President Joe Biden says he gave his authorization to shoot down a Chinese high altitude balloon a day after he was first briefed on the suspicious device, which was hovering over sensitive US military sites, but defense officials convinced him to wait until it was safe for people on the ground.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his planned trip to Beijing after a Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over the mainland of the United States.
"Over the period of the special military operation, Russian troops have secured over 20,000 documents, references and analytical materials, and interviewed eyewitnesses and participants in American military-biological programs," RCB Troops Chief Igor Kirillov said in a Monday briefing in Moscow.