The US authorities have filed a lawsuit against former American intelligence officer Edward Snowden because of the publication of his book "Personal File", according to the website of the US Department of Justice. The authors of the suit believe that Snowden violated non-disclosure agreements with the CIA and the NSA by releasing the book and making public statements about intelligence.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party could win 31 to 33 seats in Israel's Knesset, while his centre-right bloc could get 54 to 57 seats. This is reported by The Jerusalem Post, citing data from three polls of voters conducted at the exit from the polling stations. According to the exit polls, Benny Gantz's Blue and White party could get 32 ​​to 34 seats in parliament, and his center-left bloc up to 58 seats.

Football club "Zenith" played a draw with the French "Lyon" in the opening match of the group stage of the Champions League. The meeting, held in Lyon, ended with the score 1:1. Zenit got into the Champions League as the winner of the last season of the Russian Football Championship. The club from St. Petersburg was in the same group with Lyon, the Portuguese Benfica and the German RB Leipzig. On October 2, Zenit will play in St. Petersburg against Benfica.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov agreed to discuss changes to the electoral law. The transcript of the conversation between Putin and Zyuganov is published on the Kremlin website.

Dozens of Russian Orthodox Church clergy have released an open letter defending election protesters who have been arrested or sentenced to prison time in the so-called “ Moscow case .” The letter, which was published on the outlet Pravoslavie i mir (Orthodoxy and the World) , had 42 signatories at the time of this writing.

Update. On September 18, the Basmanny Court of Moscow granted the investigation's request to arrest lawyer Dagir Khasavov. Investigative authorities accused lawyer Dagir Khasavov of obstruction of justice and coercion to testify. Interfax reports this with reference to his defender Nariman Adzhiev. Khasavov does not admit guilt. He was detained for 48 hours. During this time, the investigation will go to court to select a preventive measure for him, Adzhiev said.

Andrey Vasiliev / TASS / Scanpix / Leta Dozens of clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church wrote an open letter in defense of the defendants in the Moscow Affairs . The text of the letter is published on the website of the publication "Orthodoxy and the world." By the evening of September 18, it was signed by 105 people from more than 10 countries . The collection of signatures under the appeal continues.

Historian Oleg Budnitsky - On the invasion of the Red Army in Poland 80 years ago SOVFOTO / UIG / Rex / Vida Press Red Army enters Vilna (modern Vilnius). September 1939 80 years ago, on September 17, 1939, the Red Army attacked Poland, which was attacked by Nazi Germany on September 1. Poland could not cope with two large powers - and by the beginning of October the last centers of resistance were destroyed; Thus ended the first month of World War II.

The Klin City Court has satisfied the claim of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation to transfer to the state's income the property owned by the former head of the Klin District of the Moscow Region, Alexander Postrigan, and members of his family. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, property “obtained from sources not provided for by law” was seized.

Dmitry Serebryakov / AP / Scanpix / LETA Aidar Gubaidulin in court. August 21, 2019 Update (September 18): Judge Olesya Mendeleyeva has returned Gubaidulin's case to investigators, after prosecutors suddenly made the request, saying that officials need to review the charges. Gubaidulin was freed in the courtroom and released on his own recognizance. Moscow’s Meshchansky Court has begun hearing the case against 26-year-old computer programmer Aidar Gubaidulin.

Arkhangelsk-based environmental activist Andrey Khristoforov, known as Tree Man Drevarkh the Enlightened, left Russia after a criminal case was opened against him for assaulting a police officer. Khristoforov told 29.ru that he is now in another country and is not going to return. He decided to leave Russia after he was ordered not to leave. How he was able to go abroad is not specified.

Interview with designer Konstantin Konovalov. His leg was broken during the detention three hours before the rally - and then they fined for participation in the rally Archive of Konstantin Konovalov On September 17, the Savelovsky court of Moscow fined 10 thousand rubles, designer Konstantin Konovalov for participating in a protest campaign on July 27. Konovalov was detained near the building of the Moscow City Hall, where the action was supposed to take place - but three hours before it began.

The crew of a poaching vessel from North Korea has attacked a Russian border patrol ship in the Sea of Japan, the FSB reported to the wire service TASS . Three Russian servicemembers were injured as a result. The Russian crew was working to prevent illegal fishing at the time of the attack. It spotted two North Korean poaching schooners and 11 motorboats, arresting one schooner crew with 21 members.

The United States and Belarus will restore diplomatic missions at the ambassadorial level, BelTA informs. The decision was announced at a meeting between US Deputy Secretary of State David Hale, who is visiting Minsk, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus withdrew its ambassador from the United States in March 2008 amid the introduction of US sanctions against Belarusian companies, shortly after that the United States ambassador also left Minsk.

Who would sing the songs of the Great Group if it had not been? Universal Pictures The romantic comedy Danny Boyle “Yesterday” is released - about the world in which everyone forgot the songs of The Beatles. The author of the script is Richard Curtis, the creator of “four weddings and one funeral”, “Notting Hill” and “Real Love”.