Russian Digest
Top weekly stories I'm keeping an eye on
Ukraine hits 2 oil depots in Russia overnight
Ukrainian forces attacked oil depots in Russia's Tula and Kaluga oblasts overnight on Jan. 18, according to the General Staff and the Kyiv Independent's source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).
The attack came amid an uptick in Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia, as Kyiv aims at damaging Russia's oil industry, which is crucial for sustaining Moscow's war effort, as well as its military hardware.
The drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) hit the oil depot in Tula Oblast at least 10 times in this attack, a HUR source claimed.
Read More at Kyiv Independent
Russia used chemical weapons on the battlefield 434 times in December 2024
Russian forces used chemical weapons on the battlefield 434 times in December 2024, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 18.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's radiation, chemical, and biological intelligence units have been monitoring and recording the use of hazardous chemicals in attacks. The military has recorded 5,389 cases since February 2023.
Russian forces used K-51 and RG-VO munitions, anti-riot weapons that are prohibited for use in warfare, the General Staff said in their report.
Russia has also used ammunition loaded with dangerous chemicals of "unspecified type."
Read More at Kyiv Independent
UK Government: 30,000 new drones for Ukraine in boost to European security
These first-person view drones, designed to penetrate Russian air defenses, exemplify how Western allies are adapting their assistance to meet Ukraine’s evolving battlefield needs.
30,000 drones will be sent to Ukraine after £45 million worth of contracts were placed by the international Drone Capability Coalition, co-led by the United Kingdom and Latvia as the UK steps up leadership supporting Ukraine in 2025.
This initiative represents one of the largest single transfers of drone technology to Ukraine’s armed forces and signals a strategic shift toward providing tools that can effectively counter Russian air defenses while minimizing risks to Ukrainian personnel. The coalition’s investment, part of a broader £1.3 billion international fund, has a particular focus on sophisticated, cost-effective warfare solutions.
Read More at EuroMaidanPress
Putin and Iran's president deepen defence ties with 20-year pact
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian deepened military ties between their countries on Friday by signing a 20-year strategic partnership that is likely to worry the West.
Under the agreement, Russia and Iran will boost cooperation in a range of areas including their security services, military drills, warship port visits and joint officer training.
Neither will allow their territory to be used for any action that threatens the other and will provide no help to an aggressor attacking either nation, according to the text, which also said they would work together to counter military threats.
Read More at Reuters
Russia Attacks Kyiv With Ballistic Missiles
Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with drones and ballistic missiles before dawn on Saturday, officials said, killing at least three people in central Kyiv as part of a broader assault that targeted towns and cities across the country.
Air-raid alarms sounded as emergency crews raced to search for the dead and wounded — a grimly familiar routine in a nation that has been battered by relentless Russian bombardments for nearly three years. Moscow called the attack retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, which in recent weeks appear to have intensified.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that four ballistic missiles and 39 attack drones had been launched in the assault and that two of the ballistic missiles had been shot down in the Kyiv region. Although the city comes under drone attack almost nightly, ballistic missile launches targeting the capital are less frequent.
Read More at New York Times
Poland’s leader accuses Russia of planning acts of sabotage against ‘airlines around the world’
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia on Wednesday of planning acts of sabotage worldwide that included “acts of air terror” against airlines.
Tusk spoke at a news conference in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy.
“I will not go into details, I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world,” Tusk said.
The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe.
Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England last year.
Read More at AP
France Accuses Russia of Targeting Air Defense Systems at Plane in International Waters Over Baltic
On Wednesday, January 15, the Russian S-400 air defense system targeted a French naval aircraft patrolling international airspace over the Baltic Sea, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, calling Russia's actions an act of "intimidation." In a statement on the social network X (formerly Twitter), he emphasized that the French aircraft was carrying out a mission off the coast of Sweden, including monitoring suspicious vessels.
"Russia's aggressive actions are unacceptable. Our armed forces will continue to ensure freedom of navigation in international air and sea zones," Lecornu said.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, incidents involving damage to critical infrastructure have increased in the Baltic Sea. A noticeable increase in such incidents began in the autumn of 2024. In November, cables were cut between Lithuania and Sweden, as well as between Finland and Germany. In December, the fibre-optic cable between Finland and Sweden was damaged, as was the EstLink 2 power cable connecting Finland with Estonia.
On January 14, 2025, Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin announced new damage: traces of an anchor being dragged on the NordBalt cable between Sweden and Lithuania. According to him, the incident involved the Chinese vessel Yi Peng, also suspected of damaging other cables last autumn.
In December 2024, Finnish border guards detained the tanker Eagle S, which belongs to the Kremlin's "shadow fleet." A broken anchor chain was found on board. The crew of 24, including citizens of India and Georgia, is now under suspicion of causing major damage to property and disrupting telecommunications.
The US has previously warned of increased Russian military activity in the area of underwater cables. According to Washington, the Russian Defense Ministry is developing sabotage operations against key NATO infrastructure.
In response to the increasing number of incidents involving damage to infrastructure, NATO announced the launch of Operation Baltic Sentry in late December. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the mission would deploy several frigates in the Baltic Sea; maritime patrol aircraft; and new-generation drones. The operation is aimed at protecting underwater cables and monitoring the waters using high-tech solutions.
On January 17, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced plans to allow the Estonian Navy to use force to protect infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. In turn, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously emphasized that Warsaw was ready to detain suspicious vessels in its territorial waters “without hesitation.”
Via Moscow Times
Hundreds of Swedish troops arrive in Latvia to join a NATO brigade
Hundreds of Swedish troops arrived in Latvia on Saturday to join a Canadian-led multinational brigade along NATO's eastern flank.
