Religious beliefs and ethnic minority issues.
Russia launched airstrikes on Ukraine from the night of September 17 to the early morning of September 18, hitting Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa, resulting in three deaths, multiple injuries, and several fires. Meanwhile, voting began on Friday for the first State Duma parliamentary elections since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In September 2026, former US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Brownback and recently released Pastor Jin Mingri held a lunch meeting in Washington to discuss the significant impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on global religious freedom and human rights, and reviewed the shift in US security strategy over the past 25 years and its profound impact on the world.
On September 10, 2026, a 25th anniversary 9/11 luncheon was held in Washington. Former U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, and released Pastor Jin Ming attended to discuss the significance of 9/11 for religious freedom and human rights, as well as its impact on global security.
On the eve of Xi Jinping's planned visit to Washington for a meeting with U.S. President Trump, several religious groups in Washington held an event at the Museum of the Bible, calling on Trump to demand that the Chinese government release individuals imprisoned for their faith and freedom of speech during the meeting, and to include religious freedom and human rights issues on the diplomatic agenda.