https://www.rferl.org/z/666 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Russia https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/666 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:25:32 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Russian officials claimed voting systems came under cyberattack, as the country entered the second of three days of voting for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-vote-election-ukraine/33859408.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-vote-election-ukraine/33859408.html Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:01:40 +0200 News US President Donald Trump signed into law legislation aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia over its war on Ukraine, including by targeting Moscow's energy revenues as well as countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas. https://www.rferl.org/a/33859294.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33859294.html Sat, 19 Sep 2026 07:53:39 +0200 News Plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles under license are “not going to solve this winter's problem” as it reels under Russian aerial bombardment, US ambassador to NATO told RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-whitaker-patriot-shortage-ukraine/33858935.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-whitaker-patriot-shortage-ukraine/33858935.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:52:35 +0200 Features US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker has warned that global demand for missiles for Patriot air defense systems is “outpacing supply” and that Washington and its allies would have to “dig deep” to support Ukraine. Speaking to RFE/RL correspondent Ray Furlong on September 18, Whitaker said an increasingly dangerous international environment was leading to a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles and that manufacturing capacity was not keeping up. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-matthew-whitaker-ukraine-iran/33858954.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-matthew-whitaker-ukraine-iran/33858954.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:44:58 +0200 Videos US President Donald Trump says Washington and Warsaw are making "major progress" toward establishing a permanent US Army base in Poland, potentially expanding the American military presence on NATO's eastern flank. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-poland-us-army-base-nato-russia/33858649.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-poland-us-army-base-nato-russia/33858649.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:40:30 +0200 News Russians cast ballots to choose lawmakers for the State Duma, with the more-than-4 ½-year-old war on Ukraine and a slowing economy looming over the country’s first parliamentary elections since the 2022 invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-election-vote-putin-ukraine-war/33858191.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-election-vote-putin-ukraine-war/33858191.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:01:52 +0200 News With a sweeping Russia sanctions bill headed to President Donald Trump’s desk, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen tells RFE/RL the legislation is intended to squeeze Moscow’s energy revenues and pressure countries buying Russian oil and gas. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senator-jeanne-shaheen-putin-ukraine-russia/33858412.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senator-jeanne-shaheen-putin-ukraine-russia/33858412.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:34:53 +0200 Russia Jeanne Shaheen, the senior senator from New Hampshire, spoke to RFE/RL shortly after the passage of sanctions legislation intended to target Russia’s energy revenues. Shaheen said the sanctions will force other countries, notably China, to wean themselves off of Russian oil and gas. https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-senator-shaheen-russia-sanctions-china/33858411.html https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-senator-shaheen-russia-sanctions-china/33858411.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:27:09 +0200 Russia After brokering the release of 25 prisoners from Belarus, US envoy John Coale tells RFE/RL discuss the deal, sanctions relief, Washington’s tentative thaw with Minsk -- and where Russia fits in. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-envoy-coale-interview-prisoners-us-sanctions/33858363.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-envoy-coale-interview-prisoners-us-sanctions/33858363.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:14:24 +0200 Belarus A web of contractors, suppliers, and others with links to Russian state giant Rosneft’s big Arctic oil project includes a billionaire associate of Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and the father of President Vladimir Putin’s purported partner, Alina Kabayeva, among others. Systema investigates. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-arctic-rosneft-vostok-investigation/33858300.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-arctic-rosneft-vostok-investigation/33858300.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:27:20 +0200 Russia A military airfield in Russia's Rostov-on-Don and the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl were reportedly hit during a major overnight drone attack. Ukraine’s Security Service says three military transport planes and three helicopters were hit. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-military-airfield-major-oil-refinery-targeted-in-massive-ukrainian-drone-attack/33858180.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-military-airfield-major-oil-refinery-targeted-in-massive-ukrainian-drone-attack/33858180.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:31:04 +0200 Videos Russia resumed its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities on September 17, hours after the US Congress passed a sanctions package that supporters say will increase pressure on Moscow and countries that help finance its war against Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-attack-ukraine-graham-bill-sanctions/33858069.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-attack-ukraine-graham-bill-sanctions/33858069.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:31:36 +0200 News The US Congress on September 16 passed sweeping legislation targeting Russia and Iran, sending to President Donald Trump a sanctions package supporters say will increase pressure on Moscow and countries that help finance its war against Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-congress-sweeping-russia-iran-sanctions-bill/33857946.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-congress-sweeping-russia-iran-sanctions-bill/33857946.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:18:57 +0200 News Russian drones hit a passenger train in southern Ukraine on September 16, setting a train ablaze. No causalities were reported. Another Russian drone strike killed five people on a bus near the frontline city of Nikopol, according to officials. The strikes follow an uptick in attacks on civilian transport in recent days. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drones-hit-ukrainian-passenger-train-and-bus-killing-5/33857562.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drones-hit-ukrainian-passenger-train-and-bus-killing-5/33857562.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:04:41 +0200 Ukraine The US indictment targets five people, including two men linked to Russia's main intelligence agency, who plotted assassinations and sabotage in the United States and Europe. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-charges-five-russian-intelligence-sabotage-assassination-plot/33857324.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-charges-five-russian-intelligence-sabotage-assassination-plot/33857324.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:15:32 +0200 Russia sweeping Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham cleared a key procedural hurdle in the US House of Representatives on September 15, setting up a final vote on legislation that supporters say would increase pressure on Moscow and strengthen US support for Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-bill-us-house-trump-ukraine/33857261.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-bill-us-house-trump-ukraine/33857261.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:10:06 +0200 News By most accounts, the Ukrainian counteroffensive is shaping up to be one of the largest shifts on the battlefield in months, possibly in a year. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-counteroffensive-lyman/33856852.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-counteroffensive-lyman/33856852.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:30:04 +0200 Ukraine Ukrainian skeleton racer and Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych is urging US lawmakers and the State Department to deny visas to Russian athletes who seek to compete under the Russian flag at the 2028 Olympic Games in LA, arguing that Moscow has turned sport into an instrument of war propaganda. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-heraskevych-russian-athletes-us-visa-ban-los-angeles-olympics/33855970.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-heraskevych-russian-athletes-us-visa-ban-los-angeles-olympics/33855970.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:20:21 +0200 News The US House Rules Committee has advanced legislation imposing tougher sanctions on Russia and Iran, clearing a key procedural hurdle for a possible House vote later this week but exposing deep Democratic concerns over the measure’s expansion of presidential tariff authority. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-panel-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-putin/33855848.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-panel-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-putin/33855848.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:52:41 +0200 News A NATO fighter jet shot down a drone carrying an explosive device after it entered Lithuanian airspace early on September 15, Lithuanian authorities said, as a series of incidents involving Russia and NATO members raised fresh concerns about the spillover of the war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-drone-strikes-nato-lithuania/33855738.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-drone-strikes-nato-lithuania/33855738.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:53:22 +0200 News It’s the first time since the all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that Russians will cast ballots to fill the 450-seat lower house of parliament. Here are five things to know about the tightly controlled vote for the State Duma. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-elections-united-russia-parliament-putin/33854025.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-elections-united-russia-parliament-putin/33854025.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:28:37 +0200 Russia A Russian drone strike near Ukraine's border with Poland on September 13 marks the latest in a number of attacks on Ukraine's western border checkpoints in recent days. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-strikes-border-checkpoints-nato-escalation/33853901.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-strikes-border-checkpoints-nato-escalation/33853901.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:31:14 +0200 Russia Invades Ukraine Two Russian drone strikes hit near the Polish border early on September 13, Ukrainian authorities have reported, attacks that Kyiv said was Moscow “knocking on the doors of the EU and NATO” and urged further sanctions. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-border-russian-strikes/33853301.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-border-russian-strikes/33853301.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 12:26:43 +0200 News Russia continued to pound the Ukrainian civilian population, killing at least nine people in attacks throughout the country, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeated he'd be willing to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit -- something the Kremlin called “impossible.” https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-putin-trump-miami-g20-war-talks/33853066.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-putin-trump-miami-g20-war-talks/33853066.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:06:50 +0200 News Olha Stefanishyna has served in three key government positions in Ukraine over the past six years, most recently as ambassador to the United States. In an interview with RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, she discusses US-Ukraine ties and her decision to resign days before a corruption probe. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-us-stefanishyna-ambassador-corruption-interview/33852627.