#VChK-OGPU

[tomorrowusa]

You know things are terrible for Russia when Russian military personnel are paying bribes to be stationed in faction-torn Syria rather than Ukraine.

Even with its ongoing instability and abrupt outbursts of violence, Syria looks like a better option for Russians than ending up as cannon fodder in Ukraine.

BONUS TRACK: Maybe Russian troops will want to go to Syria just to get away from Russia. 😆

Ukrainian drones a few hours ago struck both an oil facility and a drone factory in Russia about 1,300 km into Russian territory. That's more than twice the distance between Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv and Moscow.

Ukraine war: Deepest Ukraine drone attack into Russian territory injures 12

Here's a video report in Ukrainian on the two attacks. Subtitles are available in English.

[rvps2001]

Russia-Ukraine Daily Briefing

🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Morning Briefing:

- Zelensky confirms Ukrainian troops active in Russia's Belgorod region - Norway to allocate $454M for artillery ammo for Ukraine - Presidential hopeful Ponta says will end Ukrainian grain exports via Romania - Lithuania to use helicopter to escort Russian transit trains - Indian component found in Russian weapon for first time - Baltic states denied EU funding for 'drone wall' to protect border - Russian Urals oil prices fell to the lowest level since 2023 - Confusion surrounds disappearance of popular anonymous Telegram channel ‘VChK-OGPU’

📨 Daily newsletter: https://russia-ukraine-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

💬 Telegram: https://t.me/russiaukrainedaily Socials: https://linktr.ee/rvps2001

[usafphantom2]

On 5 February 2025, the VChK-OGPU TG channel reported that a Russian Air Force Su-25SM3 was damaged (likely beyond repair) at the Gvardeyskoye Air Base, Crimea. The aircraft towed by a Ural-4320 APA-5D ASU vehicle was rammed by a KAMAZ truck.

@Marcinrogosk via X

[mariacallous]

A high-ranking GRU officer, deputy commander of Russia's Special Operations Forces Training Center, was shot dead at point-blank range in the village of Melenki in Moscow Oblast, Russian media iStories reported on Telegram on Oct. 16.

The incident occurred in the Moscow suburb, where an unknown assailant shot 44-year-old Nikita Klenkov, who had recently returned from the war in Ukraine, according to the Russian media outlet RBC.

The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported that Klenkov was the deputy commander of a military unit and served in one of the special forces units—military unit 43292, which is the Training Center for Special Operations Forces, as reported by the journalists of iStories.

Additionally, geolocation data from leaks indicate that Klenkov ordered food deliveries to the GRU headquarters and visited a polyclinic near the GRU building.

He owned a Hyundai Palisade, in which he was shot, according to a video published by the Investigative Committee. Klenkov also owned a Mercedes Benz E300, a Hummer H3, and a Ford.

According to the Telegram channel Baza, a gray Mitsubishi Outlander is being sought in connection with the murder. Sources from the channel reported that the killer fired eight shots at Klenkov.

[transmaximisaev]

Gaza Funds

Sudan Funds

Gaza Soup Kitchen

Ele Elna Elak

will add more; please help if you can

about

I'm Mark, a Marxist-Leninist from usamerica. I post about whatever but primarily communism, science, boats, film, reading/theory, history, chess, and soviet rpf. I am an envirosci student.

My url is a refernece to Maxim Isaev, the fictional soviet spy from Seventeen Moments of Spring and other novels. I'm also known frequently as nuclearicebreakerlenin, my favorite Soviet Icebreaker.

I also am on twitter -> @/icebreakerlenin

bluesky -> @/nuclearicebreaker

18+ nsfw blog -> @vchk-ogpu

envirosci blog -> @arthropodal

[bestinfo]

Νεκρός ο Ρώσος αξιωματικός που βομβάρδισε τη Μαριούπολη – Πώς στήθηκε η φονική παγίδα

Ο Ρώσος αξιωματικός που ηγήθηκε των αεροπορικών επιδρομών εναντίον της Μαριούπολης σκοτώθηκε σε έκρηξη που εκτιμάται ότι πρόκειται για επίθεση αυτοκτονίας. Ο 34χρονος Ζαούρ Γκουρτζίεφ, παρασημοφορημένος πρώην ταγματάρχης, σκοτώθηκε την Πέμπτη στη Σταυρούπολη, στη νότια Ρωσία, ανέφεραν οι ρωσικές αρχές.

