NATO has increased the combat readiness of its 40,000-strong rapid reaction force due to the deployment of Russian troops near Ukraine's borders, the German newspaper Die Welt reported, citing a senior NATO diplomat. According to the source, the Joint High Readiness Task Force should be ready to deploy to a crisis region within five days instead of the previous seven. The special forces and logistics unit have also been put on high alert.

Russian recruiters are mobilizing mercenaries for a ‘trip to the Donbas.’ What they’re expected to do there remains unclear. Valentin Sprinchak / TASS The frontline positions of the People’s Militia of the DNR Ukraine was the main topic of discussion during a video call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden in early December. According to American intelligence, Russia is preparing for a full-scale invasion of the Eastern European country.

Sergey Guriev - Dmitry Zimin's memory Vyacheslav Prokofiev / TASS On Wednesday, December 22, Dmitry Zimin, a businessman, one of the most famous and respected philanthropists in Russia, died. The founder of Beeline and the Dynasty Foundation was 88 years old. At the request of Medusa, the economist Sergei Guriev tells about Zimin - he was a member of the Public Council, which ruled the Dynasty Foundation. We worked together on the Dynasty Foundation, but, of course, we were familiar before.

France's first lady Brigitte Macron is preparing a lawsuit over rumors that she is a transgender woman, her lawyer Jean Ennochi said. It was not specified who she plans to sue. A conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux has been circulating online, BBC News reports. The first rumors of this appeared in September on a far-right website in an article written by a certain Natacha Rey.

Dmitry Zimin, the founder of Beeline and the Dynasty Foundation, died. This is how friends, colleagues and acquaintances remember him Dmitry LEAD / Kommersant On Wednesday, December 22, at the age of 88, the scientist and businessman, philanthropist Dmitry Zimin, died . It was he who created the Vimpel-Communion company and founded the Dynasty Foundation, which supported scientists, and later the Enlightener Award, which is awarded for the best popular science works in Russian.

Blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov, who left Russia after a conflict with relatives of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, reported on his Telegram channel about the kidnapping of nine of his own relatives. The kidnapping, for which Abdurakhmanov blamed "Kadyrovites", occurred on the night of December 22.

In Russia, mercenaries are recruited for a “business trip to the Donbass”. The rector of Kazan University was accused of a custom murder. What is wrong with the new order of help in cancer diseases Good evening, This message (material) was created and (or) widespread by a foreign media that performs the functions of a foreign agent, and (or) a Russian legal entity that performs the functions of a foreign agent This is the daily newsletter "Medusa" about the main news of the day.

Ozan Kose / AFP / Scanpix / Leta The record drop in the course of the Turkish lira led to the fact that farmers in Turkey began to reduce the production of hazelnuts. This can lead to a hazard in the world, writes The Wall Street Journal. Since the beginning of 2021, Lira has almost doubled in relation to the dollar; The most serious fall was in November, when the Turkish currency in a month lost 40% of the cost.

National Hockey League hockey players will not take part in the Olympic Games in Beijing, which will be held in February 2022. This was reported by the NHL press service. As the league's statement emphasized, the reason for this decision was the outbreak of coronavirus among players. The number of hockey players suspended from games currently exceeds 100 people.

Alexei Navalny's team reported that United Russia State Duma deputy Alexander Borodai owns apartments in Dubai that are not listed in his declaration. An investigation into this was published on Alexei Navalny's YouTube channel . According to a database of Dubai property owners cited by Navalny's associates, Alexander Borodai owns a 104-meter apartment in the Grandeur Residences residential complex, located on the artificial Palm Jumeirah island in the shape of a palm tree.

The Russian businessman and philanthropist Dmitry Zimin died in Switzerland after a serious illness, his son Boris Zimin said on Facebook. The businessman was 88 years old. Valery Sharifulin / TASS “My father was a big life -loving and lived a big life. Thanks to him for everything for what he created for what was. This happened today not in their homeland, in Switzerland.

DedMorobus is driving around St. Petersburg, and this is not the return of Transformers, but a city projectcreated in 2013. A bright bus with a mountain of gifts on the roof can be caught on the central streets of the city from December 21 to 30. From time to time it stops, the orchestra of Santa Clauses plays New Year's melodies, and Petrushka and Yolochka distribute gifts to passers-by. Instead of a team of Santa Claus reindeer and their team, the Lviv retro bus (aka LAZ-695) transports.

Sheikh must ensure the protection of the former spouse from himself until the end of his life Luke Macgregor / Reuters / Scanpix / Leta Princess Hayia and Sheikh Mohammed at jumps in English ascot, 2010 The court in London ordered Emir Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE Mohammed al-Maktum to pay at least 554 million pounds ($ 734 million) to his ex-wife Haye Bint al-Hussein. Apparently, this is the largest amount that the British court has ever appointed to pay for a divorce.

The 67-year-old rector of Shaninka Sergei Zuev, arrested in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Ministry of Education, was transferred from the Matrosskaya Tishina pretrial detention center to a civilian hospital for examination. This was reported to Interfax by Alexander Khurudzhi, a member of the Moscow Public Monitoring Commission. The decision to transfer Zuev was made in the pretrial detention center's medical unit due to the need to urgently adjust the rector's treatment.

Egor Aleev / TASS Ilshat Gafurov On December 21, the rector of Kazan Federal University Ilshat Gafurov was detained on charges of involvement in the murder of the city of Elabuga Aidar Israfilov, committed in 1999. This is written by the Kazan edition of "Business Online". After the detention, 60-year-old Gafurov was taken to Moscow.