Crowds boo while Banksy artwork of cat taken down hours after being unveiled
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Crowds could be heard booing while a new Banksy artwork of a stretching cat on an empty billboard was taken down just hours after it was revealed in north west London.
The street artist’s piece was dismantled by three men who said they were hired by a contracting company to take down the billboard for safety reasons on Saturday evening.
Bansky’s piece of art – which was located in Cricklewood - depicted a dark silhouette of a large cat with an upturned tail stretching out its body.
The artwork is the sixth to be unveiled in London by the Bristol-based artist this week after he previously revealed a goat, elephants, monkeys, a wolf and pelicans.
Hours after Banksy confirmed the design was his in an Instagram post, crowds gathered from across London to see the piece before men arrived.
A contractor, who only wanted to give his name as Marc, said they were going to pull the boarding down on Monday and replace it, but the removal had been brought forward to Saturday in case someone “rips it down and leaves it unsafe”.
He said: “We’ll store that bit (the artwork) in our yard to see if anyone collects it but if not it’ll go in a skip. I’ve been told to keep it careful in case he wants it.”
A blackboard was first used to cover the majority of the cat on the billboard at the request of the police, who wanted to stop people walking in the road in front of traffic.
An officer at the scene said the owner of the billboard has told police he will donate it to an art gallery.
Police had taped off the path in front of the artwork as around 50 people gathered to take pictures and watched the artwork being removed.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called to Edgware Road, NW2, shortly after 16.30hrs on Saturday, 10 August to reports of a large crowd near a Banksy artwork on a billboard.
“Contractors, on behalf of the owner of the billboard, told officers they had been authorised to remove the board as it was unsafe.
“Local authority representatives attended the site, confirmed identities and authority to remove the board, and the removal then took place.”
It comes as a school of swimming fish appeared on a police box in the City of London – with Banksy having just confirmed the aquarium-like design, which differs from his usual work, as his own.
Discussing the cat piece, Ben Tansley, a 71-year-old member of the NorthWestTwo Residents Association, said: “If it wasn’t guarded overnight somebody would take it. It’s such a shame.”
Chair of the association, Carol Reeman, 64, added: “This is Cricklewood, this is our Banksy. You can’t even enjoy it for the whole day before someone wanted to take it down.
“You would wait for a lifetime for a Banksy to come into our neighbourhood. Cricklewood’s on the map.”
The cat design is the second piece this week to be removed after a painting of a wolf howling on a satellite dish was taken off the roof of a shop in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.
It was removed by three men, according to a witness, who told PA that he filmed them, which led to one of the men throwing his phone on a roof.
“It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things and it’s a shame it couldn’t have lasted more than an hour,” he said.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “We were called to reports of a stolen satellite dish containing artwork at 1.52pm on Thursday August 8 in Rye Lane, Peckham. There have been no arrests. Inquiries continue.”
A spokesperson for Banksy said the artist is did not endorse the theft of the wolf design and that they have “no knowledge as to the dish’s current whereabouts”.
The first piece of graffiti in Banksy’s new animal-themed series, which was announced on Monday, is near Kew Bridge in south-west London and shows a goat with rocks falling down below it, just above where a CCTV camera is pointed.
On Tuesday the artist added silhouettes of two elephants with their trunks stretched towards each other on the side of a building near Chelsea, west London.
This was followed by three monkeys looking as though they were swinging underneath a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing shop in the east London market street, not far from Shoreditch High Street.
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Meaning behind Banksy’s new series revealed as artist unveils sixth animal artwork in London
The meaning behind Banksy’s latest series has been revealed as the artist unveiled the sixth artwork in his new animal-themed collection in London.
The elusive street artist posted a photo of a cat on an empty, distressed advertising hoarding on Instagram on Saturday without any caption.
Located in Cricklewood, north west London, the design depicts the silhouette of a large cat with an upturned nail as it appears to stretch out its body.
The artist, whose real identity has never been confirmed but is widely speculated upon, has unveiled a new animal artwork each day this week, of a goat, elephants, monkeys, a wolf and pelicans.
Now, Banksy’s vision for his latest graffiti series has been revealed – he just wants to cheer people up. The aim of the animals is to inject some fun and lightheartedness into summer, at a time when much of the news has been dark and bleak, with a moment of unexpected entertainment.
Banksy’s support organisation, Pest Control Office, indicated that recent discussions over elaborate theories of deeper meanings have been far too involved. Instead, the art was simply created with the hope of highlighting humans’ capacity for play rather than destruction.
The meaning behind the artworks has been disclosed along with the promise of more to come. The Observer reports that a spokesperson suggested a seventh image may soon appear in another surprising location in the capital.
It comes after Friday brought an image of pelicans pinching fish from a London chip shop sign in Walthamstow, east London, and Thursday saw the announcement of a wolf howling on a satellite dish in Peckham, south London.
However, less than an hour after it was disclosed, the wolf design was removed by three men, according to a witness who told the PA news agency that he filmed them, which led to one of the men grabbing and throwing his phone on a roof.
“It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things and it’s a shame it couldn’t have lasted more than an hour,” he said.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “We were called to reports of a stolen satellite dish containing artwork at 1.52pm on Thursday August 8 in Rye Lane, Peckham. There have been no arrests. Inquiries continue.”
A spokesman for Banksy told the PA news agency that the artist is neither connected to nor endorses the theft and that they have “no knowledge as to the dish’s current whereabouts”.
The first piece of graffiti in Banksy’s new animal-themed series, which was announced on Monday, is near Kew Bridge in south-west London and shows a goat with rocks falling down below it, just above where a CCTV camera is pointed.
On Tuesday, the artist added silhouettes of two elephants with their trunks stretched towards each other on the side of a building near Chelsea, west London.
This was followed by three monkeys looking as though they were swinging underneath a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing shop in the popular east London market street, not far from Shoreditch High Street. The street artist was recently criticised by then home secretary James Cleverly, who said the artwork he created for Glastonbury Festival was “trivialising” small boat crossings and “vile”.
The artist had said he was the person behind an inflatable boat filled with migrant dummies which had been crowdsurfed at the music festival in June, during performances by Bristol indie punk band Idles and rapper Little Simz.
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Banksy unveils rhino art that looks as though the animal is climbing on to a car
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Banksy has unveiled the eighth artwork in his animal-themed collection in London, a silhouette of a rhinoceros which looks as though it is climbing on top of a car.
The street artist has been posting artwork to his Instagram at about 1pm every day since Monday August 5, and the latest piece shows a rhino mounting a silver Nissan Micra, with a traffic cone on its bonnet.
On Westmoor Street in Charlton, south east London, the work is positioned on the side of a building and gives the appearance the animal is mounting another rhino in the shape of the broken-down car, with the traffic cone representing a horn.
His first piece depicted a goat and was followed by silhouettes of elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, a cat and fish, which have all popped up in various locations across London.
On Sunday the street artist confirmed he was behind a work depicting a school of piranhas which appeared on a police sentry box in the City of London.
A City of London Corporation spokesman said they were looking at options to “preserve” it.
On Monday a crowd of people stood around taking photographs of the fish tank-themed Banksy near the Old Bailey as workmen in high-vis jackets cordoned it off.
In the historic Old Bailey courts, Judge Mark Lucraft KC discharged a jury after it failed to reach a verdict in a death by careless driving trial, and suggested they might enjoy the warm weather with a visit to the nearby Banksy instead.
The artist’s sixth piece, a stretching cat on an empty, distressed advertising hoarding, was removed from its location in north-west London hours after it was unveiled on Saturday.
Crowds booed as the piece in Cricklewood was dismantled by three men who said they were “hired” by a “contracting company” to take down the billboard for safety reasons.
The cat design was the second piece to be removed last week after a painting of a howling wolf on a satellite dish was taken off the roof of a building in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.
A spokesman for Banksy told the PA news agency that the artist is neither connected to nor endorses the theft of the wolf design and that they have “no knowledge as to the dish’s current whereabouts”.
The fifth piece to be unveiled last week was on Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow, east London, and shows a pelican stooping to scoop up a fish on the takeaway’s sign, while another is tossing one in the air.
A message on the shop’s Facebook page at the weekend said: “So proud to have a @banksy on the side of our shop! Thank you for choosing us, and Walthamstow to showcase your talent.”
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Why the thieves who stole a Banksy may have made a huge mistake
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Moment brazen thief caught stealing new Banksy artwork an hour after it was unveiled
A thief successfully made away with a new piece of Banksy artwork in south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled by the street artist.
Video footage shows the three men using a ladder to scale a building in Peckham before quickly removing the picture of a wolf howling, which had been painted on a satellite dish.
On Thursday afternoon the Bristol-based artist, posted a photo of the artwork, to his Instagram as part of several new animal-themed pieces he has revealed this week.
Its removal comes months after Banksy unveiled another art piece in Peckham that was taken down in less than an hour after it was confirmed as authentic.
In photos from the scene on Thursday a person can be seen climbing up a ladder to retrieve the satellite dish while another holds the ladder for them.
Further images show an individual, wearing denim shorts, walking off with the piece of art.
Tom Kellow, who lives in Peckham, said he had decided to walk down to see the artwork on his lunch break.
He said: “I was walking down around 1pm and saw three guys nicking it. They had a ladder. There was one guy on the roof and the other two were watching the ladder.
“They saw me filming and it got a bit tetchy. One gave me a kick in the side and another tried to throw my phone on the roof.
“Luckily it hit a tree and came back down again. I told a police officer in the area about it.
“It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things and it’s a shame it couldn’t have lasted more than an hour.”
The first piece of graffiti in Banksy’s new animal-themed series, which was unveiled on Monday, appeared near Kew Bridge in south-west London and shows a goat with rocks falling down below it, just above where a CCTV camera is pointed.
On Tuesday, the artist added another design to the collection: silhouettes of two elephants with their trunks stretched toward each other on the side of a building near Chelsea.
This was followed by a trio of monkeys looking as though they were swinging from underneath a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing shop in the popular east London market street, not far from Shoreditch High Street.
The primates have been associated with the Japanese proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”. However, in Banksy’s work the monkeys are not covering their eyes, ears or mouths.
He did not write a caption for any of the photos, posted to his Instagram, which has fuelled speculation online about their meaning.
