Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.20 The key areas of work of the medical service for 2026 have been identified - the development of unmanned evacuation, strengthening of interaction between the sub-units and the development of a throat measure of deepened stabilization first aid stations of the Uzdovzh Front. The chief commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Sirsky, stated this.
21.50 At the front in Ukraine, 104 combat operations were recorded on various directions to the front. About this evening, 3 days ago, the General Staff of the ZSU reported. Even as the Ukrainian military strengthens its defenses and successfully repels most attacks, the threat to civilians becomes less significant.
18.20 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the national security authorities have been working on three key areas: security guarantees, and a basic framework for the real world.
16.21 Ukraine and the United States have passed an important military document ahead of the upcoming ZSU push. Chief of the ZSU General Staff Andriy Gnatov informed about the results of work with European partners in Kiev, RBC-Ukraine reports. In his words, the document was drafted within the framework of bilateral work at the level of the general headquarters of Ukraine and the United States. Wine consists of four sections and four additives. The document spells out in detail the nutritional security, renewal and modernization of the Ukrainian army. Particular attention is paid to the control of the remaining households, as well as any damage that has been detected.
15.17 On the 3rd day of the Russian Federation, the military launched a missile attack on the Zolotonsky district of the Cherkassy region. Five people were injured. The head of the Cherkassy Regional Administration, Igor Taburets, told about this. According to him, two injured people were taken to the hospital. According to previous data, the residential infrastructure and private businesses have been damaged by tricks and vibukhov.
12.52 Russian troops launched an attack on one of the districts of Kherson. As a result of hostile attacks on the Dnieper region, the place of injury, unreasonable lives, was taken away by a man and a woman.
11.31 As a result of Russia’s attacks on Kharkov, at least two people died and nearly 30 were injured, including children. Five more people are still snooping around, the stench is not going to be heard.
Through the attack of the Russian Federation, 25 apartment buildings, a doctor's office, a mortgage store, a trade and office building, and 33 cars were destroyed.
10.58 At night, the 3rd breast is occupied by the Russians. The Zaporizka nuclear power plant has lost its life on one of the high-voltage lines. The press service of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine reported this.
09.43 In the Obukhivsky district of the Kiev region there is devastation as a result of a night attack by Russian drones. Damage was recorded in two private cabins, a garage and two cars. The booths have broken windows, damaged facades and coverings.
09.15 At the beginning of the 3rd century, Russian troops were attacked by 95 attack UAVs of the Shahed, Gerber type and other types of drones.
The anti-aircraft defense destroyed/suppressed 80 hostile UAVs of the Shahed type, Gerbera and drones of other types at night, day and night. The presence of 15 attack UAVs was recorded at eight locations, as well as the fall of downed UAVs at two locations.
08.45 Russian troops attacked the critical infrastructure of the Mykolayiv region at night. Through Russian attacks, part of the population centers in the Mykolayiv region were destroyed.
08.16 During the last battle, 116 combat operations were recorded at the front. Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit several areas containing special warehouses and two other important enemy targets.
07.22 From February 24, 2022 to September 2, 2026, military losses to the special warehouse of the Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 1,210,630 individuals (+750 per additional amount).
05.59 In the Sumy, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, a decrease in the activity of attacks was recorded, similar to last year. However, an analysis of the enemy’s actions indicates that preparations for offensive operations in Russia are troubling. This was confirmed by the head of the communications department of the Grouped Joint Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Tregubov.
03. 55 From the front-line areas of the Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk regions, over three thousand children are being evacuated together with their fathers. In addition, in the Chernihiv region, 30 cases of compulsory evacuation have been announced in 14 settlements.
02.56 Under the rubble of a 2nd chest building destroyed by Russia in the center of Kharkov, the ritualists found a body, previously identified as a woman. According to the head of the OVA, Oleg Sinegubov, a body has been discovered, according to previous information, which could be the mother of the dead boy.
