Global South Media Center launches in China with teleSUR, Prensa Latina, Brasil de Fato and Pan Africa TV to strengthen Southern media cooperation.

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Global South Media Center Launches in China

The Global South Media Center was established in China on Sunday as a new platform for cooperation among media organizations from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The initiative, known by its Spanish acronym CMPSur, was created by four media outlets with correspondents in China: teleSUR, Cuba’s Prensa Latina, Brazil’s Brasil de Fato and Ghana’s Pan Africa TV.

The launch took place during the Global South Academic Forum, held in Shanghai on October 17 and 18 under the theme “Global South Political Parties: Governance and Modernization.”

The forum brought together political leaders, academics, researchers and media representatives from Asia, Africa, Latin America and other developing regions.

Jeff Xiong, secretary general of the Global South Academic Forum, said the new media center seeks to strengthen joint journalistic production and build narratives from the perspective of the peoples of the South.

The platform aims to deepen links between China and other Global South countries while challenging the dominant communication frameworks of the Global North.

Xiong highlighted the role of the Global South Academic Forum in creating the conditions for multinational cooperation. He also expressed hope that additional media organizations from developing countries would join the initiative.

The Global South Media Center plans to expand the circulation of stories about China among audiences in Africa, Asia and Latin America through collaboration among outlets from different regions.

The initiative reflects a growing effort by Southern media to coordinate reporting, share content and develop common perspectives on development, governance and international relations.

The center will not replace the editorial independence of its founding organizations. Instead, it is expected to provide a framework for exchanging material, coordinating coverage and promoting joint productions.

The creation of the platform comes at a time when media organizations in developing countries face increasing pressure from concentrated technology platforms, algorithmic distribution and dependence on foreign digital infrastructure.

The Global South Academic Forum has become a space for discussing those challenges alongside broader questions of governance, development and international cooperation.

Global South Media Center Focuses on AI and Sovereignty

Global South Academic Forum | UNESCO—Media development and information

The Global South Media Center was announced during a panel on communication, party governance and social mobilization.

Participants discussed how media organizations can respond to the expansion of artificial intelligence and growing technological inequalities between developed and developing countries.

Alejandro Gómez, vice president of Prensa Latina, defended technological sovereignty and informational independence as essential conditions for Southern media.

He said developing countries must build their own capacities rather than relying exclusively on infrastructure and platforms controlled by external actors.

Gómez proposed the creation of a permanent training mechanism in artificial intelligence for journalists and media organizations in the Global South.

The initiative would be developed in cooperation with Chinese institutions and other specialized organizations. It could include training in AI-assisted reporting, data verification, digital security, content production and responsible use of new technologies.

The Prensa Latina executive also emphasized the need for Southern media to produce their own narratives about international transformations.

He argued that dominant global media frameworks often condition coverage of countries such as Cuba and limit the visibility of perspectives from developing nations.

The proposal reflects a broader concern that artificial intelligence may reinforce existing inequalities if Southern countries do not participate in the design, regulation and use of these technologies.

AI tools can help journalists analyze information, translate content, identify trends and improve audience engagement. However, they can also reproduce biases, amplify misinformation and concentrate power in companies that control the underlying models.

For media organizations in the Global South, the challenge is to use new technologies without becoming dependent on foreign platforms or losing control over editorial decisions.

The Global South Media Center could therefore play a role in training, research and the development of shared technological standards.

teleSUR President Patricia Villegas also defended South-South cooperation as a means of strengthening communication sovereignty.

She said media organizations in the South must reduce their dependence on digital infrastructures and technological platforms controlled by external actors.

Villegas warned about the influence of algorithms on the circulation of content. She argued that platforms can determine which stories reach audiences and which voices remain marginal.

The teleSUR president called for greater collaboration among Southern media, including the exchange of productions and the transfer of technological capacities.

She highlighted China’s role as a strategic partner for expanding communication cooperation and strengthening the ability of developing countries to produce and distribute their own content.

Villegas also referred to the creation of teleSUR+ in July 2026. The collaborative platform brings together audiovisual material, texts and photographs produced by media organizations and creators from the Global South.

She also mentioned the Global South correspondent network in Beijing, which includes Brasil de Fato, Prensa Latina and Brazil’s TVT, with the planned incorporation of an African media outlet.

