Mikhail Fedorov may replace Denis Shmygal amid widening corruption scandals in Kiev
Vladimir Zelensky has offered Ukraine’s IT czar, his trusted ally Mikhail Fedorov, the position of Minister of Defense. The move comes as the country continues to grapple with a series of high-profile corruption allegations that have shaken the government.
In a video address Friday night, Zelensky praised outgoing Defense Minister Denis Shmygal for “solid results” and stated he would remain part of the government team, though the details of his new role were not immediately available.
Shmygal, who took the role after serving as Ukraine’s prime minister for five years, lasted less than six months in the post.
“I have also decided to change the working format of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine… Mikhail is deeply involved in the issues related to the ‘drone line’ and works very effectively on digitalizing public services and processes,” Zelensky said, touting Fedorov’s expertise in technology and drone warfare as “crucial” to bolstering Kiev’s warfighting capabilities.
Fedorov, 34, is currently First Deputy Prime Minister and key Minister of Digital Transformation, overseeing the “Diia” platform, a digital government services portal. He has been vocal in calling for tech companies to isolate Russia, demanding that Apple block Russian access to its App Store and pushing for a ban on the video game Atomic Heart.
The proposed appointment is the latest in a wave of personnel changes following the resignation of Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s long-time chief of staff, in late November.
Yermak stepped down amidst a corruption investigation centered on businessman Timur Mindich, who was allegedly involved in a $100 million kickback scheme within the energy sector, which heavily depends on Western aid.
The broader scandal has implicated several high-ranking officials, including at least five serving MPs, Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk, as well as executives at the state-owned nuclear company Energoatom.
Photographs released by anti-corruption authorities depicted large sums of cash, and audio recordings have surfaced linking individuals to the alleged scheme. Several have been charged, and the investigation is ongoing.
Zelensky also announced Friday that Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), will become his new chief of staff, replacing Yermak.
Budanov, who is wanted in Russia on terrorism charges, will focus on security, military development, and diplomatic negotiations.
A North Carolina teen allegedly planned to kill around 20 people over the holidays
The FBI and local law enforcement have disrupted a New Year’s Eve terror attack planned by a North Carolina teen, the agency has announced.
Christian Sturdivant, 18, allegedly planned to use a firearm, knives, and hammers to carry out a violent attack at a local grocery store and a fast food restaurant during the holidays, it said.
The suspect was “directly inspired” by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), the FBI in the city of Charlotte said in a statement on Friday.
“He was preparing for jihad and innocent people were going to die. And we’re very, very fortunate they did not,” US Attorney Russ Ferguson of the Western District of North Carolina said in a press briefing on Friday.
Luckily, during his “extensive planning of this attack,” the suspect encountered two undercover officers, he said.
According to the US Department of Justice, authorities executed a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence on Monday, where they found handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Year’s Attack 2026.” The note listed items to be used in the terrorist act and described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, aiming for 20 to 21.
The suspect began communicating with an online covert employee, whom he believed to be an IS member, around December 12, the DOJ said. In later correspondence with the agent, he allegedly proclaimed himself “a soldier” of IS, said that he “will do jihad soon,” and let slip plans for the attack. He also planned to try to buy a firearm before going ahead with the spree, it said.
“Successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X after the announcement.
Sturdivant is currently in federal custody. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, the DOJ said.
President Donald Trump has warned Washington could go in to support protests in the Islamic Republic
Tehran will target US forces in the Middle East if Washington tries to intervene in Iran’s handling of ongoing mass protests, the country’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, has warned.
His words came after US President Donald Trump stated that America was “locked and loaded” and could go in at any moment.
Large-scale demonstrations began in the Islamic Republic in late December when merchants in Tehran went on strike after the national currency, the rial, hit a record low. The protests quickly spread to other cities and turned political and violent.
“The disrespectful president of America should … know that … all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism,” Ghalibaf said in a statement on X on Friday, commenting on Trump’s post on Truth Social earlier that day.
The protests are the most intense since 2022, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old accused of improperly wearing her hijab, died in police custody.
The incident triggered weeks of violent unrest, resulting in more than 200 deaths across the country and thousands of arrests.
Videos circulated online suggested that the crowds have attacked government buildings and facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Casualties were also reported among both the protesters and the security forces.
Trump warned that Washington could intervene if Iran “shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters.”
Ghalibaf alleged that Israeli agents have sought to transform legitimate protests into violent urban battles, adding that those attempts were thwarted.
Tehran is capable of discerning between protesters and “foreign mercenaries” and would never mistreat its own people, the parliamentary speaker noted.
