Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it was "necessary to wait for the end of this probe" before casting any speculation.

Taiwan's Presidential Office conducted its first ever tabletop exercise simulating a military escalation with China, several officials briefed on the matter said, at a time when the island is facing renewed Chinese military threats.

A passenger plane crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, local authorities said, without specifying the number of people on board.