Posted on 02/28/2022 8:10:18 PM PST by Mariner
A Russian military convoy that was outside of Ivankiv, Ukraine, on Sunday has since made it to the outskirts of Kyiv, satellite images show.
On Sunday, the convoy was roughly 40 miles northwest of the Ukrainian capital, according to images provided by Maxar Technologies.
Maxar said that roughly 17 miles of roadway is chocked full of the convoy, which consists of armored vehicles, tanks, towed artillery and other logistical vehicles.
The private US company said the convoy was located on the T-1011 highway at Antonov air base around 11:11 a.m local time.
Antonov is roughly 17 miles from the center of the Ukrainian capital.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Shoigu told Putin that the [war in Ukraine] could end this year. There are three points:
Sergei Shoigu recently told Vladimir Putin that the [war in Ukraine] could end successfully for us this year. At the same time, he named three points that should help victory.
“The first two factors that the minister named to Vladimir Vladimirovich were the disruption of Western military assistance to the Kyiv regime and mobilization in Ukraine. Active work is underway on both issues. The third moment surprised Vladimir Vladimirovich, but Sergei Kuzhugetovich convinced the president that he was also very important,” said our source in the Kremlin.
According to him, Shoigu continues to believe that the ashes of Alexander Suvorov, which are now being carried along the front line, will help finish the [war in Ukraine] with a victory this year. The minister told the president that more than two dozen officers had already prayed near the remains of the great commander, and this “seriously increased their morale.” At the same time, Shoigu kept silent about the tragedy in the Zaporozhye region, when officers died while gathering near Suvorov’s ashes. Vladimir Vladimirovich learned about the emergency after a conversation with the head of the Ministry of Defense.
Let us note that our sources in the General Staff confirmed that Suvorov’s ashes are being carried along the front line. In particular, he was recently on a helicopter that attacked Ukrainian positions. Our interlocutors fear that the excessive faith of Shoigu and several people close to him in the power of these ashes could lead to “great disappointments and even increased losses at the front.” And they hope that Putin will give the order to return the remains of the commander to the grave.
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3860
A country ruled by superstitious lunatics.
Russian authorities continue to escalate legal pressure against migrants in the wake of the March 22 Crocus City Hall attack, prompting both Russian authorities to increase deportations and migrants to voluntarily leave Russia. Russian human rights project First Department reported on March 29 that St. Petersburg authorities have launched “Operation Anti-Migrant” and are conducting a large-scale operation to identify and deport migrants who reportedly violated migration laws from Russia.[17] One of First Department's lawyers stated that Russian law enforcement is conducting raids on hostels and apartments in St. Petersburg and that temporary detention centers in St. Petersburg are overcrowded with migrants. The lawyer stated that Russian authorities deported 64 foreign citizens on March 28 and estimated that Russian authorities deported enough migrants to fill two full planes that recently flew from St. Petersburg to an unspecified destination. Russian opposition news outlet Astra reported on March 30 that more than 400 St. Petersburg police officers and Rosgvardia personnel are participating in the operation and that St. Petersburg police have inspected the paperwork of almost 1,500 foreign citizens, issued several hundred administrative violations, and initiated 10 criminal cases during the operation so far.[18]
St. Petersburg City Courts Joint Press Service Head Daria Lebedeva stated that St. Petersburg courts over the past week ruled to forcibly deport 418 migrants and ordered an additional 48 migrants (who had been living in the city) to pay a fine and voluntarily leave Russia for violating migration laws.[19] Kremlin newswire TASS reported that Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers detained three Central Asian migrants accused of preparing to conduct a terrorist attack at an unspecified mass gathering in Stavropol Oblast.[20] Tajikistan's Deputy Minister of Labor, Migration, and Employment Shakhnoza Nodiri stated that Tajikistan has observed an outflow of Tajik migrants from Russia following the Crocus attack and that many Tajik migrants are calling the Tajik government stating that they want to leave Russia out of fear and panic.[21] Nodiri stated that more people are entering Tajikistan than leaving, but that the government expects the outflow of Tajik migrants from Russia to be a temporary phenomenon.
