Ladybbird

US Politicians issues Warning to Russia as Edward Snowden arrives in Moscow

Senator warns Vladimir Putin of 'serious consequences' if country neglects to send NSA whistleblower back to US

Dominic Rushe in New York, guardian.co.uk, Sunday 23 June 2013




US senator Chuck Schumer said of Russia: 'That's not how allies should treat each other.'
Photograph: Butsenko Anton/Corbis


US politicians attacked Vladimir Putin on Sunday and called for Russia to hand over Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who admitted leaking top secret spying documents.

As Snowden landed in Moscow after leaving Hong Kong, where the US had requested his arrest, leading Democratic senator Chuck Schumer accused the Russian president of sticking a finger in the eye of the US.

"The bottom line is very simple: allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States, whether it is Syria, Iran and now of course with Snowden," Schumer said on CNN's State of the Union.

"That's not how allies should treat each other and I think it will have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship."

Mike Rogers, chairman of the House permanent select committee on intelligence, told NBC's Meet The Press that he did not have information that Putin had prior knowledge of Snowden's flight plans but "it wouldn't surprise me".

"Putin has been planting a thorn in the world's side in Syria. We think they may not be playing honest with respect to the nuclear treaty. They are very aggressive around the world," he said. "I'm sure they would love to have a little bit of coffee and some conversation with Mr Snowden."

He added that the US should use "every legal avenue" to bring Snowden back to the US. "We will continue with extradition activities wherever he turns up."

Rogers said the leaks had damaged national security and "bad guys overseas have changed the way they operate" as a result of the leaks.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News that Russia should "hold this fellow and send him back here for justice".

"I don't think he's a hero, I believe he hurt our nation. He compromised the national security program designed to find out what terrorists were up to," he said.

However, amid the backlash against Russia, politicians and others also rounded on the Obama administration. Graham questioned why Snowden was allowed to leave Hong Kong in the first place. "I'd like to find out why our papers were not in compliance. That would be a big mistake by the Department of Justice," he said.

Republican senator Rand Paul attacked national intelligence director James Clapper, who earlier this month admitted to giving the "least untruthful" answer to Congress when asked about the extent of US surveillance of American citizens.

Paul told CNN: "I think it is still going to be an open question with history about how this young man is judged. I do think when history looks at this they are going to contrast the behaviour of James Clapper, our national intelligence director, with Edward Snowden. Mr Clapper lied in Congress in defiance of the law in the name of security. Mr Snowden told the truth in the name of privacy." He said both had broken the law.

On Saturday House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi was booed by a crowd during a speech at activist meeting Netroots Nation when she said Snowden had broken the law.

Pelosi was heckled as she spoke about the need to balance privacy and security. One man yelled: "It's not a balance, it makes us less safe." Another shouted: "You suck!"

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Russian Researchers Expose 'NSA's Secret Weapon': Outrage at Program That Enables America to Spy on EVERY Home Computer in the World is Uncovered

• The NSA has figured out how to hide spying and sabotage software deep within hard drives, according to cyber researchers and former operatives
• The group said it found personal computers in 30 countries infected with one or more of the spying programs
• The most infections were seen in Iran, followed by Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Mali, Syria, Yemen and Algeria
• The infections started in 2001, but increased drastically in 2008, the year President Barack Obama was elected
• The tools are designed to run on computers even when they are not connected to the Internet, and even the makers of some of the hard drives are unaware that these programs have been embedded
• The spies made a technological breakthrough by figuring out how to lodge malicious software in the obscure code called firmware that launches every time a computer is turned on
  

Daily Mail UK, 17 Feb 2015


The National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives, allowing them to monitor and eavesdrop on the majority of the world's computers - even when they are not connected to the internet.

The Moscow-based security software maker Kaspersky Lab said it has found personal computers in 30 countries infected with one or more of the spying programs, with the most infections seen in Iran, followed by Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Mali, Syria, Yemen and Algeria.
The targets included government and military institutions, telecommunication companies, banks, energy companies, nuclear researchers, media, and Islamic activists.

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Kaspersky said it found personal computers in 30 countries infected with one or more of the spying programs




The NSA has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives , giving the agency the means to eavesdrop on the majority of the world's computers, according to Kaspersky (file photo)


The NSA began infecting computers in 2001 claims Kaspersky, ramping up their efforts in 2008 when President Barack Obama was elected.
This 'surpasses anything known in terms of complexity and sophistication of techniques, and that has been active for almost two decades,' said Kaspersky.
What's more, even the makers of these hard drives are unaware that these spying programs have been installed, with the NSA obtaining their source codes by going so far as to pose as software developers according to former intelligence operatives, or telling the companies the government must do a security audit to make sure their source code is safe.

According to Kaspersky, the spies made a technological breakthrough by figuring out how to lodge malicious software in the obscure code called firmware that launches every time a computer is turned on.
Disk drive firmware is viewed by spies and cybersecurity experts as the second-most valuable real estate on a PC for a hacker, second only to the BIOS code invoked automatically as a computer boots up.

The hardware will be able to infect the computer over and over,' lead Kaspersky researcher Costin Raiu said in an interview.
Though the leaders of the still-active espionage campaign could have taken control of thousands of PCs, giving them the ability to steal files or eavesdrop on anything they wanted, the spies were selective and only established full remote control over machines belonging to the most desirable foreign targets, according to Raiu. He said Kaspersky found only a few especially high-value computers with the hard-drive infections.

The firm declined to publicly name the country behind the spying campaign, but said it was closely linked to Stuxnet, the NSA-led cyberweapon that was used to attack Iran's uranium enrichment facility. The NSA is the U.S. agency responsible for gathering electronic intelligence.

A former NSA employee told Reuters that Kaspersky's analysis was correct, and that people still in the spy agency valued these espionage programs as highly as Stuxnet. Another former intelligence operative confirmed that the NSA had developed the prized technique of concealing spyware in hard drives, but said he did not know which spy efforts relied on it.

NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines said the agency was aware of the Kaspersky report but would not comment on it publicly.
Kaspersky published the technical details of its research on Monday, a move that could help infected institutions detect the spying programs, some of which trace back as far as 2001.





Eugene Kaspersky (file photo) published the details of his research on Friday


The disclosure could hurt the NSA's surveillance abilities, already damaged by massive leaks by former contractor Edward Snowden. Snowden's revelations have upset some U.S. allies and slowed the sales of U.S. technology products abroad.

The exposure of these new spying tools could lead to greater backlash against Western technology, particularly in countries such as China, which is already drafting regulations that would require most bank technology suppliers to proffer copies of their software code for inspection.

Peter Swire, one of five members of U.S. President Barack Obama's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology, said the Kaspersky report showed that it is essential for the country to consider the possible impact on trade and diplomatic relations before deciding to use its knowledge of software flaws for intelligence gathering.

'There can be serious negative effects on other U.S. interests,' Swire said.

Technological Breakthrough

Kaspersky's reconstructions of the spying programs show that they could work in disk drives sold by more than a dozen companies, comprising essentially the entire market. They include Western Digital Corp, Seagate Technology Plc, Toshiba Corp, IBM, Micron Technology Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
Western Digital, Seagate and Micron said they had no knowledge of these spying programs. Toshiba and Samsung declined to comment. IBM did not respond to requests for comment.

Getting the Source Code

Raiu said the authors of the spying programs must have had access to the proprietary source code that directs the actions of the hard drives. That code can serve as a roadmap to vulnerabilities, allowing those who study it to launch attacks much more easily.

'There is zero chance that someone could rewrite the [hard drive] operating system using public information,' Raiu said.

Concerns about access to source code flared after a series of high-profile cyberattacks on Google Inc and other U.S. companies in 2009 that were blamed on China. Investigators have said they found evidence that the hackers gained access to source code from several big U.S. tech and defense companies.

It is not clear how the NSA may have obtained the hard drives' source code. Western Digital spokesman Steve Shattuck said the company 'has not provided its source code to government agencies.' The other hard drive makers would not say if they had shared their source code with the NSA.

Seagate spokesman Clive Over said it has 'secure measures to prevent tampering or reverse engineering of its firmware and other technologies.' Micron spokesman Daniel Francisco said the company took the security of its products seriously and 'we are not aware of any instances of foreign code.'


Kaspersky Uncovers Online Spy Tools with Apparent Links to NSA







According to former intelligence operatives, the NSA has multiple ways of obtaining source code from tech companies,including asking directly and posing as a software developer


If a company wants to sell products to the Pentagon or another sensitive U.S. agency, the government can request a security audit to make sure the source code is safe.

'They don't admit it, but they do say, "We're going to do an evaluation, we need the source code,"' said Vincent Liu, a partner at security consulting firm Bishop Fox and former NSA analyst. 'It's usually the NSA doing the evaluation, and it's a pretty small leap to say they're going to keep that source code.'


The NSA declined to comment on any allegations in the Kaspersky report. Vines said the agency complies with the law and White House directives to protect the United States and its allies 'from a wide array of serious threats.'

Kaspersky called the authors of the spying program 'the Equation group,' named after their embrace of complex encryption formulas.
The group used a variety of means to spread other spying programs, such as by compromising jihadist websites, infecting USB sticks and CDs, and developing a self-spreading computer worm called Fanny, Kaspersky said.
Fanny was like Stuxnet in that it exploited two of the same undisclosed software flaws, known as 'zero days,' which strongly suggested collaboration by the authors, Raiu said. He added that it was 'quite possible' that the Equation group used Fanny to scout out targets for Stuxnet in Iran and spread the virus.


FULL Video on How The NSA Spies/Operates...

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Edward Snowden May Finally Stand Trial
-as Russian Lawyer for the NSA Leaker Reveals They are Working With the United States on His Return Home

• Edward Snowden may finally return home to the United States it was revealed on Tuesday
• Snowden's Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said they were working out a way to solve the issue of his extradition with the United States
• Snowden has been charged with theft of government property and two counts of violating the 1917 Espionage Act for leaking classified documents
• This comes one week after the documentary about Snowden leaking this information, Citizenfour, won the Oscar for Best Documentary
• Snowden has said that he will return home if he is given a fair trial by the United States government
• He recently said his biggest regret through this all is that he did not come forward with these leaks sooner
  

Daily Mail UK, 3 March 2015


Edward Snowden may finally be going home.

