Tag: ukraine

Pentagon Mulling Diverting Weapons From Ukraine to Mideast Amid Depleting Stocks – Reports

The US Department of War (DoW) is mulling diverting weapons destined for Ukraine to the Middle East as the ongoing conflict with Iran is rapidly depleting critical ammunition reserves, The Washington Post reported on Thursday citing three sources.

The decision has yet to be made, the report said, but if confirmed, it could mean the transfer of air defense interceptor missiles ordered by NATO countries under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.

“[DoW will] ensure that US forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win,” the department said as, cited by the report, adding that other comments on the matter were not provided.

Europeans are also growing concerned about the rate of ammunition depletion of the US military amid the ongoing operations against Iran, the report said, citing European diplomats. One of the individuals said the situation raises questions as to the extent Washington will be able to continue delivering under the PURL initiative.

Moreover, although ammunition deliveries to Ukraine are likely to continue, future shipments might lack defense capabilities, the report said citing people familiar with the Pentagon’s internal calculations.

Earlier in March, CBS News reported that Washington is failing to replenish the air defense stocks of its allies in the Persian Gulf in a timely manner amid its bombardment campaign against Iran and the latter’s retaliatory strikes across the region. The report noted several Gulf nations are running “dangerously low” on interceptors and request that the US expedite the deliveries. However, while the US informed the allies it is establishing a task force on the matter, it is not happening fast enough.

US Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey later assured Washington has a sufficient amount of air defense ammunition stocks amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran responded by striking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East.

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U.S. intercepted Ukraine government messages discussing plot to route money to Biden re-election

U.S. intelligence intercepted Ukrainian government communications discussing a plot to route hundreds of millions of American tax dollars earmarked for clean energy in the war-torn country and move them to the United States to enrich then-President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee, according to a declassified intelligence report summarizing the intercepts that was obtained by Just the News.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently learned of the intercepts and has asked the U.S. Agency for International Development officials to scour for records to see if the plot actually was carried out and whether a criminal referral should be made to the FBI.

Gabbard’s team has not found substantive evidence the intercepted allegations were thoroughly investigated during the Biden administration, and the communications are not believed to be tied to Russian disinformation efforts, officials said.

USAID involved in routing the money, memo alleges

The declassified report is a summary of raw intercepts from U.S. spy agencies in late 2022 concerning the alleged plot, and officials who have reviewed the files said there seemed to be a lack of curiosity to investigate such an explosive allegation of foreign interference in a U.S. election.

“The Ukrainian Government and unspecified U.S. Government personnel, through USAID in Kyiv, reportedly developed a plan that would provide hundreds of millions of US taxpayer dollars to fund an infrastructure project for Ukraine that would be used as a cover to send approximately 90% of funds allocated to the DNC to fund Joe Biden’s reelection campaign,” the declassified summary of the intercepts stated.

“They were confident the project would be funded initially, even though at some time in the future the project would be disapproved as unnecessary.  At this time, the money would already be allocated and impossible to return or use for a different purpose,” the report added.

The intercepts mentioned two American subcontractors as possible recipients of the money that would eventually be moved to Democratic coffers, officials said. The names are included in still classified raw spy data but were redacted from the declassified report obtained by Just the News.

“The plan included details of how subcontractors would be funded through U.S. companies so that how the funds were spent and allocated would be difficult to track,” the declassified summary stated. “Additionally, contracts would be executed that would be difficult to verify. In this manner, most of the U.S. funding would be diverted to Joe Biden’s election campaign without the ability to track where exactly the funds came from.”

The discovery of alleged 2022 efforts by Ukraine to help Biden’s 2024 campaign comes at a sensitive time for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been working closely with President Donald Trump’s envoys to craft a peace plan to end the four-year war started by Russian aggression in 2022 during the Biden Administration.

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US Will Only Offer Ukraine Security Guarantees if Kiev Withdraws Troops From Remaining Areas It Controls in Donetsk Region

Kiev must stop the senseless slaughtering of its citizens and seek peace.

Now in its fifth year, the war between Russia and Ukraine has faded from the public’s attention, and though the Euro-Globalists still profess their complete support, even the UK press is noticing Volodymyr Zelensky’s ‘Panic’ due to the lack of perspective for his war effort.

