The price of Brent oil during trading on Asian markets reached $119.5 per barrel - this is the highest level since the summer of 2022. Bloomberg calls the growth the largest within a day since April 2020. The historical maximum was set in 2008 at $147. Together with Brent, the price of American WTI oil also rose to approximately the same values. Previously, analysts warned of a high probability of prices rising to at least $100 per barrel if hostilities in the Middle East drag on.

The Indian company Reliance Industries Ltd has purchased at least 6 million barrels of Russian oil for delivery in March. Reuters writes about this. The large-scale purchase is due to the fact that supplies from the Middle East were disrupted due to the war with Iran. The delivery became possible after the US administration last week granted New Delhi a 30-day waiver of sanctions for cargo loaded on ships as of March 5.

On the evening of March 9, US President Donald Trump had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was announced by assistant to the Russian President Yuri Ushakov at a briefing for journalists, reports RBC and other Russian media. “The US President noted that, as previously agreed, such communication should, of course, be carried out on a regular basis, and both leaders said that they were ready for this,” Ushakov said.

Vladimir Putin congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed Supreme Leader of Iran by the Council of Experts. The Russian head of state promised Tehran “unfailing support” and expressed solidarity with “Iranian friends.” “Russia has been and will be a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic. Now that Iran is confronting armed aggression, your activities in this high position will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication.

The Black Mirror Telegram channel published documents from a forensic medical examination of the body of Alexei Navalny, carried out after his murder in a colony (be careful, the case materials contain photos that can be traumatizing!). The document contains about 300 pages with photographs of the body, analyzed samples and chromatograms. The government experts themselves, as can be seen from the files, did not even try to test Navalny for the presence of epibatidine.

The US President was dissatisfied with the decision of the Iranian Council of Experts, which appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the former Ayatollah, as the new leader of the Islamic Republic. Donald Trump told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade about this. The details of their conversation are not given.

Russian para-skier Varvara Voronchikhina took first place in the super-giant slalom at the Paralympic Games in Italy. This is the first gold at the Games for the Russian team. Russian athletes are competing under their own flag for the first time in more than 10 years. Voronchikhina competes in the LW6/8-2 category. In this category, athletes typically have problems with one arm and use two skis and one pole. She showed a result of 1 minute 15.6 seconds.

Iran's Council of Experts elected the son of murdered Ali Khamenei, Mojtab Khamenei, to the post of supreme leader of the country (rahbar). This was reported by Fars and Tasnim agencies. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has already sworn allegiance to the new leader of Iran. His statement said that members of the movement are "ready to submit completely and sacrifice their lives" for the sake of the new supreme leader. Mojtaba Khamenei is the third Supreme Leader of Iran.

More than 3.2 thousand Russians performed alternative service at the end of last year - this is a record for at least the last 14 years, according to data from Rostrud, which drew attention to the publication "Vestka". In the first half of the year there were 18% fewer such employees, and at the end of 2024 - by 32%. Compared to the year the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war began, the figure has almost tripled.

On the morning of March 9, the Bahrain National Communications Center also reported a fire at a facility in Al Ma'amira. Local authorities claim that it was attacked by Iran. No injuries or deaths were reported. At the same time, the media write that in the area of ​​the neighboring city of Sitra, 32 people were injured as a result of a drone attack. Following the strike, Bapco, the country's largest power utility, declared force majeure.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. He said Iran was not involved in the downing of the drone on the territory of the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan, and promised to investigate the incident. This was reported by the press service of the Azerbaijani President.

Russian medical colleges began to actively encourage students and graduates to enter into contracts with the Ministry of Defense. Meetings with students are conducted by instructors from selection points for contract service. The Telegram channel “Nurse” drew attention to announcements of campaign events on college websites.

The Central Intelligence Agency seal, set into the lobby floor at its headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Photo: AFP Investigations Michael Weiss 8 March 2026 Investigation: The GRU's Connection to Havana Syndrome In 2024, The Insider and its investigative partners at 60 Minutes and Der Spiegel uncovered evidence showing that “Anomalous Health Incidents,” also known as Havana Syndrome, were likely the result of a directed energy weapon wielded by members of Russian GRU Unit 29155.

Hungarian publication Telex has uncovered a network of more than a thousand Facebook profiles that are allegedly being used to promote the narrative of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party. According to investigators, the pages following each other were created between December and February using artificial intelligence. In particular, many profile photos and posts are noticeably similar.

The air defense system of the North Atlantic Alliance shot down a ballistic missile launched from Iran in Turkish airspace, the Republic's Ministry of Defense reported . The debris fell on an empty plot of land in Gaziantep province in the southern part of the country, near the border with Syria. There were no casualties or damage. “Türkiye attaches great importance to good neighborly relations and regional stability.