A Russian lawyer for Snowden said on Tuesday the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor who leaked details of the government's mass surveillance programs was working with American and German lawyers to return home.
His biggest demand it seems is that he be given a fair trial when charged for his offenses.

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Edward Snowden (above) may finally return home to the United States it was revealed on Tuesday





Snowden's Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena (above) said they were working out a way to solve the issue of his extradition with the United States


'I won't keep it secret that he... wants to return back home. And we are doing everything possible now to solve this issue,' said his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena while speaking at a news conference about a book he had written on Snowden.
'There is a group of U.S. lawyers, there is also a group of German lawyers and I'm dealing with it on the Russian side.'


Lawyer reveals Edward Snowden is considering US return;





Moscow granted Snowden asylum in 2013, and he has been given a three-year residence permit in Russia.
This at a time when relations between the two countries are already strained.

The United States wants Snowden to stand trial for leaking extensive secrets of electronic surveillance programs by the National Security Agency, but Russia has repeatedly refused to extradite him.
He has been charged with theft of government property and two counts of violating the 1917 Espionage Act.

And while the government is eager to have Snowden see his day in court, public support for the 31-year-old may be at an all time high.





The documentary about Snowden, Citizenfour, won the Oscar last week, with director Laura Poitras (left), journalist Glenn Greenwald (center), and Snowden's girlfriend Lindsay Mills (right) accepting the award


Just last week the documentary Citzenfour, which examined the leaking of these classified documents by Snowden to journalist Glenn Greenwald, and his quest for asylum in the aftermath, took home the Oscar for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.

Snowden's girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, was there to accept the award alongside Greenwald and the film's director, Laura Poitras.

He was also interviewed by New York Times media columnist David Carr in the esteemed journalist's last ever public appearance.

In a recent Reddit AMA, Snowden said that through this all his biggest regret is that he did not come forward with these leaks sooner, believing that if he had he might have limited some of the government's abuse of their powers.

Lawyer Reveals Edward Snowden is Considering US Return



All You Need to Know about Edward Snowden and the Leaks

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'Edward Snowden Has Blood on His Hands':
MI6 is Forced to Pull Spies Out of Hostile Countries after Russia and China Decode a MILLION Encrypted Files Leaked by the Whistleblower

• Classified files could lead to identification of British and American spies
• Spy chiefs in Russia and China have cracked one million top-secret files
• Home Office official has accused Snowden of having 'blood on his hands'
• Security services have 'had difficulties tracking terrorists' since the leaks

AP 14 June 2015


MI6 has pulled its spies out of 'hostile countries' and America's intelligence agencies are on high alert after Russia and China cracked encrypted files leaked by fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The top-secret documents contain information that could lead to the identification of British and American spies, according to senior officials in Downing Street, the Home Office and the security services.

A senior Home Office official accused Snowden - the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor responsible for the biggest confidential information leak in US history - of having 'blood on his hands' after they gained access to over one million files.





Leaked: MI6 has pulled its spies out of 'hostile countries' after Russia and China cracked encrypted files leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden (pictured) which could identify its agents





Aides in British Prime Minister David Cameron's office have confirmed the top-secret material is now in the hands of spy chiefs in Moscow (President Vladimir Putin, left) and Beijing (President Xi Jinping, right)


Security services have reported increasing difficulties in tracking terrorists and dangerous criminals via email, chat rooms and social media since he exposed Western intelligence-gathering methods, the Sunday Times reports.

Now aides in British Prime Minister David Cameron's office have confirmed the top-secret material is now in the hands of spy chiefs in Moscow and Beijing.
A senior Downing Street source told the Sunday Times: 'It is the case that Russians and Chinese have information.
'It has meant agents have had to be moved and that knowledge of how we operate has stopped us getting vital information.'

A British intelligence source added: 'Snowden has done incalculable damage. In some cases the agencies have been forced to intervene and lift their agents from operations to prevent them from being identified and killed.


John Oliver grills Ed Snowden over leaked NSA documents:








Snowden said he was protecting 'privacy and basic liberties' by leaking over one million confidential files and claimed America's NSA and British-based GCHQ (pictured) were spying on innocent people





A senior Home Office official accused Snowden, a former contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA), of having 'blood on his hands' after Russia and China gained access to over one million files





Security services have reported increasing difficulties in tracking since Snowden (pictured) exposed Western intelligence-gathering methods


'We know Russia and China have access to Snowden's material and will be going through it for years to come, searching for clues to identify potential targets.'
Former GCHQ director Sir David Omand believes the leak represents a 'huge strategic setback' which is 'harming to Britain, America and their NATO allies'.



He said the leak could spark a 'global intelligence arms race', adding: 'I have no doubt whatever that programmes are being launched and money is being spent to try and catch up.
'That's probably true not just of China and Russia but a number of other nations who have seen some of this material to be published.
'I am not at all surprised that people are being pulled back and operations where people are exposed are having to be shut down, at least for the moment.'

An official at British Prime Minister David Cameron's office has played down the threat posed to agents by saying there is 'no evidence of anyone being harmed'.

Snowden fled the United States for Moscow in 2013 after he released 1.7 million secret documents from Western intelligence agencies to the media - and has remained under the protection of President Vladimir Putin's regime ever since.
Snowden said he was protecting 'privacy and basic liberties' and claimed America's NSA and British-based GCHQ were carrying out massive surveillance programmes which target millions of innocent people.


Anonymous artists erect Snowden statue in New York park;








Edward Snowden is hailed as a hero by some but a British intelligence source has accused him of doing 'incalculable damage'





David Miranda (left) the boyfriend of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, was seized at Heathrow in 2013 in possession of 58,000 'highly classified' intelligence documents after visiting Snowden in Moscow


Another intelligence source in the United States said the damage done by Snowden was 'far greater than what has been admitted'.
It is unclear whether Snowden voluntarily handed over the secret documents to remain in Hong Kong and Moscow, or whether the countries stole his data.

But a senior UK Home Office source said:

'Why do you think Snowden ended up in Russia?
'Putin didn’t give him asylum for nothing. His documents were encrypted but they weren’t completely secure and we have now seen our agents and assets being targeted.'


David Miranda, the boyfriend of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, was seized at Heathrow in 2013 in possession of 58,000 'highly classified' intelligence documents after visiting Snowden in Moscow.

During the ensuing court hearing Oliver Robbins, then deputy national security adviser in the Cabinet Office, said that the release of the information 'would do serious damage to UK national security, and ultimately put lives at risk'.

Eventually the High Court ruled there was 'compelling evidence' that stopping Miranda was 'imperative in the interests of national security' and publishing the documents would endanger lives.

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wildhoney66

does anyone think he's an idiot for doing what he did? i think the public needed to know that. but than i dunno ya know? why are they even watching us anyways? i'm not a guy who talks conspiracy at all. but it's a touchy subject i think

Ladybbird

Edward Snowden Claims British Spooks are Spying on YOUR Phone and Can Even Switch it On and Off Remotely as Part of a Training Programme Codenamed ‘Smurfs’

• Former CIA employee said GCHQ spooks want to try to 'own your phone'
• He said they can also tap into phones' microphone to hear surroundings
• Snowden stole classified NSA documents and released them in 2013
• Fugitive denies being traitor - says he'll die 'happy' after what he has done

Daily Mail UK, 6 October 2015


Edward Snowden claims British spies are tapping into our telephones and can even switch them on and off remotely as a way of keeping track of our every move.

In a rare interview given to the BBC, the former CIA employee said GCHQ spooks use a secret programme codenamed 'Smurfs' to 'own your phone' from the comfort of their desks.

The fugitive - who was responsible for the biggest leak of top secret intelligence files the world has ever seen - also said agencies 'hack' network service providers to 'secretly take ownership' of devices.
But despite releasing even more alleged secrets about the spies' work, the whistleblower insisted he was not a traitor - and said that he will die 'happy' after what he has done.






Edward Snowden (pictured) claims British spies are tapping into our telephones and are even able to switch them on and off remotely as a way of keeping track of our every move


Speaking to Peter Taylor on tonight's Panorama, the whistleblower said: 'If I was a traitor, who did I betray? I gave all of my information to American journalists and free society generally.
'The question is, how did these programmes come to be and how do we stop them from occurring again in the future?'

Snowden stunned the world in June 2013 – less than a month after the murder of Lee Rigby by Islamic extremists – when he broke cover as the civilian CIA worker who stole classified documents.
He leaked information about attempts by spying agencies including GCHQ and the NSA to view citizens’ private information, claiming internet history, emails, text messages, calls and passwords were harvested and that Western governments’ policies were a ‘threat to democracy’.




During a rare interview with the BBC's Peter Taylor on Panorama (with whom he is pictured), Snowden (right) said he is not a traitor and that he will die 'happy' after what he has done





Snowden was also asked if he would be prepared to do some sort of plea bargain with the US government, to which he replied: 'Of course, I’ve volunteered to go to prison with the government many times'


But security chiefs have warned that secret techniques, revealed by Snowden’s leaks to the Guardian newspaper, have made it easier for terrorists and organised criminals to avoid detection.

In his latest interview, he claims spies use a concept called 'Dreamy Surf', which gives them the chance to turn phones on and off without the owner knowing.
Snowden says there is also 'Nosey Smurf' - which apparently allows them to tap into a phone's microphone so they can hear what is going on - and the location tool 'Tracker Smurf', which means the owner's exact location can be determined.
He said: 'They want to own your phone instead of you.'
Snowden, who now lives in exile in Moscow, worked as an analyst for the National Security Agency in the U.S, the equivalent to GCHQ.

The agency collects raw electronic data from around the world that is fed to U.S spies and their Western partners.
With a special level of clearance, Snowden had access to everything including documents from the British government.
He stole an estimated 1.7m classified documents and handed around 200,000 to journalists.

He said: 'When I was sitting at my desk working with tools of mass surveillance every day, I saw that … all of our communications were being intercepted all of the time in the absence of any suspicion of wrong doing.
'And this was something that was occurring without our knowledge, without our consent.'
Snowden added: 'GCHQ is for almost all intent and purpose a subsidiary of the NSA, they provide technology, they provide tasking and direction as to what they should go after.
'And in exchange GCHQ provides access to communications that are collected in the United Kingdom.'