 Ο 29χρονος άνδρας που ήταν με τον Γκουρτζίεφ λίγο πριν την έκρηξη πέθανε μαζί του. Ο Γκουρτζίεφ έχει λάβει πολλά μετάλλια και τιμητικές διακρίσεις για την επιχείρηση πολιορκίας της Μαριούπολης τους πρώτους μήνες της ρωσικής εισβολής στην Ουκρανία. Στην διάρκεια της πολιορκίας έχασαν τη ζωή τους περίπου 8.000 πολίτες. Στην Ουκρανία, διοικούσε επίσης στρατεύματα στην αιματηρή μάχη για την πόλη Αβντιίβκα της ανατολικής Ουκρανίας, την οποία η Ρωσία κατέλαβε με υψηλό κόστος στις αρχές του 2024. Μοιραίο ραντεβού Οι ρωσικές αρχές δεν έχουν διευκρινίσει τι προκάλεσε την έκρηξη, αλλά αναφορές τοπικών μέσων αναφέρουν ότι επρόκειτο για επίθεση αυτοκτονίας, στην οποία πιθανώς χρησιμοποιήθηκε χειροβομβίδα ή TNT.  Μάλιστα, ρωσικά κανάλια του Telegram, με άκρες στις δυνάμεις ασφαλείας της χώρας, υπαινίσσονται ότι η έκρηξη μπορεί να προκλήθηκε από χειροβομβίδα ή αυτοσχέδιο εκρηκτικό μηχανισμό που ήταν κρυμμένος μέσα στην τσάντα του άλλου άνδρα. Ορισμένες αναφορές υποστηρίζουν ότι ο 29χρονος είχε προσληφθεί από άγνωστα άτομα για να συλλέξει πληροφορίες για τον Γκουρτζίεφ και του είχε δοθεί εξοπλισμός που έκρυβε τον εκρηκτικό μηχανισμό. Στο μεταξύ, το ρωσικό κανάλι στο Telegram VChK-OGPU, επικαλούμενο τις πηγές του, ανέφερε ότι ο Γκουρτζίεφ είχε επαφές με έναν άνδρα ονόματι Νικίτα Πένκοφ σε μια ιστοσελίδα γνωριμιών για ομοφυλόφιλους. Οι ερευνητές φέρονται να ανακάλυψαν άσεμνα μηνύματα και να αντάλλαξαν γυμνές φωτογραφίες μεταξύ των δύο. Ο Γκουρτζίεφ φέρεται να είχε ζητήσει αρκετές φορές από τον Πένκοφ να συναντηθού��, αν και προηγούμενες συναντήσεις ακυρώθηκαν λόγω επαγγελματικών ταξιδιών του ίδιου. Η πρώτη τους συνάντηση ήταν και η μοιραία. Το περιστατικό έχει καταγραφεί σε βίντεο από κλειστό κύκλωμα τηλεόρασης (CCTV). Στα πλάνα διακρίνεται ο άλλος άνδρας να μιλάει στο τηλέφωνό του, περιμένοντας να φτάσει ο Γκουρτζίεφ. Καθώς περπατούσαν ο ένας προς την κατεύθυνση του άλλου σημειώνεται η έκρηξη ανάμεσά τους, σκοτώνοντάς τους ακαριαία. Οι ρωσικές αρχές ανακοίνωσαν ότι οι δύο άνδρες έφεραν πολλαπλά τραύματα και ότι έχουν κινηθεί οι διαδικασίες για την έρευνα του περιστατικού. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι στη Ρωσία έχουν δολοφονηθεί αρκετοί Ρώσοι στρατιωτικοί κατά την διάρκεια των τριών χρόνων του πολέμου στην Ουκρανία, συχνά με τη συμμετοχή των στρατιωτικών υπηρεσιών πληροφοριών της Ουκρανίας και αυτοσχέδιων εκρηκτικών μηχανισμών. Για το συγκεκριμένο περιστατικό πάντως δεν έχει υπάρξει ακόμη σχόλιο από το Κίεβο, που συνήθως δεν σχολιάζει τις μυστικές επιχειρήσεις που λαμβάνουν χώρα στο ρωσικό έδαφος.

