{{dayPoint.date | date : 'd MMMM yyyy'}}

{{newsPoint.title}}

{{newsPoint.title+ ' '}}

{{newsPoint.subtitle}}

Israel begins demolishing UNRWA compound in Jerusalem

The UNRWA compound’s territory will be transferred to government control and put up for sale

TEL AVIV, January 20. /TASS/. Israeli authorities have begun demolishing the former headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem, the Kan state television reported.

This is being done based on the law banning UNRWA’s activities in the country. The UNRWA compound’s territory will be transferred to government control and put up for sale.

On October 28, 2024, the Knesset (Israel’s unicameral parliament) passed a law banning the activities of UNRWA in the country. The law prohibits UNRWA from maintaining offices, providing services, or engaging in any activities, directly or indirectly, within Israeli territory. The bill was drafted following reports about the alleged participation of the agency's employees in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has repeatedly claimed that many UNRWA employees are linked to the radical movement.

Tags

Israel says seizure of UNWRA compound in Jerusalem was legitimate

The Israeli side once again claimed that UNWRA was linked to the radical Palestinian movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad

Train crash in Spain claims 40 lives — media

According the ABC newspaper, 31 people are still missing

Netanyahu rules out Turkish, Qatari military presence in Gaza

In this regard, Netanyahu tasked his Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to discuss the matter with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Hundreds of Impulse heavy-duty ground robotic systems delivered to special op zone

The All-Russian People’s Front said that the Impulse platform supports remote control via radio or fiber optics

EU diplomats fear Trump could misinterpret Greenland troop deployment — media

The FT noted that Danish officials said the troop deployment was preceded by "months of fruitless private diplomacy" with Washington

INTERVIEW: Denmark one of main sponsors of Kiev regime — Russian ambassador

According to Vladimir Barbin, the prospect of a Russian victory is considered by the head of the Danish government Mette Frederiksen as a "catastrophe" for the West and the "rules-based order"

Crimea as important for Russia’s security as Greenland for US — Lavrov

Donald Trump has repeatedly stated the need for Greenland to join the United States

Merz calls Russia 'European country,' hopes to achieve balance in relations

The Chancellor said his comment was not because he was in the east of Germany

More than a half of Russian foreign trade transactions made in rubles — PM

Progress is even more notable as regards the so-called "backbone" countries, where the total indicator of trade in national currencies crossed the level of 90%, Mikhail Mishustin said

Middle East will see no stability without creation of Palestinian state — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister also commented on the US initiative to create a Board of Peace

NORAD says its planes to arrive in Greenland soon

"This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark", North American Joint Aerospace Defense Command noted

Russian businessman says it would be cheaper for EU to pay Russia for Greenland's security

Oleg Deripaska urged European nations to reconsider their options for allocating funds, proposing that a resolution to the Ukraine conflict could be achieved at a fraction of the cost - around 150 billion euros

Ukrainian lawmaker names cause of heating problems in Kiev

Anna Skorokhod noted that the previous winters had been quite warm in Ukraine, so no one had made preparations for the winter season, but now "the situation is tough"

Multipolarity is here to stay, we'll still have to negotiate — Lavrov

According to the foreign minister, the current centers of growth reflect an objective historical process

INTERVIEW: Denmark maniacally charged with confrontation with Moscow — Russian ambassador

Last year, the Danish government allowed the construction of Ukrainian plant FirePoint, which produces solid rocket fuel

Ukraine policy, Russia's refusal to engage in rules-based dialogue: Lavrov’s statements

According to the foreign minister, Russia is ready to work with anyone willing to "negotiate honestly, on an equal footing, without blackmail or pressure"

Zelensky not to be ousted as Ukraine becomes ‘black hole’ of corruption under him

According to the former officer of Ukraine’s SBU Security Service Vasily Prozorov, "a huge number of individuals and legal entities from the European Union and the United States of America earn money in Ukraine"

Trump's Greenland grab offers EU path to ally with Russia — entrepreneur

According to Kim Dotcom, in this case US President Donald Trump would become a pariah and the US plan "to profit from the fall of the EU" would fail

Press review: EU's Greenland litmus test and Russia eyes Trump's Peace Council invite

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, January 20th

Trump confirms Putin invited to join his Board of Peace on Gaza — Reuters

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Moscow was studying the proposal