The programme also hears from General Michael Hayden who said: 'He’s betrayed his workmates, he’s betrayed his institution and he’s betrayed the Secret Service of his homeland.'

And Mark Giuliano FBI Deputy Director branded him a 'traitor', saying: 'What he has done has caused irreparable damage to our ability, other agencies ability to protect the people we are sworn to protect.'

But when this was put to Snowden, he replied: 'Whenever we hear these claims of damage from government officials, universally they've occurred without any evidence, there's never been a specific case of a terrorist that got away or an attack that occurred.'

Snowden was also asked if he would be prepared to do some kind of plea bargain, to which he replied: 'Of course, I’ve volunteered to go to prison with the government many times.





The former CIA employee said GCHQ spooks use a secret programme which is codenamed 'Smurfs' to 'own your phone' from the comfort of their desks


'What I won’t do is I won’t serve as a deterrent to people trying to do the right thing in difficult situations.'

He was then asked what he wanted in return if he was given a jail sentence.
Snowden said: 'Well so far they’ve said they won’t torture me which is a start, I think. But we haven’t gotten much further than that.'

At the end of the interview Snowden was asked if he regretted his actions.
He said: 'I regret that I didn’t come forward sooner because the longer you wait with programmes like this, the more deeply entrenched they become.
'I have paid a price but I feel comfortable with the decisions I’ve made.
'If I’m gone tomorrow, I’m happy with what I had, I feel blessed.'

Viewers took to Twitter following the broadcast, which appeared to divide opinion.
Danielle Pollastri said: 'Worrying that the govt can hi-jack all our devices and use them to track us and listen in to conversations even when switched off.'
But Victoria Carr wrote: 'Very disappointed by the lazy and simplistic reporting on the Ed Snowden Panorama. Why did it turn into a doc about Facebook?'
Mike Adamson ‏said: 'Snowden has certainly convinced himself he's done no harm. Confident to the point of flippancy.'




FULL PANORAMA INTERVIEW;

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RELATED:

Student Wins Landmark Legal Battle to Stop Facebook Handing over Data to US Spies in Ruling Which Could Affect Tech Giants Google, Skype and Apple

• European Court of Justice dealt blow to Facebook in privacy ruling
• Decided that company must be investigated over alleged abuse
• Facebook's Irish subsidiary funnels data to U.S., where spies can see it
• Activity was protected by 'Safe Harbour' deal, but court declared it invalid
  

Daily Mail UK, 6 October 2015


An agreement that allows U.S. spies to harvest vast amounts of personal information from FBook has been ruled invalid by Europe's top court.


The 'safe harbour' treaty, under which Facebook supplies massive amounts of personal data to U.S. intelligence agencies, has been ruled inadequate because it infringes the privacy of users.
Judges have now ordered an inquiry into the agreement which they warn could end the transfer of data by Facebook and other tech giants including Google, Yahoo!, Skype and Apple.





Giving Facebook the finger: Law student Max Schrems, 28, has dealt a blow to Facebook after his legal case knocked holes in a treaty it uses to send its data to the U.S., where spy agencies can get it




Ruling: Mr Schrems won the legal victory, which will result in a probe into Facebook by the Irish data watchdog, which has previously refused to intervene


The case, which has dealt a severe blow to Facebook and the U.S., was brought by Austrian law student Max Schrems, 28, who was concerned about the practice that was revealed by whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
Mr Schrems crowdfunded more than €66,300 for his campaign after making an appeal through his website. After the ruling was made Tuesday morning he sent a message saying 'YAY' to his 5,000 Twitter followers.

He later posted a statement online hailing the ruling. He said: 'This judgement draws a clear line. It clarifies that mass surveillance violates our fundamental rights'.
He added that his victory 'highlights that governments and businesses cannot simply ignore our fundamental right to privacy, but must abide by the law and enforce it'.





Bated breath: Mr Schrems is pictured in the mostly-empty Luzembourg courtroom ahead of the verdict





Decision: European judges are pictured taking their seats ahead of trashing the U.S.-E.U. Safe Harbour treaty





Long campaign: Mr Schrems has been battling Facebook since 2010, after deciding the company did not take European law seriously enough



He brought the case against Facebook in Ireland because all the company's operations outside the U.S. and Canada are run from Dublin.
The Safe Harbour agreement was struck in 2000 between the U.S. and E.U. to allow data sharing and cut red tape.


But the European Court of Justice has now ruled that America's protections are too weak to offer proper protection to European users.
Judges sitting in Luxembourg said U.S. authorities will always put their national security first, meaning that they cannot be trusted to protect the privacy of E.U. users.





Happy days: Mr Schrems tweeted 'YAY' in celebration after the ruling. He is pictured leaving court with his lawyer Herwig Hofmann


They made their decision in the wake of former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden revealing a slew of mass surveillance operations run by his former employer.





Ruling: The blow to Facebook was dealt by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, pictured above


They include the Prism programme, which gives the NSA routine access to data troves stored by American tech giants like Google, Yahoo!, Skype, Apple and Facebook.

The ECJ ruling said: 'The court declares the Safe Harbour decision invalid.
'The United States Safe Harbour scheme thus enables interference, by United States public authorities, with the fundamental rights of persons, and the (Data Protection) Commission decision does not refer either to the existence, in the United States, of rules intended to limit any such interference or to the existence of effective legal protection against the interference.'
'This judgment has the consequence that the Irish supervisory authority is required to examine Mr Schrems' complaint with all due diligence and, at the conclusion of its investigation, is to decide whether, pursuant to the directive, transfer of the data of Facebook's European subscribers to the United States should be suspended on the ground that that country does not afford an adequate level of protection of personal data.'
The ruling came before the court because of a challenge by an Austrian law student concerned over mass surveillance.





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wildhoney66

i say good for this kid to win this thing. even though i refuse to sign up to that i'd post what i call it but it would just bleep me. in short i don't believe in social media to put nicely lol. anyways, having said that i think it's just plain wrong that they do this to people. yes it's a public forum and it's understandable that you can't post certain things on there. though other things do fly under the radar for some reason or other i'm sure. and i believe they are doing this to everyone weather you are using that or not.

it would surprise me at all if they want everyone's data in fact i think google does sell it which is why i refuse to use google. but maybe this kid will help put a stop to that?

Ladybbird

Snowden Claims Report Russia May 'Gift' Him to Trump Proves He is Not a Spy

The whistleblower took to Twitter to say that the NBC report vindicates him of spying charges because ‘no country trades away spies’


The Guardian UK, 12 February 2017


Whistleblower Edward Snowden has seized on a report that Russia is considering sending him back to the US as a “gift” to Donald Trump, saying that the story vindicates him of charges that he is a spy.

“Finally: irrefutable evidence that I never cooperated with Russian intel,” he said on Twitter. “No country trades away spies, as the rest would fear they’re next.”


Edward Snowden's leave to remain in Russia has been extended for three years. Snowden’s Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told RIA Novosti news agency that the permit had been extended until 2020. He also said that as of next year, Snowden would have the right to apply for Russian citizenship.


Snowden was responding to a report by NBC which stated that US intelligence had collected information that Russia wanted to hand Snowden over in order to “curry favor” with Trump, who has said that the former NSA contractor is a “traitor” and a “spy” who deserves to be executed.

The report – based on two sources in the intelligence community – said the intelligence had been gathered since Trump’s inauguration. The Guardian was unable to independently verify the report.

Snowden’s ACLU lawyer, Ben Wizner, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, he told NBC News he was unaware of any plan to return his client to the US.

“Team Snowden has received no such signals and has no new reason for concern,” Wizner said.


Russia granted Snowden asylum in 2013 and a three-year residency in 2014. Snowden has been living in exile in Moscow, facing charges in the US including violations of the US Espionage Act for leaking documents about secret mass surveillance programs.

Speaking at a GOP candidate debate in March 2016, Trump said of Snowden:

“I said he was a spy and we should get him back. And if Russia respected our country, they would have sent him back immediately, but he was a spy. It didn’t take me a long time to figure that one out.”


The Kremlin publicly dismissed these claims.

Snowden offered a longer explanation of his feelings of vindication when he was interviewed by Katie Couric in December 2016, when rumours of a Russian handover first started circulating.

He described the suggestion as vindication that he was“independent”. He added: “The fact that I’ve always worked on behalf of the United States and the fact that Russia doesn’t own me. In fact the Russian government may see me as a sort of liability.”

Snowden suggested that a reason why Russia might want to return him was his recent criticism of the Kremlin’s human rights record and his suggestions that its officials had hacked US security networks.

Previously Snowden has said that Moscow had “gone very far, in ways that are completely unnecessary, costly and corrosive to individual and collective rights” in monitoring citizens online.

When Couric asked if Snowden would mind being extradited, he replied: “That would obviously be something that would be a threat to my liberty and to my life.

“But what I’m saying here is you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say this guy’s a bad guy – a Russian tool or something like that – at the same time you say he’s going to be traded away.”

After reiterating his sense of vindication on Friday, Snowden posted again to Twitter: “Speak not because it is safe, but because it is right.”

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what bothers me more than this is Polanski wanted to come back to the states and have a judge throw his warrant away i think is what i read? i don't remember what i read to be honest but i do remember seeing that he wants a judge to let him. that upsets me as he's a pedophile who got away with it for 40 years so far.

and Snowden proving he's not a spy which is something i never thought he was. i dunno what he all released but i think some of it at least is stuff the public did need to know. i dunno about all of it to be fair. but some it at least

Ladybbird

'They Wanted Me Gone' > Edward Snowden on Whistleblowing, AI Fears and Six Years in Russia

The man whose surveillance revelations rocked the world on his new life and concerns for the future

The Guardian UK, 14 Sep 2019.






‘I was very much a person the most powerful government in the world wanted to go away’


The world’s most famous whistleblower, Edward Snowden, says he has detected a softening in public hostility towards him in the US over his disclosure of top-secret documents that revealed the extent of the global surveillance programmes run by American and British spy agencies.

