Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION #3

[PommyMommy]

NEXTA on Twitter
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will speak to the #Japanese parliament tomorrow

NEXTA on Twitter
"Ukrainska Pravda" reports about the results of humanitarian corridors on March 22: - 1,100 Mariupol residents were evacuated from #Berdyansk - they are now safe in #Zaporizhia. - From #Mariupol to Zaporizhia 5,926 people reached by own transport. 1/3

- Humanitarian aid was delivered to #Berdyansk: food and medicines. - #Russian troops violated agreements and did not allow buses to evacuate #Mariupol residents from #Nikolskoye village and Melekino village. 2/3

- One bus and two rescue vehicles were seized at the #Russian checkpoint at the entrance to the village of #Mangush. - Russian soldiers captured 4 rescuers and 11 drivers. Negotiations are underway for their release. 3/3

**********​

Russia-Ukraine war: humanitarian convoy seized near Mariupol, says Zelenskiy, as US claims more than 2,000 children ‘kidnapped’ by Russian forces – live | World news | The Guardian

2h ago 19:52
Ukrainian president Zelenskiy wrapped up his nightly address by promising he was continuing to work “to push Russia towards peace”.

We are continuing to work on various levels to push Russia towards peace, towards the end of this brutal war. Ukrainian representatives are continuing negotiations that basically take place daily. It is very hard, sometimes, scandalous. But step by step we are moving forward.”

Zelenskiy also noted the three summits scheduled for this week: G7, Nato and the EU.

New packages of sanctions, new support. We’ll keep working and will keep fighting as much as we can. Until the end. Courageously and openly. On all of those platforms. With full energy. With all our strength. And we will not get tired. We will have rest when we win. And it will definitely happen.”

 

[PommyMommy]

Evgeny Rylov: Olympic champion loses Speedo deal after attending Vladamir Putin rally - CNN

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 22, 2022
Navalny's Team Says Data Links Putin To $700 Million Superyacht (rferl.org)

The team of jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny has published details about a superyacht that they suspect belongs to President Vladimir Putin.

The team said in a video on its YouTube channel on March 21 that all crew members, except the captain, of the Scheherazade yacht worth $700 million, are Russian citizens, and many of them are employed by the Federal Protection Service (FSO), the agency responsible for Putin's personal security.

[...]

... The New York Times cited sources that U.S. authorities had linked the yacht to Putin. A former crew member also confirmed the link to the newspaper.

According to the report, the yacht traveled to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi twice, once in 2020 and again in 2021. It is known that Putin regularly visits his residence in Sochi.

[...]

If the yacht's connection to Putin is proven, it will be impounded, as Putin is currently under sanctions from the European Union over Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

At this point, the yacht is anchored at the Marina di Carrara port in the Italian region of Tuscany.

[...]

Separately on March 22, authorities in Finland said they had impounded 21 yachts belonging to Russian citizens as they investigate whether the owners are under sanctions.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Burger King and Papa Johns are struggling to close all their Russian restaurants - CNN

McDonald's, Starbucks, Papa Johns and the owner of Burger King, among others, have said that they would either shut down operations in the country or pull support from restaurants there. Making good on those promises, however, is proving easier said than done.

Take, for example, Burger King. Restaurant Brands International says it has pulled corporate support from the roughly 800 Burger King locations in Russia. But it can't force those locations to close. That's because they aren't operated by the company — instead, they're controlled by an operator who, according to RBI, has "refused" to close the restaurants.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 22, 2022
Pediatric cancer patients will be taken to St. Jude Hospital (wcpo.com)
[...]

Child patients who are undergoing cancer treatment will be airlifted to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

The State Department reported Tuesday that children and some of their immediate family members will be taken from Poland to Memphis.

From there, families will be taken to St. Jude.

“There, the patients will be able to safely resume critical cancer therapy disrupted by the Kremlin’s aggression,” the State Department said in a statement.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

How Ukraine’s Outgunned Air Force Is Fighting Back Against Russian Jets

Nearly a month into the fighting, one of the biggest surprises of the war in Ukraine is Russia’s failure to defeat the Ukrainian Air Force. Military analysts had expected Russian forces to quickly destroy or paralyze Ukraine’s air defenses and military aircraft, yet neither have happened. Instead, Top Gun-style aerial dogfights, rare in modern warfare, are now raging above the country.

