A secret Russian satellite has broken apart in orbit, creating a cloud of debris that could last a century

Business Insider

A secret Russian satellite has broken apart in orbit, creating a cloud of debris that could last a century

Morgan McFall-Johnsen – February 8, 2023

illustration shows satellite shedding bits of metal debris high above earth
An illustration of a satellite breaking up above Earth.ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

A mysterious Russian satellite with a shady mission has broken apart in Earth’s orbit, creating a hazardous cloud of debris zipping around the planet and menacing other satellites, US Space Force announced.

The 18th Space Defense Squadron said on Twitter Monday that it had confirmed a satellite called Kosmos 2499 had broken apart into 85 pieces.

Previous collisions and satellite break-ups have created far larger and more hazardous debris fields than this.

But the pieces of Kosmos 2499 are orbiting at an altitude of about 745 miles — so high that they’ll probably be there for a century or longer before Earth’s atmosphere drags them down and burns them up, according to NASA.

Kosmos 2499 is one of three satellites that Russia launched secretly from 2013 to 2015. Its beginning is even more mysterious than its end.

NASA and the US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.

The satellite was launched secretly and made ‘suspicious’ maneuvers in orbit
rocket spews orange flame lifts off in the arctic
A Russian “Rokot” rocket lifts off from a launch pad near the town of Plesetsk in Arctic Russia.Reuters

On Christmas Day 2013, Russia launched a small Rokot rocket into the skies above Plesetsk, carrying three military communications satellites into orbit.

It seemed like a standard launch, until space trackers noticed that the Rokot had released a fourth object into orbit, according to Anatoly Zak, an English-language reporter who covers Russia’s space program and runs Russianspaceweb.com.

A few months later, Russia admitted to the United Nations that it had launched a fourth satellite, which came to be known as Kosmos 2491. Its purpose was unclear.

Russia launched another secret satellite in May 2014, and it soon began maneuvering itself in orbit, dropping and raising its altitude until it brought itself “suspiciously close” to the rocket stage that had delivered it to orbit, according to Zak. The US military designated the object Kosmos 2499.

For nearly half a year, this mystery satellite trailed its rocket stage and maneuvered up close to it repeatedly. Then it transmitted telemetry data back to Earth in Morse code, according to Zak.

The bizarre behavior led to speculation that Russia was testing technology to follow or wreck other satellites, according to Space.com.

The head of Roscosmos at the time, Oleg Ostapenko, assured the world in a December 2014 press conference that Kosmos 2491 and Kosmos 2499 were not “killer satellites,” Zak reported. Ostapenko said the satellites had peaceful, educational purposes and that “they completed their mission.” Zak said the Roscosmos chief never specified what that mission was.

A similar Rokot launch sent a third unregistered satellite into orbit the next year.

The first secret satellite, Kosmos 2491, broke apart in 2019. Kosmos 2499 just met the same fate.

The satellite may have exploded, rather than crashing

The cause of the satellite’s disintegration is not yet clear.

Brian Weeden, a space-debris expert at the Secure World Foundation, told ArsTechnica that he doesn’t think a collision caused it, since two of the secretive satellites have gone out like this.

“This suggests to me that perhaps these events are the result of a design error in the fuel tanks or other systems that are rupturing after several years in space rather than something like a collision with a piece of debris,” Weeden told ArsTechnica.

That aligns with a preliminary analysis by LeoLabs, a company that tracks objects in Earth’s orbit. The company tweeted that its early data “points toward a low intensity explosion,” likely from the satellite’s propulsion system.

LeoLabs said its models had “moderate confidence” in this finding.

“As more of the fragments get cataloged and included in the analysis we will be able to provide a more definitive cause of the event,” the company wrote, adding that “understanding why these types of events occur is key to preventing them in the future.”

Dating while dying: Finding love when I have 9 years left to live

Today

Dating while dying: Finding love when I have 9 years left to live

Chiara Riga – February 8, 2023

A little over a year ago I shared my story about being diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and being told I have about 10 years to live — 15 if I’m lucky. So much has happened since then — from landing a dream job at a new company to deciding to remove my ovaries as part of my cancer treatment, my life post-terminal cancer diagnosis has surprised me in so many ways.

