance in a public setting, it doesn't alleviate or address the concerns about her wellbeing. now here's something to cheer us all up as we go into what for many is the festive seas

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.with a blaze in the belfast harbour estate area of belfast this evening. thick black smoke has been billowing from the site on the east twin road since lunchtime. the fire service says it is a protracted incident with crews likley to remain on site through to the early hours of the morning. people living nearby are being asked to keep their windows closed and motorists are being advised to avoid the area. police searching for a missing 12—year—old girl are asking for the public�*s help to locate her father as he may be able to help with their enquiries. leona peach was last seen in the heel park area of newton abbot at quarter past nine in the morning on the 20th december. 0fficers believe she may have travelled to bideford to be with her dad billy peach. utility company bosses have suggested ways the government could stop household heating and electricity bills rising by big amounts this winter — as the wholesale price of gas continues to spike. representatives of the energy industry

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ndrei korobkov, an expert in post—soviet states, from middle tennessee state university. thanks very much indeed for joining us. ijust wonder, the demands being made by moscow would certainly be seen by the west is clearly unachievable, they are not going to happen. so what do you think is the strategic benefit of russia's position at the moment? are they getting anything out of this? , ., ., , this? first of all there is also an _ this? first of all there is also an issue _ this? first of all there is also an issue of - this? first of all there is also an issue of internal| also an issue of internal political considerations, grandstanding is usually helpful for a grandstanding is usually helpfulfor a politician grandstanding is usually helpful for a politician even though putin right now is in a safe position stopping the economy is relatively steady, elections are not coming soon and elections in general, are a special issue and russia. in terms of foreign policy, putin i think has s

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.isoners by hanging for the first time since 2019. the prisoners had been on death row for several years since being convicted of multiple murders in the early 2000s. more than 100 inmates await execution injapan where support for capital punishment remains high. i'm joined now by our tokyo correspondent rupert wingfield hayes. the details come out and a rather specialised way, it seems, executions injapan? they do stop injapan has a very unique system and certainly human rights groups and people campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty here have said it is a very cruel and unusual system, in large part notjust because the use of hanging on the fact that japan along with the united states is really the only major industrialised country that continues to use executions as a form of punishment butjapan has a very specific way in which it is done in which the inmates on death row will spend many years not knowing if this day, which day is going to be their last before they are pu

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ey lost to australia by 275 runs, and now trail 2—0 in the ashes series. they were dismissed for 192 in their second innings on the final day. patrick gearey reports. too good, 2—0. australia might be missing their captain, and the best bowler in the world. england couldn't further inconvenience them. their aim had been to make the aussies run out of time. commentator: edged! ollie pope got through less than ten minutes. five wickets left. the biggest of them was ben stokes, so australia's fielders made an enclosure around him, then sent in a lyon. that was very close! nathan lyon thought he had him lbw. the umpire didn't. australia reviewed, then rejoiced. england reset. chris woakes made a defiant 1m. jos buttler, a natural cavalier, relied on his shield. no wicket fell for more than two and a half hours. say it quietly: "maybe". but english optimism on this tour is no sooner formed than shattered. the end of woakes, and, ultimately, hope. england dragged this into the evening. still

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's build on that a little bit.velyn farkas, former us deputy assistant secretary of defence for russia, ukraine and eurasia, who was in the situation room when russia annexed crimea in 2014. nearly seven yea rs nearly seven years ago now. let me ask you this. we hear those demands about you cannot have ukraine entering nato, you must remove nato military forces from eastern europe effectively. those are not new demands essentially, are they? what is a significant at the moment?— what is a significant at the moment? ., �* , , what is a significant at the moment? . �* , , ., moment? that's right. they are not new demands. _ moment? that's right. they are not new demands. right - moment? that's right. they are not new demands. right now i moment? that's right. they are | not new demands. right now the significance is that vladimir putin and the kremlin has perceived that somehow the west is weak, politically, militarily, primarily, politically. and i think this is a deep miscalculation because with president biden on