01.54 At about 3 pm, around midnight on the first night, Mykolaiv felt a slight swell. Information about this popular mister head Oleksandr Sienkevich. The local public Nikolaevsky Vanek recorded five kamikaze drones of the “Shahed” type in the sky above the area and indicated the possibility of destruction: “They are working in the light!”
01.23 Russian troops with the help of aviation are trying to penetrate in the Gulyai-Pole area, as well as in the direction of Dobropil and Zeleny on the Gulyai-Polye front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine informed about this at the evening meeting. Enemy aircraft launched a series of strikes on the settlements of Zaliznychne, Varvarivka, Rizdvyanka, Dolinka, Verkhnya Tersa, Gulyaypole.
00.52 Russia again voiced the leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) Denis Kapustin after his “Sunday”, which was the result of a special operation of the Head Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
“To protest: to protest for the article of the Criminal Code [...]. It has been re-voiced,” – can be found in the card on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian troops are maintaining their defenses and successfully repelling most attacks, but the threat to civilians remains high.
On the front in Ukraine, 104 combat clashes were recorded in various directions of the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on the evening of January 3.
Currently, Ukrainian troops are maintaining their defenses and successfully repelling most attacks, but the threat to civilians remains high.
North Slobozhansky and Kursk directions: the enemy carried out 42 attacks, including one from a multiple launch rocket system.
South Slobozhansk direction: 13 attacks on the fortifications of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of Vovchansk, Starytsia, Prylipki and in the direction of Izbitsky, of which 4 clashes are ongoing.
Kupyansk direction: 10 enemy offensive actions near Synkivka, Novaya Kruglyakivka and in the direction of Kupyansk, Petropavlivka, Kucherivka and Kurylivka.
Lymansky direction: 13 attacks on Ukrainian army positions near Novoselivka, Myrne, Zarechny and in the direction of Olhivka, Drobysheve, and Stavye. 5 clashes are ongoing.
Slavic direction: 3 attacks near Dronivka and in the direction of Zakitne.
Kramatorsk direction: no offensive actions were recorded.
Kostyantynivka direction: 16 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the areas of Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleshchiivka, Kleban-Byk, Shcherbynivka, Rusyn Yar, Sofiivka and towards Ivano-Pol, Berestok and Stepanivka.
Pokrovsky direction: 16 attacks in the areas of Rodynske, Myrnograd, Kotlyne, Udachne, Filiya and in the direction of Bilytsky. One clash is ongoing.
Oleksandrivka direction: 8 attacks near Yalta, Vorony, Vyshneve, Zlagoda and Rybne, towards Andriivka-Klevtsovo. Two clashes are ongoing.
Hulyaipil direction: 19 clashes in the area of Hulyaipil, Uspenivka, Dorozhnyanka and in the direction of Dobropil and Zeleny, 5 of them are ongoing. Enemy aviation struck Zaliznychne, Vozdvizhivka, Sviatopetrivka, Staroukrainka, Hulyaipil, Varvarivka and Rizdvyanka.
Orikhiv direction: 2 clashes in Stepeve and Novoandriyevka.
Dnieper direction: Ukrainian units repelled 2 attacks near the Antonivskyi Bridge.
Since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has been systematically shelling settlements on all front lines, trying to destabilize the situation and weaken Ukrainian defenses.
The previous days also recorded enemy activity in the Southeast and Northeast directions.
As a reminder, the Defense Forces' aviation, missile forces, and artillery struck four areas of personnel concentration and two other important enemy targets.
As reported, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated 750 occupiers in the past 24 hours. Since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian army has lost 1,210,630 soldiers.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 16:59 Crews of unmanned systems troops of the Center group, using ground robotic systems, provide uninterrupted delivery of ammunition and food to military personnel in front-line units. 16:41 According to Kherson Oblast Governor Volodymyr Saldo, the decision to strike the cafe and hotel, which killed 28 people, accepted n Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy planned both this "action" and an attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence.