Russian officials have thus far charged nine people for their supposed involvement in the Crocus attack, all of whom Russian authorities have identified as citizens of Tajikistan.[22] The BBC News Russian Service reported on March 27 that Russian authorities have significantly increased the number of criminal cases initiated for migration law violations since the Crocus attack, particularly against Tajik citizens.[23] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that Russian citizens from ethnic minorities and migrants in Russia have grown increasingly concerned about ethnically motivated crimes and xenophobic rhetoric in the aftermath of the Crocus attack, and First Department similarly noted that anti-migrant and xenophobic sentiments have risen sharply in Russia following the attack.[24]
The Russian ultranationalist community has intensified its calls for anti-migrant policies, and Russian officials recently proposed policies, such as limiting the entrance of migrants to Russia, introducing harsher punishments for crimes committed by migrants, and abolishing Russia's visa-free regime with Central Asia countries.[25] Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern over heightened ethnic tensions in Russian society following the Crocus attack on March 28 and may have signaled to the Russian ultranationalist community that they should stop inflaming ethnic tensions.[26] Russian authorities may seek to detain a larger number of migrants to coerce them into signing military service contracts, given Russia's previous reliance on migrants and prisoners in its crypto-mobilization campaign.[27] Anti-migrant policies could threaten Russia's crypto-mobilization efforts and further worsen Russian labor shortages if Russia deports large numbers of migrants or if significant portions of Russia's migrant communities emigrate, but Russian authorities are unlikely to be willing to give into Russian ultranationalists’ xenophobic demands at the expense of Russia's war effort.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-30-2024
Labor shortages are increasing.
“Days before the attack in Russia, Tehran shared information with Moscow about a possible big terrorist attack inside Russia that was acquired during interrogations of those arrested in connection with deadly bombings in Iran,” said one source.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-moscow-crocus-attack-iran-warning/32886245.html
Islamists were offended by the official version of the terrorist attack in Crocus. The FSB explained how this threatens Russia.
In the near future, our country may experience a serious intensification of terrorists of the ISIS organization banned in Russia. Signs of this could be seen in Dagestan, where they even had to introduce a CTO regime .
“We have received intelligence information that the Islamists (sounds strange, but true) were offended by the official version of the terrorist attack in Crocus, according to which Ukraine was involved in this horror. And they are going to stage new terrorist attacks to show that they are a dangerous and serious force even without any Ukraine. We are ready and will respond to all threats. But all citizens also need to be vigilant and careful. Terrorism can only be defeated through joint efforts. Therefore, excuse the rudeness, if some Tajik or Uzbek, just someone on the street seems suspicious to you, then it is better to play it safe and contact the law enforcement officers than to allow new tragedies,” a source in the FSB told us.
He also confirmed our information : the United States issued a warning about new terrorist attacks in Russia. “But we can figure it out without the Americans, they just also learned about this grievance of the terrorists and decided that they couldn't do it without them. We'll make do. We got it,” another FSB interlocutor noted in a conversation with us.
He admitted that due to the intensification of terrorists, “there is a threat to all of Russia.” But he promised to respond to all calls in a timely manner and to prevent a repetition of the Crocus tragedy.
We hope that such a tragedy really will not happen again. Even despite the fact that not only Bortnikov, but also everyone who could not prevent the terrible terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall remains in their places.
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3864
The security forces went after the conspirators who were spreading rumors about Putin's death. They are suspected of involvement in the terrorist attack in Crocus.
Let us recall that calls with fake information that Vladimir Vladimirovich had died began to be received by various officials almost immediately after the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall.
The organizers of this provocation were suspected of wanting to undermine the president's position and sow chaos throughout the country. According to our sources in the FSB and the Russian National Guard, a circle of people who may be involved in these actions has been identified. Among the suspects are “well-known names” and “influential people” from the Administration of the Presidential Administration, the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other law enforcement agencies.
If sufficient evidence is collected (and this will most likely happen), arrests will begin. They are unlikely to be public (the situation in the country, according to one of the interlocutors, is already “explosive”), but they promised to tell us the names of the first arrested.
The organizers of the provocation are also being checked in connection with their possible involvement in the tragedy in Crocus, “which could have been useful to the conspirators in order to overthrow the president.” According to a source in the FSB, there are facts that indicate that this involvement is “highly likely.”
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3866
i.e. an ordinary day in the corridors of power in the Kremlin.
