The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested four residents of Kiev, suspected of operating on a farm of “worlds” (robots of social networks) to spread misinformation about the summit of the Crimean Platform on social media.

The suspects used 15,000 fake online accounts, so-called “bots”, to write and publish derogatory content about the summit results, posing as regular users of social networks such as Facebook, Instagam and TikTok.

According to the SBU, the alleged cybercriminals were backed by Russia. They received money from Russian territory through electronic payment systems which are banned in Ukraine. According to the National Bank of Ukraine, Ukrainians are not allowed to use Russian online payment systems, such as Webmoney, YooMoney, Qiwi WËallet and Wallet one.

The office of the suspects in the center of Kiev, had 300 modems to access the Internet, several thousand SIM cards of various operators, dozens of mobile terminals and computers containing evidence of this scheme.

Ukrainian intelligence officer during the action

world
August 02, 2021 – 21:31

Russia’s ambassador to the United States said Washington had asked 24 Russian diplomats to leave the country by September 3 after their visas expire.

Anatoly Antonov did not say whether the US request was prompted by any particular dispute. “Almost all of them will leave without being replaced because Washington has suddenly tightened visa procedures,” Antonov said in an interview with National Interest magazine published on Sunday.

But US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the Russian ambassador’s description of the situation involving 24 Russian diplomats with expired US visas was incorrect.

Speaking at a news conference, the spokesman said Russian diplomats “can apply for an extension” of their visas and “such applications are considered on a case-by-case basis”.

Moscow and Washington have long had differing differences on a number of issues and that have worsened since US President Joe Biden said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was a killer.

Tensions eased somewhat after President Biden met with President Putin for talks on June 16, which even led to the return of some foreign investors’ money in Russian government treasury bills.

“We hope that common sense will prevail and that we will be able to normalize the lives of Russian and American diplomats in the United States and Russia on the principle of reciprocity,” Antonov said.

Ambassador Antonov also said he hoped the recently launched dialogue between the United States and Russia on cyber security issues would continue. / VOA

world
July 30, 2021 – 23:27

The authoritarian president of Belarus said on Friday that he was ready to invite Russian troops to the country if necessary to ensure the security of Belarus and Russia.

But Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko added that at the moment “there is no need” for such a thing.

In his comments to the state-run Belta news agency, Lukashenko stressed that he had faced last year’s anti-government protests without engaging other countries’ armed forces, but added that he would not hesitate to bring in Russian troops if this were to happen. to be necessary.

According to the Belta news agency, Lukashenko said Belarus was able to deploy 500,000 troops quickly, but “if they are not enough, all the Russian armed forces will be deployed. If necessary, we will not hesitate. “

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow had not received any formal request from Belarus to deploy troops and that “this is possible only after an official request from the leadership of a country to the leadership of our country”.

Russia and Belarus have close military and defense ties. Two Russian radar stations communicating with nuclear submarines in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and parts of the Pacific are located in Belarus. In September, the two former Soviet countries planned to conduct joint large-scale military exercises.

Until recently, Mr Lukashenko’s government had resisted Moscow ‘s efforts to expand its military presence in Belarus and rejected requests to open an air base and deploy additional troops to the country.

But after the political crisis that erupted in Belarus and was accompanied by massive protests following Lukashenko’s re-election for a sixth term in August 2020, Russia promised military support to its neighbor and a $ 1.5 billion loan to the collapsed economy. of Belarus.

The United States and the European Union have imposed a number of sanctions targeting the Belarusian leadership and key sectors of its economy following protests against manipulation of last year’s presidential election.

Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told the Associated Press news agency that Lukashenko’s statements on Friday were a clear attempt to intimidate the West.

“For the first time, he threatened to deploy Russian troops in Belarus. However, the Kremlin is in no hurry to support these initiatives,” Karbalevich said.

Mr Lukashenko has accused the West of trying to orchestrate a revolution in the country he ruled with an iron fist for decades and of plotting a coup, including pressure on Belarus with sanctions. His electoral rival fled to Lithuania, and Lithuanian officials say authorities in Belarus are now loading the Lithuanian border with migrants to put pressure on the EU country.

