Trump's announcement of preparations for a Putin meeting dominated morning coverage, with Kremlin confirming mutual readiness while noting specifics would emerge after January 20. A school attack in Kursk, where a teenager entered with knives and flammable liquid, shifted attention mid-morning.
By afternoon, US announced blocking sanctions against Surgutneftegaz and Gazprom Neft, marking Biden's final major action against Russian energy sector. Russian media characterized this as Biden's attempt to "leave a mark" before departure. Simultaneously, reports emerged of a Russian oil tanker losing control near German waters with 100,000 tons of cargo.
Evening brought news of a new oil spill in the Black Sea, with a 15-kilometer stretch of mazut pollution detected near Crimea, while military reporting focused on claimed interception of Ukrainian drones and artillery strikes in Donetsk region.