President Vladimir Putin

There is almost no news alternative to government propaganda on Russian television — save for one channel known as TV Rain. But it only streams on the Web after cable dropped.

Officials say a 19-year-old former student at a school in the Russian city of Kazan opened fire there Tuesday, killing at least seven students, a teacher and a school worker.

During his year-end news conference, the Russian president glibly brushed aside international suspicions that Kremlin agents were behind the attempted assassination of the leading opposition figure.

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.

Hackers invaded computer systems at the departments of Treasury, Commerce and Homeland Security as far back as the spring, according to the government and media reports.

The vote approves constitutional changes, including a reset on presidential terms that will allow Putin to run twice more after his current six-year term expires in 2024.