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☆ Analysis: How Kremlin disinformation could hide the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-27 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The cause of the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 on Christmas Day near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, is still unknown. According to preliminary data, citizens of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were on board; several international carriers have now suspended flights to Russian cities. The crash, which claimed the lives of 298 people, was followed by a blizzard of false and misleading information from Russia. The disinformation around MH17 created confusion, distraction and noise that diverted some attention away from the real cause, a Russian missile. That verdict took years to reach, and the investigation into the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight has only just begun.

Persons: Rasim Musabeyov –, Dmitry Peskov, Musabeyov, Peskov, Ramzan Kadyrov –, Alexander Baunov, “ Will Moscow obfuscate, ”, Pierre Crom, Vladimir Putin’s, MH17 Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan Airlines, Embraer, Kremlin, Malaysia Airlines Locations: Aktau, Kazakhstan, Russian, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Chechnya, Grabovo, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian

MOSCOW — Russian authorities on Thursday closed all four of Moscow's airports, plus a fifth one in a city about 100 miles southwest of the country's capital, citing unspecified safety concerns. All four Moscow airports reopened after being briefly closed with the fifth airport, in Kaluga, around 100 miles from Moscow reopening later on Thursday afternoon. Sirens were also reported in the Russian city of Taganrog, located in Rostov, which borders Ukraine, according to Tangaron authorities in a post to Telegram. A third Ukrainian missile was shot down in Kursk shortly after Moscow's airports reopened, officials said. There is growing speculation that Russian air defenses may be behind the crash as Chechnya was being attacked by drones when the plane approached Grozny, its destination.

Persons: “, Rosaviatsia, Vladimir Putin, ”, Matthew Borie, Lena Medvedeva, Hannah Peart Organizations: “ Aircraft, Ukrainian, Telegram, Kremlin, Azerbaijan Airlines, NBC News Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky, Kaluga, Ukraine, Russia, Oryol, Sevastopol, Crimea, Russian, Taganrog, Rostov, Kursk, Ukrainian, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Grozny, London

☆ Russian air defenses likely caused passenger jet crash that killed dozens
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-26 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | Kit Gillet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Azerbaijani sources said Russian air defenses, not a bird strike, downed the airliner. AdvertisementHowever, Azerbaijani sources said a preliminary investigation has found Russian air defenses caused the crash, which killed 38 of the 67 people on board, including both pilots. On Wednesday, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said in an X post that the plane was "shot down by a Russian air defense system." Others have also suggested that Russian air defenses likely played a role as images of the crash and the plane's flight track emerged. However, on Thursday, unnamed Azerbaijani government sources told Euronews that a preliminary investigation had found that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the crash.

Persons: Andriy Kovalenko, Matthew Borie, Oliver Alexander, Alexander, Dmitry Peskov, Samir Rzayev, Ilham Aliyev, Euronews Organizations: Azerbaijan Airlines, Aviation, Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft, New York Times, Ukraine, Ukraine's Center, Business, Malaysian Airlines, District, BI, BBC, Azerbaijan Airline's, Foreign Affairs Locations: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russian, Russia, Caucasus, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Grozny, North Ossetia, North Caucasus, Vladikavkas

☆ Analysts say Russian air defenses could have caused passenger-jet crash that killed dozens
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-26 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | Kit Gillet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts said Russian air defenses, not a bird strike, may have caused the plane to go down. AdvertisementHowever, analysts said that Russian air defenses may have been behind the incident, which killed 38 of the 67 people on board, including both pilots. But others have also suggested that Russian air defenses may have played a role. The Azerbaijan Airlines flight was en route to Grozny, which Ukrainian drones have targeted in recent attacks. Advertisement"The location of the damage is all focused around the tail section," he added, "which would be very unlikely for a bird strike."

