The AfD, which is topping opinion polls in Germany, had been barred from participating in the event for two years
Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been allowed to participate in the Munich Security Conference (MSC) next year, the event’s chairman has said.
The AfD, known for its anti-migrant rhetoric and calls for Berlin to stop sending military aid to Ukraine, had been barred from the high-profile gathering in 2024 and 2025 at the behest of the MSC’s previous chairman, Christoph Heusgen. According to Deutschlandfunk radio station, Heusgen explained the ban by saying that he “did not want to roll out the red carpet for a right-wing extremist party.”
The event’s interim chief, Wolfgang Ischinger, told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Monday that AfD representatives had been invited to take part in the 2026 Munich Security Conference on February 13-25.
The MSC “is a dialogue format. Traditionally, the widest possible spectrum of opinions, including contrary ones, should be made clear,” he explained.
Ischinger, who had been chairman in 2008-2022 and will remain in an interim role until former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg takes over, clarified that only individual politicians from the right-wing party will participate, with none of them appearing on stage.
The AfD’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, said she had not yet received an invitation.
By lifting the ban, “we are not tearing down firewalls, as some claim,” Ischinger insisted.
The so-called ‘firewall against the far-right’ is a policy used by mainstream German parties to prevent the AfD from making it into the government, despite its rapidly growing popularity. According to the latest surveys, the party tops opinion polls in Germany with 26% support.
During his speech at the 2025 Munich Security Conference last February, US Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Germany and other Western European nations over declining democracy, saying that their governments “simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion.” He did not mention the AfD directly but insisted that “there is no room for firewalls.” The same day, Vance held a meeting with Weidel.
The news outlet Euractiv suggested on Tuesday that Ischinger had decided to lift the ban on AfD to appease Washington and make sure it sends a high-ranking delegation to the MSC in February.
2025 has created possibilities for restoring ties with the US, Alexander Darchiev has said
The year has shown that there are still opportunities for restoring relations between Moscow and Washington, Russian Ambassador to the US Alexander Darchiev has said in a holiday message.
”The past year has been challenging, but it has also opened up opportunities for restoring Russian-American relations, which were nearly destroyed in the previous years by the previous (Joe Biden) administration,” he said in a statement published Wednesday, while expressing thanks to those who have “resisted the virus of Russophobia.”
Darchiev lauded “friendly American citizens” and “concerned compatriots” who have preserved the memory of US-Russia cooperation during World War II.
”On our part, the embassy and the Russian diplomatic missions will continue to provide all possible support to your initiatives that help to build bridges between Russia and the United States,” the ambassador concluded.
Under the administration of US President Donald Trump, relations between Russia and the US have grown notably warmer than they were during the tenure of former President Joe Biden.
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been engaged in active talks dedicated to settling the Ukraine conflict and reinvigorating bilateral relations. They held a high-stakes summit in Alaska in August aimed at ending hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, though they failed to produce a breakthrough.
The US has also placed the restoration of normal ties with Russia and a rapid end to the Ukraine conflict at the center of its newly released National Security Strategy, presenting both aims as being in America’s core interests. In contrast with the US national strategy during Trump’s first term, which emphasized competition with Russia and China, the new strategy shifts its focus to the Western Hemisphere and to protecting the homeland, the borders, and regional interests.
Moscow is grateful to foreign partners who have condemned the terrorist attack by the Kiev regime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said
Ukraine’s failed attempt to strike Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod Region has drawn swift reactions from several leaders in the former Soviet space. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has publicly condemned the incident, while Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev warned it threatened regional stability and long-term peace.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported the incident on Tuesday, saying Kiev had launched 91 long-range drones at Putin’s home on the night of December 28–29. No damage was caused, he said. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky denied the claim.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry released a flight map and video showing the debris of one of the UAVs that had been used in the failed strike, describing it as “targeted” and “carefully planned.”
The incident came shortly after US President Donald Trump indicated that the Ukraine peace process was nearing a conclusion, following his meeting with Zelensky and a phone call with Putin on Sunday.
