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Uzbekistan Signs the Artemis Accords With Rubio in Samarkand, Saidov Says
October 19, 2026
Saidov says the signing with Marco Rubio makes Uzbekistan the 77th signatory; NASA's own page still listed San Marino as the 76th and latest.
SAMARKAND — Uzbekistan’s foreign minister signed the Artemis Accords with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, Bakhtiyor Saidov wrote on his official Telegram channel, putting Tashkent’s name to a NASA and State Department framework for the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids. Saidov said the signing followed their bilateral talks and that Uzbekistan became the 77th country to sign. By TEH’s arithmetic, that is six countries in 49 days, counting from Türkiye, which NASA called the 71st when it signed on August 31.
NASA and the State Department launched the accords in 2020 with seven other nations.
Saidov wrote that the document opens “new opportunities for Uzbekistan to expand cooperation with NASA and the space agencies of other participating countries, train national specialists and facilitate the transfer of space technologies.” He named no mission, payload, budget or date.
What Uzbekistan has committed to is on NASA’s Artemis Accords page, which says signatories pledge to share scientific data openly, publish their space policies and plans, and notify others of operations through “safety zones” meant to avoid harmful interference. Saidov’s post does not say whether Tashkent has a national space plan to publish.
The benefits are vaguer. NASA’s September 28 release, which counted 76 signatories, says the agency has invited every signatory to join its Moon Base through “scientific payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats, and other capabilities.”
TEH has reported on the first Moon Base contracts. Nothing TEH read says Uzbekistan has accepted an invitation.
The signing was one item in a crowded day. Saidov also described the first meeting of an Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue with Rubio, covering energy, critical minerals and advanced technologies, and a joint visit to an exhibition on shared history.
It came two days after President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received Chinese Premier Li Qiang, his office said, a meeting TEH covered in Li Qiang’s Uzbekistan visit.
When TEH read it, NASA’s Artemis Accords page still listed San Marino, which signed on September 25, as the 76th and latest, and TEH found no NASA or State Department notice on Uzbekistan.
For now the 77th count is Saidov’s alone. What the signing buys Uzbekistan beyond a seat in the group, he did not say.
https://easternherald.com/2026/10/19/uzbekistan-artemis-accords-samarkand-rubio/
moar
https://www.unilad.com/news/world-news/astronaut-terrifying-moment-dark-side-moon-unable-to-return-791184-20261019
https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2026/10/19/nasa-glenn-research-center-team-develops-material
https://www.firstpost.com/world/indian-diaspora/nasas-puffins-mission-indian-origin-scientist-on-how-cosmic-dust-could-help-find-life-beyond-earth-14053645.html
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/autumn-paints-polands-bieszczady-mountains/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVcIqNXAkPc (NASA Astronaut Discusses Life in Space with Minnesota Public Radio – Monday, October 19, 2026)
Spacewalk Preps and Advanced Biomedical Research Begin Week
October 19, 2026 12:22PM
Spacewalk preparations kicked off the week aboard the International Space Station as two astronauts get ready to install a roll-out solar array at the end of October.
Biomedical research, including portable biological sampling in microgravity and 3D cell printing, topped the science schedule for the Expedition 75 crew.
Flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA and Joshua Kutryk of CSA (Canadian Space Agency) are gearing up for the first of two spacewalks to install roll-out solar arrays on the space station’s truss structure.
The first spacewalk is scheduled for Oct. 29 when Menon will go on his fourth excursion and Kutryk will go on his first to install a roll-out solar array on the truss structure’s port side.
The second spacewalk will take place on Nov. 5 when the duo will install the station’s eighth and final roll-out solar array on the truss structure’s starboard side.
NASA managers will discuss the upcoming spacewalks during a news conference from Johnson Space Center at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 20. NASA will stream the event through a variety of platforms including YouTube.
Menon worked inside the Quest airlock on Monday and cleaned cooling loops in a pair of spacesuits that keep the suits thermally conditioned and astronauts comfortable during a spacewalk.