Persons: Andriy Kovalenko, Matthew Borie, Oliver Alexander, Alexander, Dmitry Peskov, Samir Rzayev, Ilham Aliyev, Euronews Organizations: Azerbaijan Airlines, Analysts, Ukraine's Center, Business, Malaysian Airlines, District, BI, BBC, Azerbaijan Airline's, Azerbaijan's Foreign Affairs Locations: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Caucasus, Ukrainian, Grozny, North Ossetia, North Caucasus, Vladikavkas

☆ Airline praises pilots in crash-landing where both died but nearly half the passengers survived
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-26 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38, including both pilots. The airline's president praised the "heroism" of the pilots and crew while speaking to reporters. The president of Azerbaijan Airlines praised the pilots of flight J2-8243 after the plane, carrying 67 people, crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. AdvertisementAlthough both pilots were among the 38 fatalities reported by Kazakh authorities, nearly half the passengers— 29 people —survived. Rzayev, the airline's president, told reporters that the plane's black box had been recovered and that "its analysis is being conducted in line with international aviation standards."

Persons: —, Samir Rzayev, Rzayev, Ashimbayev Maulen, Dmitry Peskov, Andriy Kovalenko, Oliver Alexander, Ilham Aliyev Organizations: Azerbaijan Airlines, Kazakh, Embraer, BBC News, Kazakhstan's, Reuters, AP, Ukraine's Center, Wall, Osprey, Business, North Caucasus Federal, Aircraft Locations: Kazakhstan, Baku, Azerbaijan, Grozny, Russia, Aktau, Russian, North Ossetia, North Caucasus, North Caucasus Federal District, Vladikavkas

A passenger plane carrying 67 people crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning after colliding with birds while traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia, authorities said. The Azerbaijan Airlines flight, which crashed near Aktau, a city in southwestern Kazakhstan, had 62 passengers and five crew members on board, Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry said in a post on Telegram. The Embraer 190 aircraft made an emergency landing approximately 1.8 miles away from the city of Aktau, according to a statement released on Telegram by Azerbaijan Airlines. The investigation is ongoing and additional information regarding the incident will be provided, Azerbaijan Airlines said in a statement released on Telegram. Chechnyan leader Ramzan Kadyrov expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased passengers in a post on his Telegram account on Wednesday morning.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev, “, ” Peskov, Aliyev, Ramzan Kadyrov Organizations: Azerbaijan Airlines, RIA Novosti, Kazakh Ministry of Transport, Embraer Locations: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Aktau, Baku, Grozny, Russia's Chechnya, Russian, Makhachkala, Gronzny, St, Petersburg

Astana, Kazakhstan CNN —Dozens are feared dead after a passenger plane carrying 67 people from Azerbaijan to southern Russia crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, local authorities said. Video of the crash showed the plane erratically circling the airfield before the crash. Russia’s aviation watchdog said in a statement that preliminary information suggested the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike. There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board, Kazakhstan’s transport ministry said in a preliminary report. It said 37 of the passengers were citizens of Azerbaijan, six of Kazakhstan, three of Kyrgyzstan, and 16 of Russia, according to preliminary data.

Persons: ”, Svitlana, Victoria Butenko, Lucas Lilieholm, Edward Szekeres Organizations: Kazakhstan CNN, Azerbaijan Airlines, Kazakhstan’s Ministry, Emergency, Kazakh Locations: Astana, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakh, Aktau, Baku, Grozny, Russian, Chechnya, Kyrgyzstan

☆ Russia launches ‘massive’ aerial attack on Ukraine on Christmas morning
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-25 | by ( Svitlana Vlasova | Edward Szekeres | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Russia attacked “the energy sector again on a massive scale,” Ukraine’s energy minister German Halushchenko said on his Facebook page. Ukraine’s energy operator imposed emergency blackouts in several parts of the country, the minister added. Poland scrambled fighter jets in response to a Russian missile threat in western Ukraine, according to the Polish Operational Command. Wednesday’s attack follows a deadly Russian strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve. And last Friday, at least one person was killed and several embassies were damaged in a Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Persons: Oleh Syniehubov, Halushchenko, Kryvyi Rih, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, ”, Zelensky Organizations: CNN —, Polish Operational Command Locations: CNN — Russia, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russian, Russia, Poland, Kryvyi, Kyiv

