Vladimir Putin on Thursday admitted he is in love, fuelling rumours over a relationship with Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva.Denying he had 'completely gone wild' in his romantic life, the divorced strongman revealed that he 'loves' and is loved in return, but refused to disclose the identity of his mystery partner.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine must remain one political entity, voicing hope that the crisis could be solved through peace talks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday accused Russia of 'creating problems' for countries which are seeking closer ties with the EU.She suggested Russian president Vladimir Putin is trying to ensure several of his country's neighbouring states remain dependent on it, rather than leaning towards the West.

Passengers on a Russian plane disembarked in minus 52C to push their jet - after its brakes froze in the icy temperatures.The UTair aircraft 'literally froze on the ground at Igarka airport, above the Arctic Circle,' reported The Siberian Times.

Vladimir Putinyesterday hinted that he could be in power for another decade – after implying that he felt 'invincible'.The Russian president also accused the West of attempting to topple him by targeting his billionaire friends with tough economic sanctions.Putin denied he will shut Russia off from the West, amid accusations his government is becoming more authoritarian by the day.The 62-year-old – who began his third term as president in 2012 after spending four years in the role of prime minister ...

Ukraine has accused Russia of sending in dozens of tanks and other heavy weapons into Ukraine's rebel-controlled eastern areas.National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Friday at least 32 tanks, 16 artillery systems and 30 trucks loaded with fighters and ammunition had crossed into eastern Ukraine from Russia. He provided no specific evidence.

A lawmaker wants to hand out Vladimir Putin's sperm to Russian women en masse in a bid to create a new generation of 'military and political elite'.Yelena Borisovna Mizoulina, the Chairwoman of Parliamentary Commission on women's affairs, children and family, told colleagues that giving the president's sperm to would-be mothers would improve patriotism in Russia.

China and Russia are considering building a high-speed rail line thousands of kilometres from Moscow to Beijing that would cut the journey time from six days on the Trans-Siberian to two.

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has left a hospital and is back at work, Russia's state-run RIA Novosti reported Friday.Asked by RIA Novosti how he was feeling, he said that "well" was an overstatement, but that he was aiming for satisfactory and it was "already not bad" to be back at work.

It could, perhaps, be described as a case of 'a bridge too fast'. The world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge - the SkyBridge near the city of Sochi in south-western Russia - stretches for almost a kilometre over the Krasnaya Polyana valley.