The commander of the Estonian Armed Forces, General Martin Herem, has suggested that Western countries discuss and prepare for a possible blockade of the Russian Federation in the Baltic Sea. According to Herem, Estonia has the necessary means to achieve this goal, the Melitarny portal writes.

Herem pointed out that such a scenario is possible in the event of a Russian attack on any of the Baltic states and called on Poland, Sweden and Finland to take it seriously.

He pointed out that Estonia has mines and anti-ship missiles for a possible blockade of the Russian fleet.

The general explained that in the event of a Russian attack on the Baltics, it would be too late to think about defence; at the same time, the steps taken in advance would allow allies to provide air support to the Baltics.

It should be noted that Estonia is preparing for a possible attack from Russia. The country has strengthened its ground defence and modernised both anti-tank and anti-aircraft capabilities. Procurement of large calibre ammunition has begun. In the next two years, the country will put into service additional self-propelled howitzers, armoured personnel carriers, medium-range air defence and multiple rocket launchers.

We would like to add that many analysts believe that in the event of a victory in Ukraine, Russia may move on the Baltic states, as the Kremlin is paranoid about restoring the USSR to the borders in which it previously existed.

European intelligence agencies issued a major warning and accused Russia of “plotting violent” acts of sabotage across the continent as the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate.

The intelligence agencies have warned their governments that Russia has already begun to more actively prepare covert bombings, arson attacks and damage to infrastructure on European soil, directly and via proxies. The Intelligence officials warned that the Russian forces have little to no regard for civilian lives while conducting such operations. Advertisement

According to The Financial Times (link behind paywall), the problematic assessment was conducted by the intelligence officials of three European nations. “We assess the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be significantly increased,” said Thomas Haldenwang, head of German domestic intelligence.

“Russia now seems comfortable carrying out operations on European soil [with] a high potential for damage,” he said at a European security conference last month.

Examples of Russian sabotage

The proclamation from Haldenwang came just days after two German-Russian nationals were arrested in Bayreuth, Bavaria. They were arrested by the German police for allegedly plotting to attack military and logistics sites in Germany on behalf of the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, two men were charged with having started a fire at a warehouse containing aid shipments for Ukraine, last month. Following the arrest the prosecutors accused them of working for the Russian government.

In Sweden, security services are investigating a series of railway derailment incidents and in Estonia, the country’s Internal Security Service said that the attack on the interior minister’s car in February, this year, was allegedly perpetrated by Russian intelligence operatives

Not only this, Russia was also accused of attempting to destroy the signalling systems on Czech railways by the European nation’s transportation minister, The Financial Times reported.

“The obvious conclusion is that there has been a real stepping up of Russian activity,” said Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, the think-tank.

“One cannot tell if that’s a reflection of the fact that the Russians are throwing more resources at it; whether they are being more sloppy and getting caught; or whether western counter-intelligence has simply become better at detecting and stopping it,” he added.

NATO gets involved

One senior European government official said that the information about Russia’s malicious activities was being shared through Nato security services.

“The time had come to raise awareness and focus” about the threat of Russian violence on European soil,” he added. In light of this, NATO issued a statement on Thursday expressing its deep concern about growing “malign activities on allied territory” by Russia, and also citing what it said was an “intensifying campaign . . . across the Euro-Atlantic area”.

On Friday, Germany vowed consequences for Moscow — in a statement which was backed by EU and NATO over 2023 hacking attacks on the social democratic party of the county’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

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Initially, the company will produce the Jtilep JT40 UAV, designed for agricultural use such as spraying fertilizers over crops. However, media reports highlight that the drones can also be deployed for surveillance of various facilities and patrol duties. Moreover, the Jtilep JT40 can carry payloads of up to 60 kg. The intended selling price for the drones is 2.9 million rubles ($31,624).

Preliminary reports suggest the facility will produce 20 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) per month, reports the Russian news outlets CNews.

Crowds of protesters have been braving tear gas and water canons after more than two weeks of protest against the Georgian government’s draft law targeting civil society.

The new law would require non-profit entities (NGOs and media outlets) receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “organisations pursuing the interest of a foreign influence”, with tough penalties for noncompliance of up to $9,000.

Mass demonstrations last year forced the government to withdraw a similar bill. This second attempt has given renewed energy to thousands of young people, from school pupils to university students, swelling a tide of discontent.

They believe their government has fallen under the influence of the Kremlin and is sabotaging their dreams of being part of Europe. Each night, the rallies have begun with the Georgian national anthem, as well as the EU’s, Ode to Joy.

Imo a very good article outlining the contradictions that underlie EU farming policies from an outisder's perspective.

(via climate@slrpnk.net)

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Warnings of this kind occur frequently in EU trade defence cases. Indeed, for all 10 past anti-subsidy cases against China for which measures are still in place, the Commission used such “facts available” to fill in certain gaps.

The companies -BYD, SAIC and Geely- have been given the right to respond to the warning.

The Commission, which oversees trade policy in the 27-nation European Union, launched an investigation in October into whether battery electric vehicles manufactured in China were receiving distortive subsidies and warranted extra tariffs.

The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) said earlier this month that the investigation was stacked against Chinese manufacturers.

The investigation, officially launched on 4 October, can last up to 13 months. The Commission can impose provisional anti-subsidy duties nine months after the start of the probe.

The French president Emmanuel Macron’s decision to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to France has sparked anger among the Uyghur community in France. The Uyghur people consider Xi Jinping to be responsible for the genocide and persecution of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang, China. Many Western countries, including France, have denounced the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs. The French National Assembly passed a resolution in January 2022 condemning the genocide and calling on the government to do the same.