☆ Russia's economy is entering a year of pain in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-25 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's economy will be under significant strain next year, economists told Business Insider. Russia's economy is likely entering a year of pain in 2025. AdvertisementEconomists told Business Insider that while they don't expect Russia's economy to collapse, they said it would face a tough 2025 if it keeps on fighting in Ukraine. While soaring defense spending has fueled Russia's economy in recent years, it has also contributed to rising inflation, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said could hit 9.5% in 2025. Advertisement"The Russian economy will continue to fall," said Weatherhead School of Management's Sheremeta, "which will restrict Russia's ability to wage war."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Kolyandr, Putin, Alexandra Prokopenko, Sergei Chemezov, Korhonen, Kolyandr, Donald Trump's Organizations: Kremlin, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Center for, Soviet, IMF, Bank of Finland Institute, Emerging, Wall Street, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Reuters, for, Traders, National Welfare Fund, Warfare Fund, Weatherhead, Management's Locations: Soviet Union, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Russian, stagflation, Soviet, Berlin, India, OPEC, China

☆ Russia attacks Ukraine in major missile strike on Christmas Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia attacked Ukraine's energy system and cities in its eastern region with cruise and ballistic missiles on Wednesday morning, Ukraine's energy minister and local officials said. At least six people were wounded in a missile attack on Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Wednesday morning, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Russia has intensified its attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector since spring 2024, damaging almost half of its generating capacity and causing hours-long blackouts throughout the country. "This year, it is the 13th massive attack on the Ukrainian energy sector and the 10th massive attack on the company's energy facilities," DTEK said on Telegram. During a previous massive missile attack on Nov. 17, Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones, killing at least seven people and causing severe damage to the power system.

Persons: Oleh Syniehubov, Syniehubov, Serhiy Lysak, Galushchenko, DTEK Organizations: Facebook, Telegram . Local Locations: Kurahove, Ukraine, Russia, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Dnipropetrovsk, Dnipro

☆ Discovery of 50,000-year-old baby mammoth a big boon to researchers
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-24 | by ( Hannah Peart | Hannah Peart Is An Intern In The Nbc News London Bureau. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A baby mammoth that lay almost perfectly preserved for 50,000 years in the now-melting permafrost of eastern Siberia has been unveiled by a team of scientists. The carcass of the baby mammoth, dubbed “Yana” after the Yana River basin where it was found in eastern Siberia, Russia, was unveiled by researchers on Monday. It was only the seventh baby mammoth carcass discovered globally — six in Russia and one in Canada. The mammoth is 4 feet tall, weighs about 400 pounds and is less than 6.6 feet long, according to the press release. Researchers Gavril Novgorodov and Erel Struchkov pose next to the remains of a baby mammoth discovered in June.

Persons: “, ”, Anatoly Nikolaev, “ Yana, Yana ”, Maxim Cheprasov, Yana, Cheprasov, Gavril Novgorodov, Erel Organizations: Lazarev Mammoth Museum, Eastern Federal University, Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory, Russian Federation Locations: Siberia, Yakutsk, Russia, Canada, Bataga, Batagaika, Russian

☆ The UK says it's successfully tested its new radio-wave weapon that kills drones from 1,000 yards at $0.13 a pop
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-24 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The UK said it has live-fired its new anti-drone radio weapon that costs only about 10 pence to fire. This weapon, the RFDEW, is said to kill drones from 1,000 meters away in land, air, and sea environments. The @BritishArmy has successfully trialed a new radio frequency directed energy weapon (RFDEW) capable of destroying swarms of drones. AdvertisementThat weapon was successfully tested too, the ministry said on December 11. Kvertus, a company based in Kyiv, sells a handheld "anti-drone gun" that it says can knock out drones with radio frequencies.

Persons: It's, loads at Organizations: UK Defense Ministry, Army's Royal Artillery, Development Unit, Air Defence Group, Systems, British Armed Forces Locations: West Wales

☆ Controversial messaging app Telegram is profitable, says its founder. Here's how it makes money.
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-24 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Telegram is profitable after 11 years, thanks to ads and premium subscriptions, its CEO said. The platform's revenue exceeded $1 billion, with $500 million in cash reserves. Encrypted messaging service Telegram is finally profitable about 11 years after it was founded, CEO Pavel Durov said Monday. AdvertisementDurov wrote in a post on his Telegram channel that the messaging platform turned profitable this year because of revenue from ads and its premium subscription. Telegram differs from other social media platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube, because it has little to no content moderation.

