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Polling stations close in Russia’s easternmost regions, Kamchatka, Chukotka

Election commissions have begun counting the votes

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, September 20. /TASS/. Voting in the election of State Duma deputies, as well as several regional elections, has ended in Russia’s easternmost regions, Kamchatka and Chukotka.

Election commissions have begun counting the votes, regional election authorities told TASS.

All 178 polling stations in Kamchatka closed at 8:00 p.m. local time (8:00 a.m. GMT), while 54 polling stations closed in Chukotka.

Voter turnout in Kamchatka stood at 46.77% as of 6:00 p.m. local time (6:00 a.m. Moscow time), and at 57.78% in Chukotka.

Chairwoman of Central Election Commission says term "unfriendly countries" is too mild

Ella Pamfilova said that it is time to come up with a new term for them

Kiev loses over 1,340 troops along engagement line in past day — Russia’s top brass

The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost up to 245 troops in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, more than 210 troops in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and some 145 troops in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South

Kremlin advisor reveals 'cure for US aggression'

Putin's advisor also believes that Donald Trump is just "doing what the ruling elite expects him to do"

Number of drones destroyed while approaching Moscow reaches 338

First responders are working in areas where fragments fell, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported

Press review: US sanctions bill may hamper Ukraine talks as Russian parliament vote opens

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, September 18th

Russian nuclear triad guarantees sovereignty, international balance of power — Putin

Russian leader named its strengthening as one of the unconditional priorities

Drone attack on Moscow Region leaves two dead — governor

Between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Moscow time on Sunday, at least 249 drones were jammed and destroyed in 17 municipalities of the Moscow Region

Two European refineries to get no oil from Saudi Aramco in October — agency

Deliveries will not take place due to strikes by the Yemeni rebel movement on the Saudi East-West pipeline

State Duma election voters’ turnout exceeds 32.58% as of 2:00 p.m. Moscow time — CEC

Russia’s Central Election Commission provides the data

Top Turkish diplomat reports discussing Ukraine with Russian deputy premier

Hakan Fidan added that reaching an agreement "appears to be a very difficult task," but efforts must continue

Russia’s latest MiG-35 multirole fighter at final stage of trials, says defense contractor

The MiG official was interviewed by TASS on the occasion of the anniversary of the Strizhi (Swifts) aerobatic group

Slovak premier says Ukraine’s decision not to sign peace deal in 2022 was a mistake

Robert Fico added that the West has been "pouring oil on the flames of the conflict in Ukraine," describing the possibility of a larger conflict between Russia and NATO as a "mortal danger"

Ukrainian forces suffer record losses — Polish prime minister

Donald Tusk added that if this trend continues, the winter in Ukraine "could indeed prove catastrophic"

Russian parliamentary election turnout rises to 45.1% — election authority

The Russian Central Election Commission said on its website

Russian air defenses intercept 936 Ukrainian UAVs, seven smart bombs over past day

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 674 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 284 helicopters, 240,045 unmanned aerial vehicles, 672 surface-to-air missile systems, 30,957 tanks and other armored combat vehicles

Group of Northern Fleet ships enter Norwegian Sea

The group is heading to Severomorsk, the main base of the Northern Fleet

Moscow election system comes under powerful attacks during voting — official

Pamfilova noted that all attacks are being repelled and remote electronic voting in Moscow is in the standard operational mode

Slovakian troops not going to fight Russia for those seeking conflict — premier

Robert Fico said that those interested in provoking a military conflict between NATO and Russia "must bear the responsibility for such a move"

Polling stations’ hours in DPR to be cut on September 20 over higher drone activity

They will operate from 8:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. Moscow time

Dmitriev says Europe in largest energy crisis in history

Special Representative of Russian President for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Chief Executive Officer of Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) also gave a comment on reports of fuel supply disruptions in France

US used AI in preparation for attack on school in Iran’s Minab — Bloomberg

The US military did not take advantage of a whole series of opportunities to prevent the tragedy, the agency said

US F-35 fighter en route to Finland stranded in Azores due to malfunction — Yle

The broadcaster cited Finnish Air Force Chief of Staff Aki Puustinen as saying that the aircraft’s onboard diagnostic system issued a warning regarding a potential malfunction in the plane’s electronic system during engine startup

IN BRIEF: What is known about transfer of Auchan, Lemana Pro, Nestle assets in Russia