Russian authorities are taking measures to further crackdown against migrant communities in Russia following the Crocus City Hall attack. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) stated on April 1 that it is preparing a bill that introduces various measures tightening Russia's migration policy.[14] The proposed bill includes requirements that all foreigners undergo mandatory fingerprinting and photographing upon entering Russia; the creation of a government system containing the digital profiles of foreigners; requirements that all foreigners receive a new identification document confirming their right to live and work in Russia; reductions on the limits on how long foreigners can temporarily stay in Russia from 90 days per every six months to 90 days per year; and authorizations for courts and certain federal executive bodies outside of courts to deport foreigners who “pose a security threat.” The MVD’s proposals to tighten the government's tracking of and control over migrants in Russia will also likely make it easier for authorities to target and coerce migrants into the Russian military as part of ongoing crypto-mobilization efforts, as such efforts will build out a database of personal information that makes migrant communities more immediately identifiable.[15]
Kremlin newswire TASS also reported on April 1 that Russian authorities detained the tenth person allegedly complicit in the Crocus City Hall attack and that Russian authorities detained him as part of an ongoing Russian operation, called Operation “Illegal,” which Russian authorities have reportedly regularly conducted in previous years.[16] Russian human rights project First Department reported on March 29 that Russian authorities launched “Operation Anti-Migrant,” a large-scale operation to identify and deport migrants, in St. Petersburg, and Russian authorities are likely increasing their searches on migrants in the wake of the Crocus City Hall attack.[17] It is unclear if Operation “Illegal” and “Operation Anti-Migrant” are related programs.
The Kremlin is reportedly taking steps to directly strengthen its control over government bodies that oversee migration policy. Russian outlet Vedomosti reported on April 1 that sources close to the Russian presidential administration and government stated that Russian authorities are considering creating a new department to oversee interethnic and migration policy and that the department will be directly subordinated to the Russian president.[18] Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated in response that there are no official decisions about creating a department for interethnic and migration policy yet.[19] Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized during his annual “Direct Line” speech in December 2023 that Russia needs a “special organ, not just the Ministry of Internal Affairs” to address Russia's migration issues.[20]
Putin may scapegoat certain MVD personnel for Russia's recent migration issues. A Russian insider source claimed on April 1 that Putin is expected to attend the MVD’s extended board meeting on April 2 which will summarize the MVD’s 2023 activities.[21] The insider source claimed that the meeting will include discussions of migration issues and that unspecified actors will “attack” the head of the MVD‘s Main Directorate for Migration Affairs, Valentina Kazakova, and her “curator” MVD Deputy Minister Alexander Gorovoy, likely due to their perceived inaction and inefficacy. The insider source claimed that the Kremlin will likely dismiss MVD leaders, including Internal Affairs Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, after Putin's inauguration on May 7 and that the Kremlin offered the minister position to the head of the Economic Security Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Sergei Alpatov.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-1-2024
Кто виноват?
Earlier, the special representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan, director of the second department of Asia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zamir Kabulov, told TASS that the delegation of the Taliban movement in power in Afghanistan was invited to participate in the forum “Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum”, scheduled for May.
The international economic forum “Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum” will be held on May 14-19 in Kazan.
https://tass.ru/politika/20412217
In 2019, the chief Mufti Ravil Gainutdin predicted that, by 2030, a staggering third of the country would be Muslim. This might have been an over-statement aimed at securing more funds for mosque-building, but the fact remains that the number of ethnic Russians is falling (4.9 per cent lower in a 2020 census than it was ten years before) while the Chechen population – which is predominately Muslim – is on the rise (in the same period the number of Chechens grew by 17.1 per cent). Overall, the exact figures for Muslim demographic growth are hard to quantify. They're made up not only of ‘locals’ who dwelled historically on what's now Russian territory – nationalities like Tatars, Bashkirs, the Ingush etc – but also migrants from Central Asian countries (the ‘Stans’), who are often unregistered and don't show up in official headcounts.
In September 2023, the Federal Agency on Nationalities’ Issues published the results of a poll they conducted among migrants, in which 43.5 per cent said they preferred sharia law to secular legislation, with 24 per cent declaring themselves ready to participate in street protests demanding its enforcement.
