Vladimir Putin scored a decisive victory in Russia’s presidential election to return to the Kremlin and extend his hold on power for six more years.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rolled to victory in Russia’s presidential election today, according to exit polls cited by state television, but the vote was tainted by claims of violations, including “carousel voting” in which voters were bused around to cast several ballots.

Russsian observers today warned they are seeing widespread violations in elections expected to return Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin, despite efforts to give the appearance of a fair vote.

RUSSIAN leader Boris Yeltsin was once found near the White House late at night dressed in his underwear, seemingly drunk and looking for pizza, according to a new book detailing Bill Clinton’s presidency.

Dmitry Medvedev won a landslide victory in the election to replace his patron Vladimir Putin as Russia’s president, promising to continue on Mr Putin’s path and to appoint him prime minister.

Voting has begun today in Russia's presidential election that will produce a successor to Vladimir Putin.

The most vocal Kremlin critic in Russia’s presidential contest was barred from the ballot today by election authorities who said tens of thousands of signatures on his nominating petitions were faked.

Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov lambasted Russian authorities today over violent crackdowns at anti-Kremlin demonstrations last weekend, accusing police who beat and detained protesters of “brutality and cruelty”.

More than 2,000 people held a rare anti-government rally in Moscow on today, accusing the Kremlin of growing authoritarianism and protesting against electoral law changes.

President Vladimir Putin today nominated Mikhail Fradkov, a former tax police chief who is Russia’s representative to the European Union, to the post of prime minister.

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin sacked Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and his Cabinet yesterday, saying he made the move in order to reshuffle the government ahead of next month’s presidential election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sacked Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and his Cabinet today, saying he made the move in order to reshuffle the government ahead of next month’s presidential election.

Vladimir Putin has reportedly announced the resignationa of the Russian government live on television.

RUSSIA’S prime minister said yesterday he was deeply concerned by the seizure of shares of oil giant YUKOS — the closest any top official has come to publicly criticising the Kremlin’s handling of the crisis.

The jailing of Russia’s richest man in what is widely seen as a politically-driven attack on his oil empire could herald a return to Soviet-style repression that is bound to trigger capital flight, media and politicians warned today.

A FIRE in a boarding school for the deaf in southern Russia killed 28 children and seriously injured 17 others yesterday, as rescuers raced from bed to bed to awaken students who could not hear alarms.

AS negotiators finished a global plan to tackle poverty and save the environment, Russia said yesterday it will soon ratify the Kyoto Protocol a move that would bring the key climate change agreement into effect.

RUSSIA yesterday said it was set to sign a $40billion economic and trade co-operation agreement with Iraq in a move that could complicate Washington’s plans to topple Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

The Russian Prime Minister has hit out at the drunken soccer fans who rioted in Moscow after their national side was beaten by Japan at the World Cup.

President Vladimir Putin said he will "never agree to the division of the sovereignty of Russia" implied by European Union plans to impose visas on the residents of the country's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

President George Bush tonight slapped punishing tariffs of between 8% and 30% on several types of imported steel in an effort to aid ailing US industry, drawing criticism from American allies.

Vladimir Putin has named a former KGB veteran as Russia's new defence minister.

Russian MPs are preparing a proposal that could force President Vladimir Putin to choose between firing his Cabinet or dissolving parliament.