Fact check: The deepfakes in the disinformation war between Russia and Ukraine

Videos of Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been used to create deepfakes with a message that favors their adversary. They are not true, but they still quickly spread online.

Russia's war in Ukraine has impacted disinformation on social media by 

people supporting either side of the conflict

Manipulated videos designed to look like someone said or did something they did not — known as deepfakes — have targeted politicians for years. With higher stakes amid Russia's war in Ukraine, however, such videos could have a swift and devastating impact on those directly involved in the conflict. 

DW Fact Check takes a look at some of the recent deepfakes that circulated on social media amid the conflict. 

Deepfake of Putin

This deepfake of Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on Twitter in March. The manipulated video of Putin was shared on social media with many describing it as showing Putin urging Russian soldiers to lay down their weapons and go home. But DW's Russia service reveals that this is not what the fake audio says.

This screenshot of the video address the Kremlin released on February 21.

 Notice the crisp detail around Putin's collar and head — 

details that are blurred or irregular in the deepfake

In the deepfake, the manipulated audio says: "Negotiations with the Ukrainian side have just started. And they were successful for the Russian side. I will inform you shortly. So, we have reached peace with Ukraine. With Ukraine in its world-recognized borders with Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts (territories). We have agreed that we will set up a large foundation together with the USA and the EU for the restoration of infrastructure in these Ukrainian regions. We also signed a five-year roadmap on restoring Crimea's independence as a republic within Ukraine. In the negotiations, I was guided by one principle: to preserve peace and the lives of the Slavic peoples. Russian language in Ukraine will remain — and there will be no oppression, just like the oppression of the Russian population. It is clearly written in peace agreements."

In reality, Putin never said this. As is the case with previous deepfake videos of other people, these audio and mouth movements were manipulated through the use of artificial intelligence programs.

This deepfake appears to have been made by using an authentic video of Putin giving a national address from the Kremlin released on February 21 after Russia recognized the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.

Deepfake targets Zelenskyy

A manipulated video depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy circulated on social media in March that appears to show the Ukrainian leader telling his soldiers to lay down their arms and surrender to Russia. Its message was also posted to the website of broadcaster Ukraine 24 — but the news outlet soon after posted a statement saying it was hacked and removed the article.

Zelenskyy, who has consistently rallied allies to aid Ukraine in the fight against Russia, never made the statement.

When the deepfake video was flagged as a fake it was quickly removed from social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (an exception appears to be made for posts that explicitly state it is a deepfake to raise awareness).  

In the video, Zelenskyy's lips appear to be moving, but when looking closely, the head is in a static position throughout the 1-minute clip and his jawline is not defined. Ukrainian viewers also pointed out that Zelenskyy's accent was off and that his voice did not appear authentic. 

Zelenskyy addressed the deepfake on his official social accounts with a video statement.

In his statement, Zelenskyy said: "If I can offer someone to lay down their arms, it's the Russian military. Go home. Because we're home. We are defending our land, our children & our families."

Mock attack to stir emotions

Another form of manipulated content has also gone viral on social media: mock videos. One viral video was produced with special effects to illustrate what an attack on Paris would look like. The aim was to warn nearby European countries that Russia had to be stopped now in Ukraine before they, too, were attacked. 

The mock video starts with a woman posing next to the Eiffel Tower, and then multiple explosions strike iconic buildings nearby, including from several angles. Later shots include the sound of shocked people speaking in French and the sound of air raid sirens as fighter jets fly over. White text then appears: "Just think if this were to happen in another European capital." 

The video ends with a written quote from Zelenskyy: "We will fight till the end. Giving us a chance to live. Close the sky over Ukraine, or give us air fighters. If we fall, you fall."

"Close the sky" is a phrase often used by Zelenskyy when urging the European Union and NATO allies to close airspace with a no-fly zone over Ukraine in a bid to deter Russia from launching further attacks by air. 

The video was shared by multiple Ukrainian official social media accounts, like that of  Oleksandr Merezhko,the chair of the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Committee, with the words: "We also thought that it could never happen." It was also posted on the Twitter account of Ukraine's Defense Ministry on March 12 and, the night before, the video was posted by the Ukrainian parliament and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

A week later, the video is still being shared on social media, especially after Zelenskyy’s speech at the US Congress as well as the German parliament. Always with the same message: "Close the skies."

Russian media were quick to point out that the video is a clear fake — but some went further, such as in the Telegram group called for "War on Fakes," claiming that Ukrainian authorities deliberately created the fake video using computer graphics to urge Europe to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

But this is contradicted by the man who says he created the video. He posted it on Facebook before the Ukraine parliament shared the video. 

In interviews with the French newspaper Le Monde and broadcaster RTL, Ukrainian filmmaker Olias Barco said he was not ordered by the Ukrainian authorities to create the video. "It's something I wanted to do myself, with producer Jean-Charles Levy, to give the West a shock," he said to Le Monde. "For me, we are in the Third World War, and this conflict is going to become more widespread. This is an anticipation film not a propaganda film."

DW was not able to independently verify Barco's account.

Many Ukrainians on social media have referenced a Russian TV interview to support their stance that Moscow would not stop at Ukraine and would seek to gain control of other European countries. In this video, Duma member Oleg Matveychev was a guest on a segment on Russia 1 talking about the conflict in Ukraine, "The most important thing: There is no way we can stop halfway. Like leaving Lviv or something like that. Otherwise, we shouldn’t even have started it." The presenter of the show then goes even further by saying: "I say more. With such sanctions — who said that you have to stop at the borders of Ukraine at all."

How do I spot a deepfake?

The sophisticated manipulation of videos makes it increasingly harder to detect — but there are signs that clue you in on what is a deepfake. 

DW Fact Check has published a guide here. 


