randomname

joined 3 weeks ago
 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2035557

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called on the European Union to confiscate the assets of the Russian Central Bank, which are frozen due to sanctions, to finance future financial support for Ukraine.

So far, the bloc has only used the extraordinary revenues of the assets held in its territory, estimated to be worth €210 billion, to deliver financial and military assistance to the war-torn nation. The option of asset confiscation remains a slippery slope, however, because the money is considered Russia's sovereign property and is therefore protected by international law.

"Enough talking, it's time to act" Donald Tusk posted on X on Thursday. "Let's finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets."

Tusk's bold idea comes amid heightened fears that US President Donald Trump, who is currently immersed in a bitter feud with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, might soon cut all assistance for Kyiv, leaving it vulnerable to Russia's aggression.

Trump shocked allies when he put the blame for the invasion on Ukraine and described Zelenskyy as a "dictator without elections," echoing Kremlin propaganda.

[...]

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2035557

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called on the European Union to confiscate the assets of the Russian Central Bank, which are frozen due to sanctions, to finance future financial support for Ukraine.

So far, the bloc has only used the extraordinary revenues of the assets held in its territory, estimated to be worth €210 billion, to deliver financial and military assistance to the war-torn nation. The option of asset confiscation remains a slippery slope, however, because the money is considered Russia's sovereign property and is therefore protected by international law.

"Enough talking, it's time to act" Donald Tusk posted on X on Thursday. "Let's finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets."

Tusk's bold idea comes amid heightened fears that US President Donald Trump, who is currently immersed in a bitter feud with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, might soon cut all assistance for Kyiv, leaving it vulnerable to Russia's aggression.

Trump shocked allies when he put the blame for the invasion on Ukraine and described Zelenskyy as a "dictator without elections," echoing Kremlin propaganda.

[...]

 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called on the European Union to confiscate the assets of the Russian Central Bank, which are frozen due to sanctions, to finance future financial support for Ukraine.

So far, the bloc has only used the extraordinary revenues of the assets held in its territory, estimated to be worth €210 billion, to deliver financial and military assistance to the war-torn nation. The option of asset confiscation remains a slippery slope, however, because the money is considered Russia's sovereign property and is therefore protected by international law.

"Enough talking, it's time to act" Donald Tusk posted on X on Thursday. "Let's finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets."

Tusk's bold idea comes amid heightened fears that US President Donald Trump, who is currently immersed in a bitter feud with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, might soon cut all assistance for Kyiv, leaving it vulnerable to Russia's aggression.

Trump shocked allies when he put the blame for the invasion on Ukraine and described Zelenskyy as a "dictator without elections," echoing Kremlin propaganda.

[...]

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2035432

Archived

In the three years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 20,000 people in Russia have been detained for their anti-war stance, according to figures released by the independent human rights organization OVD-Info.

In 2022 alone, over 18,900 people were detained during public anti-war protests against military actions and mobilization — the mass conscription of men into Russia’s armed forces announced by Vladimir Putin in September that year.

In 2023, Russian security forces detained an additional 274 individuals, followed by 41 more in 2024. Over the same period, there were 856 instances of detentions linked to the public display of anti-war symbols.

Some Russians have been detained multiple times. These include 79-year-old St. Petersburg artist Elena Osipova, who has repeatedly staged solo protests against the war in her hometown.

In certain cases, activists have faced additional pressure from the state following their detention. For example, at the end of 2023, officers from the Center for Combating Extremism (also known as Center “E”) detained activist Dmitry Kuzmin, who had already been expelled twice from university for his anti-war stance. After his arrest, police attempted to serve him a military draft notice while he was in custody at the police station.

[...]

 

Archived

In the three years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 20,000 people in Russia have been detained for their anti-war stance, according to figures released by the independent human rights organization OVD-Info.

In 2022 alone, over 18,900 people were detained during public anti-war protests against military actions and mobilization — the mass conscription of men into Russia’s armed forces announced by Vladimir Putin in September that year.

In 2023, Russian security forces detained an additional 274 individuals, followed by 41 more in 2024. Over the same period, there were 856 instances of detentions linked to the public display of anti-war symbols.