“Every time when I fly, it’s for a real fight,” said Andriy, who is 25 and has flown 10 missions in the war. “In every fight with Russian jets, there is no equality. They always have five times more” planes in the air.

The success of Ukrainian pilots has helped protect Ukrainian soldiers on the ground and prevented wider bombing in cities, since pilots have intercepted some Russian cruise missiles. Ukrainian officials also say the country’s military has shot down 97 fixed-wing Russian aircraft. That number could not be verified but the crumpled remnants of Russian fighter jets have crashed into rivers, fields and houses.

 

[PommyMommy]

This report includes some details of the convoy that was seized, children injured, distressing images, a 5-year-old was shot in the intestines, a 15-year-old with shrapnel injuries to the neck is interviewed ... 15 min long.

 

[PommyMommy]

Belarusians are sabotaging plans to join Vladimir Putin's Ukraine War - Atlantic Council
[...]

A video published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and recorded at the Mohyliv-Podilskyi border crossing shows a Ukrainian border guard presenting the outgoing ambassador with 30 pieces of silver, a clear reference to the biblical story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. “We despise you,” the Ukrainian guard tells Sokol.

The incident was a stark reminder of the sharp and rapid deterioration of the once warm relations between Kyiv and Minsk. ...

[...]

... Today, the Belarusian ruler is dependent upon Russia for his regime’s survival. Unsurprisingly, he now not only recognizes the annexation of Crimea but has turned his country into a platform for Russia to invade and bombard Ukraine.

[...]

Even as the autocratic Lukashenka regime assists and enables Russia’s aggression, ordinary Belarusian citizens are finding creative ways to resist.

For months, a Belarusian hacking collective called the Cyber Partisans has been attacking the country’s railway network in an effort to prevent Russian troops from reaching Ukraine. The group has also distributed videos urging Belarusian soldiers not to join Russia’s war.

[...]

... Apparently railway workers are also involved in sabotage efforts. In a recent interview with Current Time television, Oleksandr Kamyshin, director of Ukraine’s Ukrzaliznytsya state railroad company, confirmed that rail traffic between Belarus and Ukraine has stopped. He also praised Belarusian rail workers who he says have taken unspecified measures to prevent the movement of Russian troops and military equipment.

[...]

Some Belarusians are already directly involved in the war, with an estimated 200 Belarusian volunteers currently fighting on the Ukrainian side against Russia. ...

[...]

From hackers to railway workers to volunteer fighters, the rearguard action in Belarus against Putin’s Ukraine War illustrates the scale of blowback Russia’s invasion is provoking.

Just weeks ago, it appeared Putin was on track to put part of the old Soviet empire back together. He managed to pull off a soft annexation of Belarus without firing a shot and appeared poised to subjugate Ukraine by force. But a month into Putin’s war, Ukraine has fought Russia to a standstill and there appears to be a rebellion brewing below the decks in Belarus.

 

[PommyMommy]

NEXTA@nexta_tv 46m
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of #Ukraine, there is a probability that the Armed Forces of #Belarus will join the war against Ukraine. But, according to available information, a large number of personnel and some commanders refuse to participate in it.

 

[PommyMommy]

Ukraine Conflict Update 18 | Institute for the Study of War (understandingwar.org)
Key Takeaways March 18-21

• The Kremlin is unlikely to withdraw its maximalist political demands of Ukraine in ongoing negotiations, despite the Russian military failing to achieve its objectives.
• The Kremlin staged a 195,000-person rally in Moscow attended by President Putin on March 18 to falsely portray high levels of public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Kremlin bans of Facebook, Instagram, and other major western platforms in Russia are likely intended to coerce these companies to meet Russian censorship standards to retain their market share in Russia.
• Russian officials continue to downplay the impact of new sanctions and proposed retaliatory measures against international companies that have left Russia.
• The Kremlin continued to set conditions for a possible false flag chemical or radiological attack in Ukraine by promoting false claims of threats from United States-funded biolaboratories in Ukraine.
• Eastern European NATO heads of state called for a more proactive NATO military posture and response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the leadup to an emergency NATO summit on March 24.
• China publicly stated it will not provide financial or military assistance to Russia and pledged further humanitarian assistance to Ukraine but blamed the United States for the war in Ukraine.

Key Events March 18—March 21, 5:00 pm EST

Negotiations:

The Kremlin retains its maximalist political demands in ongoing negotiations with Ukraine and is unlikely to soften them despite the Russian military failing to achieve its objectives.

Russian Domestic Opposition and Censorship:
Kremlin bans on Facebook, Instagram, and other major western platforms in Russia are likely intended to coerce these companies to meet Russian censorship standards to retain their market share in Russia.

Kremlin Narratives:
The Kremlin staged a 195,000-person rally in Moscow attended by President Putin and other pro-war protests throughout Russia on March 18 to falsely portray high levels of public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin continued to set conditions for a possible false-flag chemical or radiological attack in Ukraine by promoting false claims of threats from US-funded biolaboratories in Ukraine.

Russian Reactions to Sanctions:
Russian officials downplayed the impact of new sanctions and proposed retaliatory measures against international companies that have left Russia.

Belarus:
N/A

Russian Occupation:
Russian forces continue to detain local civil society leaders and civilians in Ukraine and set conditions to govern occupied areas of Ukraine.

Drivers of Russian Threat Perceptions:
Eastern European NATO heads of state called for a more proactive NATO military posture and response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the leadup to an emergency NATO summit on March 24.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 22, 2022
Ukraine says Russia seized relief workers in Mariupol convoy - ABC News
Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of seizing 15 rescue workers and drivers from a humanitarian convoy trying to get desperately needed food and other supplies into the bloodied port city of Mariupol, which also came under naval attack after weeks of air and land strikes.

[...]

“They bombed us for the past 20 days,” said 39-year-old Viktoria Totsen, who fled into Poland. “During the last five days, the planes were flying over us every five seconds and dropped bombs everywhere — on residential buildings, kindergartens, art schools, everywhere.”

Zelenskyy, speaking late Tuesday in his nightly video address to his nation, accused Russian forces of blocking the aid convoy despite agreeing to the route ahead of time.

“We are trying to organize stable humanitarian corridors for Mariupol residents, but almost all of our attempts, unfortunately, are foiled by the Russian occupiers, by shelling or deliberate terror,” Zelenskyy said.

[...]

“We have seen indications that the Ukrainians are going a bit more on the offensive now,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters separately in Washington. He said that was particularly true in southern Ukraine, including near Kherson, where “they have tried to regain territory.”

Russia's far stronger, bigger military has many Western military experts warning against overconfidence in Ukraine's long-term odds. Russia's practice in past wars in Chechnya and Syria has been to grind down resistance with strikes that flattened cities, killed countless civilians and sent millions fleeing.

[...]

Zelenskyy, in his address, said more than 7,000 people were evacuated from Mariupol on Tuesday. Those who remain suffer “in inhuman conditions, under a full blockade, without food, without water, without medicine and under constant shelling, under constant bombardment,” he said.

[...]

 

[Vern]

Russian Soldier Surrenders, Hands Over Tank to Ukrainian Army for $10,000 Reward (defenseworld.net)

A Russian armored corps member has surrendered to the Ukrainian Army and handed over his fully operable tank for a $10,000 reward, food and the promise of Ukrainian citizenship.

The soldier saw a text message broadcast by the Ukrainain authories with the Kyiv regime’s offer that guaranteed safety, a financial reward, as well as potential Ukrainian citizenship once the war is over.
...
The Russian soldier said he could not return home as his commander threatened to shoot him and write him off as combat loss.
...
ast week, Ukraine's Ukroboronprom released a statement promising $1 million reward to Russian soldiers for surrendering a fighter jet, $500,000 for handing over a Helicopter and $10,000 for a tank.

Ukraine claims some 500 Russian tanks have been captured so far. In several cases, the Russian tank crew simply abandoned their tanks and fled as they were out of rations and did not have the will to fight.

