As we prepared to welcome the New Year in Ukraine, Russia started one of the largest missile attacks of the war on energy infrastructure. At dawn, the sound of explosions was heard throughout cities and towns all over the country. the 69 cruise missiles as well as armed drones attacked civilian targets. Kyiv said was one of the most intense days of air strikes since the Kremlin started a campaign against Ukraine’s water, electricity and heating system, which as temperatures started to drop with the onset of winter have concentrated on power stations. The strikes on Thursday were the 10th large-scale bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid since the beginning of September.

Russian Vladimir Putin, the Russian president Vladimir Putin has employed the strategy to disarm the desire to fight among the civilian population by casting civilians in darkness and freezing in sub-zero temperatures as the battle enters its 10th month. According to Kyiv military, air defense units belonging to the Ukrainian military brought down 54 of the 69 cruise missiles fired by Russian forces. However, the latest wave of missiles left 90% of the city of Lviv in west Ukraine without electricity as per local officials as well as water supply seriously damaged. In Kyiv around 40% of residential buildings were left without electric power, Kyiv’s mayor Kyiv’s capital city, Vitali Klitschko, said.

A Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile struck Belarusian territory, according to BelTA The state news agency. It added that there were no reports of casualties. It is believed that the Belarusian Defense Ministry is investigating whether the missile was shot down through its system of air defense or whether the missile missed its target.

As dawn broke over Kiev The hum of missiles, and the gray trail were seen across the sky. Alarms for air raids have earlier alerted Kiev that the capital along with the rest of the country, was under alert for a missile attack. In Thursday’s attacks, 16 of the projectiles fired by Moscow specifically targeted the Ukrainian capital city, and all of them were blocked by anti-aircraft defences, according to the Kyiv officials. In the end, shell fragments struck two houses, a children’s playground and a factory, which injured three people, including a 14-year-old as per the Mayor’s office.

Russian strikes also destroyed infrastructure located in port cities like Odesa as well as the cities in northern Russia in Zhytomyr as well as Kharkiv. Several buildings, even a power line and gas pipeline were damaged in bombardment on the outskirts the central city of southern Zaporizhzhia as per the governor of the region, Oleksandr Staruj. In Kherson that was liberated in November by Ukrainian force in late November and has been the target of extensive shelling during the past few days, a missile hit a medical facility, according to local authorities, injuring two patients. “They imagine that Ukrainians will be celebrating their New Year in darkness and frigid temperatures. However, they are not able to defeat the Ukrainian citizens,” Kyiv’s Defense Ministry announced on social networks.

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A power plant located in Kyiv burned after an attack from a drone on the night of December 19 2022. A power plant located in Kyiv burned after a drone attack on December 19th, 2022. 
SERGEI SUPINSKY (AFP) 
The latest batch of air strike was conducted by at most two warships and 13 strategic bombers carrying cruise missiles as per the Ukrainian Air Force. Before the missiles began to pour down, Moscow sent waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones that are suicide, and are deployed by Russian troops in an effort to deter Ukrainian air defense groups ahead of subsequent missile strikes. thirteen drones was sent against Kharkiv eleven of which were taken down, according local officials. In Dnipro which is a city that plays a crucial role located in central country that is also a logistics as well as communications hub Five drones were destroyed in the midst of a missile attack before they were fired. The Ukrainian Army’s southern command has reported that three Russian military vessels carrying missiles have taken on positions of combat in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian Presidency Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned a few days ago that Russia had plans for large-scale attacks during the Christmas vacation. “With the approaching holiday season, Russian terrorists may become active again,” he warned. “They despise Christian values and any values in general.”

The strikes on Thursday came just days after a drone attack on the Russian strategically bomber base of which Moscow is conducting raids against critical Ukrainian infrastructure. Three Russian soldiers were killed during an attack that revealed cracks in Moscow’s anti-aircraft defences. The second drone raid executed in the Engels airbase that is located in the Saratov area, which is many miles away from the Ukrainian border. As it had done after previous attacks on bases in Russian territorial waters The Ukrainian government employed cryptic language, falling short of attributing these strikes to the country’s own army while insisting they are a direct consequence of the war waged by the Kremlin.

An U.K. national was arrested today for conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions imposed on Russian Oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska and wire fraud in connection to funding U.S. properties purchased by Deripaska and attempts to repatriate his artwork to the United States through misrepresentations. The U.S. government will seek his extradition to the United States. Deripaska was earlier charged in connection with U.S. sanctions violations in an indictment that was released on September. 29.