Persons: Pavel Durov, Durov Organizations: Telegram, Financial Times, Facebook, YouTube Locations: Russian, France, Spain, Germany, China, Thailand, Iran, Russia

☆ Ursa Major: Russian cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after engine room explosion, Moscow says
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-24 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An explosion sank a sanctioned Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday night, Russian authorities said, leaving two crew members missing. The crisis center of the Russian Foreign Ministry said the vessel, Ursa Major, sank south of Spain after a blast in the engine room. It was traveling through the Mediterranean after traversing the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow sliver of ocean between Europe and Africa. The ministry said 14 crew members were rescued and taken to a Spanish port but two were unaccounted for. Ursa Major is the flagship vessel owned by Oboronlogistika, a shipping company that moves cargo for Russia’s Defense Ministry.

Persons: “, Oboronlogistika, GUR, Moscow’s, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: CNN, Russian Foreign Ministry, Ursa, Oboronlogistika, Russia’s Defense Ministry, US State Department, Intelligence, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Spain, Gibraltar, Europe, Africa, Sparta, Vladivostok, Russia’s, Syria, Portugal, Russia, Tartus

☆ A Ukrainian tank commander shared how a crew survived direct Russian drone strikes in an American-made Abrams tank
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Ukrainian tank crew survived multiple Russian drone strikes on their Abrams tank. A Ukrainian tank crew survived around half a dozen direct Russian drone strikes on their Abrams tank, a feat a tank commander told researchers wouldn't have been possible in a Soviet-style tank like a T-72. AdvertisementRussian telegram channels posted videos of fiber optic cable FPV strikes on a Ukrainian Abrams tank in Kursk oblast last week. Related stories"The Abrams is a great tank," the Ukrainian commander said in a string of remarks Lee shared on X. Matthias Merz/picture alliance via Getty ImagesThe Ukrainian tank commander who spoke to Lee and Kofman expressed concerns about American preparation for future wars.

Persons: Abrams, Rob Lee, Michael Kofman, — Rob Lee, Lee, they'd, Matthias Merz, Kofman Organizations: Russian Telegram, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Carnegie Endowment, International, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Ukrainian Abrams, US Army, Bradley, Getty, Pentagon Locations: Ukrainian, Soviet, Russia's Kursk, Kursk oblast, Ukraine, Russian, Grafenwoehr

☆ Russia: Black Sea oil spill volunteers call on Putin for more help
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-24 | by ( Lauren Kent | Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Volunteers helping to clean up the oil spill on Russia’s Black Sea coast are appealing to Russian President Vladimir Putin for more assistance, as they grapple with environmental havoc across more than 35 miles of coastline. Two Russian tankers carrying thousands of tons of fuel were badly damaged in stormy weather near the Black Sea earlier this month, leading to an oil spill, according to Russian state media. Putin last week labelled the spill an “environmental disaster.”At least 3,700 tons of heavy oil were spilled, though the actual volume may be higher, according to Greenpeace Ukraine. Volunteers work to clear spilled oil on the Russian coastline in the Kerch Strait, near the Black Sea resort of Anapa on December 21. Sergey Pivovarov/ReutersA volunteer cleans a bird in the Russian village of Vityazevo on December 20, following the oil spill.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergey Pivovarov, ” Organizations: CNN — Volunteers, TASS, Greenpeace, Volunteers, Reuters, Russia’s Locations: Kerch, Russia, Crimea, Greenpeace Ukraine, Russia’s Krasnodar, Anapa, Russian, Vityazevo

☆ North Korean soldiers given fake Russian military IDs, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( Victoria Butenko | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were given fake military documents with Russian names and birthplaces, the Ukrainian military said, amid claims from Kyiv that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of foreign fighters on the battlefield. Ukraine’s special operations forces said in a statement Sunday they had killed three North Korean soldiers in Russia’s western Kursk region and seized their documents. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have ever officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia is attempting to conceal the losses of North Korean troops on the battlefield, resorting to extreme tactics to disguise the identity of North Korean soldiers killed in combat. “Russians are trying… to literally burn the faces of North Korean soldiers killed in battle,” Zelensky said in a statement on X on December 17, alongside a video purportedly showing Russian soldiers setting fire to the bodies of North Korean soldiers.