Afterward, Kutryk filled the spacesuit tanks and liquid cooling and ventilation garments with clean water. The pair also joined NASA flight engineers Luke Delaney and Jessica Watkins and called down to mission controllers for a pre-spacewalk conference.
Delaney is working on a new experiment delivered recently aboard a SpaceX Dragon that seeks to demonstrate analyzing crew biological samples in space, rather than on Earth, for quicker health insights.
Rather than depending on costly return missions and large laboratories, the study is exploring using portable, compact tools on the station to speed up medical testing possibly leading to personalized treatments in space.
Watkins began her shift in the Kibo laboratory module servicing delicate sample processing hardware and stowing its sample-containing fluid loops in a science freezer.
Afterward, Watkins set up the BioFabrication Facility in the Columbus laboratory module to print blood vessels during the week made from the cells of patients with a rare genetic disorder that causes rapid aging.
Observations in weightlessness may provide deeper insights into the cellular affliction possibly leading to advanced therapies for the accelerated aging disease.
The space station’s three cosmonauts from Roscosmos worked throughout Monday on physics, super intelligence, and inventory duties.
Station commander Pyotr Dubrov explored complex plasmas, or mixtures of ionized gas, neutral gas, and microscopic particles, that become highly charged, interact strongly with each other, and may create plasma crystals.
Results may influence the design of future spacecraft and lead to new research methods.
Flight engineer Sergey Teteryatnikov studied using super intelligence tools that may boost crew efficiency aboard a spacecraft and transcribe crew reports for review by mission controllers on Earth.
Flight engineer Anna Kikina organized food packs to ensure consumption before the expiration date then documented the location of hardware inside the Zarya module.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/10/19/spacewalk-preps-and-advanced-biomedical-research-begin-week/
moar
https://www.firstpost.com/world/indian-diaspora/nasas-puffins-mission-indian-origin-scientist-on-how-cosmic-dust-could-help-find-life-beyond-earth-14053645.html
https://x.com/NASASpaceAlerts/status/2111849789570634039
https://x.com/usembassytokyo/status/2112056250422980853
https://x.com/NASAhistory/status/2112197078688440637
Agents race to Minnesota crash site as 'foreign' object from space is found in crops
10:41 EDT, 19 October 2026 | Updated: 11:03 EDT, 19 October 2026
Agents rushed to a Minnesota farm midafternoon last week after receiving a call about a 'foreign' object found in a crop field.
Authorities said in a Facebook post: 'On October 14, 2026, at approximately 3.30pm, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call [about] foreign debris that was found in a cornfield in Scott Township.'
They found a metallic object approximately 11 feet in diameter that authorities believe may be space debris.
Footage shared online by locals in Alberta shows two black vehicles parked just feet from the object as officers examine it.
The object appeared scorched along its underside, and farmers reportedly discovered the object while combining their fields.
The Minnesota Duty Officer was alerted, prompting a response from federal agencies. Authorities have since moved the object to a secure location.
The sheriff's office is coordinating with state and federal officials to identify and contact the object's owner and arrange its removal from the field.
Stevens County Sheriff Jason Dingman said that because the incident is an ongoing investigation, he cannot say which federal agencies are involved.
'There are several various agencies assisting in the determination of origin of this object,' Dingman said Friday afternoon.
'We're not getting fed much information either and what info we do get is pretty cryptic.
'So I think somebody way up the food chain above my head knows what this thing is but they are not even telling us.'
Chokio resident Tena Wilts told the Star Tribune that she saw the object on Thursday while driving to her parents' house, about three miles away from the field.
'It's very large. Compared to the trucks, it seems very large and bizarre that it just kind of landed there in the middle of a field,' Wilts said.
'We had a tornado through the area a few weeks ago, so that came to mind. You hear about space garbage, too, so that comes to mind.'
Officials told KARE 11 that serial numbers were visible on the object, potentially offering investigators a way to trace its manufacturer or owner. Authorities have said the discovery poses no danger to the public.
Space debris includes defunct satellites, spent rocket stages and fragments created when spacecraft break apart or collide, according to NASA.
