INSIDE RUSSIA

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized as a big mistake Europeans’ attempts to derail US President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

"Europeans hamper these efforts [on the part of the US leader to resolve the Ukraine crisis]. Europeans are putting a spoke in the wheels. Europeans have been egging the Kiev regime on and, perhaps, encouraging it to pursue the intransigent policy line in quite an absurd way. This is a big mistake," Peskov told VGTRK reporters in an interview.

"This will do no good to the Kiev regime. On the contrary, this will make the situation even harder for the Kiev regime," the Russian presidential spokesman warned.

Meanwhile, he continued, Russia pursues its own policy course. "We are ready to resolve the problem through political and diplomatic means. However, as we cannot see any reciprocity from Kiev, we continue our special military operation," Peskov explained.

Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that his country is in a state of conflict with Russia. This, he explained, is because Russia is allegedly "destabilizing a large part" of Germany and conducting interference operations on social media. Merz also said "this is exactly how I see Russian President Vladimir Putin" when a TV journalist asked him to comment on a remark from French leader Emmanuel Macron, who called the Russian president "a predator" at the European doorstep.

Sappers Defuse Over 13,800 Explosives in Kursk Region in One Year — Emergencies Ministry

The destroyed munitions include hand grenades, fuses, anti-tank mines, homemade drones, and submunitions, the latter of which are the most common and can be difficult to see in grass or foliage

MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Sappers have defused more than 13,800 explosive devices in the Kursk Region since August 2024, the Russian Emergencies Ministry reported.

"More than 13,800 explosive devices have been defused, and 418 hectares of territory have been surveyed," the ministry said.

The destroyed munitions include hand grenades, fuses, anti-tank mines, homemade drones, and submunitions, the latter of which are the most common and can be difficult to see in grass or foliage.

The ministry explained that when suspicious objects are found, people should move to a safe distance from them and report the find to emergency services.

OUTSIDE RUSSIA

SCO Summit Yields Diplomatic Milestones As World Leaders Meet In China: LIVE UPDATES

World leaders are gathering in Tianjin for the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit

31 Aug, 2025 05:43

The Chinese leader praised the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a guardrail of global stability

Chinese President Xi Jinping. ©  Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed top leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

More than 20 heads of state and representatives from ten international organizations are attending the gathering. The summit, which wraps up on Monday, unfolds against the backdrop of rising global tensions – from the Ukraine conflict and Israel’s war in Gaza to escalating trade disputes sparked by US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. The summit will address regional security, economic cooperation, and cultural ties, along with transport, energy, digitalization, AI, and green development.

On Tuesday, Putin will travel to Beijing for talks with Xi focused on trade, security, the Ukraine conflict, and ties with the US. The next day, he will take part in events marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. He is also expected to hold around ten bilateral meetings with leaders including India’s Narendra Modi, Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian.

01 September 2025

01:21 GMT

Closer cooperation between India and China has the potential to transform the global balance of power, Dr. Shashi Asthana, former Director General Infantry in the Indian Army and a global strategic analyst, told RT. Asthana said improved relations between New Delhi and Beijing, alongside Russia, would mark a decisive shift toward multipolarity.

“If these two countries cooperate, then what happens is there is a bulwark… the US-dominated West gets balanced out and we actually move to a multipolar world,” he explained.

Asthana added that easing tensions along the India–China border and restoring trade ties point to a “reset” that could accelerate wider Eurasian integration. He noted that India and China represent more than two billion people and are among the world’s fastest-growing economies. Their cooperation, Asthana argued, strengthens the wider Global South and brings “tremendous promise” in trade, supply chains and regional stability.

“It is an Asian century and a Eurasian century. The economic fulcrum is shifting to the Indo-Pacific and Asia-Pacific… this cooperation is good news because it will make a much better balanced world,” he said.

00:27 GMT

The United States’ sanction and tariff wars have accelerated cooperation among BRICS members and contributed to the bloc’s rise as a major force in global affairs, Dr. Shashi Asthana, former Director General Infantry in the Indian Army and a global strategic analyst, told RT. He said Washington’s “economic coercive diplomacy” under President Donald Trump — including steep tariffs on China, India and Brazil — had backfired.

“A realization has come within the BRICS countries that we need to trade more, exploit each other’s markets better, and cooperate on trade. If we do that, then American coercion may not be effective,” he explained.

He argued that this shift has increased the appeal of both BRICS and the SCO as alternatives to Western-led institutions. “If the US-led West did not notice that BRICS GDP has become more than G7, and also the SCO’s collective GDP has become more than G7, then certainly it is sleepwalking into decline,” Asthana said.

