Putin ordered a plan to restore damaged warehouse capacity

At a meeting of the Strategic Development and National Projects Council, Putin demanded the government draft a special program to rebuild the warehousing capacity of logistics centers hit by drone attacks, stressing reconstruction at a new technological level; agencies were earlier tasked with studying support measures for affected businesses (incl. possible loan subsidies; details from an anonymous source, unconfirmed by the ministry).

Putin required all regions to adopt an electronic evaluation system for social-welfare institutions to improve transparency and quality control of public services.

In this September's elections, vote tallies in 32 federal subjects will for the first time be generated and aggregated electronically, broadening e-voting/e-counting coverage.

Following the Aug 18 federal ballot exclusion, an appeal against the rejected registration for the St. Petersburg legislature (ZakS) election also failed; Yabloko's regional ballot status remains unrestored.

Rosstat: prices fell 0.02% in the Aug 11–17 week (a second straight week of deflation), but annual inflation rose from 5.98% to 6.09%; over the same period gasoline +0.51%, sugar-price growth slowed to 0.5%, eggs +0.2%, and fruit/vegetables fell 2.1%.

Buoyed by stronger oil prices, the ruble rose notably against the yuan on Wednesday; the CBR official rate on Aug 19 was USD 85.1645 / EUR 98.7312 / CNY 12.6240 (the yuan edged up vs 12.6275 on Aug 18; the dollar/euro weakened slightly).

The St. Petersburg exchange completed its first imported-gasoline trades as a new channel to ease fuel shortages; Deputy PM Novak said the situation is in a 'phase two' of strain but several refineries should finish maintenance and resume supply soon.

Lifted by Putin's remarks, falling inflation expectations and rising metal/oil prices, the MoEx index closed above 2170; Novak said the share of Russia's foreign-trade settlements in national currencies rose to 89%, with the ruble at 56% (previously already high).

Rosstat: July producer (factory-gate) prices fell 2.5% month-on-month (June: -0.1%); the same day bitcoin rose above $68,500 intraday, its fastest gain since March, on expectations of a Trump meeting with crypto-industry representatives.

Switzerland announced partial adoption of the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia, further aligning its restrictions with the bloc's.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that on the 19th, 103 Russian servicemen (31 wounded) were returned from Ukrainian captivity in exchange for 103 Ukrainian POWs; returnees first arrived in Belarus, followed up by Russia's human-rights commissioner; the UAE provided humanitarian mediation.

Armenia has repeatedly stated it will develop ties with Europe on the legal basis of launching an accession process and deepen relations with the US over the next five years, while saying it still wants to keep talking to Russia about transforming bilateral ties — underscoring a balancing orientation.

A ministerial-level adviser at the Russian Foreign Ministry resigned following the diplomatic fallout with Azerbaijan; spokeswoman Zakharova responded. The episode reflects recent tension in Russia-Azerbaijan relations.

Adverse weather left more than 13,000 residents in the Novgorod region temporarily without power; repair work is underway.

A storm in St. Petersburg downed about 20 trees; a forest fire in the mountains above Yalta in Crimea expanded to 6 hectares, with firefighting forces engaged.

Arrears on utility bills in the Republic of Ingushetia have accumulated to over 22 billion rubles, straining the regional budget and public services.

A school student in Voronezh was sentenced to 7.5 years for treason and sabotage; a Belgorod-region resident got 15 years for treason and incitement to extremism, reflecting sustained security-service pressure on Ukraine-related cases.

The Russian Defense Ministry said 438 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russian regions during the day on the 19th; DNR saw 1 killed and 9 wounded, Belgorod region 1 killed and 2 wounded. Multiple airports were affected with restrictions or closures.

Late in the day, the inland airports of Penza, Saratov and Volgograd were temporarily closed for security reasons; Sochi, Krasnodar, Gelendzhik and Tambov also saw restrictions or brief suspensions, showing the drone threat reaching deep into Russia.

Russian forces said they struck a Ukrainian dry-cargo ship and a military-supply depot at the port of Chornomorsk; the port is a Black Sea shipping node for Ukraine.

The FSB detained a gang (4 Russian citizens) illegally refining gold and silver by chemical means in an underground lab in Yekaterinburg; seized refined bullion worth at least 13.3 million rubles and over 800 kg of precious-metal-bearing secondary material, with some product sold near Moscow.

Haval (under Great Wall Motors) plans to raise its Tula-region plant's annual capacity to 200,000 vehicles by 2028, continuing its Russia localization and expansion pace.

Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) ordered GAP Resurs to channel up to 10% of its poultry sales through the exchange platform within four years, to improve price transparency and stabilize the market.

Kommersant, citing data, reports that in the first half of 2026 shopping-center foot traffic in Russia shrank nearly 5% year-on-year, reflecting weak consumer sentiment.

Russian gymnasts Dukhno and Marinov won medals at the European Championships, sustaining Russia's competitiveness in gymnastics.