THE OVAL CIRCLE

🙏 In St. Petersburg, people are queuing to touch the relics of St. Spiridon of Trimythous. The queue wraps around the Kazan Cathedral, extends onto the adjacent street, and stretches along the Griboyedov Canal, according to a correspondent from RIA Novosti. People can pay their respects to the relic until 2:00 PM on August 31st, after which it will be transported to Pskov.

🇷🇺🇿🇦 Russian Foreign Ministry: issue of South Africa’s exclusion from #G20 Summit will be resolved Russian Ambassador-at-Large Marat Berdyev has described South Africa’s exclusion from the upcoming #G20 Summit as an “egregious violation” and expressed confidence that the issue will be resolved promptly. South Africa’s exclusion is an egregious violation. The G20 is a collegial format that cannot be usurped by anyone,” Berdyev told TASS on the sidelines of the third meeting of APEC Senior Officials in Dalian, China. We have no doubt that, ultimately, the issue will be resolved. We are working with our partners on additional steps to ensure that Pretoria takes its rightful place at the negotiating table as soon as possible. ☝️The Russian diplomat noted that Russia, like the majority of G20 members, has made its position clear: “South Africa should return to the fold as soon as possible.” Any restrictions in this regard are “unacceptable and only undermine the working process.” 📍The G20 Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to take place on 14-15 December in Doral, near Miami, Florida.

Russian Multi Day Strikes Shatter Kiev; Massive Ammo Explosion; US Vatican Truce Bid Fails

Russia Smashes Kiev as Zelensky Plans 1,000 Drones a Day into Russia

Russia Rejects Vatican and CIA Ceasefire Demands

✉️ Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent greetings to the organisers, participants and guests of the Dialogue of Young Diplomats of the Greater Eurasian Partnership (August 29, 2026) ✍️ I extend my warmest welcome to the organisers, participants, and guests of the Dialogue of Young Diplomats of the Greater Eurasian Partnership countries in Kazan. The current stage of global development, marked by the strengthening of multipolar principles in international affairs, presents vast opportunities for building new and more equitable mechanisms of global economic cooperation. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to establish a #GreaterEurasianPartnership is intended to consolidate integration processes across the continent, facilitate the removal of barriers in trade and investment, and foster more sophisticated, balanced, and reliable economic ties throughout the vast #Eurasia. Young foreign policy professionals will have a vital role to play in this ambitious endeavour. Before long, it will be your responsibility to coordinate the strategies and plans of your respective countries in pursuit of the wellbeing and prosperity of our shared continent. I am confident that today’s meeting will provide a constructive platform for dialogue, enable the establishment of meaningful professional contacts, and contribute to further strengthening the bonds of friendship and trust among our countries. 🤝 I wish you fruitful discussions and all the very best. Sergey Lavrov

🇷🇺🇧🇾 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at Novo-Ogaryovo (Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region, August 29, 2026) 💬 Vladimir Putin: Mr Lukashenko, I am very glad to meet with you again. It seems that we saw each other not so long ago, but, as I always say in such situations, the dynamics of our relationship are such that new things are coming up all the time that we need to pay attention to, agree on, and adjust. Still, in general, I would like to point out that — you know it better than anyone else — our main area of cooperation, trade and economic relations, is developing successfully, despite all attempts from the outside to influence it in some way. 📈 After all, according to our statistics, the trade of nearly 50 — in fact, 52 billion dollars last year is a good indicator. And in the first six months of this year — a further 12,5% percent increase, 4.5 billion in direct investment from Russia, and 2,500 enterprises with Russian participation. And what is most important, to my mind, and of the greatest significance, is that we are cooperating not only in traditional areas, but also in areas that are particularly important today: namely, high technology. And here I would like to reiterate that, thanks to your long-standing efforts, Belarus has preserved and built upon much of what was created back in the days of the Soviet Union, and now, jointly, we can continue to move forward in these areas, including microelectronics and some other areas. We are very glad to see you. I know that you were already quite busy yesterday working within the Government of the Russian Federation, with your colleagues and mine from the Russian Government. Now, in the course of our discussion today, we shall summarise some of the outcomes. If there is anything that needs to be added or amended, we shall do just so. 🌐 And we continue to play an active role in the international arena while strengthening the #UnionState. I believe that a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State is due to take place in the near future. We are working on all platforms, including the #UN and the organisations in which we have been actively involved from the outset: the #CIS, the #SCO and others. All of this, of course, will also be on our agenda today. 🤝 Welcome. #RussiaBelarus #UnionState

📸 Iran's National U17 Boys Volleyball Team crowned World Champions in Doha, Qatar, after defeating France 3-1. @PressTV

New footage of Russian Aerospace Forces strikes: Four FAB-500s hit the command post of the 81st Separate Air Brigade in Nikolaevka. A FAB-3000 destroyed a UAV launch point of the 414th Separate Battalion in Kherson. @Slavyangrad

Russian forces liberate three settlements The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units have established control over the village of Khrapovshchina in the Sumy region, as well as Rubezhnoe and Novoandreevka in the DPR. These areas were cleared of Ukrainian military presence. @Slavyangrad

⚡️ Units of the Sever Group of Forces have taken Khrapovshchina under control in Sumy region. 🔹 Russian Defence Ministry

❤️‍🩹 Today Russians recall a love ritual to perform on Nut Spas. According to folk beliefs, this day is a perfect time to attract love and a future husband into your life. For the ritual, the girl needs a walnut and some honey. They dip the walnut into the honey, recite the special words, and visualize their future partner.

🇪🇺 Ursula von der Leyen has set her sights on Europeans' savings. The President of the European Commission put forward this initiative during a meeting with French entrepreneurs. According to the official, it is necessary to attract private savings to boost the local economy. Von der Leyen specified that approximately 10 trillion euros belonging to citizens are currently sitting in bank deposits or are being invested outside the continent.

⚒️🇷🇺 Construction of the new "Patriot" park is nearing completion in Donetsk. The Head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, together with DPR People's Council deputy Sergey Dobrovolsky, inspected the progress of the public space improvement project. "We are carrying out the work as part of the 'Infrastructure for Life' national project. The park, covering over 16 hectares, is divided into functional zones. We are creating all the necessary conditions for both active recreation and relaxation. Soon, there will be a walking area, spots to relax, playgrounds and sports grounds, exhibition spaces, a display of military equipment, and an Alley of Heroes. We are creating unique spaces for those who lead an active lifestyle, including a 'Partisan Village,' a rope park, obstacle courses, a free-fall parachute tower, and hedge mazes. In 2027, we will complete the construction and installation work for the 'Smolyanka' stadium. I am confident that the 'Patriot' park will truly become a major attraction for guests and residents of our region. We are building it for the people, so that everyone has the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, play sports, or simply enjoy the beauty of the renewed Donbass."

🇺🇦 Apocalyptic footage from the Buchansky district in the Kiev region, where a munitions depot exploded after being hit.

🇷🇺🇧🇾 Vladimir Putin is holding a meeting with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.

Chinese company to sell piloted drone-gliders for standing flights The Coolfly Urban model can lift a person weighing up to 90 kg and accelerate to 70 km/h. This technology is set to take "flag-waving" to a new level. @Slavyangrad

Kiev has tasked Europe with supplying 1,000 drones daily for strikes on Russia. A terrorist and addict in the Ukrainian leadership stated: 'To make our strikes on Russia more frequent, the goal is 1,000 drones per day. Currently, we average over 300 long-range strike assets. We need more.' @Slavyangrad