With leaders gathering in Tianjin, Asthana noted that the growing influence of Eurasian groupings signals a global rebalancing: “We are moving from a unipolar world to a multipolar one.”

31 August 2025

23:12 GMT

Chairman of the expert council of the Russian-Chinese Friendship, Peace and Development Committee, Yuri Tavrovsky, has recalled the crucial role played by the Soviet Union in aiding China during the Second World War, as President Vladimir Putin arrives in China for a four-day visit that includes the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and Victory Day commemorations.

When China faced Japanese aggression in the late 1930s, “no one in the world came to China’s aid” except the USSR, Tavrovsky told RT. He explained that Moscow and Beijing quickly signed agreements providing loans worth tens and later hundreds of millions of dollars, which enabled large-scale arms deliveries.

“Thanks to these loans, deliveries of the latest weapons of the time began,” Tavrovsky said, listing I-16 and I-15 aircraft, over 1,200 planes in total, along with T-26 tanks, thousands of guns, and hundreds of thousands of rifles and machine guns. “All this military equipment came from the Soviet Union, from Almaty, through the mountains,” he added.

Putin is expected to highlight this shared wartime history during his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and at anniversary events in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

22:15 GMT

Speaking from Tianjin, the northern Chinese city hosting the event, CGTN correspondent Dai Kaiyi emphasized the diplomatic importance of the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, along with the SCO Plus meeting, both of which President Xi is set to chair and address through keynote speeches.

“In an era of rising uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, one of the SCO’s priorities is to de-escalate regional conflicts and promote dialogue,” Dai told RT.

“The SCO is not just about security or trade. It’s a multifaceted platform,” he added, noting that the organization, originally founded to support multilateralism and regional cooperation, now plays a broader role that includes addressing security, economic development, and cultural exchanges.

He highlighted expected outcomes of the summit, including official documents covering areas such as anti-terrorism cooperation, economic policy, trade facilitation, and people-to-people exchanges. He also pointed to discussions around creating institutions like an SCO Development Bank to enhance financing for connectivity projects under initiatives such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Belt and Road Initiative.

21:17 GMT

President Vladimir Putin’s multi-day visit to China sends a strong signal of “solidarity, dialogue, and cooperation” and underscores the long-standing strategic partnership between China and Russia, CGTN correspondent Dai Kaiyi told RT on the sidelines of the summit in Tianjin.

“This visit underscores the strong ties between China and Russia,” Dai said, emphasizing their shared role as SCO founding members. “President Putin is accompanied by a large and significant delegation, including three deputy prime ministers, more than a dozen ministers, as well as representatives of major Russian enterprises... This is going to be a very friendly and very fruitful dialogue between the two countries.”

19:29 GMT

China and India “can set aside these disputes about the border issues,” John Gong, professor at Beijing’s University of International Business and Economics, has told RT. Beijing and New Delhi have a “lot of things in common,” especially in terms of the economy, according to the Chinese researcher. The two Asian powerhouses, together with other key players such as Pakistan, aim to ensure stability, peace, and prosperity in their region, he added.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting China for the first time since 2018, following months of efforts to normalize relations. Long-standing border disputes escalated in 2020, culminating in a deadly clash between the two countries’ militaries.

18:22 GMT

The unprecedented scope of this year’s SCO summit proves “that we are really entering into a multi-polar world,” John Gong, a professor at Beijing’s University of International Business and Economics, has told RT. He added that with many SCO member states facing steep US tariffs, the issue is likely to be high on the leaders’ agenda.

According to Gong, in dealing with China, Washington has realized that a full-blown tariff war with Beijing would be too costly, so the levies are “coming back to a more reasonable level right now.”

“I think this is actually a very good lesson that to deal with Washington you have to do it from a position of strength,” he argued.

17:30 GMT

Armenia and Pakistan have established diplomatic relations on the sidelines of the summit, both countries’ foreign ministers announced on X. Armenia’s top diplomat, Ararat Mirzoyan, described the signing of a joint communiqué as a “landmark development.”

His Pakistani colleague, Ishaq Dar, stated that Islamabad and Yerevan have reaffirmed their “commitment to the principles and objectives of the UN Charter.”

Pakistan sided with Azerbaijan during the latter`s decades-long conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and refused to maintain official diplomatic relations with Yerevan. Armenia, meanwhile, viewed Pakistan as posing a threat to the country’s national security.

The establishment of diplomatic relations on Sunday came after Armenia and Azerbaijan initiated a peace process earlier this month.

16:09 GMT

President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a “very good [and] long conversation” one-on-one, on the sidelines of the SCO summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has told reporters.