Billionaire Carlos Slim agrees to acquire Lukoil's Mexico assets

The deal is valued at $270 million, and Grupo Carso will also repay $330 million in debt

Gazprom records second intensive gas withdrawal from Ukrainian USG this week

According to Gas Infrastructure Europe, as of January 17, Ukrainian UGS facilities were 22.32% full

FACTBOX: What we know about Gaza Board of Peace

As of now, invitations have reportedly been received by heads of state and government of nearly 60 countries

NATO is 'now done' — Tucker Carlson on Greenland

According to him, "the whole illusion has shattered in the past four days"

Macron proposes hosting G7 meeting with Russia in Paris, Trump posts on Truth Social

The French president said that he could invite the Ukrainians, the Danish, the Syrians and the Russians in the margins

Trump seeks to maintain warm relations with Putin — FT

According to the report, the US leader's invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the Gaza Board of Peace illustrates that

At some point EU will have to talk with Russia on Ukraine — European commissioner

According to Andrius Kubilius, dialogue with Russia makes no sense without a strategic plan

US well aware that Russia, China have no plans to 'seize' Greenland — Lavrov

The Russian top diplomat noted ironically that many in Russia didn't even know what Greenland was until the topic "suddenly made headlines"

Europe should not allow someone else to engage in dialogue with Russia — Macron

At the same time, French leader did not confirm whether a G7 meeting with Russian representatives could take place in Paris in the coming days

Sandu and her party impose false choice between CIS and EU on Moldova — opposition

"To break these relations is to hit thousands of fates", Marina Tauber, executive secretary of the Victory opposition bloc, said

Pistorius has to live with statements about 'inevitable' NATO-Russia war — Lavrov

On November 15, 2025, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that a war between Russia and NATO could allegedly begin before 2029

Trump plans to sign Board of Peace charter in Davos — Bloomberg

In line with the charter, Donald Trump will become the institution’s first chairman, and will personally decide on inviting new members

Construction of first reactor of Akkuyu plant almost completed

Akkuyu is the first nuclear power plant in Turkey

Lavrov sees no grounds for signing mutual assistance accords with Greenland, Iceland

The Russian foreign minister admitted that it is unlikely that "anyone in Nuuk or Reykjavik is seriously considering this topic"

Trump’s plans on Greenland may deal irreparable damage to US-Europe ties — WP

According to the article, US president's "bid to buy or seize Greenland" and "to unleash a trade war" with Europe has "sparked the greatest transatlantic crisis in generations"

Putin takes traditional icy plunge to mark Orthodox Epiphany — Kremlin

"Epiphany is a great holiday for the President, as for all Orthodox believers who work in the Kremlin," Dmitry Peskov stressed

Trump believes he prevented NATO from ending up in ‘ash heap of history’

The US leader has on numerous occasions stated that he considered himself the savior of the North Atlantic Alliance

Moldovan government already abandoned basic CIS principles — MP

State Duma deputy Alyona Arshinova said that Moldova under Maia Sandu became a vassal of Brussels

Zelensky cancels trip to Davos due to disrupted meeting with Trump — Rada member

Alexey Goncharenko said that no agreement will be signed

Greenland dispute may weaken Western support for Ukraine — media

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, said on January 19 that Vladimir Zelensky hated Greenland-related discussions

Italian organization members face prosecution for recruiting Europeans into Kiev’s army

According to the official statement, the investigation targets representatives of Associazione Stur, which operates both in Italy and Ukraine

US push for peace in Ukraine aimed at 'resetting' relations with Russia — Politico

The expert believes that if Russia decides that negotiations on Ukraine are no longer possible, "the fighting will continue — no matter what"

Czech Republic says cannot pay $1 billion for membership in Board of Peace for Gaza

Czech taxpayers do not have such money for these purposes," Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said

Ukraine kills almost 60 Russians, including three children, in January — envoy

According to Rodion Miroshnik, the number of Ukrainian attacks per day in January reached 520, which is twice as much as in January 2025

EU to go to any lengths to keep neo-Nazi regime in power in Kiev — Lavrov

The Russian Foreign Minister noted that he was astonished to read what the current European leaders say and to see the schemes they plot only to preserve a regime hostile to Russia

Russia to do everything to safeguard Kaliningrad amid EU statements — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stessed that Kaliningrad is an integral part of Russia

Russian troops liberate Novopavlovka, move closer to Druzhkovka

According to Igor Kimakovsky, an adviser to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, it creates a number of tactical advantages

