Russia in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
Russia's politics in March 2026 were dominated by its response to the war on Iran. On 1 March President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei as a cynical murder and a violation of international law, and on 9 March he congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on becoming the new supreme leader, offering full support. A Russian diplomat said Moscow was "not neutral", while the Kremlin said Iran had not asked for Russian arms. Russia condemned the US-Israeli strike that killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani on 18 March. Putin urged Gulf leaders and Iran's president to end the hostilities, and in calls with President Donald Trump on 9, 10 and 13 March he proposed moving Iran's uranium stockpile to Russia; Trump rejected it. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there was no evidence Iran was building nuclear weapons and criticised US and EU policy.
Talks on Ukraine moved in stages. Russia and Ukraine exchanged 200 prisoners each on 5 March and 600 on 6 March after mediation by the United Arab Emirates and the United States. On 11 March Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Bryansk region to disrupt negotiations. On 18 and 19 March the Kremlin said the talks were paused, citing the Iran war; the US and Ukraine met in Florida without Russian participation. Russia agreed on 16 March to stop recruiting Kenyans to fight in Ukraine. A UN commission of inquiry said Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children amounts to a crime against humanity.
Relations with Europe were tense. Hungary blocked an EU loan for Ukraine, and the EU voiced concern over reports that Hungary leaked negotiation details to Moscow; Hungary's foreign minister defended his contacts with Lavrov. Belgium's prime minister called for the EU to normalise ties with Russia. Russia called Britain's detention of its vessels a hostile act, revoked a British diplomat's accreditation, and drew criticism from France at a G7 meeting.
At home, Putin dismissed two senior security officials, including First Deputy Interior Minister Gorovoy.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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