The Insider in English

02/09/2024

In this week's war summary:

▪️The combat zone in Russia’s Kursk Region has been stabilized, with the Russian Armed Forces recapturing the village of Korenevo and the AFU isolating Glushkovsky District.
▪️Russia’s Ministry of Defense and pro-war journalists have compared the “heroic defense” of a women's colony in the Kursk Region to Soviet forces’ defense of Brest Fortress in the days following N**i Germany’s invasion in June 1941.
▪️The command of the Russian Armed Forces is pulling reinforcements from faraway locations, including mercenaries from Burkina Faso, to the Kursk sector.
▪️The AFU has failed to divert Russian forces from the Pokrovsk sector, and fighting continues in Selydove and elsewhere on the approaches to Pokrovsk.
▪️Ukraine withstood the largest air attack since the beginning of the full-scale war: Russia launched 127 missiles (102 downed) and 109 drones (99 downed).
▪️Ukraine has lost its first F-16 fighter jet, with the AFU Air Force commander dismissed in the aftermath.
▪️The sides organized the first exchange of prisoners since the start of Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk Region, seeing captured conscripts returned to Russia while defenders of Mariupol were returned to Ukraine.
▪️Volodymyr Zelensky announced the successful test of a Ukrainian-designed ballistic missile.

This week, Volodymyr Zelensky

30/08/2024

Pavel Durov has been released under judicial supervision in France, but the billionaire founder of the Telegram still faces charges that could lead to years of imprisonment.
His issues with the authorities arose at a critical time for Telegram, as the platform's user base approaches one billion and the TON coin associated with Durov enters the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
Yet despite its growth, Telegram has yet to break even, and the legal proceedings in France threaten to derail Durov's plans to raise new funds, posing a serious risk to the future of his projects.

Pavel Durov has been released under judicial supervision in France, but the billionaire founder of the Telegram messaging app still faces charges that could lead to years of imprisonment. His issues with the authorities arose at a critical time for Telegram, as the platform's user base approaches on...

29/08/2024

⚡️Putin's oligarchs continue to maintain their business jets without difficulty, sourcing everything they need from the West.

While Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, is cannibalizing its fleet for spare parts in order to compensate for the shortage caused by international sanctions, Vladimir Putin's oligarchs continue to maintain their business jets without difficulty, sourcing everything they need from the West.

27/08/2024

"The war started...nobody gave us any notice": The Insider reports from the Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha

Locals share their thoughts amid Ukraine's ongoing incursion.

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Dozens of people are now living in a basement in a town near Sudzha — a district center in Russia’s Kursk Region. The basement’s residents claim they had lit...

27/08/2024

On Aug. 24, Ukraine celebrated its most important state holiday: Independence Day. Contrary to false claims made by Russian propagandists, the country obtained sovereignty against Moscow’s will, and the ongoing war is just one of the stages in Ukraine's century-long struggle for statehood.

24/08/2024

“I wish everyone in the Kremlin would drop dead”: Testimonies from war-torn Kursk Oblast, where locals have been left to their own devices

For the first time since World War II, parts of Russia’s Kursk Oblast have fallen under the control of foreign armed forces. Locals feel abandoned by their government, and even the most loyal are losing faith in the regime, notes The Insider's correspondent, who has visited the city of Kursk and t...

23/08/2024

Poor man’s lend-lease: Russia continues to import U.S. microchips needed for missile navigation and Internet censorship despite sanctions

Despite international sanctions, Russia continues to import unique microchips essential for missile and drone navigation, internet content filtering, and facial recognition. These semiconductor devices, called FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), are produced mainly by the U.S. firms Intel and Ad...

21/08/2024

❗️Army deserter confirms new harrowing details of Russia's war in Ukraine to The Insider

"Sergey" reveals how Russian commanders execute those who refuse to fight — and how weapons are smuggled off the battlefield in body bags.

Full confession below ⬇️

Sergey (name changed), a Russian deserter, was tricked into signing a contract and, without any preparation, sent straight to the Ukrainian front lines. Afte...

19/08/2024

The upcoming winter in Ukraine is expected to be even tougher than the last one. Russia has shifted its tactics, targeting not only electricity grids but also power generating facilities. Over the past six months, Ukraine’s largest energy holding company, DTEK, has seen 90% of its thermal power plant capacity destroyed or damaged. The country as a whole is now producing barely a third as much electricity as it did the year before Russia’s full-scale invasion. Electricity is already being rationed, and as winter sets in, keeping the lights on will become a top concern. Some of the damaged infrastructure might be restored by then, and some energy will be imported from Europe, but it won't be enough. In the worst-case scenario, Ukrainians may only have electricity for four hours a day during the winter.
The government remains hopeful that better case scenarios are still possible, but authorities in Kyiv are still urging people and businesses to “rely on themselves.”
And while the government has eased import regulations on generators and is subsidizing solar panel purchases, many Ukrainians simply cannot afford such items.