Even if Muslims don't, as the chief Mufti claimed, make up 30 per cent of the population by the end of this decade, there will soon be enough to bring change to the ‘Russian way of life.’ With things continuing on the same track, my children may well see radical changes – in schooling, legislation, dress codes and so on – and it might be the Koran, rather than Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, my grandchildren study at school. It's a bitter irony that this war, fought under the banner of an ever-expanding ‘Russki Mir’, may, in fact, be speeding along, unwittingly, the Strange Death of Russia.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-the-rise-of-islam-means-for-putins-russia/
A yearlong investigation by The Insider, in collaboration with 60 Minutes and Der Spiegel, has uncovered evidence suggesting that unexplained anomalous health incidents, also known as Havana Syndrome, may have their origin in the use of directed energy weapons wielded by members of Russian GRU Unit 29155. Members of the Kremlin's infamous military intelligence sabotage squad have been placed at the scene of suspected attacks on overseas U.S. government personnel and their family members, leading victims to question what Washington knows about the origins of Havana Syndrome, and what an appropriate Western response might entail.
And yet it remains unclear exactly how the attacks were carried out, or whether multiple types of devices have been used. The limiting factor with ultrasound weapons is distance. Their soundwaves travel poorly through air and solid objects found in buildings, meaning any device of this type would have to get up close to its target, no more than 10 or 12 meters away.
Another form of directed energy that travels farther and can penetrate through thicker substances, such as walls and metal barriers, is pulsed microwave energy. The shape of an electromagnetic pulse that could do the kind of physiological harm seen in AHI cases would show an extremely steep rise, with each pulse reaching peak energy within less than a nanosecond. A U.S. Intelligence Community expert panel tasked with assessing the potential causes of Havana Syndrome concluded that this type of energy could “fracture” membranes and capillaries, damaging the myelin sheaths that encase neurons and the blood-brain barrier.
As Operation Reduktor and Terentiev’s research shows, Moscow has been experimenting with both types of directed energy weapons for a long time.
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 2, 2024
Putin also attempted to address intensified debates about migration that have emerged following the Crocus City Hall attack but continued to express an inconsistent and vague stance on the issue. Putin stated that illegal migration can be a breeding ground for extremist activity and asserted that Russia needs to improve its migration database since the alleged attackers were able to legally stay in Russia without speaking Russian.[23] Putin called for Russia to radically update its approach to migration policy and instructed the MVD to draft its own new migration policy.[24] Putin did not expound upon what this new policy should entail beyond vague demands that it should preserve interethnic and interreligious harmony and Russia’s cultural and linguistic identity.[25] Putin reiterated that it is unacceptable to use the Crocus City Hall attack to provoke ethnic, Islamophobic, or xenophobic hatred, a rhetorical position that may collide with the Kremlin’s and Russian Orthodox Church’s contradictory appeals to ultranationalists’ anti-migration fervor.[26]
Anti-migrant policies could worsen Russian labor shortages and degrade Russia’s crypto-mobilization efforts if Russia deports large numbers of migrants or if significant portions of Russia’s migrant communities emigrate due to anti-migrant sentiment, and Russian authorities are generally unlikely to fully give into ultranationalist xenophobic demands to drastically reduce if not eliminate foreign immigration to Russia at the expense of Russia’s war effort. The Kremlin’s attempts to appeal to ultranationalists may generate further inconsistencies and contradictions within the Kremlin’s migration policy, however.[27]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-2-2024
The relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack in Crocus were under surveillance.
Friends, on behalf of the channel we would like to thank you all for your support of our admin! Unfortunately, the son of our colleague was at the ill-fated concert of the Picnic group in Crocus City Hall when the terrorist attack occurred there. We sincerely say Thank you to everyone who wrote words of support. This is very important and valuable!
The other day we took the deceased on his final journey. Russians have a difficult fate - burying their sons. To be honest, you wouldn't wish this on your enemy.
But today is about something else. At the funeral, not far from the burial site, two men in civilian clothes stood and took photographs and videos. The behavior of the men gave them away - they were representatives of the special services. Probably the FSB. When our colleague tried to talk to them, one of the men said that they were “resting” here (at the cemetery - Ed.). How cynical! The father of the deceased, in the evening after the funeral, found a car with darkened windows at his front door, from the window of which video was also being filmed.
We want to publicly appeal to the heads of the intelligence services, no matter who they think they are. Yes, we have a tragedy! And we want the guilty to be punished. The security forces themselves admit that they knew about the impending terrorist attack, but did not prevent it. Why? Who will be responsible for the innocent victims? No one was dismissed, no one was suspended. If you think surveillance will help shut us up, you're wrong.