Ukraine loses 50 heavy quadrocopters during day from actions of West battlegroup

Also, 33 UAV control points, a Starlink satellite communication station, four ammunition depots, and 10 ground-based robotic complexes of the Ukrainian army were identified and destroyed

China has outplayed West in trade, economy, investment according to its own rules — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister said that China’s economic and financial development indicators "speak for themselves"

Kim Jong Un fires Deputy PM Yang Seung-ho at public ceremony

North Korean leader pointed out that some executives were "not ready for the streamlining and technical reconstruction of the industry in the country as a whole"

Ukraine’s army shells Russia’s borderline Kursk Region over 60 times in past 24 hours

Governor Alexander Khinshtein added that in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military attacked the Kursk Region with explosive drones five times

Ukraine leaves more than 800,000 subscribers without power last week — envoy

Rodion Miroshnik said that the most widespread power outages were recorded in the Zaporozhye Region, where about 314,900 subscribers were left without electricity

Initiatives to preserve Nazi regime in Kiev unacceptable — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister also said that Russia has not received "completely new documents" from the negotiations held between the US, Ukraine, and Europe over the past couple of weeks

Moscow Aviation Institute develops autonomous UAV navigation system to detect people

The algorithms, cameras and sensors allow drones to navigate in space, while the built-in neural network analyzes the video stream and detects people

Russia’s Supercam UAVs can be remotely controlled from anywhere — Unmanned Systems

Following a series of field tests, successful combat sorties have already been conducted in counter-terrorism and special military operation zones

Still early to speak of Russia’s participation in Board of Peace on Gaza — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov said there are a lot of questions about this initiative so far

About 60 countries invited to join Gaza Board of Peace — WSJ

According to the report, the majority of those invited responded in a "cautious" manner due to potential geopolitical risks

Russia delivers massive overnight strike on Ukrainian military sites over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 200 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy tanks in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

EU has no interest in 'picking a fight' with US over Greenland — diplomacy chief

Kaja Kallas stressed that direct threats "will not pressure Denmark into handing over Greenland"

Macron to opt out of Trump’s Board of Peace over UN fears — Bloomberg

According to the report, the French leader believes that the new organization’s charter goes beyond the Gaza Strip issue

Israel to give ‘unprecedented’ response if attacked — military

"The lessons of Operation ‘Rising Lion’ have been implemented", Chief of the General Staff of the IDF Eyal Zamir said

EU, UK hold ‘no cards’ on Greenland — Russian presidential envoy

Donald Trump announced earlier that Washington would begin to impose import tariffs of 10% on the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France, and Sweden, which will remain in place until the parties reach agreement on the full transfer of Greenland to the US

Press review: Trump pressures Denmark as US business signals Arctic ties with Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, January 16th

Trump reports 'very good' talk with Rutte on Greenland

The US president also agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos

Russian forces are 30 km from Slavyansk — DPR head

According to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, fierce fighting continues near the settlements of Grishino and Beletskoye

Denmark sending large contingent of troops to western Greenland — TV

Chief of the Danish Army Command Peter H. Boysen is also expected to arrive in Greenland

Many merchant ships refuse to call at Odessa seaports — Ukrainian grain association

According to the UGA, the situation has deteriorated notably in recent days

Kremlin agrees that Trump will go down in history if he annexes Greenland

According to Dmitry Peskov, by resolving the issue of Greenland's accession, the US leader will go down not only in US history, but in world history as well

East battlegroup artillery destroys Ukraine’s strongholds in forest belts of Zaporozhye

It is noted that the strike weakened Ukraine’s defense in this area and deprived the enemy of prepared lines to hold positions

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 400 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Trump to get nowhere with Greenland through pressure — Danish foreign minister

"We are living in 2026, you can trade with people, but you don't trade people," Lars Loekke Rasmussen said

Press review: Europe, US on brink of trade war as Russia ready to respond to UK plans

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, January 19th

US forceful annexation of Greenland to be disasterous for NATO — China expert

Wang Yiwei believes that the most likely solution for Washington is to transform Greenland into United States’ overseas territory, which is not a member of NATO and which is not subject to Danish sovereignty

Gazprom, Hungary's MOL agree on terms of NIS deal — Serbian Energy Ministry

According to Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic, partners from the United Arab Emirates are expected to participate in the deal