Πηγή: https://www.naftemporiki.gr/kosmos/1962625/nekros-o-rosos-axiomatikos-poy-vomvardise-ti-marioypoli-pos-stithike-i-foniki-pagida/ 

[andronetalks]

Putin's 'secret 10-year-old SON is seen for the first time': Pictures 'show child Vladimir shares with gymnast lover', anti-Kremlin website claims

Daily Mail News By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN and WILL STEWART Published: 04:06 EDT, 22 April 2025 | Updated: 06:01 EDT, 22 April 2025 Vladimir Putin’s secret 10-year-old son has been seen for the first time, according to an anti-Kremlin website. The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU unveiled bombshell new images claiming to show one of the children the Moscow dictator shares with his 41-year-old gymnast lover…

[cyberbenb]

Ukrainian Forces target key Russian infrastructure and establish foothold in Belgorod region

In a strategic blow to Russian logistics, Ukrainian forces have targeted vital infrastructure in Belgorod's Demidovka, utilizing engineering technology to dismantle two key bridges. Reports indicate that the Ukrainian forces struck Grafovka and Demidovka, ultimately destroying an automobile bridge in Grafovka. This maneuver, aimed at distrupting Russian supply lines, also led to the destruction of another bridge in Nadezhenka, situated roughly six kilometers from Grafovka.

Footage revealing the destroyed automobile bridge near Grafovka has been released on the Russian Teegram channel VChK-OGPU. The video captures not only the demolished bridge but also damage to a nearby gas pipeline. Sources specify that there were skirmishes over Demidovka where Ukrainian forces allegedly adopted their adversary's tactics, attempting a border breach in small groups using quad bikes. Experts highlight that the Grafovka bridge provides direct access to Demidovka, suggesting a tactical move to cut off supplies to enemy forces in the Demidovka region.

Russian war bloggers claim that Putin's forces lost the battle for Demidovka and are reportedly retreating deeper into the Belgorod region. Although the Grafovka bridge was destroyed earlier last week, footage of its demolition surfaced just yesterday. Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War have also taken note of the ongoing hostilities in Belgorod.

According to some Russian war correspondents, combat continues in southern Demidovka, with Ukrainian forces allegedly breaching the settlement due to a communication breakdown on the part of Putin's army. Nonetheless, by evening, Russian war channels reported that Russian forces reclaimed control over Demidovka.

Additionally, the Ukrainian General Staff announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully struck a Russian command post in Glotovo, leading to the annihilation of all Russian Armed Forces' communication and technical equipment. The source further notes that, within the Belgorod region, Ukrainian forces are engaging with elements of the 155th Marine Brigade, special ops units "Aida" and "Anvar," as well as drone operators from "Grom-Kaskad" and "Irlanets."

[cheslavsky]

Heirs of Terror: The War with Ukraine as a Means for the Kremlin to Revive the Spirit of the Chekists

Before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, I stumbled upon a publication by a fanatical admirer of Lenin and the USSR. His words, filled with sorrow, disappointment, and bitterness, evoked conflicting emotions: he lamented that the new generation of Chekists had lost the bloodthirstiness of their predecessors.

He grieved over the fact that the kind of people who built the communist concentration camp of the “USSR” on the ruins of the Russian Empire, whom he considered "heroes" with blood up to their elbows, were gone. He genuinely mourned the times when total terror and unbridled cruelty ensured the Kremlin's "successes."

Even more, he lamented that when the sons and grandsons replaced the grandfathers, the repressions in the “USSR” concentration camp lost their former intensity. Less blood was shed, barracks were replaced with Khrushchyovkas, and, as this fanatic claimed, the USSR ultimately collapsed as a result.

These thoughts are not unique to those involved in the “Red Terror.” They reflect a shared desire among Chekists to resurrect a system of violence that had served as the cement holding together the multiethnic “Russian people” in the pen of the Empire for centuries.

The war that erupted in 2022 became an instrument for reviving a bloody empire. This war is not just aggression against Ukraine; it is, to a large extent, an attempt to breathe new life into a dying Chekist ethos and restore the "Third Rome" on the world stage.