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's take a brief look at some of today's other news. peach — are asking for the public�*s help to locate her father as he may be able to help with their enquiries. leona was last seen in the hele park area of newton abbot at quarter past nine in the morning on the 20th december. 0fficers believe she may have travelled to bideford to be with her dad billy peach. utility company bosses have suggested ways the government could stop household heating and electricity bills rising by big amounts this winter — as the wholesale price of gas continues to spike. representatives of the energy industry met ministers yesterday. among the ideas was a reduction in vat on energy bills, and a loan from the treasury to the energy industry china says its new space station has twice narrowly avoided collisions with satellites operated by the american entrepreneur, elon musk. the complaints were lodged with the un's space agency — although the incidents have not yet been independently verified. at least 20 people have died in severe flooding in north—easter

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. stay with us on bbc news.or his busiest night of the year. the world of music's been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states' troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle| was hastily taken away. m its place. — the russian flag was hoisted over what is now— no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. | day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town of shko

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.uires all companies to prove that goods imported from china's xinjiang region were not produced with forced labour. washington says genocide is being committed against the uyghur muslim minority there; an assertion china denies. us firms doing business in xinjiang, including coca—cola, nike, and apple have criticised the legislation. our north america business correspondent samira hussain explained more. remember that china is the biggest market for many multinational corporations. so, if their business and ability to do business in china is hampered in any way, it will cost them. look at the retail sector. you see that some of these retail companies like h&m and zara, who have spoken out against the treatment of the uyghur people by chinese people in china and have suffered quite a bit of pushback. you look at how much money they have lost in terms of revenue, it's about 25% and a quarter. so that is why they are very worried about this because the chinese government obviously objects

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines.tory of the left—wing candidate gabriel boric in sunday's presidential election. mr boric won 56% of the vote, beating the far—right candidatejose antonio kast. rebel tigrayan forces fighting the ethiopian government say they are withdrawing immediately from neighbouring regions. it comes after pro—government forces made significant military gains. the rebels say they are hoping there will now be a ceasefire. the new spider—man film made nearly $590 million worldwide in its opening weekend. it sets the record for the most profitable film to come out during the pandemic and it's the third biggest cinematic debut in hollywood history. the chinese tennis star peng shuai appears to have retracted an accusation of sexual assault that she made against a former chinese vice premier. in a video interview, filmed by singaporean chinese language newspaper lianhe zaobao, she said the comments she'd made on social media had been misunderstood. translation: first and foremost, j i must emphasise i

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.denber is deputy director of europe and the central asia division of human rights watch. she was at the court yesterday in moscow, and i think you are off shortly to the court again, rachel? we will talk about that in a minute. ijust wonderwhat we will talk about that in a minute. i just wonder what this initial liquidation of memorial really means for the ability to pursue these sorts of cases in russia. i pursue these sorts of cases in russia. ~' , , ., j, russia. i think yesterday's rulina russia. i think yesterday's ruling means _ russia. i think yesterday's ruling means that - russia. i think yesterday's ruling means that the - russia. i think yesterday'sl ruling means that the state intends to be fully in control of the debate and how discussions of history, the soviet union, repression and the like and people who don't conform to the state's view, it means they need to keep their discussions to the kitchen, just like it was 35 years ago. it means there is no more tolerance for d

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.e us, a jury in the state of minnesota has found a white former police officer guilty of manslaughter for having shot dead a black motorist. during the trial, kim potter said she had mistaken her handgun for a taser when she killed daunte wright during a traffic stop in april. here's a bit of her testimony. i remember yelling, "taser, taser, taser!" and nothing happened! and then he told me i shot him! joining me now for more on the story is the bbc�*s nomia iqbal. both the defence and prosecution agreed _ both the defence and prosecution agreed that she did not mean to kill daunte _ agreed that she did not mean to kill daunte wright, that she mistakenly drew her— daunte wright, that she mistakenly drew her own weapon, the wrong weapon — drew her own weapon, the wrong weapon. what were the arguments the 'ury weapon. what were the arguments the jury was_ weapon. what were the arguments the jury was weighing? for the prosecutors this was a case of a preventable death. they argued that th