The upcoming winter in Ukraine is expected to be even tougher than the last one. Russia has shifted its tactics, targeting not only electricity grids but also power generating facilities. Over the past six months, Ukraine’s largest energy holding company, DTEK, has seen 90% of its thermal power pl...

17/08/2024

❗"We lost territory while they sent Moscow encouraging news": Russian official blasts superiors in leaked call amid Ukraine's Kursk offensive

An epic rant from a Kursk Oblast municipal official details the chaos after Ukraine's incursion on Aug. 6.

It was an epic rant against corrupt and incompetent officials worthy of Gogol or perhaps even Servant of the People, Volodymyr Zelensky’s career-making satire about a schoolteacher who becomes president by angrily telling the truth about the state of his nation in a classroom video that goes viral...

16/08/2024

For more than a week, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have held control over a sizable section of Russia’s Kursk Region — and have gradually expanded the zone of hostilities. Estimates suggest Ukrainian forces have seized between 500 and 1,100 square kilometers (193 to 425 square miles) of territory, capturing hundreds of Russian prisoners in the process. The AFU offensive crossed a so-called “red line” concerning the use of Western military equipment on internationally recognized Russian territory, challenging the belief that the mere possession of nuclear weapons ensures a country’s protection from ground-based military operations. But what are the ultimate goals of Ukraine's Kursk offensive?
Kyiv, thus far, has not announced its objectives. The Insider explores the possibilities.

For more than a week, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have held control over a sizable section of Russia’s Kursk Region — and have gradually expanded the zone of hostilities. Estimates suggest Ukrainian forces have seized between 500 and 1,100 square kilometers (193 to 425 square miles) of ter...

14/08/2024

The creation of puppet “people's republics” with the goal of annexing them to Russia—like Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the so-called “LDNR”—isn't a new tactic from Putin. In his book “Playing Revolution: Iran's Kremlin Agents”, published by Freedom Letters, Mikhail Krutikhin details how the USSR secretly manipulated Iran for decades, leading to the collapse of leftist and secular forces. After the Shah was overthrown, these forces couldn't stand up to the Islamic ayatollahs.
One dramatic episode Krutikhin highlights is Stalin's post-war attempt to establish a “Soviet republic” in Iranian Azerbaijan and detach it from Iran.
The Insider offers a chapter from this book.

The creation of puppet “people's republics” with the goal of annexing them to Russia—like Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the so-called “LDNR”—isn't a new tactic from Putin. In his book “Playing Revolution: Iran's Kremlin Agents”, published by Freedom Letters, Mikhail Krutikhin details ...

14/08/2024

Belgium is set to decide on the extradition of Sitoramo Ibrohimova, a Tajik refugee, amid fears she could face the same fate as her sister, Nigora Saidova, who was deported on fabricated terrorism charges and sentenced to eight years in a notorious prison. Poland often denies refugee status to Tajiks over alleged terrorism links. Critics argue Tajik President Emomali Rahmon exploits ISIS fears to secure the extradition of political dissidents. The Insider’s investigation reveals - European authorities often overlook case details, leading to wrongful extraditions and subsequent torture of the deported individuals.

Belgian authorities are expected to make a decision soon regarding the extradition of Sitoramo Ibrohimova, a refugee from Tajikistan. There is growing concern that she may face the same fate as her sister, 27-year-old Nigora Saidova, who was deported to Tajikistan along with her seven-month-old daug...

13/08/2024

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwest China has gained global notoriety due to numerous reports about its archipelago of re-education camps, facilities where hundreds of thousands of local residents have been incarcerated. Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other ethnic minorities were put there for having any connection whatsoever to Islam. In these camps, prisoners were forced to learn Mandarin Chinese, renounce their religion, praise the Communist Party, and engage in forced labor.
Those who resisted faced threats of repression and torture. In recent years, however, the situation has taken an unexpected turn: inspection checkpoints have largely vanished, police patrols are no longer visible, and tourism in the region is rapidly developing.
Yet behind this facade lies a harsh reality: thousands of people remain imprisoned, and the total surveillance of the Uyghurs continues, albeit in a new form

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwest China has gained global notoriety due to numerous reports about its archipelago of re-education camps, facilities where hundreds of thousands of local residents have been incarcerated. Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other ethnic minorities were put th...

09/08/2024

For the first time in forty years, Russians will not be able to watch the Olympics on television. Only 15 athletes from Russia and 17 from Belarus have arrived at the world's premier sporting event, all competing as “individual neutral athletes,” a status unprecedented in such competitions. This situation stems not only from Russia's invasion of Ukraine but also from a series of doping scandals that began after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Over the past decade, Russia has, through its own actions, lost one of Putin’s most effective tools in international relations — the use of sport as an instrument of soft power. The Insider provides a brief chronology of the decline.

