Moscow - Three Russian soldiers have been killed Chechnya in an attack less a week after the official end of the Russian military deployment, according to news agency Interfax on Wednesday.

The men, aged 24 and 35, died when their vehicle came under fire, whilst the two assailants reportedly escaped.

Following two wars, the Russian secret service, on the orders of President Dmitri Medvedev, lifted Chechnya's status as an "anti- terror zone" on April 16.

Moscow - There is outrage in the ruling United Russia party over a new brand of ice cream bearing the name of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The local branch of the party in Lipezk is angry about what it called the lack of political good taste and the profanation of his name, according to the Wednesday edition of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

The paper reported that all the managers of the ice cream company in Lipezk were loyal members of United Russia and that the Putin ice cream was not intended as a reference to the head of government.

Beijing - China and Russia on Tuesday signed an oil cooperation deal involving the supply of Russia oil in return for record loan of 25 billion dollars from China.

Chinese Vice Prime Minister Wang Qishan and his Russian counterpart, Igor Sechin, signed government agreements in Beijing to finalize the deal.

The cooperation pacts included building a pipeline to China, supplying oil and providing financing from the China Development Bank, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

Moscow - Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khordokovsky pleaded not guilty to charges of embezzlement and money laundering at a new trial on Tuesday.

"No, I do not admit guilt," Khordokovsky said after the charges were read out at a Moscow court.

Khordovovsky, former chief the oil concern Yukos, called the charges "nonsense" and vowed to defend himself against them, according to the news agency Interfax.

Moscow - Russia has criticized the United States, Germany and other Western nations that were boycotting a United Nations conference on racism taking place in Geneva.

Apparently, not all governments were ready to face the growing challenges of racism, xenophobia and intolerance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yakovenko said in an in an interview published in the government newspaper Gazeta Rossiyskaya on Monday.

Moscow  - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev criticized a planned NATO military exercise in Georgia next month as "muscle- flexing" on Friday, according to Interfax news agency, as tensions from last summer's conflict hotted up again.

The NATO operation is expected to see 1,300 soldiers from 19 nations carry out a two-day exercise in the Black Sea republic.