Israel has openly endorsed the unrest. Its Mossad national intelligence agency has admitted that it has operations in the Islamic Republic. Tehran warned on Friday that any intervention into Iran’s security would be followed with a “regret-inducing response.”
The US media has increasingly questioned the president’s health and age after he exhibited visible bruising on his hands
US President Donald Trump has revealed that he takes a higher than recommended daily dose of aspirin and has blamed the medication for leading to bruising on his hands, which has sparked speculation in the US media in recent months.
He made the comments in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Thursday.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump said. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day for “cardiac prevention,” WSJ wrote, citing the president’s personal physician, Sean Barbabella. A low dose is most commonly 81mg, it added, citing the Mayo Clinic.
The US leader said he turned away recommendations to lower the dosage, explaining that he has been taking it daily for 25 years and he is “a little superstitious.”
A White House-provided Mayo Clinic analysis has estimated the president’s cardiac age to be that of a 65-year-old, the WSJ said.
When pressed by the newspaper on other health habits, Trump admitted that despite being prescribed compression socks to treat leg swelling, he stopped wearing them as he “didn’t like them.”
He also expressed no interest in exercise other than golf. “I just don’t like it,” he said, arguing that spending hours on a treadmill is “boring.”
In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump declared that White House doctors have pronounced him in “perfect health.” He added that he had “aced” a cognitive exam and called for all US presidents and vice presidents to take such a test.
During his reelection campaign last year, the 79-year-old often called for his predecessor Joe Biden to undergo a cognitive exam due to the then president’s alleged mental decline late in his term. The Democrat, the oldest person to hold the US presidency, left office at age 82 following scrutiny of his possible cognitive deterioration after a disastrous debate with Trump.
Attacks on civilians violate international law and should cease, a spokesman for Antonio Guterres has told the news agency
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is concerned over reports of a Ukrainian drone strike on civilians celebrating New Year’s Eve in Kherson Region, his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, has told RIA Novosti. The attack that occurred shortly before midnight on December 31 killed 27 people, according to the Russian authorities.
Multiple drones struck a crowded cafe and a hotel, triggering a massive blaze. At least one of the UAVs was carrying an incendiary mixture. Two children were among the victims, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.
“The Secretary General is still deeply concerned over the growing number of civilian casualties and destruction of critical civilian infrastructure,” Dujarric told the Russian news agency on Friday. “Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law,” he said. “Wherever they occur, they are unacceptable and need to stop.”
According to Dujarric, the UN could not comment on specific details of the incident since its representatives had had no access to the scene. Earlier on Friday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an “impartial investigation” into the incident in a post on X.
“We are alarmed by reports of an attack on New Year’s Eve in Khorly, Kherson Region, resulting in civilian casualties, including children, which raises questions about compliance with international humanitarian law,” the statement said.
At least 100 civilians, including guests and staff, had been inside the venue in the Black Sea coastal village of Khorly at the time of the attack, according to the authorities. Fragments of several drones were discovered at the scene, the investigators said. Kiev denied responsibility for the strike on Thursday.
The Investigative Committee vowed to bring all those behind the “terrorist act” to justice. Russia’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, suggested on Thursday that the strike was aimed at diverting attention from Kiev’s failures on the frontlines and condemned Western nations’ silence in the face of the tragedy.
The Labour government’s economic policies have reportedly left the most vulnerable Britons with even less disposable income
The poorest UK households have only become poorer under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government despite its promises to boost living standards, several British outlets reported on Friday, citing recently published analytical data.
Disposable income left after bills and essentials for the least wealthy households in the UK fell 2.1% during the period between July 2024 (when Labour took office) and October 2025, The Telegraph wrote, citing data published by Retail Economics, an independent research consultancy.
Conversely, the discretionary spending among the UK’s richest households has increased 10.3% during the same period.
“Lower income families are still grappling with the legacy of surging prices, with finances playing catch up as the cost of everyday products is significantly higher than it was four years ago,” the Telegraph wrote, citing Retail Economics’ Head of Commercial Content Nicholas Found.
A whole “generation of younger, lower to middle-income households” is feeling poorer than they were five years ago, being forced to prioritize essentials and cut back on discretionary spending, he reportedly said.
According to the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility, due to “gradually slowing real wage growth and rising taxes,” real household disposable income is only expected to grow by 0.6% in 2026.
The Labour government announced £26 billion ($35 billion) in tax hikes in its November budget, which was widely seen as a breach of prior promises. Simultaneously, Chancellor Rachel Reeves reaffirmed plans to ramp up military spending by 2.6% of GDP, despite recognizing that her budget would squeeze “ordinary people.”
