Russian leader Vladimir Putin calls on the Taliban to keep its word to normalise life for Afghans and prevent violence spilling over into neighbouring countries at the summit of a Moscow and Beijing-led bloc.

Russian President Vladimir Putin votes online in a parliamentary election, after he announced this week he was self-isolating due to a coronavirus outbreak at the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemns the presence of foreign troops in Syria at talks in Moscow with the war-torn country's President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has been a key ally of the Assad regime throughout the Syrian conflict, which erupted in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests. Russia's military intervention in 2015 helped turn the tide of the war in Assad's favour.

During a televised video-call with members of the government and the ruling United Russia party, Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes the Russian vaccine Sputnik V will "really show its high levels for protection against Covid-19" as the Kremlin announced that he will self-isolate after coronavirus cases were detected in his inner circle.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in self-isolation after cases of the coronavirus emerged in his inner circle. He will skip a regional summit in Tajikistan that he was scheduled to attend later in the week.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes the Taliban will behave in a "civilised" manner in Afghanistan so the global community can maintain diplomatic ties with Kabul. "Russia is not interested in the disintegration of Afghanistan. If this happens, then there will be no one to talk to," Putin says.

Pope Francis cited Angela Merkel's greatness before echoing her feelings about the situation in Afghanistan. However, it was Vladimir Putin, not the German chancellor, that the pope was parroting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the United States' 20-year campaign in Afghanistan ended in "only tragedies, only losses." Moscow has regularly slammed the US policy in Afghanistan, which is now controlled by the Taliban after their takeover this month ahead of the American pullout on August 31.

Russia dispatches over 88 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Cuba, according to the Russian defence ministry, following unprecedented street protests against the communist government in Havana.

The Russian president's warning comes amid tensions between London and Moscow after a British warship entered waters close to Crimea.

The White House says the US president has told his Russian counterpart that the US will "defend its people" against ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure.

Amid tensions with the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategy to prevent "unfriendly actions" by the US and its allies that "threaten" his country's sovereignty.