In an exclusive two-hour interview in Moscow to mark the publication of his memoirs, Permanent Record, Snowden said dire warnings that his disclosures would cause harm had not come to pass, and even former critics now conceded “we live in a better, freer and safer world” because of his revelations.

In the book, Snowden describes in detail for the first time his background, and what led him to leak details of the secret programmes being run by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the UK’s secret communication headquarters, GCHQ.

He describes the 18 years since the September 11 attacks as “a litany of American destruction by way of American self-destruction, with the promulgation of secret policies, secret laws, secret courts and secret wars”.

Snowden also said: “The greatest danger still lies ahead, with the refinement of artificial intelligence capabilities, such as facial and pattern recognition.

“An AI-equipped surveillance camera would be not a mere recording device, but could be made into something closer to an automated police officer.”

He is concerned the US and other governments, aided by the big internet companies, are moving towards creating a permanent record of everyone on earth, recording the whole of their daily lives.

While Snowden feels justified in what he did six years ago, he told the Guardian he was reconciled to being in Russia for years to come and was planning for his future on that basis.

He reveals he secretly married his partner, Lindsay Mills, two years ago in a Russian courthouse.


While he would rather be in the US or somewhere like Germany, he is relaxed in Russia, now able to lead a more or less normal daily life. He is less fearful than when he first arrived in 2013, when he felt lonely, isolated and paranoid that he could be targeted in the streets by US agents seeking retribution.

“I was very much a person the most powerful government in the world wanted to go away. They did not care whether I went away to prison. They did not care whether I went away into the ground. They just wanted me gone,” he said.

He has dispensed with the scarves, hats and coats he once used as disguises and now moves freely around the city, riding the metro, visiting art galleries or the ballet, joining friends in cafes and restaurants.



The Front Page of The Guardian on 7 June 2013:








Permanent Record is being published on Tuesday 17 SEP 2019, in more than 20 countries, charts the shift that took him from working deep inside the NSA and the CIA to Hong Kong, where he handed over a cache of classified documents to journalists from the Guardian.


The documents revealed the scale of mass surveillance by the US, UK and their allies. He is high on the US wanted list and faces decades in jail if detained.

The US government could seize royalties from the book but the substantial advance has already been banked.

Normally averse to discussing his personal life, Snowden opened up in both the interview and the memoirs to speak for the first time about his life in Moscow and even the person he describes as “the love of my life”, Mills.

Polls taken in the US in 2013 and the years immediately after showed an almost equal split between those who viewed him as a traitor and those who saw him as a hero.

“It is funny that now, six years later, the controversial image that I had has begun to soften.”

Even people who dislike him personally were now prepared to accept “we live in a better, freer and safer world because of the revelations of mass surveillance”, he said.

One of the Democratic presidential candidates, Bernie Sanders, said he would like to see a resolution that would end Snowden’s permanent exile, while another, the congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, said in May she would pardon him.

Fears that President Vladimir Putin might hand him over as a gift to Donald Trump have receded as relations between the US and Russia have cooled.

Snowden said it helped that Russia viewed him as useful publicity.

“A country whose political troubles are legendary, whose problems with human rights we hear about every single day has finally, somehow, managed to have one bright spot on their human rights record … Why would they give that up?”

He toyed with calling his memoirs The New Forever or Welcome to Forever before settling on Permanent Record, which reflects his concerns about the way state-run and private companies are hoarding data.





Snowden's Timeline

21 June 1983 Edward Joseph Snowden is born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, US.

2006-2013 Initially at the CIA, and then as a contractor for first Dell and then Booz Allen Hamilton, Snowden spends years working in cybersecurity on projects for the US National Security Agency (NSA).

20 May 2013 Edward Snowden arrives in Hong Kong, where a few days later he meets with Guardian journalists, and shares with them a cache of top secret documents he has been downloading and storing for some time.

5 June 2013 The Guardian begins reporting the Snowden leaks, with revelations about the NSA storing the phone records of millions of Americans, and the agency’s claim its Prism programme had “direct access” to data held by Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants.

7 June 2013 The US president, Barack Obama, is forced to defend the programmes, insisting that they are adequately overseen by the courts and Congress.

9 June 2013 Snowden goes public as the source of the leaks in a video interview.

16 June 2013 The revelations expand to include the UK, with news that GCHQ intercepted foreign politicians’ communications during the 2009 G20 summit in London, and that the British spy agency has also tapped the fibre-optic cables carrying much of the internet’s traffic.

21 June 2013 The US files espionage charges against Snowden and requests Hong Kong detain him for extradition.

23 June 2013 Snowden leaves Hong Kong for Moscow. Hong Kong claims that the US got Snowden’s middle name wrong in documents submitted requesting his arrest meaning they were powerless to prevent his departure.

1 July 2013 Russia reveals that Snowden has applied for asylum. He also expresses an interest in claiming asylum in several South American nations. Eventually Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Venezuela offer permanent asylum.

3 July 2013 While en route from Moscow, Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, is forced to land in Vienna after European countries refuse his plane airspace, suspecting that Snowden was on board. It is held and searched for 12 hours.

1 August 2013 After living in an airport for a month, Snowden is granted asylum in Russia.

21 August 2013 The Guardian reveals that the UK government ordered it to destroy the computer equipment used for the Snowden documents.

December 2013 Snowden is a runner-up to Pope Francis as Time’s Person of the Year, and gives Channel 4’s “Alternative Christmas Message”.

May 2015 The NSA stops the bulk collection of US phone calling records that had been revealed by Snowden.

December 2016 Oliver Stone releases the movie Snowden featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Zachary Quinto and a cameo by former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger.

January 2017 Snowden’s leave to remain in Russia is extended for three more years.

June 2018 Snowden says he has no regrets about his revelations, saying: “The government and corporate sector preyed on our ignorance. But now we know. People are aware now. People are still powerless to stop it but we are trying.”

March 2019 Vanessa Rodel, who sheltered Snowden in Hong Kong, is granted asylum in Canada.

September 2019 Snowden remains living in an undisclosed location in Moscow as he prepares to publish his memoirs.
END


Watch the Guardian’s Exclusive Video Interview With Edward Snowden.

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US Hit by Worst Leak of SECRET Documents Since Snowden

The United States is facing possibly its worst intelligence leak since Edward Snowden flew to Moscow after a new batch of classified documents appeared on social media.

BBC 9 APR 2023














More than 100 classified documents relating to Ukraine, China, the Middle East, the Pacific, and terrorism are now believed to be in the public domain after they were posted in an obscure internet forum last month.

It comes after White House officials said they were investigating the appearance of highly classified briefing documents related to Ukraine on Twitter on Thursday.


The US Department of Justice said it had launched an investigation into the leak.

American officials said Russia or pro-Russian elements were likely behind the leak, but did not give further details.

Phillip Ingram, a retired senior British military intelligence officer, said the leak was "very significant" and potentially deeply damaging.

“It shows a failure at the very highest levels of classification,” he said. “These are top secret or above top secret. They are daily briefing documents for senior US decision-makers at joint chiefs - or potentially presidential - level.

“If it is genuine, the Americans have a very serious problem. The biggest since Edward Snowden.”


Briefings Marked 'Top Secret'

The initial leak consisted of briefing documents dated March 1 and marked "secret" and "top secret", which began to appear on Twitter and Telegram on Thursday.

They included battle maps, casualty estimates, and a timeline for the integration of Western equipment into the Ukrainian army.

Some had been crudely doctored to increase the Ukrainian casualties and reduce the Russian ones.

One of the slides says the Ukrainian Security Service believed its own agents may have disobeyed orders and carried out the drone attack on a Russian A-50 aircraft at a Belarusian airbase on Feb 26.

The attribution suggests it was sourced from a signals intercept, which in turn suggests the Americans are eavesdropping on Ukrainian communications.

The new tranche began to circulate on social media channels on Friday.


As well as more Ukraine documents, they include an assessment of Chinese diplomatic pressure on Jordan and other issues in the Middle East and Pacific regions.

Both sets of documents carry designations that mean they should have been accessible only to a very small group of people.

Some are marked "NOFORN", or not releasable to foreign nationals, which is reserved for very high-level intelligence that the Americans do not want to share even with their Five Eyes intelligence allies Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.

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Ukraine WAR: Who Leaked TOP SECRET US Documents - and Why?

What to make of the dozens of classified American Defence Department documents - maps, charts and photographs - now circulating on the internet?

BBC 10 APR 2023





Ukrainian soldiers fire a German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000

Complete with timelines and dozens of impenetrable military acronyms, the documents, some of them marked "top secret", paint a detailed picture of the war in Ukraine.


They tell of the casualties suffered on both sides, the military vulnerabilities of each and, crucially, what their relative strengths are likely to be when Ukraine decides to launch its much-anticipated spring offensive.

How real are these printed pages, unfolded and photographed, possibly on someone's dining room table? And what do they tell us, or the Kremlin, that we did not already know?

First things first: this is the biggest leak of secret American information on the war in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion 14 months ago. Some of the documents are as much as six weeks old, but the implications are huge.

Pentagon officials are quoted as saying the documents are real.

Information on at least one of them appears to have been crudely altered in a later version, but out of a dump of as many as 100 documents, that seems a relatively minor detail.

The BBC has seen more than 20 of the documents. They include detailed accounts of the training and equipment being provided to Ukraine as it puts together a dozen new brigades for an offensive that could begin within weeks.


It says when the brigades will be ready and lists all the tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces that are being provided by Ukraine's western allies.

But it notes that "equipment delivery times will impact training and readiness".

One map includes a "mud-frozen ground timeline", assessing ground conditions across eastern Ukraine as spring progresses.

After a winter that has tested Ukraine's air defences to the limit, there's also a sobering analysis of Kyiv's diminishing air defence capability, as it seeks to balance its limited resources to protect civilians, critical infrastructure and its frontline troops.


How Much of This is New?

A lot of the detail here is familiar. There's just a lot more of it, and it's all in one place.


Take casualty figures. It comes as little surprise to learn that the US estimates that between 189,500 and 223,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.

