The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), located near Moscow, continues to allow Russian scientists to spy on CERN’s cutting-edge nuclear research, bypassing international sanctions and raising serious security concerns. Read more at Euromaidanpress...
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the US has been a major supplier of both military assistance and development aid. Many local communities rely on aid and donor support to fund initiatives in education, health, energy, agriculture and infrastructure. Reuters spoke to 10 NGO leaders and representatives from across affected projects. They said the abrupt pause in US funding came as a shock to communities exhausted by wartime challenges, and they were scrambling for new sources of funding. Even if US aid resumes, several NGOs said it would be a challenge to keep their teams at a time of severe staff shortages in Ukraine as the war drains the labor force. Read more at ...
Roman Shvartsman, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor from Odesa, delivered a speech in the Bundestag, expressing gratitude to Germany for its support of Ukraine against Russian aggression and urging for increased assistance. Speaking in Ukrainian during a special session commemorating National Socialism victims, he highlighted the parallels between Hitler's attempts to annihilate the Jews during World War II and Putin's current efforts against Ukrainians. Shvartsman recounted his harrowing experiences during World War II, including his deportation as a child to a ghetto and witnessing the murder of his brother by Nazis. He contrasted these experiences with the current threats and destruction caused by Russian attacks, including a missile strike on his home in Odesa in December 2024. He called for Germany's continued support by providing air defense, aircraft, and long-range missiles to counter Russian military attacks and liberate occupied territories. Shvartsman also emphasized the importance of establishing a memorial in Odessa for the Jewish victims of the October 1941 massacre, a project currently stalled by the ongoing war. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas acknowledged the challenges posed by Russia's war against Ukraine. After the session, Shvartsman engaged with young representatives from Germany and neighboring countries as part of a memorial event commemorating the anniversary of Auschwitz's liberation. Read more on...
The Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC) submarine fibre optic cable in the Baltic Sea was damaged early Sunday morning.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska spoke at the Folk och Försvar Annual National Conference in Sweden about the threat Russia plays to NATO as a whole. “Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with us. They say this openly, and they act accordingly. Just this year, Russia’s total military spending will be 7 or 8 % of GDP, if not more. Russia’s defense industry is scaling up, with the help of China, Iran, and North Korea; together, they’re aiming to destabilize the global order, to weaken Europe and North America, and to undermine our freedoms.”
The Russian state has been pursuing a 2-track strategy to cover its mounting war costs, supplementing its highly scrutinized defense budget expenditures with funding from an off-budget defense financing scheme that is similar in scale but has been overlooked by analysts. Unlike its federal defense budget expenditures, which remain at sustainable levels, Russia’s off-budget funding scheme is proving much more problematic to sustain. This now poses a funding dilemma for Moscow that could weigh on its war calculus while providing Ukraine and its allies valuable, new negotiating leverage.
For many years, Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) paid various groups in Afghanistan to launch terrorist attacks against US and coalition troops, including up to $200,000 for every American killed. To transfer money to Taliban militants and other groups, Russian intelligence services maintained a network of Afghan couriers disguised as a company that traded in precious stones. Having completed their mission, the couriers received Russian documents and asylum.
In a New Year address, President Vladimir Putin told Russians that the country would move forward with confidence in 2025, though he offered no specific promises on the economy or the war in Ukraine. At a time when many ordinary people are worried about rising prices and the central bank’s 21% interest rate is squeezing businesses and homebuyers, Putin reassured Russians that their well-being was his top priority.
Indian state refiners are considering tapping the Middle East crude market as supply from their top supplier Russia has fallen, refining sources said. The 3 large state refiners- Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, and Hindustan Petroleum, are short of 8-10 million barrels of Russian oil for January loading, the sources told Reuters.
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