I. Major International News Interpretation

1. [South Korean Independent Counsel Releases Final Investigation Report on Yoon Suk-yeol's Martial Law, Revealing Yoon's Insanity and Heinous Acts]

On December 15, after the 180-day investigation period ended, the South Korean Special Counsel responsible for investigating the civil unrest related to the emergency martial law released the final investigation results. Indictments were filed against 24 people, including former President Yoon Suk-yeol, and findings were made regarding Yoon's motives and preparation time for declaring emergency martial law.

The Special Counsel determined that former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had begun planning martial law as early as October 2023, intending to use force to eliminate political dissidents and monopolize power. His team had also prepared torture tools such as awls and hammers, attempting to torture more than 30 people.

The Special Counsel's findings pointed out that Yoon Suk-yeol had planned this for a long time. As early as a dinner with senior ruling party officials in November 2022, Yoon made harsh remarks, threatening: "I have emergency powers. Even if I am shot, I will wipe them all out."

The Special Counsel determined that Yoon Suk-yeol officially began preparations in October 2023, placing confidants in key positions by replacing the Minister of National Defense and adjusting core military personnel. "In the subsequent military personnel adjustments, the former commander of the Defense Security Command and the former Army Chief of Staff, who were responsible for martial law, were deployed to core positions."

The Special Counsel believes that although Kim Keon-hee did not directly participate in the command, the judicial risks she faced, such as the "Deutsche Motors stock price manipulation case" and "intervention in nominations," objectively constituted an important motivation for Yoon Suk-yeol to declare martial law. Special Assistant Park Ji-young stated at the press conference: "The motive and purpose of martial law were the monopoly and maintenance of power, which included the intention to resolve the judicial risks of himself and his spouse."

In order to find an excuse for launching the martial law event, Yoon Suk-yeol tried to fabricate last year's parliamentary election results as "fraudulent elections manipulated by anti-state forces" and launched drones into North Korea, intending to provoke an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Most heinously, Yoon Suk-yeol ordered Roh Sang-won to form a secret "Second Investigation Team" and formulated a plan to arrest and imprison more than 30 employees of the National Election Commission.

The investigation showed that relevant intelligence agents prepared equipment such as awls, blindfolds, cable ties, baseball bats, and hammers when they were dispatched. The Special Counsel also confirmed signs of the use of torture tools at the scene. "The use of torture tools was confirmed," Park Ji-young said. Fortunately, the martial law was lifted quickly, and the employees on the target list were not actually arrested.

2. [Hungary Sues EU Court Over Migration Issue]

Hungarian Justice Minister Tuzson stated in Budapest on December 15 local time that Hungary had filed a lawsuit with the EU Court of Justice that day regarding the ruling made by the court against Hungary in a migration case.

Tuzson stated that in 2020, the EU Court of Justice condemned Hungary for establishing transit zones along the border and ruled on this. Hungary was fined an unprecedented amount in EU history, a one-time payment of 200 million euros, and a daily fine of 1 million euros for delayed payment. In response, Hungary did not appeal but filed a lawsuit for damages. According to EU treaties, if EU institutions cause damage to member states, they should provide compensation.

Tuzson stated that the EU Court's ruling was not due to legal reasons but ideological and political reasons. The EU wants Hungary to accept immigrants, but Hungary will not allow this to happen.

I genuinely feel that it would be better for Hungary to withdraw from the EU to avoid being despised by the vast majority of EU member states. Note that I am only advising Hungary to voluntarily leave the EU, rather than advocating for the EU to expel Hungary as many people do, or even mocking the EU for failing to decisively expel Hungary.

As for the topic of immigration, I know deeply that regardless of left, center, or right, the vast majority of readers are firmly opposed to foreign immigrants. On this issue, I have done a lot of international common sense popularization over the past 20 years, and I will not repeat those views that the vast majority of people dislike. I just advise everyone not to worry too much about immigration issues in Europe and America—they have their own mechanisms for gathering social majority consensus and correcting errors. On this issue, we especially need to look at the world with an international perspective and look at the future from the history of human civilization progress. From the perspective of population economics, people are wealth rather than burdens; from the perspective of sociology and the history of human development, the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural integration brought about by human migration has promoted the progress of human civilization.