Some objects eventually fall back toward Earth as their orbits decay.
During reentry, spacecraft generally break apart roughly 45 to 52 miles above the surface.
Their fragments then encounter intense heating as they descend, with some burning up and others surviving the journey to the ground.
NASA explains that components made from materials with higher melting points, including titanium and stainless steel, can survive longer than parts made from aluminum.
Pieces protected inside larger structures may also be shielded from heating until the surrounding material breaks apart. NASA uses computer models to predict which spacecraft components might survive reentry.
Controlled reentries are designed to guide debris toward remote areas, usually over the ocean. With an uncontrolled descent, however, NASA says there is no guarantee that surviving fragments will avoid populated land.
Investigators have not publicly linked the Minnesota object to a particular satellite, rocket or launch.
https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-16220723/minnesota-space-object-crash-crop-field.html
https://people.com/suspected-11-foot-space-debris-found-in-cornfield-12178398
moar general space
https://people.com/astronaut-leading-research-mission-to-study-menstruation-in-space-exclusive-12173926
Vandenberg Space Force Base Issues Safety Advisory for EOD Explosive Operations at Building 11177
October 19, 2026
Safety notification issued for planned explosive tool testing at Vandenberg.
The Hot Launch carries command messages, emergency messages and force protection change notifications.
EOD will be conducting off-range explosive tool operations at the EOD building, Bldg. 11177, Monday, October 19, 2026.
Detonation window will be 1200 to 1400. There will be a single detonation equal to a 12-gauge shotgun shell.
FOR SAFETY PURPOSES, PLEASE AVOID the EOD building, Bldg. 11177, Monday, October 19, 2026 from 1200 to 1400.
https://www.edhat.com/news/vandenberg-eod-explosive-operations-building-11177-advisory/
moar Space Force
https://www.petersonschriever.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/News/Display/Article/4628300/space-base-delta-1-induction-ceremony/
https://www.petersonschriever.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/News/Display/Article/4628696/peterson-space-force-base-celebrates-chapel-playground-grand-opening/
https://x.com/USSpaceForce/status/2111839781109793243
https://x.com/USSF_SSC/status/2111183722418507943
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/10/mmx-launch/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn6gzuGa-6c (Launch live streaming of Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)/H3 Launch Vehicle flight No.10(English))
Japanese MMX mission set for launch to study Martian moons
October 19, 2026
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is poised to launch a planetary probe to Mars’s moon Phobos, taking advantage of this year’s window to reach the Red Planet on an ideal trajectory.
The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is scheduled to fly on Monday, Oct. 19, at 19:41 UTC from the LA-Y2 pad at the Tanegashima Space Center atop an H3-24L rocket.
The 63 m-tall H3-24L, the most powerful variant of the Japanese H3 rocket family, will follow an eastward trajectory from Tanegashima, powered by two LE-9 engines that use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants, plus four solid rocket boosters.
The rocket, known individually as H3 F10, will also use the long fairing configuration to protect MMX from aerodynamic forces in the lower atmosphere.
The second stage and MMX will reach an initial parking orbit around Earth at T+10:40 minutes.
After the 4,480 kg MMX spacecraft separates from the rocket at T+1:11:12 hours, it will be on a trajectory that takes 10 months to reach Mars, with arrival in August 2027.
MMX will orbit Mars before its main mission to study the moons Phobos and Deimos.
Phobos, the largest moon of Mars at 27 by 22 by 18 km in size, is the mission’s primary objective due to its greater variety of terrain than Deimos.
However, MMX will also conduct flybys of Deimos, which is just 15 by 12 by 11 km in size, to gather additional data. Deimos is covered in a thick layer of regolith, partially burying its craters.
Phobos and Deimos, discovered telescopically in 1877, get their names from the Greek words for “fear” and “terror,” respectively.
Both moons of Mars have been imaged and studied by prior Mars missions, including Europe’s Mars Express, NASA’s orbiter missions, and the Emirati Hope probe, launched to Mars on a Japanese rocket in 2020.