The work follows a migrant boat created by Banksy, which was crowdsurfed at Glastonbury Festival in June, during performances by Bristol indie punk band Idles and rapper Little Simz.
It was described by then-home secretary James Cleverly as “trivialising” small boats crossings and “vile”, but the artist responded saying his reaction was “a bit over the top”.
In March, the artist created a tree mural in north London, which saw a tree cut back with green paint sprayed behind it to give the impression of foliage.
In December the artist posted to his social media to confirm that a traffic stop sign in Peckham, covered with three aircraft said to resemble military drones, had been created by him.
Less than an hour after it was confirmed as a genuine installation, witnesses saw the artwork being removed by a man with bolt cutters.
The Metropolitan Police have been approached for comment.
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Where to find Bansky artwork in London and beyond
A mural of a goat perched on top of a wall in Richmond has been confirmed to be the newest Banksy artwork to pop up in London.
Banksy claimed ownership for the goat silhouette with tumbling rocks on the side of a building near Kew Bridge on Instagram on 5 August.
It’s the latest art from Banksy following high criticism of the small boat filled with migrant dummies in orange life jackets the street artist crowd surfed at Glastonbury Festival.
The overnight appearance of a Dorothy mural in Birmingham’s Gay Village was confirmed to not be an artwork by Banksy in April after speculation that The Wizard Of Oz-themed art had been painted in the street artist’s iconic style.
However, an authentic Banksy mural caused a stir in London on 18 March with street art that many discerned to be a statement on environmental politics in the city.
The elusive British street artist’s artwork was back on the map for the first time since December after the tree mural appeared on the side of a building on Hornsey Road in Finsbury Park.
A green paint splash behind a cut-back tree, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose to the side, was officially claimed by Banksy in an uncaptioned Instagram post.
Since reaching notability in the late 1990s, Banksy has hosted exhibitions including the Dismaland Bemusement Park in 2015, the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem with “the worst view in the world”, and a Cut & Run project in Glasgow last year to officially display his art.
Though his work spans the continents, with artistic stints in New York, Paris and Ukraine outside of the UK, galleries and building owners often auction or relocate the prized pieces to avoid vandalism, and the appearance of most murals is fleeting.
Several of the graffiti artist’s famed rat stencils still exist in the capital, and past works scatter the Bristol harbourside where his spray painting career began.
As crowds flock to Richmond to see the animal silhouette while they still can, here’s where to go to see Banksy’s art around the world.
London
Kew Bridge, Richmond
On 5 August the silhouette of a goat with large horns teetering on the edge of a wall with a CCTV camera pointed at the falling rubble beneath it appeared in south-west London.
Social media users were quick to speculate on the meaning of the new mural.
One commented: “Goats are adapted to climbing on narrow ledges, so it isn’t in danger, but the camera’s view doesn’t give the full picture. So I’d guess that it’s referencing the need to understand that news needs context before forming an opinion.”
Hornsey Road, Finsbury Park
This mural painted in north London in March was confirmed to be by Banksy. The artwork, on the side of a building on Hornsey Road in Finsbury Park, features green paint sprayed on the building in front of a cut-back tree, creating the impression of foliage.
At the time, a Hornsey Road resident told The Independent: “It’s just great – when we read about it last night, we knew we to come and see it as soon as possible.
“We feel so proud to think he chose our street.”
The mural was defaced by vandals with two licks of white paint just two days after it appeared, a giant plastic sheet and a fence are now in place to protect the artwork and deter vandalism.
Rivington Street, Shoreditch
You’ll find a guard and his poodle behind plexiglass in Banksy’s Designated Graffiti Area on Rivington Street in the yard of the now-closed Cargo nightclub in Shoreditch. The 2003 mural His Master’s Voice (also known as Rocket Dog), also lives inside the old railway tunnel.
Marble Arch, Westminster
In 2019, an artwork believed to be by Banksy appeared at Marble Arch, depicting a show of support for the Extinction Rebellion protests. The painting shows a young child holding the Extinction Rebellion emblem alongside the words: “From this moment despair ends and tactics begin.”
Westminster City Council erected a protective frame to preserve the poignant piece in its original place.
Church Street, Stoke Newington
Banksy’s royal family parody in Stoke Newington remains partially intact after protesting locals halted Hackney Council’s 2009 attempt to black out the east London caricature with paint.
Chrisp Street, Poplar
This Poplar piece played on the headlines of the 2011 phone-hacking scandal that plagued the media. The stick figure next to a water tap has a speech bubble that says, “Oh no... my tap’s been phoned”, and is now spattered with multicoloured paint splotches following defacement attempts.
Bristol
Frogmore Street, Clifton
Well Hung Lover was originally painted on the side of a Frogmore Street sexual health clinic in 2006 that has since relocated. Several defacements, including blue paintball shots and black spray paint, have had to be partially removed by the council over the years to restore the creative portrayal of an extramarital affair.
Hanover Place, Spike Island
This 2014 mural by the anonymous artist, the Girl with a Pierced Eardrum, is a take on Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earring,instead using an outdoor security alarm to stud her lobe.
The mural was vandalised with black paint shortly after it appeared, and was even updated to wear a hospital mask in 2020 as NHS staff battled the coronavirus pandemic.
Birmingham
Vyse Street, Jewellery Quarter
A message about homelessness appeared in reindeer form next to a Birmingham bench in 2019.
Banksy’s official Instagram account posted a video of festive artwork captioned: “God bless Birmingham. In the 20 minutes we filmed Ryan on this bench passers-by gave him a hot drink, two chocolate bars and a lighter – without him ever asking for anything.”
The artwork was later vandalised with red noses and was subsequently protected by Network Rail behind a perspex screen.
California
West 9th Street, Los Angeles
Banksy hosted an art exhibition around Los Angeles called Barely Legal in 2006. This piece, which shows a girl swinging from the “A” on a parking sign, is significantly more obstructed than it was at its creation almost two decades ago, with highrise construction taking place in the original car park, but it can still be seen from between the buildings at the intersection of South Broadway and West 9th Street.
Venice
Rio Novo Canal, Dorsoduro
Banksy’sThe Migrant Child mural, near the Ponte di San Pantalon along the Rio Novo canal, appeared in Venice in 2019 during the Biennale art festival. The image of a young migrant in a lifejacket holding up a pink flare has deteriorated over the last five years due to corrosion by the elements, and Italy’s culture ministry announced controversial plans to restore the damaged mural at the end of 2023, cementing its position on the canal.
Paris
41 Avenue de Flandre
Now protected by a screen, this Parisian painting of a masked horse-rider is a reinterpretation of a famous portrait of Napoleon on horseback by Jacques-Louis David, but this time fully wrapped in his red cloak.
Captioned “LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, CABLE TV”, the art is believed to take aim at the poor management by France of the refugee crisis. The mural appeared in 2018, eight years after the French decision to ban full face coverings, including burqas and niqabs, in 2010.
New York
233 W 79th Street, Upper West Side
The Better Out Than In residency sprayed New York with Banksy graffiti for a month in October 2013. Though many of the artworks were defaced or vandalised quickly after they debuted, one mural, Hammer Boy, depicting a young boy’s silhouette smashing a fire hydrant with a hammer, was preserved in the city and is a hotspot for fans of the elusive artist.
Ukraine
Kyiv, Irpin and Borodyanka
In 2022, seven murals of solidarity were created by Banksy around wartorn Ukraine, including a gymnast balancing on a pile of rubble, a judo competition, a woman with a gas mask, and an old man taking a bath, all against the backdrop of destroyed buildings.
Many of the artworks were preserved with plexiglass, and some were relocated from bombarded towns, such as Borodyanka, as tower blocks were demolished as a result of damage caused by the fighting. Currently, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Ukraine.
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С сожалением и понятными пожеланиями, Dimitriy.
US Senator Graham calls Ukraine’s incursion into Russia ‘bold’, ‘beautiful’
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Graham made comments during a visit to Kyiv with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. "What do I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Keep it up," he told reporters.
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin vows revenge for Kursk attack as Moscow evacuates thousands more from border
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Vladimir Putin has vowed to “kick the enemy out” after Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border assault into the Kursk region, as thousands more civilians from the neighbouring Belgorod area were evacuated.
During comments at an impromptu meeting with his officials, Putin vowed to issue a “worthy response” against Ukraine amid fears that he could launch vicious attacks against the country’s civilian-populated areas.
“The enemy will undoubtedly receive a worthy response,” he said, “and there is no doubt that we will reach our objectives.”
The governor of Russia’s Kursk region added at the meeting that Ukraine controls more than two dozen settlements in the area just six days after launching the attack.
Meanwhile, the governor of neighbouring Belgorod Oblast Vyacheslav Gladkov said evacuations had begun from the Krasnaya Yaruga District of the region due to “enemy activity on the border”.
Russia’s Tass state news agency said 11,000 people had been evacuated from that region alone, while more than 76,000 have already been moved from Kursk.
Ukrainian forces have taken up to 95 square miles of land in just six days, according to analysts, and appear to be continuing to push forwards.
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Top Ukrainian commander says his forces now control 1,000 square kilometers of Russia’s Kursk region
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s top military commander says his forces now control 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russia’s neighboring Kursk region, the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly commented on the gains of the lightning incursion that has embarrassed the Kremlin.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incursion, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.
Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that the Ukrainian military is operating inside the Kursk region. On Telegram, he praised his country’s soldiers and commanders “for their steadfastness and decisive actions.”
He did not elaborate. He also suggested that Ukraine would offer humanitarian assistance in the region.
Speaking Monday at a meeting with top security and defense officials, Putin said the attack that began Aug. 6 appeared to reflect Kyiv’s attempt to achieve a better negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war. He insisted Moscow’s army would prevail.
Putin said Ukraine may have hoped that the attack would cause public unrest in Russia, but that it has failed to achieve that goal, and he claimed that the number of volunteers to join the Russian military has increased because of the assault. He said Russian forces will carry on with their offensive in eastern Ukraine regardless.
“It’s obvious that the enemy will keep trying to destabilize the situation in the border zone to try to destabilize the domestic political situation in our country,” Putin said. Russia’s main task is “to squeeze out, drive the enemy out of our territories and, together with the border service, to ensure reliable cover of the state border.”