The correspondent network provides a practical model for the new media center. It allows participating outlets to share reporting, coordinate coverage and reduce the costs of maintaining international bureaus.

Southern Media Seek a Common Global Voice

UNESCO—Global Media and Information Literacy | International Federation of Journalists

The Global South Media Center represents an effort to build a more coordinated voice for developing countries in the international information system.

Media organizations from the South often face unequal access to technology, advertising revenue, satellite capacity, distribution networks and international audiences.

Many outlets rely on platforms owned or controlled by companies based in the Global North. Those platforms can shape visibility through algorithms, moderation policies and commercial priorities.

The new center seeks to address that imbalance by promoting cooperation among media with shared interests in sovereignty, development and multilateralism.

The initiative also responds to the need for greater representation of Southern perspectives in coverage of China, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mainstream media in the Global North have often presented developing countries through narratives focused on crisis, instability or dependence. Southern media organizations argue that those narratives ignore local experiences, historical context and the diversity of development models.

The Global South Media Center aims to provide alternative coverage that reflects the voices of communities, governments and social movements in the South.

The platform could support reporting on infrastructure, public health, education, food sovereignty, climate adaptation, digital governance and regional integration.

It could also promote stories about cooperation among developing countries, including China’s role in infrastructure, technology and trade.

The center’s creation is part of a wider effort to strengthen South-South cooperation in communication.

The Global South Academic Forum has promoted exchanges among academics, institutional representatives and media organizations on governance, development, international cooperation and the role of developing countries in global affairs.

The forum’s discussions have included state capacity, social mobilization, institutional innovation and the use of party organizations to strengthen governance.

Those themes are closely connected to the media agenda. Communication is not only a technical issue; it is also part of how societies organize political participation and respond to global challenges.

The panel in Shanghai emphasized that media organizations must prepare for the impact of artificial intelligence while defending editorial independence and public interest journalism.

Participants argued that technological innovation should not replace journalists but should support their work by improving research, verification and audience access.

The Global South Media Center could therefore become a space for developing ethical guidelines on AI, protecting journalists’ rights and promoting responsible use of new technologies.

Geopolitical Context

The launch of the Global South Media Center has geopolitical significance because communication has become a central arena of global competition.

Countries and media organizations increasingly compete to shape narratives about development, security, technology and international cooperation.

China’s role in the initiative reflects its growing engagement with Africa, Asia and Latin America. Beijing has expanded partnerships in infrastructure, trade, education and digital technology through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Forum and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

For Southern media, cooperation with China offers access to training, technology and new distribution channels. It also allows them to diversify their sources of information and reduce dependence on traditional Western media networks.

For China, the platform provides an opportunity to strengthen its image among Global South audiences and present its development experience through media organizations from the region.

The initiative does not eliminate political differences among participating countries. Media organizations in the Global South have different political systems, editorial traditions and national interests.

However, the center reflects a shared concern about technological dependence and the unequal distribution of global communication power.

The platform could also influence debates about digital sovereignty, data governance and the regulation of artificial intelligence.

Developing countries have increasingly argued that international standards should address the concentration of technological power and protect the right of nations to control their own digital infrastructure.

The Global South Media Center may become part of that broader discussion by promoting training, content exchange and cooperation among media organizations.

Its success will depend on whether participating outlets can sustain joint projects, develop shared standards and expand the initiative beyond its founding members.

The launch of the Global South Media Center marks an attempt to build a stronger communication network for countries seeking greater influence over the global information order.

SEO Title: Global South Media Center: 4 Outlets Launch Bold New Platform in China

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Indonesia, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo together hold more than half of the world’s tropical rainforests. In 2022, when Indonesia hosted the G20 summit in Bali, the three countries pledged to cooperate on how to pay to protect those forests. The promise was one of South-South cooperation: developing countries working together rather than […]

The post Indonesia primed to lead a Global South forest protection bloc appeared first on Asia Times.

On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry summoned Colombia’s chargé d’affaires in Cairo to express its objection to the opening of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, a ministerial source told the official news agency MENA. Egypt described the relocation of the diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv as a unilateral and unacceptable move.

RELATED:

Bogotá March Rejects Colombia-Israel Ties Under De la Espriella

During the meeting, Cairo conveyed a strong protest and categorical rejection of the relocation of the Colombian diplomatic mission to Jerusalem. According to the source, Egypt stated that the decision contradicts the established legal and historical status of the city.