MMX will enter a “quasi-satellite orbit” (QSO) near Phobos around a month after arrival at Mars, as that moon’s gravity, only 1/1700th that of Earth, is too weak to support a regular circular orbit.
The spacecraft will orbit Mars in such a way that it “follows” Phobos and appears to orbit the small moon, which is slowly spiraling inward toward Mars and may eventually form a ring.
From its QSO, MMX will intensively study Phobos with its multinational arsenal of 13 science instruments. The mission has extensive international involvement, with NASA providing the Mars moons Exploration with GAmma rays and NEutrons (MEGANE) instrument.
In addition, France’s CNES provides the MMX InfraRed Spectrometer (MIRS), and CNES and Germany’s DLR provide the IDEFIX rover.
The European Space Agency will provide support to MMX, including access to its tracking stations in Spain, Argentina, and Australia.
NASA’s Deep Space Network, with its Goldstone, Madrid, and Canberra facilities, will also supplement JAXA’s own deep space tracking stations in Misasa and Usuda. In addition, Europe is providing a Ka-band antenna on MMX.
The spacecraft’s 13 instruments will analyze Phobos and Deimos in detail. MEGANE, which is also the Japanese word for “eyeglasses,” was developed at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.
This instrument is designed to measure energy from neutrons and gamma rays emitted by the moon, to “see” the elemental composition of Phobos.
The French-developed MIRS instrument is designed to characterize the mineral composition of Phobos and Deimos using a near-infrared imaging spectrometer.
Besides the spectrometers, MMX also features several cameras, including Super Hi-Vision cameras that will observe Mars at 4K and 8K resolutions, a capability that has not been achieved at the Red Planet before.
The Telescopic Nadir imager for GeOmOrphology (TENGOO) is a telescopic camera with a resolution of 40 cm that will map surface topography and geomorphological features of Phobos and Deimos.
TENGOO will work alongside the Optical RadiOmeter composed of CHromatic Imagers (OROCHI). OROCHI is designed to image in multiple wavelengths and is a wide-angle spectroscopic camera that can identify hydrated minerals and organic matter.
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The spacecraft will also study the Martian system with other tools, including the LIDAR laser altimeter, the Circum-Martian Dust Monitor, the Mass Spectrum Analyzer, and the Interplanetary Radiation Environment Monitor.
Besides the instruments built into the spacecraft, MMX will also release the European-provided IDEFIX rover to the surface of Phobos.
IDEFIX, named after a dog in the famous French comic Asterix, will be the first rover ever to land on a moon other than Earth’s own companion, and also will be the first rover ever to attempt to operate on a small body with limited gravity.
The rover will try to demonstrate that it can operate in a low-gravity environment, and it is equipped with cameras, a radiometer, and a Raman spectrometer.
MMX will use two sampling tools once it lands on Phobos. The corer sampler (C-SMP) will drill more than two centimeters into the moon’s surface to gather core samples using a robotic arm and an actuator that employs a special shape-memory alloy.
The pneumatic sampler (P-SMP) will work alongside the C-SMP to collect regolith from the surface.
The P-SMP is yet another example of international collaboration on this Japanese-led mission, as it is provided by NASA and Honeybee Robotics, a company that is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Origin.
Honeybee Robotics has extensive experience in building tools for planetary missions, having developed tools for the Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity Mars rovers as well as the Mars Phoenix lander.
Once MMX enters its QSO with Phobos, it will spend over one Earth year scanning the moon, including a search for safe yet interesting landing sites, and will release IDEFIX to the surface before MMX itself lands on Phobos.
The probe’s two landings on Phobos will occur no earlier than December 2028, and it will spend just two to three hours on the surface collecting samples. The mission’s target is to collect at least 10 g of material from Phobos.
The samples will be returned to Earth in a sample return capsule, which will land in Australia in 2031. MMX will likely be the first ever mission to return to Earth from the Martian system, and the probe will leave Mars with its samples in 2030.
The samples could also become the first ever to arrive on Earth from the Martian system, though China is planning the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission to return to Earth around 2031 as well.
MMX is not the first mission to attempt to land on Phobos, or even to return samples from the moon.
