Wagner Boss Thinks Military Brass Are Out to Get Him

Allison Quinn
Sat, January 7, 2023 

Yevgeny Prigozhin  -- Russian restaurateur and businessman

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-connected businessman who deployed his private army to help Vladimir Putin terrorize Ukraine, says “people in uniform” connected to Russia’s military may be out to get him because his mercenaries are outshining regular Russian troops on the battlefield.

In response to a question from local media Friday about social media posts that appear aimed at “discrediting” him, Prigozhin, through his press service, suggested that oligarchs may be targeting him as revenge for his criticism of their “negative influence on the future of Russia.”

Or, he said, “People in uniform could be discrediting me. Chiefly those close to the military. Because many of them can’t achieve the same effectiveness that Wagner has.”


He also floated the idea that Ukrainian intelligence or the CIA could be trash-talking him to “slow down” Wagner on the frontline. But in the end he admitted that since all the negative claims about him were “ordered” for placement on Russian Telegram channels, “most likely neither the CIA nor the SBU has anything to do with it.”

“So I would like to apologize to them for the baseless criticism and suspicion,” he said.

As Prigozhin has seen his public profile soar after he began recruiting thousands of Russian prison inmates to prop up Putin’s fledgling war machine in Ukraine, rumors have circulated on Russian social media channels that appear aimed at taking him down a notch—including humiliating sex claims about a prison sentence in the 1980s.

‘Putin’s Chef’ Suddenly Has a Lot to Say About Twisted New War Effort

Independent Russian media outlets have reported that Prigozhin has managed to make quite a few enemies among those in Putin’s inner circle by making himself the public face of the war against Ukraine and bashing top military officials.

The Telegram channel General SVR, an anonymous channel that claims to be run by a former member of the security services, reported Friday that the innermost members of Putin’s circle are disgusted with Prigozhin’s tone in his interactions with the Russian leader.

When the Wagner boss wished Putin a happy new year over the holidays, the conversation was on speaker phone, allowing “several people” to overhear as Prigozhin spoke to the president in an overly familiar manner, the channel reported.

“Putin did not shut Prigozhin down, but, embarrassed, just thanked him in response and ended the conversation.”

A first for reclaimed Kyiv cathedral: Christmas in Ukrainian

People gather for the Christmas service in the Assumption Cathedral in Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. Saturday service was conducted by Ukrainian patriarchate for the first time after Lavra had been under Russia's influence for hundreds of years and was subordinated to Russia. 

(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

HANNA ARHIROVA
Sat, January 7, 2023 

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Packing a cathedral for Orthodox Christmas, hundreds of worshippers heard the service in that church in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades, a demonstration of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Richly decorated with golden icons and panels, the cathedral — part of the complex known as the Monastery of the Caves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — put up a video screen outside for the overflow of worshipers, despite the frigid temperatures of -10 Celsius (14 F).

Overlooking the right bank of the Dnieper River, the cathedral and monastery complex has been a pilgrimage site for centuries. And for the first time in the 31 years of Ukraine’s independence, the service there was held in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainian army troops in uniform were among those singing well-known Ukrainian carols.

Ukraine's government on Thursday took over the administration of the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk monastery and allowed the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to use it for the Orthodox Christmas service. The move highlights the long-running tensions between the two churches exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine.


The cathedral. built about 1,000 years ago then rebuilt in the 1990s after being ruined in World War II, had been under control of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which formerly had ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

“It’s a first victory” for Ukraine, said Oksana Abu-Akel who hailed it as a significant step for Orthodox believers to cut ties with Russia after it started the war more than 10 months ago. “This is the first time in 300 years that there is really our own service here. Every person feels this joy. It is a victory for all Ukrainians.”

Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said Thursday that the cathedral had been taken over by the state after the lease of the Moscow-affiliated church expired on Dec. 31. Tkachenko attended the service Saturday.

