Drones exploded in Moscow after an aerial assault hit Kyiv overnight. Here's what to know
Russian President Vladimir Putin called a drone attack in the Moscow region a "clear sign of terrorist activity" while pointing the finger at Ukraine. Though Ukraine has denied that it was directly involved, it comes the same day that at least one person was killed in an aerial assault on Kyiv early Tuesday.
The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said the number of Ukrainian strikes has increased near the border with its highest number of reported attacks in the last 24 hours.
Here's what to know to get up to speed:
Moscow attacks: Eight drones were involved in an attack in the Moscow region on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Russia blamed Ukraine Ukraine which has denied any direct involvement. Putin said the city's air defenses worked normally, also suggesting that the drone attacks had been in response to recent Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure. "Kyiv chose the path of intimidation of Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings," Putin said.
Assault on Kyiv: Explosions in Kyiv early Tuesday killed one person and injured at least three others, the Ukrainian military said. It marks the 17th aerial attack on the capital city this month. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said there would've been more damage without Ukraine’s modern air defense systems.
Western countries react: British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Tuesday that Ukraine has the right to "project force" over its borders for self-defense, following a drone attack in Moscow. A National Security Council spokesperson stressed that the United States does not back attacks in Russia. More generally, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that there is no fatigue among Western countries on providing aid to Ukraine.
Strikes in Belgorod: There have been dozens of strikes in several areas of Russia's Belgorod region by Ukrainian mortar and artillery fire over the last 24 hours — by far the highest reported number in a single day, according to the region's governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. The region is located next to Ukraine and has seen a growing incidence of cross-border fire. The governor said one person was killed and two others were injured in an attack on a temporary accommodation center.
Protecting Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi outlined five principles to protect Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and asked that Russia and Ukraine observe them to ensure the plant's safety and security. Grossi added that he has not yet secured their agreement on protecting the facility.
Latest on NATO: The US expects Sweden’s accession to NATO to be completed “in the weeks ahead,” according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted non-aligned Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and seek protection within NATO. Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO on April 4.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-30-23/index.html
Meduza learned how the pro-government media were ordered to cover the drone attack on Moscow: it is necessary to pay attention to the “successful work of air defense” and emphasize that the goals of the “provocation” have not been achieved
Meduza’s sources in Russian state and pro-government media have described the instructions they received from the presidential administration to cover the drone attack on Moscow and the Moscow Region.
The media is "requested to use the following approaches":
pay attention to the "successful work of air defense";
indicate that the reaction of the “federal services” and the leadership of Moscow and the Moscow region was “instant”, and the work was “high-quality and concentrated”
emphasize that the goals of "provocation" have not been achieved;
to emphasize that the task of the attack was "psychological", but the inhabitants showed "calmness and endurance".
In addition, the “manual” contains a recommendation if and when to quote comments on the drone attack by State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein, head of the ANO Center for the Development of Transport Technologies Alexei Rogozin (son of the former head of Roskosmos Dmitry Rogozin) and former head of the self-proclaimed DPR Ministry of Defense Igor Strelkov, but only with a negative connotation.
Khinshtein published in a telegram "a primary list of crash sites for downed UAVs in the Moscow region." Rogozin told the media what types of drones could be used for the attack. Strelkov wrote that the mayor of Moscow "urgently forms groups to be sent to Donetsk, Horlivka, and Shebekino to get acquainted with the experience of city institutions in the face of the negative impact of drones."
Wagner boss Prigozhin rips into Russia's military leaders after drone attack on Moscow: 'Let your houses burn'
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ripped in Russia's military leaders over drone attacks in Moscow.
"Why the f--k are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow?" Prigozhin said.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin downplayed the attacks and said Russia's air defenses worked well.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, excoriated Russia's military leaders after a rare drone attack in Moscow on Tuesday, which brought the war in Ukraine home for Russian civilians in a new way.
"Why the f--k are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow?" Prigozhin said in a rant directed at the Russian Defense Ministry, per Reuters, apparently infuriated that drones were able to reach the Russian capital.