Perhaps the best and most surprising change, though, is that I now have a boyfriend.

We learned that we loved the same things, including being outdoors and traveling. (Courtesy Chiara Riga)
We learned that we loved the same things, including being outdoors and traveling. (Courtesy Chiara Riga)

When my terminal cancer diagnosis happened, I felt like I was watching all of my dreams shatter like a mirror falling to the ground before my eyes. I wouldn’t survive the cancer, so why would I continue spending all my time trying to climb the corporate ladder? I wouldn’t survive the cancer, so why would I buy a home only to leave my family with the responsibility of a mortgage that would likely outlive me? But the shattered dream that saddened me the most was the dream I had of finding my person — after all, what man looking for a serious relationship would sign up to be with a woman who would likely not live to age 40? What man would knowingly sign up to be a widower long before retirement age? I can’t say I would blame anyone for not wanting to sign up for this kind of life. Before this cancer experience, I can’t say that I would have jumped at the opportunity to be with a man whose remaining years on this earth could be counted on one hand. I resigned myself to a life of singledom, with my dog, Scout, as my only life partner. I watched my friends get engaged and married, buy homes and welcome children, and I cheered them on while each celebrated milestone grew the ache in my chest that longed to live those milestones, too.

And then I met David. We met at a mutual friend’s wedding and hit it off right away — we both love the outdoors, national parks, travel and Taylor Swift sing-alongs in the car, and our personalities couldn’t be more similar. He knew I was sick — our mutual friend had told him — and I tried not to get too attached, because there was no way he would be interested in a romantic connection with me given my incredibly short lifespan. When he asked me to spend a day together a few weeks after the wedding, I said yes, thinking it would be platonic. Our hangout was a few days before my birthday, and when he picked me up he brought me gluten-free brownies he had made from scratch. After that, we spent at least one day every weekend together and against my better judgment, I started falling for him. I thought I was destined for heartbreak, but the happiness he brought to my life felt worth a thousand heartbreaks, so I continued to spend time with him.

One night we were talking on the phone and ended up expressing that we had feelings for each other. I was shocked that he felt the same as I did. But would he want to be with a terminal person? Later that night, while we were texting, I expressed my fears about cancer, my prognosis and how I feared that it would affect our relationship. I expected him to take a step back, to find someone with a longer life expectancy. Instead, he wrote words that I’ll never forget, words that brought me to tears: “Just because you live long doesn’t mean you’re happy or your life is meaningful.” He added, “If we can’t cure you, you will leave us a little earlier than the rest of us, but I will be so happy to know we had something real.”

Before he sent me that message, I don’t think I knew what it was like to be so loved for every part of me. Some of my exes loved me for what I looked like, or my body or the promise of the life we could live together. David loves me for who I am today, for every part of me, both good and bad. He makes me a better person and shows me a love I thought I’d never get to experience in this lifetime.

My current plan is to enjoy this for as long as possible. (Courtesy Chiara Riga)
My current plan is to enjoy this for as long as possible. (Courtesy Chiara Riga)

Our relationship isn’t without its struggles, of course, and cancer is a big one for us — the first time we kissed I ended up with an infection that landed me in the ER with a neutropenic fever. And, with David coming from a traditional Chinese family, telling his parents about my diagnosis has been a struggle for both of us.

I also know that loving myself first is a big part of this. I thought I loved myself pre-cancer, but loving yourself is not just learning who you are, what you like and dislike, and accepting your flaws. It’s also taking care of yourself — your mental and emotional health along with your physical health. Physical health is one that many young people tend to ignore — we’ve always been told that youth equates to health. But if I’ve learned anything since my diagnosis in 2020, it’s that youth and health are not synonymous. If I hadn’t advocated for myself when I found a lump in my breast — even after a doctor nearly laughed me out of the room given my age — I might not be here today. I’ve since learned that women under age 45 make up 9% of all breast cancer diagnoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I do not know what the future holds for us, but right now, I'm just happy to have found love. (Courtesy Chiara Riga)
I do not know what the future holds for us, but right now, I’m just happy to have found love. (Courtesy Chiara Riga)

My story is not unique. I have met countless other young women whose doctors told them that they had nothing to worry about due to their age, despite the fact that breast cancer in young women is more likely to be found at a later stage and be more aggressive and difficult to treat, according to the CDC. It is because of my own advocacy, and my love for myself, that I am still here today and am able to be in a place to love David and be loved in return.

