После принятого 16 декабря решения Верховного суда по спору о так называемом эффекте Долиной необходимо обсудить компетентность судей, которые выносили решение по этому делу в нижестоящих инстанциях (Верховный суд отменил их решение), заявил РБК глава комитета по конституционному законодательству и госстроительству Совета Федерации, доктор юридических наук Андрей Клишас.
По его словам, Верховный суд своим решением «все поставил с головы на ноги» и вернул практику правоприменения действительности сделок и добросовестности к норме.
«Считаю, что следующий правильный шаг — обсудить компетентность тех судей, которые допустили столь экстравагантное толкование норм законодательства, что привело к появлению новых мошеннических схем по обману добросовестных приобретателей недвижимости», — подчеркнул он.
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Председатель Верховного Суда Игорь Краснов поручил коллегиям ВС по административным и гражданским делам и экономическим спорам обобщить судебную практику с учётом вчерашнего решения по «делу Долиной».
Жернова судебной системы пришли в движение. Далее, все нижестоящие суды будут руководствоваться определением Верховного Суда.
Дела об оспаривании сделок с недвижимостью «под влиянием мошенников» будут пересмотрены. Законные приобретатели жилплощади у скамствующих бабок получат свои квартиры обратно, а обманутые мошенниками пенсионеры смогут стребовать свои убытки с хохлов в Днепре.
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Решение Верховного суда по делу Долиной интересно не только тем, что оно восстанавливает справедливость, нарушенную нижестоящими инстанциями. Оно еще и потенциально ломает достаточно распространенную схему, при которой определенной категории граждан было позволено больше чем остальным – за счет возможности куда-то позвонить и кого-то попросить об одолжении.
То, что в деле Долиной исходно работала именно эта возможность – сомнений нет. Сложно себе представить, чтобы судьи в трех инстанциях последовательно дискредитировали и собственные дипломы и саму суть права без очень веских к тому оснований. В идеале за решением суда должны последовать определения в адрес соответствующих судей, и тогда справедливость будет полной.
Могло ли решение сегодня быть другим? Практически исключено. Справедливость и закон в данном случае друг другу не противоречат (как это иногда бывает) а идеально совпадают. Справедливость требует от каждого дееспособного совершеннолетнего человека нести ответственность за собственные поступки, закон в виде Гражданского кодекса направлен туда же, и то, что происходило в судах первых трех инстанций было явным попранием как закона, так и справедливости. Общественный резонанс, конечно, был обусловлен известностью Долиной, но дело от этого становилось лишь опаснее: подтверждение этой несправедливости грозило подорвать общественный договор в целом. Тот самый, в рамках которого мы все отдаем государству право на суд и монополию на насилие, требуя, чтобы оно пользовалось им для общего блага, защищая наши права, а не наоборот. Очевидно, что это понимают и в Верховном суде, и на уровне руководства страны, учитывая, на каких постах у нас сейчас люди с юридическим образованием.
Сегодня этот договор был подтвержден. Теперь нужно, чтобы по этому же шаблону были пересмотрены и другие дела, где продавцы сумели добиться (или добиваются) односторонней реституции, оставляя добросовестных покупателей ни с чем. Таких дел сотни в рассмотрении только сейчас, и сотни уже завершены. Посмотрим, как изменится практика.
Почему нас это вообще должно волновать по ходу войны? Потому что нам всем должно быть не все равно в какой стране мы будем жить после. И вопрос собственности, ее защиты и гарантий прав любого гражданина, будь то миллиардер-инвестор в недвижимость или накопивший на первый взнос молодой специалист без связей и состояния – ключевой. Он определяет, будет ли у людей стимул стремиться к чему-то у себя дома, вкладываться и зарабатывать. А это уже определяет наше общее для всех будущее.
Заявление Трампа о блокаде Венесуэлы может иметь глобальные последствия, выходящие далеко за рамки конфликта между США и президентом Мадуро, отставки которого добивается Вашингтон.
Начнем с того, что действия США полностью подпадают под определение агрессии, согласно международному праву. Пункт «с» статьи 3 Конвенции ООН об определении понятия агрессия прямо относит к ней «блокаду портов или берегов государства вооруженными силами другого государства» (см скрин).
И заявление Трампа о блокаде Венесуэлы без санкции ООН, а лишь исходя из отношения Вашингтона к нынешним властям этой страны, а также исходя из «права сильного» («делаем, потому что можем это делать»), работает на девальвацию обвинений Запада в адрес РФ относительно нарушений международного права при вторжении в Украину.
Впрочем, данный момент будет иметь не слишком большое практическое значение, так как отношение к войне в Украине в мире у различных стран уже давно определяется не столько нормами международного права, сколько геополитическими и экономическими интересами.
Куда более важен другой аспект. А именно - создание прецедента морской блокады без санкции ООН, который может быть использован и против других стран. В первую очередь - России и Китая.
По поводу России на Западе (особенно в странах северной Европы) ещё с 2024 года звучат призывы заблокировать порты и российское судоходство, чтоб нанести удар по экспорту РФ. Кроме того, США при Трампе демонстрируют сильное желание сократить экспорт российской нефти и прочих энергоносителей.
Что касается Китая, то в экспертных кругах уже давно рассматривается сценарий, по которому, в случае обострения отношений Пекина и США, американский флот может попытаться заблокировать судоходство в китайские порты, чтоб парализовать внешнюю торговлю, от которой (и от экспорта, и от импорта) критически зависит КНР.
Более того, в ноябре уже был факт захвата американцами гражданского судна, которое шло из Китая в Иран (к слову, для Ирана также реальна угроза блокады портов военным флотом США, хотя и Иран в ответ может перекрыть Ормузский пролив).
Поводом для морской блокады Китая может стать что угодно. Например, конфликт вокруг Тайваня. Или новый виток торговой войны. США и Запад в целом сейчас глобально проигрывают Китаю конкурентную борьбу на мировом рынке товаров, а потому у американцев в любой момент может возникнуть соблазн задействовать один из последних своих аргументов - пока ещё самый сильный в мире военный флот, чтоб сокрушить внешнюю торговлю Китая.
То, что и сам Пекин воспринимает угрозу морской блокады всерьез свидетельствует активное пополнение им запасов нефти.
Ситуация вокруг Венесуэлы дает дополнительную почву для этих опасений. И, кроме того, будет способствовать дальнейшему сближению Китая и РФ, так как, с учетом угрозы морской блокады, отношения с Москвой для Пекина становятся ещё более важными - Россия может обеспечить для КНР поставки по суше почти всех видов необходимого китайцам сырья.
Впрочем, есть важный нюанс - в отличие от Венесуэлы, Россия и Китай обладают ядерным оружием. А так как блокада судоходства является для них экзистенциальной угрозой, и, к тому же, с точки зрения международного права, будет считаться актом агрессии, то вероятность того, что КНР и РФ дадут на эти действия военный ответ очень велика. А прямое столкновение между НАТО, Россией и Китаем несет огромный риск быстрого перерастания в мировую ядерную войну.
Кроме того, РФ, при определенных условиях, может начать действовать и «превентивно». Например, если удары украинских морских дронов приведут к критически высокому ущербу для внешней торговли РФ, то Кремль может обвинить в содействии этим ударам, например, Британию (в Москве утверждения об участии британцев в атаках на море звучат уже давно) и выдвинуть Лондону ультиматум, угрожая войной.
Другими словами, морская блокада Венесуэлы создает прецедент, который, в случае его повторения в отношении других стран, несет угрозу глобальной эскалации с риском сползания мира к ядерной войне, а также способствует укреплению альянса РФ и Китая на почве противостояния общей угрозе.
И, потенциально, усложняет достижение договоренностей США и РФ по войне в Украине.
События вокруг Венесуэлы в этом смысле остаются точкой большого риска и для Трампа.
Понятно, что блокада - это лишь один из шагов для достижения Вашингтоном его цели: свержения Мадуро. Сейчас его вынуждают уйти самому. Но, если он откажется это сделать, то американцы могут перейти и к военному сценарию его отстранения от власти. Который, как мы уже писали, несет потенциально очень большую угрозу для Трампа.
Запроса на войну нет ни среди избирателей-демократов, ни среди избирателей-республиканцев.
И если в Венесуэле не получится добиться быстрой победы, то затяжная война там станет политической смертью для Трампа и трампизма.
А если все ж таки удастся «маленькая победоносная война», то это может усилить в Вашингтоне соблазн применить те же методы (морская блокада и т.д.) и в отношении других стран, что может привести к реализации описанных выше глобальных угроз.
Вероятно, риски эти понятны и для Трампа, поэтому он пока движется медленно и не торопится начинать полномасштабную войну в Венесуэле
Однако, в его окружении есть немало сил, которые подталкивают к этому президента США. И, судя по решению о морской блокаде, их влияние велико.
Но, в конечном итоге, последнее слово будет за Трампом.
США готовят новые санкции против российской энергетики на случай, если Путин отклонит мирное соглашение с Украиной, сообщает Bloomberg со ссылкой на источники.
Рассматриваются различные варианты, в том числе преследование судов теневого флота и трейдеров, содействующих этим операциям.
При том утверждается, что новые меры могут быть обнародованы уже на этой неделе.
Напомним, что в ближайшие дни должны состояться переговоры США и РФ по поводу достигнутых с Украиной договоренностей.
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Кремль прокомментировал публикацию в Нью-Йорк Таймс о том, что США и ЕС договорились об отправке в Украину европейских войск в рамках гарантии безопасности.
«Позиция России по поводу любых иностранных контингентов в Украине хорошо известна, абсолютно последовательна и понятна», - заявил Песков и добавил, что Кремль ещё не получал от США какой-либо официальной информации по итогам переговоров американцев с Киевом и европейцами.
Напомним, Москва неоднократно выступала против размещения любых войск из стран НАТО в Украине и заявляла, что не примет никаких соглашений, которые бы предусматривали такое размещение.
Отметим, что норма о возможности размещения иностранных войск в Украине содержалась в предложениях европейцев по гарантиям безопасности, которые были озвучены в понедельник.
Информация о том, что США на это согласились и поддержали, содержится только в публикациях СМИ со ссылкой на источники. Официально Вашингтон этого не подтверждал. В первоначальной версии плана Трампа содержится прямой запрет на размещение иностранных войск в Украине. Информации о том, что он оттуда исключён, не было.
Поэтому пока не ясно, что означают появление публикаций о согласии Вашингтона на размещение европейских войск в Украине - реальную перемену позиции США, либо это попытка усложнить достижение договоренностей по реализации мирного плана Трампа.
В США идёт скандал вокруг интервью главы аппарата Белого дома Сьюзан Уайлс.
Журнал Vanity Fair опубликовал её цитаты, где звучат нелицеприятные оценки Трампа и вице-президента Вэнса.
Позже глава аппарата Белого дома фактически отреклась от своих слов, обвинив издание в заказе и лжи.
В частности, по версии журнала, Уайлс заявила, что у Трампа «алкогольная личность».
«Какой-нибудь клинический психолог, который знает в миллион раз больше меня, наверняка поспорит с тем, что я сейчас скажу. Но у высокофункциональных алкоголиков — да и у алкоголиков в целом — личностные черты усиливаются, когда они пьют. Так что в вопросе больших личностей я, можно сказать, немного эксперт», — сказала Уайлс в интервью.
По её словам, у Трампа «алкогольная личность». Он «действует с ощущением, что нет ничего, чего он не мог бы сделать. Ничего. Ноль. Совсем ничего».
Напомним, Трамп заявляет, что никогда даже не пробовал спиртное.
Также соратница президента США согласилась, что его поступки иногда продиктованы желанием мести.
«Люди могут подумать, что это выглядит мстительно. Я не могу сказать вам, почему вы не должны так думать. Я не думаю, что он просыпается с мыслями о мести. Но когда появляется возможность, он ею воспользуется», - говорит Уайлс.
Касательно вице-президент Вэнса глава аппарата заявила, что он «уже десятилетие является конспирологом», а его превращение из критика Трампа в лояльного союзника было «вполне политически мотивированным».
Об Илоне Маске - что он употребляет кетамин и вообще «странный чудак, как это часто бывает с гениями».
Также она сказала, что Трамп уверен, что Путин хочет захватить всю Украину.
После публикации интервью Уайлс заявила в Х, что её слова вырваны из контекста.
«Опубликованная сегодня утром статья — это лживый заказной материал против меня и лучшего президента, лучших сотрудников Белого дома и лучшего кабинета всех времён. Были проигнорированы важные контексты, и многое из того, что я и другие говорили о команде и президенте, было опущено. После прочтения я исхожу из того, что это сделано для того, чтобы нарисовать последовательно хаотичный и негативный образ президента и нашей команды», — написала она.
Пресс-секретарь Белого дома Кэролайн Левитт заявила, что у Трампа «нет более важной или более лояльной советницы, чем Сьюзи», и всё правительство, «благодарное ей за её благоразумное руководство», сплочённо стоит за Уайлс.
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Susie Wiles says Trump has an ‘alcoholic’s personality’ — and reveals her ultimatum that shaped the 2016 election
The president is a teetotaler, telling Fox News in 2016 that he’s ‘never had a drink’.
In a wide-ranging interview with Vanity Fair, Wiles described how she got her role and what it’s like to be arguably the closest person to the president (AFP/Getty)
Donald Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles gave a brutal review of the president in a bombshell new interview, saying he has an “alcoholic’s personality.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Vanity Fair, Wiles described how she got her role and what it’s like to be arguably the closest person to the president. In that position, she’s gotten to know the 79-year-old president extremely well. Trump is a teetotaler, but she described him as having an “alcoholic’s personality.”
He “operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do. Nothing, zero, nothing,” she told the magazine.
Such a personality type is something she became familiar with as a child, living with an alcoholic father, Wiles said.
After the article was published, Wiles branded it as a “disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest president, White House staff, and cabinet in history.”
Her father was Pat Summerall, a former NFL player-turned-broadcaster, once dubbed the “voice of football.” For all his achievements, he was also an absentee father and an alcoholic; Wiles assisted her mother stage interventions for him, she told the magazine. Summerall died at age 82 in 2013 and was sober for 21 years before his death.
Still, Wiles said: “Alcoholism does bad things to relationships, and so it was with my dad and me.”
She told Vanity Fair in the article: “Some clinical psychologist that knows 1 million times more than I do will dispute what I’m going to say. But high-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink. And so I’m a little bit of an expert in big personalities.”
Hours after the piece was published, the president confirmed Wiles’s description. “I’ve said that many times about myself. I’m fortunate I’m not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I’ve said that — what’s the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality. Oh, I’ve said it many times, many times before,” he told the New York Post.
The president said he’s “never had a drink,” he told Fox News in November 2016, after winning his first presidential election.
His older brother, Fred Trump, who struggled with alcoholism for most of his life and died in 1981 at 41 years old. Trump spoke about his brother to the Washington Post in 2019: “He was so handsome, and I saw what alcohol did to him even physically … and that had an impact on me, too.”
Wiles’s father was a frequently mentioned subject when Wiles first met the then-real estate mogul-slash-presidential candidate in 2015 at Trump Tower.
He was incredulous that he was speaking to the daughter of the great Pat Summerall, she recalled. “He’s said it a million times,” Wiles told the magazine. “‘I judge people by their genes.’”
At some point, Trump’s team reached out to Wiles. “They called me one night and said, ‘We’re serious about Florida now. Would you like to co-chair our leadership team?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I would,’” she told Vanity Fair.
Wiles recalled giving Trump an ultimatum ahead of his 2016 election that possibly changed the course of history (Getty)
In the fall of 2016, the pair’s budding relationship almost blew up when Trump saw polling numbers showing he was performing worse in the state than expected. At his Miami golf club, Trump “berated” her in front of his friends, according to Vanity Fair.
“It was a horrific hour-plus at midnight,” Wiles recalled. “And I don’t think I’ve seen him that angry since. He was ranting and raving. And I didn’t know whether to argue back or whether to be stoic. What I really wanted to do was cry.”
She maintained her composure and then gave him an ultimatum. “You know Mr. Trump, if you want somebody to set their hair on fire and be crazy, I’m not your girl. But if you want to win this state, I am. It’s your choice,” she told him at the time.
She walked out the door and the rest is history. “Lo and behold, he called me every day,” she said. That November, he won Florida 49 percent compared to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s 47.8 percent. It was one of the swing states in the 2016 election and helped seal the win for Trump and paved the way for his first term in office.
After the 2016 election, Wiles had a stint of working for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — after Trump suggested to DeSantis he hire her — leading him to a gubernatorial victory in 2018. But then DeSantis soured on her for reasons unknown to Wiles, she told the magazine. Trump then rehired her to work for him on his 2020 re-election campaign as his campaign manager.
Regarding DeSantis’s decision, she sounded grateful: “Had he said, ‘Look, thank you. I appreciate your help. We’re done here.’ I believe the course of his history would have been different. I might or might not have gone to work for Donald Trump.”
Following the article’s publication, Wiles bashed it as a “disingenuously framed hit piece.”
“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the president and our team,” she claimed in a social media post.
“The truth is the Trump White House has already accomplished more in 11 months than any other president has accomplished in eight years and that is due to the unmatched leadership and vision of President Trump, for whom I have been honored to work for the better part of a decade. None of this will stop our relentless pursuit of Making America Great Again!”
Цитата:
Trump stands by chief of staff Susie Wiles after bombshell Vanity Fair interviews — admits he has ‘alcoholic’s personality’
WASHINGTON — President Trump defended White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in an exclusive interview with The Post Tuesday — saying she was right to tell Vanity Fair he has an “alcoholic’s personality” and that he has confidence in Wiles to continue in her role.
In an afternoon phone call, Trump said that he wasn’t offended by his subordinate’s word choice.
“I’ve said that many times about myself. I’m fortunate I’m not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I’ve said that — what’s the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality. Oh, I’ve said it many times, many times before.”
In the profile, Wiles — the daughter of late NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, who underwent his own public struggles with the bottle — told author Chris Whipple that “high-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink” and that the president has “an alcoholic’s personality” because he “operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do.”
Over the course of 11 conversations this year, Wiles also said Vice President JD Vance was “a conspiracy theorist for a decade” and that Attorney General Pam Bondi “whiffed” in her handling of files related to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“I didn’t read it, but I don’t read Vanity Fair — but she’s done a fantastic job,” Trump said Tuesday when asked about the report by Whipple, best known for his 2017 book “The Gatekeepers” about White House chiefs of staff.
“I think from what I hear, the facts were wrong, and it was a very misguided interviewer, purposely misguided.”
Asked if he had full confidence in Wiles, the president said: “Oh, she’s fantastic.”
He said that he thought Whipple may have deceived Wiles regarding his focus.
“Yeah, deceived — and he didn’t have great access, a couple of very short interviews. And Susie generally doesn’t do interviews,” Trump said.
“If anybody knows the interviewer, and if they know Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair is a totally — it’s lost its way. It’s also lost its readers, as you know. No, she’s fantastic.”
Wiles is widely admired by insiders for quietly resolving rifts among officials, avoiding the persistent in-fighting that plagued Trump’s first term.
She also has taken a starkly different view of her role than her first-term predecessors who sought to control access to Trump while presiding over ceaseless palace intrigue.
Wiles told The Post in an April interview that “I want him to have more inputs, not less, more information, not less, more people talking to him, not fewer.”
“I view my responsibility as making sure he gets unvarnished information and complete truth,” she said. “And however many people it takes to get there, and whoever they are — of course, within reason. We actually encourage it.”
Trump loyalists praise Wiles frequently in contrast to first-term chief of staff John Kelly, who later turned into a strident critic of the president after slow-walking and resisting his orders between 2017 and 2019.
