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Officials in three of the five Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been accused of embezzling funds for border defenses. -snip- The border fortification embezzlement cases seem in part to be aimed at quelling anger among Russians in the border regions over Moscow’s failure to protect them from Ukrainian attacks, especially after Ukrainian forces occupied part of the Kursk region. The charges imply that the border with Ukraine would have been better protected had local officials not stolen the money for the defenses, claims that also deflect blame from the Kremlin. The legal actions attracted attention this month when Russia’s transportation...

Putin's summer offensive is stalling as Ukraine puts up a heroic defense leaving Russia resorting to teens to fill the ranks. Despite Putin’s promises, Russian 18-year-olds are being press ganged into the army straight out of school and sent into the meatgrinder on Ukraine’s battlefields. The Russian despot has made repeated promises to his people that no 18-year-olds will be called up to serve but evidence is emerging that at least 245 teens have been killed in Ukraine in the last couple of years. New government rules mean those fresh out of school can bypass military service and instead sign...

Derek Huffman, a Texas father, relocated his family to Russia to escape “wokeness” and joined the Russian military in pursuit of citizenship. Promised a non-combat role, he was instead deployed to Ukraine’s frontlines. His wife says he’s untrained, overwhelmed, and unpaid. Huffman says he’ll “do whatever it takes” to return safely.

An RAF signals intelligence aircraft has been deployed over the Black Sea to monitor the movements of the Russian military across the region. The operation, conducted under the watchful eye of NATO and Russian air defence units, comes as the war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating in the near future. The plane being used is an RC-135W Rivet Joint, a modified Boeing aircraft, considered to be one of the most technologically sophisticated in the world. Equipped with an array of sensors, its sensors ‘soak up’ electronic emissions from communications, radar and other systems to build a picture of...

Ukrainian forces are holding back Russia’s concerted summer push to break through defenses along parts of the front line, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says. “They are not advancing. It’s very tough for our guys out there. And it’s tough everywhere,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Thursday, in comments embargoed till Friday. “It’s also very hard for the Russians — and that’s good for us.” With the war now in its fourth year after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of its neighbor, the effort is draining resources on both sides, although Russia has more resources and people to sustain its fight. Ukraine is...

A previously unreported order by Elon Musk to cut satellite communications over a portion of Ukraine disrupted a counteroffensive by Kyiv in the autumn of 2022. Reuters investigated the billionaire's order and its implications for countries increasingly reliant on his Starlink internet service. KYIV - During a pivotal push by Ukraine to retake territory from Russia in late September 2022, Elon Musk gave an order that disrupted the counteroffensive and dented Kyiv’s trust in Starlink, the satellite internet service the billionaire provided early in the war to help Ukraine’s military maintain battlefield connectivity. According to three people familiar with the...

Activists on Wednesday called for more protests of a new law that they say weakens Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs, following the first major anti-government demonstration in over three years of war. The legislation, which has also drawn rebukes from European Union officials and international rights groups, has put increased pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and endangered his public support at a critical phase of the war. Also on Wednesday, delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months. The talks appeared to have lasted less than an hour and yielded no breakthroughs....

Russia’s Su-35 “Super Flanker” is touted as the pinnacle of its 4th-generation fighters, a highly maneuverable jet meant to rival the best in the West. However, the aircraft is based on a Cold War design and suffers from a fatal flaw: its outdated radar system is comparable to 1980s U.S. tech and lacks key modern features.

Last week, we warned of a coming anti-democratic backslide. Now, we see it happening. A parliamentary vote, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s lawmakers, today took away the independence of Ukraine’s key anti-corruption bodies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Zelensky signed it into law the same day. Under the new law, the prosecutor general, a notoriously non-independent figure, will now oversee anti-corruption investigations — in a complete overturn of the system that was set up to be independent from other law enforcement bodies. In reality, it means that Zelensky’s office will be able to...

The goal of the upcoming Istanbul talks between Russia and Ukraine is to work through the draft memoranda exchanged during earlier stages, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, after confirming Moscow's delegation, again led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, had departed for Istanbul. The talks will "mainly focus on the draft memoranda exchanged during the second round," Peskov noted, calling them central to the peace proposal process. He added that reconciling these texts is essential groundwork before any high-level summit can be scheduled so that the leaders would not have to do the technically complex work themselves. Peskov also...

