Europe

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Russian propagandists' laser focus on Moldova became abundantly clear during the 2024 presidential elections. The first round of voting, which coincided with a referendum on European integration, is particularly telling.

Of the 482 sources reporting on Moldova's elections during the voting and counting process, 150 Telegram channels were compromised. Their activities were directly linked to a Kremlin effort to influence the media, with state-backed sources starting disinformation campaigns and attempting to manipulate public opinion. In effect, every third source covering Moldova’s presidential elections was unreliable.

Monitoring of similar influence campaigns conducted by the Institute for Conflict Studies and Analysis of Russia (ICAR) throughout 2024–2025 reveals that compromised and Kremlin-affiliated sources covering Moldova's elections appeared at twice the rate of their typical usage in other political meddling operations.

Russia has compelling reasons to achieve at least a slowdown in Moldova's ascension into the EU, and, if Russia succeeds in installing a puppet parliament, to begin implementing the "Georgian scenario." While the Russians are struggling to create a puppet state like Belarus out of Ukraine, dividing and destabilising Moldova like Russia did with Georgia remains entirely feasible.

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Archived version

Russia is escalating the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces, the Netherlands Military Intelligence (MIVD) reported on July 4.

Russian troops use banned chemical agents as psychological warfare to panic Ukrainian forces, forcing soldiers from dugouts and trenches with gas grenades dropped by drones, making them easy targets for subsequent drone or artillery attacks.

According to MIVD report, it was previously known that Russia usesd tear gas, but now intelligence has confirmed the use of chloropicrin — a substance that can kill in high concentrations in enclosed spaces.

Use of of chloropicrin, banned under international law, was discovered by the Netherlands Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) and General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) together with the German foreign intelligence service BND.

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Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans, who announced the news to the Dutch parliament, called the situation "absolutely unacceptable," calling for "more sanctions, isolation of Russia and unwavering military support for Ukraine."

"We are making this public now because Russia's use of chemical weapons must not become normalized," Brekelmans said. "If the threshold for using this type of weapon is lowered, it is dangerous not only for Ukraine but also for the rest of Europe and the world."

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia has conducted over 9,000 chemical attacks. At least three Ukrainian soldiers have died directly from exposure to toxic substances, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3410771

Archived version

Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers has begun avoiding the English Channel, steering clear of high-risk zones and traditional shipping routes, according to maritime analysts at Starboard Maritime Intelligence, who spoke to the All Exclusive project.

For over a month now, Russia-linked tankers have been diverting around the Channel via the west of Ireland, Starboard analyst Mark Douglas told All Exclusive. The only known exceptions were the tankers Selva and Sierra, which passed through the waterway in late June — accompanied at the time by the Russian Navy’s Boikiy corvette, a Steregushchiy-class warship. Both tankers are under UK sanctions, while Sierra is also sanctioned by the European Union.

At least three tankers — Marathon, Ma Jin, and Tiburon — have since altered their routes.

• The Marathon, loaded with crude oil, left the Baltic Sea and sailed around the UK, bypassing the Channel and the WETREP reporting area, where ships are obligated to broadcast their location. As previously reported by The Insider, the Marathon is unregistered. In June, it passed through Estonian waters at night, seemingly in an effort to avoid detention. The Danish Maritime Authority said it attempted to make contact with the vessel, but was misled by the crew, who claimed it was sailing under the flag of the Comoros Islands
• The Tiburon followed a similar path but later altered its destination to the Kola Peninsula. At one point, it turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS), complicating tracking efforts. According to Douglas, the ship had no flag at the time but has since been registered under that of Sierra Leone.
• Meanwhile, the Ma Jin has been drifting near the western entrance to the Channel for more than a week. Analysts suspect the vessel may be waiting either for Russian naval escort or reflagging. The Ma Jin is currently signaling a Panamanian flag, but it remains unclear whether this registration is legitimate.

The Sierra, which previously crossed the Channel under Russian naval escort, recently loaded cargo in the Russian port of Primorsk and is again moving through the Baltic. As of now, it appears to be traveling without military support.

A growing number of tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet now sail without valid registration — a violation that legally opens them to detention and seizure. This risk is especially high in the narrow waters of the Baltic Sea, where territorial and economic zones are strictly defined among Sweden, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, and Estonia. So far, only Estonia and Germany have attempted to detain such vessels.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3406764

The European Commission has opened a call for evidence and public consultation on a new EU Civil Society Strategy. The strategy will propose a framework for action at EU and Member State level.

The key objectives of this call for evidence and public consultation will be to recognise the crucial role of civil society in our democracies and propose actions to foster a thriving civic space. These actions will aim to strengthen meaningful engagement with and protection and support of civil society organisations working on a broad range of EU policies.

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The EU Civil Society Strategy will provide a comprehensive framework for action at EU and Member State level; It will focus on strengthening meaningful engagement and providing support to all civil society actors, whilst including specific actions to address the shrinking civic space for civil society organisations and human rights defenders active in promoting and protecting EU values.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3405265

Archived version

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Speaking to the National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) yesterday, Ministry of Defence parliamentary under-secretary Luke Pollard admitted that the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 – which can impose £1,000 fines – "does seem somewhat out of step with the modern-day risk."

However, he pointed out that forming legislation to mitigate the risk to undersea infrastructure is a balance between a civil and military approach, but this raises the question of how the government might prosecute a perpetrator of undersea cable sabotage.

"We've identified that this is an area that could be looked at again. That's why the Strategic Defence Review talked about creating a defence readiness bill, probably in a later stage, a later session of parliament," he said.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43142602

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3405027

Archived version

• Dutch military intelligence says Russia uses banned chemical weapons in Ukraine
• Evidence points to 'large-scale program' of producing and using choking agent, officials say
• Dutch defence minister urges tougher sanctions

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The Dutch intelligence findings on alleged Russian use of chloropicrin, a banned warfare agent first used by Germany during World War One, have not previously been reported.

The head of the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency (MIVD), Peter Reesink, said the conclusions followed "our own independent intelligence, so we have observed it ourselves based on our own investigations."

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The United States first accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents, in May last year.

Ukraine alleges thousands of instances of Russian chemical weapons use.

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Archive: https://archive.is/2025.07.04-044827/https://www.ft.com/content/c3223f76-3cba-40c3-b54c-8cd0cb611359

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.07.03-175155/https://www.ft.com/content/efc46178-0d2b-4236-a14c-36fc4b6ba4ea

Jeremy Corbyn has hinted he could launch a political party alongside other leftwing independent MPs in an attempt to offer “an alternative” to Labour, before the next general election.

Speaking on ITV’s Peston programme, the former Labour leader confirmed discussions were under way among the Independent Alliance group of MPs that he co-founded last year.

Asked directly whether they were preparing to form a new party, Corbyn did not rule it out. “That grouping [of independents] will come together, there will be an alternative,” he said.