The Egyptian Ministry warned that such irresponsible actions would have negative repercussions for international efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that they would only serve to fuel tensions in the region.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to respect the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem and urged that all parties refrain from unilateral measures that could undermine the prospects for peace based on a two-state solution.

A Palestinian source indicated to EFE that the summons was in response to a resolution adopted last week by the Arab League Council. The resolution urged member states of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to summon the Colombian ambassadors accredited to their respective governments.

“Colombia está con nosotros”. Las palabras de nuestro primer ministro @netanyahu en la recepción organizada por el @IsraelMFA por la inauguración de la Embajada de Colombia en Jerusalén 🇮🇱🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/9znJgegzu5

— Israel en Colombia (@IsraelinCol) October 14, 2026

The text reads, ““Colombia is with us.” The words of our prime minister @netanyahu at the reception organized by @IsraelMFA for the inauguration of the Embassy of Colombia in Jerusalem”

The objective is to lodge a formal protest against what Arab nations describe as an illegal decision by Colombia, as well as to assess the impact of this move on bilateral relations with Bogotá.

On Friday, the foreign ministers of 19 Arab and Islamic nations—including Egypt—issued a joint statement strongly condemning the opening of the Colombian diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The opening of the embassy followed the rise to power of Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella, who announced in July that the diplomatic mission would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move is part of the restoration of diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been severed by the previous president, Gustavo Petro.

According to the UN and the majority of the international community, East Jerusalem is Palestinian territory that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel annexed it in 1980 through a law declaring it its “eternal and indivisible” capital—a decision that the UN Security Council deemed a violation of international law.

The controversy centers on the impact of this diplomatic relocation on the status of Jerusalem, the rights of the Palestinian people, and the prospects for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella signed Decree 1525, a measure that facilitates police repression by broadening the definition of “violence” during popular protests.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara warned that the new regulation will take effect before demonstrations… pic.twitter.com/YYfouyRGyt

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 14, 2026

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José Raúl Mulino received a team of 51 Venezuelan specialists sent by Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez following an Oct. 9 earthquake.

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Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino received a Venezuelan humanitarian delegation of 51 specialists on Wednesday, sent by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez to provide technical assistance following the earthquake that struck Panama on Oct. 9.

RELATED: Panama Thanks Venezuela for Assistance Following the 7.7-Magnitude Earthquake.

The delegation, led by Venezuelan Public Works Minister Juan José Ramírez and Francisco Garcés, head of the Commission for Infrastructure Habitability Assessment, is tasked with helping evaluate infrastructure affected by the earthquake, Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information said.

Mulino thanked the Venezuelan government for sending the team, highlighting its role in assessing critical infrastructure in the aftermath of the seismic event.

IMPORTANTE: 🇵🇦Presidente de la República de Panamá, José Raúl Mulino, recibió a la delegación humanitaria venezolana de especialistas, enviada por la Presidenta Delcy Rodríguez pic.twitter.com/NOkYIGtcCK

— Ministerio de Comunicación e Información (@mippci_ven) October 15, 2026

Text Reads: IMPORTANT: 🇵🇦 The President of the Republic of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, received the Venezuelan humanitarian delegation of specialists, sent by President Delcy Rodríguez.

“I thank the government of Venezuela for sending 51 experts in infrastructure evaluation. It will be of great help,” Mulino wrote on social media.

Before the meeting with Mulino, the Venezuelan delegation held talks with senior Panamanian officials at the Government Palace to coordinate technical cooperation. Panama was represented by José Ramón Icaza, minister for Canal Affairs and secretary of Presidential Goals; Deputy Presidential Minister Virna Luque; Deputy Public Works Minister Iván de Icaza; and Deputy Education Infrastructure Minister Delia Marcela Herrera.

Agradezco al gobierno de Vzla el envío de 51 expertos en evaluación de infraestructura. Será de gran ayuda.

— José Raúl Mulino (@JoseRaulMulino) October 14, 2026

Text Reads: I thank the government of Venezuela for sending 51 experts in infrastructure evaluation. It will be of great help.

According to Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information, the mission was dispatched under instructions from Delcy Rodríguez to extend support and solidarity to the Panamanian people through technical assistance and expertise in responding to seismic emergencies.