Some Russians have been detained multiple times. These include 79-year-old St. Petersburg artist Elena Osipova, who has repeatedly staged solo protests against the war in her hometown.

In certain cases, activists have faced additional pressure from the state following their detention. For example, at the end of 2023, officers from the Center for Combating Extremism (also known as Center “E”) detained activist Dmitry Kuzmin, who had already been expelled twice from university for his anti-war stance. After his arrest, police attempted to serve him a military draft notice while he was in custody at the police station.

[...]

 

Archived

[Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference on Feb. 23 that it was "dangerous" that members of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's team are spreading disinformation about the rationale for the start of the war to members of U.S. President Donald Trump's orbit.

"I know that there are people from this Hungarian leader who have contact with people in President Trump's orbit, and are constantly raising questions... in regards to not expanding NATO into eastern Europe," Zelensky said, criticizing Kremlin talking points that NATO was at fault for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Orban, known for his close ties with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, has openly criticized EU aid for Ukraine and obstructed sanctions against Moscow.

Hungarian government insiders revealed that Trump sought Orban’s opinion on strategies to end the Ukraine war multiple times after Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election.

In February 2024, Orban said that Ukraine should be left as a "buffer zone" between Russia and the West, with allies giving the country security guarantees but not accepting it into the EU or NATO.

Trump has himself previously criticized former President Joe Biden for provoking Russia’s invasion, claiming Ukraine’s potential NATO membership had long been a significant concern for Moscow. "I could understand their feelings," he said, referring to the country that launched the deadliest war in Europe since World War II.

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2035145

Safeguard Defenders [a NGO focused on human rights in China] is releasing its new handbook ‘Missing in China’ today in response to the growing number of foreign citizens arbitrarily detained in the authoritarian country.

The handbook is a combination of the organization’s extensive research in China’s repressive judicial system and the first-hand experiences of former detainees and their families. It offers readers with crucial insights and practical advice to deal with the detention of a loved one in China and aims to help them become the best possible advocates for their family member.

‘Missing in China’ is available to download here in English, Chinese and Japanese.

It includes information on what to expect from China’s law enforcement and judicial processes, how to retain a lawyer, how your country and consular services can assist, ways to engage with media and other possible allies, as well as other practical information.

While the majority of detentions of foreigners in China go unreported, some of the names that have made the news since 2018 include American Jeff Harper (2020); Australians Yang Hengjun (2019 to present) and Cheng Lei (2020 to 2023); Briton Ian Stones (likely 2018 to 2024); Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor (2018 to 2021); and Japanese Iwatani Nobu (2019).

In recent years, China has amended its counter-espionage and state secrets laws, markedly expanding both the scope of activities considered illegal and the ambiguity surrounding their interpretation. China has used these laws to target more than a dozen Japanese nationals and, for the first time last year, a South Korean worker in the country.

The authoritarian practice of using foreign citizens as bargaining chips in international relations became of such concern that Canada launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations on 15 February 2021. As of February 2025, 80 countries have signed on to the Declaration.

Yet, at the same time, those same nations often fail to provide adequate warnings to their citizens. While China was clearly on their minds when the Declaration against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations was drafted, most of the signatory country’s travel advisories do not reflect such a risk assessment.

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2035145

Safeguard Defenders [a NGO focused on human rights in China] is releasing its new handbook ‘Missing in China’ today in response to the growing number of foreign citizens arbitrarily detained in the authoritarian country.

The handbook is a combination of the organization’s extensive research in China’s repressive judicial system and the first-hand experiences of former detainees and their families. It offers readers with crucial insights and practical advice to deal with the detention of a loved one in China and aims to help them become the best possible advocates for their family member.

‘Missing in China’ is available to download here in English, Chinese and Japanese.

It includes information on what to expect from China’s law enforcement and judicial processes, how to retain a lawyer, how your country and consular services can assist, ways to engage with media and other possible allies, as well as other practical information.

While the majority of detentions of foreigners in China go unreported, some of the names that have made the news since 2018 include American Jeff Harper (2020); Australians Yang Hengjun (2019 to present) and Cheng Lei (2020 to 2023); Briton Ian Stones (likely 2018 to 2024); Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor (2018 to 2021); and Japanese Iwatani Nobu (2019).

