Russian military intelligence (GRU) maintained ties with the Taliban and other groups in Afghanistan and financed terrorist attacks against US soldiers and coalition troops. This was reported in an investigation by The Insider and Spiegel .

In Kamchatka, the FSB department opened a criminal case against 52-year-old social activist and social activist Alexei Petrov. “Kamchatskaya Life” writes about this with reference to his lawyer. Petrov is accused of justifying terrorism on the Internet (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code). The court placed him in a pre-trial detention center.

The Central District Court of Sochi fined confectioner and trash blogger Ilya Iordanov two thousand rubles under the protocol on the demonstration of extremist symbols (Part 2 of Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code). Kavkaz.Realii drew attention to the court ruling . The reason for the protocol was a cake with an image of an eight-pointed star. According to security officials, such a star is a symbol of the prohibited “movement” of AUE.

In Zaporozhye, 13 people were killed as a result of the Russian strike. The head of the regional administration, Ivan Fedorov, spoke about this. He also reported at least 18 casualties. According to Fedorov, the city was attacked with the help of KABs - two bombs hit residential buildings, the Russian army also attacked an industrial facility. Doctors and rescuers are working at the scene; at least four victims are in serious condition.

Photo: Raisa Boiko personal archive Raisa Boiko was a translator and former English teacher at the Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk. In the autumn of 2022, she and her family left Russia for the United States: her husband was summoned during the “partial” mobilisation, and relations with her parents, who supported the war, were ruined anyway.

In Engels, an emergency situation has been declared due to a fire at an oil depot. This was announced by the governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin. The head of the region added that two rescuers died while extinguishing the fire. One emergency worker was injured and taken to the hospital. A fire at an oil depot in Engels broke out after a night attack by Ukrainian drones. The Crimean Wind and Astra telegram channels wrote that aviation fuel for the Engels-2 airbase was stored there.

Sergei Sobyanin abolished 146 specially protected natural areas (SPNA) in Moscow. Activists who defend the Bitsevsky forest drew attention to the capital mayor’s resolution of December 27. According to the document, Sokolniki, Tsaritsyno, Serebryany Bor, Vorobyovy Gory and other parks have been transferred to the category of specially protected green areas (SPG). PAs are protected by regional legislation, and PAs by federal legislation.

In 2024, more than 80 thousand foreigners and stateless persons were expelled from Russia for violating migration rules (Article 18.8 of the Administrative Code). A source in the Federal Bailiff Service (FSSP) reported this to TASS. According to the interlocutor of the state agency, 23 thousand people were expelled from Moscow and the Moscow region. Information for other regions is not provided.

Russian streaming services cut off scenes of drug use in the film Anora, which won the Palme d'Or in 2024. Film critic Timur Aliyev, who runs the Telegram channel “Commandant of the Film Fortress,” drew attention to this. The romantic comedy by American director Sean Baker tells the story of the relationship between the son of a Russian oligarch Ivan and dancer Anora. The film received five Golden Globe nominations.

The Consulate General of Poland in St. Petersburg has closed. The publication 78.ru reports this. The consulate will officially cease operations on January 10. According to Fontanka, things began to be removed from the building yesterday, January 7. The flags of Poland and the European Union were lowered from the façade of the diplomatic mission only on the second attempt. The Russian Foreign Ministry ordered the suspension of the work of the consulate in the Canal in December.

New Moscow resident Anton Evdokimov, who was arrested in the case of justifying terrorism, was fined 100 thousand rubles because of two publications about LGBTQ+ people. The decision was made by the magistrate of court district No. 463 of Troitsk, Daria Kaurova, at the end of November, but the text of the decision was posted in the court database only now. The Telegram channel “Crime 6.21” drew attention to this.

Created at the end of December and previously unknown, the Silent Crow telegram channel wrote on January 7 about the hacking of Rosreestr. One of the first to draw attention to this was the Telegram channel about leaks Data1eaks. “Today is our first post, and even if it’s a little late, we will congratulate the Russians on the beginning of the New Year.

Ukrainian drones attacked Saratov and Engels on the night of January 8, said Governor Roman Busargin. “There is debris hitting an industrial facility in Engels. Fire crews and emergency services are on the scene,” said the head of the region. He did not write which company he was talking about, but later clarified that “a fire occurred” there due to a drone attack. “The operational headquarters has been deployed. On the spot, we discussed the situation and the liquidation plan with specialists.