For the first time in forty years, Russians will not be able to watch the Olympics on television. Only 15 athletes from Russia and 17 from Belarus have arrived at the world's premier sporting event, all competing as “individual neutral athletes,” a status unprecedented in such competitions. This...

09/08/2024

Russian propagandists are once again threatening Europeans with the “death of civilization,” and for the first time, Vladimir Putin is backing up his traditional nuclear saber rattling with actual exercises of non-strategic nuclear forces.
Putin has also suggested that Europe would struggle to counter any hypothetical Russian aggression without U.S. support, a possibility Europeans themselves have begun to take seriously.
Still, even if Donald Trump were to win the upcoming U.S. election and the new president really did take the step of withdrawing America’s security guarantees to European NATO members, the continent retains significant nuclear capabilities of its own — and is already preparing for a potential future without American backing.

Russian propagandists are once again threatening Europeans with the “death of civilization,” and for the first time, Vladimir Putin is backing up his traditional nuclear saber rattling with actual exercises of non-strategic nuclear forces. Putin has also suggested that Europe would struggle to c...

08/08/2024

Contrary to the popular idea that re-export through Asia has rendered sanctions against Russia ineffective, the statistics paint a less rosy picture for the Kremlin.
Approximately 500 companies, primarily from China, the UAE, and Turkey, have been targeted by U.S. secondary sanctions, impacting trade. Imports from Turkey have dropped nearly 30% in six months, and about 80% of payments in yuan are being returned.
Although Asian politicians assure the Kremlin of friendship and partnership, private businesses are increasingly avoiding risks.
While sanctions do not completely isolate Russia internationally, they significantly hinder its purchase of investment equipment and dual-use goods, leading to economic degradation.

Contrary to the popular idea that re-export through Asia has rendered sanctions against Russia ineffective, the statistics paint a less rosy picture for the Kremlin. Approximately 500 companies, primarily from China, the UAE, and Turkey, have been targeted by U.S. secondary sanctions, impacting trad...

06/08/2024

🎥 Russophiles no more: Odesa after Russia's invasion

Before Feb. 24, 2022, many in Odesa harbored pro-Russian sentiments due to Kremlin propaganda. But Russia's attack on Ukraine quickly changed Odesa’s loyalties.

Watch The Insider’s report 👇 to see how.

Before February 24, 2022, an appreciable percentage of Odesa’s residents not-so-secretly harbored pro-Russian sentiments. The Insider carried out a series of...

01/08/2024

⚡️Russia has completed a prisoner exchange with the U.S. and Germany. According to data available to The Insider, the released political prisoners include Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Paul Whelan, Ilya Yashin, Alsu Kurmasheva, Andrei Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Alexandra Skochilenko, Lilia Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Rico Krieger, Kevin Lik, Demuri Voronin, Vadim Ostanin, Patrick Schobel, and and Herman Moyzhes. In return, Russia has received FSB operative Vadim Krasikov, along with multiple spies and fraudsters.

Russia has completed a prisoner exchange with the U.S. and Germany. According to data available to The Insider, the released political prisoners include Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Paul Whelan, Ilya Yashin, Alsu Kurmasheva, Andrei Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Alexandra Skochilenko, Lilia Chanys...

25/07/2024

‼️ Michelin Red Star: The Insider reveals identity of arrested Russian chef-agent who planned “destabilizing” acts at Paris Olympic Games

Kirill Griaznov’s plot was foiled after he blabbed about his Kremlin ties while drunk in Bulgaria.

A Russian lawyer-turned-chef who once appeared on a dating show back in his homeland was directed by the Kremlin’s intelligence services to stage “large-scale” acts of “destabilization” at the opening of the Olympics Games in France on July 26, The Insider has learned. The Insider can conf...

18/07/2024

“Ukraine’s membership in NATO remains as distant as it was before the summit. ‘Irreversibility’ doesn’t really change anything. Biden’s administration isn’t keen on bringing Ukraine in, and you can only imagine how Trump’s administration might look at the issue. The Europeans also have their concerns, so for me this is all very disappointing. There’s a Western commitment to restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and giving it everything it needs to succeed, but this rhetoric isn’t matched by deeds. And the summit hasn’t changed anything in this regard. Unfortunately, the West isn’t approaching this with the necessary degree of urgency.”

Five sources close to the American and Ukrainian delegations spoke with The Insider about what really happened in Washington.

Last week’s NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., brought together high-level delegations from all 32 member states. Aspiring alliance member Ukraine was also represented, with President Volodymyr Zelensky and several top aides and officials making the trip from Kyiv. In the end, the Summit communique ...

04/07/2024

‼️ "Morality and ethics should play no part": Leaks reveal how Russia's foreign intelligence agency runs disinformation campaigns in the West.