Persons: —, –, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Andriі, “, ” Kovalenko Organizations: CNN, North, US, Russian, Koreans, Korean, National Security and Defense Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Russia’s, Kursk, Republic of Tuva, Russian, Siberia, Mongolia, Ukrainian, Korea, Moscow, Pyongyang, North

☆ How the lives of 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees remain uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( Lauren Kent | Maria Kostenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Her home engulfed by war, Ukrainian mother Yana Felos found herself in the United Kingdom in April 2022 with no friends, no family and no community. Originally from a Russian-speaking area of eastern Ukraine, the war broke up what little community she had left. And some friends from home have gone down a concerning pro-Russian political path, she told CNN in an interview in London. Felos and her daughter are among the 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees who remain abroad, mostly in Europe, their lives mired in uncertainty. On one of her return visits to see her former husband in Ukraine, Felos recalls telling her daughter that the sounds of nearby explosions were fireworks.

Persons: Ukraine CNN —, Yana Felos, “, ”, Felos, Russia’s, –, ” Felos, Alisa, London –, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Johanna Geron, Ella Libanova, ” Libanova, Maryana, “ It’s, ” Voronovych, Victoria Rybka, Rybka, We’ve, ” Rybka Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, of National Unity, Trump, Union, Ptoukha, Social Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv School of Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, London, Ukrainian, United Kingdom, Belarus, Russian, Europe, United States, Brussels, Belgium, Russia, Austria, Kharkiv, Germany

☆ Russia's overheated economy is squeezing one of Moscow's key trading channels with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's railway industry is in the midst of a big downturn, according to one Russian research firm. Investment in Russia's railways is being slashed by nearly a third next year, TASS reported. It complicates Russia's trade with China, which has relied partly on rail transport. Russian Railways did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. The changes spell bad news for Russia's trade with China, which has leaned on railway transport amid Western sanctions.

Organizations: Investment, TASS, MMI Research, Russian Railways, Bloomberg, Kommersant, Business, Ukraine Locations: Russia's, China, That's, Moscow, Beijing, Russian, Russia

☆ Gold prices edge higher on short covering
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spot gold edged higher on Monday, supported by short covering after a weekly loss on Friday due to the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on rate cuts in the upcoming year. Spot gold was up 0.2% to $2,626.44 per ounce, as of 0313 GMT. On Friday, gold gained on a softer U.S. dollar and Treasury yields when U.S. economic data hinted at a slowdown in inflation. "I see good support for gold at $2,595 and resistance would be at $2,664," Kedia said. Spot silver rose 0.7% to $29.72 per ounce and platinum climbed 1% to $935.47, while palladium added 0.2% to $922.31.

Persons: Ajay Kedia, Mary Daly, Kedia Organizations: Kedia Commodities, Treasury, San Francisco Federal Locations: Mumbai, U.S, Russian

☆ Russia's top central banker is now worried about 'excessive cooling' in its red-hot war economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's central bank has kept the key interest rate at 21%, bucking expectations of a hike to 23%. Russia's economy has been running hot on wartime activities, prompting the country's central bank to hike rates up to 21% — but it's now worried about too much cooling. AdvertisementElvira Nabiullina, Russia's top central banker, expressed that concern on Friday when she kept the key interest rate unchanged. AdvertisementGiven the sweeping sanctions against Russia's economy, Nabiullina faces a challenging job to keep Russia's seemingly resilient economy going. Prokopenko, a former Russian central bank official, wrote that growth momentum could stall next year, with social and fiscal challenges developing into crises around 2026.

Persons: it's, Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Staples, Sergei Chemezov, Chemezov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Price, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko Organizations: Reuters, TASS, Kremlin, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Oscar Jenkins: Australia investigates video purportedly showing national captured by Russian forces in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —Australia is working to verify the authenticity of a video that purportedly shows one of its nationals captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine. The man, whose hands appear to be tightly bound with silver tape, identifies himself on camera as 32-year-old Oscar Jenkins and says he lives in Australia and Ukraine. When asked about the reports of a Melbourne man captured by Russia, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters Monday the government was seeking information through the Australian embassy in Moscow. In the video, which CNN has been unable to geolocate, Jenkins appears to have trouble understanding questions put to him in Russian. Last month, Russian state media reported that a 22-year-old British man had been taken prisoner while fighting for Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region.

