"A Russian court has sentenced in absentia Belgian national Jetmir Hussein to six years in a general population penal colony for participating in the Ukraine conflict on the side of Kiev, Moscow’s Prosecutor’s office reported on Thursday.In a statement on its Telegram channel, it stated that the 25-year-old has been found guilty of acting as a mercenary in an armed conflict.
Prosecutors established that Hussein, who does not hold Ukrainian or Russian citizenship, travelled to a training camp in Ukraine’s Lviv Region in March 2022 that is said to belong to the International Legion of the Territorial Defense of Ukraine.
There, with the goal of receiving “material compensation,” investigators claim that Hussein joined the International Legion as a mercenary, underwent military training and “agreed to participate in hostilities against representatives of the security forces of the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republics (LPR), as well as servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”
The prosecutor’s office said that Hussein’s case was heard by the Moscow City Court which, due to the absence of the defendant, has issued an arrest warrant for him and placed him on the international wanted list." RT
"A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday.
Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon.
The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China's hacking sophistication." MS
"Finnish commandos boarded and seized an oil tanker Thursday that is believed to have
temporarily disabled the Estlink-2 power line connecting Finland and Estonia. The vessel in question, the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S, was traveling from St. Petersburg to Port Said, Egypt. The Eagle S is thought to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" that smuggles Russian crude oil to market." RedState
"Azerbaijan wants Moscow to admit to an "attack" on a national airliner on Christmas day that left 38 dead after it crashed in Kazakhstan. "The Azerbaijani government demands official recognition, a formal apology, and accountability for those responsible for the attack..."There were 17 survivors, including 14 passengers and three crewmembers. Video taken of the crash indicates that the pilots were relying entirely on the engines to maneuver the aircraft.
Various reports indicate that Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 lost hydraulic controls following an explosion near the rear of the aircraft, indicative of a small surface-to-air missile like those fired by Russia's Pantsir-S air defense system. Survivors heard an explosion and reported shrapnel flying through the Embraer 190AR.
The flight originated in Baku, Azerbaijan, on its way to Grozny in the Russian Federation's Chechnya Republic but was re-routed to Makhachkala, also in Russia, due to fog. However, the plane diverted again just before reaching Makhachkala and headed east across the Caspian Sea toward Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
Before getting to why J2-8243 turned east instead of landing, let me remind you that it's not the war crime; it's the cover-up. Russian air defenses were on heightened alert due to a Ukrainian drone attack, and some Russian air defense soldier with an itchy trigger finger seemed to have made a gruesome mistake." PJMedia
"Three senior officers of the Russian Southern Troop Grouping and five enemy vehicles were eliminated in a precision strike by the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) strike in Zaporizhzhya Oblast." NV
"Ukrainian forces have likely captured a North Korean prisoner of war in what could be the first instance of its kind, a Ukrainian news report has said, as North Korean troops were fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine.
Ukraine's special operations troops reportedly took the soldier during operations in Russia's western frontline region of Kursk." MS
"171 combat clashes between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian invaders.
In the Kharkiv sector, two Russian attacks occurred near Vovchansk and Starytsia.
In the Kupiansk sector, nine attacks by the Russian forces were recorded, with the Ukrainian defenders repelling assaults in the areas of Zapadne, Lozova, Kruhliakivka, Bohuslavka, and Nova Kruhliakivka.With air support, the Russian forces launched 25 attacks in the Lyman sector, attempting to advance near Kopanky, Cherneshchyna, Novoserhiivka, Platonivka, Zelenyi Hai, Druzheliubivka, Makiivka, Terniv, Zarichne, and Torske.
On the Siversk sector, the Russian invaders unsuccessfully tried four times to displace the Ukrainian defenders from their positions near Bilohorivka and Hryhorivka.
In the Kramatorsk sector, four assaults were made in the areas of Chasiv Yar, Stupochky, Bila Hora, and Oleksandro-Shultyne.
The enemy conducted 13 attacks in the Toretsk sector, targeting Dyliivka and Toretsk.
In the Pokrovsk sector, the Ukrainian defenders repelled 42 Russian assaults aimed at the settlements of Vozdvyzhenka, Myroliubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Zelene, Dachenske, Novyi Trud, Pishchane, Pokrovsk, Novoolenivka, Vovkove, Shevchenko, and Novotroitske.
In the Kurakhove sector, 23 Russian assaults were repelled, with the Russian forces focusing their efforts in the areas of Petropavlivka, Slovianka, Andriivka, and Kurakhove.
In the Vremivka sector, the enemy conducted 24 assaults near Yantarne, Vremivka, Kostiantynopil, Novyi Komar, and Kostiantynopilske.
In the Huliaipole sector, the Russian forces did not engage in active actions.
In the Orikhiv sector, the invaders made a failed attempt to push the Ukrainian forces from their positions near Novoandriivka.
In the Prydniprovsk sector, the Russian forces attacked three times but suffered losses and retreated.
In the Kursk sector, the Ukrainian forces repelled 20 Russian attacks, with the enemy launching 424 artillery strikes, including 30 from multiple rocket launchers, and carrying out 24 airstrikes, dropping 34 guided aerial bombs.
No signs of Russian offensive group formations were detected in the Volyn and Polissia sectors.
Along the border with Chernihiv and Sumy regions, Russians have been actively using artillery and aviation against Ukrainian settlements." Ukrin
