Bulgaria and the UK say they will jointly investigate possible connections between the poisoning of Russian former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury and the poisoning of the Bulgarian owner of an arms factory in 2015.

British prosecutors have named the two Russians suspected of attempting to murder the Skripals as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.

Russian voters were expected to endorse Vladimir Putin’s choice of a successor in today’s presidential election, allowing Mr Putin to retain a measure of power in his nation whose wealth and global voice have grown even as democratic freedoms diminished.

Russia’s lower house of parliament today took the first step toward approval of a bill that would prevent foreign-funded rights groups from operating in the country – a move sure to heighten criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to democracy.