US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made demands on Venezuela, warning against turning the country into a hub for gangs, drugs, and states hostile to the US. He also noted that the US is not interested in Venezuela's oil but seeks to limit competitors' investments in its oil infrastructure.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes it is too early to discuss holding elections in Venezuela. He noted that the US oil embargo on Venezuela will remain, and American troops could land.
At least 16 people have died in Iran during a week of unrest as protests against soaring inflation spread across the country, leading to violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Tomorrow, January 5, hourly blackout schedules and power restrictions for industrial consumers will be applied in most regions of Ukraine. These are the consequences of Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities.
OPEC+ agreed to maintain stable oil production, despite an 18% price drop in 2025 and tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Eight countries raised their production targets by 2.9 million barrels per day from April to December 2025.
A large-scale power outage in the southwestern part of Berlin left 45,000 households and more than 2,000 commercial facilities without electricity. The cause of the outage was the arson of vital power lines by the left-wing extremist group "Vulkangruppe."
Serhiy Deineko, head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, has been appointed advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko. After rehabilitation, he will lead a combat unit of the State Border Guard Service.
According to the results of 2025, Russia's foreign trade continued to degrade due to falling world energy prices and oil production quotas. The share of fuel and energy goods in exports decreased to 54.9%, and imports of investment goods decreased by 8.7%.
Ukraine has imposed sanctions against 95 individuals and 70 legal entities, most of whom are citizens and residents of the Russian Federation. The restrictions apply to individuals and companies that produce communication equipment, electronic warfare systems, and microelectronics for the Russian military-industrial complex.
A resident of Kyiv region has been notified of suspicion of inflicting grievous bodily harm that led to the death of a man. The grandson reported the death of his grandfather, trying to conceal the crime.
Protests against President Donald Trump's military operation in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro took place in the United States. In major cities such as Washington, New York, and Los Angeles, crowds of up to 100 people marched, chanting anti-war slogans.
He is being prepared for a notice of suspicion for violating safety rules, which led to serious consequences.
A massive power outage affected approximately 50,000 households and 2,000 businesses in Berlin due to a fire on a cable-stayed bridge. Police are treating the incident as deliberate arson, with full power restoration expected by January 8.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a "major reboot" of the state system, including rotations of heads of the security, defense, and law enforcement sectors. The replacement of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, is not foreseen.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with national security advisors of the member states of the Coalition of the Willing. Security guarantees, reconstruction, and a basic framework for real peace, as well as the sequence of further meetings, were discussed.
Electricity supply has been restored in Mykolaiv Oblast, but over 6,000 subscribers in Mykolaiv district remain without power after the night shelling. Energy workers continue to work on eliminating the consequences of enemy shelling that led to temporary outages.
Personnel changes are ongoing in Ukraine at the level of regional administrations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced consultations regarding the appointment of new heads in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions.
A 52-year-old resident of the Esman community died in Sumy region as a result of a Russian FPV drone attack. The man was going for water when he was attacked by an enemy drone.
In the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, a 16-year-old girl fell into a pit of hot water, sustaining burns to 73% of her body, and is in intensive care. Police have launched criminal proceedings for official negligence and violation of safety rules.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed appointing Denys Shmyhal as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine. He thanked Shmyhal for his work at the Ministry of Defense and emphasized the importance of systematic approach for Ukrainian energy.
In occupied Luhansk region, miners were left without full payments on the eve of the New Year, and residents of Alchevsk and Perevalsk faced a sharp reduction in water supply. Russian investors did not pay the miners of the "Bilorechenska" mine, and water supply to Alchevsk was reduced by 80%.
Overnight, the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP lost power from one of its high-voltage lines as a result of hostilities. Russian shelling has repeatedly damaged the ZNPP's power lines, causing 12 blackouts at the plant.
The Venezuelan government accused the United States of military aggression after a series of explosions in Caracas and other regions. President Nicolás Maduro declared a state of emergency and mobilized defense forces.
On January 2, a reactor at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in Finland shut down due to a technical malfunction. The fault automatically caused an emergency shutdown of the OL2 reactor, which has been operating since 1982, but the incident did not affect nuclear safety.
Russian troops continue to use drones at low altitudes, attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. This is part of Russia's strategy to prolong the war and delay peace negotiations.
On January 3, scheduled power outages and power restrictions for industrial consumers will be applied in most regions of Ukraine. These are the consequences of Russian attacks on energy facilities.
Russian troops shelled the Kherson CHP more than 10 times with artillery and drones during the first two days of 2026. The last attack resulted in 4 hits on the station's territory, Naftogaz delivered a thousand electric heaters for residents.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is appointing Oleh Ivashchenko to a position in Ukraine's military intelligence. This happened after Kyrylo Budanov agreed to head the Presidential Office.
In early January 2026, the capacity for electricity imports from the EU to Ukraine-Moldova increased to 2450 MW. This was the result of cooperation between transmission system operators and increases the resilience of Ukraine's energy system.
Over the course of 2025, sappers of the State Special Transport Service inspected and cleared over 45,000 hectares of Ukrainian territories of explosive ordnance. A total of 52,499 explosive devices were neutralized, with the largest number found in the Kherson region.