About the Stakhanovite Executioners of the NKVD

The history of Chekism is a history of systematic violence elevated to the level of a cult. The work of NKVD executioners, which would naturally evoke revulsion in any normal person, was seen in the USSR as something heroic. A testament to this can be found in historian Teplakov’s documented research in his book The Activities of the VChK-GPU-OGPU-NKVD (1917–1941).

For instance, the performance review of N.C. Turbovsky, head of the prison department of the NKVD in the Dnepropetrovsk region, proudly stated that he "personally carried out over 2,100 executions." He was deemed to be fully suited for his position.

Another example is the testimony of F.G. Ignatenko, head of the internal prison of the NKVD in the Zhytomyr region of Soviet Ukraine:

"When the mass operations began, I was constantly involved in carrying out executions. I can't provide exact numbers, but I personally shot thousands of people. This began to affect my health... Walking down the street, I would suddenly start running — it felt like the people I had executed were chasing me. I would arrive at work, kill a bird or a cat to clear my mind, and then continue working. During mass operations, I slept here without undressing for about a year and a half."

A true "Stakhanovite" among NKVD executioners was Vasily Blokhin, who personally executed around 25,000 people. Individuals like him became symbols of a system where mass murder was considered a labor achievement.

The Cocaine Era

But the era of the “Stakhanovite” Chekists is long gone. With the processes of de-Stalinization, the USSR fell apart. Yet, the system’s heirs did not disappear. They merely swapped the executioner’s uniform for an English suit and replaced their methods of achieving goals with more sophisticated ones: propaganda, corruption, and manipulation of public opinion. Khrushchyovkas were replaced by oppressive high-rise complexes, the GULAG gave way to decorative stability, and the blood in the veins of the grandchildren was replaced by cocaine. This shift to a more "glamorous" dictatorship was perceived by the old guard — supporters of the old order — as weakness and degradation.

This is why the war with Ukraine is not merely a geopolitical conflict. It is an attempt to plunge the grandchildren into the same blood and to return the “Russia” concentration camp to the same terror that allowed the multinational empire to be kept under control. The Kremlin can no longer unite the people through ideology or economy, leaving violence as the universal tool tested over centuries.

War for the Revival of the Era of Terror

Violence has always been the cornerstone of the Russian imperial model. Forced Russification, the destruction of national identities, and the suppression of dissent have all been fundamental to the "friendship of peoples."

The war with Ukraine is not only a war for territories and resources; it is a war for the preservation of the cannibalistic legacy of the old order. It is an attempt to return Russia to its Chekist roots, to the "heroism" of Stalin’s era, where murders were considered labor feats.

Ukraine, as a free and democratic country, has become a symbol of defiance to this system. Victory over Ukraine, in the Kremlin���s eyes, is not just a victory on the battlefield; it is the revival of a cannibalistic system where executioners once again occupy a central place.

The war unleashed by the Kremlin has become a war to restore Russia as an "Empire of Violence." The system’s heirs, who traded blood for cocaine, have returned to the belief that only mass fear and repression can sustain their ability to exploit the slave labor of Moscow's colonies and the resources of occupied territories. But the world has changed. If total terror could sustain the system a hundred years ago, it can no longer do so today.

The system can no longer maintain the necessary number of slaves in its concentration camp. Temporarily plugging this gap with migrants, the Kremlin cannot solve the problem of "cannon fodder." And there are no volunteers left in Russia willing to fill this role.

[akeliciousmedia]

Putin Has Not Been Seen For 2 Weeks, Amid Growing Concern For His Health

President Vladimir Putin has not been seen in public for 13 days following claims of ill health, while the Kremlin is accused of releasing pre-recorded meetings. The Russian president appears to have mysteriously disappeared – with his last public appearance being nearly two weeks ago at a conference in Sochi. According to the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, Putin has been undergoing health…

[ultrajaphunter]

The Wagner Group Headquarters in Molkino in the Krasnodar Region is Burning Down. The Wagner Group is gone forever