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-us-stefanishyna-ambassador-corruption-interview/33852627.html Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:48:18 +0200 Ukraine A fresh round of Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least three people and wounded dozens of others over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's president said on September 12, adding that the strikes targeted civilian sites and infrastructure across the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-strikes-odesa-zapporizhzhia-missile-shahed-drones/33852877.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-strikes-odesa-zapporizhzhia-missile-shahed-drones/33852877.html Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:51:10 +0200 News The US House of Representatives is preparing to take up legislation next week that is intended to impose tougher economic pressure on Russia, setting up what could be a heated fight between Republicans and Democrats over how far Congress should go in expanding President Donald Trump's tariff powers. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-us-shadow-fleet-congress/33852638.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-us-shadow-fleet-congress/33852638.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 22:26:52 +0200 News Anthropic said it has disrupted attempts by Iran to use its artificial intelligence (AI) models to disseminate state propaganda and spy on ethnic minorities and dissidents. https://www.rferl.org/a/anthropic-claude-iran-propaganda/33852428.html https://www.rferl.org/a/anthropic-claude-iran-propaganda/33852428.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:41:07 +0200 Iran One month after the announcement that Russia’s bases in Syria would be “transferred” to Damascus, Russian military vessels have returned to the port of Tartus, exclusive images sourced by RFE/RL confirm. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-syria-return-to-bases-photo-exclusive-tartus/33852491.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-syria-return-to-bases-photo-exclusive-tartus/33852491.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:14:04 +0200 Features The recent US destruction of five Iranian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz has exposed more than the widening confrontation between Washington and Tehran. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-sees-russian-iranian-sanctions-networks-converging-as-us-targets-tankers/33852405.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-sees-russian-iranian-sanctions-networks-converging-as-us-targets-tankers/33852405.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:57:34 +0200 News Analysis With the blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church, officials unearthed the remains of a warrior prince whose 14th-century battlefield victory is a seminal moment in Russian history. Fragments are now being sent to the front lines in Moscow’s war on Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-orthodox-putin-dmitry-donskoi-sacred-relics/33851764.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-orthodox-putin-dmitry-donskoi-sacred-relics/33851764.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:33:02 +0200 Russia PAVLOHRAD, Ukraine -- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ottawa will provide Ukraine with air defense support as he visited Canada in an attempt to shore up support from the country's allies amid deadly Russian drone and missile attacks. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-canada-support-russian-missile-attacks/33851650.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-canada-support-russian-missile-attacks/33851650.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:47:46 +0200 News Iranians studying in Russia often work on projects with military applications, an analysis by Systema shows -- and upon return, some join entities linked to Iran’s armed forces. These ties are growing: The number of Iranians studying at Russian universities has jumped during Moscow’s war on Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-iran-dual-use-military-students-research/33850183.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-iran-dual-use-military-students-research/33850183.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:30:56 +0200 Russia Ukrainian drones struck a naval base and oil terminal in Russia's southern port city of Novorossiisk, with Kyiv saying several warships were hit, including a Kalibr missile carrier. Local officials reported 4 dead and at least 29 injured. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes-russian-warships-and-oil-terminal-in-novorossiisk/33851072.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes-russian-warships-and-oil-terminal-in-novorossiisk/33851072.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:04:53 +0200 Russia A Russian drone attack targeted a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, killing two people and injuring three others, while another drone struck a residential building in Kyiv, as Moscow continues its campaign of near-continuous strikes across Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-attack-ukraine-moldova-checkpoint/33850936.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-attack-ukraine-moldova-checkpoint/33850936.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:06:19 +0200 News The work of a Yale University lab that tracks Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia is at risk of curtailment as the US State Department moves to restructure a $25 million program that the Yale lab was among the organizations competing for. https://www.rferl.org/a/yale-research-tracking-ukrainian-children-taken-by-russia-at-risk-as-us-reshapes-25m-program/33850930.html https://www.rferl.org/a/yale-research-tracking-ukrainian-children-taken-by-russia-at-risk-as-us-reshapes-25m-program/33850930.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:29:34 +0200 Ukraine Hundreds of Russian minors are facing terrorism charges or have been added to the state's official registry of terrorists and extremists since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. What’s behind this trend?  https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-minors-are-face-terrorism-charges-added-to-terrorists-extremists-registry/33850309.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-minors-are-face-terrorism-charges-added-to-terrorists-extremists-registry/33850309.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 22:08:18 +0200 Russia Russia hammered the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles, killing at least two people in a major attack hours after White House envoys left Kyiv amid a renewed push for peace negotiations. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-pounds-kyiv-in-deadly-overnight-attack/33850095.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-pounds-kyiv-in-deadly-overnight-attack/33850095.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:28:51 +0200 Ukraine Russia hammered the Ukrainian capital with drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least five people in a major attack hours after White House envoys left Kyiv amid a renewed push for peace negotiations. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-russia-attacks-us-envoy-visit/33849876.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-russia-attacks-us-envoy-visit/33849876.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:06:12 +0200 News A memorial to Soviet forces in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk was unveiled on September 4, depicting a Red Army soldier smashing a symbol of imperial Japan. The emblem remains a national emblem of the country today, leading to outrage in Japan. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-japan-monument-khabarovsk-flower-smashing/33849309.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-japan-monument-khabarovsk-flower-smashing/33849309.html Mon, 07 Sep 2026 17:16:27 +0200 Russia Volunteers from Ukraine's UAnimals charity dodge Russian drones to rescue people's pets in cities under fire in the Donetsk region. They've saved hundreds of animals, from beloved dogs and cats to jittery goats and raccoons, delivering them to new homes in safer areas far from the front lines. But the work is more challenging than ever, as Ukrainians worry about their safety from Russian strikes, even in cities far from the fighting. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-donetsk-pet-rescue-volunteer-russia-air-attack-animal/33847001.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-donetsk-pet-rescue-volunteer-russia-air-attack-animal/33847001.html Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:59:41 +0200 Ukraine The Trump administration has revived its diplomatic drive to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled from Moscow to Kyiv in a high-profile effort to lay the groundwork for another round of negotiations. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-witkoff-kushner-russia-peace-negotiations/33848067.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-witkoff-kushner-russia-peace-negotiations/33848067.html Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:57:36 +0200 News Analysis Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the resumption of trilateral negotiations between the United States and Russia as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner concluded talks in Kyiv and Moscow, as part of efforts to end the conflict, now in its fifth year. https://www.rferl.org/a/kushner-witkoff-putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia/33847622.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kushner-witkoff-putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia/33847622.html Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:03:14 +0200 News US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have begun their meeting in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin as part of a renewed White House effort to end Russia's war against Ukraine, with the pair set to visit Kyiv afterward. https://www.rferl.org/a/witkoff-kushner-land-in-moscow-ukraine-peace-talks-kyiv-strikes/33847598.html https://www.rferl.org/a/witkoff-kushner-land-in-moscow-ukraine-peace-talks-kyiv-strikes/33847598.html Sat, 05 Sep 2026 15:54:33 +0200 News Russia has been sending abducted Ukrainian children to a summer camp in North Korea, according to a European Union document seen by RFE/RL outlining a new round of planned sanctions. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-abducted-ukrainian-children-north-korea/33847096.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-abducted-ukrainian-children-north-korea/33847096.html Sat, 05 Sep 2026 10:19:12 +0200 Ukraine US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have landed in Moscow as part of the latest White House attempt to end Russia's war against its neighbor, with the two diplomats set to visit Kyiv afterward. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-sbu-attack-witkoff-kushner-russia-visit/33847119.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-sbu-attack-witkoff-kushner-russia-visit/33847119.html Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:52:47 +0200 News Thomas Melia, a former senior State Department official and a leader of the Free Russian Foundation NGO, told RFE/RL that US sanctions are causing real harm to the Russian economy, and that the sanctions bill currently being debated in Congress is not necessary to continue pressuring Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/thomas-melia-russia-sanctions/33847134.html https://www.rferl.org/a/thomas-melia-russia-sanctions/33847134.html Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:16:10 +0200 Russia Ukraine’s top sanctions official says he remains optimistic about prospects for a sweeping Russia sanctions bill in the US Congress despite growing uncertainty over when the House will take it up, as lawmakers face a sharply shortened legislative calendar ahead of the November elections. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-congress-vlasiuk-russia-sanctions-graham/33846754.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-congress-vlasiuk-russia-sanctions-graham/33846754.html Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:31:35 +0200 News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with the two US special envoys who told him they will visit Kyiv "in the coming days" and that they will also travel to Moscow for talks, even as Russian strikes continued on the Ukrainian capital. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-witkoff-kushner-trump-kyiv-russia/33846491.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-witkoff-kushner-trump-kyiv-russia/33846491.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 21:00:36 +0200 News A scientific facility on a secluded island that is closed to the public is affiliated with an institute accused of developing biological weapons for the Russian military, RFE/RL’s Russian Service and Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, have found. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-biological-weapons-systema-investigation/33845781.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-biological-weapons-systema-investigation/33845781.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 20:19:24 +0200 Russia