I don’t know what the future holds for David and me — maybe (hopefully) I’ll get to live my dream of a wedding and we’ll sail off into the sunset, or maybe we won’t be each other’s forever. But whatever happens, I’m grateful for the most selfless man I’ve ever met showing me a love I could only dream of during a time when I thought all love was off the table for me. Like he said, we have something real, and I’m the luckiest girl in the world to get to experience it for however much time I have left.

How Hecklers Turned the State of the Union Into a Biden 2024 Ad

Time

How Hecklers Turned the State of the Union Into a Biden 2024 Ad

Philip Elliott – February 8, 2023

State of the Union 2023
State of the Union 2023

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., yells during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. Credit – Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

When a fur-coiffed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene yelled “liar” Tuesday night, among the loudest in an abrupt chorus of boos, the oldest President to ever deliver a State of the Union address didn’t miss a beat. He smiled and went far afield from his script as GOP lawmakers tried to reject his claims that Republicans were ready to gut social entitlement programs.

“Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? We’ve got unanimity?” he asked. “Apparently it’s not going to be a problem,” he deadpanned at another moment.

The striking exchange, and Biden’s ease in handling it in front of an audience of millions, illustrated why the Democratic establishment isn’t yet ready to toss their 80-year-old standard-bearer overboard.

Despite a halting, vamped opening to Tuesday’s State of the Union speech—a Super Bowl joke? Why?— Biden proved himself plenty capable of holding his own when his Republican hecklers started to stalk him. In fact, he actually demonstrated how he might be able to troll them into their own self-own status in real time. Give Biden acrimony, he’ll toss back accomplishments. Throw him hostility, he’ll offer hope.

“As my football coach used to say, ‘Lots of luck in your senior year,’” he deadpanned at one point, mocking lawmakers who seemed to think high school was the same as the big leagues of Congress.

Biden baited Greene’s fellow Republicans into pledges of fealty to Social Security. When others pummeled him on the U.S.-Mexican dotted line—”secure the border”—Biden taunted them with an offer to work on comprehensive immigration reform. And when Republicans tried to lay blame at the ongoing drug addiction and overdose crisis at Biden’s feet, he simply asked Republicans if they’d work with him to combat it.

For as much as Democrats are gritting their teeth and girding for the worst when it comes to Biden’s likely 2024 campaign, Tuesday night’s State of the Union gave them reason to hold onto optimism. It wasn’t a robust reason, but it was sufficient. Biden showed he can keep his ground in the face of Republican attack; in fact, he seemed to delight in the heckling that came from the floor of the House. For every “liar”—and worse—that rose from the floor, Biden seemed ready with the rejoinder of his first-term economic record. For every peel of stage laughter coming from his physical left and his political right, Biden stood ready to offer some undeniably impressive facts. And for every protest to his trolling suggestion that Republicans were ready to ditch Social Security, Biden had a taunt right in the margins of his heavy black binder.

Biden’s third joint address to Congress set the tone not just for the next year but also his still-unannounced re-election campaign. Biden laid the trap of bipartisan collaboration as well as anyone in recent memory but also set the timer on some partisan timebombs.

Biden is convinced that he is the only Democrat in the land who can block Donald Trump’s return to the White House and is increasingly itchy to make his 2024 re-election bid real. He has effectively frozen the field of would-be challengers, resetting the nominating calendar in such a way that renders challengers as also-rans. He has never been a strong fundraiser or nurturer of outside moneybags, but the deep-pocketed allies are nonetheless ready to bankroll his efforts to stay in the gig that he has chased since his 20s.

