More News

The Moscow Times: The Kremlin has been in direct contact with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s team in the lead-up to his Jan. 20 inauguration, Russian government officials told MT. The previously unreported communication between the Kremlin and individuals representing Trump — who remain private citizens until the inauguration — raises questions about U.S. national security and its loyalty to its allies.

Reuters: The European Commission intends to propose a ban on imports of Russian primary aluminium in its 16th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, European Union diplomats said on Tuesday.

The Kyiv Independent: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed a strategic partnership commission charter between the U.S and Armenia on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C.

CNN: Top Biden aides have been working to convince European partners to support moving some $300 billion of Russian money into a new escrow account that would be released only as part of a peace deal.

Reuters: Russia's vast Arctic oil business is facing major disruption from U.S. sanctions on its tankers and depots, stranding crude supplies previously snapped up by Asian buyers in storage.

Bloomberg: State-owned oil refiners in India, the top importer of seaborne Russian crude, believe the impact from the latest US sanctions may be temporary as Moscow finds workarounds, and the new Trump administration takes a softer line against the OPEC+ member (archive).

Reuters: Upgrades to boost the capacity for oil deliveries to the Czech Republic via the TAL pipeline are complete, ending the country's need to import Russian crude, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday.

RFE/RL: Russia has captured two of Ukraine's four lithium deposits since it launched its all-out invasion in 2022, potentially depriving Kyiv of a key economic resource.

Politico: Slovakia’s opposition parties plan to call a vote of no confidence in PM Fico’s government due to his pro-Moscow leanings, they announced in a press conference Tuesday.

The Kyiv Independent: Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's team delivered a message to Putin to put an end to Russian intelligence's suspected plans to smuggle incendiary devices onto U.S.-bound cargo planes, The New York Times reported on Jan. 14.

Reuters: A Ukrainain drone attack struck a munitions storage facility holding guided bombs and missiles at the Engels airbase in Russia's Saratov region as well as other targets.

Politico: NATO is ramping up its work to detect and stop attacks against subsea energy and data cables in the Baltic Sea, its chief said Tuesday. The military alliance’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced that NATO is launching the “Baltic Sentry” program, which will involve “a range of assets” including frigates, maritime patrol aircraft and “a small fleet of naval drones."

Reuters: A Russian court fined Alphabet's Google 8 billion roubles ($77.9 million) on Tuesday for not complying with previous penalty orders.

The Kyiv Independent: Slovak PM Fico will not visit Kyiv to discuss the halting of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, Tibor Gaspar, deputy-speaker of the Slovak Parliament told Russian state-controlled news agency TASS on Jan. 14.

Reuters: After a battle in Russia's western region of Kursk, Ukrainian special forces found a North Korean enemy soldier. As they approached, he detonated a grenade, blowing himself up, according to a social media post by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces.

The Kyiv Independent: A drone attack targeted Russia's Kazanorgsintez plant in Kazan, Tatarstan Republic, during an overnight attack on Jan. 14, with drone wreckage causing a fire, several local Telegram channels claimed.

worth mentioning

LVMH says 'impossible' to control final sales point after report of champagne shipments to Russia

Ukraine denies transferring Air Force personnel to infantry amid troop shortages

Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please.They can also sign up here

Here are my: Telegram & Socials

Please consider supporting my work