Latest from Russia

Russian leader puts the squeeze on Assad

Putin's announcement that Russia will begin withdrawing the "main part" of its military from Syria is a surprise potential end to a six-month intervention.

Russian free-trade talks not back on table

Russia's surprise military withdrawal from Syria does not mean free-trade talks are back on the table, Prime Minister John Key says.

Travel light: High five Moscow

Man faces jail for saying God isn't real

A Russian man is being prosecuted for writing a post on social media that equated the Bible to a "collection of Jewish fairytales".

Gwynne Dyer: Russia's divide and conquer plan in Syria brings US closer

Russian's plan is "the best opportunity the Syrian people have had over the past five years for lasting peace and stability".

Putin blamed for crisis

Vladimir Putin is purposefully creating a refugee crisis in order to "overwhelm" and "break" Europe, Nato's military commander in Europe has warned.

Cartoon: What's Russian for help again?

'Smoking kills more people than Obama'

More material branding the US president as a mass killer has shown up in Moscow.

Gwynne Dyer: Turks and Saudis know any Russia fight will be lonely one

The Turkish government, in league with Saudi Arabia, made a tentative decision to enter the war on the ground in Syria, writes Gwynne Dyer.

Turkey: Russia was warned

For days, Russian jets had been roaring along the Turkish border, bombing hills on the Syrian side in support of a regime attack on rebel forces.

Con Coughlin: If Putin plays with fire, he will end up burned

COMMENT: Russia's President has been taught a lesson with the shooting of a warplane over Turkish air space.

Russia and Syria join forces to bomb IS

At least 36 people have been killed in air strikes by Russian and Syrian jets on Islamic State-controlled Deir Ezzor province, a monitor said.

Doping: Experts predict where the future lies

Doping: NZ sport bosses unite behind WADA stand

Russia's anti-doping lab head resigns

The head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory resigned hours after his lab was suspended over accusations it was part of a state-sponsored doping program

Focus falls on staff in plane probe

Maids, porters and other hotel staff in Sharm el-Sheikh are being questioned to discover if one of them hid a bomb in the luggage of a passenger on board the doomed Russian holiday flight.

Doped Russian athletes should be banned - report

Russia's doped athletes "sabotaged" the 2012 Olympics and should be banned from future competitions until the country cleans up its act, a bombshell report has said.

Hotel staff questioned over plane crash

Investigators of the Russian plane crash are pursuing the theory that a bomb could have been placed inside a passenger's luggage by hotel staff.