The Soviet Union launched the Phobos 1 and Phobos 2 probes in 1988; Phobos 1 lost contact during interplanetary cruise, but Phobos 2 successfully arrived at Mars in January 1989.
However, controllers lost contact with Phobos 2 in late March just before it was planned to land on Phobos’ surface.
Over two decades later, Russia attempted to return to Phobos with a lander-and-sample-return mission based on the Phobos 1 and 2 probes.
The Phobos-Grunt probe launched to low-Earth orbit in 2011, but its upper stage failed to ignite, preventing the probe from reaching Mars. Phobos-Grunt ended up reentering Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a destructive end.
MMX aims to succeed where these past missions failed. Scientists hope that the samples brought back from Phobos will answer whether the Martian moons were captured asteroids or were formed when a large body impacted Mars, as Earth’s Moon is thought to have formed.
The samples could also tell scientists a great deal about the early Martian system’s evolution, especially since Phobos’ surface is thought to be covered with material ejected from Mars by meteorite impacts.
If this is true, the samples could contain direct evidence of conditions — including water and biosignatures — on the Martian surface.
MMX is not Japan’s first sample return mission. JAXA has experience landing and retrieving samples of the asteroids 25143 Itokawa and 162173 Ryugu with its Hayabusa probes.
The first Hayabusa probe returned less than a gram of material from Itokawa in 2010, whereas Hayabusa2 returned 5.4 g of material from Ryugu in 2020.
The MMX launch is the third of 2026 for the H3, and the only launch to Mars during this year’s window, which recurs every 26 months.
While MMX studies the Martian moons and, secondarily, the planet itself, a number of missions from different agencies to the Red Planet are planned for the coming years, including ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover, NASA’s SR-1 Freedom, and Tianwen-3, all currently scheduled to fly in 2028.
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https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Science_and_technology_for_the_Moon
moar ESA
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/OASIS_a_European_service_station_for_the_Moon
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid/Euclid_discovers_new_comet
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/A_Mars-velous_decade_Celebrating_ten_years_of_TGO
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2111835275294806446
Science and technology for the Moon
19/10/2026
Returning to the Moon is about more than reaching the surface.
Before we can live and work there long-term, we need to learn how to operate safely and sustainably in the lunar environment, understand its resources and develop the technologies that future explorers will depend on.
Over the coming years, ESA will fly a series of science investigations and technology demonstrations designed to answer these questions and prepare the next phase of lunar exploration.
Through these missions, Europe is building the knowledge and capabilities needed to explore the Moon more effectively and sustainably in the decades ahead.
LandCam-X
Landing safely on the Moon remains one of the most challenging parts of a mission.
LandCam-X will fly on Voyager’s Griffin-1 lander and record imagery of the Moon’s changing landscape during descent, providing real mission data to improve autonomous landing systems and make future lunar landings safer and smarter.
MPAc and SOP120
Launching on Intuitive Machines’ IM-3 mission, MPAc will use laser ranging to measure the Earth-Moon distance with unprecedented precision. By improving a technique used since the Apollo era, it will help scientists study the Moon’s interior and test fundamental physics.
The same launch will also carry Scanway’s SOP120 telescope to lunar orbit, from which ESA will purchase landing-site survey data to support future exploration.
Lunar Pathfinder and PLATE
Lunar Pathfinder will become Europe’s first dedicated lunar communications relay satellite and the first element of Moonlight, ESA’s future communications and navigation service for the Moon.
The satellite will be placed in lunar orbit during Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2. One of its first users will be LuSEE-Night, a NASA radio astronomy experiment that will be delivered to the lunar surface during the same mission.
The same launch will also carry PLATE to the lunar surface, a materials experiment on the wheels of the Rashid-2 rover that will help engineers understand how lunar dust and abrasion affect spacecraft materials.
Prospect
Water ice is one of the biggest questions in lunar exploration. ESA’s Prospect package will travel to the Moon on Intuitive Machines' IM-4 mission, where it will drill up to one metre beneath the south polar surface to collect samples that may contain water ice and other volatiles.