No one will help Ukraine after conflict except Russia, Belarus — Lukashenko

The Belarusian leader urged Ukrainians to recognize that the issue is not merely about territorial gains

Russian forces push Ukrainian army away from Dnieper river shore near Kherson — commander

The Ukrainian army is trying to hold its positions at the edge of the right bank of the Dnieper River and is secretly shelling the left bank of the Kherson Region while avoiding any active armed clashes

US not planning to make Greenland a state, seeking an alliance with island — CNN

While people on the Trump team are largely aligned with the US leader on the importance of establishing US control of Greenland, many of his advisers are not on the same page about the best way to do so

Belarusian president signs document on Belarus joining Gaza ‘Board of Peace’

It is noted that the appeal was sent in full accordance with the procedure outlined in Donald Trump’s letter

Trump intends to build his own system of international relations — Belarusian MP

"Belarus has always been faithful to the principles of such diplomacy", Vadim Gigin said

Russia says US to continue to build up nuclear potential in Europe, despite disagreements

"The question of the extent to which the US military presence in Europe will be replaced by EU forces is rather hypothetical", Director of the Department of European Affairs at the Russian Foreign Ministry Vladislav Maslennikov said

IN BRIEF: Lavrov on irreversible multipolarity, Board of Peace, US territorial ambitions

The Russian foreign minister said that Moscow sees inconsistency in the Trump administration's approach to international security issues

Russia does not challenge others' rights, will not let anyone ignore its own — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister stressed that fundamental actions to further strengthen national sovereignty are of paramount importance

Death toll from train crash in Spain up to 41 — media

It is not yet known what caused the accident

Trump announces plans to discuss Greenland issue in Davos

The US president reiterated his earlier statement that the Danish government had failed to eliminate the threat to Greenland

Danish pension fund decides to sell US Treasury Bonds

AkademikerPension holds US bonds worth about $100 mln

Trump vows to impose 200% tariffs on French wines in signal to Macron

The US president sees the move as a lever of pressure to get French President Emmanuel Macron join the Washington-spearheaded Board of Peace for Gaza

Severe geomagnetic storms strikes Earth

The sun exploded with a powerful X1.9 flare on the evening of January 18, launching a huge blob of solar material, known as a coronal mass ejection, towards the Earth

Trump’s single statement pushes Zelensky to edges of Davos forum — Russian diplomat

No problems facing Ukraine and the Ukrainian people could have prevented Zelensky from racing to Davos had he had the chance to meet with the US president, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik noted

EU still has chance to resume economic cooperation with Russia — senior legislator

Leonid Slutsky acknowledged that realizing this potential requires political will

Over 2,000 people protest in Zurich against Trump's participation in Davos Forum

The demonstrators lit firecrackers and smoke bombs, one of them set fire to the US flag

Iconic fashion designer Valentino dies at age of 93 — media

Valentino Garavani was known for dressing celebs for more than 50 years

Moldova’s withdrawal from CIS to take more than one year

The resolution will enter into force after an official notification by the Moldovan foreign ministry

Lavrov to hold press conference on results of Russian diplomacy in 2025

Representatives of the Russian and foreign press will be able to ask questions

Magnetic storm on Earth reaches G4 level for first time since November 2025 — scientists

The Institute of Applied Geophysics uses a scale of five levels, where G5 is "extremely strong" and G1 is "weak"

Greenland dispute stems from colonial era legacy — Lavrov

The Russian Foreign Minister noted that in the mid-20th century an agreement was signed, making it part of Denmark

Moldova to quit CIS after denouncing its key agreements — top diplomat

According to Mihai Popsoi, the government will complete the denunciation process by mid-February

Putin receives US invitation to join Board of Peace on Gaza — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is currently studying all the details of this proposal

Ukrainian army suffering heavy losses at Orekhov in Zaporozhye Region — governor

According to Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian Armed Forces continue offensive in the area of four settlements in the Zaporozhye Region

Denmark threatens to seize land under Russian embassy buildings — ambassador

Vladimir Barbin said the embassy in Denmark is operating in the face of tough opposition from the Danish authorities and an actual blockade

US no longer Europe’s ally, says Belgian PM

According to Bart De Wever, the shift in America is not bound to one presidency

Israeli says hits southern Lebanon

It was a responce to "repeated violations by Hezbollah of the ceasefire agreement", military said