"Let your houses burn," Prigozhin added.
"And what should ordinary people do when drones with explosives crash into their windows? So as a citizen, I am deeply outraged that these scum sit quietly with their a---holes smeared with expensive creams. And that's why I think the people have every right to ask them these questions, these bastards," Prigozhin, who has repeatedly butted heads with Russia's military leadership, continued.
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The EU imposed sanctions against Igor Chaika because of the support of the "FSB projects to destabilize Moldova"
The European Union imposed sanctions against the son of the ex-Prosecutor General of Russia Yuri Chaika - Igor Chaika. The reason is the "destabilization" of the Republic of Moldova, according to the official journal of the EU. Chaika Jr. is responsible for funding "FSB projects aimed at destabilizing Moldova", in addition, he supported actions that "threaten the sovereignty, independence, democracy, rule of law and stability of the republic," the document says.
The leader of the pro-Russian Shor party, Ilan Shor, his deputy Marina Tauber, the leader of the Building Europe at Home party, Georgy Cavkalyuk, and the Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc were also sanctioned. The list also includes the Russian singer Jasmine, who is Shor's wife.
Earlier, similar sanctions were imposed by the United States. According to the United States Department of the Treasury, Chaika is associated with members of the hacker group Evil Corp, which is also under sanctions, and had plans to "undermine the position of Moldovan President Maia Sandu and return Moldova to Russia's sphere of influence."
At the same time, Igor Chaika's brother Artyom is doing better in Europe. In 2015, Alexei Navalny published an investigation stating that Artyom Chaika was the beneficiary of companies registered in Switzerland and Greece that received income from Yury Chaika's alleged illegal activities in the Russian Federation.
The Alexei Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation claimed that Artyom Chaika and his wife opened accounts in Switzerland back in 2003 and 2004. Somewhat later, through these accounts and the companies FT Conseils Sàrl and Juridical House SA, millions of illegally obtained amounts in Russia were transferred. At first, a certain Igor Chaika appeared as one of the owners of the companies, then he was replaced by a Russian citizen Artyom Chaika.
According to OpenCorporates, one of the firms, FT Conseils Sàrl, is still in operation.
The Swiss prosecutor's office, in turn, considered a letter from Alexei Navalny with the arguments of the investigation and evidence of the brothers' participation in illegal financial transactions. And she refused to initiate a case against Artyom Chaika. During the audit, the fact of the stay in Switzerland of the persons named in the complaint, as well as their connection with the company mentioned in it, was confirmed. However, no evidence of money laundering was found.
Russia’s Wagner Group uses Twitter and Facebook to hunt new recruits
Facing mounting losses in Ukraine, Russian mercenaries have been using American social media companies to enlist fresh blood.
Russia's paramilitary Wagner Group has been using Twitter and Facebook to recruit medics, drone operators and even psychologists to aid fighting operations, including in Ukraine, according to exclusive research seen by POLITICO.
Job ads for Wagner, which has mercenaries operating in several countries, have reached nearly 120,000 views on the two social media platforms over the last ten months, according to Logically, a U.K. disinformation-focused research group.
Sixty posts in dozens of languages – including French, Vietnamese and Spanish – shared information about fighting, IT, driving and medical positions apparently available with Wagner. They also included contact phone numbers, Telegram accounts and touted monthly salaries of 240,000 rubles (€2,800) with benefits including health care.
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Fake Signals and American Insurance: How a Dark Fleet Moves Russian Oil
The Cathay Phoenix is not a lone rogue ship, but one of at least three tankers identified by The New York Times taking extraordinary steps to hide their true activity, a practice that helps them to elude U.S. government oversight and puts their American insurer at risk of violating recent sanctions on Russian crude oil.
For years, ships wanting to hide their whereabouts have resorted to turning off the transponders all large vessels use to signal their location. But the tankers tracked by The Times go beyond this, using cutting-edge spoofing technology to make it appear they’re in one location when they’re really somewhere else.
During at least 13 voyages, the three tankers pretended to be sailing west of Japan. In reality, they were at terminals in Russia and shipping oil to China.
The vessels are part of a so-called dark fleet, a loose term used to describe a hodgepodge array of ships that obscure their locations or identities to avoid oversight from governments and business partners. They have typically been involved in moving oil from Venezuela or Iran — two countries that have also been hit by international sanctions. The latest surge of dark fleet ships began after Russia invaded Ukraine and the West tried to limit Moscow’s oil revenue with sanctions.
“The type of spoofing we are seeing is uncommon and sophisticated,” said David Tannenbaum, a former sanctions compliance officer at the U.S. Treasury, referring to the tankers identified by The Times. “It definitely looks like evasion on all parts.”
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/30/world/asia/russia-oil-ships-sanctions.html
NATO has increased its presence in the Serbian regions of Kosovo due to the outbreak of unrest
The protests of the Serbian population of Kosovo against the newly elected mayors - Kosovo Albanians - escalated into mass clashes not only with the police but also with peacekeepers acting under a UN mandate. The KFOR force, made up of NATO military personnel, has stepped up its presence in four cities in North Kosovo. The European Union calls on the parties to peace in order to prevent the breakdown of the agreement on the normalization of relations, reached just two months ago.
30 KFOR soldiers were injured yesterday in the city of Zvecan during clashes due to the use of improvised explosive devices and firearms by Serb demonstrators, KFOR said on Tuesday. “Both sides must take full responsibility for what happened and prevent further escalation, and not hide behind false statements,” said the mission’s commander, Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance will increase the size of the KFOR contingent by 700 people and increase the readiness of other units in order to deploy additional troops to the Balkans if necessary. There will now be almost 4,500 peacekeepers in Kosovo.
The riots began on Friday when the Serbs tried to keep the newly elected mayor of Zvecan out of the municipality. Serbs make up less than 10% of the country's population, but in the north, on the contrary, they are the vast majority. They boycotted the local elections held in April, as they demand the creation of an association of autonomous municipalities in their region. As a result, with a turnout of 3.5%, Kosovar Albanians were elected as mayors in four cities.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić ordered the army to be brought to a state of maximum combat readiness and some units to be moved to the border with Kosovo. After meeting with the US, Italian, French, German and British ambassadors on Tuesday, Vučić said he had asked for the Albanian mayors to be removed from office. Vucic also met with the ambassadors of Russia and China.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused the Serbs of painting "ultra-nationalist graffiti on NATO vehicles", referring to the spray-painted letters Z, a symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeff Howenier said that when the US learned on Friday that the authorities, with the help of local police, provide mayors with access to offices, they strongly opposed and warned the Kosovo government about the negative consequences, including for the process of normalization of relations with Serbia.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, called on the Kosovo and Serbian leaders to reach an agreement. “There is already so much violence in Europe today, we cannot allow another conflict,” he said.
According to observers, a new outbreak of confrontation could derail the agreement that Serbia and Kosovo reached in March with the mediation of the EU. Then Pristina agreed to create an association of municipalities in areas densely populated by Serbs. And Belgrade, in turn, promised "not to object to Kosovo's membership in international organizations," which theoretically allowed the former Serbian province, which declared independence in 2008, to join the UN. The parties did not sign a formal agreement then but promised to fulfill the agreements.
The April municipal elections in Kosovo, however, were held according to the old rules.
“The settlement process is badly undermined,” Edward Joseph, an expert on the Balkans at Johns Hopkins University, told the Financial Times of recent turmoil. “I hope the [March] agreement is not dead, but such irresponsible behavior greatly complicates the implementation of such agreements.”