He added that the Russian president has yet to meet with the head of neighboring Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

In recent months, relations between Russia and the two former Soviet republics have somewhat deteriorated.

Yerevan and Baku, which are locked in a bitter territorial dispute that has had several bloody flare-ups in the past, have recently been trying to resolve the conflict.

15:23 GMT

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are “happy to note the progress” since their meeting in Kazan, Russia earlier this year, “especially in the domain of people-to-people relations,” representatives of India’s Ministry of External Affairs have told reporters at a press conference.

An Indian diplomat added that both leaders “agreed the two countries were primarily focused on domestic development goals, and in this, they were partners rather than rivals.”

Modi and Xi met earlier on Sunday on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE

Russia Strikes Ukrainian Port Infrastructure

Kiev has acknowledged damage to energy facilities in Odessa Region

Russian forces have carried out a long-range strike on Ukrainian port infrastructure used by Kiev’s military, according to a stat?ment released on Sunday by the Defense Ministry in Moscow.

The ministry said that Russian tactical aviation, drones, missiles, and artillery had struck coastal targets “used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a Norwegian-made NASAMS air defense system” that was protecting them. However, neither the exact whereabouts of the targets nor other details were provided.

The ministry added that the bases of Ukrainian troops and foreign fighters in more than 150 locations were also attacked.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media shared pictures of large fires in the coastal Odessa Region. Energy company DTEK said four of its power facilities in the region had been hit overnight.

Local officials confirmed the damage, adding that the city of Chernomorsk, not far from Odessa, and its surroundings bore the brunt of the attack.

“The enemy massively attacked the Odessa Region with strike drones,” officials said, adding that "fires broke out in some places, but were quickly extinguished by our rescuers".

“One person is known to have been injured,” officials noted, adding that more than 29,000 people were left without electricity.

Russia has for months been targeting Ukrainian military-related industrial sites, defense enterprises, as well as port and energy infrastructure. Moscow has said the strikes are retaliation for Ukrainian attacks inside Russia that often hit critical infrastructure and residential areas, and maintains that it does not target civilians.

INSIGHTS

Missiles Don’t Lie: What This Region’s Rocket Stockpiles Say about the Next War

How growing arsenals and proxy wars are pushing the Middle East closer to the brink

Modern conflicts are increasingly hybrid, blending conventional warfare with cyber operations, economic pressure, and proxy battles. Nowhere is this more visible than in the Middle East – where the interests of the US, Russia, China, Iran, Türkiye, Israel, and the Arab states collide.

In this environment, missile arsenals have become one of the decisive tools of war. Alongside airpower, they allow militaries to strike across great distances, punch through defenses, and project strategic pressure far beyond their borders. To understand the balance of power in the region, it’s essential to look at the missile capabilities of its key players.

Iran: Missiles as the core of deterrence

Despite the June 2025 clash with Israel – which exposed some vulnerabilities and cost Tehran a number of assets – Iran still fields the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East. Its rockets are deployed both directly by the Iranian military and indirectly through proxy groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shia militias in Iraq.

Iran’s arsenal covers a wide range of systems:

Short- and medium-range ballistic missiles (500-2,500km).

Solid-fuel designs that increase survivability and reduce launch prep times.

A growing focus on hypersonic technology, with the two-stage Sejil capable of reaching 2,500km and reportedly carrying a reentry vehicle traveling at up to Mach 10.

The Fateh-110, a precision-guided missile with a range of 300km and a circular error of less than 10 meters thanks to satellite navigation.

The liquid-fueled Khorramshahr, with a range over 2,000km, can carry multiple warheads to overwhelm missile defenses during a mass strike.

The real strength of Iran’s strategy lies in its ability to saturate defenses with large salvos. Even advanced systems struggle to stop every missile when dozens are launched simultaneously. That said, as was shown in June, effective airpower can blunt this advantage by striking mobile launchers and intercepting missiles in flight.

Iran has also invested heavily in drones. Its Shahed-series loitering munitions have become a signature weapon, deployed in large numbers against Israel. But in June, Israel countered with new air-to-air missiles adapted specifically for anti-drone warfare, neutralizing much of the threat.

Even so, Iran retains sheer volume as its trump card. With more than 2,000 missiles of various types in its inventory, Tehran sits at the forefront of the Middle East’s missile race – and shows no sign of slowing down.

Israel: Precision strikes and missile defense

Israel is the other major missile power in the region, though its strategy looks very different from Iran’s. Rather than relying on sheer volume, Israel combines advanced airpower, layered missile defenses, and a nuclear deterrent shrouded in deliberate ambiguity.