So it’s worth considering Tuesday night’s State of the Union as the prologue to Biden’s next chapter, perhaps the final eighth volume in his Robert Caro-esque chronicle. (For the record, not that I’d write it: the first volume would be the first Senate race; Volume II: his Senate term ahead of the 1988 race; III: his return to the Senate; IV: the 2008 primary: V: his time as Vice President; VI: his time as a free radical from 2016-20; and VII: the last two years, leading us to the present.) Biden holds dear to him the spirit of Irish poets, in that the specter of legacy is always just barely off-stage and always above it. Biden wants wins, and his speech—and the interruptions to it—suggest a measure of confrontation is going to define it.

That said, Republicans weren’t entirely sure that the interludes of heckling and hectoring were useful to their side. In fact, plenty of Republicans groaned in the chamber and groused privately that the likes of Greene managed to make the speech into an interactive experience not terribly dissimilar to the British Parliament’s tradition of P.M. Questions. In public, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy shushed his caucus a number of times as they chucked invectives at Biden. More quietly—but still in view of the public—Utah Sen. Mitt Romney tried to silence a GOP House member who has proven plenty shameful to the brand. Romney—who in 2008 and 2012 thought he would do well to be giving a State of the Union himself as President—told Rep. George Santos that he was an embarrassment. Biden seemed to share that assessment, opting to see Santos and deny him a handshake on the aisle.

Again, Biden mightn’t be the most optimal nominee-in-waiting Democrats have ever had on deck, but he’s hardly the most problematic. And that, right there, is why Tuesday night’s State of the Union leaves a whole of the Democratic Party’s top donor roster less dour than they began their week. It’s also why the ragtag Republican contenders hoping to see a slow, doddering commander in chief ready to be put out to pasture were standing at the starting line with empty hands.

George Santos grabbed an aisle seat at the State of the Union. Not everyone was eager to shake his hand.

Insider

George Santos grabbed an aisle seat at the State of the Union. Not everyone was eager to shake his hand.

Nicole Gaudiano,Bryan Metzger and Warren Rojas – February 7, 2023

Republican Rep. George Santos of New York at the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023.
Republican Rep. George Santos of New York at the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023.Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images
  • Embattled Rep. George Santos grabbed a premier center aisle seat ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address.
  • That seating put him in a prime position to shake some hands.
  • But he soon discovered that not everyone, including some Republicans, was interested in seeing him.

Republican Rep. George Santos of New York grabbed a seat on the center aisle ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, putting him in a prime position to shake some hands.

Seated beside Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Santos soon discovered that not everyone — including some Republicans — was interested in seeing him.

As they began to enter the chamber around 8:30 pm, several senators customarily shook hands with the scandal-plagued Long Island congressman, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Whip John Thune, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and even a couple of Democrats: Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

But several senators were visibly uninterested, particularly Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.

Other dignitaries who passed by Santos also passed over him, even as they shook hands with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, seated on the other side of him. Among them was Vice President Kamala Harris.

Santos sat just in front of Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee and behind Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi.

Aside from reserved places for leadership, seats in the House chamber are not assigned to members of Congress during the State of the Union Address. Seats are reserved for senators as a group in the front of the chamber and House members sit behind them. House members can claim preferred spots during the day but they have to camp out there to reserve them for the entirety of the speech.

Many Republicans have spent the last month avoiding Santos, who is at the center of a media circus sparked by myriad lies on his resume and investigations of his campaign finances, and who has faced calls to resign from members not just within his own party, but from his home state delegation.

Many of those who spoke recently with Insider’s Bryan Metzger made it clear they wanted nothing to do with Santos.

But as Metzger noted, the congressman who initially sat by himself during his first days in office eventually found a “receptive crowd” among the chamber’s right-wing lawmakers.

Photos of Santos from earlier this session show him sitting between Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and fellow freshman Andy Ogles of Tennessee or with Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas, who told Metzger that Santos seems like a “nice guy.” Greene appears to have known Santos at least since 2020.

During the House speaker vote fight, Insider spotted Santos hanging out by Kevin McCarthy tormentors Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

In recent weeks, Insider has watched Santos roam around the chamber during votes. Sometimes that entails standing alone along the back wall as members weigh in on pending bills, while on at least one occasion he spent about 10 minutes chatting up fellow freshman GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.

GOP on GOP: Romney scolds Santos, ‘You don’t belong here’

Associated Press

GOP on GOP: Romney scolds Santos, ‘You don’t belong here’

Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick – February 8, 2023

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and other Republicans gather in the House Chamber before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Ind-Ariz., center, speaks with Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, left, and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., right, and others, before President Joe Biden arrives to deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep.George Santos, R-N.Y., lower center, and other Republicans, gather in the House Chamber before President Joe Biden arrives to deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., talks with people before President Joe Biden arrives to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., sits as other Republicans stand as President Joe Biden talks about American manufacturing during the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, leave after President Joe Biden delivered the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. George Santos positioned himself in a prime location for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address — an uncomfortably prominent place for the embattled new lawmaker who faces multiple investigations and has acknowledged embellishing and even lying about his life story.

Santos’ presence at the center aisle to see and be seen with the arrivals was met with a stern rebuke from a fellow Republican, Sen. Mitt Romney.

“You don’t belong here,” the Utah Republican scolded Santos as he entered the House chamber and spotted the New York Republican on the aisle.

Words were exchanged, it was reported, though Romney said later he did not hear it all.

“He shouldn’t be in Congress, and they are going to go through the process and hopefully get him out,” Romney told reporters afterward, his office confirmed. “But he shouldn’t be there, and if he had any shame at all he wouldn’t be there.”

The exchange was an unusual lashing by the more reserved Romney, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, but shows the discomfort Santos is bringing among traditional conservatives critical of the rightward drift of more extremist elements of the GOP.

Santos retorted with a tweet: “Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT!”

The arrival of Santos has been a problem for the Republicans since he won a New York congressional seat, which helped to deliver the party a slim majority, once his personal story began to unravel.

Santos has acknowledged fabricating, and at times lying, about parts of his education, work experience and even his family’s own religion and history.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met privately with the congressman last week amid a swirl of potential investigations on and off Capitol Hill. Santos announced he would step aside from his committee assignments ahead of an expected House Ethics Committee probe.

McCarthy said Tuesday the situation with Santos would work its way through the House Ethics Committee. Fellow New York Republicans have called for Santos to resign from Congress. Santos faces other investigations beyond Congress.

Other Republicans heard the exchange and one Republican lawmaker who was told about it said there was widespread displeasure that Santos had situated himself in such a prominent spot. The lawmaker requested anonymity to discuss what others said about the subject.

The center aisle basically gave Santos the chance to seize the limelight by greeting the president and other prominent officials as they entered the House chamber and made their way down the aisle.

As senators entered the House in a line, it was then that Romney spotted Santos and delivered his message.

“I didn’t expect that he’d be standing there, trying to shake hands with every senator and the president of the United States,” Romney told reporters later.

Romney said that given the investigations, Santos “should be sitting the back row and staying quiet, instead of parading in front of the president and people coming into the room.”

But Santos, as is often the case, had his moment, becoming for a time the face of the GOP.

Mitt Romney calls George Santos ‘a sick puppy’ after Biden State of the Union

USA Today

Mitt Romney calls George Santos ‘a sick puppy’ after Biden State of the Union

Candy Woodall, USA TODAY – February 8, 2023

WASHINGTON—Utah Sen. Mitt Romney at the State of the Union address joined the growing number of Republicans who have said embattled freshman Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., shouldn’t be in Congress.

“If he had any shame at all, he wouldn’t be there,” Romney told reporters after the address.

Santos has admitted to embellishing parts of his personal and professional resume, but Romney said they are lies, not embellishments. To embellish, he said, is to say you got an A instead of an A-. “Lying is saying you graduated from a college you didn’t even attend.”

Santos lied that he graduated from college and was a volleyball star, a Wall Street resume that did not exist, his ancestry and more. He is facing the most legal scrutiny, at the local and federal levels, for his campaign finances.

State of the Union takeaways: Blue-collar Joe, GOP boos and a 2024 preview

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-UT, and Krsten Sinema, I-Ariz., listen to President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-UT, and Krsten Sinema, I-Ariz., listen to President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington.

As Romney entered the House chamber Tuesday night, he told Santos he didn’t belong in Congress.

