Russia claims to have destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones over night, and some Moscow airports are disrupted

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• US: Belarus has agreed to stop balloon flights into Lithuania

  John Coale, the envoy of U.S. president Donald Trump to Belarus, said that President Alexander Lukashenka had promised not to allow 'weather balloons' from his country to fly into Lithuania. Coale said in Vilnius after two days of discussions with Lukashenko, "He agreed to do everything that he can to stop the balloons." In the last few months, balloons?used by cigarette-smugglers? have forced over a dozen airport closures in Vilnius. Lithuania accused Belarus of facilitating smuggling and declared a state if emergency, asking the parliament to authorize military support to?police officers and border guards in order to combat the smugglers. Lukashenko stated on Tuesday that Lithuania is exaggerating its problem. "I think that the president is trying his best to calm things down. It will take time, but it is possible to resolve. Coale said that he wants a normal relationship with his neighbors, so he "assures" him. "I know Lithuania did everything they could to stop the recipients of the cigarettes, or whatever it was. "I think both sides are working", he said. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that on December 1, the situation along the border had worsened. She called the balloon incursions by Belarus a hybrid attack that was "completely inacceptable". (Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius. Justyn Pawlak, Mark Potter and Justyn Pawlak edited the article.

• Ukraine says Russian drone attack hit civilian Turkish vessel

  Ukraine's Navy accused?Russia on Saturday of attacking a civilian Turkish vessel carrying sunflower oil to Egypt with a drone, just a day after Moscow attacked two Ukrainian ports. The navy released a statement via Telegram stating that the vessel was named the Viva, and it had 11 'Turkish Citizens on board. The navy added that no one was injured and the vessel continued its journey towards?Egypt. The statement accused Russia of violating maritime law. "The strike took place 'in the open sea in Ukraine’s exclusive economic zones, outside of the range of Ukrainian aircraft defence systems," it said. The Navy said that it was in contact with Captain of the ship. According to Ukraine's Navy, on Friday, Russia attacked two Ukrainian ports and damaged three Turkish-owned ships. One of these ships caught fire. The attacks come after Moscow had threatened to "cut Ukraine from the sea" following Kyiv's attacks that damaged three tankers of Kyiv's'shadow fleet,' which were heading to Russia for its oil export. Max Hunder reported the story. Mark Potter (Editing)

• Ukraine strikes Russian oil infrastructure on the Caspian Sea for a second time

  An official of the Security Service of Ukraine said on Friday that two Russian oil rigs were struck by Ukrainian drones in the Caspian Sea. Sources claim that SBU drones attacked the Filanovsky oil rig and Korchagin oil platform, both of which belong to Russia's Lukoil. This week, the Filanovsky oil rig, which is part of Russia's biggest Caspian field was attacked. This was the first such attack in the war, as Ukraine intensifies its campaign to disrupt Russian oil production. Source: According to preliminary reports, drones damaged critical equipment and suspended production on both platforms. Could not verify the information immediately. Lukoil has been contacted for comment. The Caspian Sea lies more than 700 kilometers (435 miles), away from the nearest Ukrainian border. Kyiv conducted drone strikes against Russian oil facilities in an effort to undermine Moscow’s ability to fund its war?in Ukraine. The strike has targeted oil refineries in particular, with many located?in Europe? of Russia. Last month, Ukraine expanded its campaign by targeting tankers that transport Russian oil through the Black Sea. In the last two months, Ukrainian drones have hit three of these vessels. (Reporting and writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Kirby Donovan).

• Ukraine claims it has hit two Russian vessels transporting military equipment on the Caspian Sea

  Ukraine's Special Forces?said?Friday that they conducted an operation with what they called a local resistance group to strike two Russian ships transporting military equipment and weapons?into the Caspian Sea. They did not specify the date of the'strike. On Thursday, a Ukrainian official claimed that Kyiv had used drones to strike a Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea for the first-ever time. This disabled the extraction of oil and gas from around 20 wells. The statement by the special forces on Telegram didn't say how or to what extent they hit the vessels. The ships were said to have been hit off the coasts of Russia's?republic Kalmykia. The Composer Rakhmaninoff, and Askar-Sarydzha were named as vessels that the U.S. sanctioned for carrying military cargo between Iran and Russia. The statement stated that the "Black Spark" movement of resistance had provided detailed data on the movements and cargoes of the ships. (Reporting and editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean; Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk)

• Sources say that a vessel caught fire after the Russian attack on Ukraine’s Odesa Region

  Two sources familiar with the situation said that a bulk carrier in Ukraine's Odesa area suffered damage and was on fire following a Russian attack on Friday. Sources said that the vessel was anchored in Chornomorsk - one of Odesa's three major Black Sea ports. Last week, Russia threatened to "cut Ukraine?off?from the ocean" in retaliation to Kyiv's attacks on unlicensed oil tankers headed to Russia to export their?oil. The attack on the ship was not clear at first. One source identified the vessel Cenk T. According to MarineTraffic's website, a Panama flagged vessel with that name was identified in the Black Sea about 21 hours ago. Could not independently confirm the flag of the vessel. Sources familiar with the situation have told? The vessel's Turkish owner. Ukraine's airforce reported Friday?missile and a drone attack on Odesa Region. (Reporting and writing by Yuliia Dyesa and Pavel Polityuk; Editing, Alison Williams, Kirby Donovan).

• LSEG data show that Russia's Sibur has shipped LPG to China from Ust-Luga for the first ever.

  According to traders and LSEG's ship-tracking data, Sibur, Russia’s largest producer and supplier of liquefied gas, delivered a.first cargo to China via the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. Sibur mainly supplies LPG to Turkey. However, the demand for LPG has declined by?5%-6% per year, according to traders. Algeria and the U.S. also dominate its market. A trader commented that it was becoming increasingly difficult to export additional LPG volumes to Turkey. According to LSEG the large gas?carrier Pacific Moon has arrived in the Chinese port of Quanzhou, located in?the southern Fujian area at the end November. According to industry sources, the company delivered approximately 33,000 metric tonnes of propane at Ust-Luga by mid-October. Sibur didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Sibur began supplying LPG in Ghana, West Africa, and India earlier this year. The company used medium gas carriers capable of transporting up to 20,000 tonnes of cargo. According to industry sources and LSEG, Sibur increased LPG'supplies' from Ust-Luga from January to November by 70%, to 860,000 tonnes, on an annual basis, after reducing them by 37% in 2024 to 570,000 tones from 2023. Reporting by. Mark Potter (Editing by Mark Potter).

• US prepares to seize additional tankers near Venezuelan coast after first vessel taken, say sources

  Six sources familiar with this matter told AFP on Thursday that the U.S. was preparing to intercept additional ships transporting Venezuelan crude oil after the seizure a tanker earlier this week. This is part of an effort to increase pressure?on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. This was the first time that an oil tanker or cargo from Venezuela had been intercepted by U.S. authorities since 2019. The U.S. is executing a massive military buildup in southern Caribbean, and U.S. president Donald Trump is campaigning for Maduro to be ousted. Sources said that the seizure had put shipowners and operators involved in the transport of Venezuelan crude oil on alert. Many were reconsidering their plans to leave Venezuelan waters as planned in the next few days. Sources familiar with the situation who declined to name themselves due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said that the U.S. is likely to continue to intervene directly in the weeks to come against ships transporting Venezuelan oil, which may have also transported oil from countries subject to U.S. sanction, like Iran. U.S. ASSEMBLES TANKER TARGET LIST: SOURCE PDVSA, Venezuela's oil state company, did not respond to a comment request. Venezuela's government said this week that the U.S. seizure was a "theft." When asked if the Trump administration intended to seize more ships, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said she wouldn't speak about future action but that the U.S. will continue to implement?the President's sanctions policy. She said: "We won't stand by while sanctioned ships sail the oceans with black-market oil, whose proceeds will fuel the narcoterrorism and illegitimate governments around the world." According to a person familiar with the situation, the U.S. is preparing a list of "several" more sanctioned oil tankers that could be seized. According to two people, the U.S. Justice Department (USJD) and Homeland Security planned the seizures months in advance. The Maduro government would be financially strained if Venezuelan oil exports were to cease or reduce. They are the main source of revenue for Venezuelan governments. The new U.S. strategy focuses on what's called the "shadow fleet" of tankers, which transports oil sanctioned to China, as the biggest buyer of crude from Venezuela or Iran. The sources said that a single vessel would often make separate trips for Iran, Venezuela, and Russia. Sources said that the seizure by the navy of the Skipper tanker caused at least one shipper temporarily to suspend three newly loaded shipments of Merey export grade from Venezuela, totaling nearly 6 million barrels. A trading executive involved in the shipping and dealing of Venezuelan oil said, "The cargoes had just been loaded and were about start sailing to Asia." The voyages have been cancelled, and the tankers are now waiting near the Venezuelan coast because it is safer. Surveillance of Targets One source said that U.S. forces are monitoring the tankers on sea, as well as some vessels being repaired or loaded in Venezuelan ports. They will wait until they sail into international waters before they take action. Another source said that in the weeks leading up to the arrest of Skipper - which had been previously sanctioned by the U.S. government for its oil trade with Iran - U.S. troops had increased surveillance of the?waters near Venezuela and the neighboring Guyana. One source said that the timing of future seizures will partly depend on how fast ports can receive seized ships to unload oil cargoes. The shadow fleet of vessels that transports sanctioned oil is largely old, the ownership is opaque, and they do not have top-tier insurance. Many ports would be reluctant to accept the vessels because of this. One of the sources claimed that a U.S. Warship monitored and briefly detained a vessel called Seahorse in November, before it sailed into Venezuela. Legal experts said that while the Venezuelan government called the U.S. seizure "an act international piracy", it didn't fall under this definition in international law. Laurence Atkin-Teillet is a British specialist in piracy, law of the ocean and maritime terrorism. The term "piracy" in this context seems to be a rhetorical or figurative usage, and not a legal one.