Lukashenko described the attack as the “wildest terrorism at the highest state level.” Speaking to reporters in Minsk on Wednesday, he said Russia had the capability to strike Zelensky’s residences but chose not to do so. Lukashenko recalled that when Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile system was used for the first time, Putin categorically rejected suggestions from “hotheads” to deliver further strikes against “decision-making centers.”
“Actions threatening state facilities and the security of the country’s leadership are unacceptable and hinder the negotiation process,” Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said during a phone call with Putin, according to his press service.
“Such acts pose a threat to stability and security and undermine long-term peace,” Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said during a phone call with Putin, according to the Kremlin press service.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev denounced the attempted attack during a phone call with Putin, while Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov voiced “extreme concern,” his spokesman Askat Alagozov said.
A number of international leaders have also commented on the incident, including US President Donald Trump, who said he was “very angry” after hearing the news.
Moscow has said the attack was an attempt to undermine Trump’s efforts to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict. EU leaders held an emergency call after Russia reported the attempted strike, Bloomberg wrote, citing unnamed sources.
China and Russia describe their relationship as a “no-limits” strategic partnership, with bilateral trade exceeding $200 billion for a third consecutive year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have exchanged New Year’s greetings, with both praising steady relations between the two countries.
Moscow and Beijing have deepened cooperation since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. The two countries describe their ties as a strategic partnership “without limits.” Both countries nearly doubled bilateral trade from 2020 to 2024, surpassing $240 billion last year.
Putin wished Xi and the Chinese people well, saying the China-Russia strategic partnership had continued to develop throughout 2025.
Xi sent reciprocal greetings to Putin and the Russian people on Tuesday, saying bilateral relations had made further progress and noting that the two leaders had met twice during the year in Beijing and Moscow. He added that the two countries supported each other in multilateral forums, including the UN.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin also exchanged New Year’s messages, Chinese state media said.
Earlier in December Putin signed a decree allowing visa-free entry to Russia for Chinese citizens, granting them stays of up to 30 days. The move mirrored Beijing’s earlier decision to extend the same access to Russian citizens. In September, China introduced the measure on a one-year trial basis to further facilitate travel between the two countries.
During his annual end-of-year Q&A session last week, Putin described relations with Beijing as stable and trusting, adding that the two countries’ foreign ministries remain in regular contact and coordinate approaches on key global issues.
All 91 UAVs launched by Kiev at the presidential compound in Novgorod Region on the night of December 28-29 were destroyed
Moscow’s Defense Ministry has published a video showing one of the Ukrainian long-range drones that was shot down during Kiev’s failed attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence early on Monday.
All 91 UAVs which Kiev launched at the presidential compound in Novgorod Region on the night of December 28-29 were destroyed, according to the Russian military.
A Russian serviceman who appeared in the clip released by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday said that the downed drone was a Ukrainian-made Chaklun-V reconnaissance and strike UAV that had been modified.
The drone was struck in the tail-end by Russian air defenses but remained mostly intact, which is a “unique” occurrence, he stressed.
The UAV’s unexploded warhead was “packed with a large amount of striking elements and was intended to eliminate personnel and civilian targets,” the serviceman added.
The Defense Ministry said in a separate statement that it has “presented irrefutable evidence of a terrorist attack planned by the Kiev regime on the Russian President’s residence.”
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who denies that the drone raid took place, is “either unaware of the actual situation or is simply lying as he usually does,” it stated.
The ministry also published a map showing the route of the Ukrainian UAVs that targeted the presidential compound. According to the scheme, Russian air defenses shot down 49 drones above Bryansk Region, one above Smolensk Region and another 41 above Novgorod Region.
The Kremlin noted previously that the Ukrainian drone attack was aimed not only against Putin, but also “against [US] President [Donald] Trump’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”
The American president had repeatedly ruled out sending soldiers to defend the country
Vladimir Zelensky has claimed that he is in discussions with US President Donald Trump about American troops being deployed to Ukraine, in line with the security guarantees Washington has offered Kiev, according to The Telegraph.
The statement came despite Trump repeatedly ruling out such a scenario and Russia’s repeated warnings that it considered the presence of any foreign troops on Ukrainian soil during or after the conflict unacceptable.