In recent years, China has amended its counter-espionage and state secrets laws, markedly expanding both the scope of activities considered illegal and the ambiguity surrounding their interpretation. China has used these laws to target more than a dozen Japanese nationals and, for the first time last year, a South Korean worker in the country.

The authoritarian practice of using foreign citizens as bargaining chips in international relations became of such concern that Canada launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations on 15 February 2021. As of February 2025, 80 countries have signed on to the Declaration.

Yet, at the same time, those same nations often fail to provide adequate warnings to their citizens. While China was clearly on their minds when the Declaration against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations was drafted, most of the signatory country’s travel advisories do not reflect such a risk assessment.

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2035145

Safeguard Defenders [a NGO focused on human rights in China] is releasing its new handbook ‘Missing in China’ today in response to the growing number of foreign citizens arbitrarily detained in the authoritarian country.

The handbook is a combination of the organization’s extensive research in China’s repressive judicial system and the first-hand experiences of former detainees and their families. It offers readers with crucial insights and practical advice to deal with the detention of a loved one in China and aims to help them become the best possible advocates for their family member.

‘Missing in China’ is available to download here in English, Chinese and Japanese.

It includes information on what to expect from China’s law enforcement and judicial processes, how to retain a lawyer, how your country and consular services can assist, ways to engage with media and other possible allies, as well as other practical information.

While the majority of detentions of foreigners in China go unreported, some of the names that have made the news since 2018 include American Jeff Harper (2020); Australians Yang Hengjun (2019 to present) and Cheng Lei (2020 to 2023); Briton Ian Stones (likely 2018 to 2024); Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor (2018 to 2021); and Japanese Iwatani Nobu (2019).

In recent years, China has amended its counter-espionage and state secrets laws, markedly expanding both the scope of activities considered illegal and the ambiguity surrounding their interpretation. China has used these laws to target more than a dozen Japanese nationals and, for the first time last year, a South Korean worker in the country.

The authoritarian practice of using foreign citizens as bargaining chips in international relations became of such concern that Canada launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations on 15 February 2021. As of February 2025, 80 countries have signed on to the Declaration.

Yet, at the same time, those same nations often fail to provide adequate warnings to their citizens. While China was clearly on their minds when the Declaration against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations was drafted, most of the signatory country’s travel advisories do not reflect such a risk assessment.

 

Safeguard Defenders [a NGO focused on human rights in China] is releasing its new handbook ‘Missing in China’ today in response to the growing number of foreign citizens arbitrarily detained in the authoritarian country.

The handbook is a combination of the organization’s extensive research in China’s repressive judicial system and the first-hand experiences of former detainees and their families. It offers readers with crucial insights and practical advice to deal with the detention of a loved one in China and aims to help them become the best possible advocates for their family member.

‘Missing in China’ is available to download here in English, Chinese and Japanese.

It includes information on what to expect from China’s law enforcement and judicial processes, how to retain a lawyer, how your country and consular services can assist, ways to engage with media and other possible allies, as well as other practical information.

While the majority of detentions of foreigners in China go unreported, some of the names that have made the news since 2018 include American Jeff Harper (2020); Australians Yang Hengjun (2019 to present) and Cheng Lei (2020 to 2023); Briton Ian Stones (likely 2018 to 2024); Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor (2018 to 2021); and Japanese Iwatani Nobu (2019).

In recent years, China has amended its counter-espionage and state secrets laws, markedly expanding both the scope of activities considered illegal and the ambiguity surrounding their interpretation. China has used these laws to target more than a dozen Japanese nationals and, for the first time last year, a South Korean worker in the country.

The authoritarian practice of using foreign citizens as bargaining chips in international relations became of such concern that Canada launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations on 15 February 2021. As of February 2025, 80 countries have signed on to the Declaration.

Yet, at the same time, those same nations often fail to provide adequate warnings to their citizens. While China was clearly on their minds when the Declaration against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations was drafted, most of the signatory country’s travel advisories do not reflect such a risk assessment.