15:31 Russian Armed Forces drones successfully destroyed a BMP-1 and an American-made M-109 Paladin self-propelled gun camouflaged in a forest belt in the Konstantinovsky direction,video.
14:59 In the village of Ryasne, the enemy continues to concentrate its forces to prevent the Severian forces from advancing deeper into Sumy Oblast. Several FAB-500 strikes from UMPK missiles destroyed a large airborne assault vehicle containing enemy personnel.video.
14:33 In the Krasnoarmeysk direction, the crew of the T-80BVM tank of the Center group of forces destroyed an enemy stronghold with firing points and a system of hidden passages.
13:23 As a result of a targeted attack by the enemy damaged power lines in the Kamensko-Dniprovskyi Municipal District have been cut off. About 50 customers are without power. Emergency response teams are working to resolve the situation.
12:59 Ministry of Defense summary of the progress of the Special Military Operation as of January 3, 2026:
Units of the "North" force group have improved their tactical position. Formations of a mechanized brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and two territorial defense brigades have been defeated near the settlements of Grunovka, Kondratovka, Pisarevka, and Shostka in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov direction, units of two mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Staritsa, Ternovaya and Chugunovka in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 215 service members, eight vehicles, and a field artillery gun. A supply depot was destroyed.
Units of the "West" force grouping inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a National Guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Grushevka, Kupyansk-Uzlovaya, Senkovo, and Smorodkovka in the Khar'kov region.
In total, enemy losses in the "West" force group's area of responsibility amounted to 210 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 14 vehicles, an artillery piece, and an electronic warfare station. Five ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Yuzhnaya units defeated the formations of two mechanized, airmobile, assault, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Zakotnoye, Kondratovka, Konstantinovka, Malinovka and Reznikovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 220 troops, 11 armored combat vehicles, 13 cars, and four artillery pieces, including two foreign-made ones. A supply depot was destroyed.
Units of the "Center" force group have taken up more advantageous positions and lines. They have inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an infantry brigade, an assault brigade, two airborne assault brigades, an airmobile brigade, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, and a National Guard brigade near the settlements of Belitskoye, Novy Donbas, Rodynskoye, Toretskoye, and Udachnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Novopavlivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The enemy's losses amounted to 400 military personnel, two tanks, six armored combat vehicles, seven cars and two field artillery pieces.
Units of the "East" force group continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses. They inflicted casualties on the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Airborne Assault Brigade and four assault regiments near the villages of Zaliznichnoe, Petrovka, Vozdvizhevka, and Rizdvyanka in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 215 service members, six armored combat vehicles, 11 vehicles, two multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), including a Czech-made Vampire, and an artillery piece. A materiel depot was destroyed.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novoandriivka, Orekhov in the Zaporizhzhia region and Sadovoe in the Kherson region.
The enemy lost up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen, nine vehicles, a launcher for a German-made IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile system, three artillery pieces, and an electronic warfare station. A supply depot was destroyed
12:38 Units of the Southern group of troops as a result of active actions released the settlement of Bondarnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
11:13 Repair specialists of the Tula Guards Airborne Forces unit work around the clock are being restored and modernize combat and special equipment.
10:31 In Sumy Oblast, a Severyan reconnaissance drone captured footage of the unloading of supplies into a house seized by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for their own purposes. Strikes by UAVs from the 34th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and antitank missiles from the Russian Aerospace Forces crews completely destroyed the enemy warehouse. video.
10:01 On the website of the Kherson Regional Bureau of Forensic Medicine published a list of identified victims of the Ukrainian terrorist attack in Khorly.
The list currently includes the names of 12 civilians killed. According to local authorities, 28 civilians were killed in the attack.
8:01 During the past night, air defense systems on dutyinterceptedand 22 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed:
12 UAVs were flying over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
Six UAVs were flying over the territory of Krasnodar Krai,
Two UAVs were flying over the territory of Rostov Oblast,
One UAV was flying over the territory of the Republic of Adygea, and
One UAV was flying over the waters of the Sea of Azov.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Gevorg Mirzayan and Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] Just before the New Year, Kyiv's regime leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced major changes to the country's domestic policy—and on January 2, he implemented them.