Such common sense involves profound professional knowledge, which many people may not understand. Today, I will incidentally tell you an iron fact: over the past hundred years, all countries that are inclusive of immigrants and have a large number of immigrants are developed countries; those countries that strictly prohibit foreign immigrants and where society generally hates foreign immigrants and openly spreads racial and religious discrimination are all countries with extremely backward socio-economic development. Even if they get rich overnight relying on oil like Venezuela, they will eventually be beaten back to their original form very quickly—to put it bluntly, their thoughts are worthy of the suffering they experience. Of course, it is entirely possible for Venezuela to get out of the predicament quickly and embark on a path of healthy development in the near future. However, in the foreseeable future, Afghanistan will not be so lucky.

Regarding the moderate comment above, I estimate that the reading and appreciation of today's article will drop by at least 20%. It is impossible for me to shut up and not say these internationally recognized common senses. I can only try to restrain myself from saying things that everyone hates.

3. [Trump Sues BBC for $10 Billion Over Misleading Editing of Speech Video]

US President Trump filed a lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on December 15, alleging that the BBC misleadingly edited clips of his speech. According to the lawsuit documents, Trump is demanding at least $10 billion in compensation from the BBC.

The lawsuit was filed in the Federal Court in Miami, Florida, accusing the BBC of defamation and violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act; the two charges each require the BBC to compensate Trump for losses of no less than $5 billion. The Trump administration also announced on the same day the suspension of the implementation of a technical agreement reached with the UK.

II. Latest Updates and Comments on the Russia-Ukraine War

1. [US and Ukraine Conclude Talks in Berlin, German Chancellor Merz Outlines Strong Stance of Ukraine and Europe]

On December 15, the second US-Ukraine talks in Berlin ended. The two sides did not reach an agreement on key issues, and neither side revealed the situation of the talks afterwards. Judging from pictures and videos, German Chancellor Merz sat next to Zelensky and participated in the second US-Ukraine talks.

Some authoritative international media revealed that the US insisted that the Ukrainian army withdraw from the Donbas region to meet Russia's ceasefire requirements. The Ukrainian side insisted that both Russian and Ukrainian troops withdraw completely from Donbas, to be taken over by UN peacekeeping forces or multinational forces; the future territorial affiliation will be decided by a referendum of all Ukrainian people.

German Chancellor Merz stated at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Zelensky in Berlin on Monday that a small but real chance for a ceasefire has appeared in Ukraine for the first time. He said that Russia is playing for time by making extreme demands and continuing the brutal war; meanwhile, allies are pursuing five goals on which Europe, Ukraine, and the United States have reached a consensus, including:

1. First, partners and Ukraine jointly seek a ceasefire that ensures Ukraine's sovereignty;
2. Second, this ceasefire must be based on substantial legal and material guarantees from the United States and Europe;
3. Third, Europeans, Ukrainians, and Americans are jointly promoting a ceasefire;
4. Fourth, Ukraine's security guarantees cannot weaken the unity and strength of Europe and NATO;
5. Fifth, the ceasefire must ensure Ukraine's European perspective and its recovery and development.

Simply put, Ukraine and Europe have made no concessions on matters of principle. On this basis, major European countries and leaders of the EU and NATO will hold a summit on the Ukraine issue in Berlin to further unify their positions and coordinate actions.

Zelensky also met with German Federal President Steinmeier in Berlin that day. Zelensky expressed gratitude for Germany's support.

The German government announced a "Ten-Point Plan" during Ukrainian President Zelensky's visit to Berlin on December 15, aimed at comprehensively strengthening support for Ukraine's defense through joint ventures, deeper market integration, and possible federal investment guarantees.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister told the media that day that he thanked Germany for its long-term support for Ukraine's security and resilience, the huge financial and reconstruction aid provided to Ukraine (including long-term commitments), and the efforts made to promote the full use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine. We appreciate Germany's leading role in promoting Ukraine-related agendas in the peace process and its consistent support for Ukraine's accession to the EU.