“It’s an amazing moment. Previously this place — on Ukrainian territory, within Kyiv — has been linked to Moscow. Now we feel this is ours, this is Ukrainian. This is part of the Ukrainian nation,” said Alex Fesiak, who attended the service.

In 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Moscow’s and most other Orthodox patriarchs refused to accept that designation that formalized a split with the Russian church.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which remained loyal to the Moscow patriarch since the 17th century, declared independence from Moscow’s Patriarchate after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UOC gave Moscow a liturgical cold shoulder by dropping the commemoration of Moscow Patriarch Kirill as its leader in public worship and blessing its own sacramental oil rather than use Moscow’s supply.

Metropolitan Epiphanius, the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, spoke not just about Christmas but delivered a political message about the war.

“As a nation, we sought to live peacefully, having a good understanding with all our neighbors. But the enemy meanly and treacherously broke the peace and invaded our land, shedding blood, sowing death and wanting to destroy our statehood and our very Ukrainian identity,” he said during the service.

“Those who held us in captivity could not endure our achievements and our success," he said. "The devil’s malice and envy prompted them to make war, but they are sure to be defeated. After all, the truth is on our side.”

Natalia Levshyna said her husband couldn’t come to the Christmas service as he is fighting on the front line, but she will send him photos of the service as it's very important to him. Originally from Donbas, she said she stopped attending the church of the Moscow Patriarchate in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and supported the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine.

"Our emotions are running high,” she said, barely holding back tears, describing her conviction that the Ukrainian church on Ukrainian soil should be independent from the Russian Orthodox Church.

“Our church must be synchronized with state policy. They must be one,” Levshyna said.

Others in Ukraine have decided to distance themselves from the Russian Orthodox Church by celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25.

On Friday, the Church of Moscow Patriarchate condemned the Ukrainian plans to hold a service in the Kyiv cathedral as ”an attempt to forcefully seize ... the cathedral by means of blackmail and misinformation of society.”

In 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, but the Moscow’s patriarch refused to accept that.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared independence from Moscow’s Patriarchate after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, ending the Ukrainian church's loyalty to the Moscow patriarch which dated back to the 17th century. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church removed Moscow Patriarch Kirill as its leader in public worship and now uses its own sacramental oil for blessings rather than oil supplied by Moscow.

But Ukrainian security agencies have claimed that some in the Ukrainian church have maintained close ties with Moscow. They've raided numerous holy sites of the church and later posted photos of rubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Moscow patriarch as proof that some church officials have been loyal to Moscow.

Prominent Ukrainian Orthodox Church leaders have rejected the allegations of ties with Moscow, insisting that they have loyally supported Ukraine from the start of the war and that a government crackdown will only hand a propaganda coup to Russia.

DOUBLE STANDARD
‘Death to Khamenei’ Posts Don’t Violate Policies, Meta Oversight Board Declares

Mack DeGeurin
Mon, January 9, 2023 

A demonstrator holds a scarf like a noose around her neck during a One Law for All dance protest at Piccadilly Circus on December 17, 2022 in London, England

Meta’s “Supreme Court” says posts calling for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader do not violate the company’s policies against violent threats and should remain online. The “death to Khamenei” posts, the independent Oversight Board argues, should be viewed as a form of political expression rather than a direct call for violence. Meta’s decision to abide by the Oversight Board’s ruling could have far-reaching implications for politically contentious speech in other regions that are currently adrift in a policy morass.

The debate involves a July 2022 Facebook post of a cartoon version of Khamenei where his animated beard grasps hold of a chained and blindfolded woman wearing a hijab with the words “marg bar... Khamenei” appearing underneath. Though the flagged phrase literally translates to “death to Khamenei,” the Oversight Board says that narrow reading misses important context. Often, the group writes, protesters and political dissenters will evoke the slogan to mean, “down with Khamenei.” The Oversight Board, which operates independently of Meta but relies on the company to sign its checks, ultimately overturned Meta’s decision and called on the company to improve its respect for freedom of expression amid political protests.