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. sits alongside prince harry, who is holding their two—year—old son archie on his knee. it's the first time lilibet, who was born injune, has been seen in a publicly released image. the photo was taken at their home in santa barbara, california. it's very nearly here — the big day itself. all around the world people are making final preparations for christmas. last—minute presents are still being bought — food and drink is already being consumed. but for one man in particular — the next day or two are going to be quite a challenge — as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. be it delta or omicron, nothing stands in the way of a man on a mission. # on the road again # just can't wait to get on the road again # from his home in lapland, father christmas sets off for what will be a very, very long journey. what will be a very, very long “ourne . �* , ., journey. let's give time to children- _ journey. let's give time to children. and _ journey. let's give time to children. and young - journey. l

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.mpetitors' shoes limited to a stack height of 20 millimetres. the change will come into play in november 202a. shoe technology has been in the spotlight since records started to tumble, with questions raised over the balance between innovation and unfair advantage. marley dickinson is writer for canadian running magazine and a brooks running athlete, hejoins me live now from toronto. marley, how will athletes and coaches react to this news? i think they'll be happy with it. i mean, itjust levels the playing field for all athletes. and ultimately, you know, it really engages the brands to make a product that's just as good, that fits under the rules and relations —— regulations. for those of us not elite level athletes why is stack height so important? it’s athletes why is stack height so important?— important? it's the amount of shoe mention _ important? it's the amount of shoe mention -- _ important? it's the amount of shoe mention -- measured i important? it's the amount of. shoe men

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ssian politics at kings college london. thank you very much. tell us about the group itself. its origins and why it seems to have caused the russian state such angst.- why it seems to have caused the russian state such angst. well, as our russian state such angst. well, as your report — russian state such angst. well, as your report said. _ russian state such angst. well, as your report said, memorial- russian state such angst. well, as your report said, memorial was . your report said, memorial was created formally in the 1980s. it began after the death of stalin in 1953. among russian intellectuals, primarily others who had lived through this period of terror, wanted to make sure it wasn't repeated and felt that it was important to catalogue the memory of what had gone on. there has been the mission of memorial since then. it's beenin mission of memorial since then. it's been in many ways the conscience of the russian public. who; been in many ways the conscience of the russian publi

our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports.is always a marathon affair. forfour end of year press briefing is always a marathon affair. for four hours, the kremlin leader fielded questions, and he used the event to vent his resentment at how nato enlarged after the fall of the soviet union. translation: irate enlarged after the fall of the soviet union. translation: we won't move one east — soviet union. translation: we won't move one east towards _ soviet union. translation: we won't move one east towards the _ soviet union. translation: we won't move one east towards the east, - soviet union. translation: we won't move one east towards the east, they| move one east towards the east, they told us in the 1990s, and what happened? they deceived us. they brazenly tricked us. there were five waves of nato expansion, and now missile systems are appearing in romania and poland. is missile systems are appearing in romania and poland.— romania and poland. is this russia's resonse? romania and poland. is this russia's response? a — rom

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.olga?— we're seeing on the border with ukraine. olga? yes. we need to remember— ukraine. olga? yes. we need to remember this _ ukraine. olga? yes. we need to remember this conference i ukraine. olga? yes. we need to remember this conference is i remember this conference is internal, and putin creates these... he defends those dragons, and here you go. either stays the same or gross. that's why once again, russia is only responding to provocations from the west. the other things that russia economy is struggling. standards of living are dramatically declining, and year after year, putin is saying our economy is doing better, russia is rising up from... but it's definitely not getting better. it's all due to the west. of course, there was also a message in the borders, and basically, he wants to show that he's ready for the negotiations next month and he has a very strong position and few very good points for a trade—off. what very strong position and few very good points for a trade-off