 

[PommyMommy]

'I'm alive': Former Canadian Forces sniper debunks rumours of his death in Ukraine | CBC News

 

[PommyMommy]

'Nederland gevoelig voor energieboycot' • Zelensky: gesprekken met Rusland zwaar

Among other news about Ukraine, there is this from the Dutch National News Broadcast (NOS)

AN HOUR AGO
Now 5620 Ukrainians registered in the Netherlands
Until yesterday, 5620 Ukrainians have been registered with Dutch municipalities, according to new figures from the Ministry of the Interior. This concerns both people who are in emergency shelters and people who have found shelter themselves. The figures are based on registrations in the Personal Records Database (BRP).

The actual number of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands is much higher. There are 13,000 people in the shelter that the municipalities have arranged alone. Registration in the BRP is mandatory for Ukrainians who stay in the Netherlands for a longer period of time, but given the circumstances, it will not be enforced for the time being.

2 HOURS AGO
Russian advance stalls, struggle at its 'culmination point'?

It has now been four weeks since Russia started the war in Ukraine and stalled the Russian advance, Professor of War Studies Frans Osinga said in the NOS Radio 1 Journaal this morning . "The only option for the Russians is to encircle, dig in and shell. Russia doesn't seem to have the troops to take all the cities and you also see that the Ukrainian defenses are strong. So we're talking about an old-fashioned medieval siege, in order to force the population and the military to capitulate."

As a result, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped in the completely surrounded Mariupol. The city is under constant shelling, there is a lack of water, food and medical aid, and according to Ukrainian authorities, 300,000 people in the city of Kherson are now in that harrowing position.

So from a Russian point of view, the battle is not going well. The more than 100,000 troops are spread over four fronts in a large area. "So the 'density of soldiers' is ultimately not that great," Osinga says. "Only in the east, in the Donbas, around Mariupol and in Crimea it seems successful, but other objectives are not within reach. We call that the 'culmination point': Russia has to deal with desertion, demoralization of the troops already weeks in the field, lack of ammunition, long supply lines disrupted by Ukraine."

"We thought we could expect an amphibious landing of the Russians at Odessa from the Black Sea, but that is very risky, because the city is well defensible. The Russian ships are now used to fire all kinds of cruise missiles, also far into Ukrainian territory. Meanwhile, the weapons for the Ukrainians continue to come from the West. Those ammunition, anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft defenses have proven to be really crucial for the defense of Ukraine in recent weeks," Osinga said.

3 HOURS AGO
CPB: The Netherlands is very sensitive to energy boycott Russia
The Netherlands is very sensitive to the cut-off of the Russian energy supply. It is true that the direct dependence is not that bad, but the blow is still harder than in other Western European countries via the international trade chains. No sector can escape contraction, writes Het Financieele Dagblad based on calculations by the <Dutch> Central Planning Bureau (CPB).

The CPB performed calculations using a so-called 'disaster model', in which the physical supply of oil and gas from Russia comes to a standstill. In that model it is assumed that there are no immediate alternatives and that production chains will therefore come to a (partial) standstill.

Of the gas we use in the Netherlands, only about 15 percent comes from Russia, so that means that we are directly dependent on it to a limited extent. But the Netherlands is strongly linked to other European countries via all kinds of production chains, which are much more dependent on gas and oil from Russia, for example the motor vehicle sector and the clothing industry. As a result, the Netherlands could still be hit hard if the Russian energy supply to Europe stops, not only through higher prices for energy imports, but also for other goods. "This interdependence underlines the importance for the Netherlands of a Europe-wide approach to possible energy shortages", concludes the CPB .

4 HOURS AGO
Putin wants to attend G20 summit in Indonesia at the end of this year
Russian President Putin plans to attend the G20 summit hosted by Indonesia at the end of this year. That is what the Russian ambassador in Jakarta said.

Ambassador Lyudmila Vorobyova responded to calls from some G20 countries, including the United States, to exclude Russia from the group of major economies in the world. "Not just the G20, many organizations are trying to exclude Russia," she said. "The reaction of the West (to the Russian invasion of Ukraine) is absolutely disproportionate."