The equivalent figure for Ukraine's losses - between 124,500 and 131,000 - is also in line with ballpark figures briefed to journalists in recent weeks.

In both cases, the Pentagon says it has "low confidence" in the figures, due to gaps in information, operational security and deliberate attempts, probably by both sides, to mislead.

Tellingly, this is the one place where attempts have been made to alter the documents to make it look as if Ukraine is experiencing the worst casualties.


A version which appeared on a pro-Russian Telegram site took the number of Ukrainian "killed in action" ("16k-17.5k") and put those on the Russian ledger, while flipping the numbers on the Ukrainian side so they read "61k - 71.5k".

All of which brings us to the question of who leaked the documents, and why?


'Here, have some leaked documents'

The story of how the documents found their way from the messaging platform Discord, to 4Chan and Telegram, has already been told by Aric Toler of the investigative open source intelligence group, Bellingcat.

Toler says it has not yet been possible to uncover the original source of the leaks, but charts their appearance on a messaging platform popular with gamers in early March.

On 4 March, following an argument about the war in Ukraine on a Discord server frequented by players of the computer game Minecraft, one user wrote "here, have some leaked documents", before posting 10 of the documents.

It is an unusual, but hardly unique form of leak.

In 2019, ahead of the UK general election, documents relating to US-UK trade relations appeared on Reddit, 4Chan and other sites.

At the time, Reddit said the unredacted documents had originated in Russia.

In another case, last year, players of the online game War Thunder repeatedly posted sensitive military documents, apparently in an effort to win arguments among themselves.

The latest leak is more sensitive, and potentially damaging.

Ukraine has jealously guarded its "operational security" and cannot be happy that such sensitive material has appeared at such a critical moment.

Ukraine's spring offensive could represent a make-or-break moment for the Zelensky government to alter dynamics on the battlefield and set conditions for peace talks later.

In Kyiv, officials have spoken about a possible disinformation campaign by Russia.

Other military bloggers have suggested the opposite: that it is all part of a western plot to mislead Russian commanders.

Crucially, there is nothing in the documents leaked so far that points to the direction or thrust of Ukraine's counter-offensive.

The Kremlin ought to have a pretty good idea already of the scope of Ukraine's preparations (although Moscow's intelligence failures have been much in evidence throughout the war), but Kyiv needs to keep its enemy guessing about how the campaign will unfold, in order to maximise the chances of success.

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Jack Teixeira: Suspect in Pentagon Documents Leak Named

Leader of online group behind suspected US military document leaks named

BBC 13 APR 2023





Jack Teixeira: Suspect in Pentagon Documents Leak


The New York Times earlier reported that the leader of an online gaming chat group where the files leaked in recent months had the same name.

The paper said he is a 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.

Its report did not identify Mr Teixeira as the alleged leaker.

The New York Times cited interviews with other members of the online group, one of whom said he had known the person who leaked the files for at least three years.


At least 50 but perhaps more than 100 secret documents were posted on Discord - a social media platform popular with gamers.

The documents contain a range of intelligence assessments about the war in Ukraine, but also sensitive intelligence about countries around the world, including US allies.





Ammuniton fired by Ukrainian troops


The leaked documents have included details of Ukraine's planned offensive against Russian forces

On Wednesday, the Washington Post published an interview with one of the members of the chat room where the documents initially appeared.

He described the leaker as a young, charismatic gun enthusiast in his early to mid-20s who works at an unnamed military base.

The Post reported that the man was the leader of a Discord chat room including roughly two dozen members who swapped "memes, offensive jokes and idle chitchat" and prayed and watched movies together.

The members included people from Russia and Ukraine and a number of other countries in Europe, Asia and South America, the paper reported.

At first the leaks were kept inside the small chat room, but in early March members began posting them on other Discord servers, including ones dedicated to the game Minecraft and a Filipino YouTuber.

From there they were posted on the fringe message board 4chan and on the Telegram chat app, particularly on pro-Russia channels. In some cases they were altered to increase Ukrainian casualty counts.

Earlier, while on a trip to Ireland, US President Joe Biden said investigators were close to finding the person who leaked the documents.

"There's a full blown investigation going on, as you know, with the intelligence community and the Justice Department, and they're getting close," Mr Biden told reporters.

The FBI has now arrested Mr Teixeira



MORE

• What the leaked Pentagon files show
• Does jail time await Pentagon files leaker?

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Watch The Arrest of The Suspected Document Leaker








FBI Arrests National Guard Airman Jack Teixeira


The FBI has arrested a suspect in Massachusetts as part
of their investigation into leaked US military documents.


The FBI arrested Jack Teixeira in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online. Teixeira, 21, is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. His arrest comes following a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

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Jack Teixeira: US Airman Charged Over Pentagon Documents Leak

The US airman accused of leaking confidential intelligence and defence documents has been officially charged in a court appearance in Boston.

BBC News 16 APR 2023
















Jack Teixeira, 21, wore shackles and a prison uniform as he stood before a federal judge on Friday.

After a shout of "love you, Jack" from a person in the courtroom, the defendant replied "you too, dad".

Mr Teixeira faces up to 15 years in prison over charges of unauthorised transmission of defence information.

He is also charged with the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.


The airman faces up to 10 years in prison for the first charge, and up to five years in prison for the second.

The dozens of leaked documents had revealed US assessments of the war in Ukraine as well as sensitive secrets about American allies.

The leaks embarrassed Washington and raised fresh questions over the security of classified information.

Mr Teixeira was arrested by armed FBI agents at his family home in Massachusetts on Thursday.

The judge ruled that the suspect qualifies for a public defender - a lawyer employed at public expense in a criminal trial for people who cannot afford legal fees.

Mr Teixeira remains in custody.

US President Joe Biden thanked law enforcement in a statement for their "rapid action" to investigate the source of the leaks. He said he has directed US military and intelligence to secure and limit distribution of any more sensitive information.


'Top Secret Clearance'

The leaked intelligence material first appeared in a Discord chat room on which Mr Teixeira is said to have been an administrator. Its members would often discuss geopolitical affairs and wars.

The affidavit provided by FBI Special Agent Patrick Lueckenhoff to the court stated that the suspect began posting the leaked documents some time in December.

The initial leaks were in the form of paragraphs of text, according to the affidavit, but Mr Teixeira then moved on to posting photographs of documents in January.

It was not until intelligence material was posted outside the chat room group that Pentagon officials became aware of the leak, prompting a search for the culprit.

Mr Teixeira worked as an IT specialist in the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts National Guard, based at Otis Air National Guard Base in western Cape Cod.

The National Guard is a reservist wing of the US Air Force. They are not employed full-time in the military, but can be deployed when necessary.


Mr Teixeira's official title was cyber defence operations journeyman, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Boston court. He held the rank of Airman 1st Class - a relatively junior position.

The affidavit stated that Mr Teixeira held a "top secret" security clearance since 2021, and that he would have "signed a lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement" to take on his role.

Mr Luekenoff added the suspect "would have had to acknowledge that the unauthorized disclosure of protected information could result in criminal charges".

The affidavit also alleged that Mr Teixeira used his government computer to search classified intelligence reporting for the word "leak" on 6 April - the day when public reporting about the documents first emerged.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr Teixeira searched the term to learn whether US intelligence had information on the identity of the person behind the leaks.


MORE;

• The biggest intelligence leaks in US history
• What punishment will he face?

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Russian Jet Tried to Shoot Down RAF Plane as Ukraine Continues to BLAST Russia

Ben Wallace Accused Russians of Act of WAR Against RAF Plane.

Russian Jet Tried to Blast RAF Plane Packed With 30 Brits Out of Sky, Leaked Docs Say

15ft from disaster: Russian jets 'recklessly' buzzed NATO aircraft, it emerges after Ben Wallace reveals Putin warplane fired a MISSILE near RAF patrol above the Black Sea

BBC News 20 APR 2023





A Russian Su-27 jet shadowing an RAF RC-135 spy plane over the Black Sea 'released a missile... in the vicinity' of the British plane, it has been revealed





Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets were following the British plane when one suffered a 'technical malfunction' and fired a missile, Ben Wallace said (file image). Defence Secretary also said one jet went within 15 feet of a Nato aircraft





An RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint spy plane had been flying over international waters near Crimea at the time of the incident last month


Two Russian Su-27 fighters 'interacted' with British spy plane over Black Sea
One jet went within 15 feet of Nato aircraft, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said
Fighter fired a missile 'in the vicinity' of a British spy plane above Black Sea
Sergei Shoigu, Putin's defence minister, blamed 'malfunction' for the incident
Near-miss will do little to calm nerves that Ukraine war could spiral into WW3





Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has accused Russia of using its jets 'recklessly' after one of Putin's fighters went within 15 feet of a Nato aircraft.

Mr Wallace also revealed that a fighter jet accidentally fired a missile 'in the vicinity' of an RAF patrol above the Black Sea.


Detailing what happened between the Russian fighter and the UK plane, Mr Wallace said: 'I would also like to share with the House details of a recent incident which occurred in international airspace over the Black Sea.

'On September 29 an unarmed RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint, a civilian-style aircraft on routine patrol over the Black Sea was interacted with by two Russian armed Su-27 fighter aircraft.

'It is not unusual for aircraft to be shadowed and this day was no different.

'During that interaction however, it transpired that one of the Su-27 aircraft released a missile in the vicinity of the RAF Rivet Joint beyond visual range.

'The total time of the interaction between the Russian aircraft and the Rivet Joint was approximately 90 minutes.

'The patrol completed and the aircraft returned to base.'

Speaking to the Commons, he said Russia was using its fighters in a 'reckless' and 'unnecessary' way, which includes flying 'very, very' close to Nato aircraft.

'In one event I was aware of, a Russian fighter went within 15 feet of a Nato aircraft,' he said.

Mr Wallace said two Russian Su-27 fighters had 'interacted' with an RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint spy plane on patrol above international waters to the south of Crimea on September 29 when one of them 'released a missile'.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, blamed the incident on a technical malfunction and Britain does not believe it was a deliberate attempt to escalate, Mr Wallace added.


But it will do little to ease fears that the war in Ukraine could spiral into World War Three.

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Ukraine Continues to BLAST Russia...

