Trending on X, 10 PM: Myadagbadam's reply, Erdenet's history, journalists' union, drone evacuation, cold, US embassy, The MongolZ, Para Games

These are the topics Mongolian users discussed most on X between 18:13 and 22:42 on October 19, ranked by engagement. This time 8 topics made the list after their facts were checked against news sites. Only 8 verified topics emerged in this window, so we did not pad the list to 10. Posts on the tobacco law, Oyu Tolgoi and the Khalzan Buregtei dispute also circulated, but they were left out because there was no new verified development since earlier roundups. Posts that accused named individuals without verifiable evidence were also excluded. Post metrics are as of 22:42 Ulaanbaatar time.

1. Media contracts row: J. Myadagbadam explains his land plots as calls grow to end state press contracts (new development)

The media-sector dispute that featured in today's 10 AM, 2 PM and 6 PM roundups continued into the evening. Responding to citizen G. Uyanga's claim that the land certificates registered to J. Myadagbadam were all issued on a single day, the Eguur.mn editor told LiveTV.mn that he had gradually bought eight plots, which had passed through more than ten holders between 2005 and 2023, for ₮1.5 million to ₮20 million each, about ₮100 million in total, over one to two years. He said the certificates were issued at the same time because he filed the applications together, that he went through the district land office and paid the taxes, and that the issue was being twisted and politicised.

Meanwhile, calls to end the practice of state bodies signing contracts with media outlets drew wide support on X. B. Tsogtgerel (@TsogtgerelB) wrote that state organisations and state-owned companies should have no press contracts, while M. Battulga (@Battulga_munkh) said that local news sites offered him cooperation as soon as he was appointed governor, but he signed no contract. These are their personal views.

2. Erdenet's history: Baabar recalls that Czechoslovak geologists found the deposit

Historian and columnist Baabar weighed in on a debate over who discovered the Erdenet deposit, writing that Czech geologists found it in 1966 and that, after Warsaw Pact troops entered Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Czechoslovak side withdrew and the Soviet Union took over the project. His post was one of the most widely shared in this window. According to MONTSAME, a joint Mongolian-Czechoslovak geological team led by Czech geologist Mojmír Krautner identified and mapped Erdenet's main copper-molybdenum deposit within two years in the 1960s. President U. Khurelsukh met Krautner, then 98, in Prague in March 2025 to thank him.

3. Journalists' union leaders' meeting with the capital's governor draws criticism

Confederation of Mongolian Journalists (CMJ) president L. Ninjjamts, vice president G. Baigalmaa and adviser P. Sainbileg met Capital City Governor and Ulaanbaatar Mayor B. Purevdagva to discuss cooperation and projects to support journalists' organisations, Ergelt.mn reported. X users criticised the timing of the meeting, which took place amid the row over press contracts.

4. Ukraine evacuates a wounded soldier from the front line by aerial drone for the first time

Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade and the company Gurzuf Defence used a Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 heavy-lift hexacopter to evacuate a wounded infantryman from a front-line position, in what they called a world first. Ground evacuation had become impossible because of heavy Russian drone activity and mined terrain. The soldier's life is no longer in danger and he is receiving treatment and rehabilitation, the Kyiv Independent and Ukrainska Pravda reported.

5. A deepening cold snap revives air-pollution concerns

Ulaanbaatar had a cold, windy day, and the forecast called for −6 to −11°C overnight, and −13 to −18°C around Yarmag and Songino. Residents shared impressions of the chilly day and warned that air quality will worsen as more coal is burned, with some proposing chimney-free zones around schools, kindergartens and bus stops. Unlike the snow and blizzards in today's 10 AM roundup, the conversation this time focused on cold and smog.

6. The US launches a multiyear project to build a new embassy in Mongolia

The US State Department announced the start of a multiyear project to build a new US embassy in Mongolia. According to iKon.mn, construction is due to begin in spring 2027, using local materials and labour, with a design that draws on the Mongolian symbolism of land, water and sky. The US government has already awarded the contract for the site's utility works to a local Mongolian contractor.

7. The MongolZ beat Alliance 2-0 in their opening match at 1win Private Club Season 2

Mongolian Counter-Strike 2 team The MongolZ beat Alliance 13-8 on Inferno and 13-11 on Dust2 in their first match at the 1win Private Club Season 2 tournament. The match was streamed with Mongolian commentary, which drew users' attention.

8. Asian Para Games: Kh. Temirbek wins bronze (new development)

After U. Surenjav's gold featured in the 6 PM roundup, Khaulet Temirbek's bronze in the men's K44 −58 kg para taekwondo event also drew attention on X. He lost his quarter-final to an Iranian opponent but beat an Afghan athlete in the repechage and Japan's Mitsuya Tanaka in the bronze-medal bout.

Methodology: We ranked posts from about 200 major news and influential accounts found through X search, plus more than 50 keyword searches, by an engagement score (likes + 2× reposts + views/100), and checked the facts against news sites. Posts that could not be verified or that carried a risk of defamation were left out. Views expressed by individuals on X do not represent the position of egov.mn.