Russia's army has started three days of nuclear weapons drills involving thousands of troops across the country, as Kyiv escalates its drone attacks and with President Vladimir Putin headed to China.

Russia plans to introduce some diamond export duties this year to support the struggling domestic diamond-cutting industry, a deputy finance minister said on Tuesday.

Russia launched large-scale nuclear drills involving missiles, submarines and bombers amid escalating Ukrainian drone attacks, as Vladimir Putin reinforced nuclear deterrence messaging during heightened tensions with NATO and the West.

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Xi ‘told Trump that Putin might regret invading Ukraine’ - Putin is set to arrive in Beijing later today for his own two-day summit with China's Xi

TOKYO, May 19 () - Russia and China are ready to support each other ‌on a wide range of issues, ‌including national unity and protection of sovereignty, President Vladimir ​Putin said in a video address ahead of a visit to China starting on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry did not say anything about the targets hit, for example.

A Moscow court has barred the ex-wife of Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin from launching legal proceedings against him outside Russia, court documents showed ​on Monday, after a London court ruled last year that she ‌could pursue in Britain one of the highest-value divorce claims ever brought.