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Russia

October 28, 2026

Moscow Oblast 9:56 pm

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Security forces stand guard in front of a banner showing the Kaaba during a protest by supporters of the Houthi authorities against the Saudi intervention in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia's recent accusation that the Houthis fired at the holy city of Mecca, in Sanaa on Sept. 18, 2026.

Russian satellite data helped Yemen’s Houthis target Saudi Arabia: What to know

A report by The Associated Press found evidence that Russian satellites helped Yemen’s Houthis identify and target specific sites, including energy facilities and military bases, in Saudi Arabia.

Putin

Analysis

Putin puts Trump ahead of Iran in bid to mediate war

Anton Mardosov, reporting from Moscow, and our correspondent in Tehran assess the limits of Russian influence in Iran; Ben Caspit reports that Netanyahu could force a unity government with an attack on Iran after the elections.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - AUGUST 15: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. The two leaders are meeting for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Analysis

Putin's Iran diplomacy faces limits as Russia eyes Ukraine concessions

As US-Iran tensions escalate, Russia is stepping up mediation efforts, hoping to gain leverage with Washington over Ukraine despite its limited influence on Tehran.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrive to hold a press conference after a meeting in Tehran on October 19, 2026. The Russian foreign minister arrived in Iran on October 19, in his first visit since the outbreak of the Middle East war as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Lavrov's Tehran visit tests limits of Russia's influence over Iran

As Tehran looks for an off-ramp from renewed conflict, Moscow is positioning itself as a diplomatic partner while pushing Iran to deliver on long-delayed economic deals.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Lavrov visits Tehran as Trump praises Russia's role on Iran: What to know

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi upon his arrival in Tehran on Oct. 19, 2026.

Explainer

Russian diesel heads to Morocco as supply crunch grips global markets

Fuel prices are displayed at a petrol station in Rabat

Analysis

Pragmatic politics: Why Turkey avoids blaming Russia for Black Sea attacks

A cargo ship at the Port of Trabzon, Turkey

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Putin offers to help end Iran war, but can Russia deliver?

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting in Turkmenbashi on Oct. 8, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talk as they walk into the Chief of Mission Residence in Paris October 14, 2014. REUTERS/Carolyn Kaster/Pool (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4A5UI

IS threat unlikely to help US, Russia bridge divide

A common fear of the Islamic State does not appear to be enough for the United States and Russia to resolve their differences over Ukraine and other issues, despite positive signs from a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Paris.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani at the welcoming ceremony during a summit of Caspian Sea regional leaders in the southern city of Astrakhan, September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR485US

Looking behind the Russia-Iran relationship

Despite the common perception of Russia as Iran's main backer outside the region, the two big regional players’ relations are shaped by long-term interests that can clash with immediate concerns and may complicate the battle against the Islamic State.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin votes in the United Nations Security Council against referring the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court for investigation of possible war crimes at the U.N. headquarters in New York May 22, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3QE4L

How US airstrikes are affecting Moscow's Syria policy

A central goal of Russia's Syria policy is to relegitimize the Syrian regime in the eyes of the United States and its allies in the region, and oblige them to recognize it as an ally in the fight against extremism.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council
at the 69th U.N. General Assembly in New York, September 24, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47KZB

Moscow backs fight against IS … to an extent

Russia is expressing cautious solidarity with the United States in fighting the Islamic State, while continuing its unequivocal support of the Syrian government.

A worker checks the valve gears in a natural gas control centre of Turkey's Petroleum and Pipeline Corporation, 35 km (22 miles) west of Ankara, February 14, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY) - RTR2XU1J

What will Turkey do if Russia turns off gas?

The risk of Russia cutting gas supplies to Europe amid the Ukraine crisis has exposed Turkey’s energy vulnerability, with Istanbul, its most populous city and main industrial hub, dependent on Russian gas.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addresses his Tunisian counterpart Mongi Hamdi (not pictured) during their meeting in Moscow, September 2, 2014. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR44LTJ

How much of US Middle East policy does Moscow understand?

Poor understanding of US and Russian policies has caused commentators to overlook that some of Moscow's and Washington's disagreements over the Middle East are strategic and tactical, but their ends the same.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin oversees large-scale military exercises at the Raevsky training ground in Krasnodar Region March 29, 2013. Putin ordered large-scale military exercises in the Black Sea on Thursday, projecting Russian power towards Europe and the Middle East in a move that may vex neighbours. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Russia focuses on eliminating Middle East terrorist threat

Increased terrorist activity in the Middle East has Russia rethink its foreign policy, and support the Arab League's intention of a "comprehensive treaty of collective security."

Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz (L) shakes hands with his Azeri counterpart Natik Aliyev during a signing ceremony in Istanbul May 30, 2014. Turkey's state oil company TPAO signed a deal on Friday to acquire French energy company Total's 10 percent stake in Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas project, at a signing ceremony in Istanbul. The agreement increases TPAO's stake in the project to 19 percent from a previous 9 percent, while Total exits the project. Financial details of the agreement were not disclose

Looking to Europe, Turkey increases investment in Azeri gas

Turkey paid the French company $1.45 billion to increase its share in gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz-2 gas field from 9% to 19%.

A Turkish flag decorates a grocer's stand on a street in Istanbul November 10, 2007. Turks throughout the country observed a minute of silence when sirens went off, marking the 69th death anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey. Ataturk, the first president of Turkey from 1923 and founder of the modern secular state, died on November 10, 1938. He was 57. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY) - RTX6CA

Russian bonanza or ‘Russian roulette’ for Turkey?

With Turkey’s agricultural output already hit by drought, a deal to increase agricultural exports to Russia threatens to fuel the country’s unruly inflation.

Media personnel wait to attend a press conference of Argentina's goalkeeper's Agustin Orion and Mariano Andujar at their base camp in Vespasiano, near Belo Horizonte, on June 18, 2014, ahead their 2014 FIFA World Cup Group F football match against Iran, to be held at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte on June 21, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Juan Mabromata

Fars News proposes joint reporting by Iran, Russia

The director of Fars News Agency has proposed that Iranian and Russian news organizations cooperate to combat the influence of Western media.

Peshmerga fighters walk at Mosul Dam in northern Iraq August 21, 2014. Iraqi and Kurdish forces recaptured Iraq's biggest dam from Islamist militants with the help of U.S. air strikes to secure a vital strategic objective in fighting that threatens to break up the country, Kurdish and U.S. officials said on Monday. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR438UJ

Russia keeps eye on Islamic State

Russia views the expansion of the Islamic State in Iraq as a threat to its own security, especially given the potential return home of Russian-born jihadists.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Iraq's acting Defence Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi (R) during a meeting in Moscow July 27, 2014 in this handout provided by Iraq Ministry of Defence. Picture taken July 27, 2014. REUTERS/Iraq Ministry of Defence/Handout via Reuters (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT F

Moscow sees opportunity in Iraq instability

Moscow is continuing arms sales to Iraq and pursuing a policy that may allow it to weaken US influence in the country.