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Gas reserves in European UGS facilities down below 29%

Gas volumes in UGS facilities currently total about 32 bln cubic meters

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Gas reserves in Europe’s underground gas storage (UGS) facilities have fallen below 29% despite a significant slowdown in the withdrawal pace, according to data provided by Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

Gas withdrawal from UGS facilities in EU countries amounted to around 177 mln cubic meters (mcm) on March 14, while pumping equaled 91 mcm. Gas volumes in UGS facilities currently total about 32 bln cubic meters (bcm).

European UGS facilities are currently 28.97% full (13.02 percentage points lower than the average as of this date in the past five years).

Since the start of the heating season on October 13, 2025, EU countries have withdrawn more than 67.5 bcm of gas from storage facilities. Net withdrawal is approaching 60 bcm.

Russian stock market closes in the red on Monday

The MOEX Russia Index lost 0.63% to 2,853.72 points, while the RTS Index dropped by 1.64% to 1,109.15 points

Iran hits Israeli weapons company, Israel Aerospace Industries — TV

The Iranian army said Rafael’s weapons manufacturing center develops air defense systems such as the Iron Dome, Spike missiles and cyber technologies

Pakistan delivers strike on Kabul, casualties reported — Afghan government

Pakistan once again violated the Afghan airspace, striking a rehabilitation center for drug addicts in Kabul, Zabihullah Mujahid said

Still no concrete date set on Ukrainian conflict settlement talks — source in Ankara

There is also no information whether detailed contacts are currently underway regarding this issue

French politician urges Paris to join Belgium’s call for dialogue with Russia

Florian Philippot called on France to follow the example of Bart De Wever

US wants NATO, Arab nations to do more to open up Strait of Hormuz — White House

White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stressed that it was NATO that needed to step up the most

Russian aid to Ukraine totaled about $250 bln in 1991-2013 - Putin

"Our country provided such support - with respect paid to Ukraine’s dignity and sovereignty" Putin said

ADNOC suspends oil supplies to Fujairah port — AFP

The Fujairah industrial area with oil assets was earlier attacked by a drone

Killing of Ayatollah Khamenei did not split Iranian society— Iranian ambassador

The US and Israel aimed to weaken Iranian people, to instill fear, Ali Mojtaba Rouzbehani said

Deaths of children in Iran should make world 'turn quiet and think' — State Duma

Marina Kim further emphasized that this tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of prioritizing confrontation over dialogue

Turkish defense minister announces consensus with Russia on Idlib

Putin Erdogan of Turkey agreed at their Moscow talks on March 5 that a ceasefire would be declared in Idlib

US-led coalition violates Syrian airspace nine times in past day

Oleg Gurinov, deputy Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria, said that two pairs of coalition F-16 fighters, a pair of Typhoon combat aircraft, a pair of Rafale fighters and one MS-12 aircraft violated Syrian airspace nine times during the day

Ukrainian aircraft avoid air combat with Russian pilots — expert

Retired Major General Leonid Ivlev noted that the aircraft supplied to Kiev by the West are significantly inferior to Russian Sukhoi-series aircraft such as the Su-30 and Su-35S

IRGC warns of imminent strikes on US enterprises in Middle East — agency

The IRGC said that the strikes may be carried out in the coming hours

Tasnim news agency named conditions for Hormuz opening

Guaranteed lifting of sanctions, withdrawal of US bases, return of frozen assets and development of non-dollar trade are among them

Russian stock market indices mixed on Thursday — market data

The MOEX Russia Index lost 0.57% to 2,632.07 points

FACTBOX: On further developments around the Druzhba pipeline

Hungary and Slovakia have reached an agreement to build a new oil product pipeline between the two countries to ensure their energy security in the face of Ukraine's oil blockade, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced

US State Department says no certainty about Kerry’s visit to Moscow

An informed source told TASS that Kerry’s visit to Moscow is expected to take place in about a week

Putin highlights need for face-to-face conversation with Erdogan amid Idlib crisis

The Russian president hopes that the situation in Idlib will not ruin the country's relations with Turkey

US is preparing to end its military campaign in Iran — Bloomberg

The agency's sources indicated that they consider US President Donald Trump’s recent statements about the US having destroyed Iran’s military potential an exaggeration

Russian stock market closes in the red on Monday

The MOEX Russia Index lost 0.63% to 2,853.72 points, while the RTS Index dropped by 1.64% to 1,109.15 points