• US prepares to seize additional tankers near Venezuelan coast after first vessel taken, say sources

  Six?sources with knowledge of the situation said that the U.S. was preparing to intercept additional ships transporting Venezuelan crude oil after the seizure this week of a 'tanker. This will increase pressure on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. This was the first time that an oil tanker or cargo from Venezuela had been intercepted by U.S. authorities, who have imposed sanctions on Venezuela since 2019. The U.S. is executing a massive military buildup in southern Caribbean, and President Donald Trump is campaigning for Maduro to be ousted. Sources said that the seizure had put shipowners and operators involved in transporting Venezuelan crude on high alert. Many were reconsidering their plans to leave Venezuelan waters as planned in the next few days. Sources familiar with the matter, who declined to name themselves due to the sensitive nature of the subject, said that the U.S. is likely to continue to intervene directly in the weeks to come against ships transporting Venezuelan oil, which may have also transported oil from countries under U.S. sanction, like Iran. U.S. ASSEMBLES ?TANKER TARGET LIST: SOURCE PDVSA, Venezuela's oil company of state, did not respond to a comment request. Venezuela's government said this week that the U.S. seizure was a "theft." The White House National Security Council didn't immediately respond to a comment request. According to a person familiar with the matter, the U.S. is preparing a list of sanctioned oil tankers that could be seized. According to two people, the U.S. Justice Department (justice) and Homeland Security (homeland security) had planned the seizures for several months. The Maduro government would be financially strained if Venezuelan oil exports were to cease or reduce. They are the main source of revenue for Venezuelan governments. The new U.S. approach focuses on what is called the "shadow fleet" of tankers, which transports sanctioned crude oil from Venezuela and Iran to China, its largest buyer. The sources said that a single vessel would often make separate runs for Iran, Venezuela, and Russia. Sources claim that the seizure by authorities of the Skipper tanker caused at least one shipper temporarily to suspend three newly loaded shipments of Merey export grade Venezuela, which totaled almost 6 million barrels.

• German court stops authorities from selling suspected Russian oil tanks cargo

  The German top fiscal court has ruled in two separate cases that the authorities cannot sell or otherwise use an oil tanker and the cargo it carries, seized near the Baltic Sea coast. Federal Fiscal Court announced on Thursday that the owners, who are not identified, had won an earlier court challenge against the confiscation procedures of customs authorities. Customs officials appealed but the federal court upheld their earlier decision. The Panama flagged tanker Eventin was discovered drifting in the?German coast in January, after leaving Russia with approximately 100,000 metric tonnes of oil valued at around?40million euros ($47million). The court said that it was bound for India. German authorities suspect that the vessel is part of "shadow fleet", which Russia uses to avoid European Union sanctions after its full-scale invasion in Ukraine 2022. Industry experts warn that such ships, which are often uninsured or operate outside of conventional standards, can pose serious safety and environmental hazards. Other European countries have raised similar concerns. In October, French soldiers boarded an alleged shadow fleet tanker near Saint Nazaire. The German finance ministry, which oversees customs and is responsible for the handling of the tanker, has said that the court's ruling was preliminary, but a final decision on what the authorities can do about the vessel is still pending. The ministry confirmed that the tanker remains moored off the island of Ruegen, but declined to comment on the next steps. The Russian authorities said that they had no information on the owner or ship. EU sanctions are aimed at putting pressure on Moscow and limiting its ability to fund the war in Ukraine. They target shadow fleet vessels that transport oil, weapons and grain despite restrictions.

