WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The US Transportation Security Administration is temporarily banning all liquids, aerosols, gels and powders on flights between Russia and the United States, ABC News reported on Thursday.

The items can still be carried on checked luggage, the network said, citing an official with the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA's parent agency.

Spokesmen for the department and the TSA did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

The United States issued a warning on Wednesday to airports and to some airlines flying to Russia for the Olympics to watch for toothpaste tubes that could hold ingredients to make a bomb on a plane, a senior US security official said.

Russian forces are on high alert to head off possible militant attacks at the Winter Olympic Games, which begin on Friday in Sochi.