Halloween was a day of costumes, candy and all things spooky even in Russia, as Muscovites celebrated like fellow trick-or-treaters around the world, notwithstanding Halloween being irritant for politicians, pro-Kremlin activists and the Orthodox Church

Three earthquakes struck off the coast of Kamchatka in a period of heightened seismic activity in one of the world’s most geologically active regions; a series of quakes measuring up to magnitude 4,8; no reports of damage or injuries, no tsunami alerts

Russia is not committing to a meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and President Putin, which US President Trump has encouraged as a next step toward ending the war; Foreign Minister Lavrov argued any meeting should be prepared “gradually”

Despite its 8,8 magnitude, damage caused by the earthquake that struck the Kamchatka peninsula on 30 July was relatively minor; lack of devastation and fatalities was attributed by Kremlin spokesperson to high-quality construction and local preparedness