Germany has stopped a Panamanian-flagged tanker carrying about 99,000 tonnes of Russian oil from drifting uncontrollably off the Baltic Sea coast. Source: Reuters Details: Reuters reports that the 274-metre-long tanker Eventin had been drifting slowly since Friday morning and was unable to manoeuvre.

Germany charged that a heavily loaded tanker adrift off its northern coast Friday was part of the "shadow fleet" Moscow uses to avoid sanctions on its oil exports. In response, Russia has relied on tankers with opaque ownership or without proper insurance to continue lucrative oil exports.

Finland said last week it detained a ship that may be from Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers as part of a probe into a damaged undersea cable.

Ukrainian transit gas deal to Europe ended on Jan. 1. For now, the most acute effects are being felt in a region called Transnistria, on the eastern edge of Moldova.

Mystery still surrounds the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines linking Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea in the fall of 2022, while an undersea cable linking Sweden to Estonia was damaged in October 2023. A gas pipeline connecting Estonia to Finland was also damaged in the same month, later blamed on a Chinese ship dragging its anchor.

The US has committed over US$63.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Three men have been charged with spying on U.S. military bases for Russia and plotting attacks on American personnel in retaliation for Western support of Ukraine, German prosecutors said.

Ukraine's leader says partners sending ground troops would help "force Russia into peace," as America's European allies ponder Trump's next move.

Finnish officials say Russia's "shadow fleet" is sabotaging vital undersa internet cables.

Russia’s connection to the rupture of an undersea cable between Finland and Estonia is raising a new bevy of fears over the sabotage of critical power lines. The new incidents come as tensions