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Archived version

A court in Estonia has sentenced Svetlana Burceva, who cooperated with the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency (the media group behind Russia Today), to six years in prison on charges of treason and violating international sanctions.

Burceva acquired Estonian citizenship through naturalization in 1994. Since 2017, she had been working for Estonian online outlets affiliated with the propaganda media group Rossiya Segodnya: for Sputnik Estonia (Sputnik Eesti) until it ceased operations in 2019, and then for the Baltnews website from 2020-2023. Much of Burceva’s work for the latter was published pseudonymously.

In 2023, Burceva joined the pro-Russian party Koos (Together). One of its leaders, Aivo Peterson, has also been charged with treason.

Estonian news outlet ERR reports that Svetlana Burceva violated an international sanction by working for the Russian Federation media company RIA Rossiya Segodnya [the media group behind the Kremlin's propaganda outlet Russia Today RT], whose CEO Dmitry Kiselyov is included in the list of financial sanctions, according to a court spokesperson.

In doing so, Burceva made economic resources available to a sanctioned individual by writing articles and providing photos for the RIA Rossiya Segodnya/Baltnews online publication.

Burceva was also accused of establishing and maintaining a relationship antagonistic to the Republic of Estonia with a foreign national, Roman Romachev, and assisting him as well as the Russian Federation organization R-Techno in nonviolent acts directed against the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Estonia.

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Harju District Court established that Roman Romachev is a reserve officer of the FSB, and head of the private intelligence company R-Techno. Among other tasks, this company is responsible for creating a talent pool for the system the Russian Federation is currently developing to combat information warfare and psychological operations.

Romachev's role in the "Information and Hybrid Conflicts" master's program at Sevastopol State University was not only to act as a guest lecturer, but also recruit future agents of influence from among the students.

According to the court, the purpose of Romachev and Burceva establishing their relationship was to start jointly publishing various writings aimed at supporting the Russian Federation's foreign and security policy goals, including carrying out influence operations in so-called near abroad countries.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago

“One of the most horrible features of war is that all the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3093548

Archived version

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Russia’s subsequent efforts to destabilize and subjugate ... Ukraine have involved a combination of conventional military aggression, sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and support for pro-Russian actors in Ukraine. Thanks to this prolonged exposure to Russian hybrid warfare, Ukraine has been able to develop countermeasures that have helped build resilience and reduce the impact of Russia’s hybrid operations.

Ukraine’s response has been a collaborative effort involving the Ukrainian government, civil society, and the private sector. In the cyber sphere, efforts to improve Ukraine’s digital security have played a key role, with the launch of the country’s popular Diia platform and the establishment of the Ministry of Digital Transformation helping to drive important digital governance reforms.

...

Ukraine has also benefited from a decentralized approach involving digital volunteers, civil society, and public-private partnerships. A wide range of civic tech groups and open-source investigators are active in Ukraine detecting and countering Russian disinformation. These measures have made it possible to expose Russian narratives efficiently, coordinate messaging across government and civil society, and maintain coherence during military operations.

...

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3093548

Archived version

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Russia’s subsequent efforts to destabilize and subjugate ... Ukraine have involved a combination of conventional military aggression, sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and support for pro-Russian actors in Ukraine. Thanks to this prolonged exposure to Russian hybrid warfare, Ukraine has been able to develop countermeasures that have helped build resilience and reduce the impact of Russia’s hybrid operations.

Ukraine’s response has been a collaborative effort involving the Ukrainian government, civil society, and the private sector. In the cyber sphere, efforts to improve Ukraine’s digital security have played a key role, with the launch of the country’s popular Diia platform and the establishment of the Ministry of Digital Transformation helping to drive important digital governance reforms.

...

Ukraine has also benefited from a decentralized approach involving digital volunteers, civil society, and public-private partnerships. A wide range of civic tech groups and open-source investigators are active in Ukraine detecting and countering Russian disinformation. These measures have made it possible to expose Russian narratives efficiently, coordinate messaging across government and civil society, and maintain coherence during military operations.