“I didn’t expect that he’d be standing there (in an aisle seat) trying to shake hands with every senator and the president of the United States,” Romney said to reporters after the State of the Union. Given the investigations facing him, including a House Ethics complaint, “he should be sitting in the back row and staying quiet instead of parading in front of the president and people coming into the room.”

The senator described Santos as “a sick puppy” for his lies.

“He shouldn’t be in Congress, and they’re going to go through the process and hopefully get him out,” Romney said. “But he shouldn’t be there and if he had any shame at all, he wouldn’t be there.”

State of the Union live updates: Biden tells Americans economy roaring back, spars with GOP over debt

Heckles, spats and deflection: The biggest moments you missed from Biden’s State of the Union

Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. 

‘Daily Show’ Guest Chelsea Handler Is ‘Sexually Attracted’ To This GOP Lawmaker

HuffPost

‘Daily Show’ Guest Chelsea Handler Is ‘Sexually Attracted’ To This GOP Lawmaker


Ed Mazza – February 8, 2023

Comic Chelsea Handler made a surprising confession on “The Daily Show” on Wednesday night: She’s got the hots for Republican Sen. Mitt Romney.

Romney got into a spat with Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the lawmaker busted in a plethora of lies and now facing investigations and calls to resign, on Tuesday night just before the State of the Union address.

Those standing nearby reported that the Utah senator told Santos he ought to be embarrassed showing up and called him an “ass” to his face.

Handler rolled the footage, then made her confession.

“I would like to go on the record tonight and say that I am sexually attracted to Mitt Romney,” she declared. “It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last time. I don’t even care that he’s a Republican or a Mormon. In fact, since he’s a Mormon, he’ll be open to another wife, and if not he’s a Republican, so he’ll be open to having an affair. Problem solved.”

See more in her Wednesday night monologue:

Abused Russian Troops Relocated After Leaking Beatings by Own Allies

Daily Beast

Abused Russian Troops Relocated After Leaking Beatings by Own Allies

Shannon Vavra – February 8, 2023

(Sputnik/Sergei Fadeichev/Pool via REUTERS, via third party)
(Sputnik/Sergei Fadeichev/Pool via REUTERS, via third party)

The Russian Ministry of Defense is transferring some mobilized Russian troops out of Donetsk in Ukraine after they reported that the militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic beat them earlier this month, according to Vladislav Khovalyg, the governor of Tuva.

The Russian troops, who were trained in the Novosibirsk region of Russia, began fighting at the front in Ukraine in December, according to Novaya Gazeta. But come February, the militia in the DPR began beating them, troops said in a video message shared with Russian news outlets and posted to Telegram.

“On February 4, the military from the DPR arrived. They fired at us with machine guns,” said the Russian troops, who came from Tuva, a region in southern Siberia. “The military police came and beat us.”

Another video appears to show a Russian soldier getting knocked down and held at gunpoint.

The withdrawal of the Russian soldiers following the beatings peels back the layers on Russia’s attempts to integrate the illegally annexed Donetsk in Ukraine with Russia, and could be a sign that Russia’s efforts to integrate the militia in Donetsk with Russia’s military are not going smoothly.

Moscow illegally annexed Donetsk, along with Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, in October. Russia’s military has also just formally integrated occupied areas of Ukraine into its Southern Military District in an attempt to further meld together the occupied territories with Moscow, according to a British intelligence report released this week.

“The Russian military likely aspires to integrate newly occupied territory into a long-term strategic posture,” the intelligence report stated.

Putin’s Men Fear ‘Minced Meat’ Fate in New Offensive

The integration, though, might not go over well for some time, since the deployment of forces has not been systematic, the intelligence report warned. “It is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the campaign: Russia currently deploys forces from across all of Russia’s military districts, commanded by an ad hoc deployed headquarters,” the intelligence assessment said.

Russia’s illegal annexation of territories in Ukraine last fall has been bungled since the start. The Kremlin admitted in the early days after the annexation that it wasn’t clear on what the borders of the claimed territories were. And within days of laying claim to the land, Ukraine’s military was able to claw back some of the occupied regions, such as Lyman in Donetsk.

