Archive September 19, 2025

The Kamchatka region in Russia’s Far East has experienced an “aftershock” from a sizable earthquake in July, which the US Geological Survey has referred to as an “aftershock.”

There were no reports of damage despite the region’s early on Friday’s quake, which issued a number of tsunami warnings.

The quake, according to the US Geological Survey, was the result of “shallow reverse faulting” at a depth of 10 kilometers (66.2 miles), followed by a number of aftershocks of up to 5.8 magnitude.

The magnitude of the earthquake, which was reported as 7.2%, was reported by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry.

No damage has been reported so far, according to Kamchatka regional governor Vladimir Solodov, who stated that all emergency services have been placed in a state of high readiness.

Solodov wrote in the Telegram messaging app, “This morning once more tests the resilience of Kamchatka residents.” We began a quick inspection of social institutions and residential buildings right away following the earthquake.

The peninsula’s eastern shore, which extends far beyond the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean, is issued with a tsunami warning.

Other officials along the peninsula’s coast reported tsunami waves that ranged from 30 to 62 centimeters (1 to 2 feet).

The Emergencies Ministry reported that parts of the northern Kuril island chain received a tsunami warning.

People’s light fittings shook, furniture shook, and cars parked in the street rocked as their security alarms sounded, according to videos posted on social media.

Following the earthquake, the US National Weather Service and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory for some of Alaska.

At least two earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 7.0 have occurred in Kamchatka over the past week because the area is extremely seismic.

A tsunami flooded a seaport town in July, which had an magnitude of 8.8 and sent tsunami warnings to the entire Pacific.

The volcano’s inhabitants captured the earthquake’s onset on #Kamchatka on camera.

Online footage of the potent #earthquake in Kamchatka has been released.

A helicopter that just dropped off a picture appears in the first video, which was shot by experts from one of the research centers. twitter.com/tboMJLaaxi

According to Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the spy agency will launch a web portal on the dark web to find informants and get access to secret information from Russian and international agents.

On Friday, the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) will make the official announcement that the secure messaging service “Silent Courier” will be available.

It aims to make use of the anonymity of the dark web, a murky, secret area of the internet frequently used by criminal actors, and make it possible for anyone to contact the UK spy agency securely anywhere in the world.

According to a statement from the Foreign Office, users of the portal can offer their own services or securely share information about illicit activities anywhere in the world.

The MI6 chief’s departure on Friday will set up the website in Istanbul, which will be officially launched on Friday.

When Moore formally reveals the plans, Moore will say, “Today, we’re asking those with sensitive information about global instability, international terrorism, or hostile state intelligence activity to contact MI6 securely online.”

He will add, “Our virtual door is open to you.”

The verified YouTube channel for MI6 will have instructions for how to use the portal available to the public.

Users have been persuaded to use VPNs and other self-contained devices to access it.

MI6 was established in 1909, but the UK government did not give it official recognition until the 1990s.

Only its head, known as “C,” is a publicly recognizable member of the service and operates from the iconic SIS Building on the banks of the Thames in London.

New Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper remarked in advance of the portal’s launch that “national security is the first duty of any government and the foundation of the prime minister’s Plan for Change,” referring to a national revitalisation plan that the premier and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer had outlined in December.

We must ensure that the UK is always one step ahead of our adversaries as the world changes and the threats we face grow, Cooper said.

She continued, “We’re now supporting their efforts with cutting-edge technology so that MI6 can find new spies for the UK, in Russia and all over the world,” she continued.

On Friday, September 19, 2018, this is how things are going.

Fighting

As Ukraine launches its offensive against Russia’s extensive oil and gas industry, Ukrainian drones strike a significant oil processing and petrochemical complex in the Bashkortostan region and a refinery in the Volgograd region.
• According to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, Russian military units claim to have taken over Yampol, a village in western Ukraine, and established new positions close to five residential areas there.
• Valery Gerasimov, the head of Russia’s most powerful force, claimed that along the front lines with Ukraine, Russia is “almost gaining ground” in “almost all directions.
• In response to Ukraine’s “heroic defense” of the region, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the country’s president, asserted that Russian losses have increased in Pokrovsk, in the eastern city.
• Authorities in Latvia discovered debris near Ventspils, a Russian drone, on the Baltic coast. Andris Spruds, the country’s defense minister, claimed the object was a “decoy” Gerbera drone’s tail end, and that it was safe to use it.

Regional security

• The US Department of State has approved the purchase of Polish Javelin missile systems for an estimated $ 780 million. The agreement would improve the security of a NATO ally, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
• Polish engineers and soldiers will be taught how to defend against drone warfare by Ukraine. More than 20 drones were shot down by Polish and NATO forces in Ukraine’s airspace during a Russian airstrike on neighboring Ukraine a week prior to the announcement.
• Andrius Kubilius, the European Commission’s defense commissioner, announced plans to meet with defense ministers next week to discuss building a “drone wall” along the eastern border of the EU. This idea was already being discussed prior to the most recent instances of Russian drone incursions in EU airspace.
• At this week’s Taiwanese defense expo, Ukraine’s anti-drone technology was displayed. It had been tested against Russia.

Process of peace

• Donald Trump, the president of the US, expressed his disappointment with Vladimir Putin over his failure to reach an agreement on a peace deal with Ukraine in a Fox News interview.
• Because of my relationship with President Putin, I anticipated that the solution would be Russia-Ukraine. So I’m disappointed, Trump said.
• Trump also stated in the same interview that the US would assist in Ukraine’s efforts to end world war two. We would assist in ensuring peace once the war is over. And I believe that will ultimately occur,” he said.
• After speaking with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a separate press conference, Trump claimed that President Putin “has really let me down.”
• Trump and Starmer “decisively” put pressure on Putin to agree to a peace deal during the discussion, according to Starmer.
• According to TASS, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacted to Trump by saying, “I don’t know him very well, but I know him well, but I have spoken with him several times, and I have forged a certain impression… that this is partly because he wants quick solutions.”

diplomacy and politics

President Zelenskyy thanked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on X for his “assistance in returning Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.” He claimed to have spoken with him. After making reference to Ukraine at a dinner with Trump on Wednesday, he thanked King Charles of the United Kingdom for his “steady support.”

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, and I spoke with him on Twitter @TamimBinHamad.

I thanked him for his assistance in bringing back Ukrainian children who had been abducted by Russia. This kind of kindness and care for our children is very important to us.

I urged Qatar to participate in…

Energy and the economy

• According to the Reuters news agency, Russia’s Ministry of Finance has announced a new measure to protect the country’s budget from oil price fluctuations and Western sanctions. For September, Russian oil and gas sales are expected to decline by 23 percent from the previous year, according to the Reuters news agency.
• Putin reaffirmed his desire to boost Russia’s wartime economy by enacting measures to increase taxes on the wealthy, such as a luxury tax or higher stock dividend taxes.

Sanctions

• According to an official, the European Commission will release its 19th package of sanctions against Russia on Friday, which includes a proposal to outlaw Russian liquefied natural gas.
• 95 “shadow fleet” Russian vessels, which are oil tankers used to evade Western sanctions, have received new sanctions from Australia. Following a similar move by the EU, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Japan, the government also reduced the price cap for Russian oil to $47.60 per barrel, from $ 60 per barrel.