When asked about the possibility of Washington sending its peacekeepers to Ukraine by RBC-Ukraine journalists on Tuesday, Zelensky replied, “those are American troops, and therefore it is America that makes those decisions.”
“Of course, we are discussing this with President Trump and with representatives of the ‘coalition of the willing.’ We would like this,” he said.
The Telegraph pointed out that it is not clear if the possibility of US boots on the ground in Ukraine was addressed during the meeting between Zelensky and Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Florida on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed that the main result of the Mar-a-Lago talks was “the readiness of the US to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine after peace is achieved, including through the presence of American troops.”
Trump, however, has not yet responded to comments by Zelensky or Tusk. In August, the US president told Fox & Friends that there would be no American boots on the ground in Ukraine after the fighting stops. “You have my assurance, and I’m president. I’m just trying to stop people from being killed,” Trump said.
Russia officials have pointed out that the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022 was partly triggered by Kiev’s NATO aspirations, and warned that a deployment of Western troops to the country could lead to a third world war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September that “if any [NATO] troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for their destruction.”
Kiev had launched 91 long-range strike drones at the presidential compound in Novgorod Region on the night of December 28-29
Moscow’s Defense Ministry has released a map showing the route of the Ukrainian long-range drones that targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod Region early on Monday.
According to Moscow, Kiev launched 91 UAVs at the compound on the night of December 28-29. All of the incoming drones were destroyed before they could reach the residence.
The map released by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday shows the flight path of the UAVs, which were launched from several locations in Ukraine and flew north towards Russia’s Novgorod Region through Bryansk, Smolensk and Tver regions.
According to the map, Russian air defenses shot down 49 drones above Bryansk Region, one above Smolensk Region and another 41 above Novgorod Region as they approached Putin’s residence.
Later in the day, the Defense Ministry published footage showing the debris of one of the UAVs that had been used in the failed attack.
The ministry said in a statement that it has “presented irrefutable evidence of a terrorist attack planned by the Kiev regime on the Russian President’s residence.”
The intentions of the Ukrainian government are confirmed by “fragments of drones shot down in Novgorod region, including those with warheads equipped with special striking elements designed to kill people,” the statement read.
The local eyewitness accounts of those who observed Russian air defenses at work “refute all attempts by Western and anti-Russian media outlets” to argue that there was “no evidence of a terrorist attack by the Kiev regime,” it said.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who denies the drone raid on Putin’s residence took place, is “either unaware of the actual situation or is simply lying as he usually does,” the ministry argued.
The Kremlin noted previously that the drone attack was targeted not only against Putin, but also “against [US] President [Donald] Trump’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”
Thieves used a drill to breach a Sparkasse vault over Christmas, looting 95% of customers’ safety deposit boxes
Thieves executed a meticulously planned heist, making off with an estimated $35 million (approximately €30 million) in cash and personal valuables from a bank vault in Gelsenkirchen over the Christmas holidays, according to police.
The break-in at a Sparkasse savings bank occurred sometime between Saturday evening and Monday morning. The thieves bypassed security by drilling through a thick concrete wall to access the vault, then forced open over 3,000 safety deposit boxes, impacting approximately 2,700 customers.
Police discovered the scene in disarray only after a fire alarm sounded from the bank shortly before 4:00am on Monday.
Investigators believe a specialized, industrial-grade drill was used in the operation. A police spokesperson described the heist as “professionally executed.”
Nach einem spektakulären Bankeinbruch in Gelsenkirchen haben am Dienstag wütende Kunden die geschlossene Sparkassen-Filiale belagert. Unbekannte hatten in der Nacht auf Sonntag rund 30 Millionen Euro erbeutet. https://t.co/ee6ywp00d8pic.twitter.com/nXu8YnGQqt
Witnesses reported seeing several individuals carrying large bags through a nearby parking garage over the weekend, while security footage captured a black Audi RS 6 speeding away early Monday morning with masked occupants. The vehicle was confirmed as stolen from Hanover, approximately 200 kilometers away.