TASS has compiled the key facts known so far

Aeroflot, Rostec sign contract for delivery of 90 MC-21 aircraft

The contract became the largest in the history of Russian civil aviation

Lavrov-Rubio meeting in New York being arranged, Russian diplomat says

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also confirmed that the issue of Ukraine remains a key topic in the negotiations

Iran will keep Strait of Hormuz closed until US accepts its terms — parliamentary speaker

Earlier, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei said that Iranian authorities have conveyed their conditions for ending the war to the US through Qatari mediators

Polling stations close in Russia’s easternmost regions, Kamchatka, Chukotka

Election commissions have begun counting the votes

Russian air defenses must ultimately be able to repel any attack from air — Putin

Improvement of the air defense system is another key focus, noted Russian president

Hacker attacks cause technical glitch on first day of voting in Moscow

Kirillova specified that the operational activities of online voting terminals at polling stations in Moscow were fully restored within 20 minutes

Russian parliamentary elections enter their final day

First results will be known after 6:00 p.m. GMT, when the polling stations close in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad

Chile’s ex-president Bachelet withdraws from campaign to lead UN

The politician thanked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum for nominating and supporting her

Putin extends 2014 food embargo until 2029

The food embargo, introduced in response to the unfriendly actions of the West, applies to products from the US, the EU, Australia, Norway, and Canada

Fourteen polling stations in LPR operate using backup power supplies — CEC

The single voting day to elect lawmakers to the 9th Russian State Duma takes place on September 18-20

Trump signs legislation expanding sanctions against Russia — White House

The legislation also extends existing sanctions on Iran

Russian parliamentary election turnout rises to 44.75% — election authority

The information was posted on the Russian Central Election Commission’s website and reflects data as of 3:00 a.m. GMT

Some 2.2 mln people in Moscow cast votes online in parliamentary election

The single voting day to elect lawmakers to the 9th Russian State Duma takes place on September 18-20

Central Election Commission views sabotage in Far East as attempt to disrupt elections

Head of CEC Ella Pamfilova noted, that the saboteurs left four large regions of without connectivity

US diesel fuel prices hit record of $6.49 per gallon — American Automobile Association

Gallon of diesel fuel cost $6.17 a week earlier

Zaporozhye Region’s turnout at 72.88% as of 5:00 p.m. GMT

The results confirm the active civic stance of the region’s residents, said the regional election commission

Russian forces hit Radionix plant, B-Mobile data center in Kiev

Russian forces carried out group strikes overnight using air-launched precision weapons and strike unmanned aerial vehicles

US-Iran talks deadlocked — Turkey’s foreign minister

Hakan Fidan underlined that Ankara and other countries are putting forward initiatives and "doing everything possible to ensure that the negotiations between Washington and Teheran are concluded"

French journalist who launched inquest into Brigitte Macron’s sex reported dead

According to journalist Xavier Poussard, Natacha Rey died of cancer

TASS: Iran ready to return to negotiations if US convinces Tehran of sincerity

The Islamic Republic still considers talks on nuclear issues possible, but only after full implementation of the Islamabad agreement

China criticizes new US law that tightens sanctions against Russia and Iran

Beijing consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that lack authorization from the UN

Trump announces creating AI Force in similar vein to Space Force

The US president did not specify whether he meant creating a new branch of the Armed Forces

Russian forces capture new lines in two sectors near DPR’s Druzhkovka — military expert

Andrey Marochko noted that the Russian army is demonstrating "positive dynamics"

Moscow diplomat laces into EU chief Kallas over latest 'outrageous' Russia claims

Maria Zakharova said these verbal attacks cannot be left unanswered

Russian Interior Ministry receives 367 reports on alleged incidents at voting in past day

The single voting day to elect lawmakers to the 9th Russian State Duma takes place on September 18-20

Ukrainian troops in Kursk Region will be destroyed, if refuse to surrender — Medvedev

The politician noted that the coming hours will show whether the Kiev regime will use the chance to save its soldiers

Iran conveys conditions for ending war to US — Security Council Secretary

We have not yet made a decision to withdraw from the Non·Proliferation Treaty, and this issue depends on Washington’s behavior, said the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei

Russian air defenses down 1,110 Ukrainian drones overnight

On-duty air defense systems intercepted and destroyed fixed-wing drones over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Tambov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Smolensk, Oryol, Rostov, Volgograd and Saratov regions, the Samara Region, the Krasnodar Region, the Moscow Region and the Republic of Crimea, as well as over the Black Sea

Large-scale cyberattacks on electronic voting system recorded and repelled in Moscow

Video surveillance of the polling stations continues after they close

Saudi Arabia repels Houthi missile attack on Riyadh — coalition

Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said that the Houthis had stepped up their attempts to attack civilian targets in the capital

Russian parliamentary election turnout reaches 44.58% — election authority

The information was posted on the Russian Central Election Commission’s website and reflects data as of 11:00 p.m. Saturday GMT

Mayor reports damage at Moscow oil refinery

No casualties were reported, Sergey Sobyanin said

Russian forces advance on Nadiya from DPR’s Dobropolye, expert says

Military expert Andrey Marochko suggested that Nadiya would soon come under the control of the Russian military

Houthis claim they carried out missile strikes on targets in Riyadh and Yanbu

Representative of the movement Yahya Saree said that the attacks were a response to Saudi Arabia’s ongoing strikes on Yemen

Grynspan pulls ahead in race for UN chief — source

Nine Security Council members backed Rebeca Grynspan in the race, five opposed

Russian parliamentary election turnout exceeds 44.5% — election authority

The information was posted on the Russian Central Election Commission’s website and reflects data as of 9:00 p.m. GMT

Current Ukrainian regime focused solely on war — Ukraine’s ex PM

Nikolay Azarov stressed that Kiev's allies should question where their support is leading

Kiev does everything to prevent any peace and any talks — Putin

The Russian leader said that the Ukrainian army has recently committed another crime — they struck the house of Yelena Ostanina, head of the precinct election commission in the village of Oktyabrskoye, Zaporozhye Region, and killed her

Unidentified man splashes wine into Hungarian premier’s face to protest his policies

No information about this man’s political affiliation has been published so far

Geographical coverage of voters in South Africa expanded — Russian ambassador

Roman Ambarov said, that it has been widened to take into account the state's specifics

Russian troops strike logistics centers, energy sites used by Ukrainian army in past day

Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck arms depots, logistics centers, fuel and energy, transport and port infrastructure facilities in Ukraine used by the Ukrainian army, ammunition and materiel depots, workshops assembling and sites storing unmanned aerial vehicles and their components

Kiev plotting special operations to disrupt elections in Russia — diplomat

Rodion Miroshnik says that a significant amount of forces is being concentrated on DPR and LPR

Putin congratulates South Ossetian president Kambolov on Republic Day

The Russian president noted that Russia will continue to assist the authorities and people of South Ossetia in addressing important challenges

Denmark accepts Greenland deal due to lack of defense funds, Rubio says

"Denmark and Greenland understand that they don't have the financial means necessary to defend Greenland if it were to come under attack or be threatened," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Russia’s voting procedure is ‘quite intense,’ says CEC chief Pamfilova

The single voting day to elect lawmakers to the 9th Russian State Duma takes place on September 18-20

Ukraine intensifies terrorist activities ahead of Russian parliamentary vote — diplomat

Rodion Miroshnik reported the death of a member of a territorial election commission

Russia says not to start dialogue with those asserting Russophobia, neo-Nazism — Zakharova

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman said that everyone who "comes to Russia with love, and perhaps even for love," is always welcomed with open arms

Trump administration does not believe war with Iran ongoing — speaker Johnson

According to the House of Representatives speaker, the conflict is in its final stage

Russian regional authorities, military ready for Kiev’s provocative acts — diplomat

Rodion Miroshnik added that regional authorities have a vast experience of organizing the voting process under such circumstances

Time running out for Ukrainian troops in Kursk area to lay down arms — Kremlin

Putin thus responded to the call of US President Donald Trump, who offered to "spare" the Ukrainian troops in Kursk Region

Russian envoy points to Germany's post-traumatic disorder after failure to gain UNSC seat

Germany blamed Russia for the defeat, Vasily Nebenzya noted

EU continues to ignore Ukraine’s attacks on nuclear power plants — Finnish politician

Armando Mema added that the EU remains one of the main suppliers of weapons for Kiev

