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  • Russia is eyeing big tax hikes after this month's election to pay for the war in Ukraine

    03/15/2024 7:17:44 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 36 replies
    Business Insider ^ | 3/11/2024 | Yuheng Zhan
    Vladimir Putin could raise taxes after the presidential election this month to keep the money flowing to pay for the country's war in Ukraine. Bloomberg reported on Monday that the Kremlin is considering dipping into the pockets of high-earning Russians and corporations, as the government plans to hike taxes by as much as 4 trillion rubles ($44 billion). Sources said that the hikes could be finalized this summer. Under the plan, the government would raise personal income tax from 15% to 20% for those earning over 5 million rubles (roughly $55k USD) and from 13% to 15% for those making...
  • Russians are forced to vote from their BED by officials as Putin tries to make his re-election seem legitimate with high turnout: One woman stages brave protest, while couple keen to cast their ballot come straight from their wedding

    03/15/2024 6:56:52 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 25 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 3/15/2024 | David Averre
    Russian citizens were forced to cast their votes in presidential elections from their beds today as polling officials set out to garner a high turnout for incumbent president Vladimir Putin. Dystopian images emerged of an elderly, bed-ridden man looking over his shoulder as a stern-faced woman presumed to be his wife thrusts their voting cards into an empty ballot box held by an election official. -snip- Running effectively unchallenged, the 71-year-old Kremlin chief is almost certain to secure another six-year term with any legitimate political opponents in jail, in exile or in the ground after his fiercest of opponents, Alexei...
  • Anti-Putin Russian fighters 'cross over from Ukraine and force thousands to evacuate border region'

    03/15/2024 6:50:29 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 11 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 3/15/2024 | Will Stewart
    Voting for Russia's presidential elections was disrupted today in the border region Belgorod amid new shelling and incursions of anti-Kremlin Russian groups from Ukraine that forced 'thousands' of people to evacuate. Polling was suspended in Belgorod city after it came under artillery fire, with clips circulated by Russian news channels on the Telegram messaging app showing trucks and cars blown to pieces by the shelling. Election officials were seen wearing bulletproof gear as they monitored voting on the first day of a three-day election expected to return Putin by a landslide. Meanwhile, footage appears to show anti-Putin pro-Ukrainian partisan paramilitary...
  • Putin's Nightmare Election Week

    03/13/2024 4:44:56 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 6 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 3/13/2024 | Isabel van Brugen
    President Vladimir Putin is facing trouble in his ongoing war in Ukraine, days before the country's election, which is expected to result in the Russian leader remaining in power until at least 2030. This week has so far been tumultuous for the Russian president. On Tuesday night, the country was attacked by more than 60 Ukrainian drones, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, with targets including a Federal Security Service building in the southern Belgorod region and an oil refinery—both of which sustained damage. Multiple incursions by Russian defectors were also launched on Russian soil. The militia groups Freedom of...
  • We shouldn’t ‘be doing this’ — Cuomo & Carlson: The Conversation

    03/12/2024 7:40:40 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 26 replies
    News Nation ^ | 3/12/2024 | Damita Menezes and Cassie Buchman
    NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo and commentator Tucker Carlson sat down for a wide-ranging conversation in Carlson’s first national television appearance since he left Fox News Channel. -snip- Despite Carlson and Cuomo being critical of each other in the past, both were let go from partisan cable networks the past few years — Carlson from Fox and Cuomo by CNN. They also have the same lawyer, Cuomo said, who encouraged them to “bridge the gap and talk to each other for personal reasons.”
  • Ukraine gets 80 000 Rockets! | Canada STEPS UP for Ukraine! | Ukraine War Update

    03/11/2024 9:21:45 PM PDT · by UMCRevMom@aol.com · 132 replies
    Youtube.com ^ | 3-12-2024 | Artur Rehi
    Ukraine gets 80 000 Rockets! | Canada STEPS UP for Ukraine! | Ukraine War Update Artur Rehi 683K subscribers 24:19 Minutes The CRV7, short for "Canadian Rocket Vehicle 7", is a 2.75-inch (70 mm) folding-fin ground attack rocket produced by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was introduced in the early 1970s as an upgraded version of the standard U.S. 2.75-inch air-to-ground rockets. In 2024 the Department of National Defence is considering donating the rockets to Ukraine as military aid to defend against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. An estimated 8,000 rockets have functioning warheads while the remainder could be...
  • Ukrainian launched drone catches fire at Russian oil depot in Kursk