We also have influential friends. But we want to see Russia as a country with values and justice. And not with threats and the right of the strong. After all, no one knows how this or that conflict may end.
Republic of Tatarstan Head Rustam Minnikhanov warned that Russian companies and local authorities must defend themselves against Ukrainian drone strikes and not rely on Russian air defenses following the April 2 Ukrainian strikes on Russian military production and oil refinery infrastructure in Tatarstan. Minnikhanov stated on April 3 that “there is no need to wait for [Russian] missile defense to work...we must decide on our own, every enterprise, every municipality, every city.”[20] Minnikhanov stated that Russians should “wake up” and realize that “no one will protect you except yourself.” Russian military sources recently told Russian state outlet Izvestia that the Russian military is forming mobile fire groups to combat Ukrainian drones, indicating that Russia may be unable to deploy conventional air defense systems to defend all of Russia's critical facilities.[21] ISW assessed that Ukraine's April 2 strikes on targets in Tatarstan likely represent a significant inflection in Ukraine's ability to conduct long-range strikes far into rear Russian areas.[22] Minnikhanov's statement is likely a reflection of increased Russian concern following the April 2 strikes and is a clear acknowledgment and admonition of the Russian Ministry of Defense's (MoD) failure to defend Russian cities and critical infrastructure from Ukrainian drone strikes.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-3-2024
The French defence ministry acknowledged the pair discussed the war in Ukraine, but stressed that Lecornu reaffirmed France's support for Kyiv.
“France will continue to support Ukraine as long and as intensely as necessary in its fight for freedom and sovereignty, in order to bring peace and security to the European continent,” the French ministry said in a statement.
Both Russia and France said the two ministers discussed the deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall that left at least 144 people dead, which was claimed by Islamic State armed group. Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that “radical Islamists” conducted the attack, but suggested they were linked to Ukraine. According to the Russian defence ministry's statement, Shoigu told Lecornu that he hoped France was not involved.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed Shoigu’s suggestion that France was behind the attack as “ridiculous”. “It makes no sense and doesn't fit with reality,” he told reporters, adding that the suggestion was “baroque and threatening, which is nothing new”, and a “manipulation of information, which is part of Russia's arsenal of warfare today.”
A Russian view:
Russia received a brazen warning about French troops in Ukraine.During the conversation between Sergei Shoigu and the head of the French Ministry of Defense, Lecornu, the Frenchman infuriated our minister.
“The Frenchman said that if his country sends military personnel to Ukraine, our army should not shoot at them. Otherwise, I quote, “Russia will be very sorry.” Sergei Kuzhugetovich replied that France would regret it. In response, I heard laughter and some stupid jokes,” a source close to Shoigu told us.
He did not provide any other details, advising them to read the official report about this conversation. Another source in the Ministry of Defense noted that Shoigu conducted the conversation in a raised tone, and after its completion, our minister's “hands were shaking a little.”
When asked whether we are planning any actions in response to such impudence, all sources refused to answer.
No love for Shoigu:
General Teplinsky predicts bad times for Shoigu.
Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky made a statement about this recently in communication with officers from his close circle.
“Mikhail Yuryevich is sure: Vladimir Vladimirovich will soon see that Shoigu is a bad minister. That our progress at the front is weak, there are too many casualties that could have been avoided. And he will replace the Minister of Defense. After which we will have a chance to win the [war in Ukraine],” a source close to Teplinsky told us.
According to the general, Shoigu will be dismissed before the end of the summer, and Russia will receive a new defense minister. Those around Teplinsky refused to say who they might be.
At the same time, they hinted that Shoigu or one of his deputies might be involved in the assassination attempt on Teplinsky (we wrote about him in detail here [ https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4042550/posts?page=6099#6099 ]). “We will not make public accusations, but we will do everything possible to ensure that the evidence reaches Vladimir Vladimirovich,” the general’s comrade-in-arms promised.
Sources close to Sergei Kuzhugetovich refused to comment on these accusations and information about his possible resignation, calling them “the fantasies of a failed general.” When asked why this “loser” commands troops in an important direction of the front, interlocutors at the Ministry of Defense replied that “for some unknown reason the president likes Teplinsky.”
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/3883
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