Acting Kursk Gov. Alexei Smirnov reported to Putin that Ukrainian forces had pushed 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into the Kursk region across a 40-kilometer (25-mile) front and currently control 28 Russian settlements.
Smirnov said 12 civilians have been killed and 121 others, including 10 children, have been wounded in the operation. About 121,000 people have been evacuated or left the areas affected by fighting on their own, he said. The total planned number of evacuations is 180,000.
Tracking down all the Ukrainian units that are roaming the region and creating diversions is difficult, Smirnov said, noting that some are using fake Russian IDs.
The governor of the Belgorod region adjacent to Kursk also announced the evacuation of people from a district near the Ukrainian border.
Ukrainian forces swiftly rolled into the town of Sudzha about 10 kilometers (6 miles) over the border after launching the attack. They reportedly still hold the western part of the town, which is the site of an important natural gas station.
The Ukrainian operation is under tight secrecy, and its goals remain unclear. The stunning maneuver that caught the Kremlin’s forces off guard counters Russia’s unrelenting effort in recent months to punch through Ukrainian defenses at selected points along the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has seen previous incursions into its territory during the nearly 2 1/2-year war, but the foray into the Kursk region marked the largest attack on its soil since World War II, constituting a milestone in the hostilities. It is also the first time the Ukrainian army has spearheaded an incursion rather than pro-Ukraine Russian fighters.
The advance delivered a blow to Putin’s efforts to pretend that life in Russia has been largely unaffected by the war. State propaganda tried to play down the attack, emphasizing the authorities’ efforts to help residents of the region and seeking to distract attention from the military’s failure to prepare for the attack and quickly repel it.
Kursk residents recorded videos lamenting they had to flee the border area, leaving behind their belongings, and pleading with Putin for help. But Russia’s state-controlled media kept a tight lid on any expression of discontent.
Retired Gen. Andrei Gurulev, a member of the lower house of the Russian parliament, criticized the military for failing to properly protect the border.
“Regrettably, the group of forces protecting the border didn’t have its own intelligence assets,” he said on his messaging app channel. “No one likes to see the truth in reports, everybody just wants to hear that all is good.”
The combat inside Russia rekindled questions about whether Ukraine was using weaponry supplied by NATO members. Some Western countries have balked at allowing Ukraine to use their military aid to hit Russian soil, fearing it would fuel an escalation that might drag Russia and NATO into war.
Though it’s not clear what weapons Ukraine is using across the border, Russian media widely reported that American Bradley and German Marder armored infantry vehicles were there. The claim could not be independently verified.
Ukraine has already used U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview published Monday that the weapons provided by his country “cannot be used to attack Russia on its territory.”
Meanwhile, German Defense Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz said Monday that legal experts agree that “international law provides for a state that is defending itself also to defend itself on the territory of the attacker. That is clear from our point of view, too.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that reinforcements sent to the area backed by air forces and artillery had fended off seven attacks by Ukrainian units near Martynovka, Borki and Korenevo during the previous 24 hours.
The ministry said Russian forces also blocked an attempt by Ukrainian mobile groups to forge deep into the Russian territory near Kauchuk.
Russian air forces and artillery also struck concentrations of Ukrainian troops and equipment near Sudzha, Kurilovka, Pekhovo, Lyubimovo and several other settlements, it said. Warplanes and artillery hit Kyiv’s reserves in Ukraine’s Sumy region across the border, the ministry added.
Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group open-source intelligence agency, which monitors the war, said the toughest phase of Ukraine’s incursion is likely to begin now as Russian reserves enter the fray.
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Ukraine says Russia tries to accuse it of false war crimes in Kursk
Ukraine‘s State Security Service (SBU) has said that Russia is trying to falsely accuse Kyiv’s military of war crimes amid the cross-border incursion in Russia’s west Kursk region.
SBU said on the Telegram messenger that it had information showing Russia may stage crimes which it would blame Ukraine for.
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Zelensky says Russian forces started fire at Russian-controlled nuclear plant in southern Ukraine
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Russian forces started a fire at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post Sunday.
Zelensky posted a video showing a large plume of smoke coming out of one of the towers on the plant’s territory. He said radiation indicators were normal but blamed Russia for using the nuclear plant “to blackmail Ukraine, and all of Europe and the world.”
“We are waiting for the reaction of the world, we are waiting for the reaction of the IAEA,” he said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency. “Russia must be responsible for this.”
Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the Ukrainian-controlled military administration in the Nikopol district, which looks out onto the plant, said there was unofficial information that Russian forces had set fire to a large number of automobile tires in the cooling towers.
He called it “a provocation, or an attempt to create panic” and reassured that the plant is “operating as normal as possible under the conditions of occupation.”
Russia, in turn, accused Ukraine of starting the fire on the plant’s territory.
The Russian-appointed official in control of occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia, Yevgeniy Balitsky, said the fire occurred “as a result of shelling of the city of Enerhodar by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” Balitsky also said there is no radiation threat to the nuclear plant or the city of Enerhodar.
Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia administration, said Kyiv forces launched an attack drone from the Ukrainian territory to strike the power plant and called it “a targeted and deliberate blow.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of “nuclear terror” following the attack and urged the IAEA to respond.
The Russian-installed communications director of the nuclear plant, Evgeniya Yashina, told state media TASS that there were no victims following the strike. However, the plant “suffered serious damage for the first time,” she said. TASS reported that “the non-functioning cooling tower No. 1 was damaged, and plastic steam traps caught fire following the Ukrainian drone strike,” citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The fire “did not affect the operation of the plant in any way,” and employees of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations are working on its elimination, the plant’s Russian-backed Telegram page said.
The IAEA issued a statement on X on Sunday following the incident.
“IAEA experts witnessed strong dark smoke coming from ZNPP’s northern area following multiple explosions heard in the evening. Team was told by ZNPP of an alleged drone attack today on one of the cooling towers located at the site. No impact has been reported for nuclear safety,” it said.
The incident came after Zelensky confirmed Kyiv’s troops are fighting inside Russia, days into the surprise Ukrainian cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region that has become a major embarrassment for the Kremlin.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the border region of Belgorod with airstrikes and pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups have conducted limited cross-border attacks, but the Kursk operation marked the first time that regular Ukrainian and special operations units have entered Russian territory.
“Ukraine is proving that it really knows how to restore justice and guarantees exactly the kind of pressure that is needed – pressure on the aggressor,” Zelensky said on Saturday, thanking “every unit” of Ukraine’s armed forces for making it possible “to push the war out into the aggressor’s territory.”
Moscow has been scrambling to contain the attack. Russian authorities imposed a sweeping counter-terror operation in Kursk and two other border regions and tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.
Now into its sixth day, the attack on Kursk is a significant development in the more than two year conflict.
Цитата:
Thousands of Ukraine troops ready to defend land captured in daring attack into Russia
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This isn’t a short jaunt into Russia as a propaganda exercise,” a colonel connected to the general staff of Ukraine’s army says of Ukraine’s surprise attack on Russian soil. “This operation has been long in the planning and has serious aims and Ukrainian forces will stay for some time in Russia.”
Backing up the colonel’s assessment, an official who has worked for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration as an adviser and in a variety of other important roles, says the Kursk assault will not be a brief incursion but is likely to broaden its scope with the intention of holding onto captured territory. He said that thousands more troops – potentially several brigades – are standing by, “including some of the best, most experienced troops and brigades” to fight.
Moscow’s forces are still scrambling to respond to the cross-border assault by Kyiv’s troops after almost a week of fierce fighting in the Kursk region, which borders northeast Ukraine. Acting Kursk governor Alexei Smirnov reported to Russian president Vladimir Putin that Ukrainian forces had pushed at least 7.5 miles (12km) over the border across a 24-mile front and currently control 28 Russian settlements. Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said around 390 sq m (1,000 sq km) in the Kursk region are under the control of his country’s troops.
Mr Smirnov said that 121,000 people have been evacuated or left the areas affected by fighting on their own. The total planned number of evacuations is 180,000. He added that 12 civilians had been killed and 121 others, including 10 children, had been wounded in the operation.
Ukrainian forces swiftly rolled into the town of Sudzha, about six miles over the border, after launching the attack. They reportedly still hold the western part of the town, which is the site of an important natural gas transit station conveying Russian gas to Western Europe.
A Ukrainian general staff situation report on Monday stated that advance units of its military had moved deeper into Russian territory and that some units were digging in and aiming to fortify captured territory while others regrouped, conducted reconnaissance or advanced toward Olgov, Rilsk, and Bolshoye Soldatskoe, the latter lying along the route to the regional capital, Kursk City, and sitting about 25 miles beyond Sudzha.
Moscow was rushing reinforcements to the area where Ukrainian troops were fanning out – and insisting, as it has falsely done for days, that forces had checked or, in places, repelled the Ukrainian advance and inflicted large casualties. But some pro-Kremlin military bloggers, who often report more truthfully than official Moscow sources, wrote of continuing Ukrainian momentum and a lack of coordination and disarray in the Russian military’s response.
The Ukrainian official says: “It’s true that the operation has lifted the morale of the general Ukrainian population but it was not conceived as merely a PR exercise. Ukraine does not expend its soldiers’ lives just to get some propaganda points.”
He says that one of the aims was to fortify Ukraine’s northern and eastern borders with Russia and its ally, Belarus, including the Kharkiv region which has been under relentless attack for months. In May, Kremlin forces launched an incursion from across the Kharkiv region’s northern border and rapidly captured a cluster of small towns and villages. Fierce fighting has continued ever since, with Ukrainian troops stemming further Russian advances which Moscow hoped would bring its plentiful Soviet-era artillery close enough to pummel the region’s eponymous capital, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
The Ukrainian official says: “Part of the purpose of the operation is that Ukraine wants to create a deep buffer zone on the Russian side of the border to protect Kharkiv and all other Ukrainian territory that is currently vulnerable to cross-border raids and artillery attacks by Russia. The current operation will put pressure on the Russians to withdraw from northern Kharkiv where they invaded in May.”
The official adds that Ukrainian forces now in Kursk had already destroyed Russian military facilities and their mission is to advance to eliminate other Russian bases, particularly air bases from which deadly glide bombs, which have targeted Ukrainian cities, are launched, and locations from which Moscow can fire missiles into Ukrainian border areas.
