Russia

Radars on Monday detected two air targets approaching the Russian border over the Barents Sea, and a MiG-31 jet belonging to the Russian Northern Fleet took off in response, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

In addition, large quantities of ammunition and other combat material were destroyed at the camp near Palmyra, reported the TASS news agency, citing Russian military leaders in Syria, DPA reported. About two dozen trucks with heavy machine guns and around 500 kgs of weapons material were destroyed, it said.

The Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it summoned the Czech Ambassador to Russia Vitezslav Pivonka and strongly protested against the unfriendly act of the authorities in Prague.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry said it had summoned Ukraine's Charge d'Affaires Vasily Pokotilo after the Federal Security Service intelligence agency briefly detained Ukrainian consul Aleksandr Sosonyuk in St. Petersburg on Friday for obtaining classified information about Russian law enforcement agencies, reports Xinhua news agency.

It was not initially said how long the exercises would last, DPA news agency reported. The US had previously cancelled the deployment of two warships to the Black Sea following complaints from Russia. On Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry declared that certain sea areas in Crimea would be closed off for months because of the manoeuvres.

The no-entry list includes the US attorney general, the secretary of homeland security, the FBI director and the director of national intelligence, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, DPA news agency reported. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would also restrict the activities of organisations and foundations from the US, to make sure they don't interfere in the country's internal affairs.

On Thursday, the US Treasury Department said that members of the Russian network include First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Alexei Gromov, previously designated as a government official. As a result, the Treasury has designated Gromov for having attempted to interfere in the election.

Pakistani nationals Mohsin Raza, Mujtaba Raza, Syed Hasnain, Muhammad Hayat, Syed Raza, and Shahzad Ahmed are the owners and employees of Second Eye Solutions (SES), the IT firm which has been accused of acting as a proxy for a Russian troll entity which interfered in the American elections.

The move included the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats from the US and sanctions on several organisations and individuals, the White House and State Department said on Thursday, DPA news agency reported. The US government also cited Russia's continued occupation of Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine seven years ago, and for reportedly offering bounties to militants in Afghanistan who killed US troops.

Biden spoke by phone with Putin on Tuesday to discuss a range of issues, from arms control to cyberattacks and fresh worries over the amassing of Russian troops on the Ukraine border, a statement said, DPA news reported. The US president suggested their meeting take place "in a third country.