War

Shortly after Russia admitted that it was moving nuclear-capable rockets to the exclave of Kaliningrad in explicit retaliation for NATO encroachment on its borders, something it had not done until today, another old hotzone has flared up again when moments ago the Russian military reported that Ukranian security operatives have abducted two Russian servicemen in Crimea, and are attempting to press criminal charges against them, the Russian military is reporting.

Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, mace, and water cannon against demonstrators protesting the North Dakota Access pipeline. Activists at the scene say that police had used water jets in sub-freezing temperatures and fired rubber bullets reportedly targeting demonstrators’ heads and legs. More than 167 demonstrators have been injured, according to a medic on site, as cited by Indigenous Rising Media. Seven people have been hospitalized for severe head injuries and hypothermia. Three of those injured were reportedly elders of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

While the detente between Russia and US president-elect Donald Trump could not have come at a more tense time, the Kremlin appears to be accelerating its head-on collision course with NATO, and as a highly placed defense official said on Monday, Moscow will deploy S-400 surface-to-air missiles and nuclear-capable Iskander systems in the exclave of Kaliningrad in retaliation for NATO deployments, confirming previous media reports of Russian intentions to once again blanket central Europe with potential nuclear ICBM coverage.

Dan de Luce, Molly O’Toole, and Lara Jakes report on the foreign policy implications of the appointments Trump has made so far. Here they describe Flynn’s views on combating jihadists:

In the latest in a series of protests against the North Dakota oil pipeline project, overnight an estimated 400 protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas at the scene of a similar confrontation last month. The protesters mounted the Backwater Bridge and attempted to force their way past police in what the Morton County Sheriff's Department initially described as an "ongoing riot." Protesters say the pipeline threatens water resources and sacred tribal lands.