All posts tagged: intelligence services

Germany arrests EU Parliament staffer over bombshell claims he spied for China – POLITICO

Germany arrests EU Parliament staffer over bombshell claims he spied for China – POLITICO

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“He has been working for a German Member of the European Parliament since 2019. In January 2024, the accused repeatedly passed on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to his intelligence service client,” the prosecutor added. The German Greens were quick to call for an accelerated probe in Brussels over the arrest. “Autocracies like China and Russia are actively trying to undermine our democracies in Europe. This must stop. The investigation within the European Parliament must be speeded up,” said Terry Reintke, lead candidate for the European Greens. “We demand preliminary results before the elections. Consequences must follow swiftly. People who attack the integrity of our democracies must be held to account.” German authorities on Monday also arrested three people suspected of supplying information on military technology to a Chinese intelligence service.  The Chinese Embassy in Berlin denied the allegations, urging Germany “to stop exploiting the espionage accusation to politically manipulate the image of China and defame China,” German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunkt reported. Source link

Ukraine embraces far-right Russian ‘bad guy’ to take the battle to Putin – POLITICO

Ukraine embraces far-right Russian ‘bad guy’ to take the battle to Putin – POLITICO

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From football fields to the battlefield The 40-year-old Kapustin was born in Moscow. He moved with his parents at the age of 17 to Cologne, Germany, where he quickly established a fearsome reputation as a street-brawling white-power skinhead always up for a punch-up with everyone, especially Antifa activists. He tells POLITICO he was unhappy with the move and missed his friends and felt disconnected. He’s long been prominent on the European football hooliganism and far-right martial arts fight club scene — participating in the riots at the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament in the French port city of Marseille. After he moved to Kyiv, Germany canceled his residency in 2019 and imposed a Schengen-entry ban on him for “efforts against the liberal democratic constitution.” He has links with American neo-Nazi groups, and in 2021 co-hosted a podcast with Robert Rundo, founder of the Rise Above Movement, which participated in the Charlottesville white supremacist rally. Nonetheless, Kapustin bristles at being called a neo-Nazi himself, even though he is hazy about what he is. He relishes sparring with …

Zelenskyy fires senior aide in continuing reshuffle – POLITICO

Zelenskyy fires senior aide in continuing reshuffle – POLITICO

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Last month, Zelenskyy removed Valerii Zaluzhnyi as head of the armed forces. He was appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom earlier this month. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said on Saturday that Russia launched 12 Shahed drones overnight, nine of which were shot down, and fired four missiles into eastern Ukraine. Russia has unleashed a barrage of 38 missiles, 75 airstrikes and 98 attacks from multiple rocket launchers over the last 24 hours, Ukraine’s armed forces said in social media posts. Ukrainian energy company Centrenergo announced on Saturday that the Zmiiv Thermal Power Plant, one of the largest thermal power plants in the eastern Kharkiv region, was destroyed following Russian shelling last week. Power outage schedules were still in place for around 120,000 people in the region, where 700,000 people had lost electricity after the plant was hit on March 22, the Associated Press reported. Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure recently, causing significant damage in several regions. Officials in the Poltava region said Saturday there had been “several hits” to an infrastructure facility, without …

Russian propaganda network paid MEPs, Belgian PM says – POLITICO

Russian propaganda network paid MEPs, Belgian PM says – POLITICO

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De Croo’s spokesperson told POLITICO the prime minister was referring in his remarks to the Czech government’s decision to sanction the news site Voice of Europe, which Prague said was part of a pro-Russian influence operation. The Czech foreign ministry announced Wednesday it had sanctioned Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The press release said Medvedchuk ran a “Russian influence operation” from Russia on Czech territory using Voice of Europe. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Wednesday authorities had “hit a pro-Russian network” that attempted to set up an influence operation with security consequences for the Czech Republic and the EU. “This decision is in the security interest of the Czech Republic, as well as contributing to the protection of the democratic nature of the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament,” the Czech foreign ministry added. Voice of Europe’s site is currently unavailable and its account on X (formerly Twitter) hasn’t posted since Wednesday. European Parliament deputy spokesperson Delphine Colard said the Parliament is currently “looking into the findings” of …

Zelenskyy yanks outspoken security council boss, appoints spy chief in his stead

Zelenskyy yanks outspoken security council boss, appoints spy chief in his stead

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KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has replaced one of his longest-serving officials, Oleksiy Danilov, who had earlier criticized a Chinese peace plan. “Today I continued rebooting the system of managing our state. There are staff replacements. I am grateful to Oleksiy Danilov for his work as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. He was transferred to another direction. More on that later,” Zelenskyy said in an evening statement. Danilov, who also put out a statement but didn’t elaborate on the reasons for his dismissal, will be replaced by Oleksandr Lytvynenko, head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service. Danilov’s firing came after he expressively criticized Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, as well as a Chinese peace initiative, on air during a Ukrainian national telethon. “As for Li Hui, I want to remind everyone: No one will decide our fate but us,” Danilov said on March 19. “I don’t understand who can trade our territories, our lands like that. Because some Hui, I’m sorry, or whatever his last name is, or …