A powerful scientific suite will analyse these samples and demonstrate technologies for extracting resources such as oxygen from the regolith, helping scientists understand the Moon's history while assessing resources that could support future explorers.
As one of ESA's most ambitious lunar science investigations, Prospect is a major step towards our sustainable exploration of the Moon.
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UWB
Future explorers on the Moon will need reliable ways to communicate and locate one another. ESA’s ultra-wideband (UWB) demonstrator will test wireless communications and precise ranging between a lander and rover on the lunar surface.
Similar technologies are already used on Earth, but this instrument will assess whether they can support future lunar operations.
EMS
The Exploration Mass Spectrometer (EMS) will investigate the Moon’s extremely thin exosphere, identifying chemical species close to the surface and how they vary from place to place.
Flying on the Japanese and Indian LUPEX mission, the instrument will help scientists understand how lunar volatiles such as water move around the Moon and provide new insights into the lunar environment and its history.
RPS
The Rover Permittivity Sensor (RPS) suite will search for water ice hidden beneath the lunar surface.
Mounted directly inside a wheel of the Rashid-3 rover, the instrument will measure how regolith responds to electrical signals, allowing scientists to identify possible ice deposits below ground.
Its findings will help improve our understanding of lunar resources and their potential accessibility for future missions.
OASIS and ECHO
Long-term exploration requires not just astronauts and rovers but also infrastructure.
OASIS is a small lunar service station that can provide power, communications and data handling for science experiments and technology demonstrations, even through the extreme cold of the lunar night, allowing these to operate for years rather than a single lunar day.
The first payloads planned to use OASIS is ECHO, the Environment Characterisation and Heliophysics Observatory.
This suite of instruments will investigate the Moon's space environment, from the charged particles and tenuous exosphere above the surface to the abrasive lunar dust that covers it.
By improving our understanding of these conditions before lunar exploration accelerates, ECHO will help prepare safer and more sustainable missions to the Moon.
Looking ahead
Collectively, these missions are helping us understand the lunar environment, assess potential resources, and develop the communications, navigation and infrastructure that future missions will rely on.
Their findings will help determine how humans and robots can operate safely on the Moon, where future infrastructure could be established, and how future scientific discoveries can be enabled.
ESA is using every opportunity available to build these capabilities step by step through international partnerships, European innovation and a growing range of commercial lunar missions.
Working with partners across Europe and around the world, these projects demonstrate a practical and collaborative approach to exploration.
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‘Great progress’ in Ukraine peace talks – Trump
19 Oct, 2026 11:51 | Updated 19 Oct, 2026 12:55
The US president has defended holding back sanctions on Russia to preserve negotiations, while Moscow says it values Washington’s mediation efforts
Negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict are making “great progress,” US President Donald Trump has said, defending his decision to hold back economic pressure on Russia to keep diplomacy moving.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said his priority is securing a settlement rather than taking steps that could undermine ongoing negotiations.
“I am in the process of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” he wrote.
“Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations!” Trump added, without specifying who he meant. His administration has previously negotiated the release of several Americans jailed in Russia and has also helped mediate several prisoner-of-war exchanges between Moscow and Kiev, including a May agreement providing for the return of 1,000 prisoners on each side.
The president’s remarks followed his waiver of sweeping penalties pushed by the late US lawmaker Lindsey Graham, dubbed the “sanctions from hell,” including tariffs targeting Russia and major purchasers of its energy.
Washington also eased restrictions on Russian diesel exports earlier this month to alleviate rising global fuel prices.
Trump noted that he retains the option to enact the sanctions later, but argued that Russia is “doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way.”
He also accused Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky of resisting a settlement despite extensive Western funding, while criticizing Kiev’s continued attacks on Russian refineries for disrupting global diesel markets.
Moscow welcomed Washington’s continued diplomatic engagement on Monday. “The American side continues its mediation and peacemaking efforts, which we highly appreciate,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
However, a final settlement is impossible without participation by someone representing Kiev who is prepared to take responsibility, he added.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy and a participant in negotiations, also applauded Trump’s message for exposing Zelensky’s “true hidden motivation” and pointing out that the Ukrainian leader “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.”
