PUTIN

Most Russians don't want their government to admit the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics into the Russian Federation, a poll says.

The country's president used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to call for international support in opposition to Russia.

According to Putin, Monday's discussion between the two leaders was "very constructive, businesslike and frank." But the photos seem to tell a different story.

The policy has sparked considerable protest as video footage showed huge food supplies being bulldozed, even as more than 22 million Russians live in poverty.

"We will not forget the past, but we do not wish to live in the past. We will not forget war and sanctions, but we look to peace and development," Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Monday at the United Nations.

Russia is raising eyebrows with its military presence in Syria, but some think it's an attempt by Putin to reinstate Russia at the center of world affairs.

The U.S. and Russian presidents will meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Monday.

Bashar Assad made a rare public appearance Thursday at a moment of increased uncertainty over the growing Russian presence in Syria.

Amid international sanctions, dropping oil prices, a conflict in Ukraine and deepening involvement in Syria's ongoing civil war, joblessness in Russia is soaring.

Debate moderators could have a hard time managing the 11 presidential candidates who will be taking part in the top-tier debate.

With involvement in both Syria and Ukraine, Russia has the Pentagon rethinking its budget allocations.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced an increase in contract servicemen amid tension over Russia's role in Syria and Ukraine.

When completed, the base could house as many as 3,500 soldiers, suggesting the Kremlin has no plans to back away from the conflict across the border.

The foreign ministry cited suspicions that the actual cargo may not be for humanitarian purposes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the solution to the ongoing crisis was to have the international community work together to fight terrorism.

Making an appeal to countries from the Asia-Pacific region, Putin said his government will increase efforts to develop Russia's Far East.

Ukraine's president said his country must increase the number of contract soldiers as Russia remains a long-term threat.

Sanctions were first applied in 2014 over Russia's actions in Ukraine, including the March 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Restrictions "imposed by certain Western countries" have not affected Sino-Russian relations, Russia's president said before he visits China on Wednesday.

Military leaders from across the border are fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Nazi-style troop formations have been observed, Ukraine says.

The news came at the end of a three-day visit to Moscow by Egypt's president.