Air defenses down 344 Ukrainian drones over Russia overnight — top brass

On-duty air defenses intercepted and destroyed 344 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles over the past night over the Leningrad, Novgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Oryol, Kaluga, Tula, Ryazan, Lipetsk, Vladimir, Rostov, Krasnodar, Moscow Regions, the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, the Republic of Dagestan and over the Black Sea

Russian forces hit cargo ship, logistics center near Odessa

The targets hit in the Odessa Region were a cargo ship in the port of Odessa that had delivered military supplies and the Novaya Pochta logistics center, located 1.5 km north of Odessa

US embassies in Middle East issue security alert for US citizens

The statement linked the alert with hostilities involving Iranian-supported Houthis and warned that the "military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly"

Fairness of Russian elections beyond doubt — observer from Mali

Brahima Fomba mentioned, that voting system is based on high·tech solutions

Russia ready to restore relations with its European neighbors — Putin

Russian president mentioned that during a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission

Russia seeks sustainable peace in Ukraine conflict — Kremlin spokesman

According to Dmitry Peskov, The Ukraine process is currently on hold

Europeans send clear signal in elections they do not want war with Russia — Putin

The head of state said that some European leaders are openly stating that they are preparing for war with Russia

Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, SpaceXAI sued for attempt to slow down AI development

The plaintiffs are represented by law firm Trial Lawyers for Justice

Russian forces hit Fire Point warehouse storing drone components in Kiev Region

Russian forces carried out overnight strikes with unmanned aerial vehicles on logistics centers, warehouses and ports in Ukraine

Chinese imports of Russian LNG up 28.2%, of oil - up 18.1% in January-August

In value terms, supplies grew 13.2% and 33.3%, respectively

Over 4.6 mln people cast votes early in Russian election — CEC chief Pamfilova

She added that over 4.4 million people cast their votes early in 12 regions with the martial law in place

Putin says Russia ready to respond to seizure of ships, calls on West 'to be friends'

Vladimir Putin said that Russia had taken note of the European drills in the Baltic Sea, including the practice of seizing civilian vessels

Moscow says Latvia, Estonia try to intimidate Russians who want to vote

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explained, that the police check and record the documents of any person who tries to enter the Russian embassy

Russian forces drawing a noose around Ukrainian troops in Kharkov area

Encircled enemy personnel have been struck in the areas of Komissarovo, Krasny Yar, Grachevka, Khripuny, and Buzovo, head of the Battlegroup North press center Vasily Mezhevykh said

Russian forces hit tanker carrying military supplies for Ukrainian troops

The footage shows a tanker hit by two Geran-4 Seeker drones in the port of Chernomorsk in the Odessa Region

Kiev troops shell DPR 30 times in past day, 18 wounded

Three children were among the injured

Election commissions in regions where drones fly defy “terrorist scum” — Foreign Ministry

The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that she is shocked by the courage of the election commission staff

Attacks on Russian online vote system involve AI, darknet — official

Oleg Artamonov added that no disruptions were detected during the first two days of the vote

Two days of voting in Zaporozhye Region pass without violations

Anton Bibarov·Gosudarev, head of the Public Election Monitoring Headquarters in the Zaporozhye Region noted that some activities were carried out during the work, including with the Civic Chamber

Russian parliamentary election turnout rises to 44.63% — election authority

The information was posted on the Russian Central Election Commission’s website and reflects data as of 1:00 a.m. GMT

US envoy to UN confirms Trump-Rodriguez meeting on General Assembly sidelines — AP

According to the US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, the meeting will be a casual "pull-aside" conversation rather than a formal bilateral negotiation

Russian air defenses repel largest-ever Ukrainian drone attack, mayor says

Mayor Sergey Sobyanin added that 450 drones had been shot down on the approach to Moscow

At least 48 people died in clashes in southern Yemen over past 24 hours — AFP

The fighting is taking place on the border between the provinces of Lahij and Taiz

EU cannot buy Patriot missiles for Kiev yet due to lack of contracts

The EU approved funding for Patriot systems for Ukraine under the Ukraine Support Loan mechanism last week

Trump makes attempts to resolve conflict in Ukraine — US envoy to UN

Mike Waltz added that during his upcoming address from the UN General Assembly rostrum, the US president plans to speak about sovereignty, as well as "about the peace deals," both those already attained and in works

Germany artificially inflates crisis by accusing Russia of UAV accident — GFCN experts

They pointed out that the incident itself took place in early August, but official statements on this issue emerged on behalf of the German side only on September 1