“Another key reason for the offensive,” the source explains, “is to use occupied Russian territory as a bargaining chip in any future peace negotiations to trade for Ukrainian-occupied land.” He said that, unlike at a recent peace conference in Switzerland to which Moscow was not invited, Russia would be asked to a follow-up conference which he mooted might take place in the autumn.
There has been no let-up this year in fierce fighting along the 600-mile front lines which have remained mostly static. Russian forces have been unable to make any major breakthrough but, by sheer force of numbers, vastly larger quantities of weapons and a chilling disregard for their massive casualties, Moscow has made slow incremental gains.
Kyiv has never ruled out peace talks although it has said it wouldn’t negotiate with an enemy that only wants Ukraine’s total surrender before the eradication of Ukrainian nationhood and the elimination of its culture.
The Ukraine colonel says: “An aim of the operation into Kursk is to allow Ukraine to enter any peace negotiations from a position of strength.”
The offensive into Russia has humiliated its president and shattered Russian complacency about achieving victory through prolonged, bloody attrition. Mr Putin, angered by the largest attack on Russian soil since the Second World War, has vowed revenge.
"The main task, of course, is for the defence ministry to squeeze out, to knock out the enemy from our territories," he said on Monday. “The enemy will certainly receive a worthy response,” he added, also saying that the Kursk assault was aimed at improving Kyiv’s negotiating position ahead of possible peace talks.
Most Ukrainians are braced for a series of vengeful attacks and, going by the Kremlin’s track record, these will be against both military and civilian targets.
The Ukrainian government suspects that a blaze, this weekend, at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear station, which has been occupied by Russian military since 2022, is a warning by Moscow of what that vengeance could look like.
Russia predictably blamed Ukrainian missiles or drones for causing the blaze at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said there had been no radioactive leaks at the facility, all six of whose reactors have been shut down for two years. Mr Zelensky called it “blackmail” by Moscow.
In the Belgorod region, adjacent to Kursk, thousands of civilians were also evacuated on Monday due to fears of a Ukrainian attack.
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С сожалением и понятными пожеланиями, Dimitriy.
Илон Маск и Дональд Трамп начали беседу после масштабной DDoS-атаки. Задержка составила около 45 минут.
Владелец X заявил, что сегодня протестировали систему с 8 млн одновременных слушателей. Трамп поздравил Маска с рекордом.
Офис генсека ООН не стал комментировать РИА Новости данные о том, что украинские военные готовятся атаковать Курскую и Запорожскую АЭС, перенаправив вопрос в МАГАТЭ.
При этом МАГАТЭ пока так и не отреагировало на сообщения об этой угрозе.
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Украина отвергает новые российские обвинения о планах применить «грязную бомбу»
Официальный представитель МИД Украины отреагировал на публикации российских пропагандистских источников о том, что Киев готовится применить «грязную бомбу» или атаковать атомные электростанции — Запорожскую на оккупированной Россией территории или Курскую в Курской области.
«Мы наблюдаем очередной всплеск безумной российской пропаганды о якобы планах Украины применить „грязные бомбы“ или атаковать атомные электростанции. Официально опровергаем эти ложные сообщения. Украина не имеет ни намерения, ни возможности осуществлять любые подобные действия. Россия должна прекратить распространять опасную ложь», — написал в телеграме официальный представитель МИД Украины Георгий Тихий.
Вечером в пятницу российские «военкоры» и «РИА Новости» со ссылкой на некий источник в неуточненном силовом ведомстве начали писать, что Украина нанесет удары по хранилищам отработанного ядерного топлива при АЭС. Никаких доказательств представлено не было.
Грузная бомба представляет собой обычное взрывное устройство, разбрасывающее при взрыве радиоактивный материал и заражающее им окружающее пространство. Случаев практического применения таких устройств неизвестно.
Однако в октябре 2022 года, на фоне украинского наступления, Россия усиленно распространяла бездоказательные утверждения о том, что Украина готовится использовать подобное оружие. Ничего подобного ни тогда, ни позже не случилось.
«Мы не имеем никаких „грязных бомб“ и не планируем их приобретать. Когда Россия впервые распространила эту чушь в 2022 году, мы пригласили миссию МАГАТЭ, которая полностью опровергла эту ложь. С тех пор ничего не изменилось», — заявил Тихий.
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В Сумы и Запорожье съехалось большое число западных журналистов на фоне подготовки Киевом атаки на Курскую и Запорожскую АЭС, заявил РИА Новости координатор пророссийского подполья Лебедев.
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Планируемую ВСУ атаку на Курскую и Запорожскую АЭС
курируют западные спецслужбы, в основном Британия
, сообщил РИА Новости координатор пророссийского подполья Лебедев.
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В российском силовом ведомстве РИА Новости заявили, что ВСУ планируют использовать для атаки на Курскую и Запорожскую АЭС
заряды с боеголовками с радиоактивным веществом
.
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ВСУ уже завезли спецбоеголовки в город Желтые Воды Днепропетровской области для удара по местам хранения отработавшего топлива АЭС, сообщает военкор Хайруллин со ссылкой на источники.
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ВСУ готовят взрыв грязной ядерной бомбы, удары планируются по местам хранения отработавшего топлива АЭС, сообщает военкор Хайруллин со ссылкой на источники.
Kremlin accuses the West of helping Ukraine attack Russia
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MOSCOW, Aug 16 (Reuters) - An influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the West and the U.S.-led NATO alliance had helped to plan Ukraine's surprise attack on Russia's Kursk region, something Washington has denied.
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Ukraine said the incursion was needed to force Russia, which sent its forces into Ukraine in February 2022, to start "fair" peace talks.
But the United States and Western powers, eager to avoid direct military confrontation with Russia, said Ukraine had not given advance notice and that Washington was not involved, though weaponry provided by Britain and the U.S. is reported to have been used on Russian soil.
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The U.S., which has said it cannot allow Putin to win the Ukraine war, so far deems the surprise incursion a protective move that justifies the use of U.S. weaponry, officials in Washington said.
But they also expressed worries about complications as Ukrainian troops push further into enemy territory.
One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Ukraine started taking Russian villages and other non-military targets using U.S. weapons and vehicles, it could be seen as stretching the limits Washington has imposed, precisely to avoid any perception of a direct NATO-Russia conflict.
Russia's defence ministry has published footage that it said showed a Russian drone destroying a U.S.-made Stryker armoured combat vehicle in the Kursk region.
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BORIS JOHNSON: After a week of tactical brilliance, Ukraine could finally end this war
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When it comes to UK support for the Ukrainians, it is time for the Labour Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to stop pussy¬footing around.
We can all see why the Kursk operation is tactically brilliant. By taking and then defending a chunk of Russian territory, the Ukrainians pose a grim strategic challenge for Putin.
He can either let the insult go unavenged – impossible – or else he will be forced to retake the -salient, village by village, with waves of conscript troops. What this war has shown so far is that it is far costlier – in blood and ¬weapons – to retake a piece of land than to defend it.
So Putin will probably have to divert troops from elsewhere, and the Ukrainians are naturally -hoping that this will relieve the pressure in the Donbas.
Here, by contrast, it is the ¬Russians who have been making some grinding progress: using huge air-launched glide bombs to flatten Ukrainian positions.
The Ukrainians have been ¬unable properly to retaliate and unable to protect themselves, because we have been forcing them to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.
The only way to stop the glide bombs is to hit the air bases used by those Russian planes; and the only way to hit those bases is to use the Western kit they already have. The Ukrainians have the ATACMS system from the US, they have bunker-busting Storm Shadow missiles from the UK.
What they do not have is the permissions they need to use those missiles against their tormentors.
Why don't we do it? Why don't we give them the freedom to strike military sites in Russia? After all, the Russians have rained indiscriminate murder on Ukrainian cities – never mind -military bases – for more than two years.
We are told, as ever, that we fear 'escalation'. But in truth the ¬person who really fears escalation is Putin. He has lost hundreds of thousands of troops; he has lost huge quantities of armour; he is now severely overstretched. Now is the moment for the friends of Ukraine, led by the US and the UK, to go up a gear.
Throughout this conflict we have tended not only to under¬estimate the Ukrainians but to be too slow and gingerly in coming to their aid. We always end up ¬changing our minds, and ¬recognising the case for arming the Ukrainians – but only after unconscionable delays and the consequent loss of life.
Remember that in 2022 we told the Poles that they couldn't even give the Ukrainians some Soviet-era MiG-29s. Well, the US has now moved so far as to furnish the Ukrainians with F-16s. We were told that it would be 'provocative' and 'escalatory' if we gave the Ukrainians the kind of battlefield armour they needed. Today, there are American, French and ¬German tanks involved in that Kursk ¬operation – and of course there are British Challengers.
It was the British Challengers that broke the taboo on sending tanks, and encouraged other countries to follow suit, just as it was the British decision to give the NLAW anti-tank missiles that emboldened other European countries to give their own lethal weaponry.
Now is the time for the UK to do the same again: show some ¬leadership, show some initiative on Storm Shadow, and the rest of our friends and allies will follow suit.
When Volodymyr Zelensky came to Britain last month, he was ¬mystified to be told, by Keir Starmer, that he had UK ¬permission to use Storm Shadow against Russian bases – only for that permission to be rescinded a few days later.
There followed a peculiar ¬briefing, to a newspaper, that Storm Shadow could only be used with 'French' permission. I can assure readers that this is ¬complete nonsense.
Yes, of course it is always better – as Churchill said – to do things in concert with the Americans. But these are UK weapons, paid for by the UK taxpayer, and we should have the guts to decide how they can be used.
As my friend former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace never tires of saying, there are other things we should also be doing – such as training more Ukrainian troops. But the most important task now is to give the Ukrainians the permissions they need for the weapons they already have, to save time and save lives.
By their heroism, the Ukrainians have once again exploded the myth of Putin's invincibility. They have proved to their Western backers, again, that they can and will win.
We are morally obliged to help them – and faster.
They look like — and link to — real news articles. But they’re actually ads from the Harris campaign
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If you’re not looking too closely, some recent Kamala Harris ads may give the false impression that some leading news organizations are taking sides in the campaign for president.