HOW TO SPOT A DEEPFAKE
Deepfake clue — edges of the face swap
Interesting fold that Dutch leader Mark Rutte has there on his collar. Inconsistencies can be found at the edges of a face swap. These are mostly visible when those edges are close to clothing, hair or jewelry. Can you spot it?
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Edited by: Stephanie Burnett

WWW LINKS

Kremlin Putin address 24 February

Misinfo video on Russian pundits

Deepfake of Zelenskyy

Ukraine: 'Like a zombie movie without the zombies'

War has been raging in Europe for weeks now. Numerous athletes have remained in their Ukrainian homeland to fight – not for medals, but for survival. Three of them shared their stories with DW.

Kharkiv has been one of the targets of heavy Russian artillery

Kyiv resembles a ghost town these days. Mayor Vitali Klitschko has imposed a curfew, and there is great concern about further heavy air attacks by the Russian armed forces.

Only people with special permission are allowed to venture out. Sergiy Stakhovsky is one of those who has been given such permission. The 36-year-old called time on his professional tennis career in January and now he patrols the streets of Kyiv alongside other soldiers.  

Feelings of guilt

Stakhovsky was on vacation with his family on February 24 when Russian launched its invasion of Ukraine. 

"It wasn't the best start to the day when we got the news that Ukraine was under attack," Stakhovsky told DW. "I immediately turned on the TV and then saw the explosions in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol. It wasn't easy. At first I didn't understand what was happening." 

Sergiy Stakhovsky has traded in his tennis racket for a Kalashnikov

Just a few days later, Stakhovsky flew back to his homeland, where he was conscripted. Since then, he has been separated from his family. 

"I feel guilty towards my children and my wife, because I had to leave them behind," he said, adding: "I didn't talk about it with my wife for a long time. She was crying. If we had talked about it in more depth, I wouldn't have gone. I wouldn't have had the courage to leave my family behind." 

'No war in Ukraine'

Vladyslav Heraskevych lives in Zhytomir, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of Kyiv. Just days before Russia's invasion, the skeleton athlete used the Beijing Winter Olympics to make a political point. "No war in Ukraine" read the sign that he held up for the television cameras. 

"I did it to show the world that we Ukrainians are a peaceful people and don't want war," Heraskevych explained. "I got a lot of negative comments from Russia, including from politicians and other important people. But there were also many positive reactions from the rest of the world." 

A few days after he returned home from China, he was awoken by a bomb scare. Since then, the 23-year-old student has also been in the middle of the war – something he doesn't find easy to talk about.

Vladyslav Heraskevych used his stage at the Olympics to get his message out to the world

"Explosions were heard everywhere," he said. "Just a few weeks ago, we were at the Olympics, competing for medals for our country. A short time later, we're at war and everything you've accomplished in your career suddenly doesn't matter. Because now it's about our country." 

He is among the athletes who have written letters to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) calling for Russian athletes to be suspended from competition. 

'True information from Ukrainians' 

Heraskevych has been supporting volunteer fighters since the start of the war. But he has also taken it upon himself to use his prominence as an athlete to spread information about the war through his social media channels. 

"I have many friends all over Ukraine and they send me videos and photos, which I then distribute through my channels. It's very important to spread information about our situation here," Heraskevych said. "It's true information from Ukrainians."

 

The videos and photos that reach the athlete and that he spreads show the destruction of Ukraine: burning buildings, fleeing families. Every day, the number of victims rises. 

"The buildings and roads can be rebuilt. But the people who die don't come back," Heraskevych said. "Children lose their parents or parents lose their children. I, too, have already lost some friends. It hurts a lot, it's a nightmare." 

Despite everything, he tries to stay positive. "We will rebuild our country. We will be proud of our country and try to develop it again in the future," said the skeleton athlete, who hopes "that soon many people will be able to visit Ukraine again and see how beautiful it is here." 

Never going home again

Even further west in Ukraine, Olena Kryvytska had just returned from walking her two dogs when DW reached her. It is a slice of normality that she is trying to maintain, because not much is left of her old life. A day after her birthday on February 23, her town was attacked.

"We packed up what we needed in 15 minutes and got in the car with our two dogs to go to a safe place," the epee fencer recalled. "We left our house, our home, and we will probably never see it again."

Every morning, she and her family are woken up by loud sirens that warn of new attacks.

Olena Kryvytska had to flee her home in the early hours of the war

"This can last up to four hours," Kryvytska told DW. "During this period, we wait in a shelter and I try to read up on what is happening. Things can change at any time."

She phones friends, makes inquiries and helps people in her neighborhood.

"I try to find shelters for families who have had to leave their homes. Sometimes I buy medicine, food or other essentials and take them to collection points where volunteers redistribute them."

One big team

Kryvytska is among the best epee fencers in the world, but sports are not her focus right now.

"I will return to fencing soon, but that's not the most important thing right now," the 35-year-old said. "My international fencing friends support me every day. So fencing is still part of my life."

Kryvytska emphasizes that Ukraine is now one big team, one big family.

"We want to fight the enemy who has come to our home to destroy it," she said.

No matter how difficult the situation, Kryvytska is clear: "Ukraine will rise like a phoenix from the ashes. We are a very strong, free and independent people who love our country. We will never give up."

A zombie movie, without the zombies

Giving up is not an option for former tennis pro Stakhovsky either. Instead of wielding a racket, he now patrols the streets of Kyiv with a machine gun slung over his shoulder.

"I'm on patrol for two hours, and in between I try to help the other people in Kyiv, helping them distribute humanitarian aid," he said.

Russian attacks have reduced parts of Kyiv to rubble

Stakhovsky was born and raised in Kyiv and has many friends in the city. Walking the streets, he is reminded of his peaceful childhood.

