Noel Reports:
A British Journalist asked Elon Musk:
"Has your ignorance and ego cost Ukrainian lives? Putin calls you outstanding, how would you call Putin?"
Musk refused to comment.
Yes, exactly. Trump cultivates followers with this same mentality.
That snivelling creep probably takes drugs to keep his mind from thinking about all the atrocities Russia has committed in Ukraine during his holy smo. Typical second class citizen turned into cannon fodder without him even noticing.
Oleksii Reznikov urges unity against Russia ‘to save this world from catastrophe of world war three’
‘Goal is destruction of Ukraine’: ex-defence minister warns west of Putin’s aim Oleksii Reznikov urges unity against Russia ‘to save this world from catastrophe of world war three’ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/08/goal-destruction-ukraine-ex-defence-minister-warns-west-putin-aim
The ones at Reddit are easily followed without having an account and they have been around a long time. It would be nice if there were versions of all of them in the Fediverse, either lemmy.world or kbin.social.
Credible Defense
https://www.reddit.com/r/CredibleDefense/
Ukraine
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/
Ukrainian Conflict
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkrainianConflict/
Worldnews with it's Ukraine megathread
https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/
Europe with it's megathread
This part of the Fediverse should have a sub entitled 12stepprogram4redditaddicts. To follow the conflict in Ukraine there are three reddit subs that are necessary and to do that right you need an account and the old reddit interface. The Lemmy sub Ukraine and several Mastodon accounts are the only alternatives I can find.
You mean doing this without having an account? and not using the old redit interface?
Maybe I should revert to Netscape Navigator. Or use Lynx in Linux.
Yes. Poor Web Design, if any design at all. They can't handle normal logins. I will just do without it. More time to spend on other things.
Thanks. I wouldn't get near Google Chrome. I use Waterfox and sometimes Pale Moon and even more rarely Firefox.
Thanks but I just use a desktop to access Reddit. My cellphone does not have Internet access.
There aren't any Reditors around here. It's the Fediverse.
No more inane infinite cascading reply chains any more thankfully.
I keep having my Reddit account invalidated with wrong password error message. I create a new account with randomly picked user name and random password and get logged in OK. If I log out I can't use that same name and pw to login again, pw error. What's going on with them. It has to be one of the worst sites in the Internet. I want an account so I can follow four subs and have the ability to create permalinks for comments I want to share elsewhere, i.e. the Ukraine sub here, Mastodon and in email with friends. Is it a pointless venture to try and get a stable account?
New video by Andres Puck Nielsen.. He discusses how Prigozin deaths and Girkins imprisonment have impacted russia and what this means for regimes ideology or lack thereof.
From /r/credibledefense
Summary:
Date of plane crush was not about symbolism rather due to the opportunity to take out so many people at once.
-Usually the Kremlin tries to flood the info space with a lot of narratives to preserve plausible deniability.
-This time their response was different . Even though they denied their responsibility overall it was a very half-hearted attempt.
-As soon as the crash happened there was a limited attempt to spread different stories but they quickly halted it.
-Even people on gov. sponsored talk shows seem to imply that putin is responsible.
-Therefore it seems that putin is more openly taking responsibility this time.
-It might be a new message to the russian elite about the new rules of the game.
-Assassinations are a fair play now even if you are in the elite. These types of repressions are approaching Stalinist levels.
-Regarding Girkins imprisonment. Unlike Prigozin he was not a traitor but a representative of an ultraright opposition to putin.
-Nationalists are more problematic because unlike Navalny and co they basically use putins own talking points.
-By starting to go after nationalists, the current russian system basically loses any ideological backing. All you can do is support putin but you can't take his talking points to heart.
-The longer the war drags out the worse this will be for russia. As only fighting for your president rather than your country/ideology is not sustainable.
-Overall it seems that putins new direction is to replace ideology with fear.
Draskla • 5 days ago
CredibleDefense Daily MegaThread August 30, 2023
[r/credibledefense]
A few recent articles on increased disinformation attempts (some excerpts):
Russia Pushes Long-Term Influence Operations Aimed at the U.S. and Europe
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/us/politics/russia-intelligence-propaganda.html
A newly declassified American intelligence analysis says Russian spy agencies are using influence laundering techniques to hide the Kremlin’s involvement in cultivating pro-Russia and anti-Ukraine messages.
But the information released by the United States on Friday is designed to show how much deeper Russian influence operations are than those efforts to sow dissent on the internet. Instead, the influence operations are focused on developing a network of young leaders who the Kremlin hopes will support Russia or spread pro-Russia messages in their home countries, efforts not unlike the Soviet Union’s spy agency’s work to develop ideological allies and informants around the world.
