**US Teacher in Russian Prison Declared Wrongly Detained**
The US government has officially classified Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher jailed in Russia on drug charges, as wrongfully detained. The State Department made the announcement on December 27.
Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possessing marijuana. His family and supporters say it was prescribed for medical use. He is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence.
Fogel’s case has been a priority for his family and the US government. They had urged the Biden administration to classify him as wrongfully detained, which would increase diplomatic efforts to secure his release. The State Department confirmed that Fogel received the designation on December 27.
**Russian News Outlets Blocked in EU Countries**
Major Russian news outlets had their Telegram channels blocked across several European Union countries on December 28. Users attempting to access these channels saw a notice saying that the content has been restricted and is no longer available.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the situation as an “urgent wake-up call” due to repeated damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Russian authorities estimated that approximately 40% of the fuel oil carried by tankers may have leaked into the sea, making the situation “truly critical.”
**Russia’s Anti-Extremism Strategy Updated**
Russia’s updated anti-extremism strategy has named Ukraine as one of the main sources of extremism and enshrined the concept of “Russophobia” for the first time. This move has been criticized by Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced that several important personnel decisions would be made soon, without providing further details. Russia’s energy giant Gazprom claimed that a decision to cut off Ukraine’s emergency power supply was related to Moldova’s outstanding debt, not problems with transit via Ukraine.
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