2. [EU Leaders Issue Joint Statement on Ukraine Peace Plan, Reaffirming Security of Ukraine's Sovereignty and Territory, and Forming a "Multinational Force" Led by Europe]

Ukraine, the United States, and European partners have reached an agreement on the core content of achieving peace in Ukraine, including developing Ukraine's armed forces, possibly deploying multinational peacekeeping forces to ensure air and maritime safety, supervising the ceasefire mechanism, and other measures.

On December 15, European leaders issued a strongly worded joint statement, marking the official launch of the European-led Ukraine peace process, no longer following the US's lead on the issue of ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine.

Leaders attending the European Leaders' Summit on Ukraine in Berlin and signing the joint statement included: German Chancellor Merz, Finnish President Stubb, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Starmer, Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Støre, Polish Prime Minister Tusk, Dutch Prime Minister Schoof, Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson, as well as European Commission President von der Leyen and European Council President Costa. The statement is open to other countries willing to join the "multinational force".

European leaders agreed that ensuring Ukraine's security, sovereignty, and prosperity is key to broader Euro-Atlantic security. They made it clear that Ukraine and its people should enjoy a prosperous, independent, and sovereign future without fear of future Russian aggression. US and European leaders pledged to work with the United States to provide strong security guarantees and economic recovery support measures for Ukraine on the premise of ending the war. This includes the following commitments:

• A. Continuous and significant support for Ukraine to build its armed forces and maintain a peacetime force of 800,000 troops to deter conflict and defend Ukrainian territory. (Author's note: Many people may think that an army of 800,000 is too small, but it actually ranks 5th after China, India, the US, and Russia. Considering Ukraine's economic and population size, this is already a limit.)
• B. A "multinational force" led by Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, composed of countries willing to send troops within the framework of a "coalition of the willing," and supported by the United States. It will assist in the reconstruction of the Ukrainian army, guarantee the safety of Ukraine's skies, and support safer seas, including operations within Ukraine.
• C. A ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism led by the US with international participation, aimed at providing early warning for any future attacks and attributing and responding to any violations; at the same time, there is a conflict de-escalation mechanism to promote the reduction of hostilities by both sides for the benefit of all relevant parties.
• D. A legally binding commitment, subject to compliance with national procedures, to take measures to restore peace and security in the event of an armed attack in the future. These measures may include armed forces, intelligence and logistical assistance, economic and diplomatic actions.
• E. Investing in Ukraine's future prosperity, including providing significant resources for recovery and reconstruction, signing mutually beneficial trade agreements, and considering the necessity of Russia compensating for the damage caused to Ukraine; therefore, Russia's sovereign assets in the EU have been permanently frozen.
• F. Strong support for Ukraine's accession to the EU.

The leaders made it clear that, as with any agreement, nothing is final until everything is agreed upon; all parties must step up their efforts to promote the conclusion of a solution that ensures a lasting end to the fighting. The statement emphasized that any agreement should guarantee long-term security and unity in the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as the role NATO plays in providing strong deterrence. They stated that matters involving the EU and NATO will be discussed by EU member states and NATO member states respectively.

The statement noted that Russia now has the responsibility to demonstrate its determination to end the war by agreeing to President Trump's peace plan and agreeing to a ceasefire, striving to achieve lasting peace. The leaders agreed to continue to increase pressure on Russia to urge Moscow to negotiate seriously.

They all pledged to move quickly in the coming days and weeks to jointly conclude and support a lasting peace agreement. They reaffirmed their firm support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people in fighting against Russia's illegal invasion and achieving a just and lasting peace.

European heads of state and government welcomed the significant progress made by President Trump in striving for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They also welcomed the close cooperation between President Zelensky and President Trump's team as well as the European team in recent days and weeks. They agreed to work with President Trump and President Zelensky to achieve lasting peace and safeguard Ukraine's sovereignty and European security. The leaders appreciated the close cooperation between the United States, Ukraine, and Europe.

I believe that Ukrainian and European leaders will never make any concessions on the above-mentioned matters of principle, and Russia will never agree to such a ceasefire and peace plan. Putin and Trump worked together and finally succeeded in angering the Europeans and reuniting and arming them! Many people think my analysis and prediction of the course of the Russia-Ukraine war are too optimistic. In fact, they are influenced by the disinformation war of Russia and pro-Russian media, plus Trump's aiding and abetting, which makes everyone lose the objective judgment they should have.