...

 

Archived version

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Russia’s subsequent efforts to destabilize and subjugate ... Ukraine have involved a combination of conventional military aggression, sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and support for pro-Russian actors in Ukraine. Thanks to this prolonged exposure to Russian hybrid warfare, Ukraine has been able to develop countermeasures that have helped build resilience and reduce the impact of Russia’s hybrid operations.

Ukraine’s response has been a collaborative effort involving the Ukrainian government, civil society, and the private sector. In the cyber sphere, efforts to improve Ukraine’s digital security have played a key role, with the launch of the country’s popular Diia platform and the establishment of the Ministry of Digital Transformation helping to drive important digital governance reforms.

...

Ukraine has also benefited from a decentralized approach involving digital volunteers, civil society, and public-private partnerships. A wide range of civic tech groups and open-source investigators are active in Ukraine detecting and countering Russian disinformation. These measures have made it possible to expose Russian narratives efficiently, coordinate messaging across government and civil society, and maintain coherence during military operations.

...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

No problem. Have a great time.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I know. It's just that unlike the satire post, which says they pay, the 'real' jobs don't get paid. Just wanted to joke around, but probably I'm mistaken or it was a dumb idea (sorry, if so).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is not about the West vs China or something. They are conveying far-right positions and far-right positions only.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Guard Soldiers Deployed in Trump's LA Crackdown Aren't Getting Paid Yet

The 4,000 California National Guard soldiers who President Donald Trump surged into Los Angeles remain unpaid due to delays in issuing official activation orders, leaving compensation and benefits in limbo.

According to more than a dozen Guardsmen across four units who spoke to Military.com, none has received formal activation orders, the critical paperwork that not only authorizes their duty status, but also unlocks pay, Tricare health benefits and eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs services. Without those orders, troops remain in a legal and administrative limbo.

This is not satire :-)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Tucker Carlson is well-known for conveying far-right positions, Jeff Sachs is, among others, a supporter of China, denying the genocide in Xinjiang.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

The EU funds a lot of European media outlets, just FWI. Among the larger ones are Bellingcat, a recent list of smaller ones across Europe is, for example, provided by Journalism Fund. But there are many more.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

This is somewhat related:

Welcome to Dima’s villa era: How Dmitry Medvedev used the war against Ukraine to rebuild his influence — and his fortune -- [archived version]

In March 2017, Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation released one of its most explosive investigations — the film “Don’t Call Him Dimon,” which exposed a network of residences, vineyards, and yachts tied to Russia’s former president and then–prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev. Navalny’s team uncovered a scheme in which Medvedev had allegedly concealed his wealth using charitable foundations run by friends and family. The film racked up 47 million views and sparked mass protests against corruption. But Medvedev’s business empire remained untouched. Now, eight years later, a new investigation by journalists at the Sistema project reveals that the charitable foundations linked to the former president have only grown richer.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

Yeah, as a famous writer once claimed long ago:

“One of the most horrible features of war is that all the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

At least the UK blocks China from investing in Sizewell C amid growing concerns over Chinese influence in British infrastructure, according to energy secretary Ed Miliband as per BBC Radio 4. Other foreign government investments are not ruled out but will undergo national security checks, Miliband said. (China held a stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power station, but the UK government forced Beijing out in 2022, spending £679m to buy out the China General Nuclear Corporation.)

 

Archived version

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"They even told our delegation: we know that our memorandum is an ultimatum, and you will not accept it," Zelensky said. "Thus, the question is not the quality of the Istanbul format, but what to do about the Russians' lies."

...