https://www.moscowtimes.ru/2023/05/30/nato-usililo-prisutstvie-v-serbskih-raionah-kosova-a44520
GRU Spy Masha: a millionaire disguised as a UN employee
Every morning, an old Zhiguli car arrives and parks outside the Foreign Ministry building on Smolenskaya Square. A young and modestly dressed woman gets out of the car and swiftly makes her way to the main entrance. She then proceeds to take the elevator to the Foreign Policy Planning Department of the Foreign Ministry, where she occupies an office marked with the title “Deputy Director.” When the day comes to an end, this same deputy director departs, alters her appearance by adorning herself with lavish jewelry, and boards a Bentley. This luxurious vehicle transports her to the equestrian complex called “New Century,” where she indulges in the company of Latvian stallions named Prince Sapphire, Avans, and mare Rosalia. The name of the skilled equestrian is Maria Khodynskaya-Golenishcheva, a 34-year-old professor at MGIMO [Foreign Relations] University, who has also gained experience working at the United Nations mission in Geneva. It should be noted that this “Professor” holds significant value as an agent of the GRU, and has contributed to various operations, including directing Russian airstrikes in Syria, which resulted in the loss of numerous civilian lives due to the use of chemical weapons. Nevertheless, her substantial wealth stems not solely from her involvement with military intelligence, but rather from her personal connections. Specifically, Masha-“Bentley” was romantically involved with the infamous LDPR deputy Leonid Slutsky, whose notoriety arose from allegations of sexual harassment.
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https://theins.ru/en/society/262080
Russian PM: Nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians in occupied territories given Russian passports
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on May 30 that nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians in the occupied territories have been given Russian passports over the past nine months, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
The Russian Internal Affairs Ministry claimed in early February that over 8,000 residents of occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts applied "daily" for Russian citizenship.
However, Ukrainians in the occupied territories who refuse Russian citizenship are often threatened with deportation or with being forcibly mobilized into the Russian military.
In late April, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree "allowing" Ukrainian citizens to be deported from the occupied territories by 2024 if they refuse to take Russian citizenship.
Putin also signed a bill on May 29 that "permits" elections to be held in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Russian forces partially control Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and Ukraine still holds the capital cities of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on national television in late May that Ukrainians who were forced to take Russian citizenship to survive in the occupied territories would not be punished by Ukrainian authorities after the war.
Investigation:
‘You really are a terrorist’ How Russia’s FSB recruits former ISIS fighters — and tries to plant them in Ukrainian battalions
For more than a year now, Russia’s intelligence services have been operating under wartime conditions; very little is known publicly about what they’ve been up to. Meduza special correspondent Lilia Yapparova and terrorism expert Vera Mironova have discovered that among other things, the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has been recruiting former Islamic State (or ISIS) fighters and trying to embed them in pro-Ukrainian Chechen units and Crimean Tatar battalions. Here’s how they do it.
In January 2014, when Baurzhan Kultanov first joined the Islamic State, he wasn’t surprised by almost anything he encountered in Syria and Iraq’s occupied territories. While recounting his experiences there, he compared Raqqa, ISIS’s then-capital, to Istanbul, where he had met his recruiters, as well as to his hometown of Astrakhan, Russia.
“People live their lives there, just like anywhere,” Kultanov told Meduza. “The women sit at home, they go to the bazaar — just like in Russia. Except, in this case, there are drones constantly flying overhead and dropping bombs. And all the flags are black. And all of the men are armed.”
One other aspect of life reminded Kultanov of Russia as well: the local authorities’ constant surveillance of potential dissidents. “The caliphate’s security service is somewhat like the FSB. They would find dissidents and imprison or kill them,” the former fighter said. “I did a lot of talking myself, but I didn’t fear the consequences: I always had a weapon on my person and explosives on my belt.”
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https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/05/22/you-really-are-a-terrorist
Kadyrov proposed to introduce martial law in Russia
Martial law should be introduced in Russia after “Ukraine attacked Moscow with drones,” said the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.
According to him, the Kyiv authorities "are making decisions that more and more leave no doubt that they are using terrorist methods." “ It is necessary to declare martial law in Russia, to use all the combat resources intended for this in order to sweep away this entire terrorist cell at once, without resorting to the wording “Ukrainian military”. There are no military and politicians in Ukraine - only terrorists," Kadyrov said.