A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the newly released material described a group of so-called co-optees, who claim to be acting independently but in fact have been used by Russian intelligence agents to conduct influence operations against the United States. These operations include programs designed to build support for Russia among Americans and Europeans along with blunter efforts like fake grass-roots protests. The newly released material focuses on four Russians who have worked with Russian intelligence, including Natalia Burlinova, who was named in a Justice Department indictment that was unsealed this year.
Russia uses social media channels to exploit Niger coup
Moscow aiming to increase influence in Africa, winning lucrative contracts and gaining access to key resources
Content about Niger across 45 Russian Telegram channels affiliated with the Russian state or Wagner increased by 6,645% in the month after the coup, suggesting a keen interest in Moscow in exploiting the upheaval.
Logically detected only 11 pieces of content relating to Niger in the month before the coup, and 742 pieces of content since. The company identified a significant increase in the amount of content pushing anti-French narratives on these accounts, though it found that negative sentiments towards Paris in Niger, a former French colony, were already widespread before the coup.
The research will reinforce fears that Russia will seek to win influence, lucrative contracts and access to key resources in Niger after the overthrow of Bazoum.
Meta says it has disrupted a massive disinformation campaign linked to Chinese law enforcement
Meta identified a Chinese disinformation campaign on several social media platforms that generated positive news about China and criticized journalists, activists and the U.S.
Meta has disrupted the network on its own platforms and described it as the largest known operation of its kind in the world.
The network was linked to Chinese law enforcement by Meta researchers.
“Taken together, we assess Spamouflage to be the largest known cross-platform covert influence operation to date,” Meta said in its quarterly threat report. “Although the people behind this activity tried to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation found links to individuals associated with Chinese law enforcement.”
Meta also identified and disrupted other operations and published a more detailed analysis of a Russian disinformation campaign it identified shortly after the beginning of the 2022 war in Ukraine.
The disruptions come ahead of what will likely be a contentious election cycle. Concerns over the role of influence campaigns in past elections led social media platforms, including Meta, to institute stricter guidelines on both the kind of political content allowed and the labels it adds to that content.
Influence campaigns have affected Meta users in the past, notably a Russia-backed campaign to inflame popular sentiment around the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
But this disinformation network, while prolific, was not effective, Meta cybersecurity executives said on a briefing call. The campaign’s pages collectively had more than 500,000 followers, most of which were inauthentic and from Bangladesh, Brazil and Vietnam.
The conservative think tank has recently pivoted away from its historically hawkish position on Russia.
Heritage’s Top Defense Expert to Exit over Ukraine Stance
https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/08/heritages-top-defense-expert-to-exit-over-ukraine-stance/
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkrainianConflict/comments/168bdv6/heritages_top_defense_expert_to_exit_over_ukraine/
"The Heritage Foundation’s top expert on defense policy is stepping down from his post. as the storied conservative think tank rolls out a public-messaging campaign that attacks continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine for allegedly holding up disaster relief funding. <...>
Thomas Spoehr, the director of the think tank’s Center for National Defense, has submitted his resignation"
That's news to me. Great that the links work for you! I'll try again but am not hopeful. Great reading BTW; that fellow is a pistol.
