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Strait of Hormuz developments

Only few ships passed through Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday — news agency

According to analysts, none of the ships were supertankers with oil or tankers transporting liquefied natural gas

LONDON, September 16. /TASS/. The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to a minimum on Tuesday, with only two entering and two exiting, Reuters reported, citing the Kpler analytics firm.

According to analysts, none of the ships were supertankers with oil or tankers transporting liquefied natural gas.

Before the Middle East conflict began, about 125 large commercial vessels, including bulk carriers, container ships, oil tankers, and LNG carriers, typically passed through the strait each day, transporting about 20% of the world’s daily oil and LNG shipments.

The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran, with Islamabad acting as mediator, signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, in the early morning hours of July 8, the US resumed large-scale strikes against Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreements reached on the Strait of Hormuz.

British PM to discuss Ukraine at first meeting with Trump in New York — newspaper

According to The Times, the talks are set to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 22

Japan maintains its presence in oil and gas projects in Russia — diplomat

Maria Zakharova noted that Tokyo maintains and reaffirms the importance of its relations and energy cooperation with Moscow

Iran-backed Houthis’ actions go beyond domestic conflict — Yemen’s PM

Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani says Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia "cannot be separated from the military escalation" on Yemen’s Red Sea coast

US laying ground for Iran making changes to nuclear doctrine — parliament

In the absence of any international protocols, the United States is requesting Iran cooperate by allowing inspections of its nuclear facilities that have been subjected to bombing, Hassan Ghashghavi said

Moscow vows response to Hungarian move to expel Russian diplomats — MFA

On September 8, Hungary’s top diplomat Anita Orban said Budapest was expelling 10 Russian diplomats, citing the need to protect national security

Russia's pipeline gas exports to Turkey fall 10% in January-July

In July alone, Turkey imported a combined 948 million cubic meters of Russian gas via the TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines

Massive missile attack on Taganrog, 222 downed drones: Ukrainian strikes' aftermath

Warehouses belonging to the Ozon company and agricultural enterprises were damaged, as were the windows of residential buildings and an educational institution in Rostov Region’s Taganrog

Mideast facing worst energy logistics crisis in modern history — Russian Energy Minister

Sergey Tsivilyov commented on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz

Diplomat blasts European attempts to pull nukes closer to Russian borders

Maria Zakharova commented on Finland’s move to join a France-led nuclear deterrence initiative

IN BRIEF: Russian Foreign Minister on asset dispute, threats to freedom of navigation

The Russian foreign minister stressed that Western interference with freedom of navigation is a concern, as European states have detained 12 vessels since January of this year

Russia fighting against both Ukrainian army, Western war machine — DPR leader

Denis Pushilin added that the Ukrainian military receives support from Western intelligence services

UN secretary-general candidate calls for organizing peace conference on Ukraine

Olara Otunnu called for urgent work with key stakeholders

Large group of countries ready to host Ukraine talks, source tells TASS

Earlier, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov told Russian state-controlled television Channel One in a comment that Abu Dhabi has been discussed as a platform for hosting trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, and that Turkey and other countries too have offered their services

Any use of Russian assets would cause greater damage to Europe than to Russia — portal

Europe is forced to balance between aiding Ukraine and financial suicide, media outlet InsideOver said

Russia, US need to launch dialogue on trade, investment prospects — MFA

Maria Zakharova noted that in relations with the United States, "with the arrival of the current administration, some things have moved in the right direction"

Unlike Ukraine, Russian army not targeting civilians in its attacks, diplomat says

Maria Zakharova's comment came in response to a question from media regarding allegations in the Western press about a recent "deliberate" Russian strike on a passenger train carrying former and current Western officials

Lukoil refinery crisis shows Europe cost of severing ties with Russia — expert

"The longer the Petrotel refinery remains idle, the more the sanctions issue will transform from a foreign policy matter into a domestic political challenge for the country's authorities," Ilya Grashchenkov said

Drone attacks fishing vessels near Iran’s Hormozgan province, IRIB reports

A search operation is currently underway

Press TV: Israeli military abducted Iranian TV journalist near Bethlehem

According to one of Hamed’s colleagues, the Israelis detained the entire crew and searched them, after which the cameramen were released, while the journalist herself was taken to an unknown location

Trade, tech curbs only worsen global energy imbalances — Russian Energy Minister

Sergey Tsivilyov commented on Moscow's key proposals for the G20 ministerial energy meeting in Houston, Texas, which runs through September 16