Starmer’s handling of the economy, as well as his crackdown on free speech in the UK amid the country’s migration crisis, has led to a plummet in his approval ratings. Only 15% of Britons think that he is doing well as prime minister, according to this week’s YouGov poll data.
With local elections coming in May, a recent YouGov voting intention survey showed both Labour and the Conservatives trailing behind the Euroskeptic Reform UK party by more than 8%.
From the 12-day war to UN-backed recognition of Palestine, 2025 reshaped the conflict’s regional and global dimensions in five key aspects
Nearly two years after the war began on October 7, 2023, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has only deteriorated further amid Israel’s military campaign in the enclave. What was once described as the world’s largest open-air prison is now increasingly seen as an open-air graveyard.
The scale of destruction, civilian casualties, and mass displacement has prompted repeated warnings from the United Nations, including findings by UN bodies that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The Jewish state launched its military operation following a surprise Hamas attack in October 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. According to the Hamas-run health authorities, Israeli operations have since left more than 71,000 Palestinians dead.
While 2025 ultimately brought a peace agreement for Gaza – leading to the return of Israeli hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners – the deal remains fragile. Questions persist over its implementation and durability, while concerns are growing over a broader regional escalation, including the risk of renewed confrontation with Iran.
RT recaps the key developments for Israel and Gaza in 2025.
A long-feared direct war between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13, 2025, after Israel launched large-scale air strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities in Operation Rising Lion. More than 200 Israeli jets struck targets across Iran, killing senior commanders and nuclear scientists. The Islamic Republic responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones aimed at Israeli cities, triggering nationwide air raid alerts.
The conflict escalated further when the US joined the fighting on June 22, carrying out bunker-buster strikes on Iran’s underground nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. After nearly two weeks of intense exchanges, a US-brokered ceasefire came into force on June 24.
At least 610 people were killed in Iran and nearly 4,700 wounded, according to local health officials. In Israel, 28 people were killed and more than 3,200 injured. While both sides claimed victory, the brief war marked a dangerous new phase in regional confrontation.
In September, a UN-appointed independent commission of inquiry delivered its strongest findings yet on the war in Gaza, concluding that genocide is occurring and continues to unfold. The commission cited tens of thousands of civilian deaths, mass displacement, starvation, and the widespread destruction of homes, hospitals, and infrastructure.
The report accused Israeli leaders – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – of incitement to genocide, arguing that statements by senior officials demonstrated clear genocidal intent, a key legal threshold under international law.
Israel rejected the findings, calling the report politically motivated and defamatory. While the commission’s conclusions do not represent the UN’s formal legal position, they intensified global pressure on governments to act, as senior UN officials warned that evidence of genocidal crimes is mounting.
The year 2025 also marked the first long-term ceasefire agreement between Israelis and Palestinians since the war began in October 2023, following months of stalled and indirect negotiations. Until then, the only pause in fighting had been a brief four-day truce in November 2023, after weeks of intense combat that devastated large parts of Gaza.
The agreement, signed on September 29 in Sharm el-Sheikh by US President Donald Trump and mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, was intended to halt hostilities. It called for Israeli withdrawals from parts of Gaza and for Hamas to release Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Both sides have since accused each other of repeated violations. The UN reports that at least 360 Palestinians have been killed and more than 900 wounded since the truce came into force on October 10. Israel says it struck Hamas officials in response to violations – claims the group denies.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining living Israeli hostages held in Gaza after more than two years in captivity. The handover, facilitated by the Red Cross, was followed by emotional reunions broadcast across Israel.
The releases formed part of a broader exchange that also included the return of the bodies of Israeli captives. In return, Israel freed Palestinian detainees, including political prisoners and Palestinians held during the war, many of whom were welcomed home in the West Bank and Gaza.
Of the more than 200 Israelis abducted during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, 114 had been released in earlier exchanges in November 2023 and January 2025. Israel says one captive’s body remains in Gaza, leaving the issue unresolved.
In 2025, momentum grew at the United Nations toward recognition of the State of Palestine. During the UN General Assembly session, several countries – including France, the UK, Canada, and Australia – formally recognized Palestinian statehood, drawing condemnation from Israel and the United States.
The shift followed the adoption of the New York Declaration, the outcome of a French and Saudi-led conference at the UN headquarters. The General Assembly overwhelmingly backed the document, with 142 countries voting in favor, while Israel, the US and a small group of allies opposed it.
