Situation in Russia’s Belgorod Region ‘Difficult’, at Least One Killed, Government Says 

A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
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Situation in Russia’s Belgorod Region ‘Difficult’, at Least One Killed, Government Says 

A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)

The situation in Russia's Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine remains difficult, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Wednesday, a day after Moscow said its forces had thwarted attempts by Kyiv's troops to push across the border.

"The situation in Krasnoyaruzhsky district remains difficult," Gladkov, the head of the southwestern region, said in a video posted on Telegram.

At least one soldier was killed in shelling in the Krasnoyaruzhsky district, the Belgorod regional government said.

"As a result of the shelling, a soldier of the 'Orlan' unit was killed and four other people were wounded," the government said via its channel in Telegram, adding that there are casualties in other parts of the region.

Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Residents of Krasnoyaruzhsky district wrote in local chats on social media that entry to its territory had been restricted by the authorities.

This was confirmed by the head of the district, Vitaly Kutomanov, who said that the temporary measures were taken "for security reasons".

Reuters was unable to ascertain whether the restrictions had been lifted.

Belgorod region has come under frequent drone and shelling attacks from Ukraine in the course of the three-year war.

Russia's Defense Ministry, in a statement reported by Russian news agencies, said on Tuesday that Russian forces had thwarted five Ukrainian attempts to push across the border into Belgorod.



Iran: Parliament is Preparing Bill to Leave Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
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Iran: Parliament is Preparing Bill to Leave Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iranian parliamentarians are preparing a bill that could push Tehran toward exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the foreign ministry said on Monday, while reiterating Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons.

"In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce parliament bills but such a proposal is just being prepared and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament," the ministry's spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, when asked at a press conference about Tehran potentially leaving the NPT.

The NPT, which Iran ratified in 1970, guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forego atomic weapons and cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

Israel began bombing Iran last week, saying Tehran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb. Iran has always said its nuclear program is peaceful, although the IAEA declared last week that Tehran was in violation of its NPT obligations.

President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated on Monday that nuclear weapons were against a religious edict by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran's state media said that no decision on quitting the NPT had yet been made by parliament, while a parliamentarian said that the proposal was at the initial stages of the legal process.

Baghaei said that developments such as Israel's attack "naturally affect the strategic decisions of the state," noting that Israel's attack had followed the IAEA resolution, which he suggested was to blame.

"Those voting for the resolution prepared the ground for the attack," Baghaei said.

Israel, which never joined the NPT, is widely assumed by regional governments to possess nuclear weapons, although it does not confirm or deny this.

"The Zionist regime is the only possessor of weapons of mass destruction in the region," Baghaei said.