"This is a disaster," he said. "The streets are empty and when you walk along the ones you used to play on as a little kid and there are concrete blocks or checkpoints everywhere, it doesn't feel real. It's like being in a zombie movie, but without the zombies."

'Nation standing together'

After 10 days, Stakhovsky said, he got used to the situation. But he will never get used to shells falling on residential areas and the killing of civilians.

"I don't think the Russians will take Kyiv. Our Ukrainian troops will stop the enemy from doing so, I am sure," he said.

He also believes it is important that famous Ukrainians demonstrate that they have not abandoned the country.

"The nation is standing together. But more importantly, we need to show that we are not Nazis, as Putin claims. In Ukraine there is freedom of speech, every person is free to do what he or she wants," Stakhovsky said. "In Russia, that is not the case."


UKRAINIAN SPORTS STARS WHO HAVE TAKEN UP ARMS

Dmytro Pidruchnyi (Biathlon)
After his return from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Dmytro Pidruchnyi enrolled in the Ukrainian National Guard to fight after Russia’s invasion of his country. The 30-year-old is a former European champion biathlete and has been to two Olympic Games.
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 This article was translated from German.

 Bosch faces probe over possible Russia sanctions violations — report

Ukraine says it found parts from the German engineering giant in Russian military vehicles. An investigation is underway into whether EU sanctions on Moscow have been violated, according to German outlet Der Spiegel.

Bosch, which is headquartered in the German town of Gerlingen, is Europe's leading auto parts maker

An investigation has been launched into whether the German engineering and technology giant Bosch broke sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia, Der Spiegel reported Friday.

The probe follows a claim by a Ukrainian minister that Bosch parts have turned up in Russian military vehicles used in the invasion of Ukraine.

At issue is the export of so-called dual-use products, which can be used for military and civilian purposes, which were restricted by the EU after Russia annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2014.

Why is Bosch under investigation?

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed in a German media interview on Sunday that Russian infantry vehicles seized by Ukrainian forces were found to contain parts from the German manufacturer.

"We looked inside one of these vehicles and saw that one of the main components that powers the vehicle was actually supplied by Bosch," Kuleba told German public broadcaster ARD.

He claimed that Bosch has "for years supplied the components necessary for the Russian military machine so that these vehicles can invade Ukraine and destroy our cities."

What will happen next?

Der Spiegel said the government immediately passes on any indications of sanctions violations to the relevant investigating and prosecuting authorities.

The magazine cited sources within the government as saying that this has already been done.

The Stuttgart public prosecutor's office and the Customs Criminal Investigation Office in Cologne are now responsible, it said.

What has Bosch said about the parts?

Bosch said that it has begun its own investigation into the allegations, and told Der Spiegel that the parts are "ordinary control units for commercial vehicles."

The Stuttgart-headquartered company said it typically delivered these directly to the vehicle manufacturers. 

"When it comes to orders for spare parts for dealers and workshops, Bosch no longer accepts new orders from Russia and Russian automakers, and has also stopped deliveries of existing orders in Russia," a spokesperson for the engineering giant said.

Why are dual-use goods so controversial?

The export of dual-use goods is difficult to monitor because they are often ordered by intermediaries who claim they are required for civilian use. The goods — parts, software and technology — are later diverted for military purposes.

Russia's backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and the annexation of Crimea sparked EU sanctions that included tighter controls for dual-use products.

Multi-use goods have also been singled out by Brussels in the latest sanctions imposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Way before the Kremlin's latest military assault, reports emerged that German-made engines and global positioning systems (GPS) were found in Russian drones used in eastern Ukraine and to spy on its other neighbors.

Last month, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported that the German government was still issuing export licenses for dual-use goods to Russia as late as 2020.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery

GLENCORE

Swiss commodities traders help fill Putin's war coffers

The war in Ukraine has put Switzerland's commodities sector in the spotlight. The country makes billions trading raw materials but prefers to not look too closely into the details.

Russian oil may not flow through Switzerland, but the money it generates does

Switzerland is known for being an important financial hub. What is less in the limelight is its much more significant commodities sector.

Despite the country being far from all the global trade routes and without access to the sea, without former colonial territories and without any significant raw materials of its own, it is one of the most important trading hubs for raw materials in the world.  Oliver Classen, media officer at the Swiss NGO Public Eye, says that "this sector accounts for a much larger part of the GDP in Switzerland than tourism or the machinery industry."

Hidden from view, huge profits are made in this sector. According to a Swiss government report from 2018, the trade volume reaches almost $1 trillion ($903.8 billion). The five largest firms in Switzerland according to annual turnover are not banks or pharmaceuticals but commodity traders. Most of the 900 companies that trade raw materials are based in Geneva, Zug or Lugano.

Glencore is one Swiss raw materials giant

80% of Russian raw materials traded via Switzerland

About a third of the oil that is traded globally is bought and sold in Geneva.

 Two-thirds of the trade in base metals such as zinc, copper and aluminum are conducted in Switzerland, as are two-thirds of the trade in grain. Russia also benefits. Some 80% of Russian raw materials are traded via Switzerland, according to a report by the Swiss embassy in Moscow. Russian oil and gas flows largely thanks to deals signed on Swiss desks.

Gas and oil exports are the main source of income for Russian President Vladimir Putin. They account for 30 to 40% of the Russian budget. In 2021, Russian state corporations earned around $180 billion (€163 billion) from oil exports alone. This is money now being used to finance the war in Ukraine.

Loopholes in Swiss legislation

At a recent anti-war demonstration in the Swiss capital, Bern, Angela Mattli, joint managing director at Public Eye, said that Swiss commodity traders continued to turn a blind eye to what the Russian state was doing with this money. She deplored the fact that all of this was "quite legal within the framework of Swiss legislation, which had huge loopholes for commodity traders."

There has also been criticism from politicians: "Switzerland has to turn off the tap to the Russian war chest, " said Cedric Wermuth from the Swiss Social Democratic Party on public radio. He said that Switzerland had effective leverage — the commodities trade and the assets of rich Russians. So far, the sanctions imposed by the EU and the US do not concern the trade in raw materials, even if the US has said that it no longer wants to import Russian oil.

Switzerland has also seen anti-war demonstrations like this one in Zurich

Because of its historical status of neutrality, Switzerland does not impose sanctions of its own. Through its Embargo Act, it can only enact sanctions that have been ordered by others, for example, major trading partners or the UN Security Council.

Switzerland has capital

And so far, Switzerland has handled its golden calf, the commodities trade, with kid gloves.

Raw materials are often traded directly between governments and via commodities exchanges. However, they can also be traded freely, and Swiss companies have specialized in direct sales. One important reason is that in Switzerland there is certainly enough of the most important raw material for the commodities trade — capital. 

Depending on the current price of crude oil, a tanker load can cost $100 million — money that most companies do not have to hand. Certain instruments for handling such business have been developed in Switzerland.

In raw materials transactions, letters of credits or L/Cs are often used. A bank will give a loan to a trader and as collateral receive a document making it the owner of the commodity. As soon as the buyer pays the bank, the document and thus ownership of the commodity are transferred to him/her. The system gives traders more credit line without their creditworthiness having to be checked, and the bank has the value of the commodity as security.

Lack of regulation

This is an example of transit trade, where only the money flows through Switzerland. The raw materials usually do not touch Swiss soil but go directly from the country of origin to the recipient country. Thus, no details about the magnitude of the transaction land on the desk of the Swiss customs authority. The Swiss National Bank publishes certain details but no precise information about the flow of raw materials. What is clear is that everything is unclear.

"The whole commodities trade is under-recorded and underregulated," said Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi, a senior lecturer in law and sustainability at Bern University. "You have to dig around to collect data and not all information is available."

Who is buying what from whom at what price remains in the dark. The owners of unlisted commodity trading companies in Switzerland are mostly unknown. Apart from Glencore, which is a public company, they are all privately owned. "There are quite a few companies that fly under the radar of the authorities and whose actual beneficiaries are not known because, for example, they are managed in opaque offshore holdings," said Classen. This makes for a good investment opportunity for Russian oligarchs.

The lack of regulation is very appealing to commodity traders — especially because many raw materials are mined in non-democratic countries. "Unlike the financial market, where there are rules for tackling money laundering and illegal or illegitimate financial flows, and a financial market supervisory authority, there is currently no such thing for commodity trading," financial and legal expert at Public Eye David Mühlemann told the German broadcaster ARD.

"Commodity trading needs to be regulated," he said. "There has to be transparency of payments from traders to governments, especially to autocratic regimes that divert these funds into their own pockets, or even finance wars. And this is not only about Russia."

Oliver Classen from Public Eye explained that some commodity traders had become lenders to entire countries. Glencore, for example, had given over $1 billion to Chad as credit in return for access to the country's crude oil reserves.

The local population in Chad has not benefited much from profits from mining

Government relies on banks to police themselves

Even though the Swiss Federal Council acknowledges the problem, it continues to rely on the indirect monitoring of commodity traders by banks themselves, according to Amnesty International. These, however, are not obliged to take an interest in how their clients do business and where their money ends up, Amnesty says. "This seems to be enough for the government. In its eyes, there is no need for a commodities law or a special supervisory body," says the international human rights NGO.

For years, the Swiss NGO Public Eye has been calling for a supervisory body for the commodities sector based on the model of the one for the financial market. 

A Swiss Green Party proposal along these lines failed in parliament in 2015. The Greens now intend to make another such proposal.

But Thomas Mattern from the Swiss People's Party (SVP) has spoken out against such a move, insisting that Switzerland should retain its neutrality; "We do not need even more regulation, and not in the commodities sector either."

As long as politicians keep debating and Western countries do not impose sanctions on raw materials, Swiss commodity traders will continue making millions from Russian raw materials and help to fill Putin's war coffers.

This article was translated from German.

Russia claims hypersonic missile strike, Ukraine urges cease-fire






Russia claims hypersonic missile strike, Ukraine urges cease-fireAnalysts say Russia is leading the hypersonics race, followed by China and the US (AFP/Gal ROMA)

Emmanuel Duparcq and Dmytro Gorshkov
Fri, March 18, 2022, 11:26 PM·5 min read

Russia said Saturday that it had unleashed hypersonic missiles against an arms depot in Ukraine, the first use of the next-generation weapons in combat, after Kyiv's embattled leader pressed for "meaningful" talks to halt an invasion now in its fourth week.

Moscow also said its troops had broken through Ukrainian defences to enter the strategic southern port city of Mariupol, prompting more people to join the millions fleeing their homes.

If confirmed, the use of Russia's new Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile, which can elude most defence systems, would mark a new escalation in Russia's campaign to force Ukraine to abandon hopes of closer ties with the West.

Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ignat told AFP that the depot in Deliatyn, a village near the border with Romania, had indeed been hit but "we have no information of the type of missile."


Russian President Vladimir Putin, who unveiled the Kinzhal missile in 2018, has termed it "an ideal weapon" that flies at 10 times the speed of sound -- analysts say Russia is leading the hypersonics race, followed by China and the US.

Ukraine officials also admitted they had "temporarily" lost access to the Sea of Azov, though Russia has effectively controlled the coastline for weeks after surrounding Mariupol.

- 'Time to meet' -

Moscow's announcement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again appealed for peace, urging Russia to accept "meaningful" talks in his latest video posted on social media.

"This is the time to meet, to talk, time for renewing territorial integrity and fairness for Ukraine," he said.

