President Vladimir Putin warned the west against taking one-sided action in Syria but also said Russia “doesn’t exclude” supporting a United Nations resolution on punitive military strikes if it is proved that Damascus used poison gas on its own people.

The architect of Vladimir Putin's tightly controlled political system became one of its most senior victims on Tuesday when he was shunted out of the Kremlin in the wake of the biggest opposition protests of Putin's 12-year rule.

The architect of Vladimir Putin's tightly controlled political system became one of its most senior victims on Tuesday when he was shunted out of the Kremlin in the wake of the biggest opposition pro

The Prime Minister, Mr Vladmir Putin, on Sunday officially launched the Russian section of a strategic oil pipeline that delivers east Siberian oil to energy-hungry China, as Moscow stepped up efforts