Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Saturday that air defence systems had downed two drones en route to Russia's capital.

"Strengthening air defense capabilities is clearly an urgent priority for Iran at the moment," expert Hongda Fan told Newsweek.

"The suitcase was found to contain an American Colt Commander, .45 caliber with three empty magazines," Russian officials said.

Russian air defence systems shot down three drones en route to Moscow on Saturday, city mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram account.

In a dramatic shift with far-reaching geopolitical implications, Russia has become the first major world power to formally recognize the Taliban regime — a move that could accelerate the group’s global legitimacy,

Russia now controls more than two-thirds of Ukraine’s Donetsk region — the main theater of the ground war. Russian forces have carved out a 10-mile-deep pocket around the Ukrainian troops defending the crucial city of Kostiantynivka, partly surrounding them from the east, south and west.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday predicted the Russian economy would withstand the European Union's latest sanctions package and said Moscow would intensify its strikes against Ukraine.

The British government sanctioned three Russian intelligence units after an uptick of cyber and arson attacks.