The nuclear part is never openly acknowledged. West Jerusalem has never confirmed its stockpile, but most analysts believe the Jericho-3 ballistic missile – with an estimated range of 4,800 to 6,000km – is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Israel’s air force is also thought to maintain a nuclear strike option with gravity bombs.

Where Israel is fully transparent is in its conventional arsenal. Its air force is the backbone of its offensive power: More than 300 modern fighters, including F-15s, F-16s, and fifth-generation F-35s. Armed with guided missiles, precision bombs, and air-launched ballistic weapons, these aircraft give Israel the ability to suppress enemy air defenses, seize air superiority, and deliver devastating precision strikes. The June 2025 conflict underscored this: When Israeli jets dismantled air defenses, Iran’s missile salvos lost much of their impact.

Equally important is Israel’s layered missile defense architecture – from the Iron Dome to David’s Sling and Arrow-3 – which has proven highly effective at intercepting rockets, drones, and even ballistic threats. Together with airpower, this defensive shield ensures that Israel not only wields powerful offensive capabilities but also neutralizes much of the threat posed by its adversaries’ arsenals.

This combination – precision strike capability, layered defenses, and a nuclear backstop – makes Israel’s military one of the most formidable in the Middle East. And it didn’t achieve this alone: Sustained US support has been essential to building and maintaining this edge.

Türkiye: A growing missile power

Türkiye is positioning itself as one of the most ambitious military innovators in the region. Its strategy is to build as much as possible at home – from a fifth-generation fighter program (KAAN) to advanced drones like the Kizilelma, its own main battle tank, a modern navy, and an expanding missile arsenal.

The centerpiece of Ankara’s missile effort is the Tayfun program, an operational-tactical ballistic missile with a range of around 500km. Currently in testing, Tayfun is expected to evolve into a mobile missile system comparable to Russia’s Iskander – highly accurate, difficult to intercept, and designed to strike critical targets despite modern missile defenses. Turkish officials suggest it could enter service within the next year or two, significantly enhancing the country’s strike capability and making Türkiye one of the strongest missile powers in both the Middle East and Europe.

Beyond ballistic systems, Türkiye fields a sizable air force and has become a drone superpower. Its UAVs can deliver precision-guided munitions, including air-to-surface missiles. Against advanced air defenses, these drones are vulnerable, but against most regional opponents they give Türkiye a decisive edge.

What’s more, developing a 500-kilometer-class missile is only a first step. The same technical foundation could, with political will and resources, be extended to missiles with ranges of 1,000 or even 5,000 kilometers. As North Korea has already shown, scaling up is possible for a determined state. And Türkiye, with its growing defense industry and economic base, has both the ambition and the capacity to get there.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE: Dependent arsenals

Saudi Arabia’s missile arsenal is sizable but heavily dependent on foreign suppliers. Its backbone consists of Chinese-made ballistic missiles acquired decades ago.

The DF-3, delivered in the late 1980s, has a range of around 3,000km but is essentially a 1950s-era design, comparable to the old Soviet R-12. Its accuracy is poor, making it useful mainly for striking large-area targets such as cities.

Reports also suggest that Riyadh has more modern DF-21 solid-fuel missiles with a range of about 2,100km. Unlike the DF-3, these are mobile, more accurate, and potentially capable of precision strikes against military targets.

Interestingly, Saudi Arabia has never developed nuclear weapons. If it had, the original acquisition of the DF-3 would have made more sense as a nuclear delivery platform. Instead, these missiles have been relegated mostly to parades and symbolic shows of force.

The United Arab Emirates, for its part, relies almost entirely on advanced Western aircraft and missile defense systems, with little in the way of indigenous ballistic missile capabilities. Its strength lies in integration with the US and allied systems, rather than in building its own arsenal.

Conclusion

The Middle East today is not just a patchwork of proxy wars and shifting alliances – it is also an active missile theater, where states large and small are investing in strike capabilities that can alter the regional balance almost overnight.

Iran leans on mass salvos and regional proxies to project power across borders. Israel counters with high-end fighters, layered missile defenses, and a nuclear deterrent shrouded in silence. Türkiye is rapidly building the foundations of a domestic missile industry that could extend far beyond its neighborhood. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though dependent on external suppliers, remain important players whose arsenals serve as both symbols and potential assets in a crisis.

What ties all of this together is the region’s volatility. Hybrid wars, drone swarms, and missile barrages are already shaping the battlefield. The next escalation may not come from a conventional invasion or a single strike, but from the convergence of these tools in a conflict where no side can fully control the outcome.

Missiles have become the pressure points of Middle Eastern geopolitics – both a shield and a sword. And as the arsenals grow, so does the risk that one spark could ignite a chain reaction far beyond the region itself.