"Otherwise, Russia's losses will be such that several generations will not recover."

Ukraine claimed Saturday that a Russian general had been killed by strikes on an airfield outside Kherson, just north of Crimea, saying he was the fifth top-ranking officer killed since the invasion began on February 24.

Fierce resistance has managed to stall Russian forces outside Kyiv and several other cities in the east, making them vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks against supply lines.

Britain's defence ministry said Saturday that Russia has been forced to "change its operational approach and is now pursuing a strategy of attrition."

"This is likely to involve the indiscriminate use of firepower resulting in increased civilian casualties," it warned.

But as in previous negotiations there appeared to be little progress in reaching a ceasefire, with Putin accusing Ukraine of "numerous war crimes" during a call late Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss countered Saturday that Moscow was using the talks as a "smokescreen" as it carried out "appalling atrocities," saying she was "very sceptical" they would produce a breakthrough.

- Fighting rages -

Friday's attack on the arms depot was the latest strike in western Ukraine, which until a few days ago had remained relatively unscathed by Russia's push toward key cities from the north and east.

On Friday, Russian forces destroyed an aircraft repair plant near the airport of Lviv, where millions of people have fled as rockets and shelling continue to rain down on Kyiv.

In Mariupol, rescuers were still searching for hundreds of people trapped under the wreckage of a bombed theatre where over 1,000 people had been seeking shelter when it was struck on Wednesday.

There was still no information about potential fatalities, Zelensky said, but 130 people had been saved so far, some "heavily injured."

"This is no longer Mariupol, it's hell," said resident Tamara Kavunenko, 58. "The streets are full with the bodies of civilians."

Russian rockets also struck Mykolaiv in the south on Friday, killing dozens of young Ukrainian ensigns at their brigade headquarters.

"No fewer than 200 soldiers were sleeping in the barracks" at the time of the attack, a Ukrainian serviceman on the ground, 22-year-old Maxim, told AFP.

"At least 50 bodies have been recovered, but we do not know how many others are in the rubble," he said.

- Appeals to China -

Over 3.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine and countless others have sought havens in the country's west, though Putin said his forces were doing "everything possible" to avoid civilian casualties during his latest call with Macron, according to the Kremlin.

Russia's ally China told US President Joe Biden on Friday that the war was "in no one's interest," but showed no sign of giving in to US pressure to join Western condemnation of Russia.

Biden warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping of "consequences" for any financial or military aid for Russia, a move that could turn the standoff into a global confrontation.

Zelensky's aide Mikhailo Podolyak called on Beijing to denounce "Russian barbarism," tweeting that "China can be the global security system's important element if it makes a right decision to support the civilised countries' coalition."

Putin appears undeterred by further threats or sanctions, holding a triumphalist rally in Moscow on Friday to mark eight years since Russia's seizure of Crimea, saying his goal in Ukraine was "to rid these people from their suffering and genocide."

Russia wants Ukraine to disarm and disavow all Western alliances, in particular to renounce joining NATO or to seek closer integration with the European Union -- steps that Kyiv says would turn it into a vassal state of Moscow.

Russia's top negotiator said Friday that Moscow and Kyiv had brought their positions "as close as possible" on a proposal for Ukraine to become a neutral state.

But Mikhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Zelensky taking part in the negotiations, said his country's position had not budged.

burs-js/yad

Russia uses hypersonic missiles for first time in Ukraine as troops enter central Mariupol

Russian troops backed by Chechens enter central Mariupol

 

 

Bitcoin to the rescue: Cryptocurrencies’ role in Ukraine

Cryptocurrencies have taken on an unprecedented role in the war in Ukraine, helping the government raise millions of dollars to fund its fight against the Russian invasion.

© Provided by Al Jazeera Crypto donations are of value to Ukraine because they are less influenced by geopolitical or macroeconomic factors

[File: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg]

Why has Ukraine turned to cryptocurrencies, and how is the nascent crypto industry changing its reputation and having an effect amid the clouds of war?

How much crypto has been raised?

At the outset of the conflict, Ukrainian officials posted addresses for two crypto wallets on their Twitter account, giving donors a direct and clear address to which to send contributions.

The wallets attracted more than $10.2m (9.2 million euros) just four days after the start of the invasion.

Since then, more than $100m worth of crypto has been raised, with the “Crypto Fund for Ukraine” run by Michael Chobanian – the founder of the Ukrainian crypto exchange Kuna – accounting for 60 percent of all donations.

“We are still collecting crypto. It is being spent on aid like daily rations and bullet-proof vests and helmets,” the 37-year-old Ukrainian told AFP.

Initially, two funds were set up, one for humanitarian purposes and the other to support the Ukrainian military.

However, after the violence escalated across Ukraine, the funds were merged and focused fully on supporting the military, said Chobanian.

He said that the majority of crypto donations came in the form of Bitcoin, Ethereum and the stablecoin Tether – a coin pegged one-to-one to the dollar.
What are the benefits of donating in crypto?

Aid packages sent to Ukraine in fiat money from the United States and the European Union dwarf cryptocurrency donations, but the latter allow individuals to get involved.

US crypto charity, The Giving Block, told AFP that cryptocurrency donations have the potential to attract “younger donors” who are looking to support various causes.

Another reason crypto donations are of value to Ukraine is because they are less influenced by geopolitical or macroeconomic factors. Chobanian points to the depreciation in the value of the Ukrainian hryvnia as a result of inflation.

An extra advantage of donating in cryptocurrencies is the speed of the transfers. Bank wires may take up to 24 hours to be validated between two countries. However, cryptocurrency transfers typically take less time.
What are the drawbacks?

Despite the success of crypto in aiding the Ukrainian war effort, it has not always been a smooth ride.

