🇷🇺 Russia — Today's Top Stories

Belgium battles record wildfire near German border (VIDEO)

Belgium is battling its largest wildfire on record as flames spread toward the German border Read Full Article at RT.com The blaze has scorched around…

Russian defense conglomerate Rostec launches mass production of mobile power substations for outages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes

Rostec has launched mass production of mobile power substations, the state-owned conglomerate announced in a post on its Telegram channel headlined “E…

Russia’s Transport Ministry denies changing how it handles trip data, saying a plan to share statistical information is limited to monitoring anonymized ticket-price data

Russia’s Transport Ministry has no plans to change the rules for storing and processing the data on Russians’ trips that carriers submit to the state.…

Latvia wants EU billions for its anti-Russia policies

Latvia is seeking €7 billion from Brussels as lost Russian trade and sharply higher military spending weigh on its finances Read Full Article at RT.co…

Russia deports the head of Moscow’s Azerbaijani diaspora, and Baku issues arrest warrants for three Russians

Bakhtiyar Hasanov, head of Moscow’s Azerbaijani diaspora organization, was deported from Russia, Azerbaijan’s APA news agency reported. Bakhtiyar Hasa…

A St. Petersburg clothing brand fired an employee who missed work after her grandfather’s death, then accused her of orchestrating a harassment campaign

Tamara, an employee of the St. Petersburg clothing brand OldBaby Shop (also known as “Samost,” Russian for “Selfhood”), said on Threads that she was f…

The Telegraph: Russia’s new drone bases on the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders put NATO territory within range

Russia’s military has set up 10 new bases for launching attack drones in large numbers along the country’s borders with Ukraine and Belarus, the Briti…

US warship loses power and toilets in South China Sea – CNN

A US Navy destroyer floated without power for four days last month as a result of an ‘engineering casualty’ Read Full Article at RT.com The USS Benfol…

He stayed in Russia and kept saying the war in Ukraine must end. Now opposition politician Lev Shlosberg is going to prison for more than 11 years.

Judge Viktoria Malyamova of the Pskov City Court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, deputy chair of Russia’s Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in a penal…

Eleven years in prison for illegal speech: reactions to the verdict against Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg

A Pskov court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, the 63-year-old deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, to 11 years and one month in a penal colony on ch…

Trump threatens to ‘bomb the sh*t out of’ Oman

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, as Muscat and Tehran press ahead with talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz Read Full A…

Russia’s biggest state development corp fires Andrei Klepach, its chief economist, for saying in May that Moscow is losing its war of attrition with the West, and losing it ‘in some ways’ to Ukraine

The Russian state development corporation VEB.RF has fired its chief economist, Andrey Klepach. The corporation dismissed him over “harsh personal ass…

Rolf car dealership founder Sergei Petrov is sentenced to nine years in absentia over an alleged 4-billion-ruble scheme

The Cheryomushkinsky District Court in Moscow has sentenced Sergey Petrov, founder of the car dealership Rolf and a former State Duma deputy, to nine …

Israeli minister calls for 30-40 ‘targeted assassinations’ in Gaza per night

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for 30 to 40 targeted killings in Gaza each night Read Full Article at RT.com Itamar Ben…

Russia already drove TV Rain into exile. Now it’s coming for the two executives who kept the channel alive.

Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against Natalya Sindeyeva, the chair of TV Rain’s board of directors, and Mark Ten, the channel’s gene…

The Russian LGBT Network spent 20 years protecting queer people. Now, branded ‘extremist,’ it’s dissolving itself to protect them.

The Russian LGBT Network, a public movement, announced that it is shutting down, according to a statement its representatives posted on Telegram. The …

A Russian FSB officer who ran a ‘Kremlin-insider’ Telegram channel is sentenced to 11 years for extorting a tech company

Mikhail Polyakov, administrator of the Telegram channel Kremlyovskaya Prachka, has been sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony on extortion charges, …

Rapper Ye (you may know him as Kanye West) is set to play two concerts in St. Petersburg, Russia, in October

American rapper Ye, also known as Kanye West, will perform two concerts in St. Petersburg on October 10 and 11, 2026. Say Agency, the Russian firm org…

RT reports on Afghanistan’s new reality five years after the US evacuated (VIDEO)

Five years after the US withdrawal, Afghanistan is safer but still grappling with sanctions and diplomatic isolation, RT reports Read Full Article at …

Russian pensioner fined for trying to shoot down drones with shotgun

A magistrate judge in the village of Yelan, in Russia’s Volgograd region, fined a local pensioner 40,000 rubles for trying to shoot down drones on his…

Russia’s Supreme Court upholds ruling barring anti-war Yabloko party from State Duma election

Russia’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Yabloko’s lawyers challenging the ruling that struck the party’s federal list from the State Duma e…

Yandex reportedly developed a test to measure AI’s ‘spiritual and moral values.’ The FSB says it should be kept secret.

The Russian technology company Yandex has proposed to the government a concept for testing whether artificial intelligence complies with “spiritual an…

St. Petersburg police detain German citizen over small donation to Anti-Corruption Foundation

St. Petersburg police detained a 41-year-old citizen of a European country on suspicion of transferring 900 rubles to an organization that Russian aut…

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance gave Russian security services data on one of its users. Now he’s on trial for donating to Ukraine’s military.

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, handed Russian security officials information about one of its users, IT specialist Yuri Belenky…

‘Dark’ oil trade still flowing despite Hormuz disruption – Bloomberg

Gulf producers are reportedly moving crude through the Strait of Hormuz on tankers with transponders off Read Full Article at RT.com Tankers sailing w…

‘The most terrifying 11 hours of my life’: What really happens when you cross Russia’s border? Meduza’s readers share their stories.

