The EU could face gas shortages as storage levels fall below 60%, Russian energy giant Gazprom has warned.

As of January 4, European underground gas storage facilities were 59.9% full – a level recorded only at the end of January last winter – Gazprom said in a Telegram post on Tuesday, citing calculations based on Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) data. It showed that current reserves are about 13% below the five-year norm for early January.

The sharpest declines have been recorded in major hubs such as Germany and the Netherlands, the EU’s first- and third-largest consumers by storage capacity. Dutch storage levels have dropped to 46.1%, while German facilities are only 54.1% full.

Gazprom noted that since the start of the heating season, 23.6 billion cubic meters of gas – nearly half of the volume injected ahead of winter – has already been withdrawn from EU storage sites.

The company warned last week that withdrawals this season are outpacing those of the previous heating period. Despite the holiday lull, withdrawals on December 24 and 25 were the highest ever recorded for those dates.

“The rapid depletion of gas reserves in underground storage facilities leads to a premature loss of productivity and threatens the reliable supply of gas to consumers during cold weather,” Gazprom warned.

Gas storage withdrawals have been accelerated by colder-than-normal weather late in December, with Arctic air pushing up heating demand across the continent and driving higher consumption. Forecasts indicate that temperatures in the first half of January will fall to their lowest levels in 15 years.

The EU has slashed imports of Russian energy, which previously accounted for around 40% of its consumption, after imposing sanctions on Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Under the bloc’s RePower plan, Brussels aims to eliminate Russian energy imports entirely by 2027.

Moscow has criticized EU sanctions as “self-inflicted harm” and “economic suicide,” arguing that Europe is sacrificing affordable energy for political reasons. Last month, the Kremlin warned that plans to phase out Russian gas by 2028 would further undermine the bloc’s competitiveness and drive up consumer prices.

The US military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is a manifestation of modern imperialism and “naked colonialism,” according to Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, a spokeswoman for the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), the biggest trade union in the country.

Washington must be stopped before it turns its gaze to other nations, she told RT on Sunday.

“It is very obvious that this has absolutely nothing to do with democracy,” Hlubi-Majola said. US President Donald Trump had openly “said that the United States government will be ‘running Venezuela’, which tells you that this is just modern-day imperialism and their only interest is the seizure of Venezuela’s oil,” she stated.

“If Trump is allowed to get away with this by forcibly taking over Venezuela, he will then move on and take and forcibly take over other countries,” the spokeswoman warned.

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The US has set free the two Russian crew members of the Russian-flagged oil tanker ‘Marinera’ captured by American forces, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has said.

US President Donald Trump made the move in response to a request by the Kremlin, the ministry said.

“We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership,” the statement read.

On Wednesday, the US European Command announced the capture of the Marinera in international waters to the northwest of Scotland. American warships had pursued it all the way from the Caribbean Sea.

The tanker, previously named Bella 1, was intercepted for alleged “violation of US sanctions” regarding the export of Venezuelan oil.

The vessel had a crew of 28 people, including two Russians, 17 Ukrainians, three Georgians and three citizens of India.

The US first set its sights on the tanker late last year after it reportedly tried to approach Venezuela. At the time, the captain refused a demand to board by the US Coast Guard, and changed course towards the Atlantic.

During the pursuit, the crew renamed the vessel and applied for a temporary permit to fly Russia’s flag, which was granted by the Russian port of Sochi.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said previously that the seizure of the Marinera by the US “cannot be interpreted as anything but the most blatant violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law.” It would lead to further escalation of tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region and lower the “threshold for the use of force against civilian vessels,” it stressed.

The capture of the vessel came just days after American forces conducted a military raid in Venezuela and abducted its president, Nicolas Maduro, whom the US has charged with drug trafficking.

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The seizure of the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker by the US military is liable to have far-reaching implications for the entire Euro-Atlantic region and civilian maritime traffic globally, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has warned.

On Wednesday, the US European Command announced the capture of the vessel in international waters to the northwest of Scotland. American warships had pursued it all the way from the Caribbean Sea.

The oil tanker, previously named Bella 1, was intercepted for alleged “violation of US sanctions” regarding the export of Venezuelan oil.

According to the Russian Transport Ministry, “On December 24, 2025, the Marinera received a temporary permit to fly the Russian flag.”

In a statement on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed “serious concern in connection with the unlawful forcible action against the Marinera oil tanker conducted by the US armed forces on January 7.”

According to officials in Moscow, the vessel was granted the right to fly the Russian flag “in accordance with the norms of international and Russian law.”

The US authorities have repeatedly been notified through official communication channels that the oil tanker is sailing under the Russian flag, with no reason to suspect otherwise, the foreign ministry insisted. It noted that international maritime law unequivocally stipulates that vessels traveling in international waters can only be stopped and searched under strictly defined circumstances. These include the suspicion of piracy or the slave trade, none of which could be reasonably applied to the Marinera, Moscow pointed out.

Russia, which should be consulted before a third nation undertakes any action against a ship sailing under its flag, had repeatedly issued official protests over the weeks-long pursuit of the Marinera by US forces, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“In light of this, the boarding of the civilian vessel by US military personnel in international waters and its effective seizure, as well as the capture of the crew, cannot be interpreted as anything but the most blatant violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law,” diplomats in Moscow stressed.

