THE Russian navy has arrested eight men accused of hijacking the Arctic Sea freighter near Sweden and forcing the crew to sail to west Africa — the latest twist in a puzzling maritime mystery.

Eight suspects in the hijacking of the Arctic Sea freighter are reported to have been detained.

THE freighter that sparked a high-seas mystery when it disappeared nearly three weeks ago has been found by a Russian naval frigate off the West African coast.

A “pirate” freighter that went missing nearly three weeks ago has been found near Cape Verde with its crew is alive and well, Russia said today.

A massive rearmament plan to modernise Russia’s arsenal has been announced by President Dmitry Medvedev today.

RUSSIA’S military announced plans yesterday to station about 7,600 troops in Georgia’s separatist regions, a sharp increase on the numbers deployed before Moscow sent in troops last month.

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin reshuffled the Russian government today in his first major action since leaving the Kremlin.

Missiles, tanks and other heavy weaponry rolled through Moscow's Red Square in the annual Victory Day parade today, reviving a tradition of the Soviet era and demonstrating Russia's growing military confidence.

US defence secretary Robert Gates is expected to crank up pressure on European allies who refuse to send troops to the front line against the resurgent Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

The looming crisis on Turkey’s border with Iraq is likely to dominate a Nato defence ministers summit starting today.

Russian president Vladimir Putin named a new economics and health minister and retained the current foreign and defence ministers today, ahead of crucial parliamentary and presidential elections.

RUSSIA yesterday bluntly told the United States it saw no threat from Iran’s ballistic missiles and was perplexed how Washington could use this to justify a planned US defence system in Europe.