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Ukraine Strikes Russian Energy Hubs with Missiles and Drones

A n artilleryman of the 44th Separate Artillery Brigade, named after Hetman Danylo Apostol, of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, carries a cartridge as he prepares to fire a M777 Howitzer towards Russian troops. On December 25, 2025 , Ukraine launched a coordinated assault on Russian energy infrastructure, deploying Storm Shadow cruise missiles alongside long-range drones . According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the strikes hit the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, one of southern Russia’s largest suppliers of diesel and jet fuel for the military. Multiple explosions were reported, and the facility was forced offline. In addition to the refinery, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed drone attacks on facilities in Temryuk and Orenburg . Fuel tanks in Temryuk caught fire, while a gas processing plant in Orenburg was shut down, further disrupting Russia’s energy output. Ukrainian officials stated that these operations are designed to undermine Russia’s milit...

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Stocks close mixed as tech pares losses


On Tuesday, January 9, 2024, the US stock market closed with mixed results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) slipped 0.4% or about 150 points. The benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC) fell by nearly 0.2%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC) crawled above the flatline, in a reversal of earlier losses. The tech rally wavered after a Samsung profit warning took the shine off the sector. Samsung’s update weighed on hopes for a rebound in the PC and mobile sector, a key market for its memory chips. The Korean company said it expects a 35% drop in fourth-quarter operating income, far short of estimates, as demand continues to lag.

Investors are focusing on the December consumer inflation reading due Thursday and what it could mean for the chances of easing interest rates. Two Federal Reserve officials on Monday poured cold water on Wall Street’s already fading expectations that a cut could come in the next few months. The idea that inflation is cooling underpins investors’ belief that the US economy will skirt recession. That conviction faces a crucial test on Friday, when big banks kick off the fourth-quarter earnings season.

Oil prices ( CL=F) ( BZ=F) rose just under 2%, recouping some of Monday’s near 4% fall as investors weighed the impact of tensions in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia’s decision to cut crude prices.


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