Vance: ‘Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist
The surprisingly candid assessments from Wiles initially drew shock across Washington, but administration officials quickly rallied around her, including Vance, who like Trump admitted there was truth in her least-flattering words.
“Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist,” Vance said while taking reporter questions in Pennsylvania.
“But I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true — and by the way, Susie and I have joked in private and in public about that for a long time.”
Vance said “I believed in the crazy conspiracy theory back in 2020 that it was stupid to mask 3-year-olds at the height of the COVID pandemic and that we should actually let them develop some language skills.”
“I believed in this crazy conspiracy theory that the media and the government were covering up the fact that Joe Biden was clearly unable to do the job. And I believed in the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was trying to throw his political opponents in jail, rather than win an argument against his political opponents.”
Vance quipped, “it turns out that a conspiracy theory is just “something that was true six months before the media admitted it.”
Bondi also toed the line for Wiles, calling her a “dear friend” who “fights every day to advance President Trump’s agenda – and she does so with grace, loyalty, and historic effectiveness.
“Any attempt to divide this administration will fail,” Bondi added in the statement on X. “Any attempt to undermine and downplay President Trump’s monumental achievements will fail. We are family.”
White House budget director Russell Vought, whom Wiles called “a right-wing absolute zealot,” tweeted: “Susie Wiles is an exceptional chief of staff… In my portfolio, she is always an ally in helping me deliver for the president. And this hit piece will not slow us down.”
Vought, a rare holdover from Trump’s first term, said the administration “has never worked this well or been more oriented towards accomplishing what [Trump] wants to accomplish.”
Wiles responded Tuesday morning on X that the article was “a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.
“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team,” she went on.
Trump thinks Putin ‘wants the whole’ of Ukraine
Wiles also is quoted sharing Trump’s private assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin is gumming up peace talks to end his nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine because he still wants to conquer the whole country.
“The experts think that if he could get the rest of Donetsk, then he would be happy,” Wiles told Whipple in August.
“Donald Trump thinks he wants the whole country.”
Trump publicly has expressed optimism about peace talks, which he at one point suggested he’d quickly end.
He left an August summit with the Russian leader voicing confidence in a proposed European-led peacekeeping force deploying after the possible transfer of Donetsk.
Wiles said that “on the phone calls that we’ve had with Putin, it’s been very mixed. Some of them have been friendly and some of them not.”
Trump did not address the Vanity Fair profile on his Truth Social account as of Tuesday evening.
Instead, he announced that he was going to give a rare Oval Office address in primetime Wednesday to tout his administration’s record.
“It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” he wrote.
“I think I’ll be talking about where we came from, from four years of that of the worst administration in history — it was the worst administration in history — to where we are now, where we’re doing very well, and where we’re going,” Trump told The Post.
_________________
С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Война с Украиной может продолжиться в следующем году, а НАТО готовится к войне с РФ в 2030-х, заявил министр обороны РФ Белоусов.
«Началась подготовка НАТО к столкновению с РФ на рубеже 2030-х годов. Политика стран Европы и НАТО создает реальные предпосылки для продолжения военных действий в Украине в 2026 году. Ключевая задача на следующий год — сохранить и нарастить набранные темпы наступления», - сказал Белоусов.
Ранее замглавы МИД РФ Рябков говорил, что Украина и Россия находятся "на пороге" мирного соглашения.
При этом о 2030 годе, как о сроке вероятной войны между НАТО и Россией, неоднократно заявляли европейские политики.
Цитата:
Putin calls European leaders 'little pigs' as he insists Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine by diplomacy or force.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lashed out at European leaders, deriding them as “little pigs”, and said Russia would achieve its territorial goals in Ukraine either through diplomacy or by military force.
Speaking at an annual meeting with the defence ministry, Putin said the aims of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” would be met “unconditionally”.
“If they do not want a substantive discussion,” he said, “then Russia will liberate its historical lands on the battlefield.”
Putin claimed that the previous US administration had “deliberately steered the situation towards an armed conflict”, adding that Washington believed Russia could be weakened or even destroyed in a short period of time.
He then lashed out at European leaders, accusing them of joining in with Joe Biden’s administration. “Europe’s little pigs immediately joined in the work of the previous American administration, hoping to profit from the collapse of our country,” Putin said.
Putin’s hardline comments came as US officials claimed that earlier talks with Ukraine in Berlin had resolved about 90% of the most difficult issues. But major doubts remain over whether the Russian leader is prepared to compromise on his sweeping demands.
Putin has repeatedly insisted that Kyiv cede the remaining parts of the eastern Donbas region still under Ukrainian control – a demand that the White House has at times appeared to endorse, but which Ukraine has flatly rejected. Moscow has also pushed for strict limits on Ukraine’s military, a ban on western troops on Ukrainian territory, and an end to western military support.
The Russian leader on Wednesday also denied that Moscow was planning to invade Nato territory, claiming instead that the alliance had begun preparing for a possible military confrontation with Russia, with a view to 2030.
Цитата:
Врагам России.
Американское информационное агентство Bloomberg сообщает, что в Соединённых Штатах идёт подготовка очередных санкций против России. Согласно источникам агентства, разрабатываемые в американской администрации санкции могут быть направлены против российской энергетики, связанных с нею танкеров ну и, конечно, многочисленных трейдеров, помогающих Москве избегать санкций. Издание Bloomberg отнюдь не нейтральное. У агентства есть чётко выраженная антироссийская направленность и продемонстрированная годами склонность принимать желаемое – за действительное. То есть давать неблагоприятные для России материалы как достоверные и охотно «сливать» информацию от тех в администрации Трампа, кто хочет помешать нормализации отношений с Россией. В то же время, у Bloomberg достаточно профессионализма, чтобы не «высасывать факты из пальца» – и про их сообщения, как правило, можно сказать, что «нет дыма без огня». Так, сообщение, что министр финансов США Скотт Бессент активно работает с европейскими представителями, чтобы подготовить новый пакет санкций, не вызывает сомнения. В статье подчёркивается, что окончательное решение будет, естественно, принимать Дональд Трамп. Но при склонности Трампа не вникать в детали, то, что ему подбрасывают советники, обладающие к нему свободным доступом, имеет большую силу. А Бессент, очевидно, не просто выполняет свои обязанности, а активно демонстрирует свою склонность двигать президента США в направлении конфликта с Россией. Связана ли эта склонность с его прежней работой на Джорджа Сороса (чьи организации признаны в России нежелательными), его публично провозглашаемой гордостью, что он состоит в однополом браке*, или какими-то другими соображениями – из Москвы судить трудно. Но враждебная России деятельность Бессента убедительно продемонстрирована – и уже несколько раз приводила к желательным ему шагам США против России.
Сложнее обстоит дело с государственным секретарём и одновременно помощником президента по национальной безопасности Марко Рубио. Многие годы он был известен как ярый неоконсерватор, убеждённый антикоммунист и сторонник максимального ограничения американского сотрудничества с Россией. Он пытался баллотироваться против Трампа во время первичных выборов 2016 года, когда они обменивались личными оскорблениями. Но сейчас Рубио явно делает ставку на показную лояльность Трампу, которая ему важна не только, чтобы остаться на своих постах, но и иметь шансы в соревновании с вице-президентом Джей Ди Вэнсом за выдвижение от Республиканской партии на следующих президентских выборах. Однако за фасадом лояльности Рубио чётко прослеживается приверженность к НАТО и готовность служить проводником европейского влияния в Вашингтоне. Без Рубио европейским русофобам и их протеже Зеленскому было бы труднее иметь фактически неограниченный доступ к Трампу и работать над тем, чтобы блокировать любой прогресс в российско-американских переговорах.
В Москве хорошо понимают, что Соединённые Штаты – великая держава, и мы должны иметь дело с тем президентом, которого выбрала сама Америка. Также понимают, что политическая система США создана не нами – и у нас весьма ограниченные возможности на неё как-то влиять. Но мы должны чётко осознавать, с кем и с чем мы имеем дело и максимально изучать наши возможности давать соответствующий отпор – в том числе и разрабатывая методы, как показать, пользуясь любимым в Вашингтоне выражением, что быть врагом России может иметь серьёзные последствия.
*Движение ЛГБТ признано экстремистской организацией на территории РФ.
Согласится ли Москва на ввод войск НАТО в Украину?
Сегодня сразу несколько западных СМИ, со ссылкой на источники, написали подробности о гарантиях безопасности, которые США готовы дать Киеву в обмен на вывод украинских войск с территории Донецкой области.
New York Times, в частности, написала, что эти гарантии предусматривают размещение европейских войск в Украине на западе страны. А газета Daily Telegraph утверждает, что в случае нарушения перемирия Россией, США могут использовать истребители F-35, ракеты Tomahawk или аналогичные системы, размещенные на территории НАТО. Издание пишет, что это будут гарантии безопасности, аналогичные тем, что американцы дали Израилю и Южной Корее (напомним, США и их союзники по НАТО участвуют в отражении ракетных атак на Израиль, а американские самолеты бомбили Иран, во время июньской войны).
США, однако, официально не подтверждали согласие на размещение европейских войск в Украине. В первоначальном плане Трампа говорилось, что войска стран НАТО в Украине не размещаются. В Москве неоднократно заявляли, что для них будет неприемлем любой вариант размещения войск стран НАТО на территории Украины. Сегодня в Кремле напомнили, что их точка зрения на этот счет "хорошо известна" и не менялась.
Еще более проблемным с точки зрения согласования с РФ может оказаться пункт, о котором написала Daily Telegraph - готовность США наносить воздушные удар по российским силам в случае нарушение ими перемирия.
Если будет заключено соглашение о прекращении огня, то, скорее всего, будет происходить то же самое, что происходило на Донбассе с 2015 по 2021 год, а сейчас происходит между Израилем и Сектором Газа (после начала перемирия) - периодические перестрелки, в которых обе стороны обвиняют друг друга.
И, если верить Daily Telegraph, США готовы взять на себя обязательство вмешиваться в эти перестрелки на стороне Украины, сбивая российские ракеты и самолеты или даже нанося удары по российским сухопутным силам.
То есть, делать то, чего американцы до сих пор делать категорически избегали, так как опасались прямого военного столкновения с РФ, что могло быть чревато ядерной войной.
Поэтому ,в связи с данными публикациями, возникает вопрос - действительно ли США согласились давать подобные гарантии безопасности и если да, то как отреагирует Россия?
На этот счет в ходу три версии.
Первая - США на ввод европейских войск в Украину и на удары по РФ, в случае нарушения перемирия, своего согласия не давали. Это предложения европейцев, которые выдаются в СМИ за согласованные с Трампом, чтоб вызвать резкую реакцию Кремля и максимально затруднить достижение соглашения о завершении войны. А в итоговом варианте гарантий безопасности этих пунктов не окажется, так как Белый дом их "зарубит".
Вторая - Вашингтон действительно согласился дать такие гарантии безопасности. Этого добились совместным воздействием на Трампа "ястребы" в Республиканской партии, европейцы и Киев. Их расчет в том, что Москва откажется принимать план с такими правками, после чего ее (а не украинские власти) можно будет обвинить в срыве мирных переговоров и потребовать от Трампа ввести против РФ жесткие санкции и другие меры воздействия.
Третья - люди Трампа с РФ вопрос уже предварительно проговорили и Кремль не возражает против подобных гарантий безопасности для Украины. Теоретически это возможно, если в ответ США дадут РФ, помимо уже озвученных в мирном плане шагов (вывод украинских войск из Донбасса, снятие санкций, признание российской юрисдикции над захваченными украинскими территориями и т.д.) еще некий крупный бонус. Кроме того, если США действительно готовы давать Украине гарантии такого уровня, а Москва готова их принять, то это может означать, что обе страны близки к неким соглашениям уровня стратегического партнерства, которое полностью исключает саму вероятность новой войны. Однако пока ничто не указывает на то, что такие соглашения вообще реальны. Также как и нет видимых признаков изменения позиции Москвы по иностранным войскам в Украине.
Россия стала прицельно бить по складам военной продукции, проблемы с отгрузкой начались у трети оборонных предприятий Украины, заявляет украинский военный эксперт Александр Коваленко.
При этом, по его словам, предприятия за срыв поставок штрафуют и судят, даже если был ущерб вследствие обстрела.
«Ситуация до парадоксального сюрреалистическая – предприятие, выполняющее заказ для государства, оказываясь под ударом, теряя в результате линии производства и готовую продукцию, не получает никаких смягчений по обязательствам, поддержки в восстановлении мощностей, и более того, при задержке выполнения заказа получают штрафные санкции за невыполнение обязательств по поставкам. Не менее трети предприятий, задействованных в секторе ОПК в Украине, на сегодняшний день заняты судебными разбирательствами, по кабальным штрафным санкциям, а не производством военной продукции. Одно из предприятий, на продукции которого у нас очень любили пиариться в своё время, сейчас как разрушено, так и погрязло в судах», - пишет Коваленко.
Он также заявляет, что власти скрывают удары по предприятиям оборонки, и население знает лишь о прилетах по энергетике.
"Мы с вами в информационном пространстве очень много слышим сообщений о том, как российские оккупанты наносят удары по нашей энергетической инфраструктуре и как страдают гражданские от отсутствия электроэнергии, воды и тепла. Но практически полностью в наших СМИ игнорирует проблема ударов российских войск по объектам оборонно-промышленного комплекса страны", - пишет эксперт.
Цитата:
Putin thinks democracy is the west’s weakness. We have to prove him wrong.
The Russian strategy of exporting chaos to provoke extremism only works if liberals succumb to cynicism and despair.
Ionce spent an exasperating week showing a Russian friend around London. He insisted on seeing everything and admiring nothing. Museums, monuments, shops – all compared unfavourably with St Petersburg and Moscow. This got tiresome after a few days, so I asked my friend if there was anything at all about Britain that impressed him. “The stability,” he said without hesitation. “You can feel the stability.”
That was a different world; the late 1990s. I don’t remember the year, but I remember knowing what my friend was talking about because I had felt the same culture shock in reverse when first visiting Russia.
It was the decade of degenerate democracy under Boris Yeltsin. The Soviet Union had collapsed. It was not obvious where the unravelling would stop. Criminal violence was endemic. The drunk president was propped up by a lawless oligarchy, pillaging state assets and calling it privatisation. No one who witnessed Russia’s trauma in that period was surprised that it engendered nostalgia for the pre-democratic era. Soviet power was unaccountable but at least predictable.
Vladimir Putin is as crooked as everyone else who rose to the top in Yeltsin’s entourage. But he restored order and national self-esteem, which mattered more to most Russians than the slow suffocation of political freedom.
It is not a familiar dilemma to British voters because democracy and stability have not seemed mutually exclusive. Our multiparty system allows peaceful rivalry between different political and economic interests. The opposition can become the government without bloodshed. The defeated regime yields without fear of retribution. Under conditions of rules-based competition, democracies can accommodate dissent before it turns to revolution. That makes them innovative and resilient. It is how free societies outperformed tyrannies and won the 20th century. Vengeful dictatorship wants a rematch. Putin thinks he can turn the west’s strength into its greatest vulnerability.
An authoritarian megalomaniac sees merit in a political system if it raises no obstacle to the leader’s will. He therefore sees liberal democracy as stupid and weak. It submits its rulers to the contradictory caprices of dumb voters. It follows that the way to accelerate democracy’s failure is to amplify those contradictions, nurture division, accelerate polarisation, shrink the available space for compromise so that representative government grinds to a halt.
The theory originates in Soviet-era tactics, but the old KGB was constrained by the unwieldy analogue logistics of recruiting agents and meddling in politics abroad. The digital age makes it cheaper and scalable.
Traditional methods of subversion are still practised. Reform UK’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, is now in jail after pleading guilty to bribery charges dating from his time as a Ukip and Brexit party MEP. He accepted tens of thousands of pounds to boost pro-Russian interests in the European parliament. He offered to recruit colleagues to do the same, but there is no suggestion that he did so.
The case has prompted the government to set up an inquiry into foreign influence in UK politics. The terms of reference cover the post-Brexit landscape, not because Kremlin meddling is a recent phenomenon but because excavation of more historic interference – perhaps contaminating the democratic credentials of the Brexit campaign – is deemed too socially and politically fissile.
Back in 2016, the Kremlin obviously had a preference for Britain to harm itself and the EU by burning their mutually beneficial alliance, just as Putin had a clear interest in Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton in that year’s US presidential election.
But the method isn’t confined to specific geopolitical goals. All divergence of opinion is ripe for radicalisation via the enraging algorithms of social media. A 2018 US senate committee investigation found that Russian troll accounts were posting messages in support of Black Lives Matter and cheering Confederate flags in different digital silos.
Anything to inflame the connective social tissue that holds multicultural societies together counts as a successful attack on the democratic immune system. And that was before AI entered the scene as an info-weapon of mass destruction, flooding the arena with synthetic news slop and terrifyingly plausible deepfakery.
This is one of the challenges identified by Blaise Metreweli, the new director of MI6, in a speech earlier this week. She characterised the current national security environment as a “space between peace and war”. Russia was not the only antagonist to be named, but in the eyes of Britain’s spy chief, Putin is the pre-eminent menace. His method is “the export of chaos”.
That could involve needling incursions over Nato borders with drones, ships and submarines. It features cyber-attacks on infrastructure, arson and sabotage. Such provocations are alarming but counterproductive if they alert public opinion in the target country to a threat that would otherwise be largely invisible.
The more insidious threat is pollution of democratic discourse. It blurs the distinction between knowing service to a hostile government and unwitting collaboration; between active treason and gullible dogmatism. Gill was greedy, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t believe arguments he was paid to make. There are pockets of opinion on the radical right and left of British politics, among the Trump acolytes and the “anti-imperialist” Nato-quitters, where the Kremlin gets its talking points boosted free of charge.
Ideology is not the prime vector for sabotage of western democracies. Political commitment and activism can be less useful than their opposites – apathy and disengagement. The most toxic substance spewing from turbines of digital disinformation is cynicism. It is the view that politicians are as bad as each other and that none is trading in the truth. That is the path of despair down which democracy itself starts to be dismissed as a sham.
And that is where Putin’s strategic calculation merges with his need to avenge Russia’s humiliation in the 1990s. The lesson he observed in the chaotic Yeltsin years was that democracy was easily manipulated by elites to legitimise plunder. The liberal script was different from the one parroted by Communist party elites. The hypocrisy was the same.
If that was true of democracy in the former Soviet Union, it was surely true everywhere. The appeal in that analysis is that no Russians need be held responsible for their country’s failure to thrive. They were tricked by their enemy and the great lie of political freedom. According to the same grudge, there was no need to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine because its independence was an extension of the original con. Nato’s defence of Kyiv’s right to self-determination can be dismissed as rhetorical patina on the long-running conspiracy to diminish Russia.
This is the deep well of resentment that fuels Putin’s export of chaos. Sowing discord and shredding consensus is meant to rob western societies of the stability that was once their superpower. Then, in Putin’s ultimate vindication, the moral lesson of the cold war will be inverted. Instead of authoritarian regimes crumbling because their captive subjects craved freedom, it will be demoralised citizens of failing liberal societies turning to strong leaders for order.
The realisation of that dark fantasy can seem grimly plausible, especially given the spectacle of Trump’s misrule in the US. That has to be our spur to vigilance in Europe. In the end, dictators always underestimate the resilience of societies governed by law and institutions because they cannot believe in a system that is stronger than the rule of one man. They cannot cope with the most powerful truth of democracy – that it outlives every tyrant who tries to prove it is a lie.