In the early days of the conflict, the deputy minister for digital transformation wanted to issue Ukraine’s own crypto as a symbolic gesture for Kyiv’s cause, but the project was eventually cancelled.

To make matters worse, people seized the opportunity to mint and market fake versions of the planned government-issued crypto.

“There was a lack of communication” within the government, said Chobanian, who now works closely with the ministry.

“It was the first day of the war,” he recalls.

Moreover, cryptocurrencies have become a staple part of Ukraine’s shadow economy – used as a medium of exchange in online crime, tax avoidance and capital flight.

According to data analytics firm Chainalysis, transactions from Eastern Europe to other regions are particularly high, and the company suggests that “capital flight could account” for some of the crypto movement in the area.
What are the consequences?

Despite the risks associated with crypto, Chobanian is confident that it will become a core part of the Ukrainian economy.

“When we win the war, we will rebuild Ukraine using blockchain technology. All of us were helped by crypto,” he said.

While Chobanian’s aspirations may be very ambitious, they are based on real developments.

On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy passed a law that would provide a legislative framework for crypto platforms and users to operate within the country.

Caroline Malcolm, head of international public policy and research at Chainalysis, told AFP that the conflict in Ukraine “is forcing governments to develop their understanding of cryptocurrencies and their regulation”.

She believes that such discussions can be beneficial to the crypto industry, leading to “proportionate and effective regulatory policies”.

As of last week, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order seeking further clarification and guidance on crypto regulation – showing Washington’s willingness to contend with an ever-growing and new asset class.

Kyiv Calling: Ukrainian punk band reinvent Clash hit as ‘anthem’ of resistance
Alex Green 

Ukrainian punk band Beton have reimagined The Clash’s hit single London Calling as an “anthem” of “solidarity and hope” amid the Russian invasion.

The trio – Bohdan Hrynko, Oleg Hula and Andriy Zholob – recorded the new version, titled Kyiv Calling, on Thursday and Friday this week in a music studio in the city of Lviv.

The song features the lines “Come out of neutrality, you boys and girls” and criticises Russian president Vladimir Putin with the lyric: “Phony Putinmania has bitten the dust.”

A music video accompanying the song features footage from friends and family of the band, plus colleagues and volunteers, of Russian attacks taking place across Ukraine, from Kharkiv to Kyiv.

The track was mixed and mastered by producer Danny Saber, one of the last people to work with Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash before his death in 2002.

Proceeds from the song will go to the Free Ukraine Resistance Movement (FURM) – a citizen-led network bringing together 30 non-governmental organisations from across the country.

Since the war began, guitarist and vocalist Zholob has been working as an orthopaedist doctor treating war victims and soldiers while drummer and vocalist Hrynko and bassist and vocalist Hula have joined the territorial defence force, and are prepared to take up arms when asked.

© Provided by Evening Standard Beton in Skyborn Waves Studios in Lviv this week recording their resistance single Kyiv Calling (Beton/PA)

Zholob said: “Many Ukrainian musicians are now on battlefields or in territorial defence. This time they’ve changed guitars to guns.

“We hope this song shows Ukrainians’ spirit and our defiance to Russian aggression. The Clash were one of our inspirations when we fell in love with punk rock and music in general, there is no snobbery or pretentiousness to the music, they had something to say and voiced their opinions against human anger.

“London Calling epitomises all of that and we are very happy to be able to take this iconic classic and turn it into our own anthem with new meaning and life.”

He added: “We are glad it is being played not just in Ukraine but around the world as a symbol of solidarity and hope. Our country will defend our hard-won liberty and protect our right to self-determination

.

© Provided by Evening Standard The late Joe Strummer (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) (PA Archive)

“We have no doubt about our victory, we are proud to be Ukrainians and feel support from musicians abroad. This means so much!”

Ostap Kryvdyk, international secretary of FURM, said: “FURM calls on the world to listen to the call from Kyiv. For us the music of the Clash is the music of freedom. We must stop the new iron curtain falling.

“London Calling was the call sign of the resistance of Britain when it stood alone against the Nazis.

“We want Kyiv Calling to be the symbol of resistance to the new aggressor in Europe. No surrender. No compromise peace.

“For Ukraine, peace is not just the absence of war. Peace is the unity of Ukraine. FURM thanks the Clash for their support in our darkest hour. Bring on the dawn.”

Last apps standing? Telegram, WhatsApp duck Russia bans

Chat platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram have avoided being blocked by Russia – unlike some of the world’s biggest social networks – in a tenuous tolerance that experts warn could end suddenly.

© Provided by Al Jazeera Two men pose with smartphones in front of a screen showing the Telegram logo in this picture illustration taken in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]

Years of tension between Moscow and US-based Facebook and Twitter erupted into confrontation after the invasion of Ukraine, with the platforms targeting state-tied media and then finding themselves restricted in Russia.

YouTube, which has barred channels linked to Russian state media globally, was on Friday also facing a direct threat of being blocked after Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, accused the site’s owner Google of being “anti-Russian.”

Messaging apps, however, have gotten a pass so far in part because Meta-owned WhatsApp is less suited for mass communication, while Telegram’s ability to blast information to large groups has made it useful both for independent media and the Kremlin.

“I think it’s unlikely Russia will ban Telegram because they are so short on platforms where they can operate,” said Sergey Sanovich, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University, who noted that authorities in 2020 aborted efforts to block the service.

Telegram, criticised as having a lax content policing policy, offers a forum for Russian authorities to promote narratives friendly to their internationally condemned war.

Russia still operates accounts on platforms like Facebook, despite blocking the service at home, but this week the Silicon Valley giant took down posts from Moscow’s pages that contained misinformation about its deadly offensive.

