The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine states that Russia is spreading fake news about a 91-drone attack on Putin's residence in response to successful negotiations between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States. This information operation is aimed at disrupting agreements, justifying future attacks on Ukraine, and discrediting the Ukrainian leadership.
The Russian authorities sharply increased digital control over citizens in the first half of 2025, and state requests for personal data of Yandex users increased. The company transferred data in 42.3 thousand cases, which is 44% more than last year.
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reports that the Russian financial system is entering a phase of controlled chaos, losing transparency and control. Starting from 2027, Russian financial companies will publish only depersonalized data on ownership structure, and regular income declarations for civil servants will be abolished.
In December, intelligence identified over 150 foreigners from 25 countries recruited into the Russian army, with about 200 more preparing to join. The main sources of recruitment are post-Soviet states and countries of the Global South.
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reports that Russia controls Belarus' food market. Pork production in the country has decreased by 12%, and Russia is increasing exports, turning Belarus into a dependent sales market.
President Zelenskyy received a report from the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleh Ivashchenko, on Russian attempts to circumvent sanctions and the deployment of "Oreshnik" complexes in Belarus. The report also covered the state of Russian military production and cooperation with Chinese companies that provide space intelligence data.
China, transitioning to electric vehicles, exports surplus gasoline cars, filling markets in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America. 76% of China's car exports are gasoline models, which allowed it to become the world's largest car exporter.
Banks in a number of countries around the world have begun to massively block accounts of Russians and tighten checks on their transactions. This is happening after Russia was included in the list of high-risk countries by the European Commission.
The Pentagon has discovered over 100 DF-31 solid-fuel missiles in China's secret silos on the border with Mongolia. Beijing is modernizing its nuclear arsenal faster than any other nation in the world and will have over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.
The average budget for celebrating New Year 2026 in Russia is about 14,000 rubles, which is almost half of what Russians planned to spend on celebrating 2025. This is due to rising inflation and increasing food prices, which leads to savings and reduced spending on celebrations.
The Russian economy is facing growing difficulties, including inflation and declining revenues, but this will not bring Putin to the negotiating table. Experts believe that the Kremlin can sustain the current pace of hostilities for many more years, as the Russian economy is not a critical factor for ending the war.
The number of citizens' appeals regarding violations of labor rights in Russia exceeded 70,000, which is 50% more than last year. Wage arrears reached 2.2 billion rubles, which is the highest level since August 2020.
The Cabinet of Ministers has not yet approved the procedure for obtaining a certificate for 150,000 hryvnias for the purchase of a vehicle for military personnel, as provided for by the law on strengthening mobilization. The Ministry of Finance has developed a draft resolution, which is processing comments from interested bodies.
The Pan-African Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature was founded in Cairo, coinciding with the intensification of Russian information operations in Africa. Russia is creating structures to promote the Russian language and ideology, using mercenary formations.
Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service reports that control over Russia's near-Arctic reserves of rare earth elements, oil, and gas is now concentrated in the hands of three key figures. These are Sergey Kiriyenko, Igor Sechin, and Kirill Dmitriev, who control the Northern Sea Route and key deposits.
The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleh Ivashchenko, reported that Russia intends to increase the serial production of the Oreshnik ballistic missile and modernize its warhead. More than 50 enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex are involved in the production of the missile, and funding is provided by the Russian National Welfare Fund.
The volume of "oil on water" is growing, reaching 180 million barrels, and export revenues are decreasing due to lower prices for Russian oil grades.
The Russian Embassy in Iran stated that letters offering to recruit Iranians for the war in Ukraine are being sent by malicious actors. The advertisement promises $20,000 for signing a contract and a monthly salary of $2,000.
China is consolidating its dominance in Mongolian exports by increasing coal purchases and financing logistics routes. Russia's share in Ulaanbaatar's exports has decreased to 0.5%, while over 90% of Mongolian exports go to China.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill that removes Russian and Moldovan languages from the list of languages protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This prevents political manipulation and undermining the status of the Ukrainian language.
Vladimir Putin signed the state national policy strategy until 2036, which provides for the formation of a homogeneous civic identity and the integration of occupied Ukrainian territories. The document is aimed at large-scale Russification and the elimination of Ukrainian national consciousness.
Russia's international reserves fell by $5. 0 billion in a week, and Russian companies' losses sharply increased in 2025. The share of unprofitable coal enterprises reached 68.1%, and passenger car production decreased by 46.7%.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Volodymyr Tolkach from the post of Ukraine's Ambassador to Serbia. Oleksandr Lytvynenko, who previously headed the Foreign Intelligence Service and served as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), has been appointed to this position.
The sanctions coalition imposed restrictions on over 500 entities in Russia's energy sector, including oil tankers and financial institutions. This led to a decrease in the price of Russian oil and a reduction in its exports, forecasting significant losses for the Russian budget.
Ukrainian intelligence reports that Russia is facing a significant increase in the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel due to a change in the pricing mechanism. The government plans to abandon the link to inflation, switching to a composite index that takes into account a wider set of factors.
Surveys show a worsening financial situation for Russians, with only 8% reporting an increase in wealth, while 23% report a deterioration. Only 24% hope for an improvement in their financial situation in the coming year.
Russia plans to significantly increase fines for 36 types of economic offenses, including illegal entrepreneurship and tax evasion, to replenish the budget. Fines will increase several times, reaching up to $61.5 thousand for significant damages from tax evasion.
Belarus acknowledges a deficit in foreign exchange reserves to cover debt payments in 2026, with only $5. 3 billion available for operational payments out of $13.7 billion on paper. The Ministry of Finance plans to attract additional resources from Russia to cover the deficit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the heads of the defense and security sector. The situation at the front, Russia's plans, and the internal situation in Russia were discussed.
In 2025, trade between Russia and China decreased by 9. 4% to $163.6 billion. This strengthens the Russian economy's dependence on Beijing due to energy and metal exports.