“The Board is concerned that Meta has not taken action to allow use of ‘marg bar Khamenei’ at scale during the current protests in Iran, despite its assessment in this case that the slogan did not pose a risk of harm,’ The Oversight Board wrote in its ruling.

Khamenei, who assumed power in 1979, has led a brutal crackdown against Iranian protesters following the September death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman detained by the country’s morality police for not wearing a hijab while visiting Tehran. As enraged Iranians flooded the streets, government officials moved to block major internet services like WhatsApp and Instagram, limiting the outside world’s peek behind the curtain.

In that context, the Oversight Board says Meta should have done more to prepare moderators for politically sensitive speech and should have “anticipated” issues likely to occur around removal requests for content including the “marg bar Khamenei” phrase. Meta’s unpreparedness here, the Oversight Board argues, may have, “led to the silencing of political speech aimed at protecting women’s rights,” since the removed phrases were widely used during the ensuing protests. Meta did eventually bring the post back online with a “newsworthiness” label attached to it, but the Oversight Board says that label was unnecessary since the posts didn’t violate Meta’s rules regarding violence and incitement in the first place.

“In the Board’s view, in contexts of widespread protests, Meta should be less reluctant to scale allowances,” The Oversight Board wrote. “This would help to protect voice where there are minimal risks to safety. This is particularly important where systematic violations of human rights have been documented, and avenues for exercising the right to freedom of expression are limited, as in Iran.”

At the same time, the ruling’s authors find it unlikely any “universal” approach to other “death to_____”-style posts on the platform can be established. Death threats directed towards high-risk individuals like writer Salman Rushdie, for example, likely would violate the company’s policies. So too would posts calling for death during the January 6 attack on the U.S. capitol. It’s unclear, however, how Meta would respond to other phrases like “Death to America,” which gained prominence in recent decades, in some cases, as a political response to U.S. involvement in the Middle East.

In a statement following the board’s decision, Meta said it plans to conduct a review of “identical content with parallel context.”

“We welcome the Oversight Board’s decision today on this case,” Meta wrote. “The board overturned Meta’s original decision to remove the content from the platform for violating our Violence and Incitement Policy, deeming the newsworthiness allowance unnecessary. Meta previously reinstated this content so no further action will be taken on it.”

Meta’s decision to use certain politically evocative speech can have real effects on the company’s operations. In Russia, for example, Meta quickly found itself booted out of the country entirely and labeled an extremist organization after it tweaked its hate speech policies to temporarily allow calls for violence against president Vladamir Putin following his invasion of Ukraine. Those rule changes only applied to a handful of countries near Russia, Ukraine among them.


Update 1/9/2022 12:05 P.M.: Added statement a from Meta.

LGBTQ Group Shut Down by Putin Is Back From the Dead

Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
Ankush Kumar
Sat, January 7, 2023


























Russia’s biggest LGBTQ organization is back, less than a year since Vladimir Putin’s government forced it to close, suing it for acting under “foreign influence” as part of a crackdown on gay rights.

The organization’s head, Dilya Gafurova, told The Daily Beast that the Sphere Foundation, the legal entity that operated the Russian LGBT Network, is now back up and running. She says it will have to operate unlicensed or the government would refuse to register the group, which was established as a new body on Jan. 1.

“As a consequence of our legal entity’s liquidation, we faced a choice: we could either go our separate ways or buckle up and look for solutions,” Gafurova told The Daily Beast. “As somebody heading Sphere, I really would not have blamed anyone at the time who’d wanted to leave—we already had put up a good fight, had a good run while we could; I mean, we were the ones who supported the LGBT+ movement across Russia for over 11 years, and some members of our team had been public, doing advocacy and awareness-raising work, and therefore were running high personal risks. But very few did leave, our core team is preserving itself.”