musk has blocked these two articles on twitter; links included below just go to a page with an X in it - I managed to get the entire articles in the nick of time
[]
Randy Mott
@randymot4
Republican activist, lawyer, environmental businessman, former infantry officer
Warsaw, PLJoined January 2022
https://twitter.com/randymot4
https://twitter.com/randymot4/status/1696054220980404508
Randy Mott
@randymot4
[]
RUSSIAN INFILTRATION OF US CONSERVATIVES Part 1
The header sounds like some nut job deal, at least that is how I would have read it two months ago. We all have encountered Russian bots and trolls since the Russian invasion. Their efforts typically clumsy and rude. A few clever memes got into circulation and still pop up when an uninformed person posts them. But is that the limit of efforts to co-opt our democracies and try to influence our institutions? Our instincts would say it would not be: but we want to reflexively dismiss the idea that institutions and organizations could be so easily undermined. This series will document how pro-Russian Hungary - dependent on Russia gas, outcast of the EU, and friendly to the Kremlin - has successfully co-opted the American right to spread the Kremlin narrative to the pinnacles of conservative power in the US. Early in the war, in March 2022, Orban whose right-wing party governs Hungary, announced that "Hungary should not get “between the Ukrainian anvil and the Russian sledgehammer” and labeling the country’s opposition, which has called for a united Western response to the conflict, “warmongers.” https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/20/viktor-orban-is-the-wests-pro-putin-outlier/ "These wartime scenes and others like them reveal how isolated Orban has become, even among his neighbors in Central and Eastern Europe." Id. Orban in 2014 first mentioned Russia as a role model. Id. Hungary, of course, is dependent upon Russian natural gas and did not try to diversify or change due to the invasion. But the economic ties go much further. "The ruling Fidesz party has invested a lot in its bilateral relationship with Russia, including numerous business ties, such as extending the Paks Nuclear Power Plant by Russian energy giant Rosatom; purchasing new metro wagons from Russia; supporting engineering company Metrovagonmash against a Hungarian applicant in an Egyptian tender; and moving the headquarters of the International Investment Bank, Putin’s spy bank, to Budapest. But these projects have tended to benefit private rather than public interests." FP. These are all open to view and we do not know what other relationships lurk outside public view. It would be incredibly naiive to believe that there are none. On that dark side, Hungary has also stood out: "since the invasion, all EU member states — with the exception of Hungary — have been willing to expel Russian spies posing as diplomats." https://dw.com/en/is-hungary-becoming-russias-spy-hub-within-the-eu/a-64041861 In the open, Europeans say "Hungary's prime minister made himself the Kremlin's mouthpiece." Hungary's line on the war: "it was the West — and in particular the United States — that was responsible for the war because it had ignored Russia's concerns, while calling for immediate peace negotiations." https://dw.com/en/the-cost-of-orbans-pro-russian-policy-offers-nothing-to-win-but-much-to-lose/a-62849547 Hungary has obtained an exemption from Russian oil sanctions by the EU and blocked other sanctions messages in Brussels. It delayed Scandivanian expansion of NATO. Many objectives of Russian policy in the war have been advanced by Hungary including objections to military aid to Ukraine, echoes of Kremlin calls for a ceasefire and obscuring the origins of the war. These same themes now show up in the American conservative movement. Sometimes in what has been surprising places. Is there a connection? How did it happen? See Part 2. https://dw.com/en/the-cost-of-orbans-pro-russian-policy-offers-nothing-to-win-but-much-to-lose/a-62849547 #RussianSubversion #HungaryProRussian
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RUSSIAN INFILTRATION OF U.S. CONSERVATIVES Part 2
This part of the series discusses the transformation of the @Heritage Foundation from a Reaganesque organization to a Kremlin apologist organization. The relationship between Heritage & Hungary started with a meeting of Kevin Roberts & Viktor Orban (twitter.com) Randy Mott @randymot4 RUSSIAN INFILTRATION OF U.S. CONSERVATIVES Part 2 This part of the series discusses the transformatino of the @Heritage Foundation from a Reaganesque organization to a Kremlin apologist organization. The relationship between Heritage and Hungary started with a meeting of Kevin Roberts and Viktor Orban on November 29, 2022. The Hungarian media reported that they agreed of family values and the importance of religion. It seems clear that Orban used his "social agenda" to find common grounds with Heritage. Orban argues that this social agenda is why he is unpopular in Western Europe (ignoring the real issues). Poland engaged in the same objections to EU immigration policy and it much more religious as a country, but is among the strongest supporters of Ukraine. Hungary objected to military aid to Ukraine and also is spending less than 1% of its GDP on defense (one of the freeloaders that conservatives, even Heritage folks, have criticized). But Hungary has strong relationship with Russia. Of course, Hungary is among the bottom third of countries in Europe on religious faith and this has nothing to do with Orban's brand problem. Pew Research: % of people who say they attend church weekly: US 36%, Hungary 9%, Russia 9%. Pray daily: US 55%, Hungary 16%, Russia 18% Say religion is very important to them: US 53%, Hungary 14%, Russia 16%. By March 2023, Heritage and the Danube Institute (chiefly owned by the Hungarian government) signed sa cooperation agreement. https://hungarianconservative.com/articles/current/cooperation_agreement_heritage_foundation_danube_institute/ Prior to that agreement, the #HeritageFoundation was taking an aggressively pro-Ulkrainian stance. "In the months leading up to the vote on the Ukraine aid bill, Heritage’s policy experts argued in favor of an aggressive American role in the conflict, including huge amounts of aid." NYT, May 27, 2023. https://heritage.org/defense/heritage-explains/the-path-forward-ukraine… One of their fellows posted on twitter and was ordered to delete it: https://web.archive.org/web/20220511011610/https://twitter.com/lukedcoffey/status/1524196553438728192 After that Hungarian deal, #HeritageFoundation completely flips its position on Ukraine, actually opposing U.S. aid. "Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage’s lobbying operation, released a searing statement — its headline blaring “Ukraine Aid Package Puts America Last” — that framed the measure as reckless and ill-considered." NYT, May 27, 2023. Then comes the Heritage ad buy in August 2023. What communications did they have on this with the Hungarian Government through the Danube Institute or otherwise? Orban has been an unspoken supporter of Russia in the Ukraine war, repeating many common Kremlin propaganda lines that wwere repeated in the Heritage ad. It seems to be no coincidence. This is especially suspicious since Heritage's defense policy chief adviser was bypassed on the op ed and ad buy. He resigned in protest. Did Heritage staff from Hungary participate in the Ukraine material? https://nationalreview.com/2023/08/heritages-top-defense-expert-to-exit-over-ukraine-stance/… Hungary is accused of supporting Russia and opposes sanctions of Russia. See Part 1. Orban has been vehemently demanding ceasefire in Ukraine in August 2023. He has called countries that sent aid to Ukraine "warmongers." https://euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/hungarys-orban-vows-to-maintain-russia-ties/… @Heritage has flipped in position 180 degrees to echo many of Orban's own comments, while dumping of all of advisors who previously supported aid. This is probably not a coincidence. Heritage has briefed the Freedom Caucus (many of whose members voted to oppose vote) as well as Senator Hawley from Missouri and Governor Ron DeSantis, who based much of his position on Heritage briefings. Hawley has security clearances did he know of the connection to the Hungarian Government? https://nytimes.com/2022/05/27/us/politics/ukraine-aid-heritage-foundation.html… Is Heritage Foundation registered under FARA as an agent of the Hungarian Government? [on-line search found none].They have been advocating policies to US decision-makers. Do any of their staff have security clearances? Why was the Roberts' op ed piece published without the normal internal review at Heritage? Did the Danube Institute review it in advance? The Hungarian Government? @RonDeSantis and all Republicans should be running as far away from @Heritage as possible, especially on Ukraine issues. This pattern of inside influencing is exactly the typical Russian game plan. Knowlingly staying involved with them after this connection is known is not a smart move and might be very seriously problematic. Republicans at least should fact check what they have been told by Heritage since its recruitment by Hungary. For detailed description of the recent Heritage Ukraine position and its misleading contents: https://twitter.com/randymot4/status/1695405958455853505?s=20
[]
Part 3 with discuss Tucker Carlson.
[]
OTHER NEWS
Trump's competitor promises to give part of Ukraine to Russia and block Kyiv's accession to NATO
European Pravda — Monday, 28 August 2023, 22:59
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/28/7417480/
[]
How empires die: Putin’s Russia could cease to exist suddenly and quickly
https://uaposition.com/main/analysis-opinion/how-empires-die-putins-russia-could-cease-to-exist-suddenly-and-quickly/
Further reading:
Russia uses social media channels to exploit Niger coup
Great Power Competition Implications in Africa: The Russian Federation and its Proxies
Mapping Disinformation in Africa
https://africacenter.org/spotlight/mapping-disinformation-in-africa/
How the Russian propaganda machine works in Africa
Today we are sharing a report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) on Russian influence operations in Africa, principally focused on the Niger coup. We believe it is vital there is wider understanding of the ways in which the internet is being used to stoke political instability around t...
[not Ukraine but important in the context of ongoing Russian aggression. It is a good summary of news about the coups in Africa that we have been seeing often in the news recently]
Russia’s African coup strategy
Sep 1, 2023
Today we are sharing a report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) on Russian influence operations in Africa, principally focused on the Niger coup. We believe it is vital there is wider understanding of the ways in which the internet is being used to stoke political instability around the world.
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2023/09/01/russias-african-coup-strategy/
106K Posts, 5 Following, 576 Followers · OSINTukraine project CAUTION: Content Warning !!! Automated DeepL Translations of a selection of 60 Telegram channels from #Ukraine Ukraine Telegram Archive 🌻🇺🇦 Part of @osintukraine@0sint.social Maintained by @benb@osintua.eu searchable
I found this excellent Ukraine channel at mstdn.social while viewing federated timeline.
[]
AmplifyUkraine [Bot]
@ua@osintua.eu
https://mstdn.social/@ua@osintua.eu
OSINTukraine project
CAUTION: Content Warning !!!
Automated DeepL Translations of a selection of 60 Telegram channels from #Ukraine
Ukraine Telegram Archive 🌻🇺🇦
Part of @osintukraine
Maintained by @benb
searchable
Joined Nov 26, 2022
Full Ukraine Telegram Archive https://Ukraine.osintukraine.com
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