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Dollar rate on Forex falls below 82 rubles for the first time since March 17

The euro lost 1.54% to 94.686 rubles

MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. The dollar exchange rate on Forex fell below 82 rubles for the first time since March 17, 2026, according to ICE data.

As of 12:16 p.m. Moscow time (09:16 a.m. GMT), the dollar had fallen 1.37% to 81.98 rubles. The euro had lost 1.54% to 94.686 rubles, falling below 95 rubles for the first time since March 18.

Meanwhile, on the Russian interbank market, the dollar fell 1.3% to 82.15 rubles, and the euro fell 1.49% to 94.67 rubles.

FACTBOX: Gasoline price surge, other key details on global market situation

Chinese authorities have announced a rise in retail prices for gasoline and diesel fuel within the country

Israel conducts another wave of attacks on military targets in Tehran — IDF

In parallel, the IDF struck an additional headquarters of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and the emergency headquarters center of the Internal Security Forces

Russian envoy conveys Putin’s condolences at funeral of Georgian patriarch

Ilia II died on the evening of March 17 at a Tbilisi hospital at the age of 93

Over 81,000 civilian facilities damaged in Iran since late February — Red Crescent

According to his statement cited on the IRCS Telegram channel, among these facilities are medical centers, schools, and ambulance cars

Ukrainian embassies recruit Latin American mercenaries for Kiev's army — ex-officer

According to a Colombian prisoner of war, he was promised that he would take part in volunteer work during his stay in Ukraine

Ukrainian, US delegations to continue talks on March 22, Zelensky says

The US was represented by Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Vladimir Zelensky said

US leader says he hopes Orban ‘wins big’ in upcoming parliamentary election in Hungary

Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for April 12

US military denies downing of F-15 fighter jet by Iran

The Iranian army said earlier in the day that an F-15 fighter jet had been attacked and shot down near Hormuz Island off Iran’s southern coast

Iran ready to allow Japanese ships to pass through Strait of Hormuz — foreign minister

Abbas Araghchi says that the strait is open

Airspace of Bahrain and Kuwait to remain closed for 24th consecutive day

The closure of airspace has been extended until 19:00 Moscow time

Ukrainian military to blow up experimental nuclear reactor at Kharkov Institute — ministry

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that "on March 6, foreign journalists arrived in Kharkov to register the consequences of the provocation, followed by accusing Russia of creating an environmental disaster"

EU last in line for Russian energy supplies — Putin’s envoy

Kirill Dmitriev commented on a post by the BRICS News account during Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Russia

Ukraine’s security chief Umerov says progress made in talks with United States

According to Rustem Umerov, the main focus was on reliable security guarantees and the humanitarian track

Two civilians wounded in Ukraine’s attack on Rylsk in Kursk Region

According to the governor, a car and an auxiliary structure were damaged

Russia’s Battlegroup North destroys over 1,000 Ukrainian targets over past week

Troops carried out precision strikes on UAV control centers, ammunition and fuel and lubricant storage depots, river crossing sites, and command posts

Iran warns of retaliatory strikes against US infrastructural facilities in Middle East

The relevant statement was made by the General Staff of the Iranian armed forces

Russia’s carrier rocket with Progress MS-33 resupply ship launches to orbital outpost

In about nine minutes after the lift-off, the Progress MS-33 resupply ship separated from the upper stage of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket and entered the designated orbit

US has no good options regarding Iran — The Economist

To almost everyone else it is clear that America entered this war with a "flawed strategy," the article said

Late Georgian patriarch buried at Tbilisi’s Sioni Cathedral

Ilia II died on the evening of March 17 at a Tbilisi hospital at the age of 93

Missile launched from Iran toward Israel may have landed in Lebanon — Ynet

According to the news portal, such an incident has been recorded for the first time since the start of Israel’s operation against Iran

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

Consequences of US-Israeli aggression against Iran to last for long time — Lavrov

According to the top Russian diplomat, although some say that this time, history is being repeated as a farce, "it’s far from being a farce"