Now, to worsen the situation even more, news arises that the US will only offer security guarantees for a peace deal in Ukraine if Kyiv withdraws from all the areas it still controls in Donetsk Oblast.

Reuters reported:

“With the U.S. focused on its own conflict with Iran, President Donald Trump is applying pressure to Ukraine in an effort to bring a quick end to the four-year war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion, Zelenskiy said.

‘The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump, and I think on his next steps. President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the ​Ukrainian side’, he told Reuters.”

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Hungary to halt gas deliveries to Ukraine – Orban

Hungary will gradually halt natural gas deliveries to Ukraine until Kiev restores the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced.

In a video posted to his Facebook page on Wednesday, Orban said that Ukraine has been blocking the operation of the Soviet-era oil pipeline for 30 days. “As long as Ukraine does not provide oil, it will not receive gas from Hungary,” he said.

Orban stated that gas that would have been sent to Ukraine will instead be stored in Hungarian facilities, adding that the move is necessary considering that Ukraine “is also attacking the southern gas pipeline that supplies Hungary,” referring to the TurkStream route that brings Russian gas to Hungary via Türkiye and the Balkans.

“We will defend Hungary’s energy security, the protected petrol price, and the reduced gas prices,” Orban declared. He said the country has so far been able to “successfully defend against Ukrainian blackmail” thanks to the protected price scheme, adding that Hungarians pay the lowest prices at gas stations in all of Europe.

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Citizens In Eastern Ukraine Will Not Be Allowed To Vote, Zelensky Says

President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Ukraine and Washington are in talks about holding elections, after earlier this month he much belatedly said while under pressure from Trump that he’s ready to allow national elections, so long as they can be done fairly and freely.

Zelensky indicated current discussions also hinge on the US and other partners helping set the conditions so Ukrainians can vote in safety. He previously stated the country could hold a vote within 60 days – but only if there are security guarantees.

Already over the weekend he erected more barriers to holding a vote, stipulating that citizens in Eastern Ukraine would not be able to participate. 

“Any election in Ukraine can not be held in Russia-occupied parts of the country,” Zelensky has been quoted in international press as saying, and he once again added that a proper voting process can take place only if security is ensured.

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Orban Announces Will Block All EU Measures For Ukraine Until Oil Transit Restored

Hungary remains one of the lone Ukraine-skeptic EU/NATO members which actually has a lot of leverage, resulting in bolder and bolder pronouncements being issued by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of late.

He has newly made clear this week that Hungary will block all EU summit decisions in Ukraine’s favor until oil Russian flows resume. There’s ongoing controversy centered on the contested Druzhba pipeline and the central European nation’s vital flows from Russia.

“We would like to get the oil, which is ours, from the Ukrainians, which is now blocked by the Ukrainians, I did not support any kind of decision here, which is in favor of Ukraine … [as long as] the Hungarians are not able to get the oil which belong to us,” Orbán stated.

Obran has already blocked a proposed €90 billion ($103 billion) loan for Ukraine as well as efforts to slap new sanctions on Moscow, despite the pleadings, pressure, and interventions from other EU leaders.

“I will never support any kind of decision here which is in favor of Ukraine,” Orbán made clear at an EU meeting Thursday. “The Hungarian position is very simple. We are ready to support Ukraine when we get our oil, which is blocked by them,” Orbán underscored further.

Budapest has accused Ukraine of intentionally leaving the pipeline in a state of disrepair after Kiev alleged that Russia struck it. Ukraine has been charged with seeking to indirectly punish Hungary and squeeze its energy supplies.

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Researchers uncover iPhone spyware capable of penetrating millions of devices

A powerful software exploit capable of penetrating and stealing information from potentially hundreds of millions of Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab iPhones ‌was planted on dozens of websites in Ukraine in recent weeks, researchers said on Wednesday.

The discovery marks the second time this month that researchers have found spyware targeting iPhones and other Apple devices. Together, the two hacking tools show that the market for sophisticated malware capable of stealing data and cryptocurrency wallet information ​is flourishing, researchers said.