India has enough oil, gas — authorities

According to Joint Secretary of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry Sujata Sharma, all refineries are operating at the highest capacity

US allies expect operation against Iran could last until September — Axios

According to the report, Washington had counted on the operation lasting four to six weeks

Seoul continues to oppose lethal weapons supplies to Kiev — MP

"I'm not sure, but it may be North Korea that is providing military aid to Russia. But I can't confirm that," Tae Yong-ho added

Russian forces improve frontline positions near Orekhov in Zaporozhye region — official

Russian troops have launched air and artillery strikes on enemy positions,Chairman of the Civic Chamber Commission on Sovereignty, Patriotic Projects, and Support of Veterans Vladimir Rogov said

Over 180 drones heading toward Moscow shot down on March 14-16

According to TASS calculations, the Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow Region repelled by the Russian Defense Ministry's air defense forces in the period became the largest in at least a year

Russia exports more than 19 million tonnes of LNG, gas condensate via Sabetta seaport

The cargo left the Sabetta port in 257 LNG carriers and 20 condensate carriers

Middle East conflict to accelerate formation of multipolar world — expert

Peter Kagwanja, founder and head of the Africa Policy Institute, said that neither Europe, nor Russia, nor China, nor the countries of the Persian Gulf support the US policy

Russia publishes book on role of Russian-made weapons in Syrian conflict

It is the first comprehensive assessment and analysis of possible changes to the global arms market caused by the performance of Russian armaments in Syria

Iran never declared war on its Middle East neighbors, Iranian top diplomat says

Even though their territory is being used to attack Iran, Esmail Bagai noted

International volunteer cooperation helps resolve global problems - Putin

He president noted that the volunteer movement is becoming stronger and stronger with years

EU has no money to mitigate energy shock caused by conflict in Iran — WSJ

According to the newspaper, the public debt of some European countries, particularly the UK and France, is reaching 60-year highs

Moscow and Beijing will oppose hegemony on world stage together — Chinese envoy to Moscow

Sino-Russian relations are at an unprecedentedly high level, Zhang Hanhui emphasized

Police release nearly all detained participants of unauthorized Moscow rally

Four citizens, subjected to administrative arrest, remain at police stations

Telegram co-founder’s statement won’t lead to outflow of messenger’s users — expert

Pavel Pokrovsky noted that law enforcement agencies in almost all countries have the right to request user details, otherwise the services risk being blocked

Over 87% of voters in Kazakhstan approve new constitution in referendum

The voter turnout was 73.12%

Russia honors $44.1 mln Eurobond coupon payment — Finance Ministry

Payments were made in accordance with the decree of the Russian Federation on the temporary procedure of honoring state debt liabilities of the Russian Federation to residents and foreign creditors

Approval of 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions 'overdue' — Kallas

The foreign ministers of member-states of the European Union discussed how to push this forward

US miscalculated on Iran, will face consequences for its deeds — ambassador

According to Alireza Haghighian, Iran is full of determination to punish the aggressor and make it regret its actions

Iran vows continued fight until Trump realizes US war on it is 'wrong' — top diplomat

Abbas Araghchi also stressed that victims must be compensated

Germany’s MFA threatened Hungary, demanding change in approach to Ukraine — Szijjarto

The Hungarian top diplomat noted that this was the first time he had encountered such a direct threat

Russia, Serbia intend to activate military cooperation, Defense Ministry says

According to the military agency, today the sides "reviewed the pressing issues of the bilateral military cooperation and noted the mutual interest in an incremental expansion of relations between the defense agencies of the two countries"

Russia-Namibia uranium mining project to bolster economic ties — Deputy PM

Yury Trutnev noted that Rosatom possesses cutting-edge technologies and is a global leader in a number of areas, operating in more than 60 countries

NATO confirms council meeting to discuss Open Skies Treaty on May 22

The alliance also expressed concern about the Russia’s alleged "selective implementation of the Open Skies Treaty"

EU funds for Hungary to remain frozen — Reuters

Earlier, an official attending the European Council meeting in Brussels told the media that the Hungarian prime minister got nothing in exchange for supporting the other 26 EU member states in the Ukrainian aid issue

Iranian diplomat says when safe passage through Strait of Hormuz will be possible

If the US leader wants stability in the strait, he must pull US forces out, Iranian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ali Mojtaba Rouzbahani said

Russia’s chief of General Staff lauds Battlegroup South’s successes in liberating DPR

