Russian prosectors on Friday said they were suspending the operations of an anti-Kremlin leftist opposition group for three months over alleged violations, piling further pressure on the country's beleaguered opposition. "The Prosecutor's Office of Moscow has suspended the operations of the Left Front public movement over legal violations," prosecutors said in a statement. The ban, which will remain in force until July 19, comes after prosecutors first warned the leftist group over a number of violations, including its failure to identify sources of funding.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Nicolas Maduro on Monday on winning Venezuela's presidential election, saying he expected good relations to continue with a country where Moscow has significant oil investments. Ties between Moscow and Caracas flourished under Hugo Chavez, the socialist leader who died last month of cancer. Maduro was Chavez's chosen successor and Russian officials were hoping for continuity to protect their energy and arms deals there.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was targeted for investigation because of his repeated "teasing" of the Kremlin, a senior investigative official said Friday, days before the top critic of President Vladimir Putin goes on trial. The spokesman of the powerful Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, in a rare interview with the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper, even suggested Navalny had been trained by US agents to trigger regime change in Russia.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was specially targeted for investigation because of his repeated "teasing" of the Kremlin, a senior investigative official said Friday, days before the top critic of President Vladimir Putin goes on trial. The spokesman of the powerful Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, in a rare interview with the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper, even suggested Navalny had been trained by US agents to trigger regime change in Russia.