A ship carrying parts of a mechanised infantry battalion arrived early on Saturday in the port of Riga, the Latvian capital, escorted by the Swedish air force and units from the Swedish and Latvian navies, the Swedish armed forces said in a statement.
They're joining a Canadian-led multinational brigade along NATO's eastern flank, a mission Sweden is calling its most significant operation so far as a member of the Western defence alliance.
Latvia borders Russia to its east and Russia ally Belarus to its southeast. Tensions are high across Central Europe due to Russia's war against Ukraine.
Sweden's armed forces said the mission of 550 troops will contribute to the alliance’s deterrence and defence efforts, and ensure stability in the region, and that it “marks Sweden’s largest commitment yet since joining NATO.”
Read More at Euronews
Scholz: Elon Musk is a danger to European democracy
Musk “endangers the democratic development of Europe,” Scholz raged.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s friendliness with the far right “endangers” democracy in Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday.
“He supports the far right everywhere in Europe — in the U.K., in Germany, in many, many other countries — and that is something that is completely unacceptable,” Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin.
“It endangers the democratic development of Europe, it endangers our community and it must be criticized,” the German leader added.
Musk has thrown his lot in with right-wing figures and causes around the globe, including endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany in the country’s forthcoming snap federal election, which is set for Feb. 23.
Read More at Politico
Russian diplomats accessed private area of UK parliament in security breach
Exclusive: MPs warned not to invite Russian diplomats to parliament after incident said to have alarmed ministers
Russian diplomats accessed a private area of parliament in a major security breach just before Christmas that has alarmed security officials and prompted private warnings from the speakers of both houses, the Guardian understands.
The small group of diplomats joined a public tour of the Houses of Parliament and then broke off to enter a part of the House of Lords that was out of bounds, before they were found by security and thrown out.
“We suspect they were just wanting to crow to the Kremlin that they had infiltrated the British parliament. It’s not ideal but they were caught before any damage was done,” a parliamentary source said.
UK government ministers, however, were said to have been alarmed by the attempt to breach parliamentary security, which is understood to have occurred late last year.
Read More at The Guardian
🚨 Russian Spies Phish Targets Through WhatsApp Web Feature
Did you receive a random invite to join a WhatsApp group? Be careful. Russian state-sponsored hackers are using them to trick users into exposing access to their WhatsApp accounts.
The Russian hacking group Callisto, also known as Star Blizzard, was spotted using the tactic in November, according to a new report from Microsoft. Callisto, which the US has linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), has been known to use spear-phishing emails to gain access to victims' online accounts. In the past, this has included impersonating political or diplomatic figures, building up trust, and then sending a phishing email that’ll direct the recipient to a hacker-controlled website that can steal passwords.
According to Microsoft, the group has since pivoted to trying to access WhatsApp accounts, possibly because the FBI has been cracking down on Callisto’s previous hacking activities.
Read More at PC Mag
U.S. Sanctions Kyrgyz Bank Over Alleged Russian Sanctions Violations
U.S. sanctions Kyrgyz bank with history of corruption, money laundering, and political intrigue.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on Kyrgyz Keremet Bank, citing violations of sanctions against Russia. The bank, which has a long history of fraud and money laundering allegations, is now accused of facilitating cross-border transfers for a previously sanctioned Russian bank.
OCCRP uncovered that the Luxembourg-based company currently owning Keremet Bank was controlled until 2022 by a Ukrainian national who changed his name from Yuriy Maksakov to George Rossi. Rossi was sanctioned by the U.S. last December for allegedly overseeing an international network of businesses and employees involved in a sanctions-evasion scheme benefiting Russian elites.
Meanwhile, the British National Crime Agency reported dismantling two Russian money laundering networks, arresting 84 suspects and seizing €23 million in cash and cryptocurrency. One of the networks, known as the THR Group, is believed by the U.S. Treasury to be operated by Rossi, who has not commented on any of the allegations against him.
Read More at OCCRP
U.S. Reveals Once-Secret Support for Ukraine’s Drone Industry
The development of a new generation of drones has revolutionized how wars are fought, according to U.S. officials.
The Biden administration declassified one last piece of information about how it has helped Ukraine: an account of its once-secret support for the country’s military drone industry.
U.S. officials said on Thursday that they had made big investments that helped Ukraine start and expand its production of drones as it battled Russia’s larger and better-equipped army.
Much of the U.S. assistance to the Ukrainian military, including billions of dollars in missiles, air defense systems, tanks, artillery and training, has been announced to the public. But other support has largely gone on in the shadows.
That included helping Ukraine develop a new generation of drones and revolutionize how wars are fought, according to U.S. officials.
Read More at New York Times
Choking Russia’s Shadow Fleet in the Baltic
Efforts to shut down the shadow fleet have taken on greater urgency after attacks on NATO members’ critical infrastructure. Here’s what’s needed.
It’s easy to grasp why Russia so values the hundreds of vessels in its shadow fleet: They are difficult to track, registered in jurisdictions with lax regulations, oil is usually transferred at sea to obscure its origin, and they make huge sums of money to fuel the war of aggression against Ukraine.
And so it’s also easy to understand why the US and its allies have spent time and effort to make its operations far harder. Until now, that has proved difficult, but new sanctions adopted by the US and UK in January are reported to have stopped dozens of ships in their tracks in recent days. Chinese and Indian ports have been refusing to allow them entry, apparently concerned about an increased threat of sanctions.
There are around 1,300 dark fleet ships, about half of them oil tankers, though not all are linked to Russia. Iran and other rogue nations and operators also use such vessels.
Read More at CEPA
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