• Sources say that oil exports via the Caspian Pipeline fell 12% m/m in November.

  Two industry sources reported on Thursday that oil exports by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which ships 'oil from Kazakhstan through a pipeline and then to a Russian Black Sea terminal, had declined 12% from October. CPC, the company that handles around 80% Kazakhstan's oil exports, was severely damaged by a Ukrainian drone in November. Since then, SPM-2 has been?damaged, and SPM-3 is under maintenance. Sources said that exports fell last month from 1.52 millions barrels per day to 5.088 metric tons or 1.34million barrels per day. CPC exports increased by 15% between January and November to 66.541 millions tons. CPC doesn't comment on its operational activity. Kazakhstan announced earlier on Thursday that it would be adjusting its 2026 oil production plan due to maintenance expected at major oilfields, and major damage to CPC Black Sea Terminal (Reporting & Editing by Kirsten Doovan).

• PCK refinery in Germany says leakage of pipeline has no impact

  PCK, Germany's PCK, said Thursday that it was operating normally. It also stated that they were drawing from "internal stock" a day following a crude spillage in a pipeline feeding the re-finery via the port of Rostock. PCK reported that the incident occurred at a valve-station near Gramzow. There were no injuries or dangers for residents in the area. There are no immediate effects on the refinery's operations. PCK has enough stocks to cover short-term interruptions in supply," said a PCK spokesperson. According to the current information, "there is no damage in the pipeline." A restart can therefore be planned and prepared simultaneously. PCK estimated that the oil spill was 200 cubic metres (7,500 cubic feet) in volume and spread over a 2 hectare (5-acre) area. The environmental damage to water and soil is being assessed. According to the report, the outside influence could not be blamed for the incident. The spill was most likely caused by the planned preparations for a safety test. PCK is one of Germany's largest refineries with a processing capacity of 11,5?million tons per year. Petrolchemisches Kombinat Schwedt was the name of the refinery in Communist East Germany. Since September 2022 and following Russia's invasion in Ukraine, the German government has held PCK Schwedt in trust along with other German subsidiaries of Rosneft. Vera Eckert is reporting, and Alexander Smith is editing.

• Official: Ukraine strikes Russian oil rig for the first time in Caspian Sea

  According to a Ukrainian Security Service official, Ukrainian drones hit a Russian oil platform in the Caspian Sea on Thursday for the first time. This halted production at the Lukoil-owned facility. The attack on Filanovsky, part of Russia's biggest Caspian oilfield, is the latest indication that Ukraine is trying its best to disrupt Russian oil production. The official said that at least four drones had struck the platform and forced extraction to cease in more than 20 oil wells. Filanovsky, which was discovered in 2005 and inaugurated by Vladimir Putin in 2016, produces approximately 120,000 barrels of oil per day. Lukoil didn't immediately respond to a question about the attack. The Caspian Sea lies more than 700 kilometers (435 miles), away from Ukraine's nearest frontier. Kyiv has carried out numerous drone attacks on Russian oil installations this year to undermine Moscow's capacity to finance its war against?Ukraine. Many of the oil refineries in Europe are located near the Russian border. Ukraine has intensified its campaign against unregulated tankers that transport Russian oil across the Black Sea. In the last two months, Ukrainian drones have targeted three of these vessels. Since December 2024, at least seven explosions have occurred in other locations, including the Mediterranean. Ukraine has not confirmed or denied its involvement in these attacks. Russia, which launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, accused Ukraine of piratery and threatened to retaliate in response to attacks against tankers by cutting off Ukraine’s maritime access. (Reporting and writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing and proofreading by Sharon Singleton, Ros Russell).