Die bestohlenen Kunden der #Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen Buer führen gerade vor wie ein #BankRun aussieht.
Customers arrived at the bank on Tuesday to find it sealed off. Hundreds gathered, demanding answers after Sparkasse confirmed that 95% of the safety deposit boxes had been breached.
Police estimate the damage to be “in the two-digit million range,” according to a statement released Tuesday. The contents of each deposit box are insured up to €10,300, suggesting a total loss of at least €30 million, according to local media. However, many customers fear this will be insufficient to cover their losses and are scrambling to assess their additional insurance coverage.
The bank branch remains closed while police continue their investigation. Authorities have yet to make any arrests and the perpetrators remain at large.
Federal agents kicked off a large-scale investigation after a YouTuber claimed to have uncovered a massive Somali-run scam in Minneapolis
The US has frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota following allegations of widespread fraud, according to Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill.
The move came after reports surfaced alleging that Minnesota had funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent daycares over the past decade.
“We have frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota,” O’Neill said in a statement on X, outlining three additional actions taken in response to the alleged fraud.
O’Neill stated that he had activated the “Defend the Spend” system for all Administration for Children and Families (ACF) payments, requiring justification and proof of receipt before funds are disbursed.
We have frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota.
You have probably read the serious allegations that the state of Minnesota has funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent daycares across Minnesota over the past decade.
He also demanded a comprehensive audit from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, including attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations and inspections of the centers in question. Additionally, a dedicated fraud-reporting hotline has been launched.
ACF Assistant Secretary Alex Adams stated that his office provides Minnesota with $185 million in childcare funds annually, intended to benefit approximately 19,000 American children.
“Any dollar stolen by fraudsters is stolen from those children,” Adams said.
The investigation was prompted by a video posted by YouTuber Nick Shirley, who alleged a large-scale fraud scheme involving Somali-run childcare centers, estimating over $110 million in fraudulent claims.
In response, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a “massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud,” posting videos of agents questioning business operators.
FBI Director Kash Patel said resources had been “surged” to Minnesota, warning that these cases were just “the tip of a very large iceberg” and that perpetrators could face “denaturalization and deportation.”
Walz has defended his administration, while lauding the state’s diverse makeup and large Somali community. Meanwhile, state officials have disputed Shirley’s findings, claiming the centers featured in his video had been inspected within the last six months with “no findings of fraud.”
“We’re committed to holding bad actors accountable,” O’Neill said. “Regardless of rank or office, anyone who’s involved in perpetrating this fraud against the American people should expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
At least one civilian has been injured in the attack, according to the regional governor
Russian air defenses have detected and neutralized 21 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Moscow Region. At least five of them were intercepted on their way to the capital, according to local officials.
Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov announced in a post on his Telegram channel on Tuesday evening that the drones were downed in seven municipalities – Ruzsky, Volokolamsky, Odintsovo, Mozhaysky, Narofominsky, Istra and Chekhov – saying air defenses were engaging additional targets.
One man, aged 57, was injured when a drone crashed and exploded in the village of Pagubino in Volokolamsky district. He sustained shrapnel wounds to his back and arm and was hospitalized with injuries assessed to be of moderate severity. Medical personnel provided assistance at the scene before transporting him to a trauma center.
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported the destruction of five drones flying towards the capital. Flights were temporarily suspended at Vnukovo airport as a precaution.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed in a statement that air defense systems had destroyed at least 24 more Ukrainian drones between 8pm and 11pm Moscow time. Of these, 14 were shot down over Kaluga Region, five over Crimea, three over Belgorod, and one over Tula and Kursk each.
Ukraine has routinely launched drone raids deep into Russia in recent months, targeting critical infrastructure and residential buildings in what Moscow has described as desperate “terrorist attacks.”
This drone raid follows an attempted attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in Novgorod Region on December 28-29, which Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned as an act of “state terrorism.”
Moscow has promised a “non-diplomatic” response to the attack. Russia previously conducted strikes on military-related Ukrainian infrastructure, saying it aims to degrade Kiev’s drone and weapons production capabilities.