The Russian-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine's east are teetering on the brink of a severe humanitarian crisis, with certain locales having been parched for four months straight. The dire water scarcity is attributed to rampant corruption and gross mismanagement by the Kremlin-backed leadership. Donetsk and Makiivka are bearing the brunt of the crisis, inciting residents' fears of potential disease outbreaks. In response, local officials have rolled out emergency water rationing for the nearly 1.3 million inhabitants of both cities. Andrey Chertkov, the interim head honcho of the self-proclaimed DPR government, cautioned citizens about the new tri-weekly water...

Ukraine will need at least $120 billion for defence spending next year, Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday. Negotiations are ongoing with NATO and EU members as Ukraine seeks $60 billion in funding from partners, he added in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Podnosova once said that women weren’t into Putin during their uni years. RUSSIA'S top judge and Putin’s former university pal has died today - just 15 months after taking the helm of the country's supreme court. -snip- Podnosova had revealed in 2001 how a gawky Putin was not fancied by girls at discos at Leningrad State University where they both studied in the law faculty in the Soviet era. “I well remember the last New Year [at university] - everyone dressed in masquerade costumes, and Volodya [Vladimir] came in a modest suit. "He commented: ‘This is Stierlitz’s outfit," in reference...

The draft memorandums on resolving the conflict that Moscow and Kyiv exchanged earlier would be the focus of the third round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. "The subject of talks is rather complicated; apart from other issues, the draft memorandums that the parties exchanged in the second round will also need to be discussed," he pointed out, News.Az reports, citing TASS.

US Senator Lindsey Graham has warned that President Donald Trump will impose steep tariffs on countries that continue to import oil from Russia, specifically naming India, China and Brazil. Graham made the remarks during a recent interview on Fox News. “Trump is going to impose tariffs on people that buy Russian oil – China, India, and Brazil,” Graham said. These three countries account for around 80 per cent of Russia’s crude exports, which Graham argued is helping to fund the war in Ukraine. He said Trump plans to impose a 100 per cent tariff on oil-related imports from those nations...

An American father who moved to Russia to avoid LGBTQ+ “indoctrination” for his kids is being sent to the front line in Ukraine, despite being assured he would serve in a non-combat role. Derek Huffman, 46, feels he is being “thrown to the wolves” after being told that his job in the military would be as a correspondent or as a welder, his wife, DeAnna, said in a recorded plea for prayers, which has since been removed from her YouTube page. Huffman has no prior military experience, DeAnna said, adding that his limited training was conducted in Russian. She suggested...

Donald Trump this week boosted Ukraine’s air defences with new Patriot batteries, threatened Vladimir Putin with sanctions if he does not agree to a ceasefire, and even reportedly gave tacit approval to more Ukrainian strikes on Moscow. Trump’s newfound support for Ukraine is a welcome lifeline. The question is whether his help will be enough to stop Russia’s relentless attacks before Ukraine is engulfed in a critical military, political and social crisis that threatens to destroy it from within. Putin chose war over peace this spring because his spies and generals told him that Ukraine is on the brink of...

The drone and missile onslaught against Ukraine

Russia’s banks are reportedly seeking to arrange bailouts from Moscow as borrowers struggle to repay loans across the war-battered economy. At least three of the country’s biggest banks are investigating the possibility of a state rescue, according to Bloomberg News, in the latest sign the nation is struggling under the pressure of its invasion of Ukraine. Officials are said to have ordered banks to avoid disclosing the full level of bad loans and instead to restructure their books to present a healthier image. But this tactic may be nearing the end of the road, requiring support from Moscow. Russia’s economy...

"The Russian side has repeatedly stated that a deployment of armed forces of other countries in Ukraine under any pretense would be absolutely unacceptable and it would regard this as preparations for foreign military intervention," Maria Zakharova statedMOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. Russia treats the idea of the "coalition of the willing" to create a multinational force as a plan of military intervention and will regard its units in Ukraine as legitimate targets, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. The diplomat was commenting on the outcome of the coalition’s earlier meeting. Following the event, the office of UK Prime Minister...