Moscow, Sept. 12 : U. S. President George W Bush, according to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, no longer runs America.

In a tongue in cheek reference to Bush in the wake of the recent standoff between the two countries on the conflict in Georgia, Putin was quoted by the Times as saying that it is: “The court that makes the king”.

Putin, however, insisted that Bush was a man of honour and integrity, but blamed members of his administration for the sharp deterioration of relations with Russia.

Moscow  - The flight of two Russian nuclear-capable bombers to South America this week is proof that "any region in the world" is within reach of the country's long-range bomber fleet, Russia's air force commander said on Thursday.

"We have tested ourselves, and our bombers are capable of making flights to any region in the world," Colonel General Pavel Androsov told a briefing in Moscow on Thursday.

The TU-160 bombers, known as "Blackjack" by their NATO codename, were not equipped with nuclear weapons when they landed in Venezuela on Wednesday for a four day stay ahead of joint naval exercise in the Caribbean.

Androsov said in the televised briefing the planes carried only dummy missiles.

Moscow - The commander of Russia's strategic missile forces reiterated threats Tuesday that Moscow could re-target rockets at US missile defence objects if these are deployed in eastern Europe.

Colonel General Nikolai Solovtsov made the comments as Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was expected in Poland, which has agreed to host the US system. The talks with Polish Premier Donald Tusk in Warsaw on Wednesday will focus on the system.

Moscow - The Russian tyre manufacturer Avtoros unveiled a super Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with eight wheels on four axles. at the Moscow Motor Show for use in the lonesome wilds of Siberia.

Painted in bright orange, the gigantic prototype Avtoros Z-83 makes a Unimog or Hummer look like a baby in comparison. It measures 6.2 metres in length, weighs 3.7 tonnes and is powered by a 2.4-litre diesel engine with an output of 96 kW/130 hp.

The eight wheels, that are almost as high as a human being, are individually driven. The first and fourth axle can be steered.

Moscow- Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday called "not essential" the participation of its own troops in a mission of peacekeepers in a buffer zone between Georgia and its Russian-backed separatist regions.

Russia would trust the European Union's security guarantee, Lavrov told journalist in Moscow a day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU presidency, promised 200 European monitors to patrol the zones.

"Whether or not ours (troops) form part of the additional monitors is not the most essential question for us," the foreign minister said.

Moscow  - Russia said Monday it would send warships and planes to participate in joint exercises with Venezuela in the Caribbean this year, a move that could exacerbate an already tense security balance with the United States.

Russian Foreign Ministry official Andrei Nesterenko said the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, one of the world's largest warships, and a unit of long-range anti-submarine aircraft would enter Venezuelan waters "before the end of the year."