Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the town of Kurchatov in the Kursk region, which was partially occupied by Ukrainian forces for several months in 2024, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

It marked the Russian leader’s first trip to the area since a Ukrainian incursion nearly a year ago.

Last August, Ukrainian troops launched a surprise offensive into the Kursk region, seizing a small area and holding it for several months.

Mr Putin met with regional governor Alexander Khinshtein, representatives of volunteer organisations, and local officials on Tuesday evening.

He pledged continued support from Moscow for reconstruction efforts, particularly for housing damaged during the conflict, according to the Kremlin.

The president also toured a unit at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant No. 2, currently under construction.

Last August, Ukrainian troops launched a surprise offensive into the Kursk region, seizing a small area and holding it for several months.

Russia’s military declared the region “completely liberated” in late April.

Iran has supplied ballistic missiles to Russia. Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security, confirmed this information in an interview  with Didban Iran, explaining that these exchanges are part of a barter agreement wherein Tehran receives soybeans and wheat in return and “circumvents sanctions through partnership with Russia”.

Ardestani admitted Iran’s military aid to Moscow just hours after Iran’s mission to the UN dismissed a report from The Wall Street Journal that said Iran had delivered short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.

“We must resort to barter to meet our needs, including importing soybeans and wheat. Part of the barter involves sending missiles, and another part involves dispatching military drones to Russia,” Ardestani stated.

When asked if sending ballistic missiles to Russia could result in further sanctions or the activation of the so-called snapback mechanism against Iran, the lawmaker responded, “It can’t get any worse than it already is. We supply missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaabi. Why shouldn’t we give them to Russia?”

The Iranian politician emphasised that his country “sells weapons and earns dollars,” and also “avoids sanctions through its partnership with Russia.”

“We import soy, corn, and other goods from Russia. Europeans sell weapons to Ukraine. NATO is in Ukraine, so why shouldn’t we support our ally by shipping missiles and drones to Russia?” added Ardestani.

Countries that provide weapons to terrorist organizations and states must be punished, said Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in response to the news about Iran sending ballistic missiles to Russia.

“In response to Russian ballistic missile supplies, Ukraine should be authorized to destroy stockpiles of these missiles with Western weaponry to avoid terror,” he asserted.

He believes such strikes are defensive rather than escalatory.

On September 6, The Wall Street Journal reported that Tehran had delivered short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. The Times reported that 200 Fath-360 ballistic missiles were involved.

On September 7, Iran’s UN envoy denied Read more this, stating, “Iran refrains from such actions and urges other countries to cease arms deliveries to parties involved in the conflict”

Thousands of women marched through major Indian cities overnight, demanding justice and stronger legal measures following the harrowing rape and murder of a young doctor.

Police said she had been raped and murdered and a police volunteer was subsequently arrested in connection with the crime.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the growing unrest, has called for stringent punishment for those convicted of crimes against women.

Reuters reports that women across India, including in Kolkata, have held marches with candles and posters reading “Reclaim the Night” in response to the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor. This tragedy has spurred fellow medics to protest for safer working conditions.

Earlier this week, many government hospitals across India suspended all non-emergency services as junior doctors demonstrated outside, demanding justice for the victim.

In a national address on India’s 78th Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi stated, “As a society, we need to reflect on the atrocities against our mothers, daughters, and sisters. There is widespread outrage, and I can sense it.”

The case echoes a similar incident in New Delhi in 2012, when a 23-year-old student was brutally raped and killed by a gang in a moving bus, an event that sparked major public outcry.

Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt, with over 85 million Instagram followers, commented, “This horrific incident has again highlighted the disproportionate burden women face in ensuring their own safety.”

Doctors in India’s often overcrowded and inadequate government hospitals have long reported being overworked and underpaid, with insufficient measures to protect them from violence due to dissatisfaction with medical care.