A massive fire has engulfed a RuZZian Military Base used for Training Wagner Group fighters in Molkino, located in the Krasnodar Region. The RuZZian Military bloggers blamed a Ukrainian Drone Attack, citing an Air Defense failure. According to RuZZian influential Telegram channel "VChK-OGPU," which is reportedly linked to RuZZian special services, a Strike Targeted the Military Facility. In July 2023, following a mutiny, the Wagner Group vacated the Molkino Base, transferring control to the RuZZian Ministry of Defense. Deputy Defense Minister Yevkurov visited the Facility in July 2024, only for it to reportedly come under Attack in September 2024. This claim was corroborated by RuZZian Military figure Yegor Guzhenko, known as "Thirteenth," who has close ties with Wagner. Guzhenko criticized the RuZZian Air Defense for Failing to Thwart what he Claims was a Ukrainian Attack. "The former Wagner base in Molkino, now belonging to the 'African Corps', was hit. What happened to our air defense? Are we out of missiles, or were these the American rockets given to Ukrainians?" he wrote. Guzhenko later Retracted his Accusations against the Air Defense, Citing New Information Stating the Fire was Caused by a Short Circuit. "All Documentation, Forms, Personnel Files, and Communication Equipment Worth Hundreds of Millions were Destroyed," he said, Hinting at Possible Sabotage. There is currently no verified Confirmation that the Wagner Base was Indeed Hit by a Ukrainian Strike. The Footage Available shows an Intense Blaze at the Military site, with comments Suggesting that Headquarters and Barracks were Engulfed in Flames.

[ethanblog24]

“If this is being done to embassy staff, what is being done to citizens who do not have ‘immunity’?”

What is this question about? Who are those without immunity?

The U.S. Intelligence Service recently published on the international platform ESSC a video message by Egon Cholakian, “Grandmaster's Revenge. Secret Players Exposed” on the international platform ESSC Videos - ESSC (earthsavesciencecollaborative.com)

It was a shock to me to learn many aspects of the intelligence work that had been going on for 30 years. Now these results have been made public and everyone can examine them for themselves.

Now, back to people without immunity. 

I'm sure you're sure you're immune, but are you?

Let's dive a little into the events of the terrorist attack in “Crocus City Hall”, which took place on March 22, 2024 at about 20:00 Moscow time in the city of Krasnogorsk. 

What began to happen immediately after the terrorist attack? 

Abruptly in the Russian Federation, the police intensified checks on people with oriental appearance. 

And locals started threatening migrants. 

(Somehow very reminiscent of the events of 1933-1945 in Germany with regard to Jews by the Germans).

As a consequence, because of possible aggression on the part of Russians, the heads of Tajik diasporas advised their citizens not to leave the house in the evenings and not to attend mass events. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry also issued a warning, recommending its citizens to temporarily refrain from traveling to Russia due to the “introduction of enhanced security measures. Those who are already in Russia were advised to carry their documents with them.

Well, next, finally, I'll tell you about immunity.

“In Moscow, police officers broke into the apartment of Kyrgyz Embassy Counselor Manas Zholdoshbekov and demanded from him a document on migration registration. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry handed a note to the consul of the Russian Embassy, Andrei Buryev, in this regard.

The VChK-OGPU telegram channel associated with the security forces wrote about this incident. According to its data, it happened on April 8. Two Interior Ministry officers came to Zholdoshbekov's residence address and broke the lock on the door and damaged the door to get inside.

“The law enforcers in a rude manner demanded to provide the tear-off part of the migration registration form. Even after the diplomat and his family members presented their diplomatic passports and diplomatic cards, the police officers continued to demand in an aggressive form to provide documents on migration registration, which resulted in bodily injuries to the diplomat's wife and psychological damage to his minor children,” the channel said.

Kyrgyz MP Dastan Bekeshev said he spoke with Zholdoshbekov and the latter confirmed the incident. No one was hurt, he said. “If this is what they do to embassy employees, I can't imagine what they do to citizens who don't have ‘immunity’. The Russian police have apparently gone wild,” the MP added.

The Foreign Ministry said that the Russian police grossly violated the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. Representatives of the Ministry emphasized that the actions of the police officers “are unacceptable, require a thorough investigation and bringing the guilty parties to justice as soon as possible.”

Note that all these facts show that it is through the internal forces of the Russian Federation and through the representatives of the authorities that this conflict is being fomented.

These events have exposed the shadow anti-cult terrorist organization, which really controls Putin and the whole situation. This shadow anti-cult terrorist organization shows that it can easily bring the situation up to civil war and internal coup in Russia, if something goes not according to their plan. 