Three fires break out after massive attack on Taganrog

Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said the missile attack had damaged windows in five apartment buildings and three private homes

Kiev loses some 1,225 troops along engagement line in past day — Defense Ministry

Overnight, the Russian Armed Forces struck a logistics center in Velikaya Balka in the Odessa Region

Russia says Chisinau has no right to strip Russians in Transnistria of chance to vote

"Russian citizens have the right to freely express their will; this is one of the fundamental human rights," Maria Zakharova noted

Kiev deliberately turns its civilian facilities into military targets — Russian diplomat

Ukraine is now reaping the inevitable consequences, Rodion Miroshnik stated

Explosions heard in Iranian city of Qeshm — agency

According to sources cited by IRNA, the sounds came from the sea

UN secretary-general candidate calls for comprehensive agreement on Iran

Olara Otunnu identified the resolution of the Iran conflict as one of the areas to which he intends to immediately give priority in the sphere of international peace and security

Ukraine's interceptor drones fall short in July tests — Reuters

Many of the interceptor drones proved difficult to control at speeds sometimes exceeding 400 kilometers per hour, with some crashing into nearby fields and forests, the news agency noted

Ruble’s real effective exchange rate down 7.1% in August — Central Bank

Since the beginning of this year the exchange rate has decreased by 5.1%

Casualties in Sochi, 399 UAVs: aftermath of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian regions

Falling UAV debris injured five people, including a child, in Russia’s southern city of Sochi in the Krasnodar Region

West’s interference with freedom of navigation causes concern — Lavrov

"European states have detained 12 vessels since January this year based on made-up categories unknown to international law, such as the so-called 'shadow fleet' and others," the Russian foreign minister said

Ukrainian servicemen shot, tortured civilians in Kursk Region — human rights commissioner

Yana Lantratova said that many civilians were shot in their homes

Leaders of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland sign memorandum on right to leave UK

The signing ceremony took place in the Welsh capital of Cardiff

Russia tests new concept for intercepting UAVs, unmanned surface vehicles

Alexey Chadayev emphasized that the tests demonstrated the concept’s effectiveness and feasibility

Shanghai Cooperation Organization calls for preventing arms race in space — official

Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev said the organization advocates for the development of a correspondent legally binding international document

DPR leader sees Kiev regime, West making money on continued Ukraine conflict

EU countries capitalize on weapons supplies to Kiev, Denis Pushilin says

War between US, Iran to enter 'different phase' in coming months — Vance

According to the vice president, the US has already completed the first phase, which was to destroy the nuclear program and conventional military of Iran

War with Iran costs US taxpayers $38 billion — congressional budget office

The authority also confirmed that the war had depleted US weapons stocks, including critically important interceptors for air defense systems

New cargo spacecraft to be launched to ISS this week — Roscosmos CEO

Progress MS is used to deliver various cargo to the ISS, as well as to adjust its orbit

Viktor Bout sees no real readiness from US to restore relations with Russia

Viktor Bout noted that the US Congress continues to consider new sanctions against Russia

Taimazova, Tasoyev to headline Russian squad at 2026 World Judo Championship in Baku

The 2026 World Judo Championships is scheduled to take place on October 4-11, 2026, at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan

Russia readies to strike Ukraine’s energy sites to retaliate attacks on its infrastructure

At the same time, Russian servicemen continued to launch coordinated strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities that support the Ukrainian military overnight, the ministry emphasized

Not enough air defense assets in whole world to meet Kiev’s needs — former Estonian leader

The situation for Ukrainians has clearly worsened, Kersti Kaljulaid said

Russia backs sovereign right of nations to choose their energy mix — Energy Minister

"Russia’s position is to respect the sovereign right of every country to determine its own development path and energy mix," Sergey Tsivilyov said

US, Germany agree to advance defense industrial cooperation — Pentagon

According to the statement, Pete Hegseth and Boris Pistorius signed an agreement that aligns the Pentagon’s "acquisition transformation strategy with Germany's Procurement Acceleration Act"

EU foreign policy chief Kallas says would answer phone call from Russia’s Putin, Lavrov

Kaja Kallas also recalled her meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov at international forums, including at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the G20

Switzerland not being considered for new round of Ukraine talks — Russian foreign ministry

Maria Zakharova cited the loss of neutrality in Switzerland’s policy, Russophobia in the context of joining anti-Russian sanctions and related statements as reasons

Russia to work on permanent visa-free regime with China — foreign ministry

Maria Zakharova recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a visa-free regime through mid-September 2026 a year ago, an initiative supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which a reciprocal visa-free regime was introduced for Chinese citizens

British PM to discuss Ukraine at first meeting with Trump in New York — newspaper

According to The Times, the talks are set to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 22

Middle Eastern countries disappointed with US security guarantees — ex-top diplomat

Antony Blinken said the US had no good military solution to the current conflict "absent a full-scale invasion of Iran, which would be a disaster"

Press review: EU eyes Russian assets as Ukraine corruption scandal erodes Western trust

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, September 15th

North Korea, Russia strengthening solidarity amid complex global situation — Kim Jong Un

The North Korean leader also reiterated his country government’s unwavering resolve to expand and deepen cooperation with Russia

Sikorski's plans to restore Poland's greatness show 'unhealthy ambitions' — Kremlin aide

Nikolay Patrushev said he was previously surprised with the Polish foreign minister's lack of knowledge about history and Russia

Europe unlikely to go back to being Russia's top gas buyer — expert

The European market will remain large and attractive for Russia, Ilya Grashchenkov noted

Overwhelming majority of Germans dissatisfied with Merz's performance — poll

Only 10% of respondents, three percentage points fewer than last week, gave a positive assessment of the government head’s performance

Russia to secure return of its foreign exchange reserves from West — Lavrov

The Russian Foreign Minister said the European Commission still wants to confiscate these assets

Russia, Ukraine preparing new family reunification initiative — human rights commissioner

Yana Lantratova declined to specify the number of people involved or when the humanitarian initiative might take place

Denmark’s provocative actions against Russian frigate raise concern — ambassador

Vladimir Barbin expressed regret over Denmark’s reluctance to prevent maritime escalation and push toward strengthening mutual confidence

Bank of Russia lowers dollar exchange rate to 84.24 rubles for September 16

The official euro exchange rate has been lowered by 46.14 kopecks to 97.3012 rubles

Trump’s call to halt attacks on energy sites shows dissatisfaction with Zelensky — expert

Alexander Protsenko said Donald Trump had also stressed that global diesel shortages were the result of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries

'Whisky war' brewing between England, Scotland — newspaper

Scotch Whisky Association Chief Executive Mark Kent said the rules governing English whisky are "entirely inconsistent with the reputation of single malt whisky"

Kiev loses some 1,375 troops along engagement line in past day — Russia’s top brass

Russian airstrikes hit Ukrainian targets in Kharkov, Sumy Regions

UK actively explores participation in NATO’s defense bank — newspaper

A senior Labour figure told The Financial Times that participation in the DSRB initiative could potentially help the UK reach a milestone of spending 3% of GDP on defense by 2030

UN secretary-general candidate proposes creating special body on AI

According to Olara Otunnu's assessment, the world is simultaneously on the threshold of a potential "golden age" and a period of serious upheaval, during which "drones and artificial intelligence might evolve to dominate the human race"

China calls for building more balanced security architecture — defense chief

Dong Jun stated that this architecture "should address the legitimate security concerns of all countries"

Brent crude surges past $109 a barrel in ICE trading rally

By 08:19 p.m. Moscow time, Brent was up 3.38%, trading at $109.25 per barrel

US House approves resolution demanding end to Iran war

The resolution is not legally binding and serves as a recommendation

Russian diplomat warns NATO countries against supporting nuclear proliferation

Maria Zakharova advised Western European hotheads to take a sober look at the world

Trump became $2.7 bln richer after 2024 election — media

According to Forbes, the US president cashed in on crypto ventures and overseas deals

Three killed as helicopter crashes in Los Angeles

Another person was injured

Merz cancels trip to New York for UNGA events — news agency

German officials told DPA that the situation requires chancellor's presence in Berlin

Russian national pleads guilty to illegally exporting aircraft parts — Justice Department

Samuylovsky faces up to 20 years in prison

AfD seeks full normalization of relations with Russia — Bild

Sources told the newspaper that the party is also seeking an end to military aid to Ukraine

Iran lifts ban on use of foreign messengers by government agencies

Islamic Republic Government Spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said that the main goal of the move is "to ensure the ability to promptly respond to emerging doubts and planted information, as well as effectively counter psychological operations and the information war" against Iran

Russian Baltic Fleet pilots destroy simulated enemy fortifications during exercise

Crews of Su-30SM2 multi-role fighters and Su-24M tactical front-line bombers from the Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation participated in the exercise

Most UAVs flying deep into Russia downed by mobile armed units along border — expert