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Putin is Preparing to Attack The UK -Russian Spy Ships are Mapping Wind Farms and Key Cables Off The British Coast.

For a long time it was only speculation. Now we know for certain. . There can be only one reason for this – to learn how to sabotage UK and European critical infrastructure in the event of a full-scale war with the West.

BBC News 22 APR 2023






Russian Spy Ships Mapping Wind Farms & Key Cables


For a long time it was only speculation. Now we know for certain

The sobering truth is that our potential adversaries, Russia in the West and China in the East, are gearing up for wider conflict.



That does not mean that conflict will happen –preparation makes it less likely – but we must urgently recognise the extent of the threat to the current order. Our world is becoming markedly more dangerous. And Britain is not ready.

Our collective response over too much of the past 15 years was one of denial, oiled and encouraged by Russian money and influence in the US, UK and EU.


War in Ukraine opened our eyes – just this week Cabinet Office Secretary Oliver Dowden gave an “unprecedented” warning of cyber threats to our national infrastructure; and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been consistently robust – but there is much more we can do.

Some of our closest allies, such as Poland, are re-arming on land at an unprecedented rate. Were the worst to happen, they will be ready to defend European soil.


But the Nato alliance remains dangerously exposed at sea.


Russia is probing for European vulnerabilities. Apart from food, the daily critical requirements of modern society are energy and communications. The underwater arteries of modern civilisation are surprisingly few. For example, just three pipelines deliver 43 per cent of our baseline gas supply. Five interconnectors deliver electricity to and from the UK and Europe (and one more between Britain and Ireland). There are more communications cables, about 70 in all, but a relatively small number of deep-sea sabotage operations could bring our world to a halt without a shot being fired. We were assured that wind farms would bolster our energy security, but few considered their military exposure.




For two decades, Putin has laid the groundwork for unconventional warfare. Current Russian military thinking sees conflict as combining military and non-military tools of state power – the “unification of everything” – into a seamless whole to serve the Kremlin’s aims. It is a form of total war, using everything from culture to cyber to conventional conflict.

It reflects the belief that, according to the head of Russia’s Armed Forces, the “very rules of war” have changed.















US may need MORE nuclear bombs as China & Russia cooperate to create terrifying arsenal

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Two Russian Nuke Bombers Skirt UK as Putin Orders Tu 160 Jets to Patrol Sea Near Shetlands Scotland

RUSSIAN nuclear bombers have been spotted skirting the coast of Britain in a chilling show of force by Vladimir Putin.

Two Tu-160 planes were seen north of the Shetland Islands and were accompanied by a MiG-31 fighter during the 14 hour mission, which comes amid mounting tensions between Russia and the West.

BBC News 27 APR 2023




The planes flew a 14 hours mission that skirted the Shetland Islands






The bombers were accompanied by a MiG-31 fighter




Russian Su-27 fighter were intercepted by RAF and German jets





One of the Russian jets banking in front of the British and German planes shadowing it












An Il-20 spy plane was also involved in the tense encounter with the RAF

Kremlin jets recently brought down an American drone with both sides then putting on shows of strength by nuclear bombers.


The latest display of Kremlin military might comes as Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev warned humanity stands on the brink of World War Three.



It is the third time in a week the Russian tyrant has staged patrols of his nuclear strike aircraft and the second time in 12 days they have overflown the Norwegian Sea with Tu-160s.

Video shows the bombers – nicknamed the White Swans – being refuelled in flight during the mission, which comes after a similar display back in February.

“Two Tu-160 strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces have performed a scheduled flight in the airspace above neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas, lasting over 14 hours," said the Russian defence ministry.

"All flights of Russian Aerospace Forces’ planes are carried out in strict compliance with international rules of airspace use.”

The Tu-160 – called the Blackjack by NATO - is a supersonic variable-sweep wing strategic missile-carrying bomber dating from the Soviet era.

Along with Tu-95MS bombers, the planes are the mainstay of Russia’s long-range aviation.

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Did Ukraine Really Try To Assassinate Putin With Kamikaze Drone OR is Russia Trying to Cover Up a SECOND Assassination Attempt of Putin?

Kremlin Accuses Ukraine of Trying to Assassinate Putin

Russia says it downed two drones that targeted the Kremlin in Moscow last night and accused Ukraine of attempting to kill President Vladimir Putin.

BBC News 3 MAY 2023








The Grand Kremlin palace, left, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow, Russia.


Unverified footage on social media appeared to show an object flying over the Kremlin before a small explosion.

Ukraine said it had nothing to do with the drone strike.


Russia said the drones were disabled using electronic radar assets. Mr Putin's spokesman said he was not in the Kremlin at the time.

In a statement, the Kremlin said: "Last night, the Kyiv regime attempted to carry out a strike on the Kremlin residence of the President of the Russian Federation with unmanned aerial vehicles."

The Kremlin said the drones had targeted Mr Putin's residence in the complex

It said it regarded this "as a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president", and Russia "reserves the right to take retaliatory measures wherever and whenever is deemed necessary".

Mr Putin has very high personal protection and the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg says it is astonishing to think that drones could have got anywhere near the Kremlin. He was unhurt and his schedule would continue as normal, the Kremlin said. He was working in Novo Ogaryovo outside Moscow on Wednesday.

Footage posted on Russian social media showed smoke over central Moscow in the early hours of Wednesday.

Fragments of the drones had fallen on the Kremlin site but no-one had been hurt and there was no damage to buildings, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin also noted the incident had come shortly before Russia's 9 May Victory Day parade, which foreign dignitaries were expected to attend.

The parade would go ahead as planned, Russian news agencies quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Moscow's mayor on Wednesday announced a ban on unauthorised drone flights over the city.

Drone flights would require a special government permit, Sergei Sobyanin said.

Several Russian cities had already announced they would scale back this year's Victory Day celebrations.

Russian authorities have cited security reasons and attacks from pro-Ukrainian forces for the changes.






Explosions and fires have occurred in Russia in recent weeks.






Why Russia fears a "major breakthrough" by Ukraine, according to UK intel

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Moment Drone EXPLODES at Kremlin as Russia Claims Ukraine Has Attacked Heart of Moscow

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Zelensky Met With European Leaders to Ask For HELP

Britain to Send Ukraine Suicide Drones With Twice The Range of Himars
--Announcement that Kyiv will get hundreds of the kamikaze devices to strike back at Russia came as Volodymyr Zelensky met with Rishi Sunak

Ukraine’s Zelensky Arrived in Berlin and Was Received by Germanys’ Scholz
--Zelensky met with Germanys' Chancellor Olaf Scholz and thanked his government for its "fantastic solidarity" as he secured a big boost in military aid on his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion.

Ukraine War: Kyiv Not Attacking Russian Territory-Zelensky, as Russia Bombards Kyiv
--Russia has launched its' most intense rocket barrages on the Ukrainian capital since the war broke out.

BBC 17 MAY 2023




Russia bombards Kyiv



Germanys’ Change of Heart is Now Pivotal to The War in Ukraine

Zelensky arrived in Berlin from Rome, where he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. He flew on a German government plane escorted over German airspace by fighter jets of the Luftwaffe air force, arriving in the middle of the night.




Wearing his trademark khaki combat trousers and a black sweater, the Ukrainian leader was first greeted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before he headed to the nearby chancellery to meet welcomed by Scholz with military honours.


Olaf Scholz’s about-turn on military aid policy will be transformative – and shows how German attitudes to the war are shifting. Unlike British or French politicians, Olaf Scholz doesn’t do pomp. Nor does he do charm. A man who screws up his eyes when he tries to smile, the German chancellor welcomed Ukraine’s president to Berlin on Sunday with characteristic stiffness.

Yet of all Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s meetings with fellow European leaders over the past few days – from Rome to Paris to Chequers today for more hardware and more embraces with Rishi Sunak – his day in Germany may be remembered as the most important. The announcement on the eve of his visit of a doubling of military aid to Ukraine to a total of more than €5bn finally brings Germany in from the cold. The consequences may take months to be seen on the battlefield, but in geo-strategic terms they are immediate.

Zelenskiy knows that he has perhaps only six to eight months for his counteroffensive to make sufficient inroads to force Russia out of the areas it seized in 2022 and, better still, out of lands it annexed in 2014. Doing this would also demonstrate to the west the effectiveness of the support given so far. He knows that if he cannot finish the job this year, he will have to continue into next year in even more difficult circumstances.

He sees the Chinese, the French and others showboating diplomacy not necessarily on Ukraine’s terms. At the same time he is aware that public opinion in several countries is wavering.


Most of all, he sees the lumbering figure of Donald Trump coming into view. Even the prospect of a return to the White House of a man who cannot say which side he supports provides succour to Vladimir Putin and the forces on the far right and far left in Europe who put the vague notion of “peace” ahead of international law, self-determination and human rights.

That is why the debate in Europe, and Germany in particular, is so important. Germans are told to pull their weight but not to throw their weight about. They pride themselves on Vergangenheitsbewältigung, their coming to terms with their past.


Yet in recent years among some sections of society, particularly Scholz’s Social Democrats, one wrong lesson was learned. These “salon pacifists” reinterpreted the phrase “never again” to mean never again going war, rather than never confronting tyranny. The terrible invasion of Iraq reinforced that view.

Ukraine has now shattered that, inserting a concept alien to several generations of “the good war”. But it has required two heaves to get there. The first was the Zeitenwende, the speech Scholz gave three days after Putin’s invasion in which he declared a new approach to hard power and an extra €100bn to be spent on reinforcing Germany’s ailing armed forces.

Having broken the mould so dramatically, the German chancellor returned to type, second-guessing each step, fearful of a backlash from his party. Relations became so toxic that the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was prevented by the Ukrainians at the last moment from visiting Kyiv.

Zelenskiy feted all-comers but froze out the Germans, who complained they were not getting the credit for being one of the largest donors of military aid, amounting to more than €2bn. The problem was that it was offered grudgingly and delivered slowly.

Tensions reached a high in the autumn over the stalled delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks. Not only did Scholz refuse to send them, but he also held back re-export licences to Ukraine by other countries of the tanks. He eventually relented, arguing that his position had forced the Americans to release tanks too.

