Ruslan Trad

The most unpleasant influencers for me are those who are ignorant but “feel the pressure of the public” to comment on conflicts and international relations.

I believe Bashar al-Assad appreciates how nice it is not to be ruling in Damascus, but instead to be dining peacefully in Moscow with stolen public funds.

Observing online reactions and comments, I believe it will not be difficult for the Iranians to harness public narratives to their advantage and provoke a reaction in Western societies. The mood is certainly not in Trump's favor, and this will help the regime in Tehran.

Trump allies target European NGOs in battle over Big Tech rules Trump allies have waged an aggressive campaign against civil society and academics in the United States. Now, they’re setting their sights across the Atlantic, threatening Europe’s efforts to rein in ...

Trump-aligned forces have ramped up their campaign to undermine the EU’s Digital Services Act. U.S. diplomats have been instructed to lobby against the tech law in European capitals.

Inside Europe’s car cartel and the secret talks to align on toxic emissions Major carmakers discussed designing vehicles that emitted more toxic emissions than necessary, years earlier than EU regulators believed. One internal email, seen by Follow the Money, bluntly stated: ...

Major carmakers discussed designing vehicles that emitted more toxic emissions than necessary, years earlier than EU regulators believed.

From Harry Potter prose to Elton John lyrics: how a French AI firm has breached copyright rules Mediapart can reveal that a French start-up called Mistral AI has used writings protected by copyