Zelensky named Time magazine ‘Person of the Year’

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year”
on Wednesday after being one of 10 individuals or groups placed on a shortlist earlier this week." TheHill

Russians begin to fortify Kursk Oblast with ‘dragon's teeth’ and ditches

"In Kursk Oblast of Russia, which borders Ukraine, defence structures are being built:
concrete pyramidal anti-tank structures, known as "dragon's teeth", are being installed in the fields." Pravada

National Guards of Ukraine manage to shoot down cruise missile from light machine guns and assault rifles

"National Guardsmen shot down a Kh-101 cruise missile from small arms during Russia's
massive missile attack on Ukraine.....A mobile fire group of the guards of the 27th Pechersk Brigade shot down the Kh-101 missile from light machine guns and assault rifles, preventing it from targeting its goal." Pravada

 

EU member says it can no longer accept Ukrainian refugees

"Estonia will not be able to handle a possible new influx of refugees from Ukraine and expects other EU nations, such as Finland, to accommodate them, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has said. Tallinn already has a tentative agreement with Helsinki on the issue, she stated on Tuesday in a radio interview.

Kallas expressed pride in the generosity shown by her nation toward Ukrainians since the start of the conflict with Russia, but added: “everything has its limit, and once we are no longer able to accept people because we ran out of housing and jobs, then others will do more.” RT

Ukraine's Embassy in Romania receives two suspicious envelopes, bomb disposal team called

"The Embassy of Ukraine, which is located in the capital of Romania, Bucharest, received two
suspicious envelopes on 6 December around 11:00,...the police arrived at the scene to secure the area. Bomb disposal teams are also on the scene to conduct specific inspections." Pravada

 

Supply Disruption From Russia Price Cap Is Here: Tanker Jam Forms Off Turkey

"The EU and G7 price cap on Russian oil went into effect on Monday, but it's already causing disruptions in global supply chains. 

In a striking demonstration of the price cap's potential to disrupt markets, most of the oil in the delayed ships isn't even subject to the sanction regime: It's from Kazakhstan and has merely transited Russian ports after arriving there via pipeline.

The first manifestation comes from Turkey, where the Financial Times reports that a tanker traffic jam is stacking up in Turkeish waters and blocking some 18 million barrels of oil from passage, as the country's authorities demand proof that the vessels have insurance coverage: 

"Around 19 crude oil tankers were waiting to cross Turkeish waters on Monday, according to ship brokers, oil traders and satellite tracking services. The vessels had dropped anchor near the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, the two straits linking Russia's Black Sea ports to international markets." ZeroHedge

U.S. Arms Sent to Ukraine Make Their Way to Boko Haram

 

"When the U.S. sends nearly unlimited arms willy-nilly to Ukraine with little or no oversight,

no one should be surprised when some of that weaponry enters the black market and makes its way to various bad guys and scumbags around the world.  “Regrettably, the situation in the Sahel and the raging war in Ukraine serve as major sources of weapons and fighters that bolster the ranks of the terrorists in the Lake Chad Region,” lamented the Nigerian president. He decried that “the arms and ammunition procured to execute the war in Libya continues to find its way to the Lake Chad Region and other parts of the Sahel,” then continued, “Weapons being used for the war in Ukraine and Russia are equally beginning to filter to the region.” PJMedia

Russians attack Armed Forces of Ukraine with banned chemical weapons

"Russian occupiers are using banned chemical weapons against the Armed Forces of Ukraine
– the K-51 aerosol grenades." Pravada

Putin 'falls down stairs, soils himself' at official residence

"Putin has reportedly slipped down five stairs and soiled himself at his official residence in Moscow, amid speculation about the 70-year-old's declining health. Three bodyguards helped the president get to the nearest couch and summoned medics, the report said." HindustanTimes

 

Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra priest released on bail for "singing about Russia"

"District Court of Kyiv has released Father Zakharii (secular name: Anatolii Voitenok), a
priest at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (the Monastery of the Caves in Kyiv), on bail until 29 January. Father Zakharii had led a service that involved the glorification of the so-called "Russian world". Pravada

Italy to seize Russian oil refinery

"The Italian government has placed a refinery in Sicily owned by Russia’s largest private oil company Lukoil under state trusteeship, days ahead of an EU embargo on Russian crude oil imports." RT

Fresh Clashes in Guangzhou as China Threatens ‘Crackdown’ on Anti-Communist Uprising

"The uprising is still vigorous enough to push a flood of news and images past China’s censorship firewalls to the outside world, transmitting photos and videos from thousands of smartphones, so the battle that began in Guangzhou on Tuesday night was verified and reported by outlets like the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP):

Security personnel in hazmat suits formed ranks shoulder-to-shoulder, taking cover
under see-through riot shields, to make their way down a street in the southern city’s Haizhu district as glass smashed around them, videos posted on social media showed.

In the footage people could be heard screaming and shouting, as orange and blue barricades were pictured strewn across the ground.

People are seen throwing objects at the police, and later nearly a dozen men are filmed being taken away with their hands bound with cable ties." Breitbart

U.S. Pledges $53 Million To Help Restore Ukraine's Damaged Power Grid

"The latest financial assistance from the United States comes shortly after the U.S. Agency for
International Development in October announced it would grant $55 million in emergency infrastructure support in Ukraine ahead of the winter season.

That funding will support the repairs and maintenance of pipes and other equipment necessary to deliver heating to homes, hospitals, schools, and businesses across Ukraine, officials said. It includes funding for generators, as well as money for alternative fuel sources to hospitals and shelters among others." ZH

Russians once again fire at DTEK enterprise

 "Russian troops once again fired at a building of DTEK energy company. Employees received
the necessary assistance and were taken to the hospital." Pravada

Ukraine's Security Service checks convent of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, find calls for "awakening of Mother Russia"

"The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has finished a counterintelligence operation within
the St. Cyril and Methodius Convent of the Mukachevo Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate in Zakarpattia Oblast.

It is reported that more than 20 people underwent in-depth counterintelligence interviews, including with the use of a polygraph.

SSU employees found numerous campaigning and propaganda materials. Most of the literature is authored by Russian figures and published by Russian printing houses." Pravada