In an interview with Meduza, expert Pierre Thévenin breaks down the maritime law behind Washington’s recent tanker seizures Hakon Rimmereid / AFP / Scanpix / LETA The tanker Bella 1 in the Singapore Strait. March 18, 2025. On January 7, U.S. military forces seized two tankers linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” ending a weeks-long pursuit of one vessel, the Bella 1.

Singer Larisa Dolina has vacated an apartment in Khamovniki in Moscow, which she sold for 112 million rubles to Polina Lurie, the buyer’s lawyer Svetlana Sviridenko told RIA Novosti on January 8. Thus, the singer fulfilled the decision of the Moscow City Court, which at the end of December satisfied Lurie’s claims and terminated the rights of Dolina and her family to use housing. Larisa Dolina sold an apartment in Khamovniki in 2024.

US President Donald Trump said in an interview with The New York Times that only he limits his power as commander in chief. This is how he responded to a question about whether there are any restrictions on his global powers: Yes, there is one limitation. My own morals. My own mind. This is the only thing that can stop me. I don't need international law. I don't want to hurt people.

U.S. officials have discussed the possibility of providing one-time payments to Greenlanders to try to persuade them to break away from Denmark and possibly join the United States, Reuters reported, citing sources. The exact amount of payments and how they plan to implement them are unclear, the agency notes. Officials, including White House aides, discussed amounts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person, two Reuters people said.

The US Senate has voted to consider a resolution that would prohibit President Donald Trump from using the military for military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. According to Reuters, 52 senators voted for this decision during the meeting on January 8, 47 were against. This is only a procedural vote that the resolution will be considered. The final vote on the document will take place later.

Update. As of 22:51 Moscow time, 14 people were injured as a result of the attack on Krivoy Rog, including two children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported . At least 10 people were injured as a result of a Russian missile strike on Krivoy Rog on January 8, said the head of the city defense council, Alexander Vilkul. According to him, one of the wounded is in extremely serious condition - his leg was torn off by the explosion.

Update. The Internet has been completely shut down in Iran, reports the monitoring organization NetBlocks. Residents of Tehran and several cities in Iran's western provinces have complained of disruptions to their home and mobile internet amid ongoing protests and unrest in the country, IranWire, an exiled Iranian media outlet, reported .

And even vice versa: it is popular among members of the Republican Party Win McNamee/Getty Images QAnon shaman. January 6, 2021 Five years ago, on January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump, dissatisfied with his defeat in the presidential election, seized the Capitol, where the US Congress is located. The storming participants broke windows and doors, destroyed several buildings and blocked the work of legislators who were forced to evacuate.

Four deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation were sent an official invitation to a meeting with members of the US Congress. This was announced by Anna Paulina Luna, a member of the US House of Representatives from the 13th district of Florida. According to Luna, the meeting has been agreed upon with the State Department and could take place at the end of January. At it, Luna said, the progress of peace negotiations and other issues will be discussed.

The Iraqi government has approved a plan to nationalize operations at the West Qurna 2 oil field, which is 75% owned by Russia's Lukoil and is considered its largest foreign asset, Reuters reports. The Iraqi state company Basra Oil will take over management of the field for a year, two company representatives told the agency. Thus, Reuters notes, the Iraqi authorities want to avoid disruptions due to the sanctions that the United States imposed against Lukoil.

On January 7, Kremlin Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev was in Paris, where at that time the summit of the “coalition of the determined” was taking place. Le Monde writes about this with reference to a source. The Elysee Palace denied information that Dmitriev participated in the negotiations. However, Le Monde writes, a Kremlin representative visited the American embassy. It is unclear who exactly he communicated with there.

Kirill Budanov is the new head of the office of the President of Ukraine. What to expect from him? Explains Konstantin Skorkin (Carnegie Politika) Serhiy Morgunov / The Washington Post / Getty Images Kirill Budanov. 2023 Anti-corruption investigations forced Vladimir Zelensky to dismiss the head of his administration, Andriy Yermak. In his place, he appointed Kirill Budanov, who headed the Main Intelligence Directorate.

In any case, Moscow is unlikely to take retaliatory measures Hakon Rimmereid / AFP / Scanpix / LETA Tanker Bella 1 in the Singapore Strait. March 18, 2025 On January 7, US military personnel detained two “shadow fleet” tankers involved in the transportation of “sanctioned” oil. One of them, Bella 1, had been pursued by American ships for several weeks. And on December 30 he announced the change of the flag to Russian.

While the Kremlin promotes pro-war singers and punishes anti-war ones, Russia’s biggest hits come from those who say nothing Valentin Yegorshin / TASS / Profimedia Russian rapper MACAN performs at Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg. June 1, 2025. Russia’s domestic censorship leaves almost no space for criticism of the war against Ukraine in music , while the Kremlin actively promotes pro-war artists like Shaman , funneling resources and media coverage their way.

The police detained several activists who oppose the demolition of the building of the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of the Pulp and Paper Industry (VNIIB) in St. Petersburg, Bumaga and Ostrozhno Novosti report. Community “The VNIIB building on Muzhestva Square - we’ll save it!” on VKontakte According to Paper, at least five people were detained, including National Bolshevik Kirill Travkin.