Цитата:
Britain plans 'Iron Dome' missile shield to protect UK from Russian attack, Armed Forces chief reveals.
Britain is developing an ‘Iron Dome’ defence system to intercept Russian missiles and drones, the head of the Armed Forces has revealed.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said a system similar to that employed by Israel to block attacks from Palestine is needed due to the threat posed by the Kremlin.
It would protect critical infrastructure and major cities in the UK. Sir Richard told LBC radio: ‘We call it the integrated air and missile defence.
'And we have, over 30 years, not really faced a threat from the air in that way.
‘The threat has evolved. Russia’s capability and willingness to use ballistic and cruise missiles has become more apparent.’
He added that the UK would need to invest more in ‘radar capability, airborne air defence and our ability to shoot down drones and cruise missiles’.
Sir Richard, who was recently appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, acknowledged the UK was lagging far behind Israel and the US in developing such a defence.
He told presenter Andrew Marr that, across Nato, one of the biggest capability gaps was exactly this sort of system.
The UK version has been dubbed a ‘Super Dome’ and would include aircraft, troops on the ground with shoulder-fired rocket launchers, and swarms of drones.
It is thought that Russian drones could be particularly difficult to deal with, especially if any are launched from within UK airspace by saboteurs or special forces.
First British soldier has died in Ukraine - and Russia may exploit it.
The solider died on Tuesday following a "tragic accident" while watching the Ukrainian military test a new weapon away from the frontline, the MoD says.
The first serving member of the British armed forces has been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale war.
He died on Tuesday following a "tragic accident" while watching the Ukrainian military test a new weapon away from the frontline, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
Hostile fire is not thought to have been involved.
The Sun reported the serviceman was in the Special Forces. An MoD spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny the claim and the individual's rank and service have not yet been revealed.
"My deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of the member of our Armed Forces who sadly lost their life today," Sir Keir said.
"Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Mr Healey said he was "devastated by the death of a UK service person in Ukraine.
"My thoughts are with their family, friends and colleagues as they grieve for a loved one. Our hearts go out to them."
What role do Britons have in Ukraine?
The UK has previously acknowledged the presence of a small number of service personnel in Ukraine who are helping the Ukrainian military, as well as providing security for the British ambassador and other diplomats at the embassy in Kyiv.
There are also British troops who have been giving medical training.
Dozens of former British troops, as well as foreign fighters from many other countries, have travelled to Ukraine to fight for the Ukrainian armed forces ever since Russia launched its full-scale war almost four years ago.
A number of them have been killed in battle.
But this is the first time a serving member of the military has died.
"It is with deep regret that we must announce that a member of the UK Armed Forces died in Ukraine this morning, Tuesday 9 December," the MoD said in a statement.
"He was injured in a tragic accident whilst observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, away from the front lines."
It was not immediately clear whether the accident happened on the same day that he died. The location where it occurred has also not been confirmed.
The serviceman's family has been notified.
Kremlin will likely seek to exploit death
The death shines a rare light on the little-discussed work of the UK military inside the country.
Very little is said about the mission amid concerns that Russia could exploit the discrete UK presence to falsely claim that serving British soldiers are actively fighting against Russian troops.
The first confirmed death of a serving member of the British armed forces confirms the significant risks they are taking.
But the Kremlin will also likely seize on the tragedy to amplify bogus claims about NATO forces already being deployed in Ukraine, fighting directly against Russia.
Заявления Верховного главнокомандующего на коллегии Минобороны — это не набор разрозненных тезисов, а чётко выстроенная линия. Россия находится в состоянии затяжного и принципиального противостояния, где ставка сделана не на громкие жесты, а на системное доведение целей до конца. Было прямо сказано: если политический диалог невозможен, задачи будут решены военным путём. Мы слишком хорошо знаем цену навязанным паузам и иллюзиям. Президент говорит про это спокойно, жёстко и без двойных смыслов.
Отдельно подчеркнуто: группировка войск в зоне СВО за последний год прошла большой путь, и результаты измеряются не словами, а освобождёнными территориями и сломленными возможностями противника. Более 300 освобожденных населённых пунктов — показатель устойчивости армии и промышленного тыла. Это значит, что система работает. Значит, решения, принятые ранее, дали эффект. И значит, что у страны есть ресурс продолжать, несмотря на давление.
Важнейший акцент сделан на технологическом превосходстве. Беспилотные системы, робототехника, искусственный интеллект, новые системы управления — это не будущее, это уже текущая необходимость. Современная война выигрывается не числом, а скоростью принятия решений и количеством ресурсов и техники. Именно поэтому развитие гиперзвуковых комплексов, морских и подводных систем остается ключевым фактором нашего выживания. Противник внимательно считывает эти сигналы. И считывает правильно.
При этом Верховный главнокомандующий спокойно расставил акценты во внешней риторике. Россия не собирается нападать на Европу, и все разговоры об этом — инструмент запугивания собственного населения на Западе. Нам не нужны чужие столицы, нам нужна безопасность своих границ. Но путать сдержанность со слабостью — опасная ошибка. И в этом тоже был недвусмысленный посыл, что важно.
И, пожалуй, самое важное — человечный подход к происходящему. Минута молчания по погибшим бойцам — это напоминание, что за каждым решением стоит цена. Государство обязано помнить, поддерживать семьи и не допускать равнодушия. Побеждает тот, кто берёт ответственность за своих людей. Уверен, что все военное руководство сегодня в очередной раз испытало гордость за своего президента, ведь испытали это чувство и все мы.
Putin calls European leaders 'little pigs' as he insists Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine by diplomacy or force
Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lashed out at European leaders, deriding them as “little pigs”, and said Russia would achieve its territorial goals in Ukraine either through diplomacy or by military force.
Speaking at an annual meeting with the defence ministry, Putin said the aims of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” would be met “unconditionally”.
“If they do not want a substantive discussion,” he said, “then Russia will liberate its historical lands on the battlefield.”
Putin claimed that the previous US administration had “deliberately steered the situation towards an armed conflict”, adding that Washington believed Russia could be weakened or even destroyed in a short period of time.
He then lashed out at European leaders, accusing them of joining in with Joe Biden’s administration. “Europe’s little pigs immediately joined in the work of the previous American administration, hoping to profit from the collapse of our country,” Putin said.
hardline comments came as US officials claimed that earlier talks with Ukraine in Berlin had resolved about 90% of the most difficult issues. But major doubts remain over whether the Russian leader is prepared to compromise on his sweeping demands.
Putin has repeatedly insisted that Kyiv cede the remaining parts of the eastern Donbas region still under Ukrainian control – a demand that the White House has at times appeared to endorse, but which Ukraine has flatly rejected. Moscow has also pushed for strict limits on Ukraine’s military, a ban on western troops on Ukrainian territory, and an end to western military support.
The Russian leader on Wednesday also denied that Moscow was planning to invade Nato territory, claiming instead that the alliance had begun preparing for a possible military confrontation with Russia, with a view to 2030.
Цитата:
Putin calls Ukraine's European ally leaders 'piglets' and warns Russia's new Oreshnik missile will be deployed within days as he appears to destroy peace deal hopes.
Vladimir Putin appears to have dashed hopes for peace after calling Ukraine's European allies piglets and warning that his new Oreshnik missile will be deployed within days.
The Russian leader accused Western politicians of plotting Russia's downfall and vowed to carry on with the war in Ukraine unless his demands are met.
In a major speech in Moscow, he said: 'Everyone believed that Russia would be destroyed and collapsed in a short period of time.
'And the European piglets immediately joined in this work of the former American [Biden] administration, hoping to profit from the collapse of our country.
'To regain something that had been lost in previous historical periods and try to take revenge.
'As is now obvious to everyone, all these attempts and all these destructive plans against Russia have completely failed.'
He also said he would deploy the Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile system in Belarus in the next fortnight. From there, Russians claim it could strike London in eight minutes.
The Russian leader adamantly refused any compromise on his desired land grab in Donbas while also threatening to create such a strong military powerhouse that Europe and its leaders would have to bow to him.
'The objectives of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved,' he told Russian commanders in the speech.
Vladimir Putin launched a blistering attack on Europe and called the continent's leaders piglets in a speech
According to Russian media, the Oreshnik missile could be a scaled down version of the Yars-M ICBM, seen here in 2020
'We would prefer to do this and eliminate the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy.
'However, if the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive talks, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.
'The task of creating and expanding a buffer security zone will also be consistently addressed.'
He predicted years of war as he said the issue in Ukraine was not solvable with the current Western leaders in Europe.
'We are ready to negotiate and resolve all the problems that have arisen in recent years peacefully,' he said, before bizarrely blaming European leaders for continuing the war.
'The US administration has demonstrated such readiness, and we are engaged in dialogue with them. I hope the same will happen in Europe.
'It's unlikely that this will be possible with the current political elites, but in any case, it will be inevitable as we continue to strengthen our position.
'If not with the current politicians, then with the change of the current elites in Europe.'
Portraying Europe as collapsing, he said: 'Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, we thought we'd quickly become members of the so-called civilised family of European nations. It turns out today that there's no civilisation there. Only complete degradation.'
He spoke as his forces glide bombed residential buildings in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, wounding 26 people, including a child, in a sickening new attack on civilians.
Rescuers were searching for people under the rubble.
He boasted of grabbing '300 settlements have already been liberated, including large cities' - yet he has not invaded any major urban strongholds in the past year and has taken only deserted villages that no one had heard of before the war.
Five days ago, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky humiliated him by visiting Kupyansk, which Putin said he had 'liberated'.
But Putin again threatened the West with nuclear missiles to destroy them.
'The Burevestnik strategic cruise missile with unlimited range and the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle successfully tested,' he boasted.
'Thanks to their [on board] nuclear power plants, these systems will remain unique and one-of-a-kind for a long time to come, ensuring Russia's strategic parity, security, and global position for decades to come.
'We will continue to work on these systems; we will continue to refine, improve, and enhance them, but they are already here.'
Yet Putin claimed he posed no risk to European NATO states.
'This is a lie, nonsense, pure nonsense about some imaginary Russian threat to European countries,' he said.
Belgian politicians and finance bosses targeted by Russian intelligence over seized assets.
Exclusive: Key figures at frozen assets depository among targets of intimidation campaign, say European intelligence agencies.
Belgian politicians and senior finance executives have been subject to a campaign of intimidation orchestrated by Russian intelligence aimed at persuading the country to block the use of €185bn assets for Ukraine, according to European intelligence agencies.
Security officials indicated to the Guardian that there had been deliberate targeting of key figures at Euroclear, the securities depository holding the majority of Russia’s frozen assets, and leaders of the country.
EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday are debating whether to approve the lending of urgently needed funds for Ukraine secured on Russian central bank assets, critical to maintain Kyiv’s war effort through 2026 and 2027.
Officials believe the campaign is the responsibility of Russia’s GRU military intelligence, though there is a debate about the degree of threat. “They have been engaged in the tactics of intimidation for sure,” one European official said.
Belgium is in focus because €185bn (£162bn) of the €210bn of Russia central bank assets frozen by the EU since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is held at the Brussels-based Euroclear.
On Thursday and Friday, EU leaders are meeting to decide whether to agree an initial €90bn loan secured on the immobilised Russian bank assets. Belgium has voiced concerns about the legality of the scheme and says it will only agree if it has guarantees Euroclear will be reimbursed in full if Russia successfully sues for its money.
Russia has publicly warned that utilising the assets would amount to theft and its central bank said it is seeking $230bn in damages from Euroclear in a case brought in the country’s courts. But it is understood the intimidation campaign has been focused on key individuals.
Threats have been directed at Valérie Urbain, the chief executive of Euroclear, and other senior executives at the financial services group.
Euroclear declined to comment: “Any potential threats are treated with the utmost priority and investigated deeply, often with the support of authorities as appropriate.”
An investigation earlier this month by the news site EUobserver referenced threats made to Urbain in 2024 and 2025, and that she asked for Belgian police protection. This was denied and she and other companies executives then hired first a Belgian, then a French security firm to provide bodyguards, according to the report.
A profile interview of Urbain by Le Monde in November reported that she had been accompanied by a bodyguard for more than a year, though she did not comment directly on her security.
In early December, Bart De Wever, Belgium’s prime minister, said in an onstage interview with La Libre newspaper: “And who believes that Putin will calmly accept the confiscation of Russian assets? Moscow has let us know that in the event of a seizure, Belgium and I personally will feel the effects for eternity.”
Asked to explain these comments earlier this month, the prime minister’s office referred to previous remarks made by De Wever, describing the legal and financial risks facing western companies.
At a press conference in October, De Wever had said: “Moscow has told us that if we touch the money, we would feel the consequences until eternity,” and went on to evoke Russian countermeasures, including confiscation of western money frozen in Russian banks, seizure of western companies and similar decisions from Moscow-friendly jurisdictions.
The spokesperson on Wednesday declined to comment on the reported threats against Belgian government ministers or the head of Euroclear, citing safety reasons.
A spokesperson for Belgium’s foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, who is also deputy prime minister and has been involved in talks on the reparations loan, said they had “no such information” about threats to him.
The UK, which is believed to hold €27bn of Russia’s frozen assets, supports the move to use immobilised funds for Ukraine. Belgium has also been insisting that other countries holding Russian assets, estimated to be worth €290bn worldwide, take similar actions to show solidarity and reduce the legal risk.
Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, told the businessman Roman Abramovich to release £2.5bn of proceeds from the sale of Chelsea football club in 2022 within 90 days or face legal action. Britain wants all the money to be given to Ukrainian war victims, but the billionaire has said he also wants Russian victims to benefit.
Ukrainian officials and experts acknowledge the EU loan is central to maintaining the country’s war effort for the next couple of years. Nataliia Shapoval, the head of the KSE Institute, a Kyiv based economic thinktank, said Ukraine required $50bn in external financing in 2026, but only half of which had already been committed.
The economist described the need for fresh international financing as “absolutely critical”. In particular, Ukraine’s defence ministry needed predictable flows of cash to ensure that it could buy weapons at the rates needed and so its armaments industry could make capital investments for the future.
Though Ukraine could get through the first quarter of the year without the additional support from the EU, “big problems would arise from quarter two and even more in the second half of the year”, with Kyiv likely forced to cut defence budgets and make difficult trade-offs with social expenditure.
Ukrainian officials hope that an EU funding deal could put Russia under medium-term financial pressure. Next year, 38% of Russia’s state budget will go on funding its military, while it is expected to end this year with a budget gap of about $70bn (£52bn), according to Shapoval.
Цитата:
What is the row about the EU using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine?
Complex plan would involve EU lending €90bn to Ukraine, which some fear could destabilise Eurozone. Putin says move is akin to ‘theft’.
After months of debate, EU leaders will decide on Thursday whether or not to use Russia’s immobilised assets to fund Ukraine in what could be a make-or-break moment for Europe.
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What is the plan?
The EU has frozen €210bn (£184bn, $247bn) of Russian central bank assets which are mostly held at Euroclear in Brussels. As the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches, the EU wants to use this money to generate a loan for Ukraine.
Under the complex plan, the EU would borrow from Euroclear to provide Ukraine with an initial €90bn loan, about two-thirds of Kyiv’s funding needs for 2026 and 2027. The EU expects Ukraine’s other allies to provide the rest.
Kyiv would only repay the money to the EU if and when Russia agreed to pay reparations for the colossal damage inflicted during the war. The EU would then repay Euroclear. Throughout the cycle, Russia would remain the legal owner of the assets.
Euroclear, often described as a bank for banks, was until recently a little known part of global financial plumbing. It is now looking after €40.7tn worth of assets for its clients, who include central banks, investment banks and supranational organisations. The company has its roots in the Belgian outpost of what became the Wall Street bank JP Morgan. It does not hold any paper money, but enables the electronic exchange of cash and securities (a stock, a bond or some other instrument to raise capital).
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Why now?
EU leaders agreed in 2024 to take the interest on Russia’s frozen sovereign wealth for Ukraine. But touching the assets is a much more controversial step. Decision-makers in Brussels, Paris and Berlin feared damaging global investor confidence in the eurozone.
The calculus changed in October when Germany’s relatively new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, came out decisively in favour of a plan to use the assets without confiscation. Germany shares concerns about eurozone stability, but sees the bigger economic threat coming from Russia’s imperial ambitions.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has halted new US military aid for Ukraine. European nations, grappling with stagnant economies and public spending pressures, are not doing nearly enough to fill the gap, according to the Kiel Institut in Germany.
And Ukraine is running out of money fast: Kyiv needs an estimated €136bn in 2026 and 2027 to fund its defence and keep afloat, according to the European Commission. Without new funds by spring, Ukraine risks going bankrupt, unable to pay soldiers, teachers and police.
Trump’s proposals for US companies to profit from the Russian assets, including via joint projects with Russia, have also galvanised European leaders to secure them for Ukraine.
What does Russia say?
Vladimir Putin has said using the frozen assets to finance a loan would be akin to “theft of someone else’s property”. The Russian president and his advisers have issued dark warnings about the consequences for European economic stability and investor faith in the eurozone.
The Russian Central bank has launched a $230bn claim for damages against Euroclear, which is already fighting more than 100 legal cases in Russia. Putin has signed a series of decrees, most recently in October, making it easier for the Kremlin to seize western private and state assets in Russia, in retaliation for any confiscation of assets.
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Why does Belgium oppose the idea?
Belgium, the host of the lion’s share of the assets, has described the EU plan as “fundamentally wrong”. The Belgian government argues the plan would be seen as confiscation and that without strong EU guarantees, it could be left with multibillion euro bills if Moscow is successful in suing Euroclear and seizing Belgian property in Russia.
While EU courts would not recognise a Russian court judgment, Moscow-friendly jurisdictions, such as Kazakhstan or China, could seek to enforce any claim against Belgium by seizing assets in their countries.
Belgium has said it will not accept the plan unless all its concerns are met, including cast-iron guarantees from other EU countries covering 100% of any claims against Euroclear. The Belgian government also wants other countries with Russian frozen assets to use them for Ukraine, including the UK, Japan, Canada, the US, Switzerland and Norway.
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Is there an alternative?
In theory, there is a plan B. EU member states could use unallocated funds in the EU budget as collateral for a loan for Ukraine – a tried-and-tested method of raising money, which was proposed by the European Commission this month. Belgium, backed by Italy, Bulgaria and Malta, argues this is a legally safer way to help Kyiv, leaving the Russian billions intact for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Other officials involved in the decision argue the frozen-assets plan is the only real option. Borrowing secured against the EU budget requires unanimity and Hungary’s anti-Ukraine government has already said it would veto such a move.
The reparations loan, in contrast, only requires a majority agreement. In theory Belgium could be outvoted, but high-ranking EU officials have indicated they do not want to go down that road.
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What happens if there is no agreement?
If the summit, scheduled to run on Thursday and Friday, ends with no clear plan to fund Ukraine, the EU’s credibility would be in tatters. Europe would find it even harder to sway peace talks orchestrated by a transactional US president who has already dismissed the continent’s leaders as weak.
Merz issued a stark warning about the risks of failing to agree the frozen assets plan: “If we do not succeed in this, then the European Union’s ability to act will be severely damaged for years, if not longer, and we will show the world that we are incapable of standing together and acting at such a crucial moment in our history.”
And if there is a deal what next?
Agreement would trigger an outpouring of relief, but the difficulties would be far from over. Even if EU leaders sign off on the frozen assets idea, it would still need to be turned into law to meet Ukraine’s urgent military and civilian needs by springtime.
Decisions on the immense cost of rebuilding Ukraine – $524bn, €506bn by the latest estimate – remain unclear. Any peace agreement also has to resolve the issue of Ukraine’s borders and security when Russia shows no obvious interest in ending the war.