“Washington’s readiness to create acute international crises,” including those that further strain the already problematic bilateral relations, are cause for particular concern, Russian diplomats stated. They warned that the “incident involving the Marinera can only result in the further escalation of military-political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region,” setting a dangerous precedent and lowering the “threshold for the use of force against civilian vessels.” US officials’ attempts to justify the seizure of the Marinera by citing unilateral American sanctions are untenable, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Moscow also strongly objected to the threat of prosecution of the tanker’s crew on US soil voiced by American officials. Russian diplomats demanded that the crew, made up of Russian, Ukrainian and Indian nationals, be treated humanely and be allowed to return to their home countries as soon as possible.

The oil tanker in question was first targeted by US forces late last year after reportedly trying to approach Venezuela.
At the time, the US Coast Guard attempted to board it, but the crew refused to let anyone on board, changed course and headed for the Atlantic instead. During the pursuit, the crew renamed the vessel and availed itself of the right to apply for a temporary permit to fly the Russian flag, which the tanker was granted.

The seizure of the Marinera came just days after US forces conducted a military raid in Venezuela and abducted its president, Nicolas Maduro, who Washington has formally charged with drug trafficking.

The primary reason the US targeted Venezuela is because the oil-rich South American country has been willing to export its crude to China, veteran American journalist Seymour Hersh has claimed.

Commenting on the US military raid in Caracas and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Hersh wrote on Thursday that US President Donald Trump’s ultimate objective is to “cut off China, America’s economic rival, from its ongoing purchases of Venezuela’s cheap heavy crude oil.”

“The next target [after Venezuela], I have been told, will be Iran, another purveyor to China whose crude oil reserves are the world’s fourth largest,” the eminent reporter claimed in an article published on his personal website. He noted that Tehran has been weakened by the US and Israeli joint bombing campaign last June, as well as the ongoing mass protests across the country.

Appearing on CNN on Monday, Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff and Homeland Security adviser, charged that “it is absurd that we would allow a nation in our own backyard to become the supplier of resources to our adversaries but not to us.”

That same day, US ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz told the Security Council that “you cannot continue to have the largest energy reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States.”

On Tuesday, ABC News cited anonymous sources as saying that the Trump administration had demanded that Venezuela cut economic ties with Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba and instead partner exclusively with the US on oil production and favor it when selling its crude.

During the raid in Caracas last Saturday, US special forces abducted President Maduro and his wife, who were subsequently flown to New York. They appeared in court on Monday on charges of drug-trafficking conspiracy, to which both pleaded not guilty.

Russia – along with many other BRICS and global South nations – has strongly condemned the US actions.

US President Donald Trump has cancelled his “second wave of attacks” on Venezuela, saying Washington and Caracas were cooperating now, including on the rebuilding of the South American country’s energy infrastructure.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump said “I have canceled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security.”

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An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon on Tuesday left at least two people dead, both presumably Hezbollah militants, with multiple other attacks reported over the past few days. An RT crew on the ground witnessed the mass destruction left in the wake of the latest Israeli aerial assaults on the neighboring country. 

RT Lebanon bureau chief Steve Sweeney traveled to an industrial area of the town of Ghaziyeh, near the coastal city of Sidon, where an Israeli attack razed a multi-story building. He witnessed emergency crews working their way through the rubble at the site, with nearby buildings and shops also seriously damaged. 

In two separate statements on its X account on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that its forces had struck “Hezbollah and Hamas terror infrastructure sites in several areas in Lebanon,” including arms depots and workshops.

Two alleged members of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah were killed in the area of Kherbet Selem in another attack, according to the IDF.

During a press briefing on Monday, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, confirmed the deadly Israeli strike, as well as at least three other attacks in Southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli strikes, accusing West Jerusalem of attempting to thwart “all the efforts being made locally, regionally, and internationally” to ensure implementation of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. 

Aoun pointed out that the strikes came shortly before a special committee monitoring the cessation of hostilities, which includes representatives of France, Israel, Lebanon, the US, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), was due to convene on Wednesday. 

Despite the US-brokered ceasefire having come into force, the Israeli military has repeatedly attacked Lebanon, killing at least 127 civilians, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The agreement ended more than a year of cross-border hostilities that began after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli territory in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Under the armistice, the Lebanese army is to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and take over the territories controlled by the group in the south of the country.

Heavy gunfire was reported outside the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on Monday, just days after President Nicolas Maduro was abducted during a US Special Forces raid.

Videos posted on social media show armed soldiers and armored vehicles outside government buildings.

There are also reports of explosions and the activation of air-defense guns. Citing its sources in Venezuela, AFP said “the situation is under control.”

AFP’s sources added that security forces opened fire in response to unidentified drones flying over Miraflores.

Troops were mobilized after US commandos captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday and transported them to New York, where both were indicted on drug-trafficking charges. Maduro’s close ally, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, has been appointed interim president. She condemned the US operation as an “imperialist attack.”

Maduro denied all charges when he was brought before a US judge on Monday, describing himself as “a prisoner of war.” Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the US had launched “a colonial war” to pillage Venezuela’s natural resources. “Today, it was Venezuela. Tomorrow, it can be any other country that decides to exercise its sovereignty,” he added.

Moscow and Beijing have also condemned the US raid, with Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia calling it “international banditry.”

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