 

Update: Russia’s lower-house State Duma on Wednesday approved amendments to the 2025 budget -- [Archived]

  • The budget signed by Putin last December projected revenues at 40.3 trillion rubles ($508.5 billion) and a deficit of 1.17 trillion rubles ($14.76 billion), or 0.5% of GDP. That version allocated a record 40% of total spending to defense and national security.
  • Under the now revised plan, revenues are now forecast to fall by 1.79 trillion rubles to 38.51 trillion rubles ($485.9 billion). The deficit is expected to rise to 3.79 trillion rubles ($47.8 billion), or 1.7% of GDP, an increase of 2.62 trillion rubles.
  • To cover the deficit, the government plans to draw 447 billion rubles ($5.8 billion) from the National Wealth Fund (NWF), which holds 2.8 trillion rubles ($36.4 billion) in liquid assets. Kremlin economists have warned that, given current trends, the fund could be depleted by 2026.

Pre-war, the NFW grew substantially due to high oil prices, particularly in 2019 and 2020, helping Russia to achieve a budget surplus.

In 2022, oil prices were again high, and additional funds would normally have been added to the NWF, but the costs of the Ukraine war forced the Kremlin to withdraw more than $16bn from the then $127.9bn liquid portion of the NWF.

In 2023, the budget deficit in December 2022 and the effect of the 2022 Russian crude oil price cap sanctions required $38.1 billion to be withdrawn, with further withdrawals expected in 2023 as a result of the continuing sanctions over crude oil.

This week, the EU announced its 18th sanctions package against Russia which includes an further drop in crude oil price cap. The NFW's liquid portion is now at around $36bn.

It is important to note that one of the NWF's main responsibilities is to support the Russian pension system. In addition, the fund is supposed to be a 'lender of last resort' for banks.


Archived version

Russia's budget deficit rose by 168 billion rubles ($2.18 billion) in May, bringing the total for the first five months of 2025 to 3.4 trillion rubles ($44.2 billion), or 1.5% of GDP, according to the Finance Ministry.

That is nearly five times higher than the same period of 2024 and nearly equal to the entire deficit planned for the full year — 3.8 trillion rubles ($49.4 billion), or 1.7% of GDP.

Initially, the Finance Ministry had aimed to keep the deficit three times smaller: 1.2 trillion rubles ($15.6 billion), or 0.5% of GDP.

May’s budget results were somewhat worse than expected, economist Yegor Susin said. Revenue growth has slowed, and while spending has eased somewhat after the early-year advance payments, it hasn’t dropped as much as hoped.

Susin estimates that the current deficit trajectory is running at about 1% of GDP higher than planned, which translates to nearly 6 trillion rubles ($78 billion).

...

The main factors are low oil prices and a strong ruble. The ruble appreciated for a sixth consecutive month in May, while oil and gas revenues fell to just 513 billion rubles ($6.67 billion), their lowest point in two and a half years.

Over the first five months of 2025, these revenues totaled 4.24 trillion rubles ($55.1 billion), down 14.4% from a year earlier (after four months, the shortfall was 10.3%). The 2.6 trillion ruble ($33.8 billion) decline in oil and gas revenues is the main reason for the budget revision.

While these revenues still exceed the baseline level, the Finance Ministry warns of risks due to weakening price conditions.

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Gaidar Institute experts predicted the budget deficit would improve after peaking in May-June. But they noted that economic slowdown, worsening trade conditions, high interest rates and geopolitical challenges are all putting pressure on the budget and worsening existing imbalances.

Still, they believe borrowing and the use of liquid assets from the National Welfare Fund could cover the shortfall.

The liquid portion of the fund had fallen to 2.8 trillion rubles ($36.4 billion) by the end of May, with 447 billion ($5.81 billion) allocated to cover the oil and gas revenue shortfall.

[As an addition, the liquid portion of Russia National Wealth Fund has almost halved since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine.]

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yanis is an even better Russian ambassador if he appears with Jeff Sachs.

Btw, Russia's budget deficit is up fivefold in May, much higher than expected.

The reason for the financial turmoil: the war in Ukraine.

