World News Record 6,000 sailors abandoned in 2025, mostly by shadow fleets In 2025, more than 6,000 seafarers were abandoned on 410 ships, marking the worst year for crew abandonment. The ITF recovered $16.5 million in unpaid wages. 02/02/2026
Germany Germany arrests five for smuggling goods worth €30 million to Russia German authorities arrested five men for allegedly running a network that smuggled goods worth at least €30 million to some 20 Russian defence companies, violating EU sanctions. The suspects used front companies and conducted 16,000 deliveries. Five others remain at large. 02/02/2026
No Comment Heaviest snowfall in 200 years blankets Moscow, disrupting daily life Muscovites struggle to make their way through heavy piles of snow in Russia's capital as the city witnesses the largest snowfall in more than 200 years, according to Moscow State University meteorologists. 30/01/2026
Ukraine Russia agrees to pause bombing Kyiv during extreme cold, Trump says Hundreds of residential buildings in Kyiv remain without heating as Russia repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure at the peak of winter. 30/01/2026
Russia Moscow records heaviest snowfall in more than 200 years Earlier this month, Russia's far east Kamchatka region declared an emergency situation due to a massive snowstorm that left its major city partially paralysed. 29/01/2026
Europe News Putin should make concessions before direct talks with Europe: Kallas The EU's chief diplomat has discouraged Europeans from pursuing direct re-engagement with the Kremlin, an idea publicly backed by Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni. 29/01/2026
Ukraine Ukraine contacts SpaceX over Russian drones allegedly using Starlink US President Donald Trump said that he has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin not to target Kyiv for one week as the region experiences frigid temperatures. 29/01/2026
Europe News EU considers entry ban on Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine "There can be no path from Bucha to Brussels," the Estonian foreign minister said as he called for an EU-wide entry ban on former Russian soldiers. 29/01/2026
Spain Tanker with Russian oil products loses steering off Spanish coast A Mozambique-flagged tanker with Russian oil is drifting off Almería's coast. Environmentalists are concerned about potential spills impacting marine life and tourism. 29/01/2026
Germany Russia uses 'shadow mail' to bypass EU sanctions, report reveals Russia has been bypassing EU sanctions using Berlin logistics and lighter-controlled international mail, according to an investigation by German media. In response, the Ukrainian envoy has called for tougher enforcement. 29/01/2026
No Comment Overnight Russian drones strike homes, damage monastery in Odesa Russian forces launched overnight drone attacks on Ukraine hitting residential areas in the Kyiv region and Odesa, Ukrainian officials said. 28/01/2026
Ukraine Russia strikes passenger train in Ukraine, killing five A Russian drone struck a passenger train late on Tuesday, killing at least five. Zelenskyy called the attack on a passenger train 'an act of terrorism'. 28/01/2026
Ukraine Men jailed for Crimea bridge blast ask for prisoner swap release The Kerch bridge has been struck in two further major attacks in 2023 and 2025, both carried out by Ukrainian forces as they push back against Russia’s full-scale invasion on unilateral annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula. 27/01/2026
Ukraine At least three killed and 23 wounded in Russian strikes on Odesa A diplomatic push by the US to end the war has made some progress but has delivered no breakthrough on the key issue of what happens to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory that Moscow is demanding. 27/01/2026
USA 'Doomsday Clock' reaches less than minute and a half to midnight The Doomsday Clock moved to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest ever, due to rising threats from nuclear weapons, climate change and disinformation. 27/01/2026
Hungary Orbán accuses Ukraine of election meddling and summons ambassador As Hungary’s elections approach, Orbán has escalated an anti-Ukraine campaign and accused his rival, Péter Magyar, of entering into a pact with Kyiv to overthrow his government and install a pro-Western administration. 26/01/2026
Finland Finland steps up undersea monitoring to prevent cable damage Efforts to improve surveillance of undersea infrastructure have increased due to several incidents often involving vessels from Russia's "shadow fleet" suspected of damaging cables in the Baltic Sea. 26/01/2026
Europe News After bruising Greenland crisis, Europe shifts focus back to Ukraine Ukraine is back at the top of the European agenda after Donald Trump's latest tariff threats briefly upended collective efforts towards peace. 26/01/2026
Ukraine Germany slams Russia's 'stubborn insistence' on Ukraine land claims Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticised Russia's inflexibility on territorial issues, warning that peace talks in Abu Dhabi may be prolonged. 26/01/2026
Tech News Foreign information manipulation is among top threats to EU democracy A recent Eurobarometer survey ranked ‘’foreign information manipulation, interference and disinformation, including in the context of elections’ as the second most serious challenge to democracy in the EU. Experts say these perceptions should be interpreted with caution. 26/01/2026