Question to readers: after such information, please tell me: do you have immunity from this anti-cult terrorist organization?

[knowledgesahre]

How the Moscow police garrison was sent to Andrei Kostin

Detained in the USA Vadim Belyaev, ex-head of FC Otkritie. Detained using his new documents – Vadim Volfson. But the funniest thing is the reason for the detention. He helped launder money Andrey Kostin (who heads VTB), and also looked after the property. Quite by chance, he found a house in Aspen (a ski resort in Colorado).

“If anyone was expecting justice, that the fugitive bankster would be chased and he would return the trillions that were spent on saving Otkritie Bank, then you can breathe out. When you are looking after the house of a top banker and close to Putin (*international criminal), they will apparently only look for you in Moscow, in the building of the Investigative Committee on Tekhnichesky Lane, in case you look there.”– the VChK-OGPU telegram channel sneers.

The detention of Vadim Belyaev (ex-head of Otkritie Bank) for helping Andrei Kostin (head of VTB) in circumventing US sanctions is a more than long-running story. In the flow of news, few people noticed that Kostin was also detained in absentia. Thus, he will be put on the international wanted list through Interpol. Kostin is not Путинhe will not be able to fly with 4 escort fighters, thus most likely he will become restricted from traveling.

It seems the United States has found the key (not to Kostin’s house) to a way to take away the seized property of Russian oligarchs, officials and the powerful of all Russia (*aggressor country). Now they will be accused of money laundering and evading sanctions, namely maintaining their property. For this they will be sentenced to long terms and their property will be confiscated in favor of the state.

As for Kostin and his VTB, being completely cut off from Western funds, they are looking for funds within the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism). Corruption is at work. Rucriminal.info will tell you about one such story.

Each of us has had to deal with annoying bank employees who, when visiting such institutions, offer to issue unnecessary cards, loans and other services.

However, have you seen the annoying general who forces you to apply for a bank card? No, but we will tell you about it.

Due to low wages, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs often treat New Year bonuses with great trepidation, and deprivation of them creates many problems and puts an end to plans for the New Year holidays.

Former chief of police of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate Igor Zinoviev, played the role of that same annoying bank employee. While it is possible to get rid of a bank employee, it is difficult to get rid of Igor Viktorovich, especially when he threatens to deprive him of his long-awaited bonus.

According to a source from Rucriminal.info, at the end of 2022, on the eve of the New Year’s bonus, Zinoviev gave an urgent order to the entire Moscow police garrison to change the bank and open cards at VTB PJSC, where they would transfer their wages.

As blackmail, Zinoviev conveyed through managers that employees who did not switch to VTB would be deprived of their New Year bonus, which in itself is illegal. This is a kind of serfdom of the 21st century.

90% of the police officers, who were dependent on the management, were forced against their will to move to VTB, and everyone who dared to speak out against them faced an unenviable fate.

According to the interlocutor, Zinoviev’s actions are qualified as “Excess of official powers” ​​(Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism)).

It is clear that not a single police officer at that time and now is able to report Zinoviev to the RF IC, since he is a friend of the head of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate Oleg Baranov, and the investigation will refuse to initiate a criminal case.

In addition to Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism), the question arises about Zinoviev’s possible commission of a crime under Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) “Taking a bribe,” otherwise how to explain such an annoying desire to transfer thousands of employees against their will to another bank?

You can ask whether the head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs knew about this Oleg Baranov. This question, however, is rhetorical.

https://ruscrime.com/

[mariacallous]

A day after Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested for allegedly taking bribes, becoming the highest-ranking official to face felony charges in recent years, a Moscow court has sent him to pre-trial detention for two months.

According to investigators, Ivanov participated in a criminal conspiracy in which he accepted “especially large bribes” while overseeing Defense Ministry construction and repair projects. Sergey Borodin, a friend of Ivanov, has also been remanded in custody.

However, the independent news site iStories reported on Wednesday that the real reason for Ivanov’s arrest is suspected treason, citing two sources close to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). “The bribery [charges] are for the public. They don’t want to talk publicly about treason right now — it’s a big scandal. It’s the deputy defense minister, after all,” the outlet quoted one source as saying.