Indications that the integration efforts with the claimed territories are faltering coincides with western officials’ warnings that Russia is preparing to unleash a new offensive against Ukraine in the coming months. Moscow is plotting to mobilize between 300,000 to 500,000 troops in addition to those mobilized last year in the so-called “partial mobilization,” according to a Ukrainian intelligence brief.

Even so, the Russian government appears intent on signaling that Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared for a prolonged fight with Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a press conference on the status of the war Tuesday, in what was likely an “attempt to posture the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) as an effective and involved leadership apparatus as the Russian military prepares for a renewed major offensive in Ukraine,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in an analysis.

“Shoigu likely held this press conference in order to create the guise of formality and legitimacy for the Russian MoD as it continues efforts to reform the Russian military, prepare for a renewed offensive, and set conditions for prolonged operations in Ukraine,” the ISW said.

Putin likely supplied the missile that downed flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, investigators say

Insider

Putin likely supplied the missile that downed flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, investigators say

Sinéad Baker – February 8, 2023

Lawyers attend the judges' inspection of the reconstruction of the MH17 wreckage, as part of the murder trial ahead of the beginning of a critical stage, on May 26, 2021 in Reijen, Netherlands.
Lawyers attend the judges’ inspection of the MH17 wreckage, on May 26, 2021 in Reijen, Netherlands.Photo by Piroschka van de Wouw – Pool/Getty Images
  • Putin likely gave separatists the missile that hit flight MH17, investigators said on Wednesday.
  • 298 people died when the Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down in 2014.
  • But prosecutors said they can’t pursue suspects due to the high bar of proof necessary.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely supplied the missile system that shot down flight MH17 in July 2014, killing 298 people onboard, international investigators said on Wednesday.

The team has been investigating the crash since August 2014, and said in a statement that there are “strong indications” that the Russian president decided on supplying the missile system to separatists in Ukraine.

Investigators have previously said that the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down by a Buk missile brought from Russia to a field in Ukraine.

They said on Wednesday that the separatists had asked for longer-range anti-aircraft systems and that there is “concrete information” that the separatists’ request was presented to the Russian president, and that this request was granted.

But, they added, it’s not known whether their request explicitly mentioned the missile system that was later used to shoot down MH17.

Nor was it ultimately clear if Putin “deliberately assisted in the downing of MH17.”

Russia has always denied any involvement in the fate of the plane.

MH17
The site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, July 17, 2014.Reuters

Investigators said on Wednesday that the evidence was not strong enough to formally accuse Putin.

“Although we speak of strong indications, the high bar of complete and conclusive evidence is not reached. Furthermore, the President enjoys immunity in his position as Head of State,” they said in the statement.

Prosecutors also said on Monday that they did not have enough evidence to pursue criminal proceedings against anyone else associated with the crash.

Dutch court sentenced three men  — Russian nationals Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko — to life in prison last November over the downing of the plane. But the men are still at large.

The plane, a Boeing 777, was flying from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was shot down over eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists had taken over parts of the country.