According to the human rights center Viasna, Belarusian authorities in recent weeks have stepped up pressure on NGOs and independent media, carrying out more than 200 raids on the offices and apartments of activists and journalists this month alone.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists said raids and detentions targeting journalists continued on Friday in Minsk and other cities. Earlier this week, authorities announced the Belsat television channel, funded by the palakas, an extremist group.

A total of 28 Belarusian journalists remain in custody, awaiting trial or serving prison sentences. Journalists’ associations on Thursday demanded that authorities provide urgent hospital care for a well-known journalist, who is in custody. / voa

The Russian ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko reacted to the VIRUSSIA documentary.

In a show on Radio Television of Vojvodina, he was asked about the content and attitudes of the RTK documentary, which talks about Russian malignant influence in the Western Balkans.

The moderator’s question regarding the VIRUSSIA documentary, in which arguments are made about the malignant Russian influence in the Western Balkans, Botsan-Kharchenko, interrupted with a completely non-diplomatic dictionary “It is completely false!”.

However, the following question of the moderator “how do you react then?”, The Russian ambassador in Belgrade, avoided answering, saying that we do not react, “because we could react, we would forget about the real cooperation in some projects and some activities in which we have to work. ”

The documentary VIRUSSIA, which was broadcast a few days ago on RTK, has caused a stir in the region. Apart from Kosovo, it was also broadcast in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and according to the producers, there are requests for it to be broadcast in other countries, not only regionally, but also further.

In the first part, out of 4 in total, the documentary talked about Russian espionage activity in the Western Balkans. Leaders, journalists, investigators and spies from all over the region have spoken on this project. Precisely the issue of Russian influence, makes this documentary project in which for the first time Albanians, Serbs, Montenegrins, Bosniaks and Macedonians speak. NATO, the European Union and other European institutions also speak.

world
June 02, 2021 – 23:46

Berlin has blocked flights of Russian airlines arriving in the Federal Republic, thus responding to Moscow’s refusal to authorize Lufthansa flights. According to AFP, the German Ministry of Transport acted on the principle of reciprocity

The decision of the German government states that: “In accordance with the practice of reciprocity, the Federal Aviation Authority does not issue further permits for flights of Russian airlines until the authorizations are suspended by the Russian side.”

The decision comes amid growing tensions between Russia and the European Union over Moscow’s support for Belarus.

The 27-nation bloc and the United States last week introduced new sanctions against Belarus after authorities there diverted an international flight to arrest a dissident journalist. The sanctions fall on those imposed on Belarusian officials, including its authoritarian leader, President Alexander Lukashenko, for rigging elections and cracking down on protests last year.

The German Ministry of Transport said Russia “unilaterally” suspended bilateral air traffic agreements between the two countries in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Flights since then have been mutually approved on a monthly basis, she said.

The ministry said she and the German embassy in Moscow were in close exchange with Russian aviation authorities./A2

world
June 01, 2021 – 18:49

Germany and the United States are holding talks in a bid to resolve the dispute over the North Stream 2 pipeline. Talks are being held in Washington, said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. He said it was in Germany’s interest to reach an agreement with the United States.

“It will not be easy and it may not happen quickly, but I am confident that we will succeed in reaching a solution,” Maas said without elaborating.

About 95 percent of the pipeline construction work from Russia has been completed and the entire project is expected to be finalized in September. Its construction had sparked clashes between the administration of former US President Donald Trump and Berlin. Since taking office in January, US President Joe Biden has been working to improve relations with Europe.

German media reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sent her two closest aides to Washington to work on a compromise deal ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe in mid-June.

US officials have warned that the pipeline will make Europe more dependent on Russian energy supplies and bypass Ukraine, which relies on gas transit tariffs.

The German government has refused to suspend the project, saying it is an internal matter. Biden has said that the Germans are aware of American concerns.

During his stay in Europe, he is expected to meet with Chancellor Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On May 19, the Biden administration sanctioned several companies and ships for their work on the North Stream 2 project, but lifted sanctions on the company Nord Stream 2 AG behind the project and its chief executive, Matthias Warnig, a close ally Putinit.

The state-controlled Russian energy company Gazprom is a major shareholder in Nord Stream 2 AG, based in Switzerland.

One week ago, the international media published the news regarding the visit of the delegation of the so-called “Russian Center for Culture and Science” in Belgrade, known as “Ruski Dom”.

This visit took place on 18 and 19 May 2021. Part of this delegation were Yevgeny Baranov and Vasily Galaktionov.

According to their Facebook page, this visit was organized by the Liaison Office of the Russian Federation, which is located in the Arbëria neighborhood in Prishtina.

The Russian delegation visited several cities in Kosovo.

They visited North Mitrovica, the parallel University in this city, the Gracanica Monastery, the Deçan Monastery and the House of Culture in Gracanica.

Participants in these visits were also representatives of this office, headed by its chief, Andrey Shugurov and other official Nikita Sukhodolov, writes Telegrafi.

“Russian House” also published photos of the visit in question, which testify to the participation of Russian officials in Pristina.

At the head of the “Russian House” in Belgrade is Yevgeny Boranov. He has been a reporting journalist from the former Yugoslavia.

Although officially the “Russian House” states that they have signed an agreement with the parallel University in North Mitrovica, the real reason for this visit is still unknown.

A delegation from the Belgrade-based Russian Center for Science and Culture, “Russian House” (Ruski dom), visited Kosovo last week to meet with Serb representatives, including Kosovo Minister of Returns and Communities Goran Rakic ​​and MP of the Assembly of Kosovo from the ranks of the Serbian List, Igor Simic.

They discussed “numerous issues of developing and strengthening co-operation with local educational, cultural and social institutions”. It was said that some agreements reached in Kosovo will strengthen the position of the Russian language “in this region and the promotion of Russia’s achievements in the field of education, culture and science”. The delegation of the Russian Center in Kosovo also met with representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Gracanica and Deçan.

The communiqué of the Russian Center for Science and Culture states that the visit of the delegation of the “Russian House” was conducted with the support of the “Office in Pristina of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Serbia”.

The office of the Russian Federation is located in the Arbëria neighborhood in Prishtina.

Radio Free Europe addressed this office, regarding the visit of the delegation of the “Russian House” in Kosovo, with the question what was the purpose of this visit, for which specifically the agreement was reached in the meetings that were held. But, from this office they have not returned an answer.

Radio Free Europe asked the Government of Kosovo if they were aware of the two-day stay of the delegation of the Russian Center in Kosovo and asked for a comment regarding this visit.

The spokesman of the Government of Kosovo, Përparim Kryeziu responded briefly.

“We have been informed about the meeting in the meantime, but as the Office of the Prime Minister we have not been officially informed about it”, said Kryeziu in a written response.

Radio Free Europe also addressed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo with the question whether it was informed about the visit of the delegation of the “Russian House”, but until the publication of this text, this ministry has not returned any answer.

Russia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and considers its territory to be an integral part of Serbia.

The full text can be found HERE.

The United States officially blacklisted more than 12 Russian ships involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, shortly after removing the Russian operating company and its chief executive from the list.

The move was announced in advance on May 21 by the US Treasury Department, while there was strong criticism from Republican lawmakers over the White House announcement that the Russian operating company itself would no longer be part of the sanctions.

Almost completed, the Baltic Sea pipeline will bring Russian gas directly to Germany, bypassing road lines through Ukraine, Belarus and other countries.

Critics say the pipeline will increase Germany’s dependence on Russian energy and make Berlin more vulnerable to Kremlin policies. They also say the pipeline will deny Ukraine and other countries the benefits of transit tariffs, Ora News reports.

However, the pipeline is backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. Political observers said President Joe Biden did not appear to resolve the dispute with a US ally over the issue.

world
May 22, 2021 – 11:00

The United States has officially blacklisted dozens of Russian ships involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The US Treasury Department announcement comes after Republican Republicans criticized Congress for an earlier announcement by the White House that it would not include the Russian pipeline operator in its sanctions list.

The pipeline, built almost in the Baltic Sea, will bring Russian gas directly to Germany, passing through Ukraine, Belarus and other countries.

Critics say this will increase Germany’s dependence on Russian energy and make Berlin more sensitive to Russian policies. It will also deprive Ukraine and other countries of the benefit of transit tariffs.

However, the pipeline is backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government and political observers say President Joe Biden does not appear to want to foment conflict with a US ally over the issue.

Earlier in the week, the US State Department announced that it did not intend to include the Russian-owned pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG in its sanctions list, nor its ally, Matthias Warnig, the alliance’s chief executive. and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Republican senators have said they will draft legislation to reinstate sanctions.