3. [Poll Shows Vast Majority of Ukrainians Support Fighting to the End, Absolutely Disagreeing with Ceding Land for Peace]

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), whose authority is widely recognized by the international community, released the results of a series of opinion polls conducted from November 26 to December 13 on December 15. I believe these polls accurately reflect the true public opinion in Ukraine and are of great reference value.

I translated, organized, and published them on the "Foresight World" official account yesterday. Readers interested in this can click the subtitle to jump to read it.

4. [India's Imports of Russian Oil Plummet by Over 60%]

Indian officials stated on December 15, 2025, that after strengthening relevant verifications to ensure compliance with Western sanctions, imports of oil from Russia are expected to drop to 800,000 barrels per day this month. According to public data provided by authoritative shipping data tracking companies such as Kpler, combined with statistical data from Indian customs and the central bank, India's imports of Russian oil peaked at about 2.1 million barrels per day in the past two years, and are expected to drop to 800,000 barrels in December, a decrease of about 61.9%.

After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, India used significant discounts on Russian oil to import large quantities of cheap Russian oil. Russian oil accounted for nearly 41% of India's total imports, making it India's largest source of oil and the second-largest export destination for Russian oil.

Sanctions against major Russian oil companies announced by the US on October 23, 2025, and effective November 21, forced Indian refineries to find alternative sources of supply to avoid violating Western sanctions regulations. In fact, India's imports of oil from Russia had already plummeted to about 672,000 barrels per day in November, a drop of 66% from the peak. Therefore, Indian officials claim that it will drop to 800,000 barrels per day in December, which is actually a slight rebound, possibly because they found some Russian oil suppliers not listed in US sanctions.

5. [EU Plans to Sanction 40 Additional "Shadow Fleet" Vessels Involved with Russia]

EU Vice President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kallas stated in Brussels on December 15 that the EU would make a decision on a new round of sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet" on that day, planning to sanction 40 additional vessels involved with Russia's "shadow fleet" and their related "supporters," with the aim of "eliminating the channels for Russia to fund this war." Western countries accuse Russia of using commercial vessels such as oil tankers to evade Western sanctions and call these commercial vessels the "shadow fleet."

On December 15, the Council of the European Union issued an announcement stating that in view of Russia's continued hybrid activities, including disinformation interference and cyberattacks against the EU and its member states and partners, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions on another 12 individuals and two entities.

Previously, the EU had adopted 19 rounds of sanctions packages against Russia, including sanctions on hundreds of Russian "shadow fleet" vessels, prohibiting them from calling at EU ports and stopping the provision of related maritime services. In addition, individuals and entities on the sanctions list will face asset freezes and travel bans. Currently, more than 2,600 entities and individuals involved with Russia are on the EU sanctions list.

6. [Kallas Says Consultations on Using Frozen Russian Assets to Aid Ukraine Are "Becoming Increasingly Difficult," But Will Never Give Up]

Kallas told the media on December 15 that the EU's discussions on financing arrangements for aid to Ukraine entered a critical stage this week, but relevant consultations on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine will become "increasingly difficult."

Assuming the last EU summit of this year will be held in Brussels, Belgium, from the 18th to the 19th of this month, member state leaders will focus on discussing issues such as aid to Ukraine. Kallas stated, "We will not leave the venue until a decision is made on how to finance Ukraine at this week's summit."

Kallas said that the EU is currently discussing multiple options for financing Ukraine, the "most credible option" being the "reparation loan" plan, which is to provide financing to Ukraine with frozen Russian assets as collateral. She said this design means that the funds do not come directly from EU taxpayers and can be advanced through "qualified majority voting." Kallas also pointed out that Belgium holds a relatively large scale of relevant frozen assets, so Belgium's participation in this issue is "very important."

Kallas also revealed that day that the EU has fulfilled its commitment and completed the plan to provide Ukraine with 2 million large-caliber artillery shells by the end of 2025 ahead of schedule. She stated that the EU has provided Ukraine with 27 billion euros in military aid this year. Note that this is only the scale of military aid.

