Romania

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the “protection of citizens” in Transnistria due to the possible termination of gas supplies through Ukraine. Moldova accuses Moscow of gas blackmail and is looking for alternative supply routes.

Romanian border guards found the body of a 39-year-old man from Kyiv region in the Tisza River near the village of Bedevlia. The deceased was probably the victim of organizers of illegal border crossings.

Ukraine still needs to rationalize electricity consumption throughout the day. Electricity imports from Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova are projected to total almost 17 thousand MWh.

NATO has officially accepted the coordination of Western military assistance to Ukraine from the United States through the new NSATU mission in Wiesbaden. The mission will include 700 personnel with bases in Belgium, Poland and Romania.

The European Commission has launched an official investigation against TikTok for violating the law on digital services during the Romanian elections. The platform is suspected of promoting a pro-Russian candidate through fake accounts.

A new checkpoint, Nyzhankovychi - Malkhovychi, will be opened on the Ukrainian-Polish border for passenger and freight transport. The opening of the checkpoint should reduce the load on existing checkpoints and expand export opportunities.

Almost 400 settlements in 16 regions of Ukraine are without power due to the weather. Despite the absence of outage schedules, Ukrenergo urges to save electricity from 8:00 to 22:00.

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister called on the EU to approve a joint strategy to counter Russia's hybrid actions. Lithuania, together with 6 EU member states, has prepared a proposal to be considered at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The Ukrainian power grid remains in a significant power deficit after 12 massive attacks by Russia. To compensate for the deficit, electricity is imported from 5 countries in the total amount of 21,226 MWh.

Two new rail routes from Kyiv to the capitals of Hungary and Slovakia were launched. The new connections should relieve congestion on the Warsaw route and improve logistics links with the EU.

Mark Kulish took third place at the Edusport Trophy competition in Romania with 143. 29 points. After the short program, the athlete was fourth, but thanks to his high score in the free skate, he moved up to third place.

Following the December 13 Russian missile and drone attack, Ukraine has introduced blackout schedules. It is planned to import 15,898 MWh of electricity from Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova.

Belgium plans to increase the number of troops in NATO to 1,500 in 2025. The country will also send F-16s to Iceland and return troops to the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

As a result of the 12th massive missile and drone attack by the Russian Federation, power facilities in several regions of Ukraine were damaged. The weather left 198 settlements in 5 regions without electricity.

The Moldovan parliament introduced a 60-day state of emergency due to the threat of gas supplies to Transnistria being cut off in 2025. The country remains energy vulnerable due to its dependence on the Kuchurgan power plant.

The EU Council has decided to abolish controls at the land borders with Bulgaria and Romania as of January 1, 2025. The countries have already been part of the Schengen area by air and sea since March 2024.

In Zakarpattia, rescuers found and rescued a 37-year-old tourist from Kyiv who got lost in the mountains. The man with suspected frostbite was handed over to doctors.

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called on European countries to unite against Russia's hybrid attacks. Ukraine is ready to share its experience in countering threats ranging from cyberattacks to disinformation.

Electricity consumption in Ukraine remains at a high level, with hourly outages being implemented. Due to the weather, 9 settlements in the Odesa region have been left without power, and energy imports continue from 5 countries.

Bulgarian lawmakers plan to set up a commission to investigate Russian influence in the country. A network of 51 companies in Plovdiv has been identified that generate hundreds of millions of impressions of pro-Russian content in social networks every day.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved an agreement with Romania to build a road bridge across the Tisza River. The new logistics hub will connect the Bila Tserkva and Sighetu Marmatiei checkpoints to speed up the movement of people and goods.

In Ukraine, 66 settlements in 4 regions are without power due to weather conditions. Electricity consumption increased by 2.8% compared to the previous day, and a significant power shortage remains.

At a railroad checkpoint to Poland, border guards detained a 25-year-old man who was trying to travel abroad with a woman's passport. The offender also presented a fake gender reassignment certificate.

Austria lifted its veto on the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The decision was made after a significant reduction in illegal border crossings from 70,000 to 4,000 cases.

A 29-meter Christmas tree weighing 17 tons fell in the Romanian city of Brasov due to strong winds. There were no injuries, local authorities plan to restore the festive decoration of the city.

In Romania, богд 7 million was seized from Bogdan Peshchir for illegally financing the campaign of Celin Georgescu. Through the TikTok account "bogpr", he spent more than €1 million to promote the candidate.

A 28-year-old Ukrainian evader fell into a deep ravine in the Maramures mountains. The man was saved from frostbite by a cat that warmed him for more than a day while 15 rescuers performed a 5-hour operation.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed solidarity with Romania over Russia's interference in the electoral process. Declassified data confirms the Kremlin's attempts to influence democratic processes in the EU and NATO countries.

Romania's Supreme Court has annulled the results of the first round of presidential elections due to evidence of Russian interference. 85 thousand cyber attacks on the voting system were recorded, and repeated elections were scheduled.

The Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the results of the first round of presidential elections due to revealed manipulations. The election was won by pro-Russian candidate Kalin Giorgescu, who opposed NATO.