Jul 18 Buonasera Mag
Day 145: Battle in the East, Kulinich, suing EU & US banks, Russia sanctions JP, German energy, Harding, Johnson & Lebedev, Serbia, UA nuclear plant, Wagner, MH17, Dilley QAnon, J6, Ben-Ghiat, Cuda
Catching up…
EA Worldview’s Ukraine Up-date- hop over to Scott’s amazing hourly Ukraine up-date page. I’ll fill in with some bits and bobs.
Russia is preparing for the next stage of its offensive in Ukraine, after Moscow said its forces would step up military operations in “all operational areas”.
Stories we’re following…
Ukraine repels Russian offensives near Sloviansk, Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. According to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, the Russian army tried storming villages near the cities of Sloviansk and Bakhmut but was forced to retreat with heavy losses.
Ukraine arrested the top ranked mole, long-time Russian FSB agent Oleg Kulinich (linked to sanctioned by the US Andrey Derkach). Since 2020, Kulinich was returned by Ukraine top spy Ivan Bakanov to top ranks in Service SSU and responsible for occupied Crimea.
Mayor: Russian forces prepare ‘referendum’ in Melitopol for early Sept. Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov said Russian have been going door-to-door conducting a census in the city. Fedorov added that those supporting Ukraine will be forcibly sent out of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The head of Britain's Armed Forces Tony Radakin says that Russia is committing acts of terrorism in Ukraine A boost to Ukraine's efforts to get Western countries to recognise Russia as a terrorist state and facilitate US state sponsor of terrorism sanctions on Russia
Ukraine considers suing top US and EU banks for conducting energy trade with Russia that finances war crimes.
Cabinet of Ministers updates list of occupied territories to provide funds for internally displaced persons. The updated list, published by the government, includes 313 cities and villages from nine regions that are either currently occupied or are close to the front line.
Russia announced counter-sanctions against 384 Japanese lawmakers on Friday. They follow an escalation in bilateral tensions between the two countries, which has extended most recently to the naming of the Kuril Islands and the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas development.
Russian soldiers from Buryatia are resisting participation in the war in Ukraine. While conscription is not legally enforceable, Russia has detained Buryatia forces in a detention center in Luhansk.
Russian proxies in Donetsk Oblast capture another British citizen. A video posted by Russian state-controlled media appears to show British national John Harding held captive by Russian proxies. BBC confirmed his identity.
Serbia: the main story is the potential execution of the police inspector who discovered that the Serbian president and his brother are involved in the production and distribution of narcotics through a network of govt. ministers, military and intelligence officers, and criminals.
Germany to relaunch 16 coal and oil-fired power plants amid fears Russia will cut gas supplies. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ruled out reactivating nuclear power plants, arguing that this would not solve Germany’s energy needs.
EU foreign ministers are expected to meet in Brussels today to hold discussions on a ban on gold purchases from Russia, a move already put in place by international partners. The EU could also act to impose sanctions on additional Russian individuals.
Russia storing weapons in European nuclear plant – Ukrainian official
Russia is using Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as a base to store weapons, including “missile systems”, and shell surrounding areas in Ukraine, an official with Kyiv’s nuclear agency said.
“The occupiers bring their machinery there, including missile systems, from which they already shell the other side of the River Dnipro and the territory of Nikopol,” Pedro Kotin said in a televised interview.
DFRLab, Wagner Group continues involvement in Russian operations in Eastern Ukraine
Over the first week of July 2022, the Russian army slowly advanced in Eastern Ukraine while Ukrainian forces made strategic withdrawals from settlements in the Lysychansk region. The city of Lysychansk itself was seized by Russian forces earlier this week. Recent reports suggest the participation of additional forces such as Wagner Group mercenaries and Chechen fighters of Ramzan Kadyrov alongside regular Russian military forces during military campaigns in Eastern Ukraine.
Bellingcat, The GRU's MH17 Disinformation Operations Part 1: The Bonanza Media Project
An investigation by Bellingcat and its investigative partners has discovered evidence that Bonanza Media, a self-styled independent investigative platform, is in fact a special disinformation project working in coordination with Russia’s military intelligence.
Cadwalladr, Boris Johnson and the Lebedevs: how I exposed the prime minister’s defining scandal
This scandal isn’t about breaking his own laws or impropriety with Conservative party funds or Lulu Lytle wallpaper. It’s not even a scandal in the traditional sense. This is about what appears to be a fundamental breach of our national security. A breach that potentially endangered not just our country but the entire Nato alliance. And we still know almost nothing about it.
Dilley, QAnon Propaganda on Twitter as Information Warfare: Influencers, Networks, and Narratives
QAnon refers to a set of far-right, conspiratorial ideologies that have risen in popularity in the U.S. since their initial promotion in 2017 on the 4chan internet message board. A central narrative element of QAnon is that a powerful group of elite, liberal members of the Democratic Party engage in morally reprehensible practices, but that former U.S. President Donald J. Trump was prosecuting them.
Twitter employee seriously concerned about violence on J6
Admitting that Words matter
Programming Note
WTF News: Livia and I will be hosting prof Ruth Ben-Ghiat at 9:30pm CET on the LiberiOltre YT channel. Heidi Cuda will also be joining us for the conversation on ‘Strongmen’ and their roots, their violence and how to take them down.
Our own tumultuous times make for a thought-provoking conversation: Putin and his war against Ukraine, the January 6th Hearings and America’s democratic health.
Prof Ben-Ghiat is the author of “Strongmen”, and has spent her professional life studying and talking about authoritarian power, the cult of personality, dictatorships, and how they rise and fall. She’s a regular contributor to national TV programs, her column on CNN, and has launched her own Substack called “Lucid”.
Cuda, ‘Mike Deserves It’
Former President Donald Trump appeared to condone the threats to the life of his Vice President Mike Pence and encourage violence at the Capitol, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told an emergency hearing of 6 January Select Committee.
Signing off for the evening…thanks for reading…
Mo