🕯 On September 9, Russia observed the Day of Remembrance for Russian Soldiers Fallen in the Defence of Sevastopol and the Crimean War of 1853-1856. It was on this day that the heroic 349-day defence of Sevastopol came to an end.

Following the Ottoman declaration of war on Russia on October 16, 1853, active hostilities unfolded on land and at sea around the Crimean Peninsula.

In an attempt to save the Ottoman Empire from defeat, particularly after the Russian fleet under Vice Admiral Pavel Nakhimov routed the Turkish squadron at the Battle of Sinop, Britain and France entered the war on Turkiye’s side.

In 1854, allied troops landed in Crimea and began the siege of Sevastopol. The city’s defence was led by outstanding Russian military commanders, including Vladimir Kornilov and Pavel Nakhimov. Among its defenders was the great writer Leo Tolstoy, who later recounted his experiences in his Sevastopol Sketches.

Sevastopol’s defenders held the city for almost a year, skilfully and selflessly repelling assaults by superior enemy forces.

After prolonged and fierce fighting, Russian troops withdrew in an orderly manner from the southern side of Sevastopol. The army retained its fighting capability, and the allies never succeeded in forcing its surrender.

⚔️ The defence of Sevastopol became a symbol of the courage, resilience and military valour of Russian soldiers and sailors.

***

The memory of Sevastopol’s heroic Russian defenders apparently remains a sore point for those for whom the Crimean War serves as a reminder of a gruelling and bloody campaign.

On June 10, 2026, the Kiev regime deliberately launched a drone attack on the Defence of Sevastopol, 1854-1855 Panorama Museum. Severe damage was inflicted on Franz Roubaud’s world-famous painting The Assault of June 6, 1855, depicting Russian troops repelling an assault on Malakhov Hill by superior British and French forces.

According to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the attack on the museum was a meticulously planned provocation orchestrated by London and British intelligence services, while Ukrainian military personnel carried out the preparations and launched the drones.

👉 But no provocation can change the truth: the Russian soldier’s resilience will forever remain part of history, while Britain’s gruelling military campaign and enormous losses are immortalised in the famous panorama.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with the RBC television channel for a documentary marking the anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001 (Moscow, September 11, 2026)

❓ Question: September 11, 2001, fell on a Tuesday. The working day had only just begun. The clock read 8:45 AM when the first aircraft struck the World Trade Centre. How did you learn about these events? Where were you at that time? What was your immediate personal reaction?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: I was in my office. The office of the Permanent Representative to the United Nations is a soundproofed room, equipped with specialised apparatus around the perimeter designed to suppress any sound, ensuring that nothing “escapes” the room. I walked to work, arriving at approximately 9 AM. <...>

My routine was always to sit at my desk. To the right of it stood a television set. I would switch it on to a news channel – at that time, it was CNN. The sound was muted. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an aircraft collide with a skyscraper and explode. My initial thought, at 9 AM, was that they were broadcasting some horror film. I carried on working, but something lingered in my mind. I began watching more closely and then understood the reality of what was unfolding. <...>

❓ Question: Were you not afraid to venture outside afterwards?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Not at all. I always walked both to and from work. <...>

After September 11, I passed those same little restaurants; the tables remained, but the entire mood had changed – people were glancing nervously over their shoulders, a great deal had altered.

President Vladimir Putin telephoned then-US President George W. Bush and affirmed that we stood with them. Subsequently, an appropriate resolution was adopted in the UN Security Council.

❓ Question: We have spoken about public assistance. Twenty-five years have passed. Was there any non-public assistance extended by Russia to America that can now be disclosed?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: The Russia – NATO Council, which had already been established by that time, endorsed an entire programme concerning Afghanistan. Our helicopters were made available for the use of the international coalition. Intelligence data were shared.

❓ Question: How did international relations evolve as a consequence of these events? What does this signify for you? In your view, what was the gravest error in the new order?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Relations deteriorated. Firstly, the United States exploited this international solidarity and the resolution which authorised its military operation and the establishment of an international coalition not so much to combat terrorism as to pursue its own geopolitical objectives and to broaden its presence and sway.

This trend subsequently manifested itself in a number of other theatres. Prior to Afghanistan, there was Yugoslavia – an unprovoked act of aggression and the senseless destruction of a sovereign state. <...>

Then there was Georgia. There was Ukraine, which we also discussed. Regrettably, this was an attempt by the unipolar world to cling to the course of historical processes. This will persist for a considerable time. This is an entire epoch.

❓ Question: Summing up the events of September 11, 2001, how would you describe – in a single sentence – what actually happened in New York on that day?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: I am not inclined towards conspiracy theories. I am aware of them. <...> Yet, on a purely practical level, an enormous number of individuals would have had to be involved. I cannot accept that with Americans – from whom everything “leaks” – nothing would ever have surfaced in the public domain. <...>

We maintain dialogue with the US. We engage with all who approach us. This does not mean that we agree with everyone on every issue. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both always maintained that they are ready to listen to each other, without any preconditions. This is the essence of politics and the essence of diplomacy.

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#Announcement

🗓 On Tuesday, September 15, Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova will hold an on-site briefing on current foreign policy issues in Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk Region).

🕜 1:30 pm MSK
🕥 10:30 am GMT
🕦 11:30 am CET
🕡 6:30 pm CST

For accreditation inquiries, please contact the MFA Press Centre. Accredited journalists will receive details on the technical aspects of submitting questions.

The Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman will answer media questions received by the call centre.

❗️ Accreditation is open until September 13, 9:00 am MSK.

🇷🇺🇮🇳 President Vladimir Putin has begun his working visit to India.

The first item on the Russian President’s agenda is a meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

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📸 President Vladimir Putin takes part in the #FamiliyPhoto of the Heads of Delegation with the Leadership of the BRICS Business Council & the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance.

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