The U.S. military says a Russian official informed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad about the missions; Syria says it invited Russia's air force to help fight terrorism.
Russia's military buildup in Syria has raised alarms in the West, but many Russians see it as necessary to counter Islamist extremism. Russian analysts say Putin risks involvement in a quagmire.
NPR has learned that 16 aircraft — including four attack jets and as many attack helicopters — have landed in Syria at a forward operating base at Latakia.
For many photojournalists, Instagram has become a "modern-day Polaroid camera" used to take quick snapshots of important issues — and visual media giants have taken notice.
The foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, met in Berlin over the weekend following a two-week cease-fire that appears to have held.
Summer is over in Moscow and residents are bracing themselves for the fearsome Russian winter to come. Correspondent Corey Flintoff reflects on the city's mood as summer slips away.
Russia has launched a huge project to re-equip its armed forces with modern weapons. But the obstacles, including delays caused by sanctions and a cash crunch due to a drop in oil prices, are massive.
Newly released pictures of President Vladimir Putin show him working out at a gym and grilling steaks with his prime minister. It may be part of a government effort to boost Putin's approval ratings.
The conviction of a Ukrainian filmmaker is one of several cases in Russia that have drawn protests from human-rights groups and Western governments, including the U.S.