⚡️ Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's comment on the International Day of Journalists’ Solidarity (September 8, 2026)

💬 September 8 marks the International Day of Journalists’ Solidarity.

The date was established in 1958 in memory of Czechoslovak anti-fascist journalist Julius Fucik, who was executed by the Nazis in 1943. It serves as a reminder of the importance of freedom of speech and professional journalism, while also drawing attention to the safety of media workers and the need for solidarity and mutual support within the global journalistic community.

In recent years, these fundamental principles have been increasingly eroded by the West’s policy of purging the media landscape of unwelcome viewpoints in pursuit of narrow political goals.

👉 Russian media outlets abroad have faced systematic harassment and various forms of repression in countries whose leaders routinely proclaim their commitment to press freedom while grandly portraying themselves as a “flourishing garden”.

In practice, under far-fetched pretexts, they have blocked Russian television channels, shut down correspondent offices and expelled journalists.

The Kiev regime has launched an outright campaign against Russian journalists reporting truthful, first-hand information.

At the same time, the neo-Nazi junta’s openly declared intent to kill civilians – a category that under international law includes media workers – has drawn not the slightest criticism from its Western patrons.

Terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of:
▪️ Igor Kornelyuk
▪️ Anton Voloshin
▪️ Andrey Stenin
▪️ Anatoly Klyan
▪️ Daria Dugina
▪️ Oleg Klokov
▪️ Maxim Fomin (Vladlen Tatarsky)
▪️ Rostislav Zhuravlev
▪️ Boris Maksudov
▪️ Semyon Yeryomin
▪️ Valery Kozhin
▪️ Nikita Tsisagi
▪️ Yulia Kuznetsova
▪️ Alexander Martemyanov
▪️ Alexander Fedorchak
▪️ Andrey Panov
▪️ Anna Prokofyeva
▪️ Nikita Goldin
▪️ Ivan Zuev

Dozens of media workers have also been wounded while carrying out their professional duties.

It is deeply troubling that these crimes and acts of repression have failed to elicit an adequate response from the Western media community. Mainstream outlets in those countries, guided by political expediency and in defiance of the principles of journalistic solidarity, chose to remain silent and act as though the issue did not concern them. In doing so, they abandoned professional ethics and the very idea of solidarity among journalists.

Those who nevertheless found the courage to defend Russian media workers or honour the memory of those who died for the truth were met with a barrage of criticism and accusations, including from fellow journalists.

***

❗️ We call on the global media community to show solidarity with their Russian colleagues and speak out in their defence against politically motivated repression by Western countries.

For our part, we will continue to consistently defend the rights of Russian journalists abroad and seek justice for crimes committed against Russian correspondents.

Read in full

🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's answer to a question from Andrew Napolitano during an interview with Channel One’s The Great Game programme (Moscow, September 8, 2026)

❓ Question: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner recently visited Moscow and met with President of Russia Vladimir Putin. What can you tell us about the outcome of this visit?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Much of the opening part of these talks was broadcast on television: President of Russia Vladimir Putin’s remarks, followed by statements from Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, who took part in the conversation, later gave a detailed comment.

In our diplomatic tradition, we generally limit ourselves to what we have decided to make public.

I do not want to emulate those who are now beginning to speculate about “what Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner brought to Moscow and what they subsequently took to Kiev”. A member of Ukraine's parliament has already said that what they brought back was far worse than what Ukraine had previously rejected.

❗️ There is a great deal of speculation.

As for further diplomatic steps, the American Side has said nothing.

The French, however, have already announced that they were there and that the Americans supposedly said that, following the elections to Russia's State Duma, direct talks involving the US would definitely resume. I leave all of this on the conscience of the Élysée Palace, especially given that it has repeatedly gained notoriety for less-than-ethical conduct when it comes to disclosing the substance of telephone and other conversations.

The substance of what was discussed is based – and I can say this with confidence – on the position President Donald Trump outlined on Ukraine immediately after returning to the Oval Office.

☝️ First, he said that any attempts to draw Ukraine into NATO should simply be forgotten. He recalled that this had been clear long before President Vladimir Putin, that the matter was closed and there was no reason to try to reopen it.

👉 The second element of the US position is recognition of the realities on the ground. I would particularly stress that this is not about territories.

When we speak of realities, we are talking about people who, immediately after the February 2014 coup, were branded “subhuman”, “specimen” and terrorists. When they rejected the results of the illegal coup, the army, combat aircraft and artillery were deployed against them – something categorically prohibited under international humanitarian law. They were simply not treated as human beings.

Shortly after being elected president in 2014, Poroshenko said that their children – the children of “real Ukrainians” – would go to clean schools and kindergartens, while the children of those living in Donbass would rot in basements. So how do the Europeans intend to return these people to the rule of that regime when they call for restoring the 1991 borders? Simply to hand the territory over to Nazis? Or do they want to punish these people for wanting to preserve their freedom, their culture and their belonging to the Russian world?

