On January 12, Ukraine celebrates Ukrainian Political Prisoner Day, initiated in 1975 by Vyacheslav Chornovil. This day honors Ukrainians who suffered for their beliefs, particularly during the repressions of 1972 and the ongoing Russian aggression.
Finnish police are investigating damage to a telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn. The cargo ship Fitburg, en route from St. Petersburg, dragged its anchor along the seabed, severing the communication line.
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.
Finnish police detained the cargo ship "Fitburg", which was en route from St. Petersburg to Israel. It is suspected of sabotaging an underwater telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Estonia.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine noted that the concern about the fabricated attack on Putin's palace is particularly surprising against the background of the absence of reactions from the respective countries to regular and real Russian strikes on civilians in Ukraine.
The perpetrators gained remote access to online banking, seized funds, and transferred them to accounts under their control.
Ukraine received ambulances from Kazakhstan as part of humanitarian aid. The cost of the ambulances exceeded 9 million hryvnias, and they are equipped with modern equipment for emergency medical care.
Russia has almost doubled its exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Central Asia and Afghanistan, reaching 1. 016 million metric tons from January to November 2025. This happened after the EU imposed restrictions on the import of Russian propane and butane in December 2024.
The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan released an interim report on the crash of an Embraer 190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines near Aktau. According to the report, the aircraft was damaged by "striking elements of a warhead," but their origin has not been established.
Russia and Kazakhstan have postponed the first launch of the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle as part of the joint Baiterek space project for additional system checks. The Baiterek program is in its final stages, and the launch was delayed due to falling behind schedule and sanctions.
Oil prices rose on Friday after the US increased economic pressure on Venezuelan oil supplies and launched airstrikes against militants in Nigeria. Brent futures rose to $62.30 and WTI to $58.41 amid low market activity due to the Christmas holidays and expectations of an annual price decline.
The draw for the group stage of the 2026/2027 Nations League will take place on February 12, 2026, in Brussels. The Ukrainian national team will compete in League B.
Donald Trump has officially invited the presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the G20 summit in Miami. This decision is driven by the strategic interests of the United States in strengthening ties and diversifying supply chains of critical minerals.
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.
On December 19, in the Volgograd region of the Russian Federation, the main gas pipeline "Central Asia - Center" failed due to "ground subsidence. " Gas transportation has been stopped indefinitely, and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine points to a trend in the development of geological processes near objects that finance the war.
About 10,000 tons of butter have accumulated in Ukrainian warehouses, which is an alarming signal for the industry. Exports are shrinking, imports are growing, and butter prices have been falling for the third consecutive month, leading to a drop in raw milk purchase prices.
US sanctions against Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft, which came into force on November 21, could cause a structural reorganization of the global oil sector. This will lead to the forced sale of assets and the redistribution of ownership of fields and refineries around the world.
Russia has resumed the project of transferring water resources of the Ob River to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This is a modernized version of the Soviet plan to "divert Siberian rivers," which was abandoned due to environmental risks.
As scientists have established, a decrease in precipitation on the island of Flores, as well as a volcanic eruption about 50,000 years ago, could have caused the extinction of "hobbits. "
The Russian corporation "Roscosmos" canceled the next launch of the "Soyuz" rocket to the ISS, scheduled for December 21, 2025. The reason was an accident at the Baikonur cosmodrome, where the launch pad was damaged.
The Munich prosecutor's office is investigating a case involving businessmen who illegally sold 50 luxury cars to Russia for over 10 million euros. These cars, including an armored Mercedes, may have been intended for the Russian elite.
In November, Turkey reduced imports of Russian Urals crude oil by 100,000 barrels per day, to approximately 200,000 barrels per day. This comes amid tightening Western sanctions and the transition of Turkish refineries to alternative grades such as Kazakhstan's CPC Blend and Iraq's Basrah.
Ukrainian drones damaged the pier of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, which is the main source of Kazakh oil exports. Kazakhstan has activated a plan to redirect exports to alternative routes.
Ukraine has taken note of Kazakhstan's concerns regarding the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized that Ukraine's actions are aimed at repelling Russian aggression, and not against Kazakhstan or third parties.
An international team of researchers is studying the Semiyarka settlement in Kazakhstan's Abai region, which may be one of the largest Bronze Age centers. Fortifications, metallurgical remains, and ceramics from the Cherkaskul and Alekseevka-Sargary cultures have been found on the territory.
Kyrgyzstan held early parliamentary elections, with 467 candidates vying for 90 seats. This occurred amidst arrests of opposition figures and the closure of independent media outlets.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium ceased operations on November 29 due to damage from a Ukrainian UAV attack. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy called the attack "unacceptable" and activated a plan to redirect oil exports.
At the Baikonur cosmodrome, after today's launch of a spacecraft, the platform suffered technical damage, due to which it will be impossible to send people into space in the near future.
A spacecraft launched today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which later docked with the ISS, carrying Russian and American astronauts.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium has suspended operations near the marine terminal outside Novorossiysk due to a drone attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. CPC facilities in Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, where the consortium's main control center is located, were damaged.
