By Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his top officials to draft proposals for a possible test of nuclear weapons, something Moscow has not done since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given state awards to the developers of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater torpedo, the latest signal in what analysts have cast as efforts by the Kremlin to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine.

An investigation by the Russian outlet Proekt has revealed that at least 24 relatives of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin received his help in securing positions within government or state-affiliated institutions.

Officials in Washington say the U.S. has identified key targets inside Venezuela that are tied to drug trafficking operations.

One in six Russian adults takes a dimmer view of President Vladimir Putin after watching a video investigation by jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny that links a luxury palace to the Russian leader,

Much of the focus in the fighting has been around the city of Pokrovsk, a key site for both Ukraine and Russia. Meanwhile, UK defence intelligence reports Vladimir Putin wants to conscript 135,000 more Russians to fight.

A pre-launch point for drone strikes on Ukraine was “destroyed”, reports have also claimed. The drones and warheads destroyed were all destined for use in deadly attacks on Ukraine. The attack comes as a major blow to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Ukrainian territory he has occupied since 2014.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Donald Trump a swift recovery on Friday after the U.S. president tested positive for COVID-19.