 

[PommyMommy]

'Nederland gevoelig voor energieboycot' • Zelensky: gesprekken met Rusland zwaar

10 HOURS AGO
Zelensky: Talks with Russia are tough
Negotiations with Russia are "heavy" and "sometimes scandalous", according to Ukrainian President Zelensky. He said that in a video message yesterday. Delegations from both countries are in regular contact about a possible end to the war, but a deal is not yet in sight for both sides.

"At various levels, we are trying to move Russia towards peace. Ukrainian representatives participate in talks that take place almost every day," Zelensky said. "And we continue," he added.

The Ukrainian president also used the video message to accuse Moscow of thwarting the evacuation attempts of residents from the besieged city of Mariupol.

 

[PommyMommy]

‘We have one enemy’: The Belarusians who oppose the Ukraine war

Very interesting write up about the position of Belarusians against the Belarus regime and pro-Ukraine.

‘We have one enemy’: The Belarusians who oppose the Ukraine war
Those who fled political violence in Belarus fear being associated with the actions of a government they do not support.

Just before dawn on February 24, Marina, a 33-year-old IT specialist from Belarus, woke up in her Kraków apartment. She’d been having a nightmare. She noticed that her husband, Alexey, was not sleeping either. He was on his phone, reading the news.

“Has it started?” Marina asked.
“It has,” he responded wearily.

(snipped)

The young couple had moved to the Polish city of Kraków two and a half weeks earlier, fleeing the Ukrainian city of Lviv where they had settled after escaping political violence and repression in Belarus. “I didn’t want to leave Ukraine,” Marina explains. “It was a wonderful place, I lost my home and I found a new home, and I lost that too.”

Later that day, Marina and Alexey joined the anti-war protest outside the Russian Consulate in Kraków. “When I saw how many people came and that they were outraged as well, it made me feel a bit better,” she says.

Although the majority of the protesters were Polish and Ukrainian, Marina spotted quite a few Belarusians, wrapped in the white-red-white flags of the Belarusian opposition, in the crowd.

When Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko won a sixth term in office in an election widely regarded as rigged in August 2020, a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters ensued. As a result, tens of thousands of Belarusians – seeking refuge from an unprecedented campaign of mass arrests and state-sponsored violence – fled to nearby countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia, Poland and Russia. Ukraine also became a common refuge for Belarusians in exile.

(snipped)

Forty hours after Russia invaded Ukraine, Marina stood outside the train station in Przemyśl, Poland, just 14km (8.7 miles) from the Ukrainian border. She was waiting for her friend Dina, 34, another Belarusian dissident.

(snipped)

“My heart was bursting into pieces,” Marina says, recalling how it was unbearable to overhear snippets of conversations revealing lives ripped apart by the war.

Marina is all too familiar with the pain of leaving one’s home and family behind. After taking part in the pro-democracy movement in Belarus, during and after the August 2020 election, Marina was arrested twice and threatened by the Belarusian KGB. In detention, she was beaten and denied food and water for days.

When she was released in August 2021, she fled to Ukraine with her husband, leaving her elderly mother behind. “We miss each other and we understand there’s a possibility I will never see her again,” Marina says.

(snipped)

Originally from Minsk, Gerard left Belarus in the aftermath of the mass arrests in August 2020, and lived in Irpin’, not far from Kyiv, before the war.

“Lukashenko’s regime took everything from me,” says Gerard, explaining how he was persecuted and arrested in Belarus. “Ukraine has given me a new home, a new job, and a really good life.”

Gerard is currently undergoing military training in the battalion alongside other volunteers. Although worried about what is to come, he is resolute in his decision to fight for Ukraine. “I have to protect what is mine,” he says.

(snipped)

“Many [Belarusians] feel a sense of disconnect, many have family there [in Ukraine], they perceive Ukrainians as their brothers and sisters,” says Liubakova. “They want to protect Ukraine.”

‘The weaker Putin is, the weaker Lukashenko is’
The outcome of this invasion could also have consequences for Belarus. A Russian defeat in Ukraine could threaten the Belarusian regime as Lukashenko has become increasingly dependent on Moscow in the last year and a half.

As the US and EU imposed a series of sanctions on the Belarusian regime following the violent crackdown on civilians in August 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin stepped in, offering Lukashenko funds and security forces.