Valery Gerasimov also set further combat tasks

Press review: US tries to assemble Hormuz tanker coalition as Russia eyes new fuel markets

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, March 16th

EU wants Serbia to join war in Ukraine — Lavrov

This issue is still topical, the Russian foreign minister noted

Boao Economic Forum for Asia opens new office in Hainan's Haikou

US, Israeli aggression shows failure of international law — Iranian ambassador

Ali Mojtaba Rouzbehani emphasized that even international institutions were unable to act against these aggressors

Brussels welcomes detention of tankers with Russian oil — Kallas

"Following the US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil, Europe will maintain sanctions and continue to move away from Russian fossil fuels," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed

Kalashnikov Concern launches media platform

Media platform planned to publish videos, news and blog posts concerning hunting, small arms and equipment

Ukraine's FP-1 drones used to attack Moscow based on Nazi-era tech — expert

"The FP-1 is considered no worse or better than all other UAVs in the third technological league, which is what has allowed Russia to successfully repel Ukrainian attacks in recent days," Dmitry Kuzyakin said

At least five powerful explosions rock Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas

There is no information on whether the port infrastructure was the target of the strike

Iran made no attempts to reach out to US — diplomat

Ali Bahreini says he does not rule out that the US president's statements of the contrary indicate that things are not going the way the US expected them to

In southern Lebanon, Israel will do what it did in Gaza — defense minister

Israel Katz said that he and Benjamin Netanyahu gave instructions to the Israel Defense Forces to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Lebanese border settlements just as was done against Palestine’s radical movement Hamas in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and the terror tunnels in Gaza

Russian troops strike Ukrainian army’s energy, transport infrastructure over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 285 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe up 3 bcm in 9M — GECF

Imports of pipeline gas to the EU amounted to 10.8 bln cubic meters in September, down by 17% month-on-month and up by 2% year-on-year

Iran to view Romania as party to conflict if it allows US to use its bases — diplomat

"If Romania provides the United States with access to its bases, we will give a corresponding legal and political response," Esmaeil Baghaei said

Kiev's unwillingness to negotiate, Iran war fallout: Lavrov's statements

According to the Russian top diplomat, the EU has "fully" discredited itself and there is nothing constructive in its position for progress in the negotiations on Ukraine

Number of displaced persons in Lebanon tops one million in two weeks of escalation

Most people were forced to flee their homes amid a widening area of Israeli bombing, the Lebanese ministry of social affairs says

Iran never to forget attack on school in Minab

According to the latest data, 175 people were killed, mostly female students, as well as parents and teachers

No details concerning supply of second batch of S-400 to Turkey are known yet — Peskov

Bilateral military and technical cooperation is continuing, the Kremlin spokesman said

Russian-Iranian-Chinese exercise heralds emergence of new naval alliance — Iranian admiral

On the morning of March 14, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the practical phase of the Maritime Security Belt - 2024 exercise ended in the Gulf of Oman

Oil production suspended at largest fields in South Iraq — oil minister

Hayyan Abdul Ghani said production suspension affected "West Qurna 1" and "West Qurna 2", Faihaa and Majnoon fields

European Commission recommends EU countries to prepare for full ban of Russian oil

The Commission does intend to put forward a proposal to ban the import of oil from Russia, Dan Jorgensen said

Restoring traffic in Strait of Hormuz to take 2-3 years — former Iranian envoy to Russia

According to earlier statements by a spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces’ Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran would not allow any oil cargo related to the United States or its allies to pass through the Strait of Hormuz

Yatsenyuk: no threat for Russian-speaking Ukrainians

Iraq downs four UAVs attempting to attack US Embassy in Baghdad

No damage to property or casualties have been reported

US president may send naval ships to Persian Gulf 'if he dares' — IRGC

Iran has full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, General Ali Mohammad Naini said

Iraq’s Majnoon oilfield attacked by drones — TV

No information about inflicted damage or injured people has been received thus far

Hungary will refuse to support Ukraine’s joining EU, €90 bln loan for Kiev — top diplomat

"Ukraine’s accession to the EU is out of the question, and a 20th sanctions package and a 90 billion euro loan can only be included in the agenda as soon as the Ukrainians resume oil supplies," Peter Szijjarto said

Top Russian security official holds talks with Indonesian defense chief

Earlier on Tuesday, Sergey Shoigu arrived at the country's Defense Ministry, where a welcoming ceremony took place