Цитата:
'Pay up, Roman': Keir Starmer threatens ex-Chelsea owner Abramovich with legal action to force Russian oligarch to hand £2.5bn from sale of club to Ukraine.
The Prime Minister told the Commons he was giving the Russian oligarch a last chance to voluntarily transfer the money to humanitarian causes in Ukraine, as agreed when he sold the west Londonclub in 2022.
Roman Abramovich has been given one last chance to voluntarily hand over £2.5billion he made from selling Chelsea before the government takes legal action to seize it and hand it to Ukraine.
The Russian oligarch agreed to transfer the cash - earmarked for humanitarian causes - after selling the Premier League side when he was sanctioned three years ago following Putin's bloody invasion.
But he has so far failed to reach an agreement with the Government on a way forward and the funds remain frozen in a bank account.
He wants it to be used for 'all victims of the war', meaning some could got to Russia.
Today Mr Abramovich was given 90 days to do the right thing or face the embarrassment of having it taken via the courts.
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions today, Sir Keir Starmer told MPs: 'My message to Abramovich is this: the clock is ticking, honour the commitment that you made and pay up now, and if you don't, we're prepared to go to court so every penny reaches those whose lives have been torn apart by Putin's illegal war.'
Mr Abramovich sold the club in May 2022 after he was sanctioned along with other senior Russian businessmen linked to Putin.
The decision today to grant a licence for the transfer is an effort to force Mr Abramovich to fulfil his promise before the Government resorts to legal action.
Under the new licence, the proceeds must go to humanitarian causes in Ukraine, while any future gains can be spent more broadly on victims of conflict around the world.
The Government previously raised the possibility of legal action in June, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves and then-foreign secretary David Lammy said they were 'frustrated' by the failure to reach an agreement with Mr Abramovich.
On Wednesday, Ms Reeves said it was 'unacceptable' that the money remained frozen in a UK bank and said ministers were 'prepared to do what is necessary' to ensure the funds reach Ukraine.
The Treasury said ministers would consider any proposal from Mr Abramovich to voluntarily transfer the money to Ukraine.
Under the new licence, the proceeds must go to humanitarian causes in Ukraine, while any future gains can be spent more broadly on victims of conflict around the world.
All the money from the sale three years ago remains frozen in the bank account of Fordstam Ltd, the former parent company of Chelsea which is owned by Abramovich.
He bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140million and oversaw one of the most successful eras in the club's history, winning 21 major trophies including five Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.
Campaigners have repeatedly criticised the hold-up and called for greater transparency.
In March, Lyra Nightingale of the legal charity Redress said: 'It has been committed for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine and yet three years later we're still waiting for its deployment. There is a very real lack of transparency.'
On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said it was 'unacceptable' that the money remained frozen in a UK bank and said ministers were 'prepared to do what is necessary' to ensure the funds reach Ukraine.
The Treasury said ministers would consider any proposal from Mr Abramovich to voluntarily transfer the money to Ukraine.
But the department declined to say what legal mechanism it could use to force the transfer of funds.
Venezuelan Navy Escorts Vessels After Trump’s Blockade Threat
The Venezuelan government was said to have ordered the escort, according to two people familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear whether the vessels were subject to U.S. sanctions.
Venezuela’s government has ordered its Navy to escort ships carrying petroleum products from port, escalating the risk of a confrontation with the United States after President Trump ordered a “blockade” aimed at the country’s oil industry.
Several ships sailed from the country’s east coast with a naval escort between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, according to three people familiar with the matter. The vessels departed just hours after Mr. Trump said he intended to blockade sanctioned oil tankers that do business with Venezuela.
The ships — transporting urea, petroleum coke and other oil-based products — left the Port of José bound for Asian markets, said two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter. The Venezuelan government imposed the military escort in response to Mr. Trump’s threats, they said.
Vessels traveling with the escort did not appear on a current list of U.S. sanctioned ships, making it unclear whether they could be subject to Mr. Trump’s blockade. Mr. Trump said on Tuesday he was focused on oil tankers that have violated U.S. trade sanctions.
The third person familiar with the matter, a U.S. official, said Washington was aware of escorts and was considering various courses of action, but declined to provide details.
Venezuela’s state oil company, known as PDVSA, said in a statement on Wednesday that ships connected to its operations were continuing to sail “with full security, technical support and operational guarantees in legitimate exercise of their right to free navigation.”
Mr. Trump had announced on Tuesday evening that he was imposing a “total and complete blockade” of tankers to and from Venezuela that had violated U.S. trade sanctions. Roughly 40 percent of the tankers that have transported Venezuelan crude in recent years have been placed under U.S. sanctions, according to Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com.
U.S. law enforcement officials last week seized an Asia-bound sanctioned tanker carrying nearly two million barrels of Venezuelan crude, a major escalation of Mr. Trump’s standoff with Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, whose government derives the bulk of its revenues from oil exports.
U.S. officials have said in private in recent days that additional tankers carrying Venezuelan oil may be seized, without providing additional details.
Mr. Maduro has reacted to the seizure with anger and vowed to keep the oil exports flowing at all cost, said one of the three people.
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
December 18, 20258:55 AM GMT+3Updated 7 mins ago
Ukrainian drones kill three people in Russia's Rostov region, authorities say.
Dec 18 (Reuters) - Three people, including two crew members of a cargo vessel, were killed in overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian port of Rostov-on-Don and the town of Bataysk in the southern Rostov region, the local governor said on Thursday.
The fire was extinguished, Yuri Slyusar wrote on his Telegram messaging app channel.
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Rostov-on-Don head Alexander Skryabin said earlier that a leak of oil products had been avoided.
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7.25
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Впервые противник атаковал гражданское судно в порту Ростова-на-Дону.
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7.17
БПЛА атаковали танкер в порту Ростова-на-Дону, есть погибшие и раненные, сообщил мэр города Александр Скрябин.
«Силами оперативных служб ведется тушение возгорания на танкере», - заявил мэр.
Напомним, в последнее время морские дроны нанесли несколько ударов по танкерам «теневого флота» РФ. Украинские СМИ написали, что это была операция СБУ.
После этого россияне нанесли удары по нескольким суднам, которые стояли в украинских портах или шли из них.
Теперь, как видим, украинские БПЛА нанесли новый удар по российскому судну.
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Пожарные тушат танкер, пострадавший от атаки БПЛА у причала в Западном.
Минувшей ночью под атакой БПЛА были Ростов, Батайск и Таганрог. К сожалению, в результате погибли и получили ранения мирные люди.
Из-за атаки на ростовский порт загорелось грузовое судно, два члена экипажа из находившихся на борту погибли, еще три - получили ранения. Пожар потушен на площади 20 кв.м. В многоэтажной новостройке в западной части города, по данным спасательных служб, никто не пострадал.
В Батайске ранения получили семь человек, четверым из них медики оказали помощь на месте, троих госпитализировали в батайскую БСМП. Одного из них врачи спасти не смогли.
Информация обо всех последствиях атаки будет зафиксирована муниципальными комиссиями. Окажем помощь пострадавшим.
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December 18, 2025 5:13 am• 2 min read
Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil tanker in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, local officials claim
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect claims made by Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar suggesting that a "cargo ship" was struck in the attack. The Kyiv Independent is not able to immediately verify the type of vessel involved.
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil tanker in the Port of Rostov overnight on Dec. 18, local officials in Russia's Rostov Oblast reported.
Photos and videos posted to social media and filmed by local residents appear to show large flames emanating from the direction of the port.
Rostov-on-Don Mayor Alexander Skryabin reported on Telegram that emergency crews are extinguishing a fire on tanker that had been struck by Ukrainian drones overnight. Skryabin further claimed that three people were killed an more injured a result of the strike.
Yuri Slyusar, the governor of Rostov Oblast, corroborated reports of the strike, claimed that an unspecified "vessel" had been damaged.
Skryabin reported that no petroleum products were spilled into the waters.
Later in the night, Slyusar appeared to dispute reports of a oil tanker being targeted, claiming instead that a "cargo ship" had been struck in the attack.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims made by Russian officials nor the type of vessel involved in the strike.
Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported strike.
The reported strike follows a series of Ukrainian operations targeting Russian oil infrastructure and Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet" — referring to hundreds of older, often uninsured or poorly maintained tankers used for the transport of Russian oil products under the flags of other countries.
On Dec. 10, a source in Ukraine’s Security Service told the Kyiv Independent that a Sea Baby naval drones struck the Dashan oil tanker, resulting in "critical damage" to the vessel.
On Nov. 28, Sea Baby drones struck the sanctioned Russian oil tankers Kairos and Virat in the Black Sea off Turkey’s coast, disabling vessels that a source in the SBU said were tied to the Kremlin’s shadow fleet.
Ukraine routinely launches deep strikes against military and industrial facilities in Russia, primarily relying on domestically developed drones.
Kyiv continues to escalate its campaign against Russian oil and gas infrastructure, a key source of Moscow's revenues helping to fuel its all-out invasion of Ukraine.
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Thu 18 Dec 2025 02.22 GMT
Ukraine war briefing: Drones strike tanker in Russian port, local officials say.
Deaths and damage to ship reported in attack in Rostov-on-Don; Zelenskyy to reportedly push EU plan to use frozen Russian assets…
Ukrainian forces have struck a tanker in a southern Russian port and caused deaths, the regional governor said early on Thursday. The strike in the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don damaged the vessel and, according to preliminary information, crew members had died, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram. Mayor Alexander Skriabin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying: “Emergency teams are extinguishing the fire on the tanker that was struck while docked in a drone attack … A leak of oil products was avoided. Unfortunately, there are dead and injured.” Slyusar also said parts of a high-rise apartment block under construction were damaged in the city and two private homes burned in a nearby town.
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December 17, 2025
Ukrainian Drones Hit Tanker in Russia's Rostov Port.
Ukrainian drones hit a tanker in the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don, killing and injuring a number of people and sparking a fire, the city's mayor was quoted as saying early on Thursday.
"Emergency teams are extinguishing the fire on the tanker that was struck while docked in a drone attack," Russian news agencies quoted Skriabin as saying.
"A leak of oil products was avoided. Unfortunately, there are dead and injured."
Regional governor Yuri Slyusar had initially reported the Ukrainian strike on the vessel in the port and the casualties among the ship's crew.
Slyusar also said parts of a high-rise apartment block under construction were damaged in the city and two private homes burned down in a nearby town.
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December 17, 2025
Drone Attack Strikes Tanker at Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Port.
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A Ukrainian drone attack struck a tanker docked at the Russian port of Rostov-on-Don early Thursday, resulting in casualties among the ship’s crew and sparking a fire at the facility, according to local authorities.
“Emergency teams are extinguishing the fire on the tanker that was struck while docked in a drone attack,” Russian news agencies quoted Rostov-on-Don Mayor Alexander Skryabin as saying. “A leak of oil products was avoided. Unfortunately, there are dead and injured.”
Rostov-on-Don is a port city in southern Russia connected to the Sea of Azov.
Reuters reported that regional governor Yuri Slyusar had initially reported the Ukrainian strike on the vessel and the casualties among the ship’s crew. The identity of the targeted vessel was not immediately clear.
The attack represents the latest escalation in a pattern of intensifying strikes on commercial shipping in the Black Sea region. The head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization on Tuesday called on both Russia and Ukraine to cease targeting civilian seafarers and merchant ships as attacks in the strategically vital sea lanes put crews and the environment at risk.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez issued his statement after a Turkish-flagged vessel carrying sunflower oil was struck by a Russian drone in international waters over the weekend. No one was injured, and the ship continued to its destination.
That strike came one day after Russian forces hit two Ukrainian ports, damaging three Turkish-owned vessels and sparking a large fire on one ship.
Ukraine has escalated its campaign against Russian shadow fleet tankers suspected of evading Western sanctions. Between late November and early December, Ukrainian sea drones struck three tankers—Kairos, Virat, and Dashan—in what Kyiv describes as efforts to disrupt Moscow’s oil exports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Moscow will “cut Ukraine off from the sea” and strike tankers from countries that support Ukraine in response to the attacks.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation has condemned the attacks.
“Seafarers are not a weapon of war,” said Mark Dickinson, vice chair of the ITF Seafarers’ Section. “No political or military objective justifies endangering civilian crews.”
The Black Sea is a critical trade route for grain, oil, and petroleum products, shared by six nations including NATO members Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. War risk insurance premiums for Black Sea voyages have spiked as the conflict spills into commercial shipping lanes.
“As the situation continues to escalate in the Black Sea, I call on all parties to refrain from targeting innocent seafarers, port workers and merchant ships,” Dominguez said. “Shipping should not be used as collateral in geopolitical situations and there is an increased environmental risk developing.”
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December 17, 2025
Ukrainian Drones Hit Tanker in Russia's Rostov Port.
Ukrainian drones hit a tanker in the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don, killing and injuring a number of people and sparking a fire, the city's mayor was quoted as saying early on Thursday.
"Emergency teams are extinguishing the fire on the tanker that was struck while docked in a drone attack," Russian news agencies quoted Skriabin as saying.
"A leak of oil products was avoided. Unfortunately, there are dead and injured."
Regional governor Yuri Slyusar had initially reported the Ukrainian strike on the vessel in the port and the casualties among the ship's crew.
Slyusar also said parts of a high-rise apartment block under construction were damaged in the city and two private homes burned down in a nearby town.
I’m dreading Christmas with my family – we’re so different.
The Addams Family opening theme tune.
DI’m feeling incredibly anxious and stressed about Christmas – and there are still two weeks to go! The reason I’m worried is because I have to spend it with my family – my mum, dad and sisters (plus our partners and children) – and we just don’t get on. We never have.
For one thing, my family are completely different to me. We have completely different political outlooks – they call me “woke” and I find their constant “casual” racism offensive and outdated. They say they’re just “jokes” and accuse me of being a “snowflake” and of not having a sense of humour, but I just don’t find it funny to punch down.
I’m dreading the kind of conversations that are bound to come up around the Christmas dinner table: about them being pro-Trump and pro-Israel and the war in Gaza, not to mention the migrant crisis. I’m pretty sure they support Reform UK and think Nigel Farage is some great saviour of the right.
It’s more than disappointing – I find it deeply depressing, to be honest. It makes me despair that I’m even related to people with narrow-minded views like that. I’m really not looking forward to spending time with them. How do I get through it without wanting to throw my plate?
Dreading It
Dear Dreading It,
I sympathise – there’s really nothing worse than having to tolerate prejudice wrapped up in the disguise of a “joke”. I hate it too. The thing about jokes – and you find this in a lot of stand-up comedy – is that there’s a fine line between being funny and punching down. And it’s the latter I (and you) have a problem with.
So, how to handle it? It depends on your feelings around conflict. Lots of people like to have a “no politics at the dinner table” rule because it avoids awkward moments – but if it does come up, what then? If it’s a bad taste joke that’s punching down on, say, women or Palestinians or migrants, I would simply respond with: “Sorry, can you explain what’s funny about that? I don’t get it.” That should force the person to really think about what they’ve said.
I strongly believe that we can’t let hateful comments go unchallenged. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” as the saying goes (though nobody is sure who said it to begin with – it is often wrongly attributed to the 18th-century Irish philosopher Edmund Burke).
If someone says something overtly racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic, I believe it is our duty not to let it pass without comment. If we let it slide, we risk seeming like it’s acceptable – or that we agree with it.
Plus, I’m always hopeful that when we express a counter view, the person might actually learn something. After all, if your family only consume right-wing views online or from certain broadcasters, then it’s possible they aren’t being exposed to a more liberal perspective.
If they’re trotting out dubious facts about asylum seekers and regurgitating fake news, you’ll be there to tell them the truth. So, go prepared. Suggest sites they might like to look at if they’re interested in the topic of immigration. Try and stay calm (ignore any flagrant attempts to get a “liberal rise” out of you), debunk any inflammatory or exaggerated language around “numbers” and pay attention to insults. Point out that it’s unhelpful and offensive to use slurs.
There are some other, easier ways to limit things getting out of control and heated: don’t drink too much and remember you have the right to walk away or to take a breather when things get overwhelming. Know your limits: choose the time you want to leave once Christmas dinner, presents and games are over. Put boundaries in place and stick to them without guilt.
Importantly, take heart from the fact that, as far as I’m concerned (though I’m well aware that many of the people who like to troll and lurk in the comments section will say differently... don’t worry, we see you!), you are on the right side of history. You might even change your family’s minds. And if it’s really painful, then at least you only have to see them for one full day of the year. This too shall pass.
...
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С сожалением и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Служба внешней разведки России - о последствиях коррупционного скандала на Украине:
Диппредставительства западных стран в Киеве фиксируют нарастание негативных последствий для Украины "дела Миндича - Зеленского", в котором погрязла вся украинская верхушка, включая самого Зеленского. Одновременно отмечается резкое усиление усталости населения страны от затяжного вооруженного конфликта. Жители Украины, многие из которых столкнулись с гибелью или ранениями родственников и друзей, начинают сознавать, что для лидеров украинской хунты война давно превратилась в инструмент безудержного воровства щедро предоставляемой Западом финансовой помощи. В этой ситуации признать суверенитет России над занятыми территориями ради прекращения огня готовы уже свыше половины украинцев, и их число постоянно растет.
Еще одним следствием коррупционного скандала в украинских верхах стало, по оценке западного дипкорпуса, резкое падение морального духа украинских бойцов на фронте. Все больше недавно мобилизованных покидают позиции, не желая принимать смерть или увечья ради пополнения счетов команды Зеленского в зарубежных банках. Небывалый рост случаев дезертирства даже вынудил Офис генерального прокурора Украины убрать из перечня публикуемых данных статистику вновь открытых уголовных дел по фактам самовольного оставления воинских частей.
В западных дипломатических кругах обращают внимание и на стремительное падение авторитета главкома ВСУ Сырского, известного своей тесной связью с окружением Зеленского. Среди офицерского состава бытует мнение, что поражения на фронте могут стать даже полезными, если приведут к отставке нынешнего главкома.
На Западе укрепляются во мнении, что в случае окончания конфликта "дело Миндича - Зеленского" неизбежно приведет к жесткому сведению счетов в украинских элитах. Отвечать за содеянное придется и самому Зеленскому. При этом западные дипломаты не исключают даже расправы со стороны разгневанных сограждан.
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Russia sentences Briton who fought for Ukraine to 13 years in prison camp.
MOSCOW, Dec 18 (Reuters) - A British man who fought for Ukraine against the Russian army has been sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security prison camp after being convicted of being a paid mercenary, Russian prosecutors said on Thursday.
The jailed Briton was named as 30-year-old Hayden Davies by Russia's Prosecutor General which said he had been tried by a court in a part of Russian-controlled Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions which Moscow claimed as its own in 2022 in a move Kyiv and the West rejected an illegal land grab.
State prosecutors released a video of Davies being questioned as he stood behind bars, dressed in a black coat and with a shaven head. He says in the video that he had travelled to Ukraine to join the International Legion which paid him $400-500 per month.
The International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine is a unit of the Ukrainian military made up of foreign volunteers.
Asked if he pleaded guilty to the charge against him, Davies says "yeah" and nods his head.
It was not clear whether Davies was speaking under duress and there was no immediate comment from the British Foreign Office.
London in February said Davies was not a mercenary but a Prisoner of War entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions. It also condemned what it called Moscow's exploitation of prisoners of war "for political and propaganda purposes."
Russian prosecutors said on Thursday that Davies had arrived in western Ukraine in August 2024, signed a contract to fight for the International Legion, undergone military training, and then fought against the Russian army in Donetsk.