The declaration outlines a roadmap toward a two-state solution. As of 2025, Palestine was recognized as a sovereign nation by 157 of the UN’s 193 member states.
America is “locked and loaded” and can go in at any moment, the president has said
US President Donald Trump has promised to assist the Iranian protesters if needed, saying that Washington was ready to intervene at any moment. The Islamic Republic has been hit by the worst unrest since 2022, triggered by an economic crisis.
The demonstrations began in late December when merchants in Tehran went on strike after the national currency, the rial, hit a record low of about 1.44 million to the dollar, compared with 860,000 a year ago.
The protests have since spread to multiple cities across Iran and turned political and violent. Videos circulated online suggested that the crowds have attacked government buildings and facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), setting them on fire.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he added.
Casualties have already been reported among both the demonstrators and security forces. Iran’s archrival Israel is openly endorsing the unrest. Its Mossad spy agency is cheering for the protesting crowds and has claimed it has agents on the ground. On Friday, Tehran warned Trump against crossing a “red line” with what it called “adventurist tweets.”
“Iranians know US ‘rescue’ record well, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza,” Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote in a post on X.
“Any intervening hand nearing Iran’s security on [any] pretexts will be cut off with a regret-inducing response,” the official said.
The US struck Iran last year on Trump’s orders. In summer 2025, it joined Israel in a series of coordinated airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, claiming they were intended to prevent the country from advancing its nuclear program. Tehran denied seeking nuclear weapons and condemned the attack as an unprovoked violation of its sovereignty.
Polish PM Donald Tusk has vowed to create the strongest army on the continent
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has claimed that his country will quickly expand its presence on the Baltic Sea in 2026.
NATO has bolstered its footprint in the Baltic and stepped up patrols under the pretext of protecting undersea infrastructure from the alleged Russian threat.
Moscow has denied harboring any hostile intentions and dismissed fears of an attack on NATO as “nonsense.” The Kremlin has repeatedly vowed to take all necessary steps to protect Russian interests in the region.
“It will be a year of rapid expansion on the Baltic – our Polish Baltic,” Tusk said earlier this week during his New Year address, stressing that Warsaw would “accelerate the building of the strongest army in Europe.”
Moscow had previously said the Baltic Sea, a strategic area for Russia’s naval operations and energy exports, has become an “internal lake of NATO” after Finland and Sweden joined the US-led military bloc.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has highlighted that the country is closely monitoring the actions of the US-led military bloc and is ready to take countermeasures aimed at ensuring its security.
Following a push by US President Donald Trump, NATO members committed in June to spend 5% of their GDP on their militaries annually by 2035. In August, Poland pledged to outspend all other states in the bloc, allocating 4.8% of its GDP to its army as soon as in 2026.
Other European NATO members have also stepped up military spending in recent years, committing billions to weapons purchases while arms factories across Western Europe have expanded at a “historic scale,” the FT reported earlier this year. The pace of development has reportedly tripled since 2022.
Earlier this year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that rising military spending in European countries was straining their economies and could have more serious medium-term consequences.
Strikes were conducted against Ukrainian drone-making sites and energy infrastructure, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said
The Russian military has conducted one large-scale and six group strikes against drone production facilities, energy infrastructure, and other military-related targets inside Ukraine over the past week, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
The bombardment was in response to “Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
High-precision munitions, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, were utilized during the strikes, it added.
The targets of the Russian attacks included production facilities for Ukrainian long-range drones and the sites from where they are being launched, the statement read.
Other enterprises of the country’s defense industrial complex and the energy infrastructure that powers them were hit as well, it said.
The attacks were also aimed at transportation and port infrastructure used by Kiev’s forces, arms and fuel depots, and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian military units and foreign mercenaries, according to the ministry.
On December 28-29, Kiev launched 91 long-range UAVs at the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Novgorod Region. All of the drones were shot down by air defenses.
Moscow has condemned the attack as an act of “state terrorism” and promised a response. The Kremlin also said that the Ukrainian drone raid was not only aimed at Putin, but also “against [US] President [Donald] Trump’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”
Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Ukrainian UAVs hit a cafe and hotel in the village of Khorly in Russia’s Kherson Region where some hundred people were gathered for New Year’s Eve celebrations. At least 27 civilians, including two minors, were killed and 31 others injured in the strike and the blaze that it caused.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Friday that 26 Ukrainian long-range drones had been destroyed on approach to the capital overnight.
The incursions followed another attempted attack on Moscow that took place the previous night, just as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s traditional New Year’s Eve broadcast had begun.