The new head of the Presidential Office (which has been vacant since the end of November, when Andriy Yermak was fired ) is the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, who, according to rumors, had been persuaded to change his position for more than a month.
Thus, the chief administrator's position was occupied by a murderer who had been organizing terrorist attacks on Russian territory even before the start of the Central Military District. He personally participated in some of them (particularly in Crimea in 2016). And when he became head of the Main Intelligence Directorate in 2020, he took Ukrainian state terrorism to a new level. He was the one who organized the attacks on the Crimean Bridge, as well as bombings in Moscow and other major Russian cities.
And now he has become, as it were, the personification of the essence of Ukraine and the foundations of its official policy: a president of war, incapable of existing without it, and a “right hand” that is its instrument.
And from Zelenskyy's perspective, this appointment is perfectly balanced: image-building, operational, partnership, negotiating, and electoral benefits. It's a "strong move" that, he believes, will strengthen his grip on power and ensure his retention of it both overall and during the very likely elections.
However, only at first glance, since now a huge axe hung quite clearly above his head.
"THE NEWS HAS ZELENSKY'S OPPONENTS ON EDGE."
From an image standpoint, the "leader of the nation" is strengthening his position at the expense of a man whose high-profile and bloody operations in Russia have made him very popular in Ukraine.
Essentially, terrorist attacks organized by the GUR (or, alternatively, the SBU) are the main positive aspect of the entire war for Ukraine, allowing it to project an image of success and "victory." At the same time, Budanov's* media, while emphasizing his involvement in the murders of Russian civilians, carefully ensured that their chief was not implicated in domestic crimes.
Therefore, he has neither a trail of corruption cases (like his predecessor Yermak), nor outright neo-Nazi sectarianism (like the head of the Third Army Corps, Andrei Biletsky *, who has engaged in a stormy image campaign).
In Budanov*, Zelenskyy is receiving a kind of image reboot for the Office of the President and weakening all internal enemies and competitors who wanted to profit from the massive corruption scandal unfolding by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
"This news has surely already put pressure on both Zelenskyy's opponents and some members of the presidential team who dreamed of strengthening their own influence," writes Ukrainian political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko, likely referring to David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada.
The purpose of this appointment is not simply to purge but also to strengthen Zelenskyy's own system of power. " This is an attempt to revive the presidential vertical of power. Zelenskyy needs a 'power manager' who will restore managerial discipline, rigor, and the administration's political weight, which has been shaken since Yermak's resignation," notes Ruslan Bortnik, head of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics.
At the same time, in his opinion, it will strengthen the influence of the security forces and the government's focus on military objectives, subordinating the system of governance to the logic of war. Indeed, Budanov*, with his image as a killer and his demonstrative willingness to commit any crime, is well-suited to this task. Ukrainian politicians will simply fear him.
Other personnel changes also contribute to strengthening the central vertical. First and foremost, at the Ministry of Defense, where a completely non-military figure, Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, has been appointed.
He has no authority among the military, is incapable of weaving any intrigues, or playing his own game. His main task is to "clean up" and improve the image of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense amid a rash of scandals in the military procurement sector.
The strangest replacement so far is the resignation of Vasyl Maliuk as head of the SBU, which was unexpectedly opposed by Mykhailo Drapatiy, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who began praising Maliuk's successes and even declared that he owed him "his personal safety." And he's not alone.
However, Malyuk* has a long-standing rivalry and a very difficult relationship with Budanov*, so this was undoubtedly the latter's condition for assuming the position. And the person replacing the "Pithecanthropus" is a far more powerful figure, capable of working alongside the head of the OP.
OBEDIENT TERRORIST
Budanov is an optimal figure for both the Americans and the European “hawks”.
"Mr. Budanov has strong ties to the United States," The New York Times reports. The publication writes that Ukraine's top military intelligence officer trained under a CIA-supported program and, after being wounded in Donbas, was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, " a rare occurrence for a Ukrainian soldier."
And now the time has come to repay the debts. Perhaps the main bet is that he will be more obedient to the Americans than Yermak.
According to Ukrainian political strategist Mykhailo Pavliv, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) passed the final interview with the Americans at the end of 2025, when he flew with the Ukrainian delegation to Miami for talks with the US authorities. Now he must play a " stabilizing role in Ukraine." In other words, he must prevent the boat from being rocked within the country by harshly suppressing all "opposition" movements.
At the same time, Budanov* maintains contacts with the British—at least, he isn't viewed as an outsider. This means that in his new position, he could smooth over the differences between the US and UK over their visions of Ukraine's future.
In addition to the stabilizing role, the new head of the OP must also play a negotiating role.
Thus, Ukrainian political scientist Taras Zhovtenko considers the appointment of Budanov* a winning move in the context of the fact that “ Americans know and have a rather positive attitude towards him, including with the expectation that he could become one of the key communicators with Trump’s team.”
As for the electoral motive, the GUR's terrorist attacks were blown out of proportion by PR specialists, and its head regularly appeared in the media for interviews and commentary. Therefore, as a public figure, he was regularly "measured" by sociological services, showing that he was one of the most popular people in the country.
And this automatically made one suspect his electoral prospects, including participation in the presidential elections.
Many commentators assume that by moving a potential rival to the post of head of the presidential office, Zelenskyy is neutralizing him. They are mistaken, as they simply fail to understand that Ukrainian sociology traditionally includes all media personalities in its surveys, and this does not imply any aspirations for a political career on the part of the "candidate."
Budanov* certainly never had any desire to participate in politics as a civilian—his influence and opportunities were far greater where he was. However, the addition of such a figure to Zelenskyy certainly strengthens him and serves as a counterweight to former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, who certainly has ambitions and is theoretically capable of winning the national presidential election.
CONCENTRATION OF RESOURCES
Everything listed above is in Zelenskyy's interests. However, it would be naive to assume that Budanov* will simply do all the dirty work and build a system of power in the interests of another person.
Especially one as odious and clearly lacking any good prospects in life as the Krivoy Rog actor.
With a certain amount of mental effort, it's easy to see that all the levers of the country's governance and all the resources of power are passing into the hands of a cruel, cynical killer who owes nothing personally to his boss and is in no way dependent on him. He is a highly independent figure, unconstrained in either his goals or the methods he uses to achieve them.
Having taken over the post of head of the Office of the President, having secured the full support of the Americans and the mandate of the head of the regime for internal purges, Budanov* will definitely begin the process of strengthening the military component in the Ukrainian government.
"Under Budanov's leadership*, the Office of the President of Ukraine could informally and unofficially transform into a central military administration," says political scientist Fesenko.
The GUR, despite the addition of SVR chief Oleg Ivaschenko (Budanov's former deputy*), remains effectively under the OP's thumb. They plan to replace Malyuk, who demonstrated personal disloyalty to the regime's leader (when he refused to follow Yermak's order to disband the NABU), with Oleksandr Poklad, who was responsible for political assassinations and also has close ties to the Americans and has long played politics behind the scenes.
In particular, as informed sources say, ensuring the immunity of the overly talkative MP Alexander Dubinsky, who is furiously "killing" Zelensky from the Lukyanivka pretrial detention center.
The herbivorous Fedorov will not create any counterbalance on the military front. Long-standing and close contacts with the National Police remain, and a swift purge of all kinds of dissatisfied and dissenting voices will stabilize the situation.
With such resources and established relationships with his "senior comrades," Budanov*, as head of the Office of the President, could very easily seize power, including by neutralizing (or even physically eliminating) the tiresome Zelensky. He could then, as head of the military junta, do what Zelensky cannot and will never be able to do.