MH17 inquiry: ‘Strong indications’ Putin OK’d missile supply

Associated Press

MH17 inquiry: ‘Strong indications’ Putin OK’d missile supply

Mike Corder – February 8, 2023

Digna van Boetzelaer, the Netherlands, Andy Kraag, the Netherlands, David McLean, Australia, Asha Hoe Soo Lian, Malaysia, Eric van der Sypt, Belgium, and Oleksandr Bannyk, Ukraine, from left to right, are seen during the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) holds a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, on the results of the ongoing investigation into other parties involved in the downing of flight MH17 on 17 July 2014. The JIT investigated the crew of the Buk-TELAR, a Russian made rocket launcher, and those responsible for supplying this Russian weapon system that downed MH17. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Netherlands Ukraine MH17
Digna van Boetzelaer, the Netherlands, Andy Kraag, the Netherlands, David McLean, Australia, Asha Hoe Soo Lian, Malaysia, Eric van der Sypt, Belgium, and Oleksandr Bannyk, Ukraine, from left to right, are seen during the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) holds a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.
Digna van Boetzelaer, the Netherlands, Andy Kraag, the Netherlands, David McLean, Australia, Asha Hoe Soo Lian, Malaysia, Eric van der Sypt, Belgium, and Oleksandr Bannyk, Ukraine, take their seats for the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) news conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, on the results of the ongoing investigation into other parties involved in the downing of flight MH17 on 17 July 2014. The JIT investigated the crew of the Buk-TELAR, a Russian made rocket launcher, and those responsible for supplying this Russian weapon system that downed MH17. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Digna van Boetzelaer, the Netherlands, Andy Kraag, the Netherlands, David McLean, Australia, Asha Hoe Soo Lian, Malaysia, Eric van der Sypt, Belgium, and Oleksandr Bannyk, Ukraine, take their seats for the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) news conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, on the results of the ongoing investigation into other parties involved in the downing of flight MH17 on 17 July 2014. The JIT investigated the crew of the Buk-TELAR, a Russian made rocket launcher, and those responsible for supplying this Russian weapon system that downed MH17. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
FILE - People walk amongst the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine, July 17, 2014. An international team is presenting an update Wednesday Feb. 8, 2023 on its investigation into the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. The announcement comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the Boeing 777 and killing all 298 people on board on July 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File)
People walk amongst the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine, July 17, 2014. An international team is presenting an update Wednesday Feb. 8, 2023 on its investigation into the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. The announcement comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the Boeing 777 and killing all 298 people on board on July 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An international team of investigators said Wednesday it found “strong indications” that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the supply of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian separatists who shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 with a Russian missile.

However, members of the Joint Investigation Team said they had insufficient evidence to prosecute Putin or any other suspects and they suspended their 8½-year inquiry into the shooting down that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Russia has always denied any involvement in the downing of the flight over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and refused to cooperate with the international investigation.

Dutch prosecutors said that “there are strong indications that the Russian president decided on supplying” a Buk missile system — the weapon that downed MH17 — to Ukrainian separatists.

“Although we speak of strong indications, the high bar of complete and conclusive evidence is not reached,” Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said, adding that without Russian cooperation, “the investigation has now reached its limit. All leads have been exhausted.”

She also said that, as head of state, Putin would have immunity from prosecution in the Netherlands. The team played a recording of an intercepted phone call in which they said Putin could be heard discussing the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

“Are we disappointed? No, because we think we came further than we had ever thought in 2014. Would we have liked to come further? Of course, yes,” said Andy Kraag of the Dutch police.

The team informed relatives of those killed in the downing of MH17 of their findings before making them public.

“There was disappointment because … they wanted to know why MH17 was shot down,” Kraag said. “We’re really clear on what has happened, but the answer to the question why MH17 was shot down still remains in Russia.”

Van Boetzelaer said that while the investigation is being suspended, phone lines will remain open for possible witnesses who may still want to provide evidence. If that happens, the inquiry could be reactivated.

Russian officials say that a decision to provide rebels with military support over the summer of 2014 was in Putin’s hands.

A decision to supply arms was even postponed for a week “because there is only one who makes a decision (…), the person who is currently at a summit in France,” the investigative team said, citing a phone conversation that was referring to Putin.

Prosecutors said that at the time Putin was at a commemoration of D-Day in France.

The announcement by the investigative team comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel for their roles in shooting down the plane. One Russian was acquitted by the court.

None of the suspects appeared for the trial and it was unclear if the three who were found guilty of multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.

The convictions and the court’s finding that the surface-to-air Buk missile came from a Russian military base were seen as a clear indication that Moscow had a role in the tragedy. Russia has always denied involvement. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the news media.

But the November convictions held that Moscow was in overall control in 2014 over the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the separatist area of eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched. The Buk missile system came from the Russian military’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in the city of Kursk.

The Joint Investigation Team is made up of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine. Most of the victims were Dutch. It had continued to investigate the crew of the missile system that brought down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in Ukraine.

As well as the criminal trial that was held in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.

The findings revealed Wednesday will likely strengthen the case at the human rights court and could also be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court who are investigating possible war crimes in Ukraine dating back to the start of the separatist conflict.