The Federation Council denounced the intergovernmental agreement between Russia and the United States on plutonium disposal, approving the State Duma decision adopted two weeks ago. Related agreements were also denounced. The agreement was ratified in 2011, but never actually worked, nuclear policy expert Maxim Starchak noted in a comment to The Insider. The plutonium disposition agreement was signed by Russia and the United States in 2000 and ratified in 2011.

Video circulating online showed two additional strikes. One hit the Dagnotekh oil refinery (Dagestanskie Novye Tekhnologii), according to the independent Russian media outlet Astra . Another struck a commercial building in the same industrial zone. Automatic gunfire could be heard in the footage, apparently from military or territorial defense units firing at drones. Dagestan governor Sergei Melikov confirmed the attack, saying one of the republic’s enterprises was targeted.

The European Parliament awarded the Andrei Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli. They are serving politically motivated sentences in prisons in Belarus and Georgia. Information about this appeared on the website of the European Parliament.

Roskomnadzor said it was taking measures to “partially restrict the operation” of WhatsApp and Telegram instant messengers. This is how the department responded to a TASS request about the reasons for the failures in the platforms, which users from the southern regions of Russia complained about on October 22.

Ambassadors of EU member states approved the 19th package of sanctions against Russia. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the Danish presidency . “We are pleased to announce that all EU Member States have just announced that they are ready to withdraw their objections to the 19th sanctions package. In this regard, a written approval procedure has been launched. If no objections are received, the package will be accepted tomorrow by 8:00 am,” the message says.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia plans to introduce a mandatory Unified State Exam in history next year for everyone who plans to enroll in social and humanitarian fields. The corresponding document was published on October 21 on the federal portal of draft regulatory legal acts. It states that the order should take effect from March 1, 2026 to September 1, 2029.

Scientists have found that the largest volcanic eruption of the 15th century in 1458–1459 occurred not in one place, but in two points on the planet at once. Researchers studied vitrified volcanic ash fragments from an Antarctic ice core and found that they have two different chemical compositions - dacite and rhyolite. This indicates the simultaneous activity of at least two volcanoes.

The Trump administration has lifted "a key restriction on Ukraine's use of some long-range missiles" supplied by Western allies, allowing Kyiv to step up attacks on targets inside Russia and increase pressure on the Kremlin. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal with reference to unnamed American officials. The day before, Ukraine attacked a chemical plant in Bryansk using a Storm Shadow cruise missile supplied by the UK, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported .

The published videos recorded two more hits. One of them, as Astra established , took place on the territory of the oil refinery of Dagnotech LLC (Dagestan New Technologies). Another drone struck a commercial building in the same industrial area. In the footage, automatic shooting can be heard - presumably, military or territorial defense units opened fire on the drones.

58% of Americans believe that all UN member countries should recognize Palestine as an independent state. This is evidenced by the results of a new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted against the backdrop of discussions about a possible truce between Israel and Hamas in the war in the Gaza Strip. 33% of respondents disagreed with this idea, and 9% did not answer. The six-day poll, which ended Monday, showed a wide partisan divide on the issue.

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) A Russian drone struck a kindergarten in Kharkiv earlier today, killing one person and injuring seven, according to reports by Ukrainian officials. The country’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) said that 48 children were in a bomb shelter at the time of the strike, and all were later evacuated to safety. A residential apartment building and a warehouse also caught fire in Kharkiv following the drone attack.

Доступно на русском “A new student joins your class — Stas. He likes to talk about politics and discuss what’s happening in society. He’s persuasive, considers himself part of the opposition, and thinks it’s cool to challenge public opinion. One day, Stas invites several classmates to join an unauthorized rally, promising it will be fun and exciting. He even says there’s a cash reward for taking part. Your friends ask you to come along.

The International Olympic Committee has stopped all negotiations with the Indonesian National Olympic Committee to host future Olympics and other events following the country's refusal to grant visas to Israeli athletes. The IOC reported this on its website. The IOC Executive Board met remotely this week and discussed the situation regarding the cancellation of visas for Israeli gymnasts for the 53rd World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta.

Israel identified the bodies of two more hostages, which Hamas returned on the evening of October 21. According to The Times of Israel, citing the IDF, these are Aryeh Zalmanovich (85) and Tamir Adar (38), residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Arye Zalmanovich's death was announced on December 1, 2023. One of the previously released hostages, who was in captivity with him, said that he died due to lack of medical care and medicine.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on the first criminal case under the article introduced in September on the illegal transfer of telephone numbers to third parties. Despite the minor gravity of the article, special forces and the Federal Police Department for Combating Cybercrimes (UBK MVD) participated in the arrest of the suspect.