Live2026-09-21 06:00 UTC
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Russia Tension Score

building record · 4 days on file

Live 0–100 tension reading for Russia, built by our own engine from 2,698 world headlines in the last 30 days. Refreshed every 10 minutes; a fresh headline count twice a day.

60
Moderate
7d · 30d

Where Russia stands

#2 of 197 countries today, #1 of 49 in Europe (region score 49). Tension is steady this week.

Same 0–100 scale and zones as the World Tension Index.

Russia news pulse

60 headlines in 30 days · newest first
Ukraine targets Moscow in ‘largest ever’ drone attack on city
Times Israel · 21 September 2026 conflictenergyfinance
99 · Extreme
Ukraine fires over 1,000 drones at Russia in "largest ever" attack on Moscow
France24 · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
90 · Extreme
Russia's ruling party on track to win election after Ukraine's drone attacks on Moscow
France24 · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
78 · Extreme
Russia's ruling pro-Putin party on track to win wartime election after drones strike Moscow
CNBC World · 21 September 2026 conflicttradegeopolitics
75 · Extreme
Russia holds parliamentary vote in areas it seized from Ukraine in the war
NPR World · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
63 · High
Russians vote in final day of parliamentary elections
Euronews · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
63 · High
Russian exiles cast votes to voice dissent to Putin and Ukraine war
Straits Times · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
60 · High
Trump signs sweeping Russia sanctions bill
BBC World · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
58 · High
Russia Warns New U.S. Sanctions Law Would Harm Trump’s Peace Efforts - The New York Times
Google News · 21 September 2026 conflicttradegeopolitics
57 · High
Trump signs bill imposing sanctions on Russia and giving him more power to levy tariffs - The Guardian
Google News · 21 September 2026 energytradegeopolitics
54 · Moderate
Belarus: Accomplice in Russia's War Against Ukraine and a Threat to International Security - EEAS
GN Conflict · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
54 · Moderate
House passes Russia sanctions, sending bill named for Lindsey Graham to Trump's desk - NPR
Google News · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
52 · Moderate
Trump signs broad Russia sanctions bill - DW.com
Google News · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
52 · Moderate
France, Poland and European allies warn of escalating Russian 'hybrid' attacks
NPR World · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
52 · Moderate
Kazakhstan Turns to Russian Gas as Domestic Demand Surges
OilPrice · 21 September 2026 energytradegeopolitics
52 · Moderate
Polls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominate
Al Jazeera · 21 September 2026 conflicttradegeopolitics
44 · Moderate
Russia, China end mandate for independent monitoring of UN sanctions on Iran - Reuters
Google News · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
43 · Moderate
Russia reports mass cyberattacks targeting elections
Hindu Intl · 21 September 2026 conflicttradegeopolitics
43 · Moderate
European spy chiefs warn Moscow is planning more decisive action against Nato | Russia - The Guardian
GN Conflict · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
43 · Moderate
Polls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominate - Al Jazeera
GN Conflict · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
43 · Moderate
Trump officially signs Russia sanctions bill into law - The Hill
Google News · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
40 · Moderate
Trump signs Russia sanctions bill championed by Lindsey Graham - CBS News
Google News · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
40 · Moderate
Zelenskyy thanks Trump for signing 'critically important' Russia sanctions bill - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
Google News · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
40 · Moderate
How Putin’s war on Ukraine is also a campaign against the West - Texas Public Radio | TPR
GN Conflict · 21 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
40 · Moderate
Egypt diversifies wheat imports away from Russia and Ukraine, minister quoted as saying - TradingView
GN Food · 21 September 2026 tradegeopolitics
36 · Moderate
Early returns show main Kremlin party leading Russia’s parliamentary election
ABC Intl · 21 September 2026 geopolitics
31 · Low
Ukraine hits Russia with major drone attack, targetting refinery
France24 · 20 September 2026 conflictenergytrade
78 · Extreme
Ukraine launches biggest Moscow drone attack as Russia votes
Straits Times · 20 September 2026 conflicttradegeopolitics
78 · Extreme
UN condemns 'shocking pattern' of sexual violence by Russian troops in Ukraine
Euronews · 20 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
75 · Extreme
Ukraine launches 1,000 drones at Russia, including hundreds fired at Moscow
CBS World · 20 September 2026 conflictgeopolitics
75 · Extreme

Every story the engine read that names Russia, its capital or its leaders. Links go to the original outlet; the badge is the engine’s own 0–100 tension weight. This list is what moves the number above.

What is driving Russia’s tension score

last 30 days
  • 226 headlines in 30 days — 8.38% of everything the engine read, in line with the previous 30 days (0).
  • 49% of those were violent (attacks, strikes, casualties) and 86% scored as high-tension stories.
  • Conflicts on the roster: Russo-Ukrainian War (active).
  • Region: Europe reads 49 today; it carries 15% of this score.

Read it like this. Attention (how much the world is talking about Russia) is the biggest input at 30%. Violence and high-tension share tell you what kind of talk it is. A country can be loud and calm — an election, a summit — or quiet and dangerous. The mix is the point.

Russia tension month by month

average score, headline counts
MonthAvg scoreZoneHeadlinesViolentDays
September 202659.0Moderate2261114

Record for Russia began on 18 September 2026. Nothing is revised after the fact.

How the Russia score is built

Five inputs, fixed weights. Attention 30% (share of world coverage), violence 25% and high-tension share 15% (what kind of coverage), roster conflicts 15%, and the Europe region score 15%. A momentum nudge (+6 / −4) rewards a country whose coverage is accelerating or fading.

Same physics as the world score. The number rises 85% of the way to its new level at once and falls no faster than 3 points a day — fear arrives fast and leaves slowly.

No third-party index inside. Every count comes from the 41 public news feeds our engine reads itself; the full method is on the methodology page. Data is free under CC BY 4.0 via the API.

Questions people ask about Russia

Is Russia in a war right now?

Yes, by our roster: Russo-Ukrainian War. Status is updated on every full cycle.

Is tension in Russia rising or falling?

Too early to say — the 7-day change appears once a week of data exists.

How does Russia compare with the rest of Europe?

Above its region: Russia reads 60 against 49 for Europe, ranking #1 of 49 there.

Keep exploring

Russia and world tension: the long view

evergreen · World Tension Meter team

The largest war in Europe since 1945. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the single biggest source of conflict coverage in our corpus. Every advance, strike and negotiation moves the World Tension score.

Energy as a weapon. Russia is a top-three oil and gas producer. Sanctions, price caps and shadow-fleet tankers tie it to our energy, sanctions and shipping indexes at once.

A nuclear power at odds with the West. Nuclear rhetoric, NATO airspace incidents and hybrid attacks keep the baseline high even when the front line is static.

What our engine watches in Russia

  • Front-line changes and strikes deep into Ukraine
  • Sanctions, oil price caps and shadow-fleet seizures
  • Incidents on NATO borders, from drones to cables
  • Nuclear signalling and ceasefire diplomacy

Indexes to follow: Energy Security · Sanctions Pressure · Shipping Stress · Food Security.