Over the past two days, at least 16 oil tankers subject to US sanctions have attempted to circumvent the US naval blockade of Venezuelan oil exports. According to The New York Times (NYT), to do this, they hide their real location or turn off transmission signals. 15 of the 16 vessels were under US sanctions for transporting Iranian and Russian oil.

Confession Victoria Ponomareva January 5, 2026 Even before Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, security forces in the “DPR” and “LPR” were actively abducting and torturing Ukrainian citizens. In October 2025, Ukraine returned 185 people as part of another prisoner exchange.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty at trial in New York. The meeting will be broadcast by Sky News. Nicolas Maduro stood up when he confirmed his name in court. A summary of the charges against him was read to him. In response, Maduro told the court that he was the president of Venezuela and that he had been captured at his home in Caracas. “I’m not guilty, I’m a decent person, I’m still the president of my country,” Maduro said, before sitting down again.

Switzerland has frozen all assets in the country belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his associates, the Federal Government said following Maduro's arrest by US forces in Caracas and his subsequent transfer to the US. “The Federal Council is committed to ensuring that no illegally obtained assets can be transferred out of Switzerland in the current situation,” the statement said. The measure takes effect immediately and will remain in effect for four years.

1626 Confession Viktoriia Ponomareva January 5, 2026 Contents 1. “My entire body was pitch black, and I thought, maybe it's dirt? But those were bruises” 2. “I thought I would not get out, it was despair mixed with hatred” 3.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are being held in separate sections of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, a federal facility designed to hold high-security defendants. CBS News reports this, citing sources. The MDC is known for previously housing other high-profile cases including Luigi Mangione , Sean "Diddy" Combs and Ghislaine Maxwell . Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Maduro is being held on one of the top floors of the MDC.

The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Vasily Malyuk, announced his resignation from his post. A message about this appeared on his official channel: “I am resigning from the post of head of the Security Service. I remain in the SBU system to conduct world-class asymmetrical special operations that will continue to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. I am sure that a strong and modern intelligence service is the key to the security of our state.

The German Federal Intelligence Service spent years bugging the US President, then Barack Obama. According to an investigation by the German newspaper Die Zeit, German foreign intelligence intercepted telephone conversations of an American politician while he was aboard the presidential plane Air Force One. The Chancellor's Office finally stopped surveillance of the presidential plane in 2014.

American Senator Lindsey Graham said that on December 23, the United States invited Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to leave his post voluntarily and go to Turkey, but he refused. “Maduro has no one to blame but himself. Trump gave him the opportunity to leave, but he decided to defy Trump and the US military, and now his ass is in prison, where it deserves to be,” said Senator Graham.

Confession Viktoriia Ponomareva 5 January 2026 Even before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, security forces in the “DNR” and “LNR” — the Kremlin-created Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics” — were actively abducting and torturing Ukrainian citizens. This past October, as part of another prisoner exchange, Ukraine secured the return of 185 people. Those coming home included not only soldiers, but also civilian detainees who spent several years in Russian custody.

On December 30, Trump, speaking at a press conference, said that he was very angry when he learned about the “attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” on Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region. He added that he received the information personally from Putin: “I didn’t like it, it’s not good. I found out about this this morning. Do you know who told me about this? President Putin. Early in the morning he told me that he had been attacked, which was not good at all.

The Cuban government said that 32 Cuban citizens were killed during the US operation in Venezuela, which managed to capture the country's President Nicolas Maduro. Havana reported that two days of national mourning will be declared in memory of the victims - January 5 and 6, and information about funeral arrangements will be announced additionally. The Cuban government statement provided few details, but noted that all those killed were members of the Cuban military and intelligence services.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced the appointment of his son, Akhmat Kadyrov, to the position of acting deputy chairman of the government of the Chechen Republic. Also, the Minister of the Chechen Republic for National Policy and Information, Akhmed Dudayev, was appointed to the same post. “Friends, we started 2026 with small personnel changes in the structure of the government of the Chechen Republic.

News The Insider January 5, 2026 Throughout 2025, archaeologists around the world reported discoveries made during excavations and the results of new research on previously discovered artifacts. The Insider has collected the most striking and memorable discoveries of the past year. Fresco from the House of Tiaz.