Since 2017, more than a million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim ethnic groups have been interned in “re-education camps” in China. These camps have been widely criticized for numerous human rights violations. The Chinese government claims that these facilities are vocational training centers aimed at providing skills to the residents and steering them away from extremism. However, many Uyghurs who have been released from these camps have shared stories of surveillance, discrimination, and cultural suppression.

Uyghur activists in France, such as sociologist Dilnur Reyhan and Gulbahar Haitiwaji, who spent three years in a camp, are calling for the closure of these facilities and the release of millions of Uyghurs who are still detained. They are disappointed by Macron’s decision to welcome Xi Jinping despite the human rights abuses being committed against the Uyghur people. They accuse Macron of prioritizing economic and political interests over human rights and the plight of the Uyghurs.

French President Emmanuel Macron should lay out consequences for the Chinese government’s crimes against humanity and deepening repression during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Paris, Human Rights Watch said today. Xi’s visit on May 6-7, 2024, will mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and the People’s Republic of China, and will likely focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, and trade issues.

“President Macron should make it clear to Xi Jinping that Beijing’s crimes against humanity come with consequences for China’s relations with France,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch. “France’s silence and inaction on human rights would only embolden the Chinese government’s sense of impunity for its abuses, further fueling repression at home and abroad.”

Respect for human rights has severely deteriorated under Xi Jinping’s rule. His government has committed crimes against humanity – including mass detention, forced labor, and cultural persecution – against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, adopted draconian legislation that has erased Hong Kong’s freedoms, and intensified repression of government critics across the country.

Finland's new armed forces chief said Russia was unlikely to test NATO's mutual defence clause by attacking a NATO member state in the coming years, but may well continue what he said were hybrid attacks such as jamming and election interference.

Some Western leaders, such as U.S. President Joe Biden, Germany's top military official and Denmark's defence minister, have expressed concern that Russia's longer term plans could include an attack against NATO.

"Of course testing the Article 5 is always possible, but if we take correct action and maintain unity, I consider an attack unlikely," General Janne Jaakkola said.

Jaakkola, whose job is to closely watch what Russia does behind the long border it shares with Finland, said right now Moscow was too busy preparing for its new summer offensive in Ukraine to consider an attack against NATO.

Cross posted from: https://feddit.de/post/11698910

Here is the archived link.

Cameron said Ukraine had a right to use the weapons provided by London to strike targets inside Russia, and that it was up to Kyiv whether to do so.

“Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it’s defending itself,” Cameron said.

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Pro-Russia hacktivists have been targeting and compromising small-scale Operational Technology (OT) systems in North American and European Water and Wastewater Systems (WWS), Dams, Energy, and Food and Agriculture Sectors. They aim to exploit modular, internet-exposed Industrial Control Systems (ICS), targeting software components like human machine interfaces (HMIs). The threat actors were observed using methods such as exploiting virtual network computing (VNC) remote access software and default passwords.

The malicious activity began in 2022 and is still ongoing. The government agencies urge OT operators in critical infrastructure sectors to implement a set of mitigations provided in the advisory.

The €50 million fund will mainly invest in companies operating in Estonia to alleviate excessive risks so the companies are attractive for private capital.

The detailed terms and conditions of the fund will be developed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the government plans to discuss them in July.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said this will strengthen Estonia's security and help boost the economy. The fund will help Estonian defense industry companies to develop and bring their products to the market.

"Estonia has a very highly developed technology sector, but there is a market failure in the use of this capacity to increase our national security. The state can help with seed funding here," she said, adding it will also create jobs.

"I'm not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out," said French President Emmanuel Macron when asked if he stood by comments earlier this year not excluding the sending of Western troops that sent shockwaves around Europe.

Macron said "if Russia decided to go further, we will in any case all have to ask ourselves this question" of sending troops, describing his refusal to rule out such a move as a "strategic wake-up call for my counterparts".

He described Russia as "a power of regional destabilisation" and "a threat to Europeans' security".

The company made a net loss of 629bn roubles (£5.5bn) in 2023 amid dwindling gas trade with Europe, once Gazprom’s main sales market, as a result of sanctions and the throttling of pipelines to the continent.

Cross posted from: https://feddit.de/post/11647457

The timing of the announcement on the Rwanda scheme, which is estimated to cost more than £500m over five years, has prompted scorn Labour.

A party source said: “Is there any more blatant sign that [former immigration minister Robert] Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?

“The core substance though hasn’t changed. This is a tiny scheme at an extortionate cost and the criminal gangs will see through this con.”

Downing Street categorically denied this. The prime minister’s press secretary said: “From our part there isn’t really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs.

[Edit the title after the original version was edited, too.]

Belgium reportedly denied Ahmed Alhashimi asylum by arguing that Basra, his hometown in Iraq, was classified as a safe area. He said his children spent the last seven years staying with a relative in Sweden, but that he was recently informed that they would be deported, with him, to Iraq.

"If I knew there was a 1% chance that I could keep the kids in Belgium or France or Sweden or Finland I would keep them there. All I wanted was for my kids to go to school. I didn't want any assistance. My wife and I can work. I just wanted to protect them and their childhoods and their dignity," he continued.

Eva Jonsson, Sara's teacher in Uddevalla, Sweden, described the seven-year-old as "kind and nice".

"She had a lot of friends in the school. They played together all the time… In February we heard she would be deported and that it would happen quickly. We had two days' notice," she said.

After learning of her death, the class gathered in a circle and held a minute's silence.

"It's very unfortunate that it happens to such a nice family. I have taught [other] children in that family, and I was really shocked about the deportation," said the teacher.

"We have Sara's picture in front of us still, and we will keep it there as long as the children want."