The United States this week deployed large numbers of Air Force special operations aircraft, troops and equipment to the Caribbean, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 23. At least 10 V-22 Osprey tiltrotors and C-17 cargo planes arrived in the region on December 22, according to WSJ sources and tracking systems. Military personnel and equipment were transported on planes, one of the publication’s interlocutors said. It is unclear what types of troops and equipment the planes were carrying.

How pro-Kremlin pundits use geopolitical turmoil to explain away Russia’s war against Ukraine Maxim Shemetov / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA Vladimir Putin’s vision of a “multipolar world” has been a keystone of Russia’s foreign policy ever since he delivered his infamous Munich speech in 2007. Asserting that U.S.

The US Department of Justice on December 23 published a new series of documents related to the case of American financier Jeffrey Epstein , who was accused of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. In total, the department published about 30 thousand documents, including court records and emails related to the cases against Epstein (many redacted), as well as documents that mention US President Donald Trump.

Neo-Nazi and founder of the sabotage and assault reconnaissance group (DSRG) “Rusich” Alexey Milchakov conducted a “Lesson of Courage” in one of the schools in St. Petersburg. Photos from the lesson and gratitude to Milchakov from the school administration were published on the DSHR Telegram channel. The photographs show two people in camouflage who are telling schoolchildren about something. The faces of the class participants are blurred.

Since mid-December, the app Be My Eyes — designed to assist blind and visually-impaired people — has been barely functional in much of Russia. Some users suspected the service had been blocked. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal censorship agency, claims that isn’t the case. Follow Meduza on Google News to stay up to date — just go to this link and click “Follow” (or tap the star on mobile). Be My Eyes confirmed to Meduza that the app is indeed experiencing accessibility problems inside Russia.

Ukrainian military personnel “in order to preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat effectiveness of units” moved away from the city of Seversk in the Bakhmut district of the Donetsk region, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. The department noted that heavy fighting continues in the Seversk area, and the city itself “remains under fire control” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Moscow before the New Year is very elegant. And other cities in Russia have their own “fairy tale”. Their residents showed it. Take a look too Across the country, Russians are “admiring” how their cities have been decorated for the New Year celebrations. To the music from the ballet “The Nutcracker” and the waltz “Once Upon A December” from the cartoon “Anastasia” (try to get them out of your head now), they show the “New Year’s fairy tale” that the local authorities tried to create for them.

Ukrainian authorities have submitted a request to the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office for the extradition of Russian archaeologist, Hermitage employee Alexander Butyagin, who was detained on December 11 in Poland on suspicion of illegal excavations in the annexed Crimea, reports RMF FM radio. The decision on extradition will be made by the court. The Polish prosecutor's office will develop its position and present it to the judges along with Ukraine's petition, the radio station notes.

Back in 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin advised the founder of VKontakte and Telegram, Pavel Durov, to run his business abroad. This is stated in the book “Durov Code 2” by journalist Nikolai Kononov, published in early December, and the Agency drew attention to this. In 2013, when Durov was still living in Russia and heading VKontakte, he had a meeting with Putin - the only one that had previously been publicly known.

An administrative lawsuit was filed in the Tagansky Court of Moscow by a group of Russians against Roskomnadzor and the Ministry of Digital Development with a demand to cancel the blocking of calls in WhatsApp and Telegram instant messengers, RBC reports. The statement of claim from 42 people was received by the court on December 23; the case file has not yet been published on the court’s website.

This means that his new book about the USSR can not only be read (although it’s worth doing), but also seen on stage The book by journalist, writer and director Mikhail Zygar “The Dark Side of the Earth” about the last 30 years of the USSR can not only be read, but also seen on stage. In January 2026, the author goes on a big tour with the play “Lost Stories” based on the book.

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, ordered the release from the pre-trial detention center on his own recognizance to a teacher from St. Petersburg, Athena Simeonidis, who was arrested on charges of sexualized violence against two 12-year-old schoolchildren. The press service of the Investigative Committee reported this.

One thousand three hundred and ninety-ninth day. Massive attack of the Russian Federation on the energy system of Ukraine: three regions were almost completely left without electricity Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your letters in our daily materials because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Share with us the thoughts you have about the war. What feelings are you experiencing?

Journalist and publisher of “Important Stories” Roman Anin has been deprived of Russian citizenship in a criminal case for disseminating “fakes” about the army, TASS reports citing the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Bank of Russia has sent proposals to the government on regulating cryptocurrencies on the Russian market, according to a press release from the regulator. According to the concept of the Central Bank, digital currencies and stablecoins are recognized as currency values ​​- they can be bought and sold, but they cannot be used to pay within the country.