A new investigation by The Insider sheds light on the mechanics of Russia's "information warfare" with the West.

The secret operation was codenamed “Project Kylo,” perhaps in reference to the antiquated Russian word for “pick-axe,” or an allusion to the Dark Side warrior from the Star Wars sequels determined to rule the galaxy

04/07/2024

The Insider reviewed GDP forecasts for Russia and the world from the World Bank, IMF, Russian Central Bank, and Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, finding them to be no more accurate — and sometimes less — than simply extrapolating average growth from the trend seen in recent years.
This inaccuracy is the result of the fact that the economy of a country is influenced by numerous impossible to model variables — and of course, any framework for foretelling the future must make due with imperfect data while attempting to overcome the subjective biases of forecasters’ themselves.

Despite sanctions, the World Bank’s June forecast predicts that the Russian economy will grow by 2.9% in 2024, a figure in line with the Bank of Russia’s own expectation. However, these optimistic predictions are no more reliable than horoscopes or card readings. The Insider reviewed GDP forecas...

04/07/2024

Chameleon complex: Europe's far right is mimicking the fight for stability and justice — and it's working

Political analyst dissects the factors behind the far right's recent electoral success across Europe.

Last week in France, the far-right National Rally won the first round of parliamentary elections, taking 33% of the vote. On the European continent as a whole, fears of a rightward drift were confirmed by the results of June’s elections to the European Parliament. Many European voters, unaccustome...

27/05/2024

Alexey Zolotarev, whose scrap metal disposal company Translom enjoys an exclusive contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, has been revealed to be a citizen of the European Union. Investigative reporting by The Insider’s Sergei Ezhov has uncovered that Zolotarev holds a Maltese passport — while his wife owns a luxury villa on the Côte d'Azur in France.

In Russia, Zolotarev's connections to oligarchs Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, along with other figures close to President Putin, have reportedly facilitated his company's billion-ruble earnings from weapons disposal. And yet, Zolotarev has not been included on any sanctions list in the West.

Alexey Zolotarev, whose scrap metal disposal company Translom enjoys an exclusive contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, has been revealed to be a citizen of the European Union. Investigative reporting by The Insider’s Sergei Ezhov has uncovered that Zolotarev holds a Maltese passport — ...

23/05/2024

Accused of working with the Russian security services, Latvian MEP Tatjana Ždanoka mockingly donned sunglasses at a press conference — as if in a spy movie.
The accusations won’t be laughed off that easily: Re:Baltica has obtained almost 19,000 of Ždanoka's e-mails detailing how she served the Kremlin.

Accused of working with the Russian security services, Latvian MEP Tatjana Ždanoka mockingly donned sunglasses at a press conference — as if in a spy movie. The accusations won’t be laughed off that easily: Re:Baltica has obtained almost 19,000 of Ždanoka's e-mails detailing how she served the...

15/05/2024

The recent reshuffling of the Russian government and presidential administration represent qualitative changes to Vladimir Putin's aging regime.
The losers were those directly responsible for the preparation and ex*****on of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Putin's new government is weighted much more clearly in favor of the clans that formed under his rule.
According to Alexei Levchenko, editor of The Insider, the rise of the “princelings” — relatives of Putin and his closest associates — suggests that the government is preparing for a new stage in the transition of power.

The recent reshuffling of the Russian government and presidential administration represent qualitative changes to Vladimir Putin's aging regime. The losers were those directly responsible for the preparation and ex*****on of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Putin's new government is weighted m...

15/05/2024

On May 7, Vladimir Putin was "inaugurated" for the fifth time as President of Russia. The European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) both passed resolutions urging states not to recognize him, labeling the election "illegitimate and undemocratic." They called on EU member states and the international community not to acknowledge the results, which showed Putin winning with 87% of the vote.

Human rights lawyer Sergei Golubok notes that Western nations have various options to underscore the Russian leader's illegitimacy, though countries seldom fully isolate such regimes.

On May 7, Vladimir Putin was “inaugurated” as President of Russia — for the fifth time — in Moscow’s Grand Kremlin Palace. The European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) both adopted resolutions urging states not to recognize Putin as the legitimate ...

14/05/2024

⚡️The Insider has discovered that Austrian weapons continue to flow to Russia despite EU sanctions and Austria's stance of neutrality, which Vienna uses to justify its refusal to officially supply weapons to Ukraine.

During the two-plus years of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has imported at least 169 Austrian-made Steyr Mannlicher rifles and pistols. These weapons are actively being used by the Russian military in the war. The Insider has discovered that 11 sniper rifles were delivered to Russian co...

13/05/2024

🫡”Putin's loyal soldier”: What we know about Russia’s new Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov

With Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine already well into its third year, recently “re-elected” Russian president Vladimir Putin has initiated a partial reshuffling of his cabinet