Researchers with cyber firm Lookout, opens new tab, mobile security firm iVerify, opens new tab and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), opens new tabGoogle, opens new tab published coordinated analyses of the malware they dubbed “Darksword.” ​On March 3, Google and iVerify revealed a separate powerful iPhone spyware called “Coruna.” Researchers found Darksword hosted on ⁠the same servers.

“There’s now a verified pipeline of recent exploits … that have ended up in the hands of potentially criminal entities with ​a financial focus,” said Justin Albrecht, principal researcher with Lookout.

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Hungary To Declassify Bombshell National Security Report Proving Globalist Opposition to Viktor Orbán Is Illegally Funded by Ukraine

Orbán will expose Ukraine’s disruption of the Hungarian election.

Next month, Hungarians will decide the future of the Eastern European nation: will they remain on the nationalistic and conservative path they have been on for the last 14 years, or will they embrace the Globalist opposition?

Péter Magyar and his Tisza party are the darlings of the EU establishment, bound to bring all the suicidal Brussels policies: unchecked mass migration, LGBT propaganda, ‘Net Zero’ insane environmental regulations, total funding for Ukraine military… the list is long and sad.

But Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is not giving up without a fight, facing the EU and Ukraine for stopping the flow of Russian oil to Hungary, as you can read in: ORBÁN FIGHTS BACK: Hungary Blocks $106 Billion EU Loan to Ukraine Until Zelensky Allows Flow of Russian Oil Through Druzhba Pipeline To Resume

He also unleashed his Law Enforcement to disrupt illegal money transit from Kiev to fund his opposition, as you can read in: WATCH: Hungarian Counter Terrorism Forces Arrest 7 Ukrainians Suspected of Money Laundering, Seize $80 Million and 9 Kilograms of Gold.

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Trump Says, ‘We Don’t Need Ukraine’s Help,’ Rejects Zelensky Offer of Assistance With Drone Defense

Quite the Trump dismissal of Zelensky’s offers.

Now that a much bigger crisis is ongoing in the Middle East, the Ukrainian regime is trying to remain in the spotlight of the world’s media and in the thoughts of world leaders who have, for years, paid for its war effort.

But to do that and manage a losing war at once seems to be too much for Kiev regime leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who has reportedly become more and more aggressive in his criticism of Russia, the Europeans, and, of course, of the US.

As of late, unsurprisingly, Zelensky is decrying Donald J. Trump’s administration decision to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian oil ‘already at sea’.

At the same time that he is super cranky, the Ukrainian embattled leader has been trying to flatter Trump for his operation against Iran, and also offering help with his ‘drone defenses’ against the Iranian Shahed drones.

But the fact is: If their drone defenses were so good, they’d not be begging for Patriot missiles all the time, and also, they would not be in the dark because of Russian combined missile-drone attacks on almost all the power generation facilities.

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The Satanic Temple working to save Satanists in Ukraine

The Satanic Temple launched an effort to save fellow worshippers of Baphomet in war-torn Ukraine:

“As the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine continues unabated, The Satanic Temple is organizing its networks to ensure TST members trying to flee can reach safety,” the organization posted on its website. “By coordinating donations to pay for transport and accommodations, and strategically locating members who can physically aid refugees, we are doing what we can to assist our members who are caught in the conflict.”

The site called for Ukrainian Satanists to contact them.

Jack Matirko, formerly associated with the  Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and now an advocate for The Satanic Temple, covered the story for Only Sky Media.

“While it is taken for granted that larger religious organizations will be offering aid to members of their communities who need help, we rarely focus on the plights of members of severely marginalized religions, such as Satanism,” Matirko wrote.

Though it is unknown how many, or even if there are any Satanists in Ukraine, Russia has accused several members of the Ukrainian government of worshipping the devil. In 2014, Rossia 24, a state-owned Russian news channel, accused Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchynov of allying with Satanists in a plot to destroy the Russian Orthodox Church. The report claimed that the group had received permission from local authorities to build a church, focusing on footage of a lamb that is apparently about to be slaughtered in a ritual sacrifice. As a Baptist, Turchynov drew suspicion. Yatsenyuk was even worse, accused of practicing Scientology, which the Russian government does not recognize.

It should be noted that there are Satanists on both sides of the conflict. The Satanic Church of Russia began operating in 2013 and received legal recognition on May 10, 2016 

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