Despite the inability to pay salaries for the last three months and having an uncertain future, Dilya and her team have continued their work under the radar since September. In a blow to Putin’s homophobic agenda, the Sphere Foundation is now expanding once again with all of its previous programs and projects intact. The organization has been supporting LGBTQ movements in Russia for many years and it will now include feminist initiatives, too.

On Dec. 5, Putin signed a law that expanded Russia’s restrictions on what it calls “LGBT propaganda.” According to the new law, any action or spreading of any information which is considered an attempt to promote homosexuality in public, online, or in films, books, or advertising, could result in a heavy fine.

Revamped Russian LGBTQ organization, Sphere Foundation, is ready to take the fight against the new law. “Bring it on, we say,” Gafurova said.

The LGBTQ community in Russia feels incredibly vulnerable as Putin’s regime has given a green light to hatred towards the community.

“We were the ones that had been running a campaign against the previously existing ban on ‘LGBT propaganda’ among minors. The previous law was not used much, wasn’t really applied—mostly to curb activism and the work of such organizations as ours on Awareness-raising,” said Gafurova. “We see the new legislation as an expanded version of that—the wording is so vague, the government may use it as it pleases them if they’re willing to target one’s activity. What is ‘LGBT propaganda’ anyways? They have this set of bills that now touches upon so many spheres, like media, book publishing, streaming platforms, stores and e-commerce, and yet ‘propaganda’ isn’t even clearly defined.”

Sphere Foundation has already been working against the new legislation and encouraged people from different regions to write to their members of parliament (MPs) asking not to pass the bill. Over 15,000 letters went out to Russian lawmakers and 84,000 people signed a petition before Putin’s LGBT propaganda law was adopted anyway.

“We want to continue encouraging people to voice their discontent over this, to make it known that the queer community in Russia cannot be muzzled—and that the way the government perceives LGBT+ people and the way that the actual Russian society does are very different,” Gafurova said. “Many are asking us why the Russian government would pass such legislation now, when it’s grappling with enough issues as is. In fact, it makes a lot of sense—it’s a part of an ideological confrontation with the West. Being LGBT+, in the eyes of Russian MPs, is the result of harmful Western influence, a ‘hybrid war,’ as they call it.”

According to Gafurova, the new law does not prohibit the Sphere Foundation from providing psychological and legal assistance to the LGBT+ community in Russia. But she expressed concern while talking to The Daily Beast that without spreading awareness on its social media about their work, nobody would come to the organization asking for help. She is concerned that the organization is public and they could label its very existence as “propaganda.”

Gafurova said that the organization wants to preserve its advocacy work and raise awareness about the harmful aspects of the “LGBT propaganda” legislation—that certainly qualifies as “propagandizing non-traditional relations.”

“We made our peace with it,” said Gafurova. “We will not change a thing, so the LGBT+ people will not be made feel as if they are on their own with what’s happening.”

This Russian Gay Couple Hopes Their Wedding Will Help Change Minds

LGBTQ Russians Fight to Survive Putin’s Campaign of Hate

Sphere Foundation was established in 2011 and soon grew to become Russia’s biggest LGBTQ organization. With its partner organizations and activists, it focused on helping the queer community in the North Caucasus, who came under attack from the repressive regime of Chechnya in particular. Sphere also led the campaign against the nationwide “2013 propaganda law,” which outlawed homosexuality being treated as normal or “promoted” to minors.

Since 2014, Sphere has also been providing emergency support to the LGBTQ community and their families in life-threatening situations across Russia.

Gafurova told The Daily Beast that for the Russian government Sphere’s liquidation was almost like cutting off the dragon’s head as much of the support to the LGBT+ movement in Russia across the regions came from Sphere over many years.

“We were also behind assisting queer people in the North Caucasus after 2017 until 2022,” said Gafurova. “They definitely had an ax to grind with us. Maybe they thought it’d be enough. But it’s now becoming apparent it wasn’t.”