 

[...]

In both nations, anger had been building for years until the final drop in the glass caused it to burst. In Serbia, the tragic infrastructure collapse was a stark reminder that corruption will eventually claim people’s lives. In Georgia, it was the government’s declared foreign policy reversal—a shift that, if left unopposed, protesters fear, could be existentially fatal for the country.

On November 1, a canopy in front of the newly rebuilt train station in Serbia’s second-largest city, Novi Sad, collapsed, claiming 15 lives. The tragic event reignited the corruption claims on this Chinese-funded railway infrastructure project, whose details remain classified. The lack of transparency, characteristic of President Aleksandar Vučić’s administration, appears to have reached a breaking point. A few weeks later, on November 22, students and professors holding a vigil outside the faculty of dramatic arts in Belgrade were attacked by individuals affiliated with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). This led students to occupy the faculty. Soon, the government was facing a broad protest movement led by students.

[...]

One routinely sees the EU flags flying alongside the Georgian ones during the protests; sometimes, one can spot the Ukrainian, U.S., and German flags. Not so in Serbia. There, the state flags fly, intermingled and often dominated by the protest symbols – blank canvases with bloody handprints, symbolizing that the government’s hands are in the blood of people who died in Novi Sad.

If the Serbian protesters are focused on domestic affairs, such as corruption and other governance issues, that is because foreign policy aspirations do not unify Serb protesters as much as Georgians.

“Anything related to geopolitics will only bring polarization among people who are united against all the wrongdoings of the Serbian government,” says Milan Vujic, a 27-year-old Serbian lawyer and activist who has actively participated in the movement. If protesters start bringing in EU flags, he adds, “it can only bring internal debates and polarization into the protests, which is not needed at all.”

[...]

The resulting contrast in the EU’s response to the two protests has been striking. In Georgia, where the people want their pro-EU efforts recognized, and the government has effectively broken off any dialogue with Brussels, EU officials have been vocal about their concerns and even imposed limited visa sanctions. Meanwhile, in Serbia, where Vučić maintains his ties with Brussels, the EU response has been much more muted.

Yet, in Georgia, the pro-Western sentiment is not only geopolitical. It can also be seen as a shorthand for the desired governance model. The rallies against the “foreign agents” law dubbed it the “Russian law” because the implementation of such legislation brings the country into the Russian model of governance—despotic, corrupt, arbitrary, and fundamentally unfree.

[...]

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 7 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

The EU should have an own policy without the US (or anyone else) on any issue. It seems clear that the US isn't a reliable partner anymore with the new Trump administration's tariff threats and its backtracking on democratic values, the latter being more and more aligned with China than with Western democracies.

I am sure Mr. Albares is focused on both, the Chinese investments Spain has been receiving in recent years and the protection of universal human rights that are increasingly under threat in China.

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Portrait of a Nation: How Ordinary Russians’ Lives Have Changed in 3 Years of War

... “Since the special military operation began, I no longer live my life but merely exist in this world. I lost my only son [in the war]. I have my daughters to care for, so I have to keep living and go to work,” said a middle-aged woman from the Mongolia-bordering republic of Tyva.

“My husband started drinking heavily after our son’s death, but he stopped after I once tried to take my own life. Of course, I haven’t told any of this to people around me — I just often cry quietly when no one is around,” she told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity ... “There are many funerals here, and there is much more drinking and aggressive behavior [from men] — that’s how people choose to express their pain and dissatisfaction,” said the Tyvan woman ,,,

“There is a deep and growing resentment toward the authorities,” a woman from the [Russian] Kursk region whose parents are missing in Kyiv-occupied territory told The Moscow Times. "We are asking for our loved ones to be evacuated from there. But we don’t understand why no one is making any effort to get them out," she said ,,,

... “At tea gatherings [a social tradition among Indigenous Bashkirs], people discuss how many buses with coffins they saw arrive, whose sons were killed or taken to the front, recall how soldiers who came back for a short-term leave raped women in villages…There are many of these stories,” Altynay [a native of a village in Bashkortostan’s southeastern Baymak district who asked to be identified by a pseudonym] told The Moscow Times ...