Zelenskiy Arrived in France to meet Macron After Germany visit





Russia Launched Exceptional Missile Attack on Ukrainian Capital Kyiv in Bombardment








Moscow is enraged by the British supply of missiles but Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said it would “not affect” the course of the war "but will lead to retaliatory actions by the Russian Federation”




Zelensky Met PM Sunak as More Ukraine Weapons Pledged

The UK will send hundreds of air defence missiles and armed drones to Ukraine on top of the Storm Shadow cruise missiles announced last week.

The move means the UK is going further than any other country in providing weapons with the potential to tip the battlefield in Ukraine's favour.



Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky met the UK's Rishi Sunak as part of his tour of Western allies.

Mr Zelensky said it was important for the West to send fighter jets as well.


Ukraine Receives Jet Fighter Support Pledge From UK & Netherlands





UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch premier Mark Rutte agreed to build an international coalition to provide Kyiv with F-16s fighter jets.





The UK prime minister said providing fighter jets was "not a straightforward thing", although he did say the UK would form "a key part of the coalition countries" providing that support.


Ukraine is continuing to prepare for a much-anticipated counter-offensive against Russian forces.

Last week, Mr Zelensky told the BBC his country needed more weaponry before it could launch the attack.

On Monday, the Ukrainian president had about two hours of talks with Mr Sunak at Chequers, near London.

He arrived on British soil for a surprise visit after a whirlwind tour of Western Europe that also took in Rome, Berlin and Paris.

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine and the UK were "real partners", while Mr Sunak's spokesman described the meeting as "warm and collegiate".

The Storm Shadow cruise missiles can be used to destroy Russia's positions on occupied Ukrainian territory.

If Ukraine can destroy Russia's command centres, logistics hubs and ammunition depots in occupied territory, then it may prove impossible for Moscow to continue resupplying its frontline troops in places.

This is what Ukraine did so successfully in Kherson last year, forcing the Russians to withdraw almost without a fight. It will now be hoping to repeat the process with the help of Western-supplied munitions.

President Zelensky's repeated calls for Nato to send F-16 jets are being met with delays and obfuscations, for several reasons.

The Ukrainian air force has trained its pilots on F-16s, which the RAF do not use, but such training takes months, not days.

Logistics, maintenance and the need to find suitable runways are all important too.

Finally, there is the question of escalation. Nato is struggling to balance giving Kyiv the maximum support it can, without getting directly drawn into this conflict.

If Nato does end up sending F-16 warplanes, however old they may be, then that, in Moscow's eyes, constitutes a major provocation by the West.

Mr Zelensky said he discussed the supply of Western fighter jets with Mr Sunak.

New jets were a "very important topic for us, because we can't control the sky", the Ukrainian leader added.

"We spoke about it and I see that in the closest time you will hear some, I think, very important decisions, but we have to work a little bit more on it," he said.

The UK has no plans to send fighter jets to Ukraine, according to the prime minister's official spokesman.

But No 10 said elementary training for Ukrainian pilots would begin this summer, along with British efforts to work with other countries on providing F-16 jets to Ukraine.

The prime minister's official spokesman also denied that any drones supplied by the UK would be used to hit targets inside Russia.

They would be used for the defence of Ukraine on Ukrainian sovereign territory, the spokesman said.

Mr Sunak said: "This is a crucial moment in Ukraine's resistance to a terrible war of aggression they did not choose or provoke.

"They need the sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year."

In response, Russia said the new British weapons due to be supplied to Kyiv would only cause "further destruction".

"Britain aspires to position itself at the forefront of the countries that continue to pump weapons into Ukraine," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
European support

Ukraine secured a new defence aid package from Germany after talks in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, taking its total military funding to nearly $7bn (£6.44bn).

Mr Zelensky described the new pledge of German Leopard tanks and anti-aircraft systems as "the largest since the beginning of the full-scale aggression" by Russia in February 2022.

France has promised dozens more light tanks and armoured vehicles after President Emmanuel Macron met his Ukrainian counterpart in Paris.


In February, Mr Zelensky visited London for the first time since the start of the war, during which he attended an audience with the King and addressed Parliament.

His latest visit to the UK comes ahead of a G7 gathering in Hiroshima, Japan, later this week which will also be attended by Mr Sunak.


Zelensky and Sunak Hug: 'We're standing where Churchill made speeches'





Rishi Sunak says UK will start training Ukraine’s pilots this summer






Kyiv Struck by Exceptionally Intense Russia Air Strikes


Ukraine Received Final Nine MiG-29 Fighter Jets From Slovakia

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Massive Explosion Erupts as Ukrainian Air Forces Destroy Russian Ammunition...

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President Zelensky Met With Arab League in Jeddah to ask For HELP as al-Assad Returns to Arab Fold

Syria: Dismay and Fear as Bashar al-Assad Returns to Arab Fold

President Bashar al-Assad strode into the Arab League summit in Jeddah, relishing the clearest recognition yet that he has won his war for Syria.

BBC 20 MAY 2023






He was embraced by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A decade ago, the Saudis funded anti-Assad militias. Now the prince, known as MBS, wants to remake the Middle East, and he needs Syria onside.

In a speech, President Assad insisted that Syria would always belong to the Arab world. But other countries should not interfere with what happened inside its borders.


"It is important to leave internal affairs to the country's people as they are best able to manage them," he said.

By the people, President Assad meant the leader and his supporters. Between them, the princes and presidents at the summit have locked up many thousands of their opponents.

Events in Jeddah are being viewed with dismay by Syrians who blame the Assad regime for destroying their country, including all the Syrian refugees I have spoken to in Lebanon.

Lebanon, small and poor, has had to tolerate well over a million Syrians fleeing the war. That is the equivalent of a quarter of the Lebanese population - something like the UK accepting over 15 million refugees.

Now many Lebanese have had enough, making Syrians a convenient scapegoat for their own country's chronic economic and political problems.





A refugee camp in Lebanon


More than one million Syrians have fled to Lebanon, to escape 12 years of war in their home country

In the last few weeks, the army has deported around 1,500 of them back over the border at gunpoint, sometimes leaving children behind in Lebanon or forcing children out without their parents.

A refugee family speaking on condition that their identities were kept secret talked about life in a town near Beirut where a curfew has been imposed on Syrians.

The children have been thrown out of school. The turmoil in their lives is clear in their teenage daughter's anguished artwork. Their father views the authoritarian Arab leaders embrace of Bashar al-Assad with contempt - and fear.

"The Assad regime is a dictatorship - the same as the other Arab regimes. They're helping each other, cooperating against the people."

In a refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, Assad's presence in Jeddah was another crushing blow. Nasser and Marwa, a couple who've been here since 2013, fear Assad's return to the Arab League might be an excuse for more deportations.

Marwa said she woke up every morning thanking God she hadn't been deported.

"Now we're always afraid of the raids. I always imagine that they will come and take all the men and deport them."

Nasser said he faced being drafted into the army if he went back. He escaped Syria to avoid fighting for the regime. He's desperately worried about what would happen to his wife and their 18-month-old daughter Lillas if they are forced back.





Nasser, Lillas and Marwa live in fear of deportation back to Syria

Nasser was disgusted with the Arab League's decision to readmit Assad's Syria.


"After everything that he's done, they're hosting him. I don't understand it, after all the killing and destruction, and the misery in Syria - it's not acceptable."

Syria, and the Assad regime, remain under US and European sanctions. Amnesty International, the human rights group, said that the president "turned Syria into a slaughterhouse".

The UK government, Amnesty said, should "strenuously oppose any attempt to bolster Assad's international standing".

Some members of the Arab League agree. Qatar, which also funded the armed opposition in Syria, does not approve of Assad's gradual return to Arab respectability.

But as well as the wider geopolitical plans of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who believe the Assad regime is a Middle Eastern reality and Syria a country they need to influence, there are other reasons for wanting to court Assad.

Jordan, as well as the Saudis, are fighting the spread of a narcotic drug called Captagon, which is made in Syria and smuggled into their countries. It is an amphetamine that was given to fighters to boost their endurance but is now widely used as a recreational drug.




The US and UK have imposed sanctions on named members of the Assad family who they say are heavily involved in the Captagon trade. Some estimates say the business is worth more than $50 billion (£40bn) a year.







Saudi officers holding Captagon pills
Other Arab states are fighting the trade in Captagon, made in Syria and smuggled abroad


At the United Nations, which runs a huge relief operation in Syria and Lebanon, there is cautious hope Syria's readmission to the Arab League might somehow become a circuit breaker that allows diplomatic progress.

Imran Riza, the UN's deputy special coordinator for Lebanon, tried to find a positive.

"If what's happening now in the region is going to help to get us to a political solution then it's a good thing."

But the UN does not support forced repatriation. It insists that Syrian refugees cannot return home until their country is safe and secure. That is a long way off.

President Bashar al-Assad broke his country to save his regime. There has been no justice for his victims.

But there is a lesson for ruthless, authoritarian leaders, not least his close ally, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, whose decisive military intervention in 2015 helped the Assad regime to victory.

Wait out the storm and you can outlast your enemies.....


Volodymyr Zelenskyy Lands in Jeddah For Arab League Summit

The Ukrainian president has landed in Saudi Arabia today and is expected to meet the Saudi crown prince on his first-ever trip to the country.

Setting out his priorities for the trip he said he wanted to discuss "political prisoners in Crimea and temporarily occupied territories, the return of our people, peace formula and energy cooperation"

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Ukraine War: Satellite Images Reveal Russian Defences Before Major Assault

A beach resort bristling with fortifications. A major road lined with anti-tank ditches. Satellite analysis by BBC Verify has uncovered some of the extensive defences built by Russia as it prepares for a major Ukrainian counter-attack.

BBC 22 MAY 2023






After months of stalemate, the expected assault is likely to be a crucial test for Ukraine as it seeks to prove it can achieve significant battlefield gains with the weapons it has received from the West.


By examining hundreds of satellite images, the BBC has identified some key points in the significant build-up of trenches and other fortifications in southern Ukraine since October.

These four locations offer an insight into what Russia expects from the counter-offensive, and what defences Ukrainian forces might encounter.