As the organization moves to support LGBTQ Russians against Putin’s homophobic law, it is cautious as the government may watch its activity very closely. Deteriorating human rights conditions in Russia and concerns raised by anyone could leave them facing harsh punishments and fines. Gafurova also talked about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and said she doesn’t believe it’s possible to be a human rights activist and condone such actions by the Russian government.

I R O N I C

Canada finalizes deal for Lockheed's F-35 fighter jets in C$19 bln project


01/09/2023

OTTAWA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Canada has finalized a deal to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets from U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin Corp in a C$19 billion ($14.2 billion) project to replace its aging fleet of fighter aircraft, the Canadian government said on Monday.

Canada expects first F-35s to be delivered in 2026 and the fleet's full operational capability is anticipated between 2032 and 2034.

The purchase would mark the largest investment in the Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years.

Canada finalizes agreement to buy 88 US F-35 fighter jets

By Rob Gillies | AP
January 9, 2023

TORONTO — Canada has finalized an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp and the United States government to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets, government officials said Monday.

The first four aircraft are anticipated to be delivered in 2026 with full operational capacity for the fleet expected between 2032 and 2034.

The government has budgeted about $19 billion Canadian (US$15 billion) for the purchase in what is the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years. Each jet costs about US$85 million. The full life cycle of the program is expected to cost $70 billion (US$52 billion).

Canada has a close defense relationship with the United States, which includes using fighter jets together to defend North American air space.

The announcement comes as Trudeau is set to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico

The government said last year Lockheed Martin’s F-35 was deemed to be the top-ranked bidder for a new fighter jet to replace aging F-18s, deciding against Boeing’s Super Hornet. Meanwhile Canada purchased some Australian F-18s to help extend the life of the Canadian F-18 program until 2032.

Before becoming prime minister, Trudeau had said Canada wouldn’t buy the F-35. A former Conservative Canadian government had announced the purchase of the F-35 but Trudeau’s Liberal government delayed that purchase and opened up the bidding to competition.

“As our world grows darker with Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, and China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the Indo-Pacific, this project has taken on heightened significance especially the importance of interoperability with our allies,” Defense Minister Anita Anand.

“We need to ensure that especially in this changing global strategic environment we are that we are fulfilling our obligations to NORAD and to NATO.”

This just in: We don't know what UFOs are

UFOs are real, and the government is aware. But that doesn't mean we know what they are and that they are signs of alien technology. Read more: https://wapo.st/3X40HtG.

Live: Nurses stage strike in New York City after bargaining talks fail

U.K. strikes to continue after government talks with unions fail

Author of the article:

Reuters

Kylie Maclellan

Published Jan 09, 2023  

Rail workers that are members of the ASLEF union stand at a picket line outside Euston station while on strike, in London, Jan. 5, 2023. PHOTO BY HENRY NICHOLLS/FILE PHOTO /REUTERS

LONDON — Britain will face more strikes by workers demanding higher pay after meetings between ministers and trade unions on Monday failed to end a wave of stoppages across sectors from health care to transport.

More than 10,000 ambulance workers will walk out on Wednesday as planned, the GMB union said in a statement, after talks with health minister Steve Barclay failed to produce a breakthrough.

“There was some engagement on pay – but not a concrete offer that could help resolve this dispute and make significant progress,” GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said.

With pay rises failing to keep up with double-digit inflation, which is now around 40-year highs, nurses, ambulance staff and rail workers are among those who have staged walkouts, with teachers also being balloted over action.

Teaching unions, who will announce the result of their strike ballots later this week, met with the education minister, while the health minister also spoke to unions representing nurses. The transport minister was due to meet rail unions.

The RCN, representing nurses, called the meeting with Barclay “bitterly disappointing.” It said there was a long way to go if ministers want to avert nurses strikes scheduled for Jan. 18 and 19.