    03/10/2024 8:56:09 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 33 replies
    Alarabiya ^ | 3/10/2024 | Reuters
    A drone launched by Ukraine fell and caught fire at an oil depot in Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine, the regional governor said on Sunday. “Fire brigades and emergency services are working at the scene,” the governor, Roman Starovoit, said on the Telegram messaging app, without giving further details.
  • NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo to host an exclusive one-on-one with Tucker Carlson on Monday at 8 p.m. ET

    03/08/2024 7:43:25 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 25 replies
    Editor and Publisher ^ | 3/8/2024 | News Nation
    NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo will sit down exclusively with Tucker Carlson for a wide-ranging one-on-one conversation to air on Monday, March 11, at 8 p.m. ET. During the dialogue, Cuomo will discuss his departure from FOX News Media, the recent criticism he received for his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, January 6th, among other topics. This will mark Tucker Carlson’s first national television interview following his exit from FOX.
  • India says it uncovers trafficking racket duping people into fighting for Russia in Ukraine

    03/08/2024 7:14:24 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 5 replies
    Reuters ^ | 4/8/2024 | Sakshi Dayal Krishn Kaushik
    India said it had uncovered a "major human trafficking network" which lured young men to Russia with the promise of jobs only to force them to fight in the war in Ukraine. About 35 men have been sent to Russia in the scheme so far, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said late on Thursday, an increase from the 20 men that the Indian foreign ministry had earlier mentioned. At least two men who went to Russia expecting to work as "helpers" in the army have died while fighting at the front, their families have said. The Indian Embassy in...
  • Ukraine Touts Video of Russians Blown Up on Golf Cart: 'Cosmonaut Training'

    03/07/2024 2:38:31 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 64 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 3/7/2024 | Isabel van Brugen
    An online video has emerged that appears to show Russian soldiers riding a Chinese-made Desertcross 1000-3 "golf cart" as it's blown up by an anti-tank mine. The footage (warning: graphic content) has been shared by multiple social media channels, including NEXTA Live, an eastern European media outlet. "Russian cosmonauts are training in the Zaporizhzhia direction," the publication said on Telegram. The Russian soldiers appeared to be riding a Beijing-manufactured Desertcross 1000-3 all-terrain vehicle, which resembles a golf cart. The Russian military has been using them in battle since last fall
  • Russian Warship destroyed. Kerch bridge out

    03/05/2024 11:49:45 PM PST · by UMCRevMom@aol.com · 190 replies
    Youtube.com ^ | 3-5-2024 | The Enforcer
    🔴 STREAMING VIDEO - 3-5-2024 Russian Warship destroyed. Kerch bridge out The Enforcer 3-5-2024 10:00 p.m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMudFOT6sG0 European Leaders Warn That War Has Returned & Prepare For War; Major Escalations Welcome Back To Day 741 Of The News!
  • Ukraine blows up ANOTHER Russian warship as vid shows explosion hitting £35million Sergey Kotov corvette

    03/04/2024 11:00:37 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 53 replies
    Irish Sun ^ | 3/5/2024 | Aliki Kraterou
    DRAMATIC footage shows the moment another Russian warship is blown to pieces in a massive explosion. Footage shows Putin's £35million Sergey Kotov corvette being struck by a kamikaze sea drone near Feodosia, in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the strike and said the ship was entirely destroyed. One of Vladimir Putin’s most modern warships, the 308ft long patrol vessel Sergey Kotov came into service during the war in 2022. The vessel normally has a crew of 80 - and the fate of those on board remains unclear. The strike is a major blow to Putin's crumbling Black Sea fleet as...
  • Russia's Prized T-14 Armata Tank 'Too Valuable' to Use in War—Putin Ally

    03/04/2024 7:29:32 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 71 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 3/4/2024 | Isabel van Brugen
    Vladimir Putin's military is unlikely to use its prized T-14 Armata tank in combat in Ukraine because it is "too valuable," an ally of the Russian president said. The comments were made by Sergey Chemezov, the CEO of Rostec, the country's state-owned defense conglomerate, in an interview with Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti, published Sunday. Moscow is reported to have briefly deployed several of the main battle tanks for combat operations in July 2023, before they were withdrawn from the front line. The tank was once labeled by a senior British army official as "the most revolutionary tank in...
  • Russia abandons Armata tank due to its high cost

    03/04/2024 5:13:16 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 62 replies
    Defence Blog ^ | 3/4/2024 | Dylan Malyasov
    The head of the Russian defense conglomerate Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, confirmed that the state-of-the-art Russian tank, the T-14 “Armata,” is not being deployed in the war in Ukraine, which the Kremlin has labeled a “special military operation.” Chemezov attributed this decision to the tank’s exorbitant cost, indicating that the military is opting for the more economical T-90 tanks instead. He underscored the prohibitive expense of the Armata as a deterrent to its immediate deployment, stressing the need for funds to develop newer and more cost-effective tank models. “In terms of its functionality, it certainly surpasses existing tanks, but it’s too...
  • Hamas: No hostage deal without permanent ceasefire - report

