The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is set to visit the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) due to escalating risks of damage to the facility. In an interview with the Financial Times published on Wednesday, August 21, Grossi stated he would arrive in Kursk at the invitation of Moscow next week to discuss the situation with the plant's management and gather evidence of potential attacks on the station by Ukraine.

Currently, the Kursk NPP is " …

In a landmark ruling, the 235th Moscow Garrison Military Court has sentenced two ex-employees of FSB's Second Service, the unit responsible for Constitutional Order Protection, to nine years in a high-security penal colony for taking bribes from Roman Catholic Church representatives. According to Kommersant, Evgeny Lobanov and Denis Karmanov were found guilty of receiving bribes on a large scale (Article 290, Part 6).

Karmanov was also convicted under charges related to illegal arms and …

Several Chinese banks have started refunding payments for goods already delivered to Russian importers by their Chinese business partners, reports Vedomosti, citing four businessmen who have encountered this issue recently.

Russian business representatives have yet to determine the reasons behind the payment rejections in Chinese banks. One source suggested that the issue might be related to compliance checks. However, these incidents are becoming increasingly common.

The payment problem …

Ukraine will need between 35 to 75 ATACMS missiles to hit the three nearest Russian airfields, explained experts from Defense Express. Their estimates utilized satellite photos of the airfields and data on the destructive range of various Western missiles.

Western partners are hesitant to authorize Ukraine to launch strikes on Russian airfields, citing a limited number of ATACMS missiles. Surrounding Ukraine’s borders are roughly two dozen Russian runways, each requiring anywhere from five to 2 …

In a significant development, the Kremlin is reportedly anticipating that the ongoing clashes in the Kursk region could last several months, according to optimistic assessments. The Russian authorities are gearing up the public for a "new normal" under Ukrainian military control of Russian territory. This information comes from unnamed sources close to the Kremlin and the government, as reported by Meduza.

One source close to the Kremlin revealed that there was initial confusion regarding the …

Prior to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' advance into Russia's Kursk region, attempts were made to hold mediated talks in Qatar between Kyiv and Moscow to agree on refraining from inflicting mutual damage to each other's energy sectors, said Anatoliy Burmych from the "Reconstruction of Ukraine" parliamentary faction during a broadcast on "Novini.LIVE."

"I have information that there was an attempt even before the Kursk operation to hold negotiations in Qatar through intermediaries, to discuss how …

The head of the Security Committee of the Czech Senate, Pavel Fischer, has called on the government to instruct security services to investigate the threat posed by the Russian Orthodox churches within the country. Fischer stated that these institutions could potentially be misused for Russian influence operations, reports ČTK.

Additionally, Fischer emphasized that the Czech Minister of Culture, Martin Baxa, should examine whether the Russian Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic and the …

According to Russian war correspondents, Ukraine's 95th Air Assault Brigade encircled units of Russia's 18th Motorized Rifle Division in Malaya Loknya, Kursk region.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have successfully surrounded Russian units in Malaya Loknya, located in the Kursk region, reports Censor.net.

Journalists indicate that Ukraine's 95th Air Assault Brigade cornered Russia's 18th Motorized Rifle Division in Malaya Loknya, using a flanking maneuver to cut off the main road. Notably, …