Persons: Oscar Jenkins, Anthony Albanese, ” Albanese, “, Jenkins, Penny Wong, Vladimir Putin’s, James Scott Rhys Anderson Organizations: Australia CNN —, Telegram, Australian, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, CNN, Embassy, Melbourne Grammar School, Monash University, Russian, Ukraine, TASS Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Australia CNN — Australia, Ukraine, Melbourne, Russia, Moscow, “, China, Tianjin, Kyiv, Poland, Russia’s Kursk, British

☆ Correspondence in captivity: Letters and phone calls from Paul Whelan reveal Russian tactics toward American detainee
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

On several occasions, I asked Whelan why he thought the Russians let him call journalists, including me. The letters described the bleak existence in his prison camp, which Paul Whelan called “Camp Lostinthewoods.”“My cell has rotten wooden floors and black mold on the walls. Conditions in Russian camp deteriorateThe next time Whelan called me was more than five months later. The next time Whelan called was in March 2024, after the death of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny in a remote Russian prison colony. Whelan told me he felt “sympathetic and empathetic” for Gershkovich – and he sounded much more hopeful than he had in the past.

Persons: Paul Whelan, Whelan, –, Russia –, Brendan Smialowski, “, ” Whelan, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, ”, Jennifer Hansler, Elizabeth, David, Andrew, Paul, Elizabeth Whelan, Joe Biden’s, Vladimir Putin, – Whelan, Trevor Reed, wouldn’t, – “, Biden, Putin, David Whelan, Brittney Griner, Reed, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Griner, Trevor, Viktor Bout, Alexander Zemlianichenko, I’ll, Evan Gershkovich, Antony Blinken, ” “, Gershkovich, CNN “, Alexey Navalny, Maxim Shemetov, Gershkovich –, CNN’s Alex Leeds Matthews, Dan Dzula Organizations: CNN, Base Andrews, Getty, State Department, US State Department, ”, WNBA, Embassy, “, Wall Street, Israel, Reuters, US Locations: Mordovia, Russia, Maryland, AFP, US, Moscow, Geneva, United States, Washington, Khimki, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Gershkovich’s, Gaza, ‘, Russian

☆ A ship sent to evacuate Russian troops from Syria broke down near Portugal, Ukraine intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-23 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia sent a ship to evacuate soldiers from its bases in Syria, per Ukrainian intelligence. But it broke down en route in the open sea near Portugal, Ukraine said. A ship sent to evacuate Russian troops and equipment from Syria broke down while in the open sea off Portugal, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Russian state media said earlier this month that Syrian rebel forces now controlled Latakia province, where the Russian bases are located. Maxar satellite images captured on December 17, 2024, showed dozens of Russian military vehicles assembled at the Tartus port.

Persons: Bashar Assad, Syria's, Assad, Dmitry Peskov, Obeida Arnaout Organizations: Ukraine Russia, Maxar Technologies, Russian, Institute for, Associated Press Locations: Russia, Syria, Portugal, Ukraine, Sparta, Africa, Moscow, Russian Sparta, Tartus, Latakia, Hmeimim

☆ Bluesky's growing pains
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-22 | by ( Kevin Collier | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

That led to an influx of copyright complaints, leaving Bluesky's slim moderation team to sift through which posts to keep and remove, said Aaron Rodericks, Bluesky's head of trust and safety, in an interview. Rodericks said even as Bluesky has experienced growing pains, they're still not at the large scale seen on other major social media platforms. Most major social media platforms report much higher rates of CSAM. Disinformation researchers routinely identify account swarms, particularly pushing messages sympathetic to the Russian, Chinese and Iranian governments, on major social media platforms, although they rarely get significant traction. "All social media platforms are used by adversaries," Lisa Kaplan, the CEO of Alethea, a company that tracks coordinated online messaging and propaganda campaigns, told NBC News.

Persons: demonizing, they're, Elon Musk's, Jesse Singal, Singal, Bluesky, Aaron Rodericks, Rodericks, Scammers, Sean Gallagher, Gallagher, hasn't, impersonators, Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Cristiano Ronaldo, Musk, Lisa Kaplan, we've, we're Organizations: GLAAD, NBC, National Center for, Meta, FBI, Independent Federated Trust & Safety Locations: Singal, U.S, China, Russia, Pakistan

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