REUTERS - The Kremlin shrugged off a Syrian opposition decision to boycott a peace conference in Russia this week, saying on Monday the event would go ahead regardless and make a meaningful contribution to a political solution.

AFP - Turkey on Sunday stepped up its offensive against Kurdish militia in Syria for a ninth, in a campaign that has strained relations with the United States.

REUTERS - A Russian Olympic Committee official said on Thursday that 169 Russian athletes had been cleared to compete at the Pyeongchang Games next month.

AFP - Some 1,600 people have been invited to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi next week for a Syria peace congress with the aim of agreeing a post-war constitution, Moscow said Thursday.

AFP - Drones that attacked Russian bases in Syria last week were sent from Idlib, a "de-escalation" zone controlled by anti-Damascus fighters, the Russian defence ministry's official newspaper said Wednesday.