The Steam gaming service has stopped opening for users in different countries of the world, according to Downdetector data. Users from Europe and Asia, as well as the United States, are reporting problems. The failure also affected Russia, TASS writes. Most complaints are related to users being unable to connect to the server. Steam is a video game distribution platform created by Valve.

Performances of the post-punk band Ploho in St. Petersburg and Moscow, scheduled for December 25 and 27, have been cancelled, band leader Viktor Uzhakov announced in his Telegram channel. “Moscow - St. Petersburg. I have to inform you about the cancellation of concerts. I will write all the details later, tickets can be returned at the place of purchase,” Uzhakov’s message says. The group did not give any reasons for canceling the concerts.

Journalist Irena Lesnevskaya died at the age of 83, TV presenter Marianna Maksimovskaya reported on December 24. “Irena Stefanovna Lesnevskaya has left. The person whose name the REN channel, which she once created, is named after. I personally and my colleagues at Nedel owe a lot to Irena Stefanovna. And - all Russian television, for which she did so much in her life,” Maksimovskaya wrote on Facebook.

Indian oil refining company Reliance Industries has resumed purchases of Russian oil for its plant in Gujarat, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. The company buys oil at a discount from suppliers that are not under sanctions. For transportation, Reliance Industries chartered Aframax tankers from RusExport, the agency's interlocutors said. Reliance Industries is the largest buyer of Russian oil in India.

A teacher from St. Petersburg, Athena Simeonidis, who was arrested on charges of sexualized violence against two 12-year-old schoolchildren, was released from a pre-trial detention center on her own recognizance. This was reported by Fontanka and TV channel 78 without citing a source. Relatives of Simeonidis told the Baza telegram channel that the teacher is already at home and feels well.

One thousand four hundredth day. Zelensky named 20 points of the peace plan. This plan has changed in the last month - here's how 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?

In Chechnya, on the eve of the anniversary of the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane in December 2024, a monument was opened in memory of those killed in the plane crash, TASS reports. Embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia The monument was erected in the park named after the first president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, in Grozny. The ceremony was attended by Chechen officials, representatives of AZAL airline, as well as the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Moscow Rakhman Mustafayev.

Riot policemen burst into the house of the Belozerov family in Novosibirsk early in the morning of December 23, when the whole family was sleeping. Riot police broke a window and threw the children's father, Evgeniy Belozerov, and his two sons, 10 and 13 years old, to the floor, reports the Precedent publication. “I jump out of bed and then riot police break me, beat me in the legs,” Belozerov told reporters. According to him, he was beaten on his sore leg.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called on city residents who are fond of video games to join the army of unmanned systems. “For us today, it is important that video game fans do not forget that their talents may well [be] applicable in unmanned troops, for our victory,” said the mayor of Moscow, speaking with a report in the Moscow City Duma (quoted by TASS).

The New York Times Magazine explains US Department of Justice Jeffrey Epstein died more than six years ago - but the criminal case in which he was accused of sex trafficking remains the main political case in the United States. Much about Epstein's biography remains unclear. One of the main mysteries is how he became so rich that he was able to buy two entire islands in the Caribbean.

From hardened borders to fading factories, these dispatches trace how history, identity, and power shape everyday life across Eastern Europe and Central Asia For the past three years, The Beet newsletter has supplemented Meduza’s regular coverage with original reporting from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. When we launched this mailing in September 2022, our aim was to dig deeper, amplify local perspectives, and tell unique stories that might otherwise be overlooked.

Russian authorities will seek “key changes” to the 20-point peace plan developed as a result of discussions between Ukraine and the United States, Bloomberg reports , citing a source close to the Kremlin. According to the agency's interlocutor, Russia considers these 20 points as a starting point for further negotiations, since the plan does not contain provisions and answers to many questions that are important for Moscow.

Zelensky reveals revised U.S.-backed plan to end Russia’s war against Ukraine 24 Mechanized brigade / EPA / Scanpix / LETA Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed a revised draft peace plan, developed with the United States, to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Zelensky presented the 20-point proposal to journalists in Kyiv on Tuesday, calling it “a foundational document on ending the war,” RBC Ukraine and Suspilne reported.

The Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow reduced the prison term of Olga Mirimskaya, a former member of the Forbes list of Russia's richest women, from 19 to eight years and nine months, who was convicted of bribing an investigator.

In the Tyumen region, FSB officers killed a native of the Vinnitsa region of Ukraine with Russian citizenship, whom the special service accused of attempting to commit a terrorist attack at the control station of the Transneft oil pipeline. Interfax was informed about this by the FSB public relations center.