At Friday’s EU summit in Brussels, Zelensky sought another €70 billion ($78.5 billion) in foreign financing for next year, in addition to the €90 billion already being paid out by the bloc to bankroll Kiev’s war effort.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected participation in further financing, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis ruled out guarantees from Prague.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, however, said the European Commission would nevertheless examine further funding options.
https://rt-english.com/news/647387-trump-great-progress-ukraine-talks/
moar RT
https://rt-english.com/russia/647381-bastrykin-starobelsk-strike-starlink/
https://rt-english.com/russia/647382-belgorod-wounded-drone-attack/
https://rt-english.com/russia/647384-zelensky-presidency-second-term/
https://rt-english.com/russia/647369-zelensky-peace-deal-end-regime-lavrov/
Ukrainian Forces Strike russian Radar Station, Ammunition Depots, and Drone Positions
October 19, 2026
Ukrainian forces struck russian military targets in Bryansk region inside russia and in Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, hitting radar, artillery, drone, ammunition storage, logistics, and personnel positions
Ukrainian forces struck russian radar system in Bryansk region, artillery and drone operator positions in Kharkiv region, and several logistics and personnel concentrations in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the strikes on October 19.
The radar station was hit near Trubchevsk in russia's Bryansk region. According to the General Staff, systematically targeting russian radar stations creates gaps in the enemy's radar coverage and weakens its air defense system.
These gaps allow Ukrainian forces to employ unmanned systems more effectively at different levels, from the tactical zone along the line of contact to military facilities deep inside russian territory.
In Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces struck russian artillery firing position and a position occupied by drone crews near Lyman Pershyi. The report did not specify the types of artillery systems or unmanned aerial vehicles involved.
In Donetsk region, the strikes targeted russian ammunition depots near Hryntal and Ternove, as well as a logistics depot near Pelahiivka. The General Staff did not provide details on the extent of the damage at these facilities.
Ukrainian forces also struck concentrations of russian personnel near Svobodne and Volodymyrivka in Donetsk region, as well as near Naberezhne in Zaporizhzhia region.
The report did not disclose russian personnel losses resulting from these strikes.
https://en.defence-ua.com/news/ukrainian_forces_strike_russian_radar_station_ammunition_depots_and_drone_positions-20150.html
other Russia and Ukraine
https://militarnyi.com/en/news/st-petersburg-drone-damag-oil-tank-2-bridge/
https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-forces-evacuate-injured-soldier-from-front-line-position-by-drone-in-first-of-its-kind-mission-video-shows/
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/ukrainian-drone-operators-logged-over-3-million-strike-missions-since-march-delta-data-shows-23603
https://migflug.com/afterburner/fr/lithuania-drone-ukrainian-fp-1-st-petersburg-attack-pasvalys-2026/
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-10-19/live-updates-912115
other Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-puts-military-on-highest-alert-orders-leave-freeze-ahead-of-oct-27-vote/
https://vinnews.com/2026/10/19/idf-eliminates-hamas-cell-commander-and-two-operatives-in-northern-gaza-strikes/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/crime-in-israel/article-912116
https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/gaza-idf-slays-three-hamas-terrorists
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/IDF-arrests-two-terror-suspects-in-Jerusalem/67346702
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjtyss72zl
Live Updates: Hamas document reveals plan to exploit civilians as Netanyahu warns 'Israel is ready to strike'
October 19, 10:33 PM
Syria condemns IDF incursions into territory • At least 18 killed in Houthi attack on Yemeni government military camp • Egypt seeks approval to send military assistance to Saudis
October 19, 8:44 PM
Iran summons German ambassador over 'baseless accusations,' Tasnim reports
Iran summoned Germany's ambassador to the foreign ministry over what it described as "baseless accusations," Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.
October 19, 4:49 PM
Iran's Araghchi blames US for Strait of Hormuz tensions, calls for diplomacy
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the United States for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
October 19, 4:37 PM
China's premier meets Iran's first vice president, urges dialogue to restore peace
Chinese Premier Li Qiang told Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected, as the two met on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Dushanbe on Monday, according to China's state-run media Xinhua.