steve rosenberg reports. reporter: it is the most wonderful time of the year.en to like long news conferences. vladimir putin's end-of-the-year press briefing is always a marathon affair. for four hours, the kremlin leader fielded questions and to be used for vent his resentment at how nato enlarged after the fall of the soviet union. >> we will move one inch towards the east, they told us in the 1990's. and what happened? they deceived us. they brazenly tricked us. there were five waves of nato expansion and now missile systems are appearing in romania, poland. >> is this russia's response? a buildup of russian troops near ukraine's border? the kremlin denies plans to invade. but this is pressure. and on the west, too. as moscow demands and antenatal largement -- an end to nato enlargement. and a call for security guarantees. >> we must get guarantees, you must do it, immediately, now. we will not be palmed off -- pawned off while the other side carries out its own plans. >> vladimir putin spoke for a long time but gave little away about his intentions regardi

it's the latest move against critics of the kremlin, as our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg explainedis draconian legislation which the russian authorities have been using more and more to put pressure on ngos, rights groups and journalists who fall foul of the government. so, prosecutors have claimed that international memorial had violated the foreign agents law by not correctly marking some of their materials, foreign agents. and that was the reason for this case going ahead. but this is more to do with... this is more about, i think, about the past and what president putin and the kremlin think of the past. international memorial, for 30 years, has shone a light on one of the darkest chapters of russia's history in the 20th—century, stalin's crimes against the people, the great terror ofjosef stalin. and for 30 years they've been cataloguing the victims of the terror and the perpetrators of the terror. modern russia isn't interested in the dark chapters of the country's history. it wants to focus on the triumphs, on the glories. for example the victory in the second world war. i t

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ar. let's bring in dr domitilla sagramoso. she's an expert on russian foreign and security policy from king's college london. dr sagramoso, the rigour to speak to you on bbc news. thank you very much for talking to us. i won't ask you a detail about a very, very long news conference, but in a sense president putin has achieved something and getting nato members and president biden to agree that this kind of talk could take place at all, because presumably they would say, it's a matter of the sovereignty of the individual country, nothing to do with russia.— do with russia. yes, i think from that point _ do with russia. yes, i think from that point of— do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, _ do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, putin - do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, putin has - do with russia. yes, i think from that point of view, putin has got| that point of view, putin has got the attention of the west, the united states and nato

before we go, on tonight's news at ten we have a special report from our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg tensions between russia and ukraine. we don't know what the kremlin is planning, but what is clear, from what president putin has been saying, is that, 30 years after the fall of the soviet union, vladimir putin remains deeply resentful of how the cold war ended, with russia losing territory, influence and empire, and if mr putin has decided that now is the moment to try to reverse that, that is a huge challenge to russia's neighbours, and to the west. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc�*s news teams where you are. hello, i'm olly foster, here's what's coming up in sportsday... the premier league ploughs on — the festive fixtures will go ahead despite the covid cancellations. england's cricketers crumble again, and they'll now have to make history if they're to leave australia with the ashes. we have to absolutely believe and have that same attitude as i mentioned that that we went about today. because if we do that, i'm con

my friend, former -- and former republican strategy -- and steve rosenberg is still with us. brand. jackie, take me through this latest? >> jeff lee clark and john eastman, two people who were in touch and president biden and intimately involved in some of the illegal operations in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election, deciding that now the best legal pathway for them is to plead the fifth. jeff lee clark did so earlier this week. john eastman is the lartest as reported by friends at politico. it is an eyebrow raising move here. as chairman thompson laid out earlier this week in the contempt report that we had on capitol hill, it could be a way for these witnesses, these people that the committee are interested in asking questions about their involvements as it rets to the january 6th insurrection as a means of simply delaying the inevitable, which is being held in criminal contempt. or it means they could be looking for a way to provide the committee with new information so long as they get immunity. jamie raskin told us that it is quite possible that jeffrey clark who