    03/03/2024 1:08:54 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 43 replies
    I24 News ^ | 3/3/2024 | Staff
    In a significant development amid ongoing negotiations, Hamas, the terrorist group governing the Gaza Strip, has said that it will not agree to the release of hostages without Israel committing to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Citing a source within Hamas, CNN reported that the group is adamant about the cessation of hostilities as a prerequisite for any deal regarding the release of hostages. According to the Hamas source, apart from the demand for a fixed truce, two other key points of contention preventing an agreement from being reached include the withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops from Gaza...
  • Israel won’t send team to Cairo, said to believe Sinwar seeks escalation on Ramadan

    03/03/2024 12:09:19 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 20 replies
    Times of Israel ^ | 2/3/2014 | LAZAR BERMAN
    Israel will not be sending a negotiating team to Cairo, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel Sunday, after receiving an unsatisfactory response from Hamas on the latest framework for a hostage deal hammered out in Paris last weekend. The Gaza-based terror organization refused to address Jerusalem’s demand to provide a list of living hostages and to lock down how many Palestinian prisoners Israel must release for every hostage freed, added the official. Hamas’s position was conveyed to Israel through Qatar. According to Channel 12, the war cabinet and the professional echelon all agreed that there was no point...
  • Tucker Carlson Throws Putin Under the Bus

    02/29/2024 2:25:46 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 100 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 2/29/2024 | Kaitlin Lewis
    Tucker Carlson bashed Russian President Vladimir Putin's justification for invading Ukraine, claiming that the "denazification" of the country was "one of the dumbest things I'd ever heard." -snip- Carlson also described his first impression of Putin as someone who "seemed nervous," telling Fridman that the Russian president "went into [the interview] like an over-prepared student." Fridman specifically asked Carlson for his opinion on Putin's justification for continuing the war in Ukraine, which in part is to achieve the "denazification" of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, has repeatedly dismissed the Kremlin's claims that Kyiv's government is openly...
  • 10 Shot-Down Jets In 10 Days. Russia’s Aerial Surge In Ukraine Is Getting More Of Its Pilots Killed.

    02/27/2024 2:55:45 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 103 replies
    Forbes ^ | 2/27/2024 | David Axe
    The Ukrainian air force claimed it has shot down 10 Russian warplanes in 10 days: nine of the Russian air force’s best Sukhoi Su-34 and Sukhoi Su-35 fighter-bombers and also a rare Beriev A-50 radar plane. -snip- The Ukrainian defense ministry announced this month’s ninth and tenth shoot-downs—both involving Su-34s—on Tuesday. “Oops, we did it again!” the ministry quipped. “And now it's 10 destroyed Russian planes in 10 days!” How the Ukrainians are shooting down so many jets is unclear. It’s possible the Ukrainian air force has assigned some of its American-made Patriot missile launchers to mobile air-defense groups that...
  • Hamas in Moscow: What is Russia's role as Mideast mediator?

    02/26/2024 11:46:35 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 8 replies
    DW ^ | 2/25/2024 | Jennifer Holleis
    This week, delegates from various Palestinian factions will travel to Moscow for talks on the Israel-Hamas war and other Middle Eastern topics at an "inter-Palestinian dialogue." Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian state news agency TASS that between 12 and 14 organizations will attend the conference, which begins on February 29 and will run for two or three days. This includes representatives of the political arm of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Fatah, the political organization running the occupied West Bank and the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO, the broader umbrella organization for all Palestinian groups.
  • Putin threatens to go nuclear — because his military is suffering badly in Ukraine

    02/26/2024 1:07:28 AM PST · by canuck_conservative · 83 replies
    New York Post ^ | Feb. 25, 2024 | Jonathan Sweet and Mark Toth
    But upcoming Biden administration and German decisions concerning the deployment of precision deep-strike weapons — namely ATACMS and the Taurus cruise missile — are likely weighing heavily on Putin’s mind, along with the coming introduction of F-16 fighter jets. Ditto bilateral security guarantees, some signed just days ago, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy and Canada — and Sweden’s and Britain’s announcements last week of additional military assistance. Europe is not giving up on Ukraine. Propaganda wins aside, it was a losing week for Putin... As many as 65 soldiers from Russia’s 39th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade...