Posted by 25th August 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reuters
Almost 24 hours after the plane presumed to be carrying Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin exploded midair outside Moscow – presumably killing him and Wagner’s top military commander Dmitry Utkin – Vladimir Putin has broken his silence. On Thursday, the Russian leader sent his condolences to the families of the 10 people killed in Wednesday’s massive explosion.
(For more on Prigozhin’s failed June mutiny, which brought him on a collision course with his boss, see our explainer here.)
Though Putin needs to keep things ambiguous to avoid igniting the wrath of the thousands of disgruntled Wagner troops who remain loyal to Prigozhin, he did make his displeasure with the former mercenary chief known: Prigozhin was a “person with a complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in life,” Putin said, adding that he “also sought to achieve the necessary results – both for himself and … for the common cause.”
Complicated fate? That’s something the Kremlin and the US intelligence community can agree on. On Thursday, US officials confirmed that the explosion was likely the result of an assassination attempt, though they said the explosion didn’t come from surface-to-air missiles, as some have claimed, but from a bomb placed on board or another mechanism.
Putin is known for killing his enemies, but taking down a loyalist and one-time protege? That would be a first.
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Cannot mention one without the other!!!!!
Trump delivers America’s first presidential mug shot
August 25, 2023
Donald Trump and his co-defendents
Ari Winklemen
On Thursday evening, former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities at Fulton County Jail, in Atlanta, GA. Arriving by motorcade, he was greeted by supporters – many of whom started hours earlier – who held signs referring to the indictments as political persecution. Trump posted his $200,000 bail, presumably putting down the required 10%, and posed for the first-ever presidential mugshot. He then gave a thumbs up to his fans before departing – all in 20 minutes or less.
Some quick background: Trump and 18 others were indicted last week for their alleged involvement in trying to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. This is Trump’s fourth indictment, but this one is potentially more serious for three reasons:
- RICO: The prosecutor is crafting a racketeering case. Georgia’s RICO laws allow prosecutors to charge multiple people who commit separate crimes for a common goal. This enables Trump to be held responsible for any crime committed by his co-defendants, who include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliant, former White House staffers, and low-level Georgia GOP functionaries.
- It’s unpardonable: A president can pardon their own federal convictions, but state convictions – these are state charges – are outside the presidential purview.
- It will likely be televised: If the trial plays out on television for all of America to see, the unfiltered footage could influence independent voters and moderate Republicans.
What’s coming? The next step is Trump’s arraignment, where he will come before the judge to be formally charged and enter a plea. Prosecutor Fanny T. Willis has asked the court to hold the arraignments the week of Sept. 5.
Willis also requested an Oct. 23 trial date. The judge has already approved the request for a speedy trial on that date for Trump’s co-defendant and former lawyer Kenneth Chesebro. Chesebro is accused of being the architect behind the scheme to use fake electors to subvert the election results in Georgia and several other states.
But Trump’s legal team has contested the early date and is calling for his case to be severed from Chesebro. A quick case is the last thing Trump wants because it would interfere with his primary campaign and could stick him with an unpardonable conviction before the election in 2024.
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13,314 views Aug 25, 2023
The BRICS has officially expanded, adding 6 new members to the bloc. This is not just a big shock to the geopolitical order, but also seals the fate of the US dollar. The new members include Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran, all of which are big oil producers. This could very well accelerate de-dollarization to new levels. Here’s why the world reserve currency is under threat!
25th August 2023
Reminder, Macron wanted to go to the BRICS summit … but was rejected.
25th August 2023
WAR CRIME: Executing Russian soldiers that try to surrender!
25th August 2023
EXCLUSIVE: Wagner warlord plane crash: Kremlin critic Bill Browder warns ‘this is the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s purge’ – after Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘likely killed’
24th August 2023
“He [Prigozhin] was almost certainly executed as surely as if he had been shot by a firing squad in Red Square. That is how you hold on to power when you rule a gangster state,” writes
Opinion | Prigozhin appears to be dead — and Putin’s grip on power is stronger than ever
The West shouldn’t bet on coups. The only path to peace in Ukraine runs through the battlefield.
Nice to see some Republicans aren’t so eager to allow a genocidal Russian state crush its neighbors. Christie as well. Meanwhile DeSantis is still triangulating with no moral center on a vital matter of US values & interests.
25th August 2023
Happy Independence Day, Ukraine! I’ll repeat again what I said on Maidan in 2014: fight — and you will win. God is with you!
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On August 23 1939, a momentous event equated Hitler and Stalin in the eyes of millions. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact: an agreement between Nazi Germany and the USSR. 84 years later, Putin is trying to follow in Stalin’s footsteps. Here’s why it’s a doomed path
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25th August 2023
This is very striking – almost Stalinist: a Wagner cemetery has been demolished and all its memorials removed. Will the next step be to erase any evidence of Wagner’s existence?
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25th August 2023
My latest: Wagner has no contingency plan With its military and business structures heavily reliant on Prigozhin and Utkin, the organisation is in chaos. Sources say vengeful middle-ranking officers won’t be enough to save it
25th August 2023
We can take a snapshot of anywhere in the world using a satellite. Bellingcat has a
account and we want to use some of our searches on public requests! Tell us where to look by responding with the name of the location, the coordinates and why it’s important for research.
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Greece will cancel the contract with Russia for the maintenance of Tor-M1 and Osa-AKM air defense missile systems, which are in service with the country’s army, http://Pronews.gr reports, citing a “top secret document” leaked through parliament Athens will no longer… Show more
Happy Ukraine’s Independence Day! The day of the free, the strong, and the dignified. The day of equals. Ukrainian men and women. In our entire country. In this fight, everyone counts. Because the fight is for something that is important to everyone. An independent Ukraine.
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Important —
chief
visited #Kyiv & #Ukraine‘s Prosecutor General to share data on #Russia‘s war crimes & to collaborate in determining prosecutable data on patterns of crimes & Russian figures involved in both #Syria & #Ukraine. https://snhr.org/blog/2023/08/24/snhr-head-meets-with-ukraines-prosecutor-general-in-kyiv-to-deliver-data-on-approximately-7000-syrians-including-2000-children-killed-by-russian-forces/
25th August 2023
Putin has a long history of killing not only civilians in Ukraine and Syria but also opponents in Russia.
24th August 2023
If Putin has eliminated Prigozhin, the result could be more – not less – instability for Russia | Samantha de Bendern
theguardian.com If Putin has eliminated Prigozhin, the result could be more – not less – instability for Russia |… The Russian president has seemingly upped the stakes: anyone who challenges his regime will have to see it through to the end, says
25th August 2023
Thanks, America!
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Dmitry Bolkunets (ツ) Дмитрий Болкунец
25th August 2023
On August 25, 1991, the Supreme Soviet voted to give the status of a constitutional law to the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Belarus. Today Belarus is under Russian occupation. International support is needed. Belarus will be free!
25th August 2023
BELARUS MUST BE FREE! Belarus became independent 32 years ago today. The international community must help the -occupation of Belarus to end!! ——- 25.08.1991 г. паводле закону стала незалежнай. Аднак сёння Беларусь знаходзіцца пад -акупацыяй. Патрэбна міжнародная… Show more
24th August 2023
Vladimir Putin confirms Yevgeny Prigozhin died when the Wagner founder’s plane crashed yesterday. ” I knew Prigozhin for a long time, from the early 1990s. He had a difficult path and made serious mistakes in his life. But he got results – for himself, and when I asked him.”
25th August 2023
Barbara Matys-Wysiadecka, nome de guerre “Baśka – Bomba,” has passed away at the age of 100. She served as a sapper during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Rest in Peace Hero!
25th August 2023
Starting today, the European Commission will start putting massive fines on social media companies which don’t remove misinformation and hate speech from their platforms.
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Ursula von der Leyen
@vonderleyen
25th August 2023
We’re bringing our European values into the digital world. With strict rules on transparency and accountability, our Digital Services Act aims to protect our children, societies and democracies. As of today, very large online platforms must apply the new law.
25th August 2023
According to Western officials, the plane believed to have been carrying Prigozhin “crashed as the result of an assassination plot,” possibly ordered by Putin. The officials say an explosion on the plane is the leading theory for the cause of the crash.
meduza.io Western intelligence officials say Putin likely ordered downing of Prigozhin’s jet — Meduza The plane believed to have been carrying Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin “crashed as the result of an assassination plot,”
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·24th August 2023
#OpEd By focusing on Prigozhin, we overlook that the problems Putin faces are not limited to the Wagner leader and cannot be solved by assassination alone, argues Ivan Fomin.
themoscowtimes.com Prigozhin has Lost, but Putin is Struggling to Win Opinion | President Vladimir Putin is extremely sensitive to disloyalty and prone to looking for traitors everywhere.
25th August 2023
The Latvian State Security Service reported the detention of four people on suspicion of working for the Russian FSB. Three suspects have been detained, one is banned from leaving the country. Their names have not been officially announced.
24th August 2023
The Eiffel Tower was lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag tonight.
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25th August 2023
Two brothers, Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG, are inviting the third, TAURUS, to join them. We have a lot of work to do this autumn. #freethetaurus #TaurusForUkraine
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MFA of Ukraine
@MFA_Ukraine
25th August 2023
Delaying the provision of Taurus long-range missiles to #Ukraine will only give Russia more time to prepare for new offensives and attacks If you or your friends are a Taurus, share the post, tag Tauruses & and help Ukraine approach its Victory! #TaurusForUkraine #FreeTheTaurus
24th August 2023
Paris, Dubai, Rome, Mexico City and dozens of other cities all over the world congratulate #Ukraine on #IndependenceDay!
A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy.
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Who Watches the Watchers? 