1. Crimea's west coast


Seized by Russia in 2014, Crimea was formerly known for its beach resorts.

Now, instead of sun loungers and parasols, the coastline stretching for 15 miles (25km) is littered with defence structures installed by Russian troops.

The image below shows the only open sandy beach on the west coast without natural defences such as cliffs or hills.






Firstly, there are "dragon's teeth" along the shore: pyramid-shaped blocks of concrete, designed to block the path of tanks and other military vehicles.

Behind them is a line of trenches, providing cover from incoming attacks. Several bunkers can also be spotted along the trenches.

Stacks of wood, digging machines and stores of dragon's teeth along the coast suggest building work was still in progress when the image was taken in March.

Some military experts suggest the defences are likely to be a precaution, rather than a sign that Russia expects to defend a seaborne assault, since Ukraine has little naval capacity.

Intelligence analyst Layla Guest says: "The fortifications are likely in place to deter any bold Ukrainian operation to attack Crimea via the sea rather than on land."

The beach fortification is just one example of a vast network of trenches, as shown by the black dots in the map below, based on work by open-source analyst Brady Africk.





BBC Verify has been able to identify other key fortification sites by pinpointing individual trench locations from videos on social media.

Once an exact location was discovered it was then possible to trace an entire trench network using satellite images.


2. Tokmak

The small city of Tokmak lies on a key route in the south-east of the country that Ukrainian forces may want to use to cut off Crimea from other Russian-held territories.

There have been reports that Ukrainian civilians have been moved out in order to turn the city into a military fortress. This would provide soldiers with access to supplies and a base to retreat to.





The satellite image above shows that a network of trenches in two lines has been dug north of Tokmak - the direction Ukraine would have to attack from.

Behind these trenches is a further ring of fortifications around the city, with three layers of defences that can be seen distinctly in this close-up satellite image.





The top of the satellite image shows an anti-tank ditch. These are usually at least 2.5m deep and designed to trap any enemy tanks that attempt to cross.

Behind the ditch are several rows of dragon's teeth and another trench network.





But Ukrainian forces are likely to face further traps.


It's highly likely that mines have also been hidden between Tokmak's three defence lines, says Mark Cancian from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Minefields are a standard part of every defence, and the Russians have used them extensively throughout the war.

"Here they will be large and better concealed, slowing down Ukrainian attacks so that other combat elements, like artillery and infantry, can strike the attacking forces."

BBC Verify has also discovered three other towns near Tokmak have been similarly fortified.


3. E105 highway

A line of anti-tank ditches and trenches now runs alongside a 22-mile (35km) stretch of the E105 main highway, west of Tokmak.








The E105 is strategically important, connecting Russian-held Melitopol in the south with the northern city of Kharkiv, held by Ukraine. The side that controls it can easily move around troops around the region.

If Ukrainian forces attempt to use this road, Russia will likely target it with heavy artillery from behind their defences. Russia's position is also in range of another nearby road - the T401 - which could also be targeted.

"The Russians are worried about the recently built Ukrainian armour units. If these units can get on a main highway, they can move very quickly," says Mr Cancian.

"The Russian defences aim to push them off the roads and therefore slow them down."


4. Rivnopil, north of Mariupol

The port of Mariupol has a strategic position between the Russian-occupied territories in the east and Crimea in the south. It also became a symbol of resistance to invasion when a hard-core of fighters held out for months as the city was besieged.

Given Russia expects Ukraine to try to retake it, BBC Verify decided to look at the territory surrounding the city - leading to the discovery of a collection of circular trenches.

Located near the small village of Rivnopil about 34 miles (55km) north of Mariupol, each circular trench has a mound of soil in the middle, possibly either to protect artillery or to keep guns stable.






Meanwhile, the circular trenches allow soldiers to take cover and to move the artillery so it can aim in any direction.

It shows that Russia is preparing to defend areas of open ground (without natural protection from hills and rivers) alongside their wider trench network.

But some analysts note that Ukrainian forces can use similar satellite images and drone surveillance to identify and bypass many of these defences.

Alexander Lord from strategic advisory firm Sibylline Ltd says: "The Russians will therefore likely attempt to funnel Ukrainian forces down certain routes which are heavily mined and pre-targeted by Russian artillery."


Satellite images show obvious defences - but that might all be part of Russias' plan.

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Russia Poses Danger to UK and The US Must End The Prevarication That May Have Prolonged The War

It’s Zelenskiy who is setting the pace diplomatically and strategically.

Kyiv Hit by New MASSIVE Russian Drone Attack as Capital Marks Its Founding Birthday 1,541 Years Ago
The Russian Weapon That Signals The Start of a New Stage in Warfare

Blindingly fast and manoeuvrable, new hypersonic missiles pose a tough challenge to defend – and they’re only just getting started

BBC 28 MAY 2023





The moment has arrived: Biden must give Ukraine all it needs to win

Foot-dragging, indecision and fearfulness have characterised Joe Biden’s off-screen approach to Ukraine since Russia invaded 15 months ago, compounding doubts about the durability of US support as the 2024 presidential election campaign kicks off.



The contrast between Biden and the bold, energetic leadership of Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is striking. One man frets about disaster and loss. The other thinks only of winning.


Biden’s latest, belated and incomplete volte-face, over providing US-made F-16 combat jets, illustrates the problem. Zelenskiy has been asking for fighter planes since the war began. Neighbours such as Poland were sympathetic. Yet afraid of provoking a fight with Russia, Biden, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and Pentagon officials publicly opposed supplying F-16s until as recently as March.


Zelenskiy wanted the planes because he knew Ukraine was vulnerable from the air. As the invasion unfolded, Ukraine’s people, homes and vital infrastructure were mercilessly pounded by Russian missiles. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has explained how F-16s or similar planes might have supported air defence systems, reduced casualties and protected ground troops. But they were not forthcoming.

Biden and Sullivan also rejected proposals by experienced former US generals for Nato-patrolled “humanitarian no-fly zones”, initially in western Ukraine, to protect civilians from aerial assault. Although admittedly risky, safe havens akin to past operations in Iraq, Bosnia and Libya might have saved many lives and stemmed the refugee exodus. They still could.

Biden’s argument, then as now, is that such interventions, coming on top of large-scale US arms shipments, intelligence-sharing and aid, might be viewed by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, as escalatory. This seems sensible at first glance. Yet it’s way too cautious. Putin and his lickspittle poltroons, Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Lavrov, are adept at playing on western fears. Whenever new forms of assistance for Kyiv are mooted, they spew dire threats, sometimes involving nuclear weapons.

Biden should listen to Antony Blinken. His secretary of state has spotted a pattern over the past year: Kremlin warnings of retaliation and direct confrontation rarely amount to much in practice. The Russians huff and puff – but mostly bluff. Putin is not entirely stupid. He knows he’d never win a fight with Nato, let alone survive nuclear warfare.

Another pattern is apparent: Biden’s chronic indecision. Protracted humming and hawing last year delayed supplies of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Patriot batteries, longer-range high-altitude missiles, and M1 Abrams battle tanks – all of which were eventually delivered. European allies such as Germany used White House waffling to excuse their own foot-dragging.

These prevarications may have needlessly prolonged the war.


The F-16 U-turn, confirmed at last weekend’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, paves the way for training Ukrainian pilots and the provision of “fourth-generation” jets by Nato allies. Yet it’s a typical Biden fudge. The US itself has not committed to supply planes. If it does, it’s unclear whether they will be the latest F-16 models equipped with the latest weapons.

Unconvincing explanations are offered for US dithering. Officials say they followed a deliberate plan to ensure Ukraine first received all the heavy weaponry and armoured vehicles required for its long-anticipated counter-offensive. “We could certainly have started earlier, but there were much higher priorities, and it’s seen by some as an escalatory act,” said US air force secretary Frank Kendall, referring to F-16 training.

In fact, it was pressure from US allies that proved irresistible when the 50-nation Ukraine Contact Group met at Ramstein air base in Germany last month. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin was urged to think again by old friends such as Britain and the Netherlands, as well as by the eastern Europeans.

On his return to Washington, Austin advised Biden to drop his veto.


The American shift on fighter planes is a personal triumph for Zelenskiy. His tireless lobbying bore fruit, once again overcoming Biden’s hesitancy and assuaging, if not dispelling, his misgivings. And it shone a light on yet another emerging pattern: how Ukraine’s president, not America’s risk-averse commander-in-chief or the Nato alliance, is driving the west’s wartime agenda.

Zelenskiy’s leading role was highlighted when he stole the show in Hiroshima, making a dramatic entrance after flying in late from an Arab League summit in Jeddah. Ukraine does not belong to the G7, or to the EU or Nato for that matter. But Zelenskiy has earned a place at the top table. His irrepressible diplomacy, aided by Putin’s blundering, has brought membership of both latter organisations within reach.

As a leader capable of inspiring his people and influencing international opinion, Zelenskiy puts Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Rishi Sunak to shame. He is also changing the strategic conversation in fundamental ways. US policy towards China, especially Taiwan, has hardened tangibly due to Russia’s aggression – but also thanks to Zelenskiy’s success in re-emphasising the inviolability of territorial borders and national sovereignty as globally recognised imperatives.

Ukraine is increasingly setting the pace on the ground, too, independently of its main backers. Incursions into southern Russia by anti-regime militia using US military vehicles, an audacious drone attack on the Kremlin, sabotage, assassinations and mystery explosions in occupied Crimea are a likely prelude to Kyiv’s pivotal counter-offensive. Success is vital if it is to head off Chinese and possible Franco-German pressure this winter to trade land for peace.

All this activity, licit and illicit, is compounding White House jitters as American public support for Ukraine appears to soften. Since neither of his main 2024 Republican challengers, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, is committed to assisting Kyiv, Biden must be braver and do more, faster – for his time, and Ukraine’s, may be running out. Biden describes the war as a seminal struggle between liberty and tyranny.

It is. So give Zelenskiy all he needs to win.


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It was supposed to be the missile that no one could stop. The hypersonic “dagger” that Vladimir Putin could slip into Ukraine – and Nato’s – chest, like an assassin wielding a blade so fast that the lethal blow is just a blur. Dead before you know it....



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