ECONOMICS Vadim Belkin 28 December 2024 Prices in Russia are rising so quickly that even official statistics largely confirm the economic reality. In an attempt to curb inflation, the Russian central bank has repeatedly hiked the key interest rate, but this step alone has proven insufficient, as the amount of money in circulation is also increasing — fueling price growth and putting pressure on the ruble’s exchange rate.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported the interception of 279 Iranian-designed Shahed and other similar drones out of 509 launched over the past week. An additional 235 drones were “radar-lost” — meaning either that they were decoys or were brought down using electronic warfare (EW). The Air Force also reported intercepting 66 of 82 missiles of various types during the same period, 78 of which were launched on the night of Dec. 25 in another massive strike targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Former priest, 26-year-old Daniil Sidorov, accused of harassment and assault on women, went to fight in Ukraine. Metropolitan of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturye Evgeniy reports this on his Telegram channel. According to the Metropolitan, Sidorov “embarked on a new service—the Motherland and its defense” and became a private in an air assault platoon. Earlier in November, Sidorov was detained for stalking a girl.

Cover photo: Finnish coast guard with the Eagle S tanker shown in the background after a suspected undersea cable sabotage incident. Source: Finnish Border Guard / X Spy equipment used for monitoring NATO naval and aircraft activities was reportedly discovered on the tanker Eagle S , according to a report by the British shipping journal Lloyd's List , citing a source with direct involvement with the vessel.

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during which he apologized for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane “due to the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.” This was reported on the official website of the Kremlin. The press release states that two employees of the Azerbaijani prosecutor's office are now in Grozny and are working together with Russian investigative authorities.

Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree pardoning another 20 people convicted of “crimes of an extremist nature.” Information about this is posted on Lukashenko’s official website. Among those pardoned are 11 women, 14 people with chronic diseases, 10 parents, while one of the women is raising four children. The report says that all those convicted applied for clemency and expressed repentance. The names of the released political prisoners are not disclosed in the publication.

The government has canceled the ability to make calls via the Internet to mobile and landline phones. This is stated on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers. The ban is explained by the fight against telephone scammers. The license for the transmission of Internet data with the overlay of voice information was excluded from the list of licenses for the provision of communication services. This technology made it possible to replace numbers, the government said.

Vladimir Putin approved a law allowing organizations to be excluded from the list of terrorist organizations. The corresponding document was published on the government website. The new mechanism allows organizations to be removed from the list of terrorist and prohibited organizations if they “stopped carrying out activities aimed at promoting, justifying and supporting terrorism.” The bill, proposed on November 25, was approved by the State Duma on December 17.

Mediazona has calculated that in 2024, Russian courts received more than 10 thousand criminal cases of refusal of military service - almost twice as many as the year before. In total, since the beginning of the war, more than 16 thousand such cases have been brought to the courts, of which the absolute majority (14,182) are under the article on unauthorized abandonment of a unit.

Gazprom notified JSC Moldovagaz that from 8:00 am on January 1, 2025 it will stop supplying gas to Moldova. This is stated in the official press release of the company. The official reason was the debt of Moldovagaz to pay for previous deliveries. Edition “Moldova. Relevant” quotes the acting director of Moldovagaz, Vadim Cheban, who said that the company “took note” of Gazprom’s statement. JSC Moldovagaz is a subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom, which owns 50% of its shares.

Prices in Russia are rising so quickly that even official statistics largely confirm the economic reality. In an attempt to curb inflation, the Russian Central Bank has repeatedly hiked the key interest rate, but this step alone has proven insufficient, as the amount of money in circulation is also increasing — fueling price growth and putting pressure on the ruble’s exchange rate.

Norwegian chess player Magnus Carlsen was disqualified from the World Rapid Championship for violating the dress code. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced this on Twitter. Carlsen received a fine of $200 for appearing at the tournament in jeans, which is prohibited by the competition rules. The chief arbiter demanded that he change his clothes, but Carlsen refused. As a result, he was suspended in the ninth round and expelled from the tournament.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the possibility of stopping electricity supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv implements plans to stop the transit of Russian gas through its territory. He wrote about this on Facebook. “After January 1, we will analyze the situation and consider possible retaliatory measures against Ukraine. If it becomes necessary, we will stop supplies of electricity that is critical to Ukraine during grid outages. Or we’ll find other options,” Fico wrote.

Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev earlier today, during which he apologized for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakstan on Dec. 25, claiming that the “tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace,” according to a press release posted on the Kremlin’s official website.

Society Nikita Aronov December 28, 2024 The new Syrian authorities arrested military judge Mohammed Kanjo Hassan, who handed down death sentences to prisoners of the Sednaya prison complex, where, under the regime of Bashar al-Assad, protesters, military personnel, terrorists and people arrested for spreading “fake news” were continuously tortured and killed. Everything was known about the prison: floor plans and storage locations for corpses, execution schedules and methods of torture.