Since 2023, the [Russian] Finance Ministry has front-loaded military expenditures early in the year, with spending returning to normal mid-year before another jump in November-December. Analysts had expected the budget to move into surplus starting in May, but that didn’t happen.

Should we dismantle the Russian Federation now? Russia’s military Keynesianism doesn't seem to work. It’s not wise to spend all that money on military. The Kremlin has taken the wrong turn and each path since 2014 when it comes to the war in Ukraine.

What does Yanis say?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

For comparison, the World Bank's calculation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per capita for larger economies like China, European Union, United States, Germany, Russian Federation - (you can add further countries or blocs yourself in the diagram).

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3069921

Universities Australia - a body representing 39 universities in Australia - has called on the federal government to join Horizon Europe in a bid to strengthen the nation’s economic resilience and global competitiveness through enhanced international research collaboration.

Horizon Europe, a major European Union research and innovation program, offers substantial funding for global partnerships focused on tackling complex global challenges. Association with the program would have provided Australian researchers access to this multi-billion-dollar fund and enabled closer scientific cooperation with international peers.

Universities Australia Chief Executive Luke Sheehy said joining Horizon Europe would have sparked a cycle of innovation, strengthened partnerships, and driven economic growth.

...

“If we’re serious about building a prosperous and productive economy, then we need a seat at the table—especially in a shifting and increasingly complex global environment,” he said.

Mr Sheehy warned that rising geopolitical tensions risked disrupting existing research alliances, and that Australia needed to act to maintain its competitive edge.

...

 

Universities Australia - a body representing 39 universities in Australia - has called on the federal government to join Horizon Europe in a bid to strengthen the nation’s economic resilience and global competitiveness through enhanced international research collaboration.

Horizon Europe, a major European Union research and innovation program, offers substantial funding for global partnerships focused on tackling complex global challenges. Association with the program would have provided Australian researchers access to this multi-billion-dollar fund and enabled closer scientific cooperation with international peers.

Universities Australia Chief Executive Luke Sheehy said joining Horizon Europe would have sparked a cycle of innovation, strengthened partnerships, and driven economic growth.

...

“If we’re serious about building a prosperous and productive economy, then we need a seat at the table—especially in a shifting and increasingly complex global environment,” he said.

Mr Sheehy warned that rising geopolitical tensions risked disrupting existing research alliances, and that Australia needed to act to maintain its competitive edge.

...

 

Archived version

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While [Joachim Streit, a Member of the European Parliament of Free Voters] admitted that the possibility of Canada as a full member of the EU “may be aspirational for now”, he wondered if it was an idea whose time had come.

“Canada would be a strong member,” he said. “If Canada would be a member of the EU, it would rank 4th in terms of GDP. It’s part of Nato. And 58% of (working-age) Canadians have college degrees.”

Canada also has vast energy reserves – an asset that could prove useful to the bloc, which is still struggling to wean itself off Russian gas, he added.

Since launching his campaign last month, Streit has become the most visible proponent of an unlikely proposition that has been gaining traction since Trump began floating the idea of Canada as the 51st state.

In late January, a former foreign minister of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, called for Canada to be invited into the EU. “They are more European than some European member states anyway,” he told Germany’s Pioneer Media.

Media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic have delved into the idea, while a February poll of 1,500 Canadians found 44% of them believed Canada should look into joining the EU.

...

In April, Streit submitted a written question to the European parliament, asking whether the treaty article stipulating that states must be European could be interpreted in a way that could allow for Canadian membership or, barring that, if it could be legally revised. He has yet to receive a response.

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Since launching the campaign, he’s been in constant contact with Canadians; meeting twice with one of Canada’s high-ranking envoys to the EU and meeting with a Brussels-based association that promotes Canada-EU trade.

