Iran's foreign minister on Tuesday hailed an agreement between Turkey and Russia to avert an assault on Syria's last major rebel stronghold in Idlib province as an example of "responsible diplomacy."

Russia on Tuesday launched what it has called its largest ever military drills, with hundreds of thousands of Russian troops taking part along with Chinese soldiers in a massive show of force that has rattled the West.

The week-long war games dubbed "Vostok-2018" (East-2018), "have kicked off" in far eastern Russia and on the Pacific Ocean, the defense ministry said in a statement.

Russia on Tuesday will launch the biggest military drills in its history involving 300,000 troops as well as Chinese soldiers, in a move NATO denounced as "exercising large-scale conflict".

The week-long deployment alongside Chinese and Mongolian armies dubbed "Vostok-2018" (East-2018) will start in eastern Siberia on September 11.

British Security Minister Ben Wallace said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "ultimate" responsibility for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian double agent in England in March.

US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Syria against launching an attack on the country's last rebel stronghold with the help of Russia and Iran, saying the offensive could trigger a "human tragedy."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Moscow will take reciprocal measures in response to Washington's latest sanctions, in an interview to a Slovak newspaper published on Tuesday.  

Unknown gunmen have shot dead two policemen in Russia's volatile Caucasus in the latest attack against local authorities, police said on Saturday.

Yekaterinburg has escaped its dark past of contract killings and organized crime to become a World Cup host city with a more hopeful future.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Russia Thursday ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which are expected to focus on economic cooperation and the situation in North Korea.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday called for dialogue between Israel and Iran following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria that marked a sharp escalation between the two enemies.