Russian independent media Meduza reported that it had acquired access to an unpublished poll ordered by the Kremlin and conducted in late June. The survey showed that 57% of the polled Russians support the continuation of the war against Ukraine.
The bill would impose targeted sanctions on anyone dealing in Russian oil, effectively barring them from the U.S. financial system.
Explosions rocked an oil refinery in the Russian city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban amid a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Dec. 17, media reported.
Explosions were reported in Kyiv late on Dec. 16 during a Russian drone attack on Ukraine's capital.
Alexander Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor originally from Ukraine, and a 10-year-old girl named Matilda, whose parents immigrated to Australia from Ukraine, were both killed in the terrorist attack on Dec. 14.
Ukraine requires its partners to cover half of its projected $120 billion of defense spending to stay in the fight against Russia in 2026, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Dec. 16.
The funds will be used to purchase "thousands of air defense systems, missiles, and automated turrets to shoot down drones," U.K. Defense Minister John Healey said.
European leaders will decide on Dec. 18–19 whether to proceed with a "reparations loan," a plan to lend up to 210 billion euros in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.
The incident comes as Ankara rebukes both Kyiv and Moscow over escalating hostilities in the Black Sea amid Russia's all-out war against Ukraine.
Bakhmutka River emerges as Siversk’s last line of defense as Russia presses assault
The prices dropped to just over $40 per barrel on average for Russian crude shipped from the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Kozmino port in the Far East, Bloomberg reported.
As the U.S. increases pressure in peace talks, Russia's demand for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Ukraine-controlled parts of Donbas has sparked debate — including over whether such a decision could be made through a referendum during the war.