The advertisements, which have turned up in some Google search feeds, include links to legitimate news stories but feature — in words that appear to be headlines from the originating news organizations — pro-Harris messages written by the Democrat’s campaign. They were revealed in an article by Axios this week.
Google and the campaign defend the practice as legitimate and legal, used in the past by both Democrats and Republicans. But it has raised concern from some of the outlets and others.
Said Jane Kirtley, a media ethics professor at the University of Minnesota: “What it’s about is confusion and deception.”
Assorted methods of advertising
While television remains the dominant form of political advertising, the under-the-radar Google ads also indicate there will be many different ways political campaigns try to reach voters this fall.
The Google ads have popped up for consumers making searches, usually in targeted geographic regions. One ad, for example, has the headline, “VP Harris’s Economic Vision — Lower Costs and Higher Wages.” Copy underneath reads, “a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead. We won’t go back to the failed trickle-down policies that hurt working families.”
The ad includes a link to a story on The Associated Press’ website, where those messages do not appear. Similarly, an ad that links to a story by The Guardian says Harris “is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump’s abortion bans.”
A spokesman for the Guardian said that “while we understand why an organization might wish to align itself with the Guardian’s trusted brand, we need to ensure that it is being used appropriately and with our permission. We’ll be reaching out to Google for more information about this practice.”
The AP also said it was unaware that one of its articles was being used for this purpose. “AP’s journalism is independent, fact-based and non partisan and must not be misrepresented in any way,” spokesman Patrick Maks said.
Other Google search ads have run using material from CBS News, CNN, Time, PBS and USA Today, according to the Google Ads Transparency Center.
There is no indication that any of the linked articles were altered in any way. But Kirtley said she questioned how many people who see the advertisement will click on those links, and instead mistakenly think the ads were quoting from the articles. For news organizations, that’s crucially important at a time they’re fighting against perceptions of bias by some in the public.
“Their brand is being co-opted for political advertising without permission or prior knowledge,” she said. “It’s fine if they chose to endorse someone, but you don’t want your reporting to be turned into an endorsement.”
News content used outside of news spaces
It’s not the only instance of news outlets needing to be cognizant of their work being used in a political context in an unauthorized way. The AP would not discuss on Thursday whether it has needed to take action to prevent unauthorized uses of its now-iconic photograph of former President Donald Trump following an assassination attempt this summer; it will reportedly be on the cover of Trump’s upcoming book.
Google notes that the Harris ads are clearly labeled as “sponsored” so they are distinguishable from regular search results, and reveal that they are paid for by the Harris campaign. “It’s fairly common for advertisers to link out to or cite external websites, including news sites, in their ads,” Google said in a statement.
Indeed, the campaigns of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn used similar Google ads during Republican primary campaigns. But in 2017, Facebook decided to ban a similar practice in its advertising after the Wall Street Journal raised questions about it.
The Harris Google ad campaign seems limited in scope. The ads linking to Guardian and AP articles both appeared only in searches by users in the swing state of Pennsylvania, and both have appeared less than 2,000 times, according to the Ads Transparency Center. The Harris campaign said it had no plans to discontinue the ads.
“I just don’t think it’s a big deal,” said Robert Shrum, a veteran Democratic political strategist and director of the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California.
Harris’ Google effort is an indication that campaigns will be searching for new and creative ways to reach voters in the next few months, said Steve Caplan, who is teaching a class in political advertising at USC this fall. One expected trend: an explosion of commercials on streaming services like Netflix that never used to accept advertising.
“You’re trying to find new and innovative ways to break through in a media environment that’s very cluttered, and that takes strategy and creativity,” Caplan said.
Still, television ads — especially in swing states — are expected to dominate.
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Известный украинский волонтер Тарас Чмут опубликовал карту Приднестровья с подписью «ни на что не намекаю, но…».
В украинских пабликах многие это расценили как намек на то, что ВСУ могут начать наступление на непризнанную «республику» Приднестровье (она фактически подконтрольна РФ, являясь при этом международно признанной территорией Молдовы).
Разговоры об атаке на Приднестровье на фоне операции в Курской области в украинских соцсетях в последнее время вновь активизировались.
Но, как мы уже ранее писали, у этого проекта есть свои проблемные моменты.
Во-первых, для ввода ВСУ в Приднестровье нужно согласие Молдовы. Иначе, с точки зрения международного права, это будет актом агрессии. При этом президент Молдовы Санду неоднократно заявляла, что не видит военного решения проблемы Приднестровья. Тем более, что осенью этого года в Молдове пройдут выборы президента. А накануне выборов Санду вряд ли будет рисковать, давая отмашку на начало войны.
Во-вторых, для наступления на Приднестровье нужно выделить довольно крупные силы. Так как общая численность российских войск в Приднестровье и силовых структур «ПМР» составляет примерно 15-20 тысяч человек даже без мобилизации (а в случае мобилизации может быть развёрнуто до 40-50 тысяч человек). Причем с немалым запасом вооружений. Поэтому для операции ВСУ потребуется минимум 20 тысяч человек. В тоже время, наступление на Курскую область показало ограниченность украинских резервов. Для атаки через границу РФ были переброшены войска с Донбасса, где, в результате, ускорилось продвижение российской армии. Если же Украина решит начать ещё и боевые действия в Приднестровье проблема резервов ВСУ ещё более обострится.
В тоже время полностью исключать наступления ВСУ на Приднестровье (при условия согласия Молдовы) все ж таки нельзя.
Для Киева и его западных партнеров сейчас важна серия побед для укрепления боевого духа и веры в победу.
И, если в Украине и на Западе придут к выводу, что с Приднестровьем можно покончить быстро и малой кровью, то это могут попытаться осуществить.
Правда, никто не может гарантировать, что расчет на быструю и легкую победу оправдается.
Председатель Синодального информационно-просветительского отдела Украинской православной церкви Митрополит Климент прокомментировал «Стране» принятие Радой законопроекта о фактическом запрете УПЦ.
«Лучше всего к этому творчеству Верховной Рады предоставило комментарий юридическое управление парламента, которое разрабатывает детальный анализ всех законопроектов. Так вот юристы самой Верховной Рады утверждают, что текст только что принятого закона не соответствует нескольким фундаментальным статьям украинской Конституции и целому ряду принципов, которые Украина ратифицировала в международных договорах, как демократическое государство. Это касается юридической стороны закона. Но есть еще и моральная. Если бы миллионы верующих украинских граждан знали, что нынешний парламент будет запрещать церкви, то очевидно на выборах сформировали бы совершенно иной его состав», - заявил Климент «Стране».
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Ukraine passes law to ban ‘pro-Kremlin’ orthodox church
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The Ukrainian parliament has approved legislation banning religious organisations with ties to Russia, paving the way for Kyiv to end the activities of the Moscow-linked orthodox church on its soil. The Verkhovna Rada approved the law on Tuesday in its second and final reading, with 265 lawmakers voting in its favour and 29 against, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak. Ukrainian officials have long argued that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate operates as an arm of the Russian Orthodox Church to undermine Ukraine and that it is complicit in Russia’s full-scale war. In particular, Ukrainian officials accuse the UOC-MP of working closely with Russia’s powerful security service, the FSB. “The Russian Orthodox Church has nothing to do with faith — it is a tool of the special services,” Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, wrote on Telegram. The bill needs to be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to become law, but he signalled in a meeting with Ukrainian religious leaders on Saturday that he would not hesitate to do so. Zelenskyy said Russia used the church to suppress the independence of other states and to limit the freedoms of their citizens. “Therefore, it is our common duty to guarantee Ukrainian spiritual independence,” he said. Zheleznyak said in a statement posted on Telegram that the law would come into effect 30 days after its publication in the parliament newspaper, save for one clause, according to which UOC-MP parishes and monasteries would have nine months to sever ties with Moscow.
A court would then ultimately need to decide on a national ban against the Russia-linked church. Ukraine’s security service has raided several monasteries and offices of the UOC-MP since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Officials in Kyiv said they seized money and paraphernalia linking the church’s clergymen to Moscow’s efforts to destabilise Ukraine. The UOC-MP has denied the charges. In a statement published after the passage of the law, Robert Amsterdam, an international lawyer representing the UOC-MP, said Tuesday marked “a dark new chapter for human rights in Ukraine”. “Since last October we have warned Ukraine’s allies of this egregious law, which seeks to impose collective punishment against an entire religious denomination in violation of every known international law, and today, we have seen the majority of Verkhovna Rada cave in to nationalist pressure and step into lawlessness,” said Amsterdam. The lawyer vowed to “continue our fight to protect our client and its parishioners from these violations” and to pursue legal action against what he described as a “religious cleansing law”. Metropolitan Onufriy, the head of the UOC-MP, declared independence from the Moscow patriarchate three months after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The church, which used to represent a majority of the Ukrainian population, split in 2018, four years after Moscow’s illegal annexation of Crimea and covert invasion of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region under the guise of a separatist uprising. A new pro-Kyiv Orthodox Church of Ukraine was formed. The OCU and many Ukrainian politicians and officials maintain that Onufriy’s church is an instrument of the Kremlin that should be disbanded. Roman Lozynskyi, a Ukrainian MP who voted for the law, called its passage “historic”. “We still have a long bureaucratic path ahead of us,” he wrote on Facebook after the vote. “But today we have embarked on the inevitable path of cleansing from within the Kremlin’s agent network, which for decades hid behind the mask of a religious organisation.”
Цитата:
Адвокат УПЦ Роберт Амстердам назвал принятый Радой законопроект о фактическом запрете церкви «религиозной чисткой» и «новой черной страницей в истории нарушений прав человека в Украине».
Он заявил, что «большинство Верховной Рады поддалось националистическому давлению» и добавил, что лоббисты законопроекта понесут международную ответственность.
«Это форма целенаправленной дискриминации, которая ущемляет права миллионов граждан Украины, принадлежащих к старейшей христианской конфессии страны», - заявил Амстердам.
Он также привел детали законопроекта.
По словам юриста, устанавливать связи между УПЦ и РПЦ будет Госслужба по этнополитике и свободе совести. И, если она определит, что эти церкви связаны, то подаст иск в административный суд прекращении деятельности УПЦ.