Davies had been captured by Russia in winter 2024 carrying a U.S.-made assault rifle and ammunition, they said.
British media have reported that Davies once served in the British army and is married and originally from Southampton.
A Russian court jailed another British man, James Scott Rhys Anderson, for 19 years in March after finding him guilty of fighting for Ukraine in the Kursk region of western Russia.
Глава евродипломатии Кая Каллас в интервью Deutschlandfunk — о замороженных российских активах.
Каковы шансы, что удастся договориться их изъять:
«Я давно участвую в дипломатических делах ЕС, и мы уже нашли выход из многих очень сложных ситуаций, потому что наши встречи всегда проходят под знаком компромисса. Поэтому я уверена, что мы договоримся и на этот раз».
А как же мнение Бельгии?
«Да, европейская солидарность чрезвычайно сильна. И я сказала своим бельгийским коллегам, что они должны поддержать законодательную инициативу ЕС, направленную на снижение давления и рисков, потому что, если бы кто-то подал в суд на такое решение, пришлось бы подавать иск ко всему ЕС. И не только в отношении Бельгии».
Но Россия же подаст в суд?
«В какой суд РФ намерена обратиться по этому делу? И какой суд, учитывая ущерб, который нанесла Россия — а он тщательно задокументирован, — решил бы, что ей не придётся выплачивать репарации? Таким образом, если подходить ко всему этому прагматично, приходится прийти к выводу, что реальный риск не особенно высок».
Неужели кража активов — единственная возможность поддержать платёжеспособность Украины?
«Да, с моей точки зрения, это единственная по-настоящему правдоподобная возможность».
О России:
«Если мы хотим избежать войн в будущем, необходимо сократить численность российских вооружённых сил, уменьшить их численность или ограничить финансирование военных. Если эта агрессия себя оправдает и Россия получит территории, которых у неё раньше не было, мирным путём, тогда будет больше войн, потому что тогда стимул для ведения войн будет ещё сильнее. Украинцы хотят мира, европейцы и США тоже хотят мира. Единственный, кто не хочет мира, — это Россия, поэтому мы должны усилить давление на Москву».
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Putin hits Europe with his most feared weapon... his lawyers: EU bid to use frozen Russian assets could be scuppered as leaders fear they could be forced to pay the money back after the war.
Vladimir Putin has turned to his most feared weapon, an army of lawyers, as Europe's attempt to use frozen Russian assets hangs in the balance amid fears leaders could be forced to repay the money after the war.
EU leaders are due to meet in Brussels on Thursday for a crunch summit on plans to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, with Belgium facing growing pressure to abandon its opposition.
The 27-member bloc is racing to bolster Kyiv as the conflict edges towards a fourth year and US President Donald Trump urges a rapid settlement to end the war.
Russia has already fired a shot across the bows by announcing it was suing Euroclear.
Belgium, where international deposit organisation Euroclear holds the vast bulk of the funds, has been firmly opposed due to fears it could face crippling financial and legal reprisals from Moscow.
Russia's central bank, which filed a lawsuit against Euroclear, accused it of making it 'impossible to access funds and securities belonging to the Bank of Russia' through what it described as illegal actions, and said it would seek damages equivalent to the value of the blocked assets, frozen securities, and lost investment income.
Ahead of Thursday's meeting, diplomats said discussions will continue for as long as necessary to reach a deal, warning the outcome will test both Ukraine's ability to survive and Europe's standing on the world stage.
'If we do not succeed in this, then the European Union's ability to act will be severely damaged for years,' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this week.
'We will show the world that we are incapable of standing together and acting at such a crucial moment in our history.'
Vladimir Putin has unleashed his lawyers against the EU to stop leaders from using frozen Russian assets as a loan to help Ukraine in the war
Brussels estimates Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the talks, needs a further €135 billion over the next two years, with a funding shortfall looming from April.
To help cover the gap, the European Commission has proposed accessing around €210 billion in Russian central bank assets frozen across the EU.
The proposal would see €90 billion released to Ukraine over an initial two-year period through a legally untested arrangement, under which the EU would borrow the funds before lending them on to Kyiv.
Ukraine would only begin repaying the so-called reparations loan once Moscow compensates for the damage caused by its invasion.
Belgium's outspoken prime minister Bart De Wever will be in the spotlight as his EU counterparts - most of whom back the plan - try to cajole him to accept.
EU officials say they have gone out of their way to allay Belgian worries and that multiple layers of protection - including guarantees from other member states - mean the risks are minimal.
But so far Flemish nationalist De Wever has only dug in further, insisting that any guarantees must be unlimited and assets frozen in other countries should be used too.
In theory, other EU countries could override Belgium and ram the initiative through with a weighted majority but that would be a nuclear option that few see as likely for now.
'These are complex decisions that cannot be forced,' said Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, who could offer key political cover for Belgium.
The commission has floated a potential fallback plan of the EU raising the money itself to lend to Ukraine.
But officials say that scheme has been shelved as it requires unanimous approval from the EU's 27 leaders and Hungary has ruled it out.
De Wever nonetheless looks set to try to revive that idea, and other countries may be open to his arguments.
'It is on the shelf, not in the bin,' said one EU diplomat, speaking like others on condition of anonymity. 'But we are focused now on the reparations loan.'
Bubbling close to the surface of the EU's discussion are the US efforts to forge a deal to end the war.
US and Russian officials are set to meet in Miami this weekend to discuss Trump's peace plan, a White House official told AFP on Wednesday.
Trump's roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to take part on the US side, while Putin's economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev is set to be in the Russian delegation, Politico reported.
Ukraine has stated that Washington is 'pressuring' the EU not to use the assets, as they view them as a vital bargaining chip in winning over Russia.
However, EU officials deny this and claim that, if anything, the push for peace has actually spurred efforts to tap Russian funds.
Given that Ukraine has only months before the shortfalls bite, diplomats and officials insist leaders will find a way to keep funds flowing - even if this week yields only a loose deal with details to be hammered out later.
'We need to find a solution,' said a second EU diplomat. 'I'd be surprised if they break up on Saturday or Sunday without a decision.'
Meanwhile, Kremlin official Dmitry Medvedev also warned that Putin could use the EU's proposals as a justification for war.
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Премьер Бельгии назвал невозможным компромисс по ряду пунктов плана об использовании российских активов для помощи Украине.
"Я, конечно, могу пойти на компромиссы, но по ряду пунктов, которые ставят под угрозу финансовую безопасность Европы и Бельгии, это невозможно. Для предельной ясности: это невозможно", - сказал Барт де Вевер в преддверии саммита ЕС.
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Россия может конфисковать западных активов на 127 млрд долл. в ответ на использование ее замороженных активов для помощи Украине, пишет Financial TImes.
Эта угроза встревожила такие страны, как Бельгия, Италия и Австрия, ее рассматривают на уровне ЕС, говорят источники.
По данным Киевской школы экономики, Кремль уже конфисковал или заморозил активы как минимум 32 западных компаний в связи с ранее возникшими спорами, что привело к убыткам в размере не менее 57 миллиардов долларов.
Россия может конфисковать местные дочерние предприятия европейских компаний в соответствии с указом, подписанным Путиным в сентябре, который вводит ускоренную процедуру национализации. Кремль объяснил это решение как способ быстрого реагирования на «враждебные действия», такие как конфискация активов ЕС.
По мнению бельгийских чиновников, Euroclear станет первой жертвой потенциальных ответных мер России, поскольку активы ее клиентов на сумму около 17 млрд евро до сих пор заблокированы там и находятся под угрозой.
Издание пишет, что 2315 западных компаний по-прежнему активно работают в России. К ним относятся российские филиалы таких банков, как австрийский Raiffeisen и итальянский UniCredit, которые получили значительную прибыль во время войны, которую они не могут вывести из-за запрета на выплату дивидендов.
По данным Киевской школы экономики, в прошлом году иностранные компании заработали в России 19,5 млрд долларов прибыли.
Конфискация российских активов может затронуть западных инвесторов, владевших акциями российских компаний, торгуемыми на бирже, до вторжения, а также западные компании, имеющие доли в российских корпорациях или осуществляющие деятельность в стране.
Также в начале войны Россия запретила западным инвесторам продавать свои российские ценные бумаги и выводить вырученные средства. Дивиденды и купоны хранятся на так называемых счетах типа С под контролем России. Они могут быть конфискованы.
Дивиденды BP от ее 19,75-процентной доли в «Роснефти», по словам бывшей сотрудницы Центробанка РФ Александры Прокопенко, вероятно, составляют около 340 млрд рублей, а согласно решению суда от 2024 года, JPMorgan имел 243 млрд рублей в российских активах «в основном» на счетах типа C.
«Это один из козырей Москвы. Если Европа предпримет какие-либо действия в отношении резервов России, Россия может просто перевести средства со счетов типа C в бюджет», — сказала Прокопенко. «Это дает им источник прямых доходов, когда они испытывают дефицит и перерасходуют средства на оборону».
Этот шаг также покажет, что Россия «готова ответить тем же», добавила она. «В отличие от Европы, Кремль может сделать это быстро, не увязая в судебных слушаниях».
Все это беспокоит страны Европы и увеличивает их сомнения в целесообразности выдачи репарационного кредита под залог замороженных российских активов.
На прошлой неделе итальянское правительство поддержало решение ЕС о бессрочном замораживании российских активов, но также выразило обеспокоенность по поводу потенциальных рисков использования их для финансирования Украины.
Итальянский парламентарий Клаудио Борги из входящей в правящую коалицию партии «Лига», предупредил о последствиях, если ЕС реализует свои планы.
«Как можно думать, что фактическое воровство денег другой страны не приведет к дальнейшей катастрофе? - сказал Борги FT. - Первым следствием будет то, что Россия почувствует себя вправе конфисковать все иностранные активы».
Австрия также обеспокоена, что Москва может предпринять попытку национализировать дочку Raiffeisen, крупнейшего австрийского банка, выручка которого в России в прошлом году составила 2,9 млрд долларов.
«Это неизведанная правовая территория, и, честно говоря, растет непонимание того, почему комиссия просто не проводит больше переговоров с государствами-членами и, по крайней мере, не дает им почувствовать, что их опасения принимаются всерьез», — сказал австрийский чиновник.
Президент Сербии Александр Вучич обвинил спецпрокуратуру по борьбе с оргпреступностью в срыве сделки с компанией Джареда Кушнера — зятя президента США Дональда Трампа.
Кушнер намеревался построить крупный офисно-жилищный комплекс на месте бывшего Генштаба Сербии. Предполагается, что из-за срыва сделки республика потеряла €1,5 млрд. Глава государства пообещал «лично подать иск ко всем, кто участвовал в травле инвестора». Угрозы прозвучали после того, как спецпрокуратура выдвинула по «делу Генштаба» обвинения против близкого соратника Вучича — министра культуры Николы Селаковича.
Николай I: «Вы знаете, по своему убеждению я республиканец. Монарх я только по призванию. Господь возложил на меня эту обязанность и покуда я ее выполняю, я должен за нее нести ответственность»‼️
Предлагаю вашему вниманию отрывок из книги «Сон юности. Записки дочери императора Николая I великой княжны Ольги Николаевны, королевы Вюртембергской» (Париж, 1963).
Очень необычные наблюдения об императоре.
«С дядей Вильгельмом я очень подружилась во время нашего пребывания в Эмсе. Он только что вступил в масоны и говорил с увлечением об этом гуманном содружестве. Орлов, Бенкендорф и Киселев не разделяли
его восторгов. Папа также часто говорил об этом. Я еще прекрасно помню его слова:
«Если их цель действительно благо Родины и ее людей, то они могли бы свободно преследовать эту цель совершенно открыто. Я не люблю секретных союзов: они всегда начинают как будто бы невинно, преданные мечте идеальной цели, за которою скоро следует желание осуществления и деятельности и они, по большей части, оказываются политической организацией тайного порядка. Я предпочитаю таким тайным союзам те союзы, которые выражают свои мысли и желания открыто»
. — «И все-таки вы допускаете цензуру в прессе?» — «Да, из необходимости, против моего убеждения». — «Против вашего убеждения?» —
«Вы знаете, —возразил Папа, — по своему убеждению я республиканец. Монарх я только по призванию. Господь возложил на меня эту обязанность и покуда я ее выполняю, я должен за нее нести ответственность»
. — «Вам надо завести орган, предназначенный для того, чтобы опровергать ту клевету, которая несмотря на цензуру постоянно подымает голову».— «Я никогда в жизни не унижусь до того, что начну спорить с журналистами».
(Сон юности.Записки дочери императора Николая I великой княжны Ольги Николаевны, королевы Вюртембергской. Париж, 1963. С. 135).
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Russian guards cross into NATO territory sparking Estonian 'response' weeks after Putin's war planes entered Baltic nation's airspace.
Three Russian FSB border guards 'illegally crossed into NATO territory in Estonia and stayed for around 20 minutes' in a possible provocation just weeks after Russian war planes entered Estonian airspace.
The officers allegedly crossed the control line between Russian and Estonian territory on a breakwater in the Narva River.
This may be the latest Russian move to test the response of Western defences.
The trio arrived on a security service hovercraft and proceeded on foot along the river barrier.
They later returned to their craft and crossed back to Russian territory.
Grainy footage shows the ghostly figures of the Russian intruders near the village of Vasknarva, said the foreign ministry in Tallinn.
Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said: 'The illegal border crossing has been documented, and we have it on video from the surveillance camera that detected the crossing.'
Checks were carried out to ensure that Russians had not planted anything suspicious in Estonia.
The trio arrived on a security service hovercraft and proceeded on foot along the river barrier
They later returned to their craft and crossed back to Russian territory
'Naturally, our units went to investigate, but the illegal border crossers were no longer there,' he said.
'They had left Estonian territory and returned to their own.Traces were found, and the area was checked to ensure nothing was left behind.'
The motives of the Russian border guards - who are part of the giant Federal Security Service [FSB] once headed by Putin - were unclear, he said.
'There was no immediate security threat, but the [Estonian] police and border guards have significantly increased their presence and patrols.'
Estonia is to summon the Russian chargé d'affaires in Tallinn.
A meeting between representatives of the border guard authorities of the two states was scheduled in response to the incident.
The intrusion was on Wednesday morning - and Taro said low-grade FSB officers may have been to blame.
'What we have observed in recent years is that the quality of border guard personnel on the Russian side varies greatly.
Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said: 'The illegal border crossing has been documented, and we have it on video'
'Obviously, the aggression against Ukraine affects their structures, as they have likely redirected a number of more competent people elsewhere, probably to the front lines or that region.'
It may be that the guards drafted in 'have no understanding of where they are, what they are doing here, or the nuances of the terrain'.
'The incident was recorded by surveillance equipment, and we conducted an initial inspection on the pier,' said Estonian prefecture border guard chief Eerik Purgel.
'Official contact has been established with the Russian border representation to obtain an explanation.'
Taro said: 'This is an area where Russian vessels must pass through Estonian territory to access Lake Peipus from the Narva River.
'There is a long-standing agreement for this….They have always notified us of this….
'This time they did not notify us, and such an incident occurred.'
In September, Estonian authorities and NATO officials reported that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland and remained there for about 12 minutes.
Estonia condemned the action as a 'brazen' violation, lodged a diplomatic protest and invoked NATO consultations under Article 4 of the alliance treaty.
Moscow denied that its aircraft violated Estonian sovereign airspace, claiming the flight was routine and remained in international airspace.
That same month, Russian drones briefly breached Polish airspace, prompting NATO fighters to scramble, raising alliance concerns about aerial incursions.
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Nato on alert after Russian border guards ‘illegally cross border into Estonia’ on hovercraft.
Russia has been accused of repeated incursions into Nato territory by fighter jets and drones in recent months
Estonia has accused three Russian border guards of illegally crossing into Nato territory on a hovercraft without permission.
The country’s interior minister, Igor Taro, said the border guards had entered Estonia after crossing the Narva River on the vessel at around 10am on Wednesday.
The Estonian foreign ministry will summon the Russian chargé d’affaires after the alleged intrusion.
“Today, the Estonian Police and Border Guard detected an illegal crossing of a temporary control line between Estonia and Russia on the Narva River breakwater by three border guards of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Estonian border guard patrols responded to the border incident. After a short time, the Russian border guards returned to Russian territory.”
Mr Taro said that authorities were working to establish the motivation behind the incident. Moscow has not issued an explanation.
Mr Taro told Estonian World that the country was becoming concerned about the state of Russia’s border guards.
“The quality of Russian border guard personnel has become extremely uneven in recent years,” Mr Taro said. “For understandable reasons, they are suffering from a lack of staff, with personnel brought in from other regions. This has been a recurring problem.”
The border guards returned to Russian territory before authorities were able to intervene, he said.
“We are not able to go deep into Russian territory to apprehend them,” he added.
Estonia, a member of Nato and the EU, shares a 294km border with Russia. It has a small Russian-speaking minority.
For months, Russian drones and planes have been entering Nato airspace in what appears to be a deliberate campaign of provocation against the alliance, which is supporting Ukraine’s war effort.
This has included fighter jet incursions into Poland and Romania, weather balloons being sent over the Lithuanian border from Belarus and sightings of drones near airports in Denmark.
The three border guards crossed into Estonian territory overnight (Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
In September, three Russian military jets violated Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes in an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion, according to the government. Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said it was the fourth time that Russia had violated Estonian airspace in 2025.
The foreign ministry said that the incursion involved three Russian MIG-31 fighters and took place over the Gulf of Finland. The Russian charge d’affaires was summoned and given a protest note, a ministry statement said.
The latest incursion came hours before the Estonian prime minister, Kristen Michal, visited Brussels for a summit with EU leaders over whether to approve a €90bn (£79bn) loan to fund Ukraine’s war effort using frozen Russian assets.
During a press conference at the summit, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that all the signals showed that Moscow was not seriously interested in peace with Europe.
Soldiers ride a quad bike near Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine (Ukrainian 93rd Mechanised Brigade)
Warnings are growing across the continent that Europe must be ready for further Russian aggression.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said last week that Russia has “brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great grandparents endured”.
On Tuesday, the head of the UK’s armed forces said Russia is a growing threat to the UK and the nation’s “sons and daughters” must be ready to fight in the event of an attack.
Chief of defence staff Sir Richard Knighton said: “Sons and daughters. Colleagues. Veterans. …will all have a role to play. To build. To serve. And if necessary, to fight. And more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means.
“That is why it’s so important we do explain the changing threat and the need to stay ahead of it.”
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Denmark says Russia was behind two ‘destructive and disruptive’ cyber-attacks.
Intelligence service says attacks were work of groups connected to Russian state in ‘clear evidence’ of hybrid war
The Danish government has accused Russia of being behind two “destructive and disruptive” cyber-attacks in what it describes as “very clear evidence” of a hybrid war.
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) announced on Thursday that Moscow was behind a cyber-attack on a Danish water utility in 2024 and a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Danish websites in the lead-up to the municipal and regional council elections in November.
The first, it said, was carried out by the pro-Russian group known as Z-Pentest and the second by NoName057(16), which has links to the Russian state.
“The Russian state uses both groups as instruments of its hybrid war against the west,” DDIS said in a statement. “The aim is to create insecurity in the targeted countries and to punish those that support Ukraine. Russia’s cyber operations form part of a broader influence campaign intended to undermine western support for Ukraine.”
It added: “The DDIS assesses that the Danish elections were used as a platform to attract public attention – a pattern that has been observed in several other European elections.”
The director of the DDIS, Thomas Ahrenkiel, said they were “very certain that these are pro-Russian groups that have connections to the Russian state”.
Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said the attacks were “completely unacceptable” and he was taking the incidents “very seriously”. In an attack on a water utility in Køge in December 2024, a hacker took control of a waterworks and changed the pressure in the pumps, resulting in three burst pipes.
“This is very clear evidence that we are now where the hybrid war we have been talking about is unfortunately taking place. It once again puts the spotlight on the situation we find ourselves in in Europe,” Lund Poulsen said.
The Danish foreign office would summon the Russian ambassador for a meeting, he said. “It is completely unacceptable that hybrid attacks are carried out in Denmark by the Russian side,.”
Although the attacks caused limited damage, the minister for resilience and preparedness, Torsten Schack Pedersen, said they showed that “there are forces capable of closing down important parts of our society”.
Denmark, he added, was not sufficiently equipped to withstand such attacks from Russia. “I think you have to be incredibly naive if you think we are at the top of cybersecurity.”
Copenhagen described a series of drone incursions on Danish airports and areas of military significance in September as a “hybrid attack”. The incidents, which exposed gaps in its defence capabilities, contributed to plans to establish a European “drone wall”.
Лидеры ЕС не смогли сегодня договориться об использовании активов РФ для финансирования Украины…
… в итоговом коммюнике, опубликованном сегодня вечером, этот вопрос отсутствует. Документ начинается с раздела II, посвященного ситуации на Ближнем Востоке, тогда как глава I, где планировалось рассмотреть финансирование Украины на 2026-27 годы, пропущена.
Обсуждения вопроса выделения кредита Украине на саммите в Брюсселе продолжатся 19 декабря.
Напомним, Еврокомиссия и ряд европейских стран продвигают идею выдачи Украине так называемого репарационного кредита за счет замороженных в Бельгии активов российского Центробанка. Однако против этого выступает как сама Бельгия, так и ряд других европейских стран - Италия, Венгрия, Словакия, Чехия, Болгария, указав на возможные серьезные юридические последствия и риски для доверия к финансовой системе ЕС… Также, по данным СМИ, есть сомнения и у Австрии.
Кроме того, что важно, резко против выдачи Украине репарационного кредита выступают США, так как по мирному плану Трампа предусматривается другой механизм использования замороженных российских активов. Часть из них планируется направить на послевоенное восстановление Украины (через фонд, управляемый США), часть - на совместно российско-американские проекты.
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Первый блок заявлений саммита ЕС не содержит упоминаний об экспроприации активов РФ или финансировании Украины, сообщают СМИ. Заседание продолжается, время его окончания неизвестно, пресс-служба Евросоюза не предоставляет подробности.
Опубликованное коммюнике посвящено ситуации на Ближнем Востоке, миграции и политике безопасности, но начинается документ сразу с четвертого пункта. Вероятно, первые три пункта зарезервированы для украинской тематики.
Ранее главы Еврокомиссии и Евросовета Фон дер Ляйен и Кошта предупредили, что саммит может затянуться до 20 декабря, пока не будет принято решение по финансированию Украины.
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Is Putin turning his frozen assets from a weakness into a weapon?
With at least seven EU countries reportedly objecting to Russia’s confiscated millions being diverted to Ukraine, the Western allies must beware: Moscow may have stumbled upon a strategy that could divide them…
Ukraine strikes Russian submarine in unprecedented underwater drone attack
In the nearly four years since Russia’s invasion, the European Union has maintained unity in its support for Ukraine.
That solidarity, however, has come under increasing strain, with this week’s EU summit risking the first really significant split – and potentially dire consequences for Ukraine. The issue is, of course, money, and specifically whether the cash-strapped EU countries will decide that the best way of keeping Ukraine afloat is to reach into the €210bn (£184bn) of Russian assets that have been frozen in EU banks since the start of the war.
Hungary and Slovakia, countries which have kept up sporadic ties with Moscow, were always dissenters on the question of using Russia’s frozen assets. What their dissent concealed, however, was that their objections were widely, if quietly, shared. Now, at least five other countries, Belgium, Italy, Malta, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, are said to be against, with indications also from Paris that it too has misgivings about using around €18bn of Russian assets frozen in France. There may well be others lying low in the hope of avoiding a high noon.
At stake are very big issues of principle and practicality, with equally big implications not just for the EU, but globally.
’There is a view that Russia could sue in the courts – which it is threatening to do – and win, leaving the EU and its banks to pick up the enormous tab’ (Sputnik)
The consensus among those who take the view that Russia acted illegally and thereby forfeited any right to international legal protection for assets held abroad is that, one way or another, the money should be used for Ukraine’s benefit – although some murkiness now surrounds precisely what it should be spent on and when.
Early on, the idea was that the money would be earmarked for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, in lieu of reparations (which it was deemed Russia would refuse to pay). More recently, however, the idea seems to be that it would be used to help pay for military help for Ukraine – replacing what the US contributed before – and so, in effect, to continue the war.
The latest idea is that the money would also be used to help keep Ukraine running – not just funding the war, but paying state employees, and keeping schools, hospitals and power plants functioning. With the money, it is envisaged that Ukraine could remain viable for another two years; without it, Ukraine could face economic collapse as early as February.
On the other side, it is argued that Russia’s illegal invasion needs to be kept distinct from its foreign assets. For the EU essentially to help itself to another country’s deposits, so the logic runs, would amount to theft, jeopardise a basic principle of international finance, threaten the good name of the EU and its members as reliable guardians of other people’s money, and precipitate a worldwide free-for-all in which no one’s assets would be safe from confiscation by a foreign power.
There is also a view that Russia could sue in the courts – which it is threatening to do – and win, leaving the EU and its banks to pick up the enormous tab.
The legal arguments are contested, but this risk helps to explain why Belgium has emerged in the vanguard of the objectors. A Belgian company, Euroclear, holds a disproportionate amount – €150bn – of the Russian assets, and Belgium is demanding that at very least all EU countries share the risk equally, which the others, equally understandably, do not want to do. The rift has led to convoluted efforts to find a legal route for using the assets that would somehow get the EU off the hook, but such a route has proved elusive.
An early mechanism, which met little opposition, was for the EU to release the interest accrued on the assets since they were frozen and use that for the benefit of Ukraine. Now, however, with the US turning away from Ukraine, far bigger sums are needed, which is why the assets themselves have come into play. One suggestion has been to use the assets as collateral for loans, but were Russia to win a lawsuit or were Ukraine unable to pay any loans, the EU could face huge liabilities.
Another route, advanced last week by two of the most convinced proponents of using the assets – the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas – would be to declare an emergency and suspend normal voting rules to force the measure through. This, though, not only underlines that what is afoot is essentially an effort to get around the law, but also highlights some of the defects in EU democracy and the inroads it can make on national sovereignty. These are some of the very same arguments, it might be remembered, that were advanced by the UK’s Brexiteers.
While Brexit may have removed the UK from direct involvement in this debate, the UK’s full-throated support for Ukraine and London’s role as a global financial centre make the controversy a live one, here, too. And while Keir Starmer recently suggested that the UK would be willing to contribute the Russian assets frozen here, the banking establishment is reported to be warning against such a prospect – for the obvious reputational reasons. In this respect, the sudden media availability of the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, was striking.
Only hours before EU leaders were due to meet, she gave several one-to-one interviews, telling the former Chelsea FC owner, Roman Abramovich, he had 90 days to transfer his £2.5bn proceeds from the forced sale of the club to Ukraine.
Given that his assets were frozen by the UK, this sudden demand might seem a stretch. In the context of the high-stakes EU summit, however, it could be seen as a small gesture of support, albeit one that might usefully divert attention from what the UK might or might not do about other Russian assets it holds.
The Abramovich diversion, however, should not be allowed to distract from the importance of the decision before the EU. The outcome could determine the economic stability of several EU countries and even of the EU itself; it could destroy the reputation of the EU as a bastion of the rule of law; it could precipitate total economic, if not wider, war with Russia, and it could have a critical bearing on the very survival of Ukraine.
Как вы думаете, кто из политиков писал о «необходимости войны Украины против России»?
Думаю, предложенные ответы могут быть такими: европейцы, «коллективный Запад», поляки, Франтишек Духинский с друзьями, французскими расистами - в общем, западные враги, которые понимали, что победить русских могут только сами русские.
И, возможно, большинство не подозревает, что ставку на войну Украины против России делал создатель Советского государства Владимир Ильич Ленин.
Сторонник поражения России в «империалистической» войне, сторонник превращения «империалистической войны» в гражданскую, в 1916 году Ильич писал о
«законности войн угнетенных народов против их угнетателей, которые могли бы разразиться в настоящее время, например, восстания ирландцев против Англии, или восстания Марокко против Франции,
Украины против России
и т. д.»
Заметьте, опубликовано в советское время, в ПСС, в 1973 году.
Зря на Украине памятники Ленину посносили, конечно. Не читают классиков. Они эту цитату должны наизусть заучить, написать ее себе на лбу и всеми остатками страны вступить в компартию. Только не в нашу)
А, может, наоборот, Ленина начитались?
10.37
Решение по активам РФ стало провалом для Мерца и фон дер Ляйен, пишет Politico.
Вместо этого страны ЕС договорились финансировать Украину через коллективные займы в размере €90 млрд. Использование займов устраивает страны Южной Европы, но не Германию и страны Северной Европы.
ЕС провалил экспроприацию активов РФ. Что известно об итогах саммита:
- Участники саммита ЕС не смогли согласовать экспроприацию российских активов под видом "репарационного кредита" Киеву;
- Вместо такого варианта ЕС принял решение о финансировании Украины на следующие два года в размере €90 млрд с помощью общеевропейского займа под 0%;
- Венгрия, Чехия и Словакия юридически отказались участвовать в еврофинансировании Украины;
- Названная сумма на €50 млрд меньше, чем предлагавшийся "репарационный кредит" (€140 млрд);
- ЕС не намерен возвращать блокированные активы России, если она не заплатит репарации Украине, заявила фон дер Ляйен.
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10.20
Разблокировать замороженные в Европе российские активы можно, только если за это проголосует квалифицированное большинство стран Евросоюза, сообщила глава Еврокомиссии Урсула фон дер Ляйен по итогам саммита ЕС.
Фон дер Ляйен пояснила, что раньше активы могли быть разморожены, если хотя бы одна страна ЕС отказалась продлить решение об их заморозке.
«Теперь российские активы заморожены до тех пор, пока Россия не выплатит репарации. Теперь их разблокирование возможно только решением квалифицированного большинства стран ЕС», заявила глава ЕК.
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10.08
Европа может в будущем погасить долг по украинскому кредиту за счёт замороженных российских активов.
Об этом заявил немецкий канцлер Мерц.
"Замороженные российские активы будут оставаться заблокированными, пока Россия не выплатит репарации Украине. Если Россия этого не сделает, мы — в полном соответствии с международным правом — используем замороженные российские активы для возврата кредита", - заявил Мерц, говоря о 90-миллиардном займе, который выделил Евросоюз.
Напомним, этот кредит Европа выдает за счёт собственных заимствований, поскольку о конфискации российских активов договориться не удалось.
Против конфискации выступила Бельгия и ряд других стран. Поэтому, чтобы Мерц мог реализовать свою угрозу, ему потребуется переубедить противников "репарационного кредита" - что, как видим, пока сделать не удалось.
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Европейские криминальные новости.
Воровской сходняк («саммит Евросоюза») в Брюсселе принял ряд важных для уголовного мира решений. Они попали в так называемый брюссельский прогон, о котором ночью объявили есовские блатные.
Во-первых, участники сходки испугались пойти на «гоп-стоп» – или открытое похищение российских денег (совершить грабёж активов России, временно находящихся у запуганного ростовщика – Евроклира).
Во-вторых, сходняк показал, что есовские блатные признали старшинство академиков из Вашингтона, прямо возражавших против гоп-стопа. Авторитет американских законников оказался существенно выше, чем желание брюссельских сявок самостоятельно поехать на гастроли.
В-третьих, брюссельские воры не отказались от своих планов в дальнейшем совершить ограбление или кражу («скачок» на уголовном арго), о чём старая лярва Урсула ночью сообщила блатному европейскому сообществу. Чтобы не прослыть ссученными среди местного преступного мира, брюссельская кодла решила временно залечь на дно. Приглашённые из ряда других стран ЕС участники отказались от взносов в европейский общак на поддержку киевских крыс. При этом ни ложкомойник Мерц, ни плечевая люська Макрон, хотя и планировали устроить большой скандал («хипеш»), так и не смогли продавить своих решений на состоявшемся ночью брюссельском сборище.
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8.10
Премьер Бельгии, выступающий против использования активов РФ для кредита Киеву, заявил: ЕС не намерен возвращать Москве эти средства.
Барт де Вевер подчеркнул, что деньги были заблокированы на неопределённый срок и решать их судьбу будут европейцы. По его словам, намерение ЕС — направить эти активы на возмещение ущерба Киева.
Мерц ранее заявил, что ЕС оставляет за собой право использовать замороженные активы для погашения кредита Украине, если Россия не выплатит «репарации».
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7.50
Евросоюз избежал «хаоса и раскола», когда решил предоставить Украине кредит под гарантии общего бюджета Евросоюза, а не использовать для этого замороженные российские активы, заявил премьер-министр Бельгии Барт де Вевер.
«Мы остались едины», сказал де Вевер.
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7.40
Лидеры стран Евросоюза заключили соглашение о предоставлении Украине беспроцентного кредита в размере €90 млрд. Переговоры длились больше 16 часов. Financial Times и AFP сообщают, что странам не удалось договориться об использовании российских активов.
Деньги будут взяты в долг под гарантии общего бюджета ЕС, передает FT. Канцлер Германии Фридрих Мерц объяснил, что Украина должна будет погасить этот кредит только после того, как Россия выплатит Киеву компенсацию. Если она откажется компенсировать ущерб, то Евросоюз использует замороженные российские активы для погашения долга Украины, сказал канцлер. Это произойдет «в полном соответствии с международным правом», заявил он.
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1.25
Заседание лидеров ЕС для обсуждения вопроса выдачи Украине репарационного кредита за счет замороженных российских активов может продлиться до Рождества, пишет Нью-Йорк Таймс со ссылкой на европейских чиновников.
"Уже появились предположения, что оно может затянуться на несколько дней; некоторые чиновники даже предположили, что оно может продлиться до Рождества - 25 декабря", - говорится в статье.
Напомним, на данный момент решения по репарационному кредиту пока нет.
Why the EU could not agree on using £80bn of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort.
Disagreements within the bloc prevented a deal being struck to use the assets.
Belgium’s Bart De Wever (here with Volodymyr Zelensky) says Belgium cannot risk having to pay the full amount back in the event of a legal challenge (Reuters)
European Union leaders have agreed to borrow cash to loan €90 billion to Ukraine to fund its war effort against Russia for the next two years – but failed to reach an agreement on the use of frozen Russian assets.
After talks ended in the early hours of Friday, EU summit chairman Antonio Costa told reporters: “We committed and we delivered”.
As part of the agreement, the €90bn loan will be backed by the EU budget rather than using frozen Russian assets, a plan which had sparked divisions within the bloc. Belgium, where the majority of the assets are held, had said the plan was legally and financially unworkable.
Kyiv will repay the loan to the EU only once Russia pays war reparations.
EU had been locked in talks for months about the legal and financial ramifications of freezing the assets, but caution held up delivery of the plan at a crucial time.
Belgium, which holds the majority of the assets, feared it would have had to pay back everything on its own if Russia successfully challenged the plan. Its backing depended on the EU sharing out responsibility, but this could not be agreed.
Russia had vowed to strike back with “the harshest reaction” against any “illegal action” by the EU around its frozen assets and has called the scheme “theft”.
The European Commission decided on a €90 billion to Ukraine (Reuters)
How would the plan have worked?
European Commission was seeking to find £80bn ($105bn) for Ukraine through frozen assets or international borrowing. Ultimately, it chose to use the latter which had been referred to by leaders as “Plan B”.
The frozen Russian money – made up of private assets such as yachts and real estate as well as sovereign assets including cash, bonds and securities – would have supported military costs and help cover basic services crippled by nearly four years of conflict. Under the agreement, the assets will still remain frozen.
Ursula von der Leyen, the commission president, estimated the loan would cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s funding needs for the next two years. Other partners could cover the rest, she said.
Britain holds around £25bn of frozen Russian assets, with some €290bn (£250bn) frozen in the West after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
On Wednesday, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer warned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich that the “clock is ticking” to hand over £2.5bn from the sale of Chelsea Football Club. He told parliament that a licence had been issued to transfer the funds to the people of Ukraine.
‘Now we have a simple choice – either money today or blood tomorrow,’ says Poland’s PM Donald Tusk (AP)
On Wednesday, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer warned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich that the “clock is ticking” to hand over £2.5bn from the sale of Chelsea Football Club. He told parliament that a licence had been issued to transfer the funds to the people of Ukraine.
Did Belgium scupper the deal?
Leaders had aimed to agree on a reparations loan for Ukraine by October – but hopes were dashed by opposition from Belgium.
Belgium holds most of the assets Europe wants to harness. Euroclear, a central securities depository in Brussels, holds around £160bn. The main issue is that the government is wary that a successful legal challenge could leave the country having to repay the entire amount on its own.
“It would mean bankruptcy for Belgium,” foreign minister Maxime Prevot said.
As such, Belgium sought guarantees from its EU partners that they would share responsibility in the event of any challenge against the state or Euroclear. Otherwise, they suggested the EU borrow the amounts needed on the markets.
Italy, Malta and Bulgaria had also expressed concerns over the scheme and asked the EU to look at alternatives to support Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said using Russia’s assets without a solid legal basis would hand Moscow “the first victory since the start of the war”.
Moscow’s allies welcome the decision
Germany’s Friedrich Merz came out in favour of equally dividing up responsibility in order to move forward with the plan. Belgium could not reasonably rely solely on political promises and deserves legally binding assurance, he said.
But in the end, the loan based on frozen Russian assets turned out to be too complex or politically demanding to resolve at this stage.
"There were so many questions on the Reparations Loan, we had to go to Plan B. Rationality has prevailed," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told a news conference. "The EU has avoided chaos and division and remained united," he said.
But the plan has also allowed allies of Moscow - such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban - to claim a diplomatic victory.
"Orban got what he wanted: no reparation loan. And EU action without participation of Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia," one EU diplomat told Reuters.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, said on Friday that "law and sanity" won - in an apparent attempt to taunt the EU for failing to show unity.
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Ukraine deal: EU leaders agree €90bn loan, but without use of frozen Russian assets.
Two-year deal will cover most of Ukraine’s needs, but will be secured against EU borrowing rather than Russian assets
EU leaders have pledged a €90bn loan for Ukraine to meet urgent financial needs, but failed to agree on the preferred option for many of securing that loan against Russia’s frozen assets in the bloc.
After talks ended in the early hours of Friday, the president of the European Council, António Costa, told reporters: “We committed and we delivered.” He said EU leaders had approved a decision to make a €90bn loan to Ukraine for the next two years backed by the EU budget, which Kyiv would repay only once Russia pays reparations.
Costa added: “The union reserves its right to make use of the immobilised assets to repay this loan.”
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on X that the deal “is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience”, adding: “It is important that Russian assets remain immobilised and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years.”
EU leaders entered the summit on Thursday with many wanting to secure the urgently needed loan against some of Russia’s €210bn frozen assets on the continent. But the plan fell on the demand of Belgium, which hosts 88% of the Russian funds in the EU, to have unlimited budget guarantees from other member states if Moscow won a successful claim for damages.
Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, said the reparations loan had not been a good idea. “When we explained the text again, there were so many questions that I said, ‘I told you so, I told you so.’ There are a lot of loose ends. And if you start pulling at the loose ends in the strings, the thing collapses.”
Euroclear in Brussels is being sued by the Russian central bank for $230bn while its top executives have also faced a campaign of intimidation orchestrated by Russian intelligence, the Guardian reported this week.
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The frozen assets of Russia’s central bank are estimated to total about €290bn
The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, a strong advocate of the reparations loan, said the agreement was “a decisive message because [Vladimir] Putin will only make concessions once he realises his war will not pay off”.
In a statement he said: “If Russia does not pay reparations we will – in full accordance with international law – make use of Russian immobilised assets for paying back the loan.”
Merz and other supporters of the reparations loan plan had argued that funding Ukraine via the EU budget was impossible because it required unanimity.
But the path was cleared when the three nationalist governments in central Europe indicated they would approve the use of the EU budget to fund Ukraine, as long as they did not have to contribute to the loan guarantees. The leaders of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were pictured in a trilateral meeting by the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who tweeted: “back in business!”
According to the final text of the agreement, the EU guarantees for the loan “will not have an impact on the financial obligations” of these three countries.
The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said it was “quite something” to get 27 countries to agree on a €90bn loan for another. She said: “There are a lot of people outside the European Union and unfortunately also inside the European Union who tries to divide us. It is getting more and more difficult and I think this will continue.”
In a post on Telegram, the Kremlin’s top economic negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, welcomed the failure to “illegitimately use Russian assets to finance Ukraine”, adding that “for the time being, the law and common sense have won a victory”.
The Ukraine finance decision had been cast as “money today or blood tomorrow” by Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk. EU officials had hoped that if the union went ahead with using frozen assets for Ukraine, other western allies , such as the UK, Canada and Japan, would follow suit. Now it is not clear how they will respond. But Brussels has called on non-EU allies to provide about €45bn to cover the rest of Ukraine’s estimated €136bn needs for military and civilian finance in 2026 and 2027.
Zelenskyy had earlier told EU leaders that the decision to use Russia’s frozen assets for the defence of his country was “one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that could ever be made”.
Kyiv is also likely to be relieved that EU leaders have agreed on funding. Zelenskyy had also warned that Ukraine risked running out of money to make drones, a vital component of its defence against Russia’s invasion.
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EU leaders agree to lend Ukraine £79billion after deal to give them Russian frozen assets unravels
European Union leaders have agreed to lend Ukraine £79billion after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets to raise funds.
The massive interest-free loan will help Ukraine meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, leaders said after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels.
The plan had been to use some of the £180.5 billion worth of Russian assets that are frozen in Europe, mostly in Belgium.
However, EU leaders failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.
After almost four years of war, the International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine will need £120.7 billion in 2026 and 2027, with the government in Kyivon the verge of bankruptcy.
The leaders worked deep into Thursday night to reassure Belgium that they would protect it from any Russian retaliation if it backed the 'reparations loan' plan, but in the end the leaders did not use that option.
Instead, EU leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital markets.
'We have a deal,' EU Council President Antonio Costa said in a post on social media.
European Union leaders have agreed to lend Ukraine £79billion to jhelp Ukraine meet its military and economic needs for the next two years. Pictured: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (left), European Council President Antonio Costa (centre) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right)
'Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered.'
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked the European Council saying the funds show 'significant support that truly strengthens our resilience'.
'It is important that Russian assets remain frozen and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years,' Mr Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram app.
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X: 'We gathered today with a clear objective: to address Ukraine's pressing financing needs.
'We delivered.'
Not all countries agreed to the loan package. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic refused to support Ukraine and opposed it, but a deal was reached in which they did not block the package and were promised protection from any financial fallout.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in Europe, said: 'I would not like a European Union in war.'
'To give money means war,' said Mr Orban, who also described the rejected plan to use the frozen Russian assets as a 'dead end'.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal was a major advance, saying that borrowing on capital markets 'was the most realistic and practical way' to fund Ukraine and its war efforts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also hailed the decision.
'The financial package for Ukraine has been finalised,' Mr Merz said in a statement, noting that 'Ukraine is granted a zero-interest loan'.
'These funds are sufficient to cover the military and budgetary needs of Ukraine for the two years to come,' Mr Merz added.
He said the frozen assets will remain blocked until Russia has paid war reparations to Ukraine, which Mr Zelensky has said would cost over £525 billion.
'If Russia does not pay reparations we will - in full accordance with international law - make use of Russian immobilized assets for paying back the loan,' Mr Merz said.
Mr Zelensky, who travelled to Brussels for a summit that took place during fiery protests by farmers angry about a proposed trade deal with five South American countries, had appealed for a quick decision to keep Ukraine afloat in the new year.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked the European Council saying the funds show 'significant support that truly strengthens our resilience'
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned early on Thursday that it would be a case of sending 'either money today or blood tomorrow' to help Ukraine.
The plan to use frozen Russian assets got bogged down as Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever rejected the scheme as legally risky, and warned that it could harm the business of Euroclear, the Brussels-based financial clearing house where £169.5 billion in frozen assets are held.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman was repeatedly asked if the Government was willing to accept Belgium's requests to share the risk of unlocking frozen Russian assets for use in Ukraine.
He suggested the Government would, telling reporters: 'I think it's evident within the Government's actions that what we want to see is those immobilised assets used to support Ukraine.
'We believe that delivering these funds sends a very clear signal to Putin that he cannot outlast the support of the UK and our allies, that is what we remain focused on.'
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Luke Pollard called on former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to 'do the right thing' and allow the £2.5 billion from the sale of the west London Premier League football club to be used to help Ukraine.
Belgium was rattled last Friday when Russia's Central Bank launched a lawsuit against Euroclear to prevent any loan being provided to Ukraine using its money, which is frozen under EU sanctions slapped on Moscow after it launched its full-scale war in 2022.
'For me, the reparations loan was not a good idea,' Mr De Wever told reporters after the meeting.
'When we explained the text again, there were so many questions that I said, I told you so, I told you so.
'There are a lot of loose ends. And if you start pulling at the loose ends in the strings, the thing collapses.'
'We avoided stepping into a precedent that risks undermining legal certainty worldwide.
'We safeguarded the principle that Europe respects law, even when it is hard, even when we are under pressure,' he said, adding that the EU 'delivered a strong political signal. Europe stands behind Ukraine'.
However, Mr Costa said that the EU 'reserves its right to make use of the immobilized assets to repay this loan.'
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UK set to ‘share risk’ with the rest of the EU by leveraging capital from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine
Britain is prepared to share the risks with European allies of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, Downing Street indicated on Thursday.
The development comes after Belgium said it would only back a loan for Ukraine if it receives assurances it will be shielded from Russian retaliation.
At a crunch summit in Brussels, European leaders are discussing whether to use the Russian money to underwrite a loan to fund Kyiv’s military and economic needs.
The EU sees Russia’s war as a threat to its own security and wants to keep Ukraine financed and fighting.
The leaders are also keen to show European countries’ strength and resolve after US President Donald Trump this month called them ‘weak’.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday: ‘Now we have a simple choice – either money today or blood tomorrow.
‘And I am not talking about Ukraine only, I am talking about Europe. All European leaders have to finally rise to this occasion.’
Most of the £185billion of Russian assets are held in the Euroclear bank based in Belgium, whose prime minister Bart De Wever has so far resisted using them to finance Kyiv. He has called on other European nations to share the risk.
Downing Street indicated on Thursday that Britain is prepared to share the risks with European allies of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured left) with President of Ukraine Volodomyr Zelenskyy (right) on December 8
Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman was repeatedly asked if the Government was willing to accept Belgium’s requests to share the burden.
He told reporters: ‘I think it’s evident within the Government’s actions that what we want to see is those immobilised assets used to support Ukraine.
'We believe that delivering these funds sends a very clear signal to Putin that he cannot outlast the support of the UK and our allies. That is what we remain focused on.’
Earlier, Mr De Wever told Belgium’s parliament: ‘Give me a parachute and we’ll all jump together. If we have confidence in the parachute that shouldn’t be a problem.’
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had told European leaders at the summit that his country needed a decision quickly on the frozen Russian assets to plug Ukraine’s budget gap.
‘Our partners have been informed that the decision must be made by the end of this year,’ he added.
He warned that, without the loan, Ukraine would have far fewer drones than Russia and would not be able to conduct its long-range strikes on Moscow’s energy facilities.
It came as a Kremlin envoy will travel to Florida to discuss the US-proposed plan to end the war.
Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, will meet Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami tomorrow.
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Ukraine war briefing: Hungary agrees to allow EU loan to Kyiv but will not contribute.
Viktor Orbán appeared to have agreed not to block the borrowing as long as his country, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were excluded from the guarantees. What we know on day 1,395
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Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has agreed not to block a massive EU-backed interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years
, as long as his country, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were excluded from the guarantees for the debt. After failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets, diplomats announced the new loan in the early hours of Friday. The deal will not affect the financial obligations of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which did not want to contribute to the financing of Ukraine, the text said. Moscow-friendly Hungary had previously said it would oppose the deal, just as it opposed the use of Russian assets.
•
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukraine would have to repay the loan only if Russia paid reparations for its war
, and that the EU reserved the right to use Russian assets immobilised in the EU for repayment if Russia failed to pay compensation. Merz had pushed hard for the frozen asset plan – but still said the final decision on the loan “sends a clear signal” to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
•
The move follows hours of discussions among leaders on the technical details of a loan based on the frozen Russian assets, which turned out to be too complex or politically demanding to sort out at this stage
, diplomats said. “We have gone from saving Ukraine to saving face, at least that of those who have been pushing for the use of the frozen assets,” one EU diplomat said. The main difficulty in the use of the Russian money was providing Belgium, where €185bn ($217bn) of the total €210bn of Russian assets in Europe are held, with sufficient guarantees against financial and legal risks from potential Russian retaliation for the release of the money to Ukraine.
•
Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to move “quickly” on a deal to end Russia’s invasion ahead of fresh talks expected in Miami at the weekend
. The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday on a potential settlement: “Well, they’re getting close to something, but I hope Ukraine moves quickly. I hope Ukraine moves quickly because Russia is there. And you know, every time they take too much time, then Russia changes their mind.” Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to meet Russian officials in Florida for the talks, a White House official said, after the envoys met a Ukrainian delegation in Berlin last Sunday and Monday.
•
The Danish government has accused Russia of being behind two “destructive and disruptive” cyber-attacks in what it describes as “very clear evidence” of a hybrid war,
reports Miranda Bryant. The Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) announced on Thursday that Moscow was behind a cyber-attack on a Danish water utility in 2024 and a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks on Danish websites in the lead-up to municipal and regional council elections in November. A DDIS statement cited Russia’s “hybrid war against the west” and said: “The aim is to create insecurity in the targeted countries and to punish those that support Ukraine.”
•
Russian strikes near Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Thursday killed a woman in her car and hit infrastructure
and the regional governor asked residents suffering long power cuts to stop blocking roads in protest. Oleh Kiper said on Telegram that a Russian drone killed a woman crossing a bridge in her car south-west of Odesa. Her three children were injured. Kiper asked residents whose homes had been hit by extended power outages to exhibit patience and end roadblocks.
•
Britain has imposed sanctions on more Russian oil companies and Canadian-Pakistani billionaire Murtaza Lakhani
as part of efforts to increase pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine war. The government on Thursday targeted 24 individuals and entities, including what it described as Russia’s largest remaining unsanctioned oil companies: Tatneft, Russneft, NNK-Oil and Rusneftegaz. Earlier in the day the EU imposed sanctions on 41 more ships in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet that seeks to circumvent western trading restrictions.
🔴1863 - английский промышленник и изобретатель Фредерик Уолтон запатентовал линолеум.
🔴1943 - основано Тверское (Калининское) Суворовское военное училище.
🔴1946 — начало войны Франции в Индокитае.
🔴1972 — Аполлон-17 возвращается на Землю. Лунная программа свёрнута.
🔴1983 - похищен Кубок Жюля Риме — награда, которую ФИФА в 1970 году навсегда передала сборной Бразилии. Статуэтку высотой 30 см изготовленная из 1,8 кг чистого золота вернуть не удалось, кубок переплавили.
🔴1991 - вручён последний в истории орден Красной Звезды. Орден был учрежден в СССР в 1930 году, им награждали не только военнослужащих, но и воинские части, военные корабли, предприятия и организации за большие заслуги в деле обороны СССР. За всю историю ордена им награждали почти 4 миллиона раз.
🔴2016 - в Турции убит российский посол Андрей Карлов.
Starmer says he would 'call out' Donald Trump if he heard him brand a woman 'piggy' after president's jibe at reporter.
Donald Trump snapped at a journalist after being asked about the Epstein files on Air Force One last month
Keir Starmer today insisted he would 'call out' Donald Trump if he heard him brand a woman 'piggy'.
The PM delivered a gentle rebuke to the US president during an appearance on ITV's Loose Women this afternoon.
Mr Trump faced a backlash last month after responding to a question about Jeffrey Epstein from a Bloomberg journalist by saying: 'Quiet, piggy.'
Sir Keir - who was appearing to launch the government's strategy for tackling violence against women and girls - was asked by presenter Myleene Klass: 'One of our closest allies, shall we say, recently used language ''quiet piggy''.
'Would you allow for someone to speak to your daughter, your wife, your colleagues in the way that Trump spoke to a female journalist?'
Sir Keir responded: 'No, I wouldn't, I absolutely wouldn't, I would call it out.
'But I would also say part of the stuff we're doing with teenagers is talking about behaviours they might not think are problematic but in fact are.'
Sir Keir has often walked a tightrope between criticising the US president, and trying to keep him on side.
On board Air Force One last month, reporter Catherine Lucey tried to ask Trump a question relating to Epstein before Mr Trump began waving a finger in her face.
'Quiet, quiet piggy!' he snapped at the journalist while she stood off camera.
The insult sparked backlash from Democratic political operatives and media pundits.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: 'He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information.'
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Russian map includes key Ukrainian regions at Putin press conference
(Reuters)
The set design of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s press conferences shows an outline of Russia that includes several contention regions.
It appears to include Crimea and Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, four of the eastern Ukrainian regions annexed in 2022.
А не самое ли время полностью уничтожить всю портовую структуру Украины?
Ну и кстати, до танкера в Средиземном море вряд ли долетели дроны с Украины. Значит, с каких-то кораблей. Очевидно, украинских. Занимающихся террористической деятельностью. Они, полагаю, тоже должны быть уничтожены. В строгом соответствии с международным правом и практикой.
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Russia-Ukraine war spreads to the MED as Kyiv strikes 'shadow fleet' tanker with drones
Ukraine has struck a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker with drones in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, Kyiv revealed today.
The cargo ship was sailing in an undisclosed location around 1,243 miles from Ukraine's borders when it was hit in a 'new, unprecedented special operation', a source in the Security Service of Ukraine said.
The attack on the empty vessel, called the Qendil, was the first of its kind in the Mediterranean.
The source claimed that the tanker had 'sustained critical damage and cannot be used for its intended purpose'.
Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine published dramatic footage, purportedly showing the tanker being struck with explosives.
Estimated to include up to 1,000 ships, which frequently change their flags and whose ownership is unclear, Russia's shadow fleet has enabled Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite curbs on exports.
Experts and several European leaders also believe some vessels have been used by Russia to conduct hybrid warfare across the continent.
The attack will be interpreted as a great embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as it was announced during his marathon end-of-year news conference in Moscow.
The cargo ship was sailing in an undisclosed location around 1,243 miles from Ukraine's borders.
It was hit in a 'new, unprecedented special operation'
The attack on the empty vessel, called the Qendil, was the first of its kind in the Mediterranean
The source said the cargo ship was empty at the time of the attack and there no environmental threat resulting from the operation.
The source however did not give further details of the attack, including how the SBU deployed a drone in the Mediterranean, from where it was launched, or which countries the drones could have flown over.
The source said the tanker was used to circumvent Western sanctions and fund Russia's war chest, and claimed the attack was 'an absolutely legitimate target'.
'The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will strike them anywhere in the world, wherever they may be,' the source added
Kyiv, which has been fending off Russia's invasion for almost four years, has claimed similar hits on Russia-linked tankers off Turkey's Black Sea coast, after two empty oil tankers were hit by explosions.
The SBU confirmed the hit in a statement: 'The SBU for the first time hit a tanker of the Russian "shadow fleet" in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea.'
According to VesselFinder, the Russian shadow fleet tanker was en route to Port Said, Egypt, but the precise location of the vessel when it was hit could not be immediately verified.
Putin, Russia's paramount leader since the last day of 1999, is today leading his televised an end-of-year news conference and call-in with the population.
At the 'Results of the Year' event, which the Russian leader has held in different formats most years since 2001, he fields dozens of questions on everything from price rises and his own future to nuclear weapons and what the Kremlin calls the 'special military operation' in Ukraine.
Attendees had to undergo a COVID test - still routine for meetings involving Putin, 73, several years after the end of the pandemic.
According to VesselFinder, the Russian shadow fleet tanker was en route to Port Said, Egypt, but this could not be immediately verified
Russian President Vladimir Putin pictured at his annual end-of-year press conference and phone-in in Moscow, Russia December 19, 2025
The Ukrainian attack comes after three Russian FSB border guards allegedly crossed the control line between Russian and Estonian territory on a breakwater in the Narva River, near the village of Vasknarva.
The soldiers, seen in grainy footage moving through mist, arrived on a security service hovercraft and proceeded on foot along the river barrier.
They then returned to their aircraft and crossed back to Russian territory.
Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro condemned the incident.
'The illegal border crossing has been documented, and we have it on video from the surveillance camera that detected the crossing,' he said.
'There was no immediate security threat, but the [Estonian] police and border guards have significantly increased their presence and patrols.'
Checks were carried out to ensure that Russians had not planted anything suspicious in Estonia.
'Naturally, our units went to investigate, but the illegal border crossers were no longer there,' Taro said.
'They had left Estonian territory and returned to their own. Traces were found, and the area was checked to ensure nothing was left behind.'
He added that low-grade FSB officers may have been to blame for the intrusion on Wednesday morning.
'What we have observed in recent years is that the quality of border guard personnel on the Russian side varies greatly.
'Obviously, the aggression against Ukraine affects their structures, as they have likely redirected a number of more competent people elsewhere, probably to the front lines or that region.'
It may be that the guards drafted in 'have no understanding of where they are, what they are doing here, or the nuances of the terrain'.
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14.44
Сообщается, что СБУ впервые поразила танкер в нейтральных водах Средиземного моря
Спецоперацию провели на расстоянии более двух тысяч километров от Украины
Судно QENDIL возвращалось в российский порт Усть-Луга после разгрузки нефти в индийском порту Сикка, который обслуживает крупнейший в мире нефтеперерабатывающий завод в Джамнагаре.
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14.31
Ukraine says it has hit a Russian shadow tanker fleet in Mediterranean Sea.
Ukrainian aerial drones have attacked a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, according to Ukraine’s SBU security service.
An official told Reuters that drones hit the vessel, dubbed the Qendil, in waters more than 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles) away from Ukraine. The tanker was empty at the time of the attack.
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14.22
Хохлы утверждают, что атаковали российское торговое судно (танкер так называемого «теневого флота) в нейтральных водах Средиземного моря.
Речь может идти о нефтяном танкере QENDIL под флагом Омана. Судя по данным сайта marinetraffic, оно вышло из индийского порта Сикка и шло в Усть-Лугу.