As news spreads of his efforts, his office has received a handful of emails of support. Some have offered up their own thoughts on how to skirt around Canada’s geographic location; one recent email laid out what the writer described as a “killer argument”, pointing out that as part of the Commonwealth Canada was tied to the UK and, by extension, Europe.

...

 

Archived version

The EU-Mercosur agreement could reshape not only transatlantic relations, but the economic map of Latin America itself. After a quarter-century of stop-go negotiations, Brussels and the four Mercosur states — Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — finally have an agreement on the table that slashes more than 90 percent of tariffs, reins in non-tariff barriers, locks in sustainable-development commitments and contains other provisions that reach well beyond trade in goods.

But signing on the dotted line is only the first step.

The agreement needs to be ratified by the Council of the European Union - the EU could approve its planned trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur before summer, according to an official -, the European Parliament, and parliaments in Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Asunción, and Montevideo.

The question for policymakers, businesses, and civil-society leaders on both sides of the Atlantic is not simply 'if' the deal will pass, but 'where' it could lead next: could this agreement become the springboard for a transatlantic EU-Latin America bloc?

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If the EU-Mercosur agreement is ratified, the EU will have [Free Trade Agreements] FTAs with 95 percent of Latin America's GDP, compared to just 44 percent for the US and 14 percent for China.

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The EU-Mercosur agreement can be the foundation for something far more ambitious: an interconnected web of trade agreements that bind together the existing FTAs — from north to south of the region — between the EU and Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile and — hopefully soon — Mercosur itself.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3009371

Australian and European Union trade negotiators will spend two days thrashing out the details of a potential new agreement after a breakthrough meeting between Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell and his EU counterpart [Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič] in Paris.

The trade talks collapsed in 2023 over the EU’s refusal to allow more Australian beef into the single market.

But as a result of US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on the EU and Australia, and most recently increasing duties on steel to 50 per cent, both sides want to see if they can try again.

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“Both sides reviewed shared objectives for a strong and reformed rules-based trading system and took stock of EU-Australia FTA negotiations,” the Commission spokesman said after the meeting that lasted one hour.

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Technical teams will now compare notes on outstanding issues.

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The European Australian Business Council [a non-profit, member-based organisation that promotes trade and investment between Europe and Australia] estimates that as Australia’s third largest trading partner after China and Japan, a trade deal with the EU could deliver between up to $7.4 billion dollars extra to Australia’s GDP by 2030.

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More than a dozen organisations representing different sectors of Australia urged the political leaders to take the deal across the line.

They include the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Australian Industry Group, Australian Services Roundtable, Business Council of Australia, Export Council of Australia, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the Group of Eight, Medicines Australia, Minerals Council of Australia, Property Council of Australia, Super Members Council, and Tourism and Transport Forum.

...

 

Australian and European Union trade negotiators will spend two days thrashing out the details of a potential new agreement after a breakthrough meeting between Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell and his EU counterpart [Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič] in Paris.

The trade talks collapsed in 2023 over the EU’s refusal to allow more Australian beef into the single market.

But as a result of US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on the EU and Australia, and most recently increasing duties on steel to 50 per cent, both sides want to see if they can try again.

...

“Both sides reviewed shared objectives for a strong and reformed rules-based trading system and took stock of EU-Australia FTA negotiations,” the Commission spokesman said after the meeting that lasted one hour.

...

Technical teams will now compare notes on outstanding issues.

...

The European Australian Business Council [a non-profit, member-based organisation that promotes trade and investment between Europe and Australia] estimates that as Australia’s third largest trading partner after China and Japan, a trade deal with the EU could deliver between up to $7.4 billion dollars extra to Australia’s GDP by 2030.

...

More than a dozen organisations representing different sectors of Australia urged the political leaders to take the deal across the line.

They include the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Australian Industry Group, Australian Services Roundtable, Business Council of Australia, Export Council of Australia, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the Group of Eight, Medicines Australia, Minerals Council of Australia, Property Council of Australia, Super Members Council, and Tourism and Transport Forum.

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