France proposes new sanctions to target Russian disinformation, election interference

France is asking the #EU to impose new sanctions to target Russian disinformation and election interference around the world, Bloomberg reported on April 24, citing a draft proposal from #France.

The proposal "would target those responsible for threatening the stability, security or #sovereignty of EU member states or third countries by undermining elections, the rule of law, facilitating acts of #violence or do so through the use of information manipulation and interference," Bloomberg wrote.

The governments of #Belgium and #Czechia also warned earlier in April that Russia was operating a disinformation and interference network targeting the upcoming EU parliamentary election.

https://kyivindependent.com/bloomberg-france-proposes-new-sanctions-to-russian-disinformation-election-interference/

#RussianAggression #propaganda #elections #disinformation #ElectionInterference #StopRussianAggression

Bloomberg: France proposes new sanctions to target Russian disinformation, election interference

The proposal "would target those responsible for threatening the stability, security or sovereignty of EU member states or third countries by undermining elections, the rule of law, facilitating acts of violence or do so through the use of...

Half of British military defense fund for Ukraine remains unused

More than half of the U.K.'s 900 million pound (over $1 billion) military fund for Ukraine remains unused due to bureaucratic delays in handing out contracts, the Guardian reports.

The #British Ministry of Defense manages a coalition of about nine countries called the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). The IFU is a funding mechanism that was created in August 2022 and uses financial contributions from nine other countries to procure military equipment for Ukraine. Some of the other countries in the initiative include Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, and Lithuania.

The IFU has been criticized for its slow provision of weapons to the frontlines. Of the more than $1 billion that's been donated by Western countries over the last two years, of which $600 million came from the U.K., only about $500 million has been committed or spent.

Some British officials even admitted that some of the materials that were purchased would not reach Ukraine until Spring 2025.

https://kyivindependent.com/guardian-half-of-british-military-defense-fund-for-ukraine-remains-unused/

#MilitaryAid #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine

Guardian: Half of British military defense fund for Ukraine remains unused

More than half of the U.K.'s 900 million pound (over $1 billion) military fund for Ukraine remains unused due to bureaucratic delays in handing out contracts, the Guardian reports.

Dutch PM offers to buy Patriot systems from allies for Ukraine

We know that many countries are sitting on large piles of Patriot systems, maybe not wanting to deliver it directly," Rutte said after arriving at the two-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

"We can buy it from them, we can deliver it to Ukraine, we have the money available. It's crucial."

https://kyivindependent.com/dutch-pm-offers-to-buy-patriot-systems-from-allies-for-ukraine/

#StopRussianAggression #Netherlands #anti-missiles #Patriot #StandByUkraine

Dutch PM offers to buy Patriot systems from allies for Ukraine

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte offered on April 17 to buy Patriot air defense systems from more hesitant allies in order to send them to Ukraine, The Guardian reported.

Moldova's Foreign Minister: Russia attempting to overthrow democratic government in Chișinău

"The Russians are learning and adapting, and they’re trying to use the democratic process against us … to topple the democratic government in Moldova," noted Popșoi.

He said that Chișinău knows that the Kremlin plans to invest "a lot of energy and financial resources" into their efforts to achieve their goals, including through the bribery of Moldovan citizens, via their proxies.

Russia would continue its hybrid warfare in 2024 on the eve of the presidential elections and the referendum on the country's accession to the European Union.

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/03/11/7445892/?utm_source=diaspora

#RussianAggression #Imperialism #Moldova #HybridWarfare #StopRussianAggression #RussianImperialism

Moldova’s Foreign Minister: Russia attempting to overthrow democratic government in Chișinău

Moldova’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mihai Popșoi, has stated that the country faces numerous threats from Russia on its path to EU membership.

Netherlands holds Russia liable for $180 million in costs related to #MH17 downing

All 298 people on board, including 80 children, were killed when Russian proxy forces used a BUK missile system to shoot down the Malaysia Airlines flight above Donetsk Oblast on July 17, 2014.

The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, and Dutch citizens made up 196 of the passengers on board.

Two Russian nationals, Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinsky, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, were found guilty of shooting down MH17 at a #Hague District Court in November 2022

https://kyivindependent.com/netherlands-costs-investigation-mh17-downing/

#RussianAggression #WarCrimes #CiviliansKilled #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine

Netherlands holds Russia liable for $180 million in costs related to MH17 downing

The Netherlands has spent at least 166 million euros ($179.8 million) on costs related to the downing of MH17, for which it holds Russia liable, according to a report by the Dutch General Audit Chamber (ARK) published on Feb. 29.

Russia's war in Ukraine has been knocking on your door, too

Talking about Russia's war against Ukraine, we are not talking about a war between two states. It's is a war between two systems

Two years on, we know if Russia succeeds, we will find ourselves in a world that will be dangerous for everyone without exception

Samuel Huntington predicted that new global conflicts would arise between different civilizations.

Thousands of Ukrainian cities are being shelled not only by #Russian missiles but also by #Iranian drones & ballistic missiles in addition to #NorthKorean artillery shells & missiles.

#China is helping Russia circumvent sanctions and import technologies critical to warfare. North Korea sent Russia more than a million artillery shells. Syria votes at the UN General Assembly in support of Russia.

We are dealing with the formation of an entire authoritarian bloc. As much as Russia, Iran, China, Syria, and North Korea are "different civilizations", according to Huntington's views, they pose a crucial common feature.

The existence of the free world always threatens dictatorships with the loss of power. That's because human beings inherently have a desire for freedom.

Therefore, when we talk about Russia's war against Ukraine, we are not talking about a war between two states. This is a war between two systems — authoritarianism and democracy.

https://www.euronews.com/2024/02/24/russias-war-in-ukraine-has-been-knocking-on-your-door-too

#Imperialism #RussianAggression #RussiaInvadedUkraine #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine

The Clash of Civilizations | work by Huntington

Other articles where The Clash of Civilizations is discussed: Samuel P. Huntington: …he argued in the controversial The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1996) that conflict between several large world civilizations was...

Is Congress Really Going to Abandon Ukraine Now? - The Atlantic

Tens of millions of other people—Poles, Germans, Romanians, Finns, Estonians, Swedes, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Czechs, Latvians, Norwegians—are also in range of Russian conventional missiles, whether launched from Belarus, Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, or Russia itself. Anyone in Europe could also be hit by Russian nuclear weapons, of course, as Russian television propagandists so frequently like to remind us.

Dmitri Medvedev, a former Russian president, in recent months has:

• Threatened Poland with the loss of its statehood
• Threatened Sweden and Finland with nuclear and hypersonic missiles
• Said the Baltic states belong to Russia anyway.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/us-congress-support-ukraine-war/677256/

#Warmongering #RussianAggression #Imperialism #WarCrimes #Torture #nuclear #war #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine

Is Congress Really Going to Abandon Ukraine Now?

The U.S. rallied the world to help the Ukrainians. Are Americans really going to leave them to their fate?

China is watching allies' resolve on Ukraine

"If Putin gets what he wants in Ukraine, Taiwan might be the next country to be invaded by an authoritarian neighbor," he said.

“It’s not only making Europe more vulnerable, but all of us, also the United States, more vulnerable, if Putin gets what he wants in Ukraine.”

The bloc's leader added that as a Norwegian, he remembered that when his country joined NATO, Russia also tried to frame it as a provocation and not as a country’s sovereign right to join a defensive alliance.

https://kyivindependent.com/stoltenberg-tells-us-that-china-is-watching-allies-resolve-on-ukraine/

#StopRussianAggression #RussiaInvadedUkraine #WarCrimes #invasion #China #Taiwan #StandWithUkraine

Stoltenberg: China is watching allies' resolve on Ukraine

NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg visited Washington to persuade the U.S. Congress to pass a new $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. Republican lawmakers have opposed the bill.In an interview with Fox News, Stoltenberg said that supporting...

Russia aims to create new world order via alliance with China

#Russia is attempting to deepen its economic and diplomatic ties with #China and the #GlobalSouth to allow it to challenge the international financial system

The document reportedly envisioned a new financial system and a Eurasian digital currency based on alternative payment systems between Russia and China to bypass the U.S. dominance of global financial transactions through the dollar

https://kyivindependent.com/washington-post-russia-aims-to-create-new-world-order-through-alliance-with-china/

#StopRussianAggression #RussianAggression #financial #transactions #StandWithUkraine

Washington Post: Russia aims to create new world order via alliance with China

Russia is attempting to deepen its economic and diplomatic ties with China and the Global South to allow it to challenge the international financial system dominated by the U.S. and to undermine the West, the Washington Post (WP) reported.

Fire breaks out at oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar Krai

Multiple strikes on oil depots in Russia, including in #Bryansk, #Oryol, and #Leningrad oblasts, were reported in January, amid increasing claims of #DroneAttacks in Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

The #Tuapse fire caused no casualties or injuries, according to preliminary information, the Krasnodar Krai administration reported.