Амстердам указывает, что в качестве критерия такой связи чиновники смогут использовать устав Русской православной церкви, где прописана связь с УПЦ. При том, что на изменение устава РПЦ украинская церковь повлиять не может.
Юрист напоминает, что после полномасштабного вторжения России УПЦ убрала из своего устава ссылки на Русскую православную церковь и объявила о своей полной независимости - в частности, восстановив производство мира в Киеве и открыв зарубежные приходы.
По мнению юриста, чиновники эти факты могут, согласно законопроекту, проигнорировать.
Если суд удовлетворит иск, это лишит УПЦ ее юридической идентичности и прав собственности, а также запретит ее религиозную деятельность, «заставив прихожан молиться подпольно». При этом, напоминает юрист, подача иска в суд может произойти лишь через девять месяцев после установления факта «связей с РПЦ».
Цитата:
Цитата:
О принятом сегодня законопроекте, который открывает путь к запрету УПЦ.
Хоть этот законопроект и презентуют как запрет церквей «связанных с государством-агрессором» (то есть, подразумевается, что инициаторы закона постараются доказать связь УПЦ с РПЦ), на самом деле у украинских властей будет и более простой путь для запрета УПЦ - через возбуждение уголовных дел против ее иерархов и вынесения им приговоров (что уже делается).
В целом, как говорится в принятом законе, религиозная организация через суд может быть запрещена, как минимум, по одной из ниже перечисленных причин.
1. Совершение религиозной организацией действий, недопустимость которых предусмотрена статьями 3, 5 и 17 настоящего Закона (эти статьи касаются аффилированности церкви с религиозной организацией с запрещенной иностранной церковью. - Прим.Ред.).
2. Сочетание обрядовой или проповеднической деятельности религиозной организации с посягательством на жизнь, здоровье, свободу и достоинство личности.
3. Систематическое нарушение религиозной организацией установленного законодательством порядка проведения публичных религиозных мероприятий.
4. Побуждение граждан к неисполнению
своих конституционных обязанностей или действий, которые сопровождаются грубыми нарушениями общественного порядка (под такой пункт можно подвести, например, призыв к уклонению от военной службы. - Ред.).
6. Осуждение ее уполномоченных лиц за совершение преступления против основ национальной безопасности Украины или за совершение уголовного правонарушения,
предусмотренного статьями 161, 190, 209, 258-
258-6, 436–438, 442, 447 Уголовного кодекса Украины (это статьи за нарушение равноправия граждан, в том числе в зависимости от их религиозных убеждений, мошенничество, легализация имущества, полученного нелегальным путем, теракт, пропаганда войны, отрицание вооруженной агрессии РФ, геноцид и наемничество; по этим статьям сейчас как раз и возбуждаются дела против иерархов УПЦ - Ред.).
6. Невыполнение предписания об устранении нарушений (относительно аффилированности с иностранной религиозной организацией, - Ред.).
7. Выявление неоднократных фактов использования религиозной организации для
целей распространения пропаганды идеологии
«русского мира».
8. Выявление нарушений требований по созданию и деятельности религиозной организации, руководящий центр которой находится за пределами Украины в государстве, которая осуществляла вооруженную агрессию против Украины.
Выявлением причины для судебного запрета будет заниматься Госслужба по этнополитике, которая была в числе идеологов принятия этого закона. Этот орган должен обнародовать все шаги в этом процессе на своем сайте - от начала исследования до установления признаков аффилированности церкви с религиозной организацией, деятельность которой в Украине запрещена.
Далее Госслужба дает 30 дней на исправление нарушений. По ходатайству религиозной организации срок может быть продлен до 60 дней.
Если по их истечению религиозная организация не устранила нарушения или ее отчет об устранении нарушений не подтвержден, то Госслужба идет в суд с иском о прекращении деятельности такой религиозной организации, рассылает уведомления органам власти о досрочном расторжении договоров аренды имущества.
Судом, который будет рассматривать такие иски, определен Киевский окружной админсуд. Ему дается на это 1 месяц.
При этом церковь сможет обжаловать решение суда в течение 10 дней после получения полного решения суда первой инстанции. Окончательный вердикт в этом вопросе выносит Верховный суд в составе Кассационного админсуда в составе коллегии из не менее 5 судей. Ему также на это дается 1 месяц.
При этом в суд с обращением о запрете религиозной организации Госслужба по этнополитике сможет только через 9 месяцев после публикации закона.
Если он будет опубликован в конце августа, то срок в 9 месяцев истечет в конце мая.
К тому времени в США уже придет к власти новый президент и украинские власти будут уже понимать, как он относится к теме запрета УПЦ (окружение Трампа настроено резко, например, против) и вообще к ситуации в Украине.
Цитата:
9 месяцев отсрочки. Как будет работать принятый Радой законопроект, открывающий путь к запрету УПЦ?
Он вводит ограничения на связи украинских религиозных организаций с Русской православной церковью. В законопроекте, как заявляется, прописаны критерии таких связей.
Напомним, УПЦ ещё в 2022 году осудила российское вторжение в Украину и объявило о разрыве всех связей с РПЦ. В тоже время, согласно принятому законопроекту наличие (или отсутствие) связей с РПЦ будут определять Государственная служба Украины по этнополитике и свободе совести, руководство которой и было одним из идеологов запрета УПЦ. Поэтому, несмотря на все аргументы Украинской православной церкви, Госслужба может наличие таких «связей» установить.
Если связи с РПЦ установлены, религиозной организации дается девять месяцев, чтобы их прервать.
«Мы даем определенный период в 9 месяцев для того, чтобы определиться, чтобы принять меры, чтобы отойти от Москвы. Если она этого не сделает - эта организация будет запрещена в Украине, она не может быть религиозной организацией», - рассказывал на выходных спикер парламента Стефанчук.
Решение о запрете церкви принимает суд. При этом церковь сможет обжаловать решение суда.
Документ вступает в силу через 30 дней после публикации.
Но в целом, как писалось выше, процесс запрета УПЦ начнётся (если власти его решат все ж таки запустить) только через 9 месяцев после момента, когда, возможно, Госслужба установит ее связь с РПЦ. То есть - не раньше весны 2025 года. К тому времени в США уже будет новый президент и украинские власти к тому времени будут уже понимать, как он относится к теме запрета УПЦ (окружение Трампа настроено резко, например, против) и вообще к ситуации в Украине.
Military briefing: Kursk incursion heaps pressure on Ukraine’s east
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Kyiv’s forces have in two weeks seized more land in Russia than Moscow has in Ukraine all year — transforming perceptions about their capabilities and boosting morale among Ukrainians. But that stunning operational success has yet to deliver one crucial objective: diverting Russia’s manpower and easing pressure in the hottest battlefields in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow is steadily advancing. Russian soldiers are still grinding their way through Ukrainian defences, capturing villages and towns and bringing Moscow closer to its stated goal of complete control of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. On Monday, Russian troops appeared to have captured nearly all of the town of Niu-York, entered nearby Toretsk and were encroaching on the logistical hub of Pokrovsk. One Ukrainian artillery brigade commander in eastern Ukraine told the Financial Times that part of the reason for the Russian advance was Kyiv moving its scarce resources north. His troops were back to rationing shells for their canons — the first time since US aid to Ukraine was held up by Congress — because ammunition had been reallocated for the incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukraine has also moved upwards of 10,000 troops, including many of its elite airborne forces and mechanised brigades, from Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, where the fiercest battles are under way, according to officials involved with the operation. At least 20 Ukrainian units are confirmed to be involved in the Kursk incursion, according to military analysts. Some of those were meant to be reserve forces to help shore up fracturing defensive lines and provide a reprieve for troops who have fought without rest for months or even years. Even in the days before setting off for Kursk, Ukrainian defences in Donetsk region were “showing cracks”, said one senior Ukrainian official familiar with military operations. He told the FT that Russian forces had achieved “tactical success” in Donetsk and more advances were likely unless the situation turned around.
With much of its reserves directed to Kursk, Ukraine will struggle to fill defensive gaps and counter various Russian threats, said Konrad Muzyka, director of Rochan Consulting, a Poland-based group that tracks the war. “Russia doesn’t have trouble mobilising troops whereas Ukraine still has trouble mobilising the number needed to hold and conduct operations in Donetsk,” he told the FT. Officers and infantry troops on the eastern front also now face even longer frontline stints without rotations, several told the FT. Two lieutenants serving in a brigade that had been on the front in Donetsk region before being sent to Kursk said that in more than two years of fighting they had each only had a month-long break. Another soldier said he had gone months fighting near Toretsk without any rest before being ordered to Kursk. “Nobody can ask [for a rotational break] now,” he said. “We were the reserves but now we are here.”
While Kyiv does not comment on casualties, the incursion has already come at a material cost: Ukraine lost at least 51 pieces of valuable military equipment, including German Marder vehicles, US-made Stryker vehicles and Himars rockets, compared with 27 such losses on the Russian side, according to the open-source intelligence researcher Naalsio. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top general, Oleksandr Syrsky, have given reassurances that the eastern front is just as important as the Kursk incursion. Zelenskyy said last week that Donetsk was where “most of the Russian attacks occur — and the maximum of our defensive attention is concentrated there”. Syrsky said the situation in the east “remains difficult, but under control”. US officials said this week without providing details that they had seen signs of Russia moving forces from the south and east of Ukraine north to Kursk. But those appeared to be moved from the southern axis and occupied Crimea — locations that were not likely to have an impact on the situation in Donetsk. The Lithuanian defence ministry said some troops had also been moved from Russia’s Kaliningrad region. Ukrainian soldiers and military analysts tracking the war said there had been no clear indication that Russia was moving a consequential amount of forces from the hottest area on the frontline in its east. “Despite the successes of the defenders in the Kursk region, the Russians have not yet transferred their troops en masse from here,” said Ukraine’s 47th Mechanised Brigade. “Its main strike force remains.” Russia’s forces appeared to have occupied all but a small district of Niu-York on Monday, according to Deep State, a Ukrainian analytical group with close ties to Ukraine’s defence ministry. The Russians had also crept closer to Pokrovsk.
