The Kremlin for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine admitted that Western sanctions are affecting the Russian economy. Russia has problems with oil exports due to the "price cap", said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS.

According to him, Russia has problems with the insurance of ships that are used to export oil and has not been able to launch its tanker insurance mechanism to replace Western …

On the night of December 26, air raid sirens went off in the of city of Engels, Saratov region and explosion were heard at a military airfield. According to local media, area of about 120 square meters at the military air field was on fire. Three people were killed, four more were injured.

The governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, was fast to reassure residents that there were no incidents in residential areas of the city.

"There is absolutely no threat to residents. All the stories …

The speaker of the Ukrainian Eastern Military Command, Serhiy Cherevaty, said that the Russians are still trying to break through the Ukrainian defense lines near Bakhmut. Fierce fighting also continues near Avdiivka and Vuhledar.

"The enemy is constantly trying to break through our defense lines near Bakhmut. During day, they carried out about 225 strikes using various types of artillery, tanks, multiple launch rocket systems. There were more than 28 fire fights," Cherevaty said during the …

Ukrainian Forces are close to capturing the town of Svatove, in the west of the Luhansk region. The Russians are preparing for another "act of goodwill". The Russian "administration" fled the town, said the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Haidai.

"I do not want to make forecasts, but the "LPR administration" left Svatove for Luhansk. The front is approaching," the head of the region said.

In general, according to him, Russian troops are trying to put up resistance …

The Kremlin has banned government-controlled media outlets from reporting about the mobilization, reports Moscow Times, citing two anonymous sources in the government media.

This decision came from the presidential administration amid rumors about the second wave of conscription and the order to increase the number of the Russian army by 350 thousand people. "Before that, we could write about the current mobilization, and about possible scenarios and forecasts. Now all forecasts are stopped. …

The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko is going to visit Russia. His trip includes a visit to the Star City (Zvyozdny Gorodok), where Lukashenko, at Putin’s invitation , "will visit the Gagarin Research test center for cosmonaut training."

"Currently, Belarusian candidates for space flight are being selected there. The President will familiarize himself with the work of the center, the system of selection and training of cosmonauts. He will also discuss the prospects of …

Russia will not supply oil to those countries that maintain a price cap on Russian oil, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

According to him, a corresponding presidential decree will be published soon.

"As part of this decree, there is a ban on the supply of oil and petroleum products to those countries and those legal entities that will require compliance with the price cap imposed by the European Union," Novak said.

Novak also noted that the Russian Federation is prepared …

Russian President Vladimir Putin was expected at Russia's largest manufacturer of heavy military equipment – Uralvagonzavod today. It was also planned to hold a government meeting as part of Putin’s visit. But the visit to the Sverdlovsk region was canceled at the last moment, reports Russian media.

A presidential motorcade of five Aurus sedans, two of which were expected to be used by Putin, were delivered earlier to Yekaterinburg, where the presidential airliner was expected to land. The …