In late 2022, Russia established a top-secret unit of elite intelligence agents with a sweeping mandate to carry out assassinations, abductions, and sabotage abroad. But according to a new investigation by The Insider, one officer has exposed the entire group by using Google Translate. Known internally as Center 795, this unit was established by a Russian General Staff order in December 2022 as part of an effort to expand intelligence operations following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said that the United States has sent 10,000 interceptor drones to the Middle East, which were combat tested during Russia's war with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on March 13. The U.S. deployed Merops drones within five days of the U.S. and Israel going to war with Iran on Feb. 28, up to March 4, Driscoll said. The artificial intelligence-enabled Merops drones were developed by Project Eagle, the defense venture of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

The US Department of Defense is additionally transferring marines and several warships to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 13, citing three US officials. According to them, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth approved the request from US Central Command, which is responsible for US troops in the Middle East. The command asked to send a rapid response landing group, which usually consists of several ships and five thousand Marines, writes WSJ.

The High Qualification Board of Judges (HQJC) stripped the chairman of the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal, Sergei Sedov, and the judge of the same court, Boris Steshan, of their judge status, RBC reported on March 13, citing sources. As the publication notes, the last high-profile case that Boris Steshan considered was the dispute between Sberbank and the FIT company, the developer of the PayQR payment service.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced that Cuban representatives have begun negotiations with US authorities. He announced this at a televised press conference, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 13.

Maksim Blinov / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia Municipal workers at one of the residential buildings damaged during the Ukrainian shelling of Bryansk. March 11, 2026. On March 10, the Russian border city of Bryansk suffered its deadliest attack since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. Ukrainian forces struck the Kremniy El microelectronics plant, also damaging a nearby technical college and several residential buildings.

Authorities are talking about the spread of a dangerous disease. Farmers block roads and complain to Putin Siberian Express Police in the village of Kozikha, Ordynsky district, Novosibirsk region. Village residents tried to block the road, protesting against the removal of animals to a cattle burial ground. March 9, 2026 In the Novosibirsk region, five people were detained after protests by farmers against the mass slaughter of livestock, the Agency reports .

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 773 people since March 2. This data was provided by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Another 1,933 people were injured, according to authorities, including 103 children. As The Times of Israel notes, the Lebanese government does not differentiate between civilians and Hezbollah fighters in its statistics. Lebanon is embroiled in a major new war in the Middle East after Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, began shelling Israel.

The artist was correctly identified back in 2008 as Robin Gunningham. But now his name is David Jones Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images Drawing by Banksy in the village of Gorenka, Kyiv region, November 19, 2022 Reuters has released an investigation by Simon Gardner, James Pearson and Blake Morrison into the identity of Banksy, an anonymous street artist whose mystery the media have been trying to unravel for decades.

The US Department of Defense and National Security Council significantly underestimated Tehran's willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz when planning a war against Iran, several people familiar with the matter told CNN. The channel's interlocutors argue that the Donald Trump administration did not fully appreciate the potential economic consequences of military actions, which led to what some officials are now calling a “worst-case scenario” for the United States.

Join the stream! Where: on our YouTube channel. When: March 16 at 15:00 Moscow time On March 15 in Los Angeles (on the night of the 16th Moscow time) the 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held. The film “Sinners” has the most nominations – it is competing for statuettes in 16 categories at once. Also competing for the Oscar in the Best Documentary Film category is the film “Mr. Nobody vs. Putin,” about war propaganda among schoolchildren in the Ural city of Karabash.

The main points from The Insider's investigation At the end of 2022, a new top-secret intelligence unit was created in Russia, the purpose of which was, among other things, to kill and kidnap opponents of the Russian government abroad, The Insider found out . Journalists found out where it is based, who runs it and who finances it.

The Russian Justice Ministry has designated scholar Nina Khrushcheva a “foreign agent,” according to an update published on Friday. A professor of international affairs at The New School in New York City, Khrushcheva is the great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushcheva has lived in the United States since 1991. She has openly condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting pro-war activists in Russia to write denunciations against her.

The United States has temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil that is currently at sea. The exemptions, issued by the Treasury Department on Thursday, will remain in effect until April 11. Writing on X , Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move aims “to promote stability in global energy markets” and “keep prices low” amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Dasha Trofimova for Meduza Pavel Talankin On March 15, the Oscars will be held in Los Angeles. One of the nominees for Best Documentary Feature is “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a film about wartime propaganda targeting schoolchildren in the central Russian town of Karabash . The movie has already won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2025 and the 2026 BAFTA for Best Documentary.