Home to more than 60,000 residents, Pokrovsk is a significant logistical hub for Ukraine’s military and a linchpin for its defence of the rest of Donetsk region. Over the weekend, Serhiy Dobriak, head of Pokrovsk city military administration, urged residents — particularly families with children and elderly people — to evacuate immediately. Compulsory evacuation of families with children from Pokrovsk will start on Tuesday, according to regional authorities. Maksym Zabelya, editor of the last remaining local newspaper in neighbouring Myrnohrad, said residents in his city had also started evacuating. “People are leaving, taking their belongings. Many are even taking furniture,” Zabelya told the FT. Rental car businesses “are now the most sought-after” in the city where the population has nearly halved from 40,000 before the war. A Russian bomb destroyed the city’s tallest apartment building and a supermarket on Saturday, sending many more fleeing. “We had no choice,” said Viktor, a retired miner. Myrnohrad, he added, whose name translates as “city of peace”, was being “wiped away”.
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С сожалением и понятными пожеланиями, Dimitriy.
21/08/2024 15:11 | Press release |
International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU
On the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief, the European Union pays tribute to all victims of discrimination, intolerance, persecution, hatred, dehumanisation or violence because of their religion or belief.
Extremism, authoritarianism, terrorism, and conflict-driven hatred are yet not eradicated. Too many people across the world, especially from religious minorities, face attacks to their communities and see their human rights violated due to their actual or perceived faith.
We strongly believe and support the principle upon which all individuals have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; and to manifest or change their religion or belief, without risk of discrimination, persecution or violence.
The European Union condemns the criminalisation of apostasy, and the abuse of blasphemy laws when they violate the right to freedom of religion or belief. These laws are a dangerous catalyst of religious hatred and incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
We recall that all states have an obligation to guarantee human rights protection, and to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence against persons based on their religion or belief.
The international community must unite in fighting against discrimination, hatred and violence based on religion or belief. We must promote a culture of religious tolerance, respect for diversity and mutual understanding.
Every individual regardless of whether they manifest a religion or belief, are entitled to full respect for their human rights. The EU will continue to safeguard this principle and promote its implementation everywhere.
Цитата:
Цитата:
Верховная Рада приняла во втором чтении законопроект, позволяющий начать процедуру запрета Украинской православной церкви.
Проект запрещает деятельность религиозных организаций, "аффилированных" с РПЦ. К которым лоббисты законопроекта относят УПЦ. Это несмотря на то, что УПЦ после начала широкомасштабного вторжения России публично разорвала связи с РПЦ и выразила несогласие с позицией патриарха Кирилла относительно войны в Украине.
После вступления закона в силу государство сможет начать проверки юрлиц - а это каждая церковная община УПЦ - на предмет той самой "аффилированности".
В случае обнаружения хотя бы одного из перечня признаков связи с РПЦ от религиозной организации потребуют сначала его устранить, а если этого не будет сделано, последует обращение в суд с просьбой ее запретить.
При этом как минимум один из прописанных в законе "признаков аффилированности" УПЦ никак не сможет изменить - это упоминание в уставе РПЦ об УПЦ. Украинская православная церковь, объявив о разрыве своих связей с Москвой, убрала из своего устава любые упоминания о РПЦ. Однако повлиять на Московский патриархат, чтобы тот удалил из устава РПЦ упоминание об УПЦ, украинская церковь, очевидно, вряд ли может. О готовности сделать это по своей воле РПЦ пока не сообщала.
В то же время судебные процедуры в судах первой инстанции могут начаться только спустя девять месяцев после опубликования законодательного акта. Если закон опубликуют в конце августа, то девять месяцев истекут в конце мая 2025 года. А потом еще суды.
Исходя из этого, многие наблюдатели не ждут каких-то резких движений по УПЦ в ближайшие месяцы и полагают, что решения о дальнейшей судьбе Церкви будут приняты не ранее середины следующего года.
Однако есть один важный момент: в случае признания Госслужбой общины "аффилированной" (а для этого не нужно судебное решение), через два месяца, если "аффилированность" остается, разрываются договоры об аренде храмов, которые в Украине обычно принадлежат государству или местным общинам.
Это, вероятно, приведет к тому, что даже без решения суда о запрете, многие приходы УПЦ - особенно на Западной Украине, где давление властей и радикальных кругов на Церковь особенно сильно, окажутся на улице.
Параллельно власти, вероятно, попытаются оказать давление на УПЦ, чтоб побудить согласиться на какой-либо вариант трансформации. Например - на переход под контроль Вселенского патриархата.
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Quit dating apps, Russia tells border region citizens over security fears
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Russian authorities have urged people in the border regions to stop using dating apps and limit their use of social media to prevent Ukrainian forces from gathering intelligence as it presses on with its incursion into the Kursk region.
Russia’s interior ministry issued the plea on Tuesday, telling residents of Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions as well as military and police personnel stationed in the area territories to refrain from using “online dating services” and be mindful of streaming videos from sensitive locations.
“The enemy actively uses such resources for information gathering,” the ministry said in a post on its official Telegram channel.
As Ukrainian troops continued their advances through Russian territory, the ministry issued a long list of recommendations, advising people not to open any hyperlinks in messages received from strangers and not to stream videos from roads where military vehicles were present.
Authorities also warned citizens that Ukrainian forces were connecting to “unprotected CCTV cameras remotely, viewing everything – from private yards to roads and highways of strategic importance.”
Troops and police officers were advised to remove all geo-tagging on their social media, as “the enemy monitors social networks in real time by these tags and reveals the actual location of military and security forces.”
Ukriane’s offensive into the Kursk region has left Russia struggling to shore up its own territory. On Tuesday, Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops had advanced up to 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) through Russian defenses since the start of their surprise assault last week, capturing 93 settlements.
More than 121,000 Kursk residents have been evacuated, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations wrote on Telegram Monday.
Ukraine’s operations also targeted the Bryansk and Belgorod regions.
Apps reveal sensitive information
The security risk stemming from social media use is not hypothetical — there is a history of soldiers inadvertently revealing sensitive information by using their phones in conflict zones.
The United States and its “Five Eyes” intelligence allies – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom – warned last year that Russian military hackers had been targeting Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices in a bid to steal battlefield information.
And when a high-profile Russian submarine commander was shot dead while jogging in 2023, Russian media reported he may have been targeted by an assailant tracking him on Strava, a popular running app.
The officer, Stanislav Rzhitsky, was using a public profile under his own name to track his running and cycling routes. He was killed while out jogging on one of his regular circuits.
And after a Ukrainian strike that killed nearly 100 Russian troops in the occupied Ukrainian city of Makiivka on New Year’s Day last year, Russia’s defense ministry said the “main cause” of the strike was the widespread use of cell phones by Russian soldiers, although some officials questioned that assessment.
Last month, Russian state media TASS reported that the country’s lower house of parliament proposed punishing Russian soldiers caught using smartphones while fighting in Ukraine.
The lawmakers suggested that carrying internet-connected cell phones that can help identify Russian troops or the location of forces should be classified as a “gross disciplinary offense” and be punishable by up to 10 days’ imprisonment. Multiple offenses could lead to up to 15 days in prison.
The law would also prohibit the use of other electronic devices meant for “household purposes” that allow for video and audio recording and the transmission of geolocation data.
It’s not just Russia and Ukraine though. The US Department of Defense banned military personnel from using geolocation features in 2018 after it emerged that Strava and other fitness tracking apps could pose security risks for forces around the world.
The app created an interactive heat map that displayed 1 billion activity data points made public by users, inadvertently revealing the locations of US bases in countries around the world.
Цитата:
Власти рекомендовали жителям Курской, Брянской и Белгородской областей не пользоваться сервисами знакомств и онлайн-камерами наблюдения
Министерство внутренних дел России рекомендовало жителям Брянской, Курской и Белгородской областей не пользоваться приложениями для онлайн-знакомств и услугами онлайн-камер наблюдения. Это объясняется высокой вероятностью взлома этих сервисов украинскими спецслужбами.
«Противник массово выявляет ip-диапазоны на наших территориях и подключается к незащищенным камерам видеонаблюдения удаленно, просматривая все — от частных дворов до дорог и трасс стратегического значения, — сказано в сообщении МВД, которое цитирует агентство „Интерфакс“. — В этой связи, если нет острой необходимости, то камерами видеонаблюдения лучше не пользоваться». Кроме того, российские власти «крайне не рекомендуют использование онлайн-сервисов знакомств».
«Противник активно использует такие ресурсы для легендированного сбора информации», — утверждает управление.
Полиция также сообщает, что российские военные и сотрудники силовых органов должны отключить функцию «люди рядом» в телеграме и удалить всю информацию, которая может свидетельствовать об их работе.
«Если в поисковой выдаче ваш номер выходит как записанный у третьих лиц в виде „Лёша ФСБ“, „Паша Росгвардия“, „Миша 123 полк“, этот номер нужно сменить, он скомпрометирован», — пишет ведомство.
Цитата:
МВД выпустило советы по мерам информбезопасности в Белгородской, Брянской и Курской областях
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Служащим на территории Курской, Брянской и Белгородской областей рекомендуют закрыть свои персональные данные, убрать все геометки и привязки фотографий к геолокациям в социальных сетях, чтобы противник не мог выявить фактическое местоположение военных и силовиков.
Сотрудникам энергетической отрасли, в том числе атомной, необходимо убрать из соцсетей профессиональную принадлежность, чтобы не попасть в поле зрения спецслужб противника, добавили в полиции.
10 августа в этих трех областях был введен режим контртеррористической операции.
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С сожалением и понятными пожеланиями, Dimitriy.
Ermittlungen wegen Drohnen über kritischer Infrastruktur
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Flensburg - Die Staatsanwaltschaft Flensburg ermittelt wegen wiederholter Drohnenflüge über kritischer Infrastruktur in Schleswig-Holstein. Es sei ein Ermittlungsverfahren wegen des "Verdachts der Agententätigkeit zu Sabotagezwecken" eingeleitet worden, teilte ein Sprecher mit. Zu Herkunft und Ziel der Drohnen machte die Behörde keine Angaben. Zuvor hatten "Bild" und "Spiegel" berichtet.
Die Drohnenflüge sollen den Medienberichten zufolge seit Anfang August über dem ChemCoast Park in Brunsbüttel stattgefunden haben. Laut "Spiegel" sind seit dem 8. August in mehreren Nächten bis zu vier Drohnen über dem Gelände aufgetaucht.