According to Russian pro-Kremlin media outlet Mash, local residents reported seeing multiple drones flying over the region before and after the fire at the oil depot.

https://kyivindependent.com/fire-breaks-out-at-oil-depot-in-russias-krasnodar-krai/

#RussiiaInvadedUkraine #RussianWarCrimes #StopRussianAggression #StandWithUkraine

Fire breaks out at oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar Krai

A fire broke out at an oil depot in the town of Tuapse in Russia's southern Krasnodar Krai the night of Jan. 25. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties.

NATO signs contracts for $1.2 billion worth of artillery shells

Contracts concluded on Jan. 23 for the purchase of around 220,000 155mm artillery shells worth around $1.2 billion

These munitions play a crucial in the Russia-Ukraine war, prompting Kyiv's allies to ramp up its 155mm shells stocks.

This demonstrates that NATO's tried and tested structures for joint procurement are delivering

https://kyivindependent.com/nato-signs-contracts-for-1-2-billion-worth-of-artillery-shells/

#StopRussianAggression #RussiaInvadedUkraine #Imperialism #WarCrimes #ArtilleryShells #StandWithUkraine #NATO

NATO signs contracts for $1.2 billion worth of artillery shells

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency concluded the deal on behalf of allies who will either pass shells to Ukraine or use them to refill their own arsenals.

Russia to be grilled on fate of forcibly deported Ukrainian children at UN Committee

The UN Committee seeks to determine how many children have been deported to Russia or within Russian-occupied territories, as well as what Russia has done to protect “the right of such children to preserve their identity, including nationality, name and family relations."

Since last February, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been identified as #abducted from Russian-occupied territories and sent to other Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, or to Russia itself

https://kyivindependent.com/russia-to-be-grilled-on-fate-of-forcibly-deported-ukrainian-children-at-un-committee/

#WarCrimes #RussiaInvadedUkraine #UkrainianChildren #deported #HumanRights #ChildAbuse #StopRussianAggression

Russia to be grilled on fate of forcibly deported Ukrainian children at UN Committee

Russia is set to respond to questions posed by various countries on the fate of forcibly deported Ukrainian children at the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on Jan. 23.

Russian proxy leader in occupied Moldovan territory calls for military preparedness

#Transnistria is a breakaway region internationally recognized as part of Moldova. Russian troops have occupied Transnistria since the early 1990s when Russia invaded the region under the pretext of protecting ethnic Russians.

There have been heightened tensions between #Moldova and Transnistria since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine when there were fears that armed conflict could erupt in Moldova.

https://kyivindependent.com/russian-proxy-leader-in-occupied-moldovan-territory-calls-for-military-preparedness/

#Imperialism #RussianAggression #RussiaInvadedUkraine #InformationWarfare #StopRussianAggression

Russian proxy leader in occupied Moldovan territory calls for military preparedness

There have been heightened tensions between Moldova and Transnistria since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when there were fears that armed conflict could erupt in Moldova.

Russia using relatively accurate, recently designed North Korean missiles against Ukraine

Russia used more North Korean missiles to attack Ukraine in the past few days, and U.S. officials believe they are "proving as accurate as Russia's home-built" weapons, the New York Times reported in its Jan. 23 morning briefing.

Moscow and Pyongyang have significantly increased their military ties since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, North Korea is now Russia's largest arms supplier.

https://kyivindependent.com/nyt-russia-nk-missiles/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #Imperialism #WarCrimes #NorthKorea #missiles #ArmsTrade #StandWithUkraine #StopRussianAggression

NYT: Russia using relatively accurate, recently designed North Korean missiles against Ukraine

Russia used more North Korean missiles to attack Ukraine in the past few days, and U.S. officials believe they are "proving as accurate as Russia's home-built" weapons, the New York Times reported in its Jan. 23 morning briefing.

Russian marine oil exports hit 2 month low after storms, suspected Ukrainian attack on refinery

Russian seaborne exports of crude oil fell to their lowest level in two months, hindered by winter storms and a recent attack on a Russian processing plant,

https://kyivindependent.com/russian-marine-oil-exports-hit-2-month-low-after-storms-suspected-ukrainian-attack-on-refinery/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #WarCrimes #Imperialism #refinery #DroneAttacks #StandWithUkraine #StopRussianAggression

Bloomberg: Russian marine oil exports hit 2 month low after storms, suspected Ukrainian attack on refinery

The weekly average of Russia's maritime transport of oil dropped by 340,000 barrels a day to a seven-week low of 3.06 million per day.

