Bomber's downing has split two obstinate strongmen deeply involved in Syria's increasingly crowded civil war.

For days, Russian jets had been roaring along the Turkish border, bombing hills on the Syrian side in support of a regime attack on rebel forces.

COMMENT: Russia's President has been taught a lesson with the shooting of a warplane over Turkish air space.

At least 36 people have been killed in air strikes by Russian and Syrian jets on Islamic State-controlled Deir Ezzor province, a monitor said.

The head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory resigned hours after his lab was suspended over accusations it was part of a state-sponsored doping program

Maids, porters and other hotel staff in Sharm el-Sheikh are being questioned to discover if one of them hid a bomb in the luggage of a passenger on board the doomed Russian holiday flight.

The decision by several airlines to avoid the airspace over the Sinai Peninsula following the break-up of a Russian passenger jet was only the latest addition to a list of official and self-selected....

Suspicions that foul play caused the passenger jet crash in Egypt were growing as the Russian airline's owners said the plane could only have been brought down by "external factors".

If there were a rule book setting out how to handle a disaster that has claimed hundreds of innocent lives, Egypt and Russia on Saturday contrived to ignore every page.

Three major airlines announced yesterday that they would no longer fly over the Sinai Peninsula after a Russian passenger plane crashed in the area.

Former KGB major claims Russian hitmen murdered MI6 spy.

Passenger airliners could be at risk from long-range Russian cruise missiles being fired at Syria, international air safety agencies have warned.

Russia's presence in Syria under the pretence taking the fight to Isis is a strategic triumph for Vladimir Putin and an embarrassment for Barack Obama, writes Paul Thomas.

Russian warships join the conflict in Syria with a volley of cruise missile attacks from more than 1000km away.

Prime Minister says New Zealand will not rush to sign up to coalition against Islamic State proposed by Russian's President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President's dramatic deployment of soldiers, weapons and aircraft to Syria aimed at reshaping civil war.

A billionaire once known as "Putin's banker" fears for his life in France, his lawyers say, and has brought an 11 billion ($19.5 billion) lawsuit against the Russian state claiming it....

Russia is building a military base in Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's heartland and the US is worried.

Russia is providing "serious" training and logistical support to the Syrian army, Vladimir Putin has said.

How does an Auckland solicitor come to sit on trusts linked to an exiled Russian tycoon and former billionaire?

New Zealand trusts associated with a former Russian billionaire once known as "Putin's banker" are now subject to a worldwide freezing order by a London court.

Russia's energy pivot toward Asia faces its sternest test next month when Vladimir Putin visits Beijing amid slumping oil prices and concerns over China's economic slowdown.

The Russian President's 83m dive in a mini-submarine was the latest in a long line of adventurous stunts.

The kiwi dollar is losing ground in traditional holiday hotspots overseas but a break to Russia has become much cheaper.

The ex-KGB officer seated in front of me raised his hand to interrupt my brief monologue on Vladimir Putin's "hybrid" war in Ukraine.

President Francois Hollande has resolved a spat with Russia over the future of two advanced warships Moscow ordered from France before its annexation of Crimea poisoned relations with the West.