Russia
Belarus frees 25 more prisoners in return for easing of US sanctions
BELTA cited Coale as saying that more prisoners would be released and more sanctions lifted once all issues between the US and Belarus, a close Russian ally, have been resolved.
![[ILLUSTRATIVE] Police officers block a road following the seizure of hostages by a group of inmates in the penal colony IK-19, in the town of Surovikino in the Volgograd Region, Russia August 23, 2024.](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_194,w_290/737970 "[ILLUSTRATIVE] Police officers block a road following the seizure of hostages by a group of inmates in the penal colony IK-19, in the town of Surovikino in the Volgograd Region, Russia August 23, 2024.")
Russia jails Canadian-Russian national for seven years for treason, Interfax reports
Ex-CIA chief Petraeus was at Ukrainian station where Russia struck train, calls it an act of terror
Russian frigate fires flares at NATO member Denmark's military helicopter in international waters
Russian opposition politician sentenced to 11 years for condemning Ukraine war
Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of Russia’s liberal Yabloko party, was sentenced to 11 years and one month for criticizing the Ukraine war.
Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing departs for Russia to expand energy and economic ties
Russia will be the fifth country Min Aung Hlaing has visited since becoming president, with official trips to India, China, Laos, and, earlier this month, Thailand.
EU planning to expand sanctions against Russia, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says
"For autumn, I am putting forward the most far-reaching sanctions listings since the start of the war," she told the German daily newspaper, Die Welt.
Renewed Moscow-Damascus flights signal revival of ties after Assad's fall - analysis
Syria is expanding its airline network, adding flights from numerous countries over the past year as Damascus seeks to reconnect with the region and Europe.
NATO fighter shoots down suspected Russian drone that illegally entered Romanian airspace
"Additional details regarding Sunday’s incident remain under investigation, but the drone appears to be Russian," said NATO spokesperson US Army Colonel Martin O'Donnell.
North Korea, Russia reaffirm ties on Korean Liberation Day, as Kim sends Putin more troops
The North Korean leader expressed hope for the future of ties that had "carried forward the history of common struggle for justice and precious traditions of friendship."
Turning Turkey’s double bind against it: How Israel is outsmarting Erdogan - opinion
The 1920 Treaty of Sèvres and the Ottoman collapse are behind Ankara’s fear of losing power; Jerusalem knows that regional bilateral agreements back Erdogan into a corner
Latvia issues air threat alert, rescinds after fighter jets shoot down drone
Finland, which also shares a border with Russia, imposed a temporarily restricted area for aviation and maritime traffic.
Poland says it arrested Russian hired to kill 'inconvenient' Ukrainian-American citizen
The Russian was detained on August 7 and had been recruited to kill a man who was "inconvenient to the Putin regime," Polish Prime Minister Tusk told journalists.
Senators press Rubio, Bessent on lack of counter-evasion sanctions on Russia
The US last imposed major sanctions on Russia in October 2025, when the Treasury Department targeted Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil.