БЭКа на такие расстояния от Одессы не плавают, а дроны не летают. Соотвественно есть плавучие базы с которых их направляют. Скорее всего это суда торгового флота. Не под украинским флагом, конечно. Возможно, что задействованы и военные суда европейских союзников Киева.
The EU’s €90bn won’t win the war – but at least Ukraine won’t lose (for now)
President Zelensky has welcomed Europe’s loan but what he really needs is for Putin’s economy to crash - and the western allies to stop running scared of the Russian paper bear
One way to gauge the success of any European initiative in the Ukraine war is to consider how it looks from the point of view of the Kremlin. At his annual talkathon press conference, Vladimir Putin looked pretty chipper about his “special military operation”, and not obviously perturbed by the 90bn Euro loan to Ukraine eventually agreed by EU leaders, or “the piglets”, as Putin likes to call them.
This did not look to be a man bent on peace, ruminating away to the assembled journalists about assault groups, battle positions and hard-fought territorial gains. Putin, indeed, looks to be a man who enjoys a battle, even when his “meatgrinder” is not doing spectacularly well – perhaps over a million casualties, of which about 100,000 plus dead. It’s not the first time a Russian leader has placed a low value on human life.
Will Europe’s €90bn loan win the war? Probably not. It will likely be a continuation of the approach taken by what we used to call the West since the moment in 2022 when it looked like the Russian tanks weren’t about to roll into Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky wasn’t going to flee, and the Ukrainians would put up a brave resistance.
The approach by the Europeans and the US under Biden has been to give the Ukrainians sufficient money and equipment so that they don’t lose the war – but never enough to win it. A similarly half-hearted approach to strangling the Russian economy, and therefore its war machine, was also adopted, also blunting the threat to Putin. Even now, as we approach the fourth anniversary of this war, some European nations are still importing Russian gas.
So while Russia and Ukraine have been expending anywhere between 20 per cent and 50 per cent of their national income on defence, in Europe, we struggle to devote even 3 per cent of FDO to help Ukraine win and deter the Russians. The Ukrainians spend about €15bn a month on trying to save their homeland, and are running out of money. The EU loan will supposedly last a year or two, buying more time for them to hold the Russians back, but not enough to make any decisive military breakthrough. A transformational infusion of funds and advanced military supplies is needed – now.
If Europe did more immediately to protect Ukrainian infrastructure, for example, and fill the space with drones, then the war might more easily be won. We need to buy and install the kit from the Americans while Trump is still prepared to supply it to us. Ukraine is also running short of people to fight.
The Europeans, still too complacent and confused, won’t do any of that. As has been discussed for years, they could have seized the €200bn in frozen financial assets, which happen to be stuck in the financial clearing centre in Brussels. The Belgians, understandably, did not want to be exposed to the risk of reprisals from the Kremlin. Nor do the Hungarians, Czechs, or Slovaks want to support Ukraine at all – presumably they have fond memories of their own Soviet occupation – and so the EU itself couldn’t agree on the radical action needed to bolster Ukrainian resolve over a longer time frame. This is no way to win a war.
The best hope Europe and Ukraine have for a victory of sorts in this conflict is for the struggling Russian economy to collapse completely, and with it the war machine, forcing a retreat. Some say that it’s only a matter of time, even if China, India and Iran are helping to keep it running. A defeat for Russia, by no means impossible, would be a turning point in our history and would kill off this current wave of Russian imperialism for a long time to come. Ukraine, with its large army and expertise in drone warfare, could become the front line of European security. That would be a formidable counterweight to Russia and hold them at bay.
Yet all that the Kremlin sees today is an EU hopelessly divided and weak, and Nato fatally ruptured by Donald Trump’s infatuation with doing deals in Russia and making lots of money. Things aren’t going so well for the Russians, but they have put on a Potemkin-style show of bogus military strength and national unity and determination, aided by one of the few things the country is good at: spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda via social media.
The current digital bot-powered strategy seems to be aimed at asking people in the West whether they’re prepared to send their sons and daughters to die for Ukraine, even though that really isn’t what anyone is being asked for. What the Russians mean to do, having effectively persuaded America to switch sides, is to undermine European resolve to make the necessary sacrifices to deter and resist Russian domination of our continent, and make us fear this paper bear. The tragedy is that the Russians don’t need to try that hard to make the Europeans, if not the Ukrainians, surrender.
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С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
Танкер QENDIL был атакован дронами, запущенными с борта другого судна, утверждает BILD.
По информации издания, к нефтяному танкеру приблизилось украинское судно, откуда ЦСО «А» СБУ запустил разведывательные дроны и дроны-бомбардировщики, сбросившие боеприпасы на палубу.
Отметим, что это изначально и являлось одной из двух возможных версий атаки - либо другое судно, либо побережье соседней страны - поскольку долететь такие дроны с территории Украины не могли по определению.
В любом случае, появление в арсенале противника судна-дрононосца означает, что оно теперь может свободно атаковать любые связанные с Россией танкеры в международных водах практически любого моря, не будучи раскрытым до самого последнего момента.
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ВСУ ударили по очередному нефтяному танкеру.
Источники противника сообщают об успешном поражении российского нефтяного танкера в Средиземном море силами дронов СБУ. На кадрах объективного контроля видно, как БПЛА бьет по корпусу судна. Корабль остается на плаву, но посыл атаковавших очевиден - "Мы достанем вас везде".
Этот посыл необходимо разобрать по составляющим. Во-первых, у противника появилась возможность бить по акватории Средиземного моря. Это значит, что у них есть дроны, способные подловить корабль во время его следования по заданному курсу на таком расстоянии. Значит, украинцам передают и матчасть, и целеуказание со стороны.
Во-вторых, у ВСУ есть носители для этих дронов - корабли и суда, выходящие из украинских портов. Ни один БПЛА не способен преодолеть такое расстояние до цели с территории континентальной Украины. К тому же, танкер атаковали, скорее всего, сбросами. У дронов-бомбардировщиков небольшой боевой радиус.
В-третьих, у Киева есть молчаливая поддержка со стороны стран Запада, игнорирующих откровенный террор и разрешающих своим подопечным любые меры силового воздействия по гражданским кораблям.
Кому это выгодно? Мы уже писали - британцам. Страховые компании туманного Альбиона стригут огромные деньги с морских грузоперевозок. Удар по танкеру - копеечка в королевскую казну. Им, чем хуже - тем лучше и прибыльнее. Как на это реагировать? Очевидно, оснащать гражданские суда средствами ПВО, или эскортом из военных кораблей. Даже если война на Украине закончится, нас в покое на оставят. А значит - надо думать, как обезопасить наши торговые активы.
И самый верный способ - отрезать Украину от моря и лишать ее возможности осуществлять любое судоходство. Нехай будет сухопутной аграрной державой.
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Ukraine attacks Russian ‘shadow’ tanker off Libyan coast.
Reportedly critical drone strike is first in Mediterranean since full-scale invasion began as maritime conflict grows.
Ukraine says it has attacked a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker with aerial drones 1,250 miles (2,000km) from its borders, in the first such strike in the Mediterranean Sea since Moscow’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
Friday’s strike off the coast of Libya, which reportedly caused critical damage, took place on the day of Vladimir Putin’s annual end of year press conference in which he said Russia would respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on shadow fleet tankers.
It came amid an escalating maritime conflict over the shadow fleet, a term used to describe vessels used by Russia, Iran and Venezuela to evade sanctions with deceptive practices.
Kyiv has previously targeted Russian shadow tankers in the Black Sea as it has sought to interdict an important source of revenue that is being used to finance Moscow’s illegal invasion.
Estimated to comprise more than 1,000 ships, which frequently change their flags and whose ownership is unclear, the fleet has enabled Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite the curbs.
Experts and several European leaders believe some vessels have been used by Russia to conduct hybrid warfare across the continent.
Commenting on the latest attack, Putin on Friday said Russia would “definitely respond” to Ukraine’s attacks on its so-called shadow fleet. “Ultimately, this will not lead to the expected result,” he said. “It will not disrupt any supplies, but will only create additional threats,” he said, without directly commenting on the latest attack in the Mediterranean.
The Russian leader has previously threatened to sever Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea in response to the attacks on tankers, which he has derided as piracy. He was speaking during his annual call-in show with the nation, a carefully choreographed event that has become a fixture of Russia’s political calendar.
The marathon broadcast, which lasted more than four hours, allows journalists and hand-picked members of the public to put questions directly to the president, projecting an image of openness while the agenda remains tightly controlled.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Friday’s attack was a “new, unprecedented special operation”. However, they did not give further details of the attack, including how the SBU deployed a drone in the Mediterranean, from where it was launched, or which countries the drones could have flown over.
The source said the cargo ship was empty at the time and no environmental threat resulted from the operation. The Ukrainian official did not say how the drones reached the ship, but said the operation involved “multi-stage” measures.
They claimed the tanker, identified as the Qendil, had “sustained critical damage and cannot be used for its intended purpose”. The tanker was being used to circumvent western sanctions and fund Russia’s war chest, they claimed, making it “an absolutely legitimate target”.
“The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop, and will strike them anywhere in the world, wherever they may be,” the source added.
The British maritime risk-management group, Vanguard, said: “This development reflects a stark expansion of Ukraine’s use of uncrewed aerial systems against maritime assets associated with Russia’s sanctioned oil export network.”
Speaking to the online outlet Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian official justified the strike. “This tanker was used to circumvent sanctions and earn money that was used for the war against Ukraine. Therefore, from the point of view of international law and the laws and customs of war, this is an absolutely legitimate target for the SBU. The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will beat him anywhere in the world, wherever he is.”
According to Vessel Finder, the tankerwas last in port in Suez, Egypt, on 16 December and was off the coast of Libya when it turned back.
Kyiv has claimed similar hits on Russia-linked tankers off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, after two empty oil tankers were hit by explosions.
The Ukrainian attacks follow increasingly aggressive efforts by a number of countries against shadow fleet activities.
This month, US forces boarded a sanctions-hit shadow tanker off Venezuela, and the Trump administration has announced a blockade of other shadow tankers in the country as part of Donald Trump’s apparent efforts to force regime change.
European countries have also boosted efforts against shadow tankers operating in their waters amid mounting concern over the security and environmental threat posed by the ageing vessels, which often travel without automatic identification systems to avoid being tracked.
During the press conference Putin struck to his familiar hard-line on the war in Ukraine, reiterating the Kremlin’s determination to continue fighting until all of its conditions are met.
The Russian leader insisted that Moscow had no plans to invade Europe, before adding that there would be no new “special military operations” provided Russia was treated with respect and “not deceived”. Putin also called the use of frozen Russian central bank assets to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction “robbery” and said Moscow would pursue legal challenges, adding that it would “find a suitable jurisdiction” for any cases.
Цитата:
ВСУ ударили по очередному нефтяному танкеру.
Источники противника сообщают об успешном поражении российского нефтяного танкера в Средиземном море силами дронов СБУ. На кадрах объективного контроля видно, как БПЛА бьет по корпусу судна. Корабль остается на плаву, но посыл атаковавших очевиден - "Мы достанем вас везде".
Этот посыл необходимо разобрать по составляющим. Во-первых, у противника появилась возможность бить по акватории Средиземного моря. Это значит, что у них есть дроны, способные подловить корабль во время его следования по заданному курсу на таком расстоянии. Значит, украинцам передают и матчасть, и целеуказание со стороны.
Во-вторых, у ВСУ есть носители для этих дронов - корабли и суда, выходящие из украинских портов. Ни один БПЛА не способен преодолеть такое расстояние до цели с территории континентальной Украины. К тому же, танкер атаковали, скорее всего, сбросами. У дронов-бомбардировщиков небольшой боевой радиус.
В-третьих, у Киева есть молчаливая поддержка со стороны стран Запада, игнорирующих откровенный террор и разрешающих своим подопечным любые меры силового воздействия по гражданским кораблям.
Кому это выгодно? Мы уже писали - британцам. Страховые компании туманного Альбиона стригут огромные деньги с морских грузоперевозок. Удар по танкеру - копеечка в королевскую казну. Им, чем хуже - тем лучше и прибыльнее. Как на это реагировать? Очевидно, оснащать гражданские суда средствами ПВО, или эскортом из военных кораблей. Даже если война на Украине закончится, нас в покое на оставят. А значит - надо думать, как обезопасить наши торговые активы.
И самый верный способ - отрезать Украину от моря и лишать ее возможности осуществлять любое судоходство. Нехай будет сухопутной аграрной державой.
Цитата:
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv strikes Russian tanker in Mediterranean in ‘unprecedented’ attack.
Ukrainian drones have struck a Russian ‘shadow fleet’ oil tanker in the Mediterranean for the first time, an official said on Friday as Kyiv ramps up its attacks on Russian oil shipping.
The Qendil tanker sustained critical damage from the strikes in neutral waters off the coast of Libya, more than 2,000km from Ukraine, the official from Ukraine’s SBU security service said.
“Russia used this tanker to circumvent sanctions and earn money that went to the war against Ukraine; therefore, from the point of view of international law and the laws and customs of war, this is an absolutely legitimate target for the SBU,” an SBU source said.
Russia’s “shadow fleet” of unregulated ships has been a thorn in the side of Kyiv, allowing Russia to export large quantities of oil and fund its invasion despite Western sanctions.
The unprecedented strike came a day after Europe struck a late deal to provide Ukraine with a €90bn (£79bn) loan over two years – a boon for Kyiv’s ailing economy, but less than hoped as leaders failed to agree on the use of €210bn in frozen Russian assets held in the EU.
Цитата:
In pictures: 'Moment Ukraine blows up "shadow fleet" tanker'.
Ukraine’s security service has shared footage of the moment it says drones blew up an empty Russian tanker in neutral waters off the coast of Libya:
Удары по мостам в Одесской области. Ждать ли войну в Бессарабии и в Приднестровье?
Вот уже второй день российская армия наносит удары по мосту близ села Маяки на трассе Одесса-Рени.
Это один из двух сухопутных транспортных путей, которые соединяют по суше с остальной Украиной южную Бессарабию - юго-западную часть Одесской области, окруженную Румынией, Молдовой, Черным морем и Днестровским лиманом.
Второй путь - это мост в Затоке, гирле Днестровского лимана. По нему также регулярно наносятся удары. В том числе, и в прошлые выходные.
Полностью разрушить мосты, как в Затоке, так и в Маяках достаточно тяжелая задача – оба были построены в советское время, когда шла Холодная война и инфраструктурные объекты строились с “военным” запасом прочности.
Однако, выведение их из строя на длительное время - угроза реальная. И частично она уже реализовалась по мосту около Маяк - через него второй день движение крайне затруднено.
Трасса Одесса-Рени до вчерашнего дня была практически единственным кратчайшим путем в Молдову и Румынию из Одессы, ее перекрытие уже вызвало остановку работы пограничных пунктов пропуска в Молдову на правой стороне Днестра - в Паланке и Староказачьем-Тудора.
Но главное - по этой дороге шел транспортный поток в дунайские порты Украины (Измаил и Рени) и в обратном направлении.
В том числе, по этой дороге, по оценке экспертов, шло 60% всего объема импорта топлива в страну. И длительная остановка движения по мосту может привести к росту цен на нефтепродукты и к дефициту на определенное время.
Также остановка движения по трассе Одесса-Рени означает возникновение проблем в административных коммуникациях. Так как от центра в Одессе – Одесской областной военно-гражданской администрации остались отсечены около 400 - 450 тысяч жителей Белгород-Днестровского, Измаильского и Болградского районов Одесской области.
После частичного разрушения моста в Маяках, сейчас рассматривается возможность постройки временной понтонной переправы, способной теоретически взять на себя часть дорожного трафика.
Однако в условиях постоянных обстрелов, не факт, что его возведение не затянется на долгое время. Тем более, что ширина Днестра в этом месте составляет около 180 метров.
К тому же надо достроить подъездной путь к понтону, что означает масштабное строительство в этом месте и миллиардные финансовые затраты. Кроме того, понтонный мост намного более уязвим для БПЛА, чем мост капитальный. А потому регулярного автомобильного движения восстановить не удастся. Так как при любой воздушной тревоге есть опасность гибели водителей авто, заставших прилеты на переправе.
Помимо экономических проблем обсуждается ещё один аспект - военный.
Причем обсуждается сразу с двух направлений.
С одной стороны, по пабликам идет поток прогнозов о том, что россияне готовят чуть ли не десант в Бессарабию или удар из Придеестровья, а для того и пытаются изолировать юго-восточную часть Одесской области.
С другой стороны, в Украине участились призывы «решить вопрос с Приднестровьем». То есть ликвидировать военным путем эту непризнанную «республику», де-факто подконтрольную России.
Отметим, что слухи о «подготовке вторжения» то ли из Приднестровья, то ли в Приднестровье, возникают ежегодно, но никогда не оправдывались.
Вероятность атаки из Приднестровья против Украины была обнулена к концу весны 2022 года - когда стало понятно, что российские войска к «республике» не могут настолько приблизиться, чтоб оказать ей поддержку в случае ее вступления в войну. А само Приднестровье обладает очень ограниченным военным ресурсом, а потому, в случае вторжения в Украину, было бы быстро разгромлено. По той же причине с того же времени потеряли актуальность и прогнозы о российском морском десанте в Одесскую область.
Что касается наступления со стороны Украины на Приднестровье, то с этим было и есть две проблемы.
Первая - нежелание молдавского правительства давать разрешение на военную операцию, без которой она невозможна (Приднестровье - международно-признанная территория Молдовы).
Вторая - отсутствие достаточных резервов у ВСУ для проведения операции. Сил Приднестровья (с учетом российских и местных военных, силовиков и резервистов это до 30 тысяч человек) недостаточно для атаки против Украины. Но в обороне они могут стоять долго, отвлекая крупные украинские резервы, что угрожает тяжелейшими последствия для основного фронта, где и так солдат не хватает.
Теоретически, Киев, может пренебречь этими рисками и решиться на операцию в Приднестровье ради информационно-политического эффекта в расчете на быструю победу («Курская операция-2»).
Но пока нет признаков, что поменяется позиция Молдовы. Кишинев имеет вполне спокойные отношения с Тирасполем и сильно боится войны. Переубедить президента Санду могло бы давление Запада. Но США пока не демонстрирует готовности идти на эскалацию с РФ (сигналы идут, скорее, ровно обратные), а Европа, как показал провал репарационного кредита, не имеет в своих рядах достаточного единства даже для решения финансовых вопросов. А потому не очень реальным выглядит то, что она начнется системно подталкивать Молдову к отмашке на военные действия в Приднестровье. Особенно, если в этом ее не будут поддерживать США.
Цитата:
Движение по мосту по трассе Одесса – Рени после ударов РФ не закрыто, а затруднено, заявил глава ОВА Олег Кипер.
По его словам, весь транспорт, который вчера стоял, проехал в обе стороны.
«Сейчас работает стандартный маршрут для легкового и технического транспорта, но движение затруднено. Идеальный вариант ехать через Могилев-Подольский. С частным сектором проговорили возможность привлечения плавсредств. Сегодня он не понадобился», – добавил Кипер.
Напомним, ранее о закрытии моста сообщило Минразвития.
Ukraine urges Europe not to give up on reparations loan.
Ukraine's Finance Minister said on Friday that the EU’s 90 billion euro loan was insufficient to fully cover the country’s financial needs, urging partners to continue work on a reparations loan.
"The reparations loan is a systemic, long-term solution. It will ensure sustainable defense capabilities and protect Europe from future conflicts," Serhiy Marchenko told finance ministers from the G7 countries.
"The risks to Europe from a potential defeat of Ukraine far exceed the risks of introducing the reparations mechanism.”
_________________
С интересом и понятными ожиданиями, Dimitriy.
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