CBR official rates (23 Aug, effective since 22 Aug): USD 82.9211₽ / E…

In an interview with Zubarin, Putin said the second Nord Stream line was originally planned to run through Poland with facilities already prepared, but the route was changed to under the Baltic Sea; he attributed Tusk's defense of the pipeline bombing to economic rationale. Compared with the Kremlin's 8/22 "shock and bewilderment," this is Putin's own further explanation.

Boris Ebzeev, one of the co-authors of Russia's Constitution and a former member of the Central Election Commission, has died; confirmed by multiple Russian media.

Putin said the domestic fuel market situation is being resolved and is under the control of Russia's prime minister. The remark comes amid continued fuel-supply pressure in southern regions.

According to Kommersant, since early August global investors have put about $11 billion into gold ETFs and funds, reflecting rising safe-haven demand.

Russia's Foreign Ministry denied a British Times report that Moscow plans to downgrade the level of diplomatic relations with London, calling the speculation unfounded.

Belarus's Foreign Ministry announced that Belarus and North Korea will soon sign a bilateral visa-waiver agreement.

Aliyev and Mirziyoyev signed the Uzbekistan–Azerbaijan Treaty of Eternal Friendship in Tashkent; Aliyev also said the Zangezur/TRIPP corridor project is planned to begin construction in Armenia in late 2026 to early 2027.

Kazakhstan completed the first election to its new unicameral parliament, the "Kurultai"; turnout reached 74.19% by the time polls closed (the Adilet party leads in polls).

The Kremlin noted that if Putin and Trump both attend this year's APEC summit, they will inevitably hold talks. The wording is conditional; no meeting has been confirmed.

Over 40,000 residents of Pskov region lost power due to a hurricane; in Novgorod region more than 9,000 remain without power from the storm; in Kaliningrad region 80% of previously disconnected consumers have had power restored.

Per Social Fund data (cited by RIA), the average test-pilot pension reached 175,562 rubles in July 2026, up 47,498 rubles from 128,064 in 2022; amounts differ for working (156,749) and non-working (181,925) pensioners.

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses destroyed over 1,100 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours; separately, 269 were downed across regions in the 12 hours since Sunday morning.

In Belgorod region a drone attack killed 1 and injured 6 (a Shebekino resident and a teenager also wounded); in Tula a woman was killed in a drone strike; in DNR clergy and volunteers were wounded in a Ukrainian strike; in Sevastopol a girl was injured and 4 are in ICU; in Energodar 2 were hurt when a cafe was hit.

The burned area of a warehouse fire in St. Petersburg, after earlier expansion, has fallen to about 20,000 sq m; firefighting continues.

Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka ejected an ash column to about 6 km height, prompting an aviation alert.

Tourists previously trapped in a Kamchatka nature park by washed-out roads have been evacuated to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Compared with 8/22 ("over 100 tourists trapped"), this is evacuation progress.

Krasnodar beat Makhachkala Dynamo 5:1 for a fifth consecutive RPL win from the start; Spartak defeated Zenit.

McLaren driver Lando Norris won the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.

The Russian team placed second in the team event at the European championship held in Zagreb.

The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow opened the exhibition "Vajrayana: Buddhist Art of Russia."

The Central Bank of Russia set effective 22 Aug 2026 official rates: USD 82.9211₽, EUR 96.8601₽, CNY 12.3343₽. 23 Aug is a Sunday; the CBR conventionally carries the last business day's (22 Aug) quote, so values are identical to 22 Aug; the yuan remains below the 21 Aug level of 12.4057. Cross-border sellers should use these official rates for revenue conversion, pricing and costing — do not use estimated or third-party rates.