Soviet authorities themselves condemned the USSR's bloody occupation of Afghanistan, but 30 years later some in Vladimir Putin's Russia are coming to see the operation in a more positive light.

After a decade of military intervention to bolster Kabul's embattled Communist government against Islamist fighters, the USSR finally pulled out its last units on February 15, 1989.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe struck a conciliatory tone with Russia at an annual rally Thursday to demand the return of small northern isles claimed by both nations.

Russia said Thursday it had "counted on" being invited to an international dialogue in Montevideo on Venezuela's political crisis, but was told it could not participate. 

European and Latin American envoys were set to gather in the Uruguayan capital Thursday for the first meeting of a "Contact Group" with the goal of creating conditions for a peaceful political process.  

Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday said the country must develop new types of missile systems in the next two years after Washington and Moscow ripped up a key arms control treaty.

The United States has repeatedly accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) agreement and on Friday President Donald Trump said Washington was starting a process to withdraw from the treaty in six months.

Three influential US Democratic lawmakers asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to justify lifting sanctions against Russian aluminum giant Rusal and two related companies, a move they said leaves "many" unanswered questions.

The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions Sunday on Russian aluminum giant Rusal and two related companies after blacklisted billionaire Oleg Deripaska took action to sharply cut his stake in them.

A US national being held in Russia on espionage charges will appear in court Tuesday for a bail hearing, but his lawyer told journalists he expects his client to remain in custody.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday voiced support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as he visited Moscow seeking financial assistance for the socialist country's collapsing economy.

The Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday after Russia confirmed it had seized three Ukrainian naval ships by force in a strait near Moscow-annexed Crimea, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said.

Moscow is intensifying efforts to wean its economy off the dollar as Washington considers tough new sanctions that could deny Russia access to foreign debt markets and cut its banks from the greenback.

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly slammed the U.S. unit's dominance on the world's stage but the country's previous efforts to de-dollarize its economy have so far had little success.