The delegation’s arrival marks a bilateral cooperation effort focused on assessing infrastructure safety after the Oct. 9 earthquake.

Ukraine and NATO have unveiled two artificial intelligence (AI) tools in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported on 13 October. One forecasts Russian drone attacks near the front and is ready to join the Armed Forces’ situational awareness systems. The other helps plan artillery fire and is still in testing.

A forecast of where, when, and which drones will fly targets the main source of losses near the front. In March, Ukraine’s military put the share of front-line casualties caused by FPV drones at up to 80%. In May, Ukraine’s drone forces commander Robert Brovdi said Russia was copying Ukraine’s model to grow its drone forces. A month earlier, Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov wrote that adding more drones no longer fundamentally changes the battlefield. The next stage, he said, is full integration of AI.

Forecasting Russian drone attacks

The NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center (JATEC) presented both at a three-day seminar in the Lithuanian capital. NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and Ukraine’s Armed Forces built the tools with JATEC’s support.

“The solution has already been validated using real-world datasets. It has been refined and is ready for integration into the Armed Forces of Ukraine's situational awareness systems,” the ministry said.

Model No. 13 works from past data, weather, and the current battlefield situation. The ministry said it can identify the intensity of attacks, the areas, the time windows, and the types of drones with a high probability.

Ranking artillery options

Model No. 32 is a decision-support module. It tests whether artillery plans can be generated automatically. It weighs the mission’s requirements and current operational data, including available weapons, ammunition, firing positions, and constraints.

First, it applies logistics, ballistics, and impact-zone parameters to throw out unworkable options. Then it scores and ranks the rest. That means less hand-based comparison, faster decisions, and a more efficient fire loop, the ministry said. The prototype is now with the Ukrainian military for trials. If the trials succeed and it is validated, it could be expanded to other units that strike Russian forces.

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Ukraine, which long kept its weapons at home, is now clearing its arms makers to sell abroad. Its Commission on Export Control has granted 18 Ukrainian companies permission to send their finished weapons abroad and has processed more than 400 export applications, with over 90% approved, the National Security and Defense Council says, citing commission head Davyd Aloian.

Ukraine now produces far more weapons than it can afford, with defense production growing from about $1 billion a year at the start of the invasion to a projected $55 billion in 2026.

The exports are reportedly conducted under the Drone Deals framework that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled in April, which allows controlled sales of surplus weapons to partner countries while the Defense Ministry and General Staff retain first claim to everything the front needs. Some categories already run up to 50% beyond what Ukraine can use or finance.

From a stalled commission to 18 approvals

The commission’s work had been halting. It resumed in February after an eight-month freeze and issued the first permits then, and its updated membership has been working since, Aloian notes.

Building partnerships abroad

Aloian framed the goal as scaling Ukrainian technology rather than one-off deals. The state wants domestic producers to expand abroad while partners get working solutions, he says, and is open to dialogue with the defense industry to fix problems as they arise.

Earlier, an industry group that represents more than 400 companies warned in September that the mechanism was choking. A new 20-to-30% fee on export permits priced Ukrainian goods out of the market, it said, and a joint-production program had stalled with hundreds of foreign bids pending.

Euromaidan Press cannot verify whether the Commission on Export Control has taken the issue into consideration.

The council recently met a UK Defense Ministry delegation to discuss closer cooperation, including a Drone Deal, an anti-ballistic coalition, and joint production, Aloian adds. Reaching foreign markets enables producers to attract new orders and investment, scale up, and build long-term partnerships.

Ukraine is offering Estonia something no ally can buy off the shelf: how to fortify against Russia, learned under fire. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced, following a meeting between Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and his Estonian counterpart, Martin Herem, that Kyiv and Tallinn plan to develop joint defense projects, share data, and establish joint ventures.

Both sides agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation in a declaration signed in June, according to the President’s Office. The partnership is gaining momentum as German intelligence warns that Russia may be preparing military action against the Baltic states, Welt reported.

At the talks, the two sides went over the battlefield situation, Ukraine’s priority needs, and practical steps to deepen the partnership, the ministry said.

Ukraine’s war experience, packed for export

Ukraine’s experience of modern war was a central theme of the meeting, and it can already help Estonia strengthen its own defense against new threats, the ministry reports. During the visit, the Ukrainian delegation walked the Estonian representatives through its work on modern fortifications, including underground shelters.