He urged "not to fuss and not stand on ceremony," but to beat to defeat," so that the rest would not even think badly towards Russia." “Measures to respond to such attempts to attack should not be tough - they should be cruel,” Kadyrov stressed.
He also announced a quick response to Moscow's attack - in the war zone, promising to show "what revenge is in the full sense of the word," and called on European countries to think about "whom they sponsor." “It will come back when Russia knocks on the door, for example, Germany or Poland. And there will be nothing to answer - all the weapons were spent on Ukraine, ”added Kadyrov.
Martial law is introduced only in the presence of an external threat or aggression against the country. In modern Russia, it has never been announced. According to the law, aggression is considered to be the invasion or attack of foreign troops, the entry of armed groups, the blockade of ports or coasts, and the permission of another state to use its territory for an attack.
Martial law is introduced by decree of the President of Russia, within 48 hours the document must be approved by the Federation Council. The mode can be set throughout the country or in individual regions. It currently operates in four occupied territories of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
https://www.moscowtimes.ru/2023/05/30/kadirov-predlozhil-vvesti-vrossii-voennoe-polozhenie-a44525
Design engineer of the defense industry enterprise from Rostov-on-Don arrested in the case of "treason"
The Lefortovo Court of Moscow arrested a design engineer of an enterprise of the military-industrial complex (OPK) detained last week in Rostov-on-Don in the case of “treason” in the form of espionage (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This is reported by TASS with reference to a source in law enforcement agencies.
According to the security forces, the worker transmitted to the military intelligence of Ukraine data on the location of defense industry enterprises, air defense systems, and personnel of the Russian Armed Forces. The man was placed in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center. No other details of the case are given, as it contains "classified information." Including the security forces do not disclose the name and surname of the design engineer.
On April 18, the State Duma immediately adopted in the second and third readings a law on life imprisonment for "treason."
An alleged Russian spy whale turned up in Sweden. Why?
The alleged former Russian spy has spent the past few years bumming around the Norwegian coast, where he made friends with locals and became known for his toothy grin. He’s recently turned up in Sweden, where local authorities have welcomed him even as they figure out what to do with him. He’s also a whale.
The beluga whale, named Hvaldimir — a pun on his ostensibly Russian heritage and “hval,” the Norwegian word for whale — was spotted in Swedish waters, according to the nonprofit OneWhale, which advocates for Hvaldimir. The group said Monday it was in contact with Swedish authorities, who it said had “quickly taken action to care for the whale.” Regina Haug, OneWhale’s founder, said in a statement that Swedish authorities had “even closed a bridge to protect him.”
Hvaldimir’s appearance in Sweden has added another international element to the years-long saga of fascination and concern over how best to deal with the friendly animal thought to be a former intelligence asset.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/30/beluga-spy-whale-hvaldimir-sweden-norway/
Blinken urges Turkey to immediately approve Sweden's NATO accession
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Turkey to immediately finalize Sweden's accession to NATO, saying the Nordic country had already taken significant steps to address Ankara's objections to its membership.
Blinken also rejected the suggestion that the Biden administration was linking Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO accession to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, although he said the U.S. Congress was doing so. A day before, the U.S. president also alluded to a link.
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NY Times reports that Tara Reid, the woman who accused Biden of sexual assault, has moved to Russia.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/us/tara-reade-russia.html?unlocked_article_code=qv6XFnH1wSHup7oKJMzR2dON1nKzr-lqMtmDWkBZCJ5-6iIyJ_USKFGB3hr8SY9rdhQkXI7S-_M9DarvPxTURELmoYqnPhfiLei69EU95_Efjimirkjklh-IpuWxM4qwj_6vOjm4_yHkBi2fVS8E2sxk3T_hAxwWl88mioiX7zbRA3QhdHy1lVUI5IvCxs8twzGOGuhDPEV0ND26jwTQOFqPbMu2gFRSH6e7kAYShLeDzYJHHVwsfsia_73u68VZLExPmIzqneN87RlaCictjUI4axFBtWOUrxfp9-l8FsUMGf9qK0kmgKBt3vo5PNy9InT7yq_E&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare