Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the economy was set to shrink slightly this year, but by far less than in 2015, as the country struggles out of a two-year recession.

US intelligence officials now believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in hacking during the American election campaign as part of a vendetta against Hillary Clinton, NBC News reported late Wednesday.

Putin personally instructed how material hacked from US Democrats was leaked and otherwise used, the US television network said, quoting two senior officials with access to this information.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday slammed as "hysteria" claims that Russia has attempted to interfere in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections by hacking American political institutions. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired Friday that Moscow and Washington could soon reach a cooperation deal on Syria.

"In my opinion we're gradually heading in the right direction and I don't exclude that we'll be able to agree on something in the near future and present our agreements to the international community," Putin said in an interview with Bloomberg News.

President Vladimir Putin will visit Japan in December as Moscow and Tokyo strive to ease old tensions over four disputed islands, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Russia on Thursday launched large-scale snap military drills, putting its troops on full combat readiness in districts bordering Ukraine and the Baltic states, the defense minister said.

"In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (President Vladimir Putin), a spot check started today," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in televised comments.

Russia and Ukraine stepped up security around Crimea on Thursday as tensions soared over accusations by Moscow that Kiev had attempted armed incursions into the disputed peninsula.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia on August 9 for his first face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin since Moscow and Ankara mended ties damaged by the downing of a Russian jet last year, Turkish officials said Tuesday.

The Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan plan to meet in Russia in early August.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lifted restrictions on travel to Turkey after mending ties with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seven months after Ankara downed a Russian jet, triggering a raft of sanctions.