Oleg Ivanov said that mobile armed units had become an effective layered defense system in the Kursk Region

Russia presses for urgent measures to prevent arms race in space — diplomat

The statements from US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink only serve as evidence how relevant Russian multilateral initiatives toward launching talks, Maria Zakharova said

British national eliminated in Russia’s special mil-op zone in Ukraine — top brass

The sources said that three more Ukrainian officers have been killed as well, including a senior lieutenant of the National Guard of Ukraine

US seeks to normalize military use of outer space — newspaper

The Wall Street Journal reported that, according to officials, open discussion of the issue could deter adversaries that also seek to launch weapons into orbit

Zelensky dismisses Kravchenko as prosecutor general

Kravchenko had held the post since June 2025

US policy compels North Korea to strengthen nuclear deterrence — agency

Security expert Choe Ju Hyun wrote in an op-ed for the Korean Central News Agency that US actions are accelerating "the corrosion of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime"

Kalashnikov Group presents Kalitka-KA anti-drone system

The system is designed to protect strategic facilities from drone attacks at low and extremely low altitudes

IN BRIEF: Russian Armed Forces strike Ukrainian military, energy, transport facilities

As a result of strikes in the Velikaya Balka settlement in the Odessa Region, a logistics center for the storage and distribution of military cargo arriving in Ukraine from abroad was struck

UN secretary-general candidate wants peace in Gaza based on Oslo, Abraham Accords

He described the resolution of major conflicts as one of the issues he intends to prioritize, noting that international peace, security, and international cooperation constitute "the core mandate of the United Nations"

US cannot trust Merz’s words — Trump’s envoy

"Merz is mad that Americans want the German government to pay its NATO obligations," Richard Grenell said

FACTBOX: Russian strikes hit Kievstar mobile provider building, railway facilities

Russian pilots used aerial bombs and X-39 missiles to hit temporary deployment sites and drone command posts in the communities of Fyodorovka in the Kharkov Region and Zemlyanoye in the Sumy Region, respectively

Russia to respond accordingly if Lithuania moves to field nuclear weapons — MFA

As for the autumn session of the Lithuanian Seimas on amending legislation to allow the deployment of foreign nuclear weapons, this is a completely irresponsible act, Maria Zakharova said

Only 15% of Russia's trade done in dollars, euros — Kremlin official

Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office, noted that sanctions pressure enabled a faster transition to a 'new track'

European Council president to call for creating European Security Council — media

According to an article in Euractiv, Ursula von der Leyen will announce the proposal in her annual State of the European Union address in Strasbourg on Wednesday

Russia remains guarantor of global energy security — Energy Minister

Russia holds the world's largest combined oil and gas reserves, amounting to approximately 60 billion tonnes of oil equivalent, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov said

Russian indices decline as trading closes on Moscow Exchange

The MOEX Index falling 1.02% to 2,337.1 points and the RTS Index dropping 0.90% to 874.02 points

Russian football stars Safonov, Batrakov on national team’s roster for upcoming friendlies

According to last week’s reports from the Russian Football Union, the national squad is set play friendly matches next month against Namibia and Nigeria

US House advances Russia sanctions bill

The House of Representatives voted 214-211

NATO intelligence services find evidence linking Kiev to Leipzig incident — Russian SVR

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service noted that "many in the West are merely pretending to believe the German leadership"

Russian forces break through Ukrainian defenses in Orekhov area — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that Russian troops had made significant advances in this sector

Kremlin briefing touches on Ukrainian attempt to strike energy site, Trump’s truce idea

It is possible to discuss the resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe only if they are beneficial for the country, Dmitry Peskov said

Only 20-25 million people live in Ukraine now, former Zelensky press secretary says

Yulia Mendel added that Ukrainians continue to flee the country

US plans $2.8 bln sale of heavy aerial bombs to Israel — newspaper

An article in The Washington Post explained that the deal was planned to be implemented through the Foreign Military Financing mechanism, which provides grants and loans to help other countries buy American weapons

Thousands of migrants remain in Spain’s Ceuta — European Commissioner

At the end of July, nearly 80,000 illegal migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s African exclave of Ceuta

Information warfare has no rules, creating them is our next step — GFCN president

Interview with Vladimir Tabak, president of the Global Fact-Checking Network

PREVIEW: Beijing Xiangshan Forum opens with around 100 state delegations attending

The three-day event has brought together official representatives from around 100 countries

Ukraine carries out two attacks on residential areas in DPR in past day

One civilian was reported injured