Zelensky fails to achieve goals dictated to him from abroad in Ukraine conflict — Iran

Esmaeil Baghaei said from the very beginning that Iran did not play any role and did not interfere in the conflict in Ukraine

Iran destroys hangars with US fighter jets at bases in UAE, Bahrain — IRGC

The strikes on US military bases in the Middle East will continue until US forces completely withdraw from them

Israel sees 3,369 hospital admissions since Feb 28 due to shelling — health ministry

The department added that the condition of one injured person is assessed as critical, seven are in serious condition

Universal e-card to cancel address stamp in passports – source

With the launch of the electronic cards we shall be able to lift the requirement for an address stamp in passport

US, Israel start spiral of violence in Middle East — Russian foreign ministry

Russia renew its insistent call to all parties to immediately stop hostilities and take the situation to the political and diplomatic dimension, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

Russia creates multi-layered defense against Ukrainian long-range drones — expert

Dmitry Kuzyakin noted that after the system identifies targets, the UAV-destroying capabilities are activated

Russian court fines Apple nearly $43,000 for non-compliance with data laws

The court hearing was held in closed session at the request of the defense due to the presence of trade secrets and confidential company information in the case

Deputy PM urges faster progress on Russia-Namibia nuclear deal

Yury Trutnev noted that Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom possesses cutting-edge technologies, is a world leader in research reactors

US and Israel to lose Iranian war — Dotcom

US President Donald Trump has five options for dealing with Iran, including admitting defeat or starting World War III, the founder of the Megaupload file said

Progress MS-31 finishes its spaceflight

Fragments splash down in Pacific

Putin conveys Russia's stance on Tomahawks firmly to Trump — Kremlin

During the call, Vladimir Putin emphasized that sending Tomahawks would not alter the situation on the front lines, but would inflict serious harm on relations between Moscow and Washington

American sailors set fire to USS Gerald R. Ford to avoid fighting — Iranian army

On March 12, the US Naval Forces Central Command reported that a fire broke out on board the USS Gerald R. Ford

US to acquire tool in 5-10 years devaluing all cryptographic protection systems — FSB

Russian Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov pointed to the development of quantum computing technologies

Moscow court fines Telegram $429,508 for failing to delete content banned in Russia

At the end of 2025, the Prosecutor General's Office issued demands to Russia's mass media and telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor for the removal of a Telegram post containing calls for extremist activity

German chancellor calls Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon ‘mistake’

Friedrich Merz says this "will make the already dire humanitarian situation in Lebanon even worse"

Hainan to host alternative energy car championship

The contest will be held in November

Growing autonomy of Russian strike drones prompts US to boost its defenses — portal

According to Defense One, the United States plans to employ the Leonidas high-powered microwave system, which is designed to overload an incoming drone’s circuits with energy and knock it out

S-400 air defense deployment to begin in April, Erdogan says

The first shipments have begun on July 12, 2019

Surrendered Ukrainian troops make two to three motorized rifle divisions — Russian MP

The number of Kiev troops killed and wounded stands at more than 1.5 million, retired Major General Leonid Ivlev said

Five countries refuse to join US coalition in Strait of Hormuz

China and France pointed to the need for a diplomatic settlement of the dispute in the region

Germany’s credibility among allies not hurt by leaked Taurus talks — defense minister

"Everybody understands the risks of such tapping attacks and knows that it is impossible to guarantee 100-percent protection," Boris Pistorius noted

Russia’s Kalashnikov tourniquets superior in quality to US counterparts — expert

According to Vasily Khudoleyev, current production capacity exceeds 10,000 items per day

Russia's military to find solution to problem of drone dominance on battlefield — expert

Retired Major General Leonid Ivlev noted that the Ukrainian conflict has led to a leap forward in military art and constantly poses new challenges for the military-industrial complex

Russian-made S-400 air defense systems to operate autonomously in Turkey - top brass

The head of the Turkish Defense Ministry stressed that "S-400s are a very important mechanism for ensuring Turkey’s defense and security"

FACTBOX: History of Crimea’s reunification with Russia

A treaty on Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s accession to Russia was signed on March 18, 2014

US asks Turkey to guarantee S-400 systems will not come into operation — Erdogan

The deployment of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems will begin in April, Turkey's president recalled

Iran's offensive tactics could force US to end war — Lebanese general

Hassan Jouni emphasized that the decision to escalate or de-escalate the exchange of strikes now rests with Tehran, not Washington