Putin: Russia ‘Ahead of Competition’ with Latest Weapons

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin hailed new missiles in Russia’s military arsenals but emphasized Thursday that the country would only use its nuclear weapons in response to an incoming missile attack. Putin emphasized during an international policy forum in Sochi that Russia’s military doctrine doesn’t envisage a preventative nuclear strike. He said Moscow only…

Putin Seeks to Defuse Downing of Russian Plane Off Syria

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian forces responding to an Israeli airstrike, killing all 15 people aboard, in what President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday was “a chain of tragic accidental circumstances.” The downing of the Il-20 highlighted the dangers posed by the conflicting interests of various powers in the…