Israeli settler attacks terrorize last all-Christian village in West Bank (VIDEO)

Settler incursions and Israeli military restrictions are making life untenable in the Christian village of Taybeh, residents tell RT Read Full Article…

Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg to stop recognizing Russian non-biometric passports

Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden will stop recognizing Russian non-biometric passports starting October 1, 2026, the European Commissi…

WATCH hundreds of migrants demand asylum in Spanish enclave

Hundreds of Moroccan migrants have rallied in Spain’s Ceuta demanding asylum after a massive influx overwhelmed the North African enclave Read Full Ar…

Yandex digitally added forest to maps to hide Russian military sites

Yandex has digitally added forest cover over a military installation on its online maps, the Finnish outlet YLE reported. Copied fragments of forest a…

Detentions begin outside Russia’s Supreme Court as anti-war Yabloko party fights to stay on the ballot

Police detained several people outside the Supreme Court building in Moscow ahead of an August 17 hearing on Yabloko’s appeal against the removal of t…

The Bell: Russian state development corporation fires chief economist Andrei Klepach over remarks on Russia’s defeat in economic ‘war of attrition’

Russia’s state development corporation VEB.RF fired its chief economist, Andrei Klepach, after quotes from a speech in which he said Russia cannot win…

Moscow cancels military festival on Red Square. It’s only been canceled once before — in 2020, due to COVID.

Russia’s Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival has been canceled and will not take place in August 2026 as planned. Organizers announc…

Ukrainian missile strike kills six people in Russia’s Belgorod region

A Ukrainian missile strike killed six people in the village of Koloskovo, in Belgorod region’s Valuysky district, Alexander Shuvaev, the region’s acti…

A German journalist asked Zelensky how Europeans can help kill more Russian soldiers. Russia responded with a criminal case.

Russia has opened a criminal case against Michael Martens, a correspondent for the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), over remarks…

Russia moves to give security services near real-time access to citizens’ travel data

Russia’s Transport Ministry is proposing to expand the range of data on Russians’ trips that carriers transmit to the state, according to a draft of t…

Hamas promises Trump envoy it will demilitarize Gaza – Axios

Hamas leaders have reportedly reaffirmed their commitment to demilitarize Gaza during talks with US presidential adviser Jared Kushner Read Full Artic…

Iran places $30,000 bounty on US soldiers

Iran has offered a $30,000 reward for killing or capturing US troops as Washington reportedly weighs possible ground operations Read Full Article at R…

Washington discussing nuclear strike on Iran – former congresswoman

Former US lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Washington is discussing the possible use of nuclear weapons against Iran Read Full Article at RT.com…

Trump snubs South Korea over ‘very good relationship’ with Kim

Donald Trump has ordered a sharp reduction in US-South Korean military drills, citing his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong-un Read Full Article …

At least 15 rapes reported in Spain’s migrant-swarmed enclave – media

At least 15 rape cases have been recorded during the Ceuta migrant crisis, El Mundo reported, citing Spain’s Civil Guard Read Full Article at RT.com N…

Why the Mecca alliance may work in Russia’s favor

Middle East turmoil gives Russia cover on its southern flank Read Full Article at RT.com Middle East turmoil gives Russia cover on its southern flank …

Israeli attacks push Lebanon deeper into economic crisis (VIDEO)

Lebanon’s economic crisis is squeezing families as Israeli attacks destroy homes and farmland in the south, RT reports from Beirut Read Full Article a…

Concentration Camp Ukraine? In a comedian’s dictatorship, a pop singer tells the truth

A rare celebrity outburst has pierced Kiev’s climate of fear, exposing forced abductions, repression and a regime terrified of truth Read Full Article…

US mulls copying Russia’s air defense tech – Military Watch

The Pentagon is considering next-generation mobile air defense radars modeled on Russia’s S-300 and S-400, according to Military Watch Read Full Artic…

Israel wants ChatGPT to push its Gaza narrative – Politico

Israel has launched a $100,000 campaign aimed at making AI answers about Gaza and the IDF more Israel-friendly, Politico reports Read Full Article at …

Support for Germany’s ruling bloc falls to five-year low – poll

Germany’s governing CDU/CSU bloc has fallen to 20% support as dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaches 78% Read Full Article at RT.com T…

One dead, four wounded in downtown Lexington shooting (VIDEOS)

Five people were shot, one fatally, at a park in Lexington, Kentucky, police said Read Full Article at RT.com A four-year-old, a 14-year-old, and two …

Mangione pleads guilty to stalking charges, admits shooting CEO

Luigi Mangione admitted killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges Read Full Article at RT.com The…

South Korea proposes dialogue to end war with North

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung proposes talks with North Korea to formally end the Korean War Read Full Article at RT.com President Lee Jae Myun…

Saudi Arabia launches maritime coalition amid escalation in Yemen

Saudi Arabia has announced the formal launch of a maritime defense coalition aimed at protecting navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Read Full …

Musk’s $100 mn gamble helps mend rift with Trump – WSJ

Elon Musk will give $100 million to Republicans in midterm elections in a move that reportedly helps revive the alliance with Donald Trump Read Full A…

Iran invokes Dostoevsky to slam US foreign policy

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has invoked Dostoevsky to accuse Washington of basing its policies toward Tehran on “lies” Read Full Article at RT.…

Women’s sport shouldn’t have to bend to the trans delusion

Biology won’t be denied, and female athletes should not be pushed aside to satisfy woke ideology, fear, or performative silence Read Full Article at R…