I have spoken about this many times.

I would like to stress that the realities on the ground, which President Donald Trump and his team recognise – as far as we can judge, they continue to recognise them, just as they did in Alaska – are realities connected with people, with the views they expressed in referendums: in Crimea, in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and, of course, in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

The fact that the Americans proceed from these realities in all their contacts with us, above all in their contacts with President Vladimir Putin, naturally elicits a positive response from us and strengthens our readiness to continue talking with them.

Read in full

⚡️ Statement by Aide to the President of Russia Yury Ushakov following a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (September 8, 2026)

💬 Yury Ushakov: President Vladimir Putin had another telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.

In their customary respectful and business-like manner, the Leaders exchanged opinions on the trips made by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kiev on September 5-6.

The telephone conversation lasted exactly one hour. It was constructive and quite frank. As you understand, the conversation itself is confidential, so I am not at liberty to share with you many important details and nuances.

The outcome of the visit by said US representatives was assessed as positive. The work through this channel and some others will continue.

Clearly, the conversation centered on Ukrainian settlement. Donald Trump directly communicated the desirability of bringing the conflict to an end as soon as possible, as it would immediately open up prospects – impressive and far-reaching ones at that – for the full restoration of relations between the U.S. and Russia.

In his view, this would have a particular impact on trade and economic ties, promising huge ‌benefits for ⁠both nations. Donald Trump is keen to see a breakthrough achieved during his presidency.

President Putin supported this approach in the context of potentially building a constructive partnership between the two great powers and praised the mediation efforts by the US and Donald Trump personally with respect to finding solutions to the Ukrainian conflict.

An objective and extensive analysis of the current developments in the special military operation was provided, along with our vision of the overall progress on the battlefield and achieving the goals and objectives of the special military operation. Speaking of which, actual tangible actions that the Americans could take to expedite the cessation of the hostilities were outlined.

In view of the speculations regarding Russia’s alleged hostile intentions against European states, it was stressed that no aggressive plans against Europe have ever entered our minds. The circulated myths about the Russian threat serve as a pretext for Europeans to ramp up their support for Ukraine and their own military expenses.

Notably, during the telephone conversation, the Leaders agreed to continue the work on resolving humanitarian issues, including detainee and prisoner exchanges. Our President noted the efforts made by US First Lady Melania regarding the return of both Russian and Ukrainian children to their families.

Overall, colleagues, I will reiterate that the conversation proceeded in an upbeat tone. The Presidents agreed to stay in touch and speak to each other by phone if the need arose. 

Thank you very much.

✉️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to participants in the celebrations marking the Day of the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation (September 8, 2026)

💬 It is symbolic that this new holiday, timed to coincide with the birthday of Rasul Gamzatov – a great son of Dagestan and of our multinational Fatherland – is being celebrated for the first time during the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia.

Our country is home to representatives of nearly 200 peoples and ethnic groups, living together in friendship and harmony.

Their languages, distinctive traditions and customs are our common heritage and Russia’s true wealth. This is why the preservation of our ethnocultural and linguistic diversity is a state priority. Specialised textbook series are being developed, literature in national languages and schools of literary translation are being supported, while much-needed educational, information, outreach and creative projects are being implemented.

☝️ I would like to emphasise that, while preserving our distinctive languages, it is important to remember that the Russian language serves as a unifying bond for all our peoples. It was instrumental in shaping Russia as a single multinational state and, for centuries, has facilitated the mutual enrichment of cultures and fostered traditions of good-neighbourliness and mutual understanding among our peoples.

I am confident that the current celebrations will take place in a festive atmosphere and will be long remembered by participants and guests alike.

🤝 I wish you every success and all the very best.

VLADIMIR PUTIN

🎙 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's response to a media question regarding the IAEA Director General’s report “Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine” (September 8, 2026)

❓ Question: Ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors session, which opened on September 7, the Agency published another report by the Director General entitled “Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards in Ukraine”. How would you comment on it?

💬 Maria Zakharova: We regard this document as politically biased and failing to reflect the actual situation surrounding the Zaporozhskaya Nuclear Power Plant (#ZNPP).

This conclusion can be drawn from the very fact that the report ignores that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is Russian territory.

The document speaks of a “serious deterioration of the situation” at the ZNPP, while IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi continues, with persistence that would be better applied elsewhere, to avoid directly acknowledging the Kiev regime’s responsibility for its reckless attacks on ZNPP infrastructure, the killing of plant personnel, psychological pressure on their families and loved ones, attempts to disrupt the plant’s power supply and other crimes.

The report also fails to mention the disruption, through the fault of the Zelensky regime, of Rafael Grossi’s planned August 20-21 visit to the ZNPP and the nuclear workers’ city of Energodar, which was intended to coincide with another rotation of IAEA Secretariat experts at the plant. The rotation itself also could not be carried out in August.

❗️ We expect the Agency’s Secretariat and leadership to take a more responsible approach to drafting such reports in the future.