Unions Unite and Unison, both representing health workers, also condemned the government’s approach. Unite’s Onay Kasab said the government made it clear that it wanted to discuss productivity savings in return for a further pay award.

“We’re talking about people who are working well beyond their contracted hours anyway, just to get the job done,” he told reporters. “Today is an insult to our members.”

Unions have said they will only call off strikes in the next few weeks if offers are made to resolve the disputes over this year’s pay settlement, while the government wants to focus on pay rises for the next financial year.

The government has argued that inflation-matching pay rises will only fuel further price increases and cause interest rates and mortgage payments to go up further.

During a visit to a health centre earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters the government was happy to discuss pay demands which were “anchored in what’s reasonable, what’s responsible, what’s affordable for the country.”

Asked about media reports the government was considering making a one-off payment to nurses to help with the cost of living, Sunak declined to comment on specifics. 

SAVE ORANGUTANGS BAN PALM OIL

Indonesia, Malaysia agree to fight against palm oil ‘discrimination’


Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia, January 9, 2023. (Reuters)

Reuters, Bogor, Indonesia
Published: 09 January ,2023

Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s biggest producers of palm oil, agreed on Monday to work together to fight “discrimination” against the commodity after a meeting between leaders from the countries.

The comments by Indonesian President Joko Widodo followed a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was making his first overseas trip since being elected last November.

Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, said the two countries would “fight discrimination against palm oil” and “strengthen cooperation through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries” to address concerns.

The European Union plans to phase out palm-oil based fuels by 2030 because of perceived links to deforestation.

During their bilateral meeting, Anwar and Jokowi signed eight memorandums of understandings covering shipping, export-import financing, green energy, the development of battery industry, which they said they hoped would deepen cross border trade and investment.

The leaders also discussed the development of Indonesia’s planned new capital, Nusantara, with Anwar handing over 11 letters of interest from Malaysian companies related to possible investment in the new city, located in the Indonesian portion Borneo.

The new capital could boost regional development, Anwar said, with the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak located in the Malaysian part of Borneo island.

“We hope the development of the capital will bring greater benefits to the wider region, including on Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

Eat the rich: Malaysian PM says no mercy for elites who benefit from cronyism

Photo from Anwar Ibrahim Facebook

By Coconuts KLJan 9, 2023 | 11:22am KL time

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s declaration of war on elites in Malaysia mirrored the father of cronyism, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who ironically was very vocal in not tolerating cronyism and corruption.

Echoing the former prime minister, Anwar condemned rich elites who have benefitted from the practice and enriched themselves including those around them.

FYI, during Mahathir’s 22 years as prime minister, Malaysia’s economy grew as a result of a massive push in infrastructure and manufacturing, during which the nation built the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and a brand-new city for Putrajaya to serve as its administrative hub.

Critics charged that while it improved Malaysia’s standing internationally, it did so at the expense of cronyism, with Mahathir awarding the contracts to corporate moguls who are close to him, such Daim Zainuddin and Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary.

Last night, Anwar Ibrahim apparently declared war on the “elite minority who have used their power to enrich themselves and their clans”.

Speaking at a dinner for the Malaysian community in Indonesia, the country’s 10th premier said he would not budge on the matter even if it cost him his job.

“Malaysia must be free from the greed of the elite minority who have used their power to enrich themselves and their clans. I will not compromise at all although it will threaten my position,” he said, Bernama reported.

Anwar added that a retreat will take place the following week and that Cabinet ministers will discuss their progress reports and future plans.

Getting the ministers’ views after more than a month of work, he claimed, and presenting issues that may be carried out or improved upon are the goals of the retreat.

“After that, we will make an announcement about the KPI (key performance indicator) and the hopes of each minister and ministry,” he said at the Q&A session at the dinner.

Anwar said the main focus of his government would be to strengthen a sustainable economy by attracting investment and ensuring social justice.