Neither from a personal nor from an administrative point of view.
[TWZ] The Turkish-owned cargo vessel Fitburg is accused of damaging an undersea cable running from Finland to Estonia.
Finnish authorities have seized a Turkish-owned cargo vessel suspected of damaging an undersea telecommunications cable running from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia. This marks the first incident involving suspected sabotage of critical undersea infrastructure in the region since the creation of a NATO task force nearly a year ago to defend those cables, a NATO official told us.
The situation began early Wednesday local time after the Finnish Elisa telecommunications company “detected a fault in its telecommunications cable between Helsinki and Tallinn,” according to the Finnish Border Guard. The cable runs for about 40 miles between the two nations under the strategically important Gulf of Finland, which is bordered by Russia, Finland and Estonia and leads to the Baltic Sea. The damage occurred somewhere in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), officials claim.
“Elisa reported the matter to the Border Guard’s command center. The Border Guard immediately began investigating the damage to the critical underwater infrastructure.”
The Border Guard’s offshore patrol vessel Turva and a helicopter found the suspect ship, a St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged general cargo vessel named Fitburg, inside Finland’s exclusive economic zone, officials explained. The vessel is “suspected of causing the damage to the cable through its operations,” the Border Guard added.
The vessel was enroute from St. Petersburg, Russia to Haifa, Israel, according to the MarineTraffic ship tracking site.
“The vessel’s anchor chain was found to be in the sea,” the Border Guard noted, adding that it “asked the vessel to stop and raise the anchor chain.”
The Fitburg was then ordered to move to Finnish territorial waters, where Finnish authorities “took possession of the vessel as a joint operation.”
“Finnish authorities have inspected the vessel suspected of causing the cable damage in the Gulf of Finland,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated on X. “Finland has prepared for various security challenges and we respond to them in the manner required by the situation.”
Responsibility for the case has since been transferred from the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard to the Helsinki Police Department.
“The police have been in contact with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Prosecutor General has issued a relevant indictment,” the Border Guard stated. “The police are currently investigating the events under the criminal charges of suspected aggravated damage, suspected attempted aggravated damage and suspected aggravated interference with telecommunications.”
The Fitburg is owned and operated by the Turkish Albros Shipping & Trading company, according to BalticShipping.com. We reached out to the company for more details about the incident and will update this story with any pertinent details provided.
As of Wednesday evening local time, Finnish authorities had yet to offer a motive for the cable damage and did not assign any blame beyond the ship itself. However, the damage occurred amid growing concerns about Russian hybrid warfare against NATO nations. That is just below the threshold of armed conflict and comes at a time of mounting tensions between Moscow and the alliance as the war in Ukraine drags on.
Almost exactly a year ago, Finnish authorities seized the Russian-linked oil tanker Eagle S, accusing it of dragging its anchor on the sea floor to break an underwater cable running from Finland to Estonia. The ship was later found to be full of spy equipment. You can see the Eagle S being seized in the following video.
Police in Finland say Eagle S crew detained as Estlink-2 cable damage probe continues
That incident and a spate of others led NATO to stand up Baltic Sentry on Jan. 14. It is an effort “to deter any future attempts by a state or non-state actor to damage critical undersea infrastructure there,” according to a statement by NATO at the time.
Baltic Sentry has deployed warships and aircraft from several nations to help deter sabotage incidents. In addition, a U.K.-led 10-member consortium of northern European nations called the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) reactivated an AI-based system to track suspicious ships in these waters.
A NATO official we spoke with on Wednesday declined to comment on the specifics of today’s telecommunications cable break. However, he did reiterate that Baltic Sentry was created to keep incidents like this from happening.
“Since Baltic Sentry began in early 2025, and before this current incident, still under investigation, there have been zero incidents of maligned damage to sea cables in the Baltic Sea,” a NATO official told us Wednesday morning.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