Coalition stalwart edges pro-EU opponent in first round – POLITICO

Coalition stalwart edges pro-EU opponent in first round – POLITICO

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Pellegrini previously served as Slovak prime minister in 2018 after Fico was forced from office amid a scandal over the murders that year of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová. “Let’s enjoy this experience,” Pellegrini said as the polls closed on Saturday. The speaker, who only agreed to a single debate with Korčok before the first round, promised to hold “several duels, as it should be” with his opponent before the second round, and “not to succumb” to an aggressive campaign style. Korčok was foreign minister under the chaotic 2020-2023 government of political maverick Igor Matovič. Before that, he served as Slovakia’s permanent representative to the EU; head of delegation for the country’s 2003 accession talks to NATO; and ambassador to Germany and the U.S. “I should say honestly that I need to reach out more to voters who supported the government parties,” Korčok said from his Bratislava election headquarters as the early count was released. “It’s clear that they’re not satisfied with how this government is ruling, where it’s taking Slovakia.” …

Putin’s nuclear theatrics – The Atlantic

Putin’s nuclear theatrics – The Atlantic

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This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Last spring, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would station nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Evidence suggests that this move is imminent, but it is strategically meaningless. First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic: Cold War Games Last week, Foreign Policy reported that Putin was in the process of making good on his announcement from last spring to station Russian nuclear arms in Belarus, thus putting Russia’s nuclear-strike forces that much closer to both Ukraine and NATO. Foreign Policy attributed the news to “Western officials,” but so far, only Lithuania’s defense minister has offered a public confirmation. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed in December that weapons had arrived in his country, but no public evidence confirmed that assertion, and so far, no Western governments or intelligence services have commented on this news. What intelligence analysts are likely …

Brussels’ spy problem is the tip of the iceberg, says Belgian justice minister – POLITICO

Brussels’ spy problem is the tip of the iceberg, says Belgian justice minister – POLITICO

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The problem is of course far from new, given Brussels’ role on the international stage. “It is said that espionage is the second oldest profession in the world,” he said. Therefore, European coordination is key and continuously improving, said Van Tigchelt, who currently chairs meetings of the EU’s justice ministers as his country holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Because of the spying threats, the Belgian government has doubled the manpower of the state security services up to about 1,000 staffers. Its priority has also partly shifted from counterterrorism — following the Paris and Brussels terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 — to counterintelligence. Belgium has also invested in liaison officers in Washington, The Hague and Morocco. Evolving threats Belgium has had to deal with several high-profile spying scandals of late. There’s Qatargate, in which suspects linked to the European Parliament are alleged to have accepted money or gifts in exchange for doing the bidding of Qatar. Morocco and Mauritania were also allegedly suspected of being behind cash-for-influence operations in the EU Parliament. …

France slashes Olympics opening ceremony crowd size amid terror attack fears

France slashes Olympics opening ceremony crowd size amid terror attack fears

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PARIS — France has scaled down the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony which will take place in July on the River Seine, amid concerns over a theoretical Islamist terror attack. Boats carrying each nation’s flag-bearers will pass on the water in the heart of Paris, with 104,000 spectators enjoying the celebration on the waterfront and 222,000 others watching from bridges and streets, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Tuesday during a Parliament hearing. That’s roughly half the number of spectators initially floated by Darmanin, who had discussed in October 2022 the possibility of welcoming 600,000 people for the official launch of the Summer Games. A senior official at the interior ministry, who was granted anonymity to disclose sensitive information, said French President Emmanuel Macron demanded the capacity reduction, prompted by crowd-control and security worries as the opening ceremony takes place in a public space rather than stadium for the first time ever. The top official said French intelligence services had not currently identified plans for terror attacks specifically targeting the Games, but added, “the main threat is …

Stalin could have been poisoned by the West, Russian communists claim – POLITICO

Stalin could have been poisoned by the West, Russian communists claim – POLITICO

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The request was made on the 71st anniversary of Stalin’s death on March 5, 1953. An autopsy found he died from a haemorrhagic stroke following years of health issues, including an earlier stroke and heart attack in 1945, but conspiracy theories have long circulated about potential foul play. Stalin’s reputation has undergone a rehabilitation in recent years of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reign, with Stalinists expressing admiration for a man responsible for mass executions, a network of labor camps and forced starvation. In 2018, Russia refused to screen a British black comedy film, “The Death of Stalin,” about the dictator’s final hours, with an official from the country’s culture ministry saying it “insults our historic symbols.” Source link