“Ukraine is scaling up fortification solutions based on real war experience. We already know how to build defenses and adapt them to new threats. I am sure this expertise will be useful to Estonia,” Khmara said.

A debt of thanks to a steady backer

Khmara thanked Estonia for its consistent help, singling out its decision to give 0.25% of GDP each year to support Ukraine. He also noted Estonia’s leading role in the IT coalition, a group of states that helps build Ukraine’s military communications and cyber capabilities, as well as its active work with other partners.

The meeting was one of Herem’s first with Kyiv as defense minister. A former commander of Estonia’s armed forces, he took the post on 16 September after Hanno Pevkur resigned over a 70-million-euro procurement scandal involving artillery shells meant for Ukraine, Euronews reported.

The minister confirmed Ukraine is ready to deepen practical defense cooperation with Estonia and to work on joint solutions that strengthen the security of both countries.

Perhaps the most dangerous question facing Europe is no longer whether Russia and NATO could come into direct conflict, but where such a confrontation would begin—and how quickly it could spin out of control and draw everyone in. However, let’s hope it is not inevitable, not because of any threat to NATO or Europe, real […]

European Union ambassadors have approved 1,646 new sanctions designations against individuals and organisations linked to Russia, with more than half of the additions targeting the industrial chain behind ballistic missiles including the Iskander-M.

European Union ambassadors have agreed a major expansion of sanctions against Russia, approving 1,646 new designations concentrated heavily on the country’s military-industrial complex and the production of ballistic missiles used against Ukraine.

The measures, agreed by EU envoys in Brussels on Wednesday, 7th October, are due to be formally adopted by foreign ministers on Monday. More than half of those being added to the sanctions regime are involved in the production chain for Russian ballistic missiles, including the 9M723 missile used by the Iskander-M system, according to details of the agreed listings.

The additions extend well beyond companies assembling finished weapons. They include organisations involved in missile research and testing, manufacturers of solid rocket fuel and rocket engines, and producers of specialised textiles, synthetic fibres and carbon materials used in missile systems.

Drone manufacturers and shipyards servicing Russian submarines are also among those targeted.

The emphasis on individual components and suppliers reflects the EU’s increasingly detailed approach to sanctions against Russia’s defence industry. Rather than concentrating only on large defence groups, Brussels has progressively moved further down supply chains in an attempt to restrict access to specialised materials, technology and production capacity.

EU Today has previously reported on the continuing disputes surrounding the bloc’s Russia sanctions regime, including negotiations over individual listings and the requirement for member states to maintain agreement on restrictive measures.

The latest action comes as Russia has intensified ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine. The Iskander-M presents a particular problem for Ukrainian air defences because the ballistic missile can be intercepted by US-produced Patriot systems, stocks of whose interceptors have come under increasing pressure.

The new EU list also includes 77 Russian politicians who stood for parliamentary seats in territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia. Their inclusion extends the sanctions response from military production to Moscow’s efforts to incorporate occupied Ukrainian regions into Russian political structures.

Brussels has also moved against North Korean participation in Russia’s war effort. Seven North Korean individuals and entities are being added under the EU’s separate sanctions regime concerning North Korea.

Military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have expanded considerably during the war. Ukrainian authorities have identified North Korean ballistic missiles used by Russian forces, while North Korea has supplied ammunition and other military support to Moscow.

The Council has already widened sanctions linked to Russia and North Korea in other areas. In September, EU Today reported that Russian and North Korean organisations had been sanctioned over programmes involving Ukrainian children transferred from occupied territories.

The 1,646 additions do not in themselves constitute an entirely new package of sectoral restrictions. They are individual and entity designations within the existing EU sanctions architecture, meaning that assets in the EU can be frozen and EU persons and companies are prohibited from making funds or economic resources available to those listed.

Their scale is nonetheless significant. By placing the missile-production chain at the centre of the new designations, the EU is attempting to connect its sanctions policy more directly with the weapons Russia is currently using against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Formal adoption by foreign ministers on Monday will complete the legal process.

NATO's Military Committee, the Alliance's highest military body, visited Kyiv on 6 October to reaffirm support for Ukraine, its chair, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, said. It was the committee's first official visit to Ukraine's capital in eight years. The officers came to hear how Ukraine is fighting Russia and to draw lessons for NATO's own defense, and Dragone used the visit to warn Moscow.

