A tightly-scripted meeting of the Russia-dominated economic alliance of several ex-Soviet nations briefly went awry Thursday when two leaders engaged in bickering during a live broadcast of the event.

Finnish authorities detained a ship linked to neighboring Russia as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, police said, in the latest incident involving disruption of key infrastructure.

Russia declared a federal emergency on Thursday over an oil spill caused by two Russian tankers in the Black Sea, the Emergencies Ministry said.

Russia's economy will be under major strain in 2025, economists told BI. One said stagnation was similar to the USSR at the start of the 1980s.

Ukraine's air force says it detected 184 missiles and drones, causing damage to energy infrastructure across the country.

Moscow again struck Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, part of an effort to wear down the country. “In the trenches, there are no holidays,” one man said.

A Moscow court has on Tuesday sentenced a US citizen to 15 years in prison for espionage, according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

Zelensky warns of greater military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, including sending more troops and military equipment

The Estlink 2 submarine cable between Finland and Estonia was disconnected on Christmas Day, just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish waters in the Baltic Sea.

Finnish authorities have detained a Russia-linked ship as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, according to police and news media reports, in the latest incident involving disruption of key infrastructure.

North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in the fighting in Russia’s Kursk region and facing logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks.