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#news #today Today’s top news #headlines include a major winter storm hitting the Northeast US, the ongoing controversy over a US Navy “double-tap” boat strike in Venezuela, and developments in the Russia-Ukraine war US News Weather: A significant winter storm is impacting the Northeast, expected to bring widespread snow and disrupt morning commutes. Politics/Military: White House officials have stated that a US Navy admiral ordered the controversial second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, leading to ongoing bipartisan scrutiny and legal questions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing pressure over the incident. Legal: The son of drug kingpin “El Chapo” has pleaded guilty to US

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Post date December 2, 2025

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#news #today
Today’s top news #headlines include a major winter storm hitting the Northeast US, the ongoing controversy over a US Navy “double-tap” boat strike in Venezuela, and developments in the Russia-Ukraine war
US News
Weather: A significant winter storm is impacting the Northeast, expected to bring widespread snow and disrupt morning commutes.
Politics/Military: White House officials have stated that a US Navy admiral ordered the controversial second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, leading to ongoing bipartisan scrutiny and legal questions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing pressure over the incident.
Legal: The son of drug kingpin “El Chapo” has pleaded guilty to US drug trafficking charges as part of a deal with prosecutors. An appeals court has also upheld the disqualification of former Trump lawyer Alina Habba as a New Jersey federal prosecutor.
Health/Safety: A resident in Northern Arizona has died from the plague. Walmart has voluntarily recalled thousands of water bottles due to potential injury risks.
World News
Russia-Ukraine War: A Trump envoy, Steve Witkoff, is in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin in an effort to reach a peace deal, while Russia claims to have captured the key Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a claim disputed by Kyiv.
, where he has called for peace and unity.Middle East: Pope Leo is wrapping up his visit toLebanon
Asia: More than 1,200 people have died across Southeast Asia due to severe flooding and landslides following record rainfall. Hong Kong authorities are investigating a deadly apartment fire that killed over 100 people.
Global Affairs: The UN has warned that AI technology could widen the inequality gap between rich and poor nations.
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Ukraine corruption scandal: Is Putin’s GRU behind it?
https://thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com/2025/12/ukraine-corruption-scandal-is-putins.html

The recent significant corruption scandal in Ukraine involving the state nuclear energy company Energoatom is being investigated by Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies, and while it is being exploited by Russian propaganda, there is no direct evidence that the current scheme was orchestrated by Putin’s GRU (Russia’s military intelligence agency).
However, the GRU has a documented history of coordinating past disinformation campaigns and leveraging corrupt Ukrainian officials for its own purposes.
Russian Interference in Past Ukrainian Corruption Narratives
In previous years, Russian military intelligence was directly involved in spreading false allegations and amplifying existing corruption narratives to achieve its strategic goals, which included worsening U.S.–Ukrainian relations and undermining Western support for Ukraine.
Key facts regarding past Russian involvement:
GRU Coordination: A network involving GRU lieutenants coordinated the spread of falsehoods through specific Ukrainian lawmakers and businessmen.
Andrii Derkach: This pro-Kremlin former Ukrainian lawmaker, who recently fled to Russia and became a Russian senator, has been accused by Ukraine’s SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) of receiving millions of dollars per month from the GRU to create security companies that would assist the 2022 Russian invasion forces. Derkach was also a central figure in spreading the Biden-Ukraine conspiracy theory, a campaign linked to Russian intelligence efforts to interfere with U.S. politics.
Weaponized Corruption: Analysts at the Atlantic Council and other sources note that Putin consistently uses “weaponized corruption” tactics to weaken Ukraine and Europe from within.
Current Scandal vs. Russian Involvement
The current, separate $100 million Energoatom scandal involves a scheme to misappropriate funds through inflated contracts.
Investigation by Independent Bodies: The current investigation is being handled by Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption bodies, specifically the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), which were designed to operate independently of the President.
Domestic Focus: The focus of the current domestic investigation is on Ukrainian nationals, including high-level officials and business partners close to President Zelenskyy’s circle.
Exploitation by Russia: While the scandal is a serious domestic issue, Russian state media and propaganda are actively using it to portray Ukraine’s government as illegitimate and corrupt to their own advantage.
In summary, while Russia’s GRU has a proven track record of orchestrating past disinformation and corruption schemes in Ukraine for strategic gain, the current large-scale Energoatom scandal appears to be an internal Ukrainian matter that is being exploited by the Kremlin for propaganda purposes.
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Ukraine corruption scandal Is Putin's GRU behind it
Ukraine corruption scandal: Is Putin's GRU behind it? https://thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com/2025/12/ukraine-corruption-scandal-is-putins.html The recent significant corruption scandal in Ukraine involving the state nuclear energy company Energoatom is being investigated by Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies, and while it is being exploited by Russian propaganda, there is no direct evidence that the current scheme was orchestrated by Putin's GRU (Russia's military […]
Conversations : News Review - 906 AM 11302025
https://thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com/2025/11/conversations-113025.html Here are some of the top news headlines for today, Sunday, November 30, 2025: U.S. News California Mass Shooting: Four people are dead and at least ten others wounded after a shooting at a family gathering in a banquet hall in Stockton, California. The suspect remains at large, and authorities believe it was a […]
İlham Əliyev, müxalifət liderlərinin həbsləri
https://x.com/mikenov/status/1994801611768488210 İlham Əliyev, müxalifət liderlərinin həbsləri, siyasi təzyiqlər və ona qarşı uydurulmuş sui-qəsdlər: qiymətləndirmələr, təhlillər, proqnozlar 29 noyabr 2025-ci il tarixində baş verənlər ciddi gərginlikdən xəbər verir: Azərbaycan polisi müxalifət lideri Əli Kərimlinin (AXCP) evinə basqın edib, partiyanın yüksək rütbəli üzvləri İmirli Məmməd Fəmili saxlayıb. Bu hərəkətlər rəsmi olaraq hökumətin hakimiyyəti ələ keçirmək planında ittiham […]

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