China is ready to advance exchanges and cooperation across various fields with Iran, Li was quoted as saying.
Li urged "all parties concerned" to opt for peace, resume dialogue and negotiations, and resolve differences through political and diplomatic means so as to help restore peace to the region at an early date, according to Xinhua.
October 19, 3:49 PM
IDF apprehends terrorists involved in planning imminent terror attack in east Jerusalem
The IDF apprehended two terrorists accused of plotting an imminent terrorist attack and establishing terror infrastructure during operations in Kafr Akab in east Jerusalem on Sunday.
The apprehensions were made based on Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) intelligence, and the suspects were transferred for further questioning.
October 19, 3:37 PM
Qatari, Iranian energy ministers meet to discuss energy cooperation
Qatar's energy minister, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, met with Iran’s Acting Petroleum Minister Hamid Bovard in Doha to discuss energy relations and Qatar-Iran cooperation, Qatar’s energy ministry announced on Monday.
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October 19, 2:53 PM
At least 18 killed in Houthi attack on Yemeni government training camp in Shabwa, sources say
The people from the government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis launched three ballistic missiles at security forces during a training exercise.
At least 18 people were killed in an attack on Monday by the Iran-aligned Houthis on a government security forces training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province, four government and medical sources told Reuters, as fighting in the impoverished country intensifies.
The Houthis and the internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been trading attacks since the group advanced in September towards territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.
The people from the government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis launched three ballistic missiles at security forces during a training exercise. Shabwa is an energy-rich province in coastal south-central Yemen.
October 19, 2:19 PM
WATCH: Palestinians throw stones at People of Israel's Hassan-Nahoum while visiting West Bank town
A stone is thrown through Hassan-Nahoum's car window while she is speaking to a camera, breaking it and wounding one of the passengers.
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, fifth on the People of Israel party's list, was attacked by Palestinians while touring the West Bank.
In footage seen by The Jerusalem Post, a stone was thrown through her car window while Nahoum was speaking to a camera about being surrounded and threatened by Palestinians.
One person was reportedly injured in the attack.
"This is the 'innocent 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds,' Hassan-Nahoum said while holding up the stone that was thrown through her car window in a video recorded shortly after the attack.
"This kills. It's not just throwing stones; this kills."
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum speaking after a stone is thrown through her car window while traveling through the West Bank. (Credit: Fleur Hassan-Nahoum)
This is a developing story.
October 19, 2:19 PM
Trump backs Netanyahu as Liberman slams 'Bibi the puppet'
The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Gadi Zaig - the top stories, clear and concise.
October 19, 1:12 PM
'We will strike whenever necessary': Netanyahu delivers stern warning from Israeli Air Force base
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel is ready to "strike our enemies whenever necessary."
Netanyahu released a statement from an Israeli Air Force base saying, "We have the readiness, determination, and capability to strike our enemies whenever necessary. Our enemies will suffer harder blows than they have suffered to date."
He warned, "We are determined to defend ourselves. Do not test us."
October 19, 12:59 PM
Hamas planned to detonate bombs at Gaza refugee camps to cover terrorists' escape, IDF reveals
Plans involved detonating improvised explosive devices around displaced persons camps as IDF troops approached in order to create panic, which operatives would take advantage of in order to flee.
The IDF revealed on Sunday a Hamas document detailing plans to plant explosives in and around camps for displaced civilians in the Gaza Strip, which would then be used as cover in case their leadership needed to evacuate the sites.
The document, written in April 2024, detailed a plan that explicitly exploited the civilian population for the benefit of the terror organization's leadership and showed intent to cause direct harm to Palestinian civilians for the sake of minor tactical advantages, like "creating smoke screens, distracting the enemy, and divert[ing] their focus and efforts away from the primary objective."
Plans involved detonating improvised explosive devices around civilian camps as IDF troops approached in order to create panic, which terrorists would take advantage of in order to flee.
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