7. [Hungarian Prime Minister Orban Says: EU Using Frozen Russian Assets Is Tantamount to Declaring War on Russia]

On December 15 local time, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban stated that regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU's decisions in the next few days are crucial. "We have never been so close to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict." Europe is standing before a huge opportunity, therefore, peace negotiations must be supported.

Orban stated that the EU hopes to continue the conflict or even exacerbate it by using frozen Russian assets. This practice is tantamount to an open declaration of war and will inevitably be met with retaliation from Russia. Hungary will not change its position, will not support the confiscation of frozen Russian assets, will not provide funds or weapons to Ukraine, and will not participate in EU lending serving war purposes.

This is not the first time Orban has issued such a threat. In the last month, he has repeated the same view at least three times on various occasions. When EU and NATO member state leaders meet with Orban, they disdain to shake hands or talk with him, and even show funny looks of obvious contempt for him. Therefore, for Orban to be the spokesperson for the Kremlin, he needs to have strong psychological quality and a thick enough skin.

8. [German and Ukrainian Defense Companies to Cooperate in Mass Production of Ukrainian Military Drones in Germany]

On December 15, at the German-Ukrainian Economic Forum held in Berlin, the German Quantum Systems Company and the Ukrainian Frontline Robotics Company announced that the two sides had established a German-Ukrainian joint venture, Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), which will build Europe's first fully automated industrial drone production line for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Under the "Built with Ukraine" initiative, the new project will mass-produce battlefield-proven multi-purpose drones developed by the Ukrainian Frontline Robotics Company. In addition, the drones produced by the German-Ukrainian joint venture will all be delivered to the Ukrainian Defense Forces, with the quantity determined by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

Matthias Leiner, the head of the German-Ukrainian joint venture who will execute the production project, revealed that the planned annual production of drones will reach "tens of thousands," and the total contract value is expected to be "more than hundreds of millions of euros." The first models to be put into production include the "Linsa" logistics drone, the "Zoom" reconnaissance drone, and the "Burya" remote-controlled machine gun and grenade launcher platform, which have been tested in actual combat on the eastern battlefield of Ukraine.

9. [Ukraine Successfully Implements a Series of Major Deep Strike Operations, Bombing Submarines, Drilling Platforms, and Arsenals, Terrifying the Russian Army and Causing Heavy Losses]

On December 15, at the Russian port of Novorossiysk, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)'s "Sea Baby" unmanned surface vessel attacked a Russian Black Sea Fleet Project 636.3 "Varshavyanka" class submarine (NATO reporting name: Kilo) for the first time. The explosion caused severe damage to the submarine, effectively rendering it unable to serve. The SBU battle report stated: "Four 'Kalibr' cruise missile launchers were found on the submarine, and the enemy used these missiles to strike Ukrainian territory." The operation was a joint operation between the 13th Bureau of the Security Service and the Ukrainian Navy. The cost of a Varshavyanka class submarine is approximately $400 million. Considering current international sanctions, the cost of building a similar submarine could be as high as $500 million. Public information states that this type of submarine is known as a "black hole" in the ocean due to its advanced sound absorption causing it to be almost undetectable by sonar.

The SBU Special Operations Center's long-range drones attacked Russian Caspian Sea oil drilling platforms for the third time in a week on December 15. This time, the strike was on a drilling platform in the "Korchagin" oil and gas condensate field. Due to the drone attack, key equipment within the facility was damaged, and the production process was forced to stop.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also reported that day: "In order to weaken the enemy's ability to manufacture explosives, the Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully attacked an important enemy strategic facility—the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant—on the night of December 15." The report stated that the Astrakhan GPP is one of the key enterprises in the Russian oil and gas industry. The plant produces up to 3.5 million tons of sulfur annually (Author's note: sulfur is a byproduct of oil and gas refining), which is used to manufacture explosives for the Russian military-industrial complex. Explosions were recorded within the facility, and a large fire broke out. The extent of the damage is being assessed.

10. [Latest Russian Battle Loss Statistics Released by Ukrainian General Staff]

In the past day, there were 1,150 Russian casualties, and other battle losses are shown in the figure below (yellow numbers are statistics for the past 24 hours, white numbers are cumulative totals).

Let us continue to pray constantly: May God grant peace and stop the war; let the wicked be punished and the good be protected.