Wie der "Spiegel" weiter schrieb, können die eingesetzten heimischen Polizeidrohnen mit den verdächtigen Hightechgeräten jedoch nicht mithalten, die über große Entfernungen fliegen und bis zu 100 Kilometern pro Stunde schnell sind. Ein spezielles Gerät scheiterte demnach beim Versuch, die Drohnen zu orten.
Ein Sprecher des Verteidigungsministeriums sagte der Deutschen Presse-Agentur in Berlin, das Zentrum Luftoperationen stehe in dem Fall in engem Kontakt mit den Landesbehörden. Die Bundeswehr stelle der Polizei Radardaten zur Verfügung, um das Lagebild zu vervollständigen. Dies gehöre zur Daueraufgabe Sicherheit im Luftraum. Ein Sprecher des Territorialen Führungskommandos der Bundeswehr in Berlin ergänzte, diese Amtshilfe werde seit vergangenem Montag geleistet.
Das Bundesinnenministerium wollte sich nicht äußern. "Der zu Grunde liegende Sachverhalt liegt ausschließlich in der Zuständigkeit der Landespolizei Schleswig-Holstein", sagte eine Sprecherin des Ministeriums. Die Bundespolizei und das Bundeskriminalamt seien unterstützend im Einsatz.
Цитата:
Russische Drohnen über Kraftwerk in Schleswig-Holstein gesichtet
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Berlin. Die Staatsanwaltschaft geht dem Verdacht nach, dass ein Industriepark zu Sabotagezwecken ausgespäht wurde. Steckt Russland dahinter?
Spionage und Sabotage: Die Sicherheitsbehörden sehen Deutschland massiv im Fokus von Russland. Besondere Sorge gilt dabei kritischer Infrastruktur wie Pipelines, Kraftwerke oder Stützpunkte der Bundeswehr. Über Kasernen der Bundeswehr wurden im vergangenen Jahr mehr als 400 Mal Drohnen gesichtet. Jetzt soll ein großes Industriegelände in Norddeutschland Ziel mutmaßlich russischer Ausspähversuche geworden sein.
Russland: Kritische Infrastruktur im Visier – Staatsanwalt ermittelt wegen des Verdachts auf Spionage
Die Staatsanwaltschaft Flensburg bestätigte dieser Redaktion die Einleitung eines Ermittlungsverfahrens „wegen des Verdachts der Agententätigkeit zu Sabotagezwecken im Zusammenhang mit wiederholten Drohnenflügen über kritischer Infrastruktur in Schleswig-Holstein“. Weitere Angaben wollte die Behörde zum derzeitigen Zeitpunkt nicht machen.
Wie die „Bild“-Zeitung und der „Spiegel“ zunächst berichteten, sollen in letzter Zeit mehrfach Drohnen den ChemCoast Park Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein überflogen haben. Staatsschützer des Landeskriminalamts Schleswig-Holstein gingen davon aus, dass es sich um Russen-Drohnen handele, schreibt die „Bild“.
Drohnen in Schleswig-Holstein: Größtes Industriegebiet in Schleswig-Holstein
Der ChemCoast Park Brunsbüttel ist nach Auskunft der Webseite des Geländes das größte Industriegebiet in Schleswig-Holstein. Ansässig sind dort demnach Unternehmen aus der Chemie- und Mineralölwirtschaft, Energieerzeuger sowie Logistikfirmen.
Der Grünen-Sicherheitsexperte Konstantin von Notz zeigte sich alarmiert über den möglichen Spionagefall. „Der Verdacht, russische Drohnen würden Industrie-, Chemie- und Atomanlagen in Schleswig-Holstein potenziell bedrohen, wiegt schwer“, erklärte der Vorsitzende des für die Geheimdienste zuständigen Kontrollgremiums im Bundestag. Seit Monaten warne er „vor der Skrupellosigkeit russischer Spionage- und Sabotageaktionen“ in Deutschland und Europa.
Drohnen über Norddeutschland: Auffälligkeiten begannen vor zwei Wochen
Nach Informationen der „Bild“ könne es sich um unbemannte „Orlan-10“-Drohnen handeln, die russischen Geräte haben demnach eine Reichweite von 500 bis 600 Kilometern. Diese seien möglicherweise von vermeintlich zivilen Schiffen in der Nordsee aus gestartet und gesteuert worden. Die Drohnen sollen auch ein Kernkraftwerk, ein LNG-Terminal und Chemiebetriebe überflogen haben. „Durch den Überflug über das Kernkraftwerk wurde mehrfach die Flugverbotszone missachtet“, heißt es der Zeitung zufolge in einem Polizeibericht.
Russland: Kritische Infrastruktur im Ausland wird immer wieder zum Ziel
Erst vergangene Woche hatte der Verdacht auf Sabotageaktionen gegen die Bundeswehr Beobachter hierzulande aufgeschreckt. Experten gehen davon aus, dass Russland Sabotage und Angriffe auf kritische Infrastruktur im Ausland als Mittel der hybriden Kriegsführung anwendet. „Wenn sich die militärische Situation verschärfen würde, haben die keine Hemmung, auch Sabotageaktionen in Deutschland durchzuführen“, warnte Ex-BND-Chef Gerhard Schindler vergangene Woche.
Цитата:
Militär-Drohnen über Kernkraftwerk und Chemiepark in Deutschland gesichtet
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Laut Berichten werden nahezu in jeder Nacht Drohnen über wichtigen Anlagen in Brunsbüttel gesichtet. Der Verdacht fällt auf Russland.
Nach Berichten des Nachrichtenmagazins „Der Spiegel“ und der „Bild“-Zeitung soll der ChemCoast Park Brunsbüttel, ein Industriegebiet für Unternehmen aus der Chemie- und Mineralölwirtschaft, Ziel eines Spionageangriffs geworden sein. Ermittler nahmen demnach bereits am 8. August die Verfolgung mit Zivilstreifen auf, nachdem in mehreren Nächten bis zu vier Drohnen über dem Gelände aufgetaucht waren. Nun ermittelt der Staatsschutz.
Auch über dem stillgelegten Atomkraftwerk und dem LNG-Terminal in Brunsbüttel seien mehrfach Drohnen gesichtet worden, die mit hoher Geschwindigkeit über die kritische Infrastruktur geflogen seien, hieß es weiter. „Durch den Überflug über das Kernkraftwerk wurde mehrfach die Flugverbotszone missachtet“, zitierte die „Bild“-Zeitung aus einem polizeiinternen Bericht.
Russische Drohnen über Atomkraftwerk in Brunsbüttel unterwegs?
Bei den mutmaßlichen Spionage-Aktionen sei ein feindliches Objekt erfasst worden, mutmaßliche eine Militär-Drohne. Dabei soll es sich um eine „Orlan-10“-Drohne handeln, die eine Reichweite von 500 bis 600 Kilometern haben und eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von mehr als 100 km/h erreichen können soll.
Laut „Bild“ seien die eingesetzten Drohnen russischen Agenten zugeordnet worden. Möglicherweise würden sie von zivilen Schiffen aus der Nordsee gestartet, hieß es weiter.
Spionageverdacht: Polizeidrohnen zu langsam für Verfolgung
Die nächtlichen Überflüge seien den Berichten zufolge erstmals am 8. August verzeichnet worden, seitdem dauern sie an. Bis zu vier Drohnen seien seitdem in fast jeder Nacht über dem Gelände des ChemCoast Park aufgetaucht, heißt es in den Berichten.
Zur Verfolgung sollen laut „Spiegel“ unterdessen auch Polizeidrohnen zum Einsatz gekommen sein, diese könnten jedoch mit den deutlich schnelleren feindlichen Hightechgeräten nicht mithalten.
Experte hält russische Aktionen für denkbar: „Die Gefahr bleibt bestehen“
Die Staatsanwaltschaft Flensburg bestätigte derweil, Ermittlungen wegen Agententätigkeit zu Sabotagezwecken aufgenommen zu haben. Diese stehen Oberstaatsanwalt Bernd Winterfeldt zufolge „mit wiederholten Drohnenflügen über kritischer Infrastruktur in Schleswig-Holstein“ in Verbindung. Auch die Bundeswehr sei mittlerweile informiert worden, berichtete der „Spiegel“.
Russische Spionage- und Sabotage-Aktionen seien grundsätzlich denkbar, hatte Thomas Jäger, Experte für internationale Politik an der Universität Köln, kürzlich dem „Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger“ erklärt. Deutschland sei auf derartige Angriffe nur ungenügend vorbereitet, sagte der Politologe.
„Ein Staat, der diese Systeme angreifen will, nutzt das aus. Diese Gefahr bleibt bestehen“, warnte Jäger. Zuvor hatte es wegen mutmaßlichen Einbrüchen bei Bundeswehr-Kasernen in Deutschland einen entsprechenden Sabotage-Verdacht gegeben. (das)
Цитата:
Russen-Drohnen über Chemiepark an der Nordsee
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Immer wieder sind in den vergangenen Tagen über dem Industrie-Gebiet in Brunsbüttel mehrfach Drohnen gesichtet worden, die mit hoher Geschwindigkeit über die Anlagen flogen. Polizeidienststellen und die Staatsanwaltschaft sind in Alarmbereitschaft.
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Цитата:
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С сожалением и понятными пожеланиями, Dimitriy.
Zelenskiy touts new 'drone missile', calls Putin 'sick old man'
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"Our enemy will ... know what the Ukrainian way for retaliation is. Worthy, symmetrical, long-ranged," he said.
Zelenskiy said the new class of Ukrainian weapon had been used for a successful strike on a target in Russia, but did not say where.
He used derisive language to describe Russia's 71-year-old president and the nuclear rhetoric coming out of Moscow.
"A sick old man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button will not dictate any of his red lines to us," he said in a video on the Telegram messaging app.
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To mark the date, Zelenskiy ratified the Rome Statute, paving the way for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court, one of many steps needed to join the European Union, accession to which Kyiv sees as a priority.
He also signed legislation banning the activities of religious groups linked to Russia, creating a legal instrument for the government to ban a branch of the Orthodox Church seen as linked to Russia.
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