Defense Ministry after #Ramstein summit: Ukraine to receive more long-range weapons

Commitments were made to supply Ukraine with additional long-range striking capabilities, among other things

Russia has used six times more artillery shells than Ukraine, sacrificed an average of 400 soldiers in exchange for one square kilometer of land," exceeded Ukraine's capabilities in producing first-person view (FPV) drones, but despite all this, has not come close to its strategic goals.

It can hardly be considered an achievement that the huge military industry of Russia, the whole army of the aggressor, spent a whole year to capture the ruins of two cities — #Bakhmut and #Marinka

https://kyivindependent.com/defense-ministry-after-ramstein-summit-ukraine-to-receive-more-long-range-weapons/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #RussianImperialism #WarCrimes #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine #StopRussianAggression

Defense Ministry after Ramstein summit: Ukraine to receive more long-range weapons

Allies will provide Ukraine this year with more weapons needed to effectively strike Russian targets both on the front line and in the rear as well as to destroy Russia's logistics hubs, Ukraine's Defense Ministry officials said following the 18th...

Explosions, fires reported overnight deep in Russian rear in alleged long-range Ukrainian strikes

Russia's #Novatek natural gas company;s terminal caught fire in the port of #Ust-Luga in Leningrad Oblast near St Petersburg

The explosions in Ust-Luga were a result of a planned operation by the Security Service of Ukraine

Other attacks were reported overnight on Jan. 21 in Russia's #Tula, #Smolensk, and #Oryol oblasts, targeting infrastructure critical to the Russian military.

https://kyivindependent.com/multiple-attacks-reported-overnight-targeting/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #StopRussianAggression #Imperialism #RussianImperialism #drones #StandWithUkraine

Explosions, fires reported overnight deep in Russian rear in alleged long-range Ukrainian strikes

Explosions and large fires were reported in several Russian cities overnight on Jan. 21, in an possible coordinated effort by Ukraine to strike key targets deep inside Russian territory.

NATO to conduct largest drills in decades with 90,000 troops

NATO will launch its most extensive military exercise in recent decades, involving about 90,000 troops, U.S. General Christopher Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said

The Steadfast Defender 2024 drills will be held from late January to May with the participation of NATO members and Sweden. They will be the biggest since the Cold War, Reuters reported.

The exercises include simulated deployments of U.S. personnel to European countries on the alliance's eastern flank, as well as on-the-ground training.

"This reinforcement will occur during a simulated emerging conflict scenario against a near-peer adversary,"

https://kyivindependent.com/nato-to-conduct-largest-drills-in-decades-with-90-000-troops/

#NATO #RussianImperialism #StopRussianAggression #RussiaInvadedUkraine #Sweden #Europe #Baltic #military #drills

NATO to conduct largest drills in decades with 90,000 troops

The exercises include simulated deployments of U.S. personnel to European countries on the alliance's eastern flank, as well as on-the-ground training.

Putin attempts to destabilize Baltic countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin sets conditions for future escalations in the Baltic countries as part of the alleged plan to weaken the NATO alliance - Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

“Putin has long employed an expansive definition of Russia’s sovereignty and trivialized the sovereignty of former #Soviet republics,” the ISW said. “Russia has long claimed that it has the right to protect its “compatriots abroad,” including ethnic Russians and Russian speakers beyond Russia’s borders.”

https://kyivindependent.com/isw-putin-attempts-to-destabilize-baltic-countries/

#RussianAggression #RussiaInvadedUkraine #Baltic #InformationWarfare #propaganda #NATO #invasions #StopRussianAggression #Putler

ISW: Putin attempts to destabilize Baltic countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin sets conditions for future escalations in the Baltic countries as part of the alleged plan to weaken the NATO alliance, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Jan. 16 assessment.

Territorial concessions to Russia will only lead to more aggression

Russia is our neighbor. A dangerous, unpredictable neighbor. The idea of ​​weakening Russia militarily, politically and economically so that it can no longer pose a threat to us is an attitude that dates back to the 19th century. It lays the foundation for further conflicts

https://kyivindependent.com/foreign-ministry-territorial-concessions-to-russia-will-only-lead-to-more-aggression/

#RussiaInvadedUkraine #RussianAggression #WarCrimes #StopRussianAggression #Ukraine #StandByUkraine

Foreign Ministry: Territorial concessions to Russia will only lead to more aggression

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko was responding to a comment from German lawmaker Michael Kretschmer, the head of the state of Saxony, who suggested that the Ukrainian government temporarily give up territory in exchange for a...