Omnibus Russia Ukraine crisis

spaminator

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Poland arrests man suspected of spying for Russia to aid Zelenskyy assassination plot
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Apr 18, 2024 • 1 minute read

WARSAW, Poland — A Polish man has been arrested on allegations of being ready to spy on behalf of Russia’s military intelligence in an alleged plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Polish prosecutors said Thursday.


The office of Poland’s National Prosecutor said in a statement that the man, identified only as Pawel K., was accused of being prepared to pass airport security information to Russian agents and that he was arrested in Poland on Wednesday.


The man was seeking contact with Russians directly involved in the war in Ukraine and was expected to pass on detailed information about the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in south-eastern Poland, near the border with Ukraine, which is the gateway for international military and humanitarian supplies for Ukraine. It also serves leaders and politicians traveling in and out of Ukraine. The airport is under the control of U.S. troops.

If convicted, the man could face up to eight years in prison, the statement said.

The prosecutors said the arrest is the result of close cooperation with the prosecutors and security services of Ukraine, who tipped them off and who provided crucial evidence. The case is developing, they said.

A number of people, including a dual Russian-Spanish citizen have been arrested in Poland on allegations of spying for Russia since Moscow launched its attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

European Union member Poland has been a staunch supporter of neighboring Ukraine and Zelenskyy in fending off Russia’s aggression of more than two years.
 
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spaminator

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Canada allocates millions for drone production, ammunition to support Ukraine
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Apr 26, 2024 • Last updated 1 day ago • < 1 minute read

OTTAWA — The federal government is earmarking $3 million for production of drones in Ukraine in support of Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

Defence Minister Bill Blair says the financial assistance is being made in collaboration with the United Kingdom.


Speaking with a group of defence leaders, Blair also announced $13 million for the Czech Republic’s effort to provide ammunition to Ukraine.

The announcements allocate funding committed last year when the Liberal government pledged $500 million in military support.

Blair also provided an update on previously announced donations.

He said the first wave of armoured vehicles as well as 10 tactical boats promised to Ukraine should be delivered this summer.
 

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Russia fines actress who hosted ’almost naked’ party over her calls for peace
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jim Heintz
Published Apr 25, 2024 • 2 minute read

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Moscow court on Thursday imposed a 50,000-ruble ($560) fine on a TV presenter and actress who gained notoriety for hosting an “almost naked” party, saying her social media posts calling for peace discredited the military.


Anastasia Ivleeva sparked an explosion of public indignation in the increasingly traditionalist country when she hosted a party in December encouraging guests to wear almost nothing.


Ivleeva did not appear in court Thursday for the non-criminal case, in which she was fined for two social media posts in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that called for peace and negotiations. The court found her guilty of violating a law penalizing remarks discrediting the military, although the law was passed several days after the posts.

One of the posts on Instagram, which is blocked in Russia but often accessed by VPN, showed a black square and the words “No to war.” The other showed a sketch of a dove and called on authorities to “reach those compromises that would stop the killing of people.”


Soon after the invasion launched on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia cracked down on any perceived criticism of what it calls a “special military operation.” In the stiffest punishment so far, prominent opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a speech in the United States denouncing the war.

Oleg Orlov, co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization Memorial, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for criticism of the war. Orlov separately has been designated a “foreign agent” and was to appeal that ruling in a Thursday court hearing by videolink, but the hearing was held in a courtroom without that capability, the Mediazona news site reported.

Ivleeva became the focus of a scandal after hosting a bash at a Moscow nightclub whose invitations stated the dress code as “almost naked.” A well-known rapper showed up wearing only socks wrapped around his genitals and feet.


Photos from the party circulated widely on social media. Conservative legislators, bloggers and others then unleashed a storm of criticism, contending the images were unseemly, even unpatriotic, for a country embroiled in war.

The denunciation of the party also reflected the rise of fiercely conservative sentiment in Russia amid President Vladimir Putin’s accusations against the West for trying to undermine “traditional values” and the nationalism intensified by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The lightly dressed rapper, who uses the stage name Vacio, was sentenced to a total of 25 days in jail for disorderly conduct and fined 200,000 rubles ($22,000) for allegedly spreading “LGBTQ propaganda” in a video.

A lawsuit against Ivleeva alleging moral damages and demanding $11 million in compensation be paid into a fund supporting soldiers fighting in Ukraine was thrown out of court in January on jurisdictional grounds.
 
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