... In the Kremlin’s quest to promote “traditional values,” Russian authorities have intensified their crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community, outlawing it as “extremist” and pushing many queer spaces further underground or forcing them to shut down entirely. “A lot has changed since the war began,” a member of Moscow’s LGBTQ+ community told The Moscow Times. “Many clubs, especially gay clubs and sex parties, have either gone deeper into hiding — or disappeared altogether.” ...

... The rising food prices might be the one impact of the war that almost every Russian has felt. “Food and fuel prices in our republic have always been higher than in neighboring regions, so I didn’t feel how much the prices have increased right away,” said the man from Tyva. “Six months into the war, I noticed the first sign [of inflation] — car parts became more expensive. Now the cost of everything…is five times more than pre-war,” he told The Moscow Times ...

[Edit typo.]

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 47 points 1 day ago (4 children)

As an addition: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the UK also announced new sanctions against Russia at the start of this week.

As an addition: The UK stands here with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan in a rare show of global solidarity as these countries also announced new sanctions against Russia.

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, it's sort of a Neville Chamberlain moment.

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Nato without US, but with Australia, New Zealand, Japan: the three countries reaffirmed and announced new sanctions at the start of this week.

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (13 children)

Yeah, and don't forget that the UK announces largest sanctions package against Russia since 2022

Addition: Australia, New Zealand, Japan also just announced new sanctions.

 

The sanctions will also target Russia’s military machine, entities in third countries who support it and the fragile supply networks that it relies on.

Targets include:

  • producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military, including microprocessors used in weapons systems. These are based in a range of third countries including Central Asian states, Turkey, Thailand, India and China, which is the largest supplier of critical goods for Russia’s military
  • North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol and other North Korean generals and senior officials complicit in deploying over 11,000 DPRK forces to Russia. Putin is using DPRK forces as cannon fodder; DPRK has suffered over 4,000 casualties
  • 13 Russian targets, including LLC Grant-Trade, its owner Marat Mustafaev and his sister Dinara Mustafaeva, who have used the company to funnel advanced European technology into Russia to support its illegal war

[...]

UK announces largest sanctions package against Russia since 2022

The sanctions will also target Russia’s military machine, entities in third countries who support it and the fragile supply networks that it relies on.

Targets include:

  • producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military, including microprocessors used in weapons systems. These are based in a range of third countries including Central Asian states, Turkey, Thailand, India and China, which is the largest supplier of critical goods for Russia’s military
  • North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol and other North Korean generals and senior officials complicit in deploying over 11,000 DPRK forces to Russia. Putin is using DPRK forces as cannon fodder; DPRK has suffered over 4,000 casualties
  • 13 Russian targets, including LLC Grant-Trade, its owner Marat Mustafaev and his sister Dinara Mustafaeva, who have used the company to funnel advanced European technology into Russia to support its illegal war
[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 5 points 2 days ago (12 children)

China (and Russia) have actively been sabotaging European infrastructure as we have seen in the recent couple of years. It would be a bad idea, therefore, to become dependent on foreign tech that can be controlled by one these countries.

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is not rumors. Weidel admitted to have met the Chinese ambassador, she was on China's payroll, and her close ties with China have long been known. All these ate facts. Just read the article (and other sources across the web).

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Europe's -or any European country's- dependence on Chinese renewable energy technology is evident. Literally all experts agree on that, even if there ate first steps to reduce this dependency.

They also agree on the threat this poses to the EU and democracy. Of course, tbere should be rules and norms for profit-oriented firms operating in Europe. These rules are never perfect and may need to be adjusted in Ireland and elsewhere.

The enemy does not come from within, though.

Europe should avoid relying on China for renewable technology, says EU minister -- (October 2024)

Europe should avoid relying on Chinese technologies in building wind and solar power infrastructure across the Continent to prevent a repeat of its dependence on Russia for oil and gas, an EU energy minister has said.

Speaking in Brussels, Belgian energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten said the European Union had learned the dangers of relying on one country for energy “the hard way” after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. “We cannot make this mistake twice. If all our [renewable] technologies are in the hands of China, delivered by China, it will have a big security impact,” she said.

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