The second source said that Vladimir Putin “gave the order after being convinced that the case was specifically about treason” and that “nobody would have arrested [Ivanov] for corruption.”

Ivanov’s arrest was first reported on the evening of April 23. According to Russian state media, he will be held in Moscow's Lefortovo remand prison for the duration of the authorities’ preliminary investigation. The Telegram channel 112 said that investigators have begun searching a dacha owned by Ivanov in Dagestan, while the channel VChK-OGPU reported that three other people have been arrested in connection with the case. 

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday evening that Vladimir Putin has been notified of Ivanov’s arrest and that Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu was “informed in advance.” Ivanov is known to be a longtime ally of Shoigu, having served as his deputy governor in the Moscow region back in 2012.

Ivanov has overseen a wide range of construction projects as deputy defense minister, including the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, Moscow’s Patriot Park theme park, and the reconstruction of occupied Mariupol. In 2019, he was included on Forbes Russia’s list of the country’s richest security officials.

Following Ivanov’s arrest, a source told Forbes that Ivanov is “Shoigu’s man” but that he’d “had some slip-ups” and that “questions had piled up” around him. The source speculated that his arrest could be part of a “purge” of Shoigu’s inner circle in preparation for the minister’s possible departure from the defense ministry.

Ivanov has been the subject of a number of corruption investigations by journalists. In 2022, Team Navalny reported that the deputy minister’s family owns multiple expensive properties in the Moscow region. Later that year, they reported that Ivanov’s first wife had spent hundreds of thousands of euros on jewelry, clothing, and vacations over the years, with third-party individuals and companies regularly footing the bill. Ivanov has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the E.U.

[jcmarchi]

Russia Claims to Have Taken Down Two ATACMS Missiles. Can This Be True? - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/russia-claims-to-have-taken-down-two-atacms-missiles-can-this-be-true-technology-org/

Russia Claims to Have Taken Down Two ATACMS Missiles. Can This Be True? - Technology Org

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has announced that it managed to successfully take down two American-made tactical ballistic missiles ATACMS in Ukraine. This announcement came just two weeks after it was confirmed that the defenders of Ukraine are using ATACMS missiles that they’ve been asking for so long.

Ukraine has a handful of ATACMS missiles and is using them against targets in the occupied territories. Image credit: U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center via Wikimedia

“Over the past 24 hours, two US-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, an S-200 anti-aircraft missile designed to hit ground targets, as well as two HARM anti-radar missiles and two US-made HIMARS multiple launch missile systems have been eliminated,” the Russian Ministry of Defence announced on 25th of October. As you may figure, they provided no visual evidence of this achievement.

And it would be quite an achievement, because ATACMS is a ballistic missile. This means that it follows a ballistic trajectory – shoots up to a great height and then, basically, has a controlled fall towards its target. Ballistic missiles can reach an unbelievably speed in their dive and approach in rather a steep trajectory, which doesn’t leave much time for identification and intercept.

Also, Ukraine uses ATACMS with cluster warheads, which spread a lot of smaller charges in the last stage of the flight. This is just to say that there would be a lot of debris if a missile like this was shot down from the sky.

This is not to say that taking down ballistic missiles is impossible. American-made Patriot air defence systems can do that. It is believed that some of the more advanced Russian air defence systems can do that as well.

“S-300V1 systems with certain missiles can cope with ballistics. Maybe the S-400 too, but that also needs to be proven,” said the spokesman of the Air Force of Ukraine Colonel Yuriy Ihnat. Defense Express expert Valery Riabykh emphasised that it is impossible to know if it’s possible because Russia has never had an enemy that could use ATACMS missiles.

At the moment there are many reasons to doubt this Russian claim. First and foremost, there is no evidence. Russian propaganda channels have been sharing pictures of debris, but those could have been taken after a successful strike. Also, if Russia has an ability to take down ballistic missiles, why were two of its major occupied airfields in Berdyansk and Luhansk not protected from ATACMS?

One Russian Telegram channel has an alternative explanation. According to VChK-OGPU, on October 25th ATACMS missiles destroyed 3 Russian S-400 systems in the Luhansk region. According to VChK-OGPU, that is how those ATACMS were destroyed – they simply reached their intended targets.

Written by Povilas M.

Sources: Focus.ua, Focus.ua