Russia’s go-to platform

Telegram has become an essential exchange for news on the war, with its growth accelerating after the Kremlin’s latest crackdown on independent media and the lock-out of apps such as Facebook and Instagram.

An average of 2.5 million new users joined Telegram daily in the last three weeks, the firm said, about a 25 percent jump from the weeks prior.

According to daily figures provided by Telegram, the app has been downloaded more than 150 million times since the beginning of the year, with the official figure of half a billion active users dating back to January 2021.

Telegram has benefitted from the image of its creators, brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, Russian citizens who left their home country in 2014.

Under pressure from the authorities, Nikolai sold his stake in VK, which he had created, rather than hand over the personal data of activists to the government.

“Telegram is now a very nice revenge story, and we all love a good revenge story,” said Enrique Dans, a professor specialising in information systems at the IE Business School in Madrid.

“Will that be enough to make Telegram the world’s favourite messaging app? That’s a whole lot to say. The app still has a lot of things to demonstrate in areas such as security, encryption and business model,” he added.

‘Declaring war on YouTube’

But experts highlighted a risk to Telegram and its users due to a lack of default, end-to-end encryption that potentially leaves the company susceptible to government pressure to turn over information.

Alp Toker, director of web monitoring group NetBlocks, noted WhatsApp has put in place firestops that offer insulation against that sort of pressure.

“By improving their security and adopting end-to-end encryption technology, they have essentially protected their own platform from legal risk and potential demands for content access requests,” Toker added.

WhatsApp’s use for one-on-one or group chats make it less of a target for Russian authorities for now, but that could change if it became known as a key platform for protests against the war.

“Primarily, Roskomnadzor has been very concerned about channels and news and ways of disseminating information to large numbers of people, which WhatsApp and such are less good for,” said Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at Electronic Frontier Foundation.

But Toker noted that the question has not reached a critical point yet for authorities, partly because it was social media platforms, many of them now blocked, that had played a key role in organising.

“As those [platforms] disappear, the dynamics could change and messaging apps could become the next target,” he added.

WhatsApp was one of the most popular apps in Russia in 2021, with some 67 million users or about 65 percent of internet users in the country – far ahead of TikTok, Russian social media platform VK, and even Telegram, according to data from eMarketer.

But YouTube, with 76 million viewers in 2021, drew more Russians than any of the above platforms, the data showed.

Its popularity was due in part to the access it offers to entertainment for everyday Russians, who in turn provided an audience for politicians and the government seeking their attention.

Sanovich, the Princeton researcher, said the platform had simply gotten on the wrong side of authorities.

“They have a hard time controlling YouTube in terms of censorship and YouTube’s recent moves made it less valuable as a venue for foreign propaganda,” he noted.

The lack of a sufficiently high-quality homegrown alternative has also been a complicating factor for the government in deciding what to do with YouTube.

Toker, the NetBlocks director, cautioned that the blocking of YouTube would mean confronting Google, with its suite of services like Gmail.

“Declaring war on YouTube effectively means declaring war on the rest of the company,” he noted. “Google is a major force in business and a significant connection to the outside world.”

Brazil Supreme Court judge suspends messaging app Telegram, a key Bolsonaro platform

A Supreme Court judge in Brazil ruled to block popular messaging application Telegram nationwide, barring one of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's favourite communication channels, in a decision published Friday.

© Adriano Machado, Reuters

Citing Telegram's failure to comply with orders from Brazilian authorities and remove messages found to contain disinformation, Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the app blocked immediately in Brazil, in a ruling dated Thursday and published Friday on the high court's website.

The decision comes as Bolsonaro gears up to seek reelection in October, facing a popularity slump and counting on Telegram to rally his base.

"Telegram's disrespect for Brazilian law and repeated failure to comply with countless court decisions... is completely incompatible with the rule of law," wrote Moraes.

He said the company had repeatedly refused to comply with rulings and requests from police, the Superior Electoral Tribunal and the Supreme Court itself.

That includes a Supreme Court-ordered investigation into allegations against the Bolsonaro administration of using official communication channels to spread disinformation, he said.

Bolsonaro has openly clashed with Moraes, who ordered him personally investigated in that case.

The president slammed the ruling as "inadmissible" and said it put the "freedom" of Brazilians at risk.

Moraes "failed to act against the two or three people that according to him should be blocked, so he decided to affect 70 million people," Bolsonaro said.

Earlier, Bolsonaro had tweeted a link to subscribe to his channel on Telegram -- which was still operational in Brazil Friday afternoon.

"Our Telegram informs people every day of many important actions of national interest, which many regrettably omit," he said.

"Welcome, and share the truth."

Bolsonaro's minister of justice and security, Anderson Torres, said on Twitter that millions of Brazilians were being "suddenly wronged by an individual decision" and added that his ministry was studying "a solution to give back to the people the right to use the social network," without specifying what measures he intended to adopt.

Moraes's ruling gave Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) 24 hours to suspend Telegram's operations nationwide.

The decision "will have big political and electoral repercussions," tweeted political analyst and digital communications specialist Pablo Ortellado.

"This could move one of the main game pieces of the campaign."

Founded by Russian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov in 2013, Dubai-based Telegram is hugely successful in Brazil, where it has been downloaded on 53 percent of all cell phones.

Durov apologized Friday to the Supreme Court in an Instagram post and blamed a "miscommunication" problem.

"On behalf of our team, I apologize to the Brazilian Supreme Court for our negligence. We definitely could have done a better job," he said.

Bolsonaro, who has had various posts blocked on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for violating their rules on misinformation, has been eagerly encouraging his base to follow him on Telegram ahead of the October elections.

He trails leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his likely opponent, in the polls.
Election row

Moraes also cited Telegram's repeated lack of compliance with efforts by the Superior Electoral Tribunal to get it to cooperate in fighting disinformation in the run-up to the elections.