In 2014, President Obama issued Executive Order 13660, which declared a national emergency regards to the current circumstances in Ukraine. To address the crisis The President stopped all property of individuals determined by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to be liable or complicit in actions or policies that threatened the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or who materially assist, sponsor or provide support for individuals or entities engaging in such activities. Executive Order 13660 and regulations that follow it prohibit receiving or transferring any money, goods or services by, to, from or for the benefit of any person identified to be a beneficiary by U.S. Treasury.

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On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Deripaska as Specially Designated National (SDN) in connection with its finding that the actions taken by the Government of the Russian Federation with regard to Ukraine pose an unusual and significant risk of U.S. national security and foreign policy (the OFAC Sanctions). As per the U.S. Treasury, Deripaska was sanctioned for having acted or purported to act on behalf of, whether directly or indirectly, high employee of an official of the Government of the Russian Federation and also for his involvement within the sector of energy in the Russian Federation economy.

As per court records, Graham Bonham Carter, 62, from in the United Kingdom, worked for entities controlled by Deripaska from July 2003 to the current. For instance Bonham-Carter was the manager of Deripaska’s home properties located within the United Kingdom and Europe, including a home in Belgravia Square, London. Even after OFAC identified Deripaska, Bonham-Carter continued to work for Deripaska and refer the name of Deripaska as his “boss.” For example in an email on or about June 18, 2018, Bonham-Carter wrote: “Times a bit tough for my boss as sanctions have hit him from the USA so not an ideal time.” In an email that was sent around Oct. 13th, 2021. Bonham-Carter said “It[‘]s all good apart that banks are constantly shutting me out due to my affiliation to Oleg Deripaska, my manager. Oleg Deripaska …. I’ve been warned not to go to the USA where Oleg still has personal sanctions because the authorities will undoubtedly pull me off the beaten path and question me for hours or even days! !”

According to the indictment, after Deripaska’s naming, Bonham-Carter took part in more than $1 million in illegal transactions to fund real estate properties located in the United States for Deripaska’s benefit. Between in or about 2005 and in or around 2008 Deripaska acquired three residences located in the United States, two in New York City and one in Washington, D.C. (the U.S. Properties). The properties were administered by a company called Gracetown Inc. After OFAC imposed sanctions on Deripaska on or about April 6 on or about April 6, 2018 Gracetown Inc. continued to manage the properties for Deripaska’s benefit. Shortly after Deripaska’s designation, Deripaska instructed Bonham-Carter to set up a new company for the management of the properties owned by Deripaska. On or about May 25, 2018, Bonham-Carter wrote in an email that “OVD [i.e., Deripaska] wants me to set up my own company to run the [Belgravia Square] house and to possibly include Japan, Italy, China and more.” In less than two months later, or around July 17 the 17th of July, 2018, Bonham-Carter formed GBCM Limited.

Between in or about March 2021 and around December 2021, under the direction of Deripaska Bonham-Carter transferred payments to maintenance for the U.S. Properties. Bonham-Carter transferred payments of $1,043,964.30 from an account at a bank in Russia that was in the name of GBCM Limited, to bank accounts held by Gracetown Inc. in New York City. Gracetown Inc. used the money that came from GBCM Limited to pay for various costs associated with their U.S. Properties, including personnel salaries tax, property taxes and other services as well as to maintain and improve the U.S. Properties.

According to the complaint, Bonham-Carter tried to illegally transfer artwork purchased through Deripaska from an auction house situated in New York City to London through misrepresentations concealing Deripaska’s ownership of the art. In May 2021 when advised by the auction house that it had a reason to believe that the work was owned by Deripaska, Bonham-Carter falsely stated that the artwork and a payment of $12,146 that Bonham-Carter made to ship the Artwork did not belong to Deripaska. In fact, as Bonham-Carter understood, Deripaska had purchased the artwork, it remained his property and the funds that were used to pay for shipping would be charged to Deripaska.

Bonham-Carter faces charges in a three-count indictment with one count of conspiring to break and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) One count of breaking IEEPA in addition to one count of wire fraud, each of which charges carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. An federal judge in a district court will determine any sentence after taking into consideration the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Task Force KleptoCapture Director Andrew C. Adams, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York and Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division made the announcement.

The FBI New York Field Office and Counterintelligence Division are investigating the case, and have valuable assistance provided by The Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterintelligence and Export Control Section as well as the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs. In addition, the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom provided substantial assistance.