Oil price ceiling may be road to disintegration of global energy sector — Putin

It is noted that the oil price ceiling is a non-market instrument

Killings of Iranian leaders to have serious consequences — Kremlin spokesman

The killings of Iranian leaders are the reality that the world lives in, Peskov pointed out, saying he was hopeful that this would not become normality

Press review: Washington plans Iran ground move as oil surge adds $41.5B to Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, March 23rd

Fuel tank fire being extinguished at Primorsk port in Leningrad Region

Personnel have been evacuated, regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said

AfD leaders calls for ending conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy

According to the AfD leader, a realistic variant of a peace agreement should include security guarantees for both parties, as well as the lifting of sanctions, and the establishment of an international fund to restore territories affected by the conflict

Top Turkish diplomat expects Gulf war to last for another 2-3 weeks

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan added that "talks are unlikely to take place as long as the war continues"

Iranian authorities announce arrest of group cooperating with Israel

The police also said that the identification and arrest of agents and traitors is ongoing

Number of people injured in shelling of Israel’s Arad increases to 88

Ten of them are in the grave condition

Standoff with Israel enters new phase after attack against Dimona

Speaker of the Parliament of Iran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also emphasized that the Israeli airspace is not protected

Iran to respond asymmetrically to threats against energy infrastructure

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that the United States would destroy a number of Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully opened for shipping within 48 hours

Europe torn by disagreements but still unwilling to talk with Russia — Peskov

Europe still wants the war in Ukraine to continue and does not know how to pay for it, the Kremlin press secretary said

Putin, Belarusian president discuss global issues, bilateral cooperation in phone call

According to the Belarusian news agency BelTA, the two leaders touched upon the implementation of joint projects

Switzerland suspends weapons exports to US due to Iran conflict

The country also refrained from issuing "licenses for the export of military equipment to Israel" and Iran for several years

Russia prioritizes strengthening relations with India — Lavrov

According to the top Russian diplomat, "New Delhi deserves the deepest respect for pursuing an independent foreign policy as part of its course toward strategic autonomy, consistently prioritizing the national interest"

FACTBOX: Gasoline price surge, other key details on global market situation

Chinese authorities have announced a rise in retail prices for gasoline and diesel fuel within the country

Russia hopes to resume cooperation within Russia-India-China framework — ambassador

Denis Alipov noted that the similarity of Russia and India’s approaches to the regional and international agenda, as well as their pursuit of foreign policy interests in mutual support, is underpinned by traditionally close bilateral cooperation

Over 60 UAVs destroyed in Leningrad Region over one day — governor

According to reports, one of the drones damaged a power line tower in the Vyborgsky District as it crashed

At least 15 wounded in Iran’s missile attacks on Tel Aviv — medics

According to it, one man was taken to a hospital in condition of medium gravity, 14 others received minor injuries

Kremlin Spokesman’s words of energy crisis in Europe resonate with Europeans — news portal

Dmitry Peskov said on March 20 that the EU member-countries continue "shooting in the leg of their voters" by rejecting Russian energy resources

Israeli defense minister orders to destroy bridges across Litani River in southern Lebanon

Overnight to March 2, northern Israel came under a missile attack from Lebanon

Iran accuses US of hiding true death toll from aggression against republic

According to the spokesman for the Iranian Khatam-al Anbiya headquarters, Washington is staging a media circus

Fire in port of Primorsk, 249 UAVs: aftermath of attack on Russian regions

An apartment was damaged as a result of drone fragments hitting a multi-story building in the Tver Region

Bosnian Serb leader says plans to attend Victory Parade in Moscow

Milorad Dodik attended celebrations of the 80th anniversary of VE-Day in Moscow in 2025

Ukrainian people can emerge from geopolitical slaughter only with Russia — expert

Viktor Medvedchuk believes that Ukraine’s neutrality will not be tolerated in the West, and therefore all talk "of some kind of neutrality criminally delays this process"

Russia’s advanced Kornet anti-tank missile system can penetrate any armor, says expert

Kornet missiles possess both the option to attack a target by a paired launch and tandem-charge warheads that strike explosive-reactive armor and pierce various add-on armor plates