Russia's war no longer stays inside Ukraine: its drones, saboteurs, and pressure campaigns increasingly reach NATO members. That turns Ukraine, the only European army facing Russia in combat, from a country the Alliance helps into one it learns from.

All 32 allies at the table

Dragone brought the military representatives of all 32 member states to hear the latest battlefield assessment directly from Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi, and his staff. They also came to learn what more NATO can do to support Ukraine, he said in an address recorded in Kyiv.

"After eight years, the NATO Military Committee comes back to Kyiv for an official visit. But while we were not physically present here, Ukraine is in our thoughts, in our discussions, in our decisions and following action every single day," Dragone said.

The visit fulfilled a promise he made to Drapatyi during their last conversation in August, the admiral said. It also follows a June visit to Kyiv by the North Atlantic Council, NATO's main political decision-making body. "We are here in full strength with a clear message. The bond between NATO and Ukraine is stronger and stronger," he said.

With the whole NATO Military Committee, we visited Kyiv, yesterday, to reaffirm unwavering support for #Ukraine.

Discussions with Major General Drapatyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, focussed on Ukraine’s military priorities and lessons learned to strengthen… pic.twitter.com/kar2l1Xlq4

— Admiral Giuseppe CAVO DRAGONE - NATO CMC (@CMC_NATO) October 7, 2026

Lessons from Ukraine's commanders

The talks with Drapatyi focused on Ukraine's military priorities and lessons learned to strengthen Allied preparedness for current and future threats, Dragone wrote on X. The delegation also paid respects at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv.

In his address, Dragone said Ukraine's courageous and resilient spirit remains unbreakable and serves as an example to other nations.

"An example that combines with all the lessons we can learn from your commanders, from their experience, which will ultimately help our Alliance too to better face today's and tomorrow's threats," he said.

To Russia: "You are failing"

Dragone also addressed Russia directly. NATO stands unwavering with Ukraine in the face of Russia's continued aggression and its reckless hybrid activities in member countries, he said.

"To those who think that by perpetrating acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, and violation of the airspace in national NATO territory they will undermine this support and our resolve, I will respond: You are failing. NATO support for Ukraine continues to grow, and our unity is stronger than ever."

Russia bears full responsibility for such dangerous and unacceptable behavior, and allies will keep sharpening their tools and strengthening deterrence and defense, the admiral added.

Drapatyi became Ukraine's commander-in-chief in July, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced Oleksandr Syrskyi after a week of political turmoil.

Kyiv under fire, Russian troops pushed back near Lyman

The day after the visit, Russia struck Kyiv and 12 oblasts with about 70 missiles. In recent weeks, Russian attacks have cratered the capital's bridges and hit a school, a café, and warehouses, as well as a maternity hospital. Ukrainian troops also retook ground near Lyman in the Vivaldi counteroffensive.

Defense officials from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan spoke with North Korean representatives at Russia's Center-2026 strategic exercises, Afghanistan's Defense Ministry reported. So far, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has confirmed any meeting, and Kabul disclosed no details of the talks or any agreement.

Since invading Ukraine, Russia has gathered a circle of sanctioned governments it both leans on for its war and props up in return—a trade that runs in opposite directions depending on the partner. Each new tie leaves one more isolated state with a stake in the war grinding on.

Observers among dozens

The exercises ran from 28 September to 3 October in Russia's Chelyabinsk Oblast. The Taliban attended as observers for the first time since it retook power in 2021, Militarnyi reported, one of dozens of foreign delegations present.

Mawlawi Nasibullah Madani, commander of the Abdullah bin Masoud Joint Combat Training Command, led the Taliban delegation. The ministry said its officers held discussions with North Korea's military attaché and with officials from China, India, Vietnam, and other countries on bilateral ties and military cooperation. The delegation also toured an exhibition featuring heavy weapons, drones, long-range missiles, and robotic systems.

Moscow's expanding military network

On 27 May 2026, Russia and the Taliban signed a military-technical cooperation agreement. Russia's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, claimed the deal is a practical framework focused on repairing Soviet- and Russian-made equipment the Taliban already holds. Russia remains the only country to formally recognize the Taliban government, a step it took in July 2025.

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