Overview

• Russia and Tajikistan issued a joint statement to deepen their strategic partnership and alliance, urging states to sign the UN cybercrime convention and pledging closer security cooperation, including support for stabilizing Afghanistan.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a serious pause has set in on the Ukraine track, citing Kyiv’s lack of response to Moscow’s draft agreement and proposed working groups agreed in Istanbul in July.
• Vladimir Putin met Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, lauded rising trade ties and said Moscow will work to sustain momentum, while Peskov noted that all sensitive bilateral issues were discussed in a positive tone.
• Presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Russian and U.S. administrations remain in constant contact, as Ukraine prepares to send a delegation to Washington next week to discuss air defense, energy and a potential negotiation track.
• Moscow spotlighted internal security steps, reporting the arrest of a warehouse manager tied to lethal surrogate alcohol and court sentences of 15–17 years for three captured Ukrainian servicemen over cross‑border actions, while the Foreign Ministry welcomed UN experts’ concern about restrictions on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.