Gold price falls below $4,450 per troy ounce, first time since February 2, 2026

By 02:00 Moscow time, the precious metal slowed its decline and was trading at $4,504.5 per troy ounce

PM Mishustin to hold talks with Vietnam’s prime minister in Moscow

Mikhail Mishustin and Pham Minh Chinh will discuss joint projects between Moscow and Hanoi in energy, industry, transport, agriculture, and other sectors

Israeli top brass approves plan of ground operations in Lebanon — IDF

The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organization has only begun, Eyal Zamir said

Russian security service detains entrepreneur who registered 1,000 SIM cards for Kiev

The FSB noted that to maintain anonymity and conceal financial transactions, all funds were transferred to the perpetrator via cryptocurrency wallets he created

Ukraine’s population down to 20 mln people by 2025 — British journalist

Will Lloyd says that in 2014, the population was estimated at "just over 40 million"

Press review: US weighs Iran assault as Middle East war disrupts Kiev air defenses

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, March 20th

Iranian army delivers drone strike on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport — media

The Iranian attack largely involved Arash-2 drones that are an advanced and more destructive version of Kian and Arash-1 unmanned aerial vehicles

Kiev loses 8,500 troops, mercenaries in special op zone over one week — military expert

Andrey Marochko added that during this period, Russian forces destroyed more than 720 enemy combat vehicles

Some NATO countries working on measures to ensure security in Strait of Hormuz — Rutte

He also said that he maintains contacts with US leader Donald Trump, despite his criticism of NATO

China launches CentiSpace-2 satellite group from Yellow Sea site

The CentiSpace spacecraft are designed to provide augmentation signal services for global navigation satellite systems from low Earth orbit

Ukrainian government wants free trade agreement with CIS to be ratified

Last week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov stressed the need to ratify the free trade agreement with the CIS as soon as possible

Iran confirms attack on Diego Garcia island with ballistic missiles

According to its information, this launch demonstrates a "significant step" in the confrontation with the United States

Alliance between Russia, Tajikistan strengthens security in Central Asia — Putin

Putin also wished Rahmon good health and success, and all citizens of Tajikistan well-being and prosperity

Ukrainian forces shell DPR settlements four times over past day

Nine residential buildings and five civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged

Three people killed in fire in central Moscow

Four others were injured

More US troops dissatisfied with prospects of war with Iran — HuffPost

Military personnel, in particular, believe that a poorly planned operation exposes them to unnecessary danger without any visible strategic benefit

Fire in central Moscow extinguished, three people died

Fire and rescue units evacuated 19 people, including five children

Many areas of Cuba remain without electricity for a second day after power grid failure

On March 21, Cuba’s national electric power system collapsed

UAE fighter jets intercept cruise missiles launched by Iran — Defense Ministry

The UAE Defense Ministry has not yet provided information on the effectiveness of repelling the Iranian attack

New Development Bank to support growth of BRICS countries — President

These include investment in infrastructure, energy transition, digital transformation, human development, and connectivity, as well as the expansion of local goods, NDB President Dilma Rousseff said

US lifts sanctions against two Russians — Treasury Department

The restrictions were discontinued for Yury Korzhavin and Lidia Korzhavina

Trump earns more in cryptocurrency in one day than he did in real estate in entire life

The trading debut was the biggest financial success for the US president's family since his inauguration

Japan’s Nikkei index falls by 3.55% at Tokyo market open

Local analysts note that the continuing escalation in the Middle East remains the dominant factor behind the decline in stock prices

Ten MIG-31 fighter jets fitted with Kinzhal air-launched missiles on test combat duty

MIG-31 fits best for accelerating these missiles to required speeds, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said

Gold futures falls below $4,200 per troy ounce first time since December 9, 2025 — Comex

By 09:48 a.m. Moscow time, gold price was down 8.88%, trading at $4,168.6 per ounce

Israel’s air defenses cannot withstand massive Iranian strikes — La Repubblica

Military observer Gianluca Di Feo said that eighty missiles were used to repel the first wave of Iran’s retaliatory strike, with another 50 or so used during the conflict last June

Iran’s internet outage one of longest on global record — web monitoring service

International connectivity remains unavailable to the general public, while authorities maintain a selective whitelist for global access

US administration starts discussing opportunity of peace talks with Iran — Axios

Washington expects that combat operations will last for two - three weeks more

Russian troops liberate Potapovka community in Sumy Region over past day

Russian troops struck fuel and energy infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations and enemy deployment areas over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported

Consultations between the US, Ukraine dedicated to settlement issues — special envoy

Steve Witkoff stressed that the delegations held constructive meetings

Ukraine’s military shells Russia’s borderline Kursk Region over 50 times in past day

Ukrainian drone attacks on Kursk damaged five cars and a private home

Israeli airbase on Mount Meron attacked by Hezbollah

The base on Mount Meron in Upper Galilee has been attacked by kamikaze drones at least four times

Iran has no tankers at sea, no surplus of oil to export — ministry

The statement was made in response to an option proposed by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded into tankers

One person killed in attack on Radio Center in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran

Another person was injured, Iranian state television reported

Strait of Hormuz closed only for those who violate Iran’s borders — president

The illusion of erasing Iran from the map shows desperation against the will of a history-making nation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said

Preps for Putin’s visit to China, new Ukraine talks: MFA statements

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, Moscow is ready for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement, but no specific dates have been determined yet

Houthis reject as fake media reports about joining Iran in Middle East war — source

According to the source, statements of this nature have never been released

US diplomat says Pentagon preparing scenarios of deploying troops to Iran

US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mike Waltz refuted medial allegations about failures in the Pentagon’s military planning as "fake CNN reports"

US, Israel threaten to drag Caspian nations into conflict around Iran — Russian diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, Moscow is growing increasingly concerned over the expanding geography of the US and Israeli airstrikes in Iran

Kuwait’s civil aviation authority lodges protest against Iranian attacks with ICAO

Kuwait’s airspace has been closed since February 28

Top Iranian diplomat demands US, Israel compensate for damage to Iranian nuclear sites

Abbas Araghchi slammed the US and Israeli bombardments of Iranian nuclear facilities as an "act of aggression"

Russia’s state commission clears Progress MS-33 space freighter for launch

The launch of the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Moscow time on March 22

Tourist bus plunges off cliff in Peru, nine people killed

According to the report, 15 people were injured

Slovenia’s ruling Freedom Movement winning parliamentary elections — exit poll

It received 29.9% of the votes

Slovenia’s opposition Democratic Party narrowly winning parliamentary elections

The ruling Freedom Movement of Prime Minister Robert Golob is coming second with 28.2% of votes

Argentina can provide for European energy security — President

Javier Milei added that Argentina has enough oil and gas reserves to become a reliable provider for European countries

Trump slams Democratic Party as America’s "greatest enemy"

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Saturday that Trump had not requested a Congress permission for strikes against Iran

Serious damage done to Iran’s power supply facilities in US, Israeli attacks — minister

According to the minister, attacks targeted "dozens of water supplies and desalination facilities and destroyed part of the strategic distribution grids"

China’s GDP to reach $25.39 bln in 2030 — PM

According to the estimate of Chinese authorities, the annual GDP indicator of the country should grow by more than $4.35 trillion during the 15th five-year period from 2026 to 2030

Situation in Strait of Hormuz to normalize when conflict over Iran ends — Russian MFA

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Everything that is happening in the Strait of Hormuz is a direct consequence of this illegal campaign

Ukrainian forces strike Miratorg facility in Bryansk Region, two employees injured

Operational and emergency services are working at the scene, regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz said

Iran retains drone production capacity despite US, Israeli strikes — expert

Gary Samore, however, doubts that Iran is still able to produce larger, longer-range ballistic missiles because the US and Israel have destroyed or disabled known production facilities

Putin congratulates Kim Jong Un on his re-election

The Russian president stressed that Moscow highly values Kim’s personal contribution to strengthening bilateral ties

Press review: US, Russia may agree on Crimea as US, Israel differ on Iran war

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, March 18th