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UN Secretary-General says de-escalation must remain top priority in Middle East

"All parties must cease any actions that harm civilians and ensure that humanitarian operations can proceed safely and without obstruction," Antonio Guterres said

UNITED NATIONS, September 16. /TASS/. De-escalation must be the top priority in the Middle East, while all parties must cease actions that harm civilians, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stated.

"At this crucial moment in the Middle East, de-escalation must be priority one, priority two, and priority three: All parties must cease any actions that harm civilians and ensure that humanitarian operations can proceed safely and without obstruction," Guterres said.

He also called for the full restoration and respect of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in accordance with international law. "The only path forward is de-escalation, diplomacy, and dialogue," the UN chief stressed.

Syrian Army General Staff chief meets with Russian military personnel at Hmeimim airbase

On August 9, Moscow and Damascus signed a memorandum of understanding under which Russia’s military facilities – the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the naval logistics support facility in Tartus – are to be transformed into joint military training centers

Zelensky dismisses Kravchenko as prosecutor general

Kravchenko had held the post since June 2025

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

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

Three killed as helicopter crashes in Los Angeles

Another person was injured

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

Yana Lantratova said that many civilians were shot in their homes

Situation in Reznikovka encirclement is at stalemate for Ukrainian forces — expert

Andrey Marochko said the Ukrainian military command is giving its personnel false information

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

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"

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

Russia’s Battlegroup North destroys 345 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs in past day

According to the spokesman, the battlegroup also destroyed a Polish-made PT-91 tank and two T-72 tanks

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

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

Russia, China developing strategic cooperation across all areas — deputy defense minister

Anna Tsivilyova noted that a multipolar world order would help create conditions for a new system of international law, including in promising fields that determine the future of humanity

Special court for Kosovo sentences former president to 25 years in prison

The Kosovo war crimes tribunal in the Hague found former president Hashim Thaci guilty of committing war crime

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

President Putin to deliver televised address on upcoming parliamentary elections

Elections to the ninth State Duma will take place from September 18 to 20, 2026

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

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"

US businesses await lifting of ban on new investment in Russia — AmCham head

Robert Agee said the inability to invest means US companies are not only losing profits and market share but also seeing the value of their brands decline

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"

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

US House advances Russia sanctions bill

The House of Representatives voted 214-211

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

Russia tests new concept for intercepting UAVs, unmanned surface vehicles

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

Iran, Oman agree on plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz — top diplomat

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran believes that the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran remains in force

Prospects of Ukrainian settlement no closer than a few months ago — MFA

Sergey Ryabkov said the responsibility lies precisely with the representatives of the European "war party"

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

Achieving special military operation goals to improve Eurasia landscape — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, it will contribute to the establishment of a world order

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

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

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"

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

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

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

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

Western unreliability, military contingents in Ukraine: Lavrov’s statements

Russia has never rejected talks on Ukraine and is prepared to hold them in either bilateral or trilateral formats, the Russian foreign minister noted

Russia hopes Europe has taken notice of warning about 'other, very short war' — Lavrov

Russia’s top diplomat pointed to the fact that it was Europe that was regularly voicing claims about its preparations for a possible war

Israeli military abducted Iranian TV journalist near Bethlehem — Press TV

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

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

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

EU loses 90 bln euro due to situation in Strait of Hormuz — EC president

Ursula von der Leyen said the EU needs to double efforts on development of "affordable and homegrown clean energy"

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

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"

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

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

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

Russia ready for Western provocations amid State Duma elections — MFA

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that diplomats are being trained even more thoroughly

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

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

North Korean Defense Ministry warns US, South Korea of possible use of nukes — news agency

Threats involving attacks and the use of weapons of mass destruction against our state by enemies can be considered the most serious security challenge

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

Olara Otunnu called for urgent work with key stakeholders

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

Kremlin mum on exposure in US of individuals allegedly working for Russian intelligence

Until "any plausible evidence" emerges, there is no point in commenting on statements by the US Department of Justice, Dmitry Peskov said

US House approves resolution demanding end to Iran war

The resolution is not legally binding and serves as a recommendation

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

One civilian was reported injured

Italian delegate says Russia preserves diplomacy abandoned by West

Attending the International Festival of Youth, Carlo Di Martino said it is encouraging to see people from all over the world, supporting Russia's project and its geopolitical vision

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

Iran considers memorandum with US valid, wants to return to peaceful solution — MFA

Iran is not interested in continuing the conflict, Abbas Araghchi said

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

Russia, Mexico support UN reform, Charter’s inviolability — Foreign Ministry

According to Russian diplomats, "a trusting political dialogue" remains the foundation of cooperation between the two countries today

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

North Korea says US prepares to use WMDs against it

The North Korean Defense Ministry noted that scenarios for responding to the use of weapons of mass destruction were being practiced during the joint US-South Korea Freedom Shield exercises

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

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

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

Yulia Mendel added that Ukrainians continue to flee the country

Kiev loses some 1,300 troops along engagement line in past day — Russia’s top brass

The Russian Armed Forces thwarted a Ukrainian military group’s attempt to break out of the encirclement near Gogino in the Kharkov Region, the Defense Ministry reported

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

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

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"

Explosions heard in Iranian city of Qeshm — agency

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

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

Russian, Chinese military medical services share treatment experience — Defense Ministry

Russian State Secretary and Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova said this at the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum on international security in China

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

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

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

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

US accepts risk of human extinction, if it holds lethal AI weaponry — expert

Alexander Stepanov recalled that former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon accused OpenAI and Anthropic of "racing toward superintelligence self-improvement and gambling with our lives"

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

Sergey Tsivilyov commented on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz

Russian-Canadian citizen gets seven years in penal colony for treason — FSB

According to the Russian Federal Security Service, Nikolay Zyuzev created and launched a project spreading extremist materials, and gathering information on the instructions of EU government bodies and analytical center

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 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

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

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

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

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

China ready to defend Iran's legitimate rights — Chinese foreign minister

Wang Yi said that Beijing is also ready to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the Iranian side

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

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

Kremlin comments on Putin’s address to Russians, US Justice Department statement

President Vladimir Putin will deliver a televised address to the nation this evening ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections

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

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

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

EC President announces intention to tighten sanctions against Russia

The EU has adopted 21 packages of sanctions against Moscow

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

Russia-China relations at unprecedentedly high level — official

Russian State Secretary and Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova noted that Russia and China are marking two significant anniversaries this year

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

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

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"

IN BRIEF: What is known about incident with Russian warship, Danish Air Force helicopter

TASS has compiled the main information available so far

Press review: Germany eyes Patriot deal as Japan steps up Asia-Pacific military activity

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, September 16th

Russia’s Battlegroup West destroys 75 Ukrainian heavy combat hexacopters in past day

The spokesman additionally reported that the battlegroup destroyed 50 enemy drone control centers, two Starlink satellite communication stations, 36 ground robotic systems

Russia vows to back priorities of China’s chairmanship in BRICS

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that China is yet to present a conceptual framework for its chairmanship

Kiev authorities lost control over Ukrainian security forces — underground resistance

According to the source, citizens "can only watch as the agencies figure out who’s in charge"

Poland to provide Ukraine with several missiles for Patriot systems — newspaper

Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces General Ireneusz Nowak said that it is not a large-scale delivery