But Putin’s help did not come cheap. Lukashenko allowed Moscow to deploy thousands of troops to Belarus, using the country as a springboard for the invasion of Ukraine.

(snipped)

‘I’m afraid of speaking Russian in the streets’
While Lukashenko has denied that he plans to send Belarusian troops to the front line, Belarus is among the few nations – together with North Korea, Eritrea and Syria – that voted against the UN resolution condemning the invasion.

“Ukrainians will now think we’re bad people,” says Marina, voicing a fear shared by many Belarusians. Since the invasion, anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian sentiments have been brewing in some countries and some Belarusians say they have been denied entrance to bars and shops because of their nationality.

‘We are in the same boat’

(snipped)

More than 800 Belarusians were arrested while protesting against the war in Ukraine. These protests were a desperate act of defiance. In the last year and a half, the regime has arrested more than 35,000 Belarusians in an effort to suppress the country’s pro-democracy movement.

Etc.

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine War LIVE Updates: Centre Evacuated 22k Students from Ukraine, Parl Told; Russia Destroys Chernobyl Nuclear Power Lab (news18.com)
Mar 23, 2022 18:19 rbbm.
''Belarus Asks Some Ukrainian Diplomats to Leave Country
After Poland’s move to expel 45 Russian ‘spied’, Belarus on Wednesday has asked some Ukrainian diplomats to leave the country.''

''Russia to Demand Payment in Ruble for Gas Purchases from 'Unfriendly Countries'
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will demand payment in ruble for natural gas purchases from ‘unfriendly countries’ reports The Spectator Index.''

'''Active Phase' of Russian Invasion Will Break Down by April: Ukrainian Adviser
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych on Wednesday said he expected the active phase of the Russian invasion to be over by the end of April as the Russian advance had already stalled in many areas.''

''President Putin Plans to Attend G20 Summit in Indonesia, Says Russian Ambassador
President Vladimir Putin plans to attend a G20 summit later this year in Indonesia, Moscow’s envoy said Wednesday, dismissing suggestions Russia could be excluded from the group over the war in Ukraine''

''Scholz Told Putin Not to Use Biological, Chemical Weapons in Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in direct talks not to use biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine, a government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said.''

''Ukraine-Russia War: Reuters Removes TASS from Its Content Marketplace
Reuters has removed TASS from its business-to-business marketplace for customers, according to a Reuters message to staff on Wednesday, amid growing criticism of how Russia’s state-owned news agency is portraying the war in Ukraine. “We believe making TASS content available on Reuters Connect is not aligned with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles,” Matthew Keen, interim CEO of Reuters, wrote in an internal memo to staff on Wednesday.''

''Poland Seeks Expulsion of 45 Russians Suspected of Spying, Moscow Says Will Retaliate
Poland has identified 45 Russian intelligence officers using diplomatic status as cover to stay in the country and authorities are seeking to expel them, officials said. Poland’s Internal Security Agency said it was asking the Foreign Ministry to urgently expel the Russians, who were described as a danger to Poland’s security. Russia will retaliate if its diplomats are expelled from Poland, the RIA news agency cited the foreign ministry said.''

 

[PommyMommy]

Putin adviser Anatoly Chubais resigns and leaves Russia

https://m.jpost.com/international/article-702085

Russian climate envoy and personal advisor to Putin Anatoly Chubais has resigned and left the country on Wednesday, citing his opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Chubais is the highest-level official to break off from Moscow over the invasion.

 

[PommyMommy]

“Evan Neumann fled the US after being charged in connection with the riots.

The 48-year-old first settled in Ukraine, before reaching Belarus where he asked for asylum - claiming he faced "political persecution" in the US.

A Belarusian official said Mr Neumann has been granted permission to remain in the country "indefinitely".

State officials also alleged that Mr Neumann had been forced to cross the Belarusian border "illegally" after attracting "interest from local secret services" in Ukraine.”

Evan Neumann: US Capitol riot suspect gets asylum in Belarus

 

[PommyMommy]

“Poland to expel 45 Russian diplomats for spying as smoke is seen rising from the Russian embassy amid claims its officials were burning secret documents”

Poland to expel 45 Russian diplomats for espionage as ‘spies burn embassy documents’