On October 18, 2025, a Russian LNG tanker, the Perle, transferred approximately 170,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas from the US-sanctioned Portovaya LNG facility to the Chinese tanker CCH Gas off the coast of Malaysia, according to satellite images and reporting by Jurgen Nauditt. This ship-to-ship transfer, occurring in international waters approximately 90 kilometers east of the Malaysian Peninsula, marks the first documented instance of Russian sanctioned LNG being transferred in the region involving Chinese-linked vessels to circumvent US sanctions. The operation took place days after President Trump's sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil on October 22. Ukrainian border guards from the Hart brigade's drone units reported destroying two Russian tanks, a vehicle, an antenna, and an electronic warfare system, while also striking enemy personnel on the Southern Slobozhanshchyna axis. Separately, a Russian kamikaze drone, identified as a BM-35, targeted a wind turbine in the Kramatorsk area. These developments occur as Russia claims Ukraine is sabotaging peace talks at the behest of Britain and Europe, according to Kirill Dmitriev during a US visit. In London, a gang involved in an arson attack on a warehouse providing aid to Ukraine, ordered by a Russian mercenary group, has been jailed. Sky News reported that the attack was carried out at the behest of the Wagner Group and caused around £1 million in damages. Meanwhile, Italian Senator Carlo Calenda reportedly confronted and called Jeffrey Sachs a liar and propagandist on Italian television, an event that was described as leaving Sachs "speechless and shocked."