Telegram was notably absent last month when the tribunal signed an agreement with eight leading social networks to combat disinformation during the elections, including Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube.

The court's president, Luis Roberto Barroso, wrote to Telegram headquarters in December, asking for a meeting and warning that the app was rife with "conspiracy theories and false information about (Brazil's) electoral system."

Moraes said in his ruling that Telegram "ignored the Brazilian electoral authorities once again, underlining its total contempt for the Brazilian justice system."

The ruling came in a case on a court order that Telegram ignored to block the account of pro-Bolsonaro blogger Allan dos Santos.

Moraes said the company had also refused to comply with a wide range of other orders from Brazilian authorities, including in child pornography cases.

Bolsonaro has more than one million followers on Telegram, not including numerous fan groups with names like "Reelect Bolsonaro 2022."

He faces a series of investigations for spreading false information on social networks, notably over his repeated claims of rampant fraud in Brazil's electronic voting system, for which he has provided no evidence.

Telegram has made its refusal to cooperate with the authorities part of its brand.

It deliberately spreads its encryption keys and chat data on disparate servers around the world so governments cannot "intrude on people's privacy and freedom of expression," it says on its website.

(AFP)

France marks 60 years since Evian Accords ended the Algerian war

Issued on: 19/03/2022 -

02:19 France commemorated 60 years since the signing of the Evian Accords at an Élysée Palace ceremony on March 19, 2022. © Gonzalo Fuentes/POOL/AFP

Text by: FRANCE 24

Video by: Yena LEE

France commemorated 60 years since the signing of the Evian Accords – which ended the Algerian war and paved the way for independence from France – at an Élysée Palace ceremony on Saturday.

In the 60 years since Algeria won independence from France, bilateral crises have often fuelled by domestic politics. Yet some experts say the two sides had surprisingly good relations for four decades, and it was only in the 1990s that things started to fall apart.

"Generally, despite appearances and criticism, there has been a stable, very balanced relationship," said Luis Martinez, a Maghreb researcher at Sciences Po university in Paris.

That is despite the devastation caused by the eight-year war of independence that finally ended after the signing of the Evian accords on March 18, 1962.

French historians say half a million civilians and combatants died – 400,000 of them Algerian – while the Algerian authorities believe some 1.5 million were killed.

Under French General Charles de Gaulle, whose administration signed the accords, and his successor Georges Pompidou, Paris had good relations with Algiers. The same was true under François Mitterrand, even though he had been interior minister when Algeria's armed independence struggle began in 1954 and remained opposed to the country's independence.

"Mitterrand was surrounded by Socialist Party people, who were all pro-FLN," said historian Pierre Vermeren, referring to the National Liberation Front that led the revolt and has dominated Algerian politics ever since.

Mitterrand "was able to take a back seat" and let others deal with Algeria, said Vermeren, a professor at the Sorbonne University.

France was allowed to continue its nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara until 1967, and de Gaulle managed to negotiate a secret deal with the new Algerian state to allow for chemical weapons tests until 1978.

But in 1992, Paris raised hackles by criticising Algiers for suspending elections after Islamist parties had won the first round.

Algeria withdrew its ambassador in response.

The cancellation of the polls sparked another decade of devastating conflict, only ending after an amnesty offer by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who became president in 1999.

Despite being close to France, Bouteflika made use of anti-French discourse, primarily for domestic consumption, Vermeren said.

"To win back control of the ideological and political sphere after the civil war, [the Algerian leadership] 'forgot' that France had helped them fight the Islamists," he said.

"They went back to their traditional enemy."
'Good ties in secret'

Under Bouteflika, Algerian leaders used ever-stronger language against France, accusing it of having committed "genocide" during its more than 130-year occupation of Algeria.

Then in 2019 a vast protest movement toppled the autocratic Bouteflika after two decades in power – but the new regime has kept up the anti-French discourse.

Observers say, however, that cooperation behind closed doors has been surprisingly close. Starting in 2013, Algeria allowed French forces to use its airspace to reach Mali for its battle against the jihadists that threatened to overrun the country.

According to Naoufel Brahimi El Mili, who has written a book on 60 years of "secret stories" between the two countries, "French-Algerian relations are good when they're in secret. They're more hostile when they're in public."

Relations continued to be good under Emmanuel Macron, who became president after an election campaign in which he had visited Algiers, where he described colonisation as a "crime against humanity".

After taking office he made several gestures aimed at healing past wounds on both sides of the Mediterranean.

But he refused to apologise for colonialism, a highly sensitive topic in France, which for decades saw Algeria as an integral part of French territory and where far-right discourse has been escalating.

Comments reported last October dampened hopes around reconciliation. Macron accused Algeria's "political-military system" of rewriting history and fomenting "hatred towards France".

In remarks to descendants of independence fighters, reported by Le Monde, he also questioned whether Algeria had existed as a nation before the French invasion in the 1800s.

Once again, Algeria withdrew its ambassador.

'Algeria votes Macron'

Now, as French presidential elections loom in April, relations appear to be looking up again. Millions of French citizens of Algerian origin and descendants of Europeans who left after independence are among those casting votes.

"Algeria will vote for Macron," said author El Mili. "Algerians are convinced that a Macron II will be bolder."

Xavier Driencourt, a former French ambassador to Algeria, shared that view. "They don't want [conservative candidate] Valérie Pecresse, who has a fairly right-wing tone, and definitely not [Eric] Zemmour or Marine Le Pen," he said, referring to two far-right presidential hopefuls.

But much remains to be done. Martinez from Sciences Po said Macron's comments had done a lot of damage.

"They'll go back to the drawing board, and try to see what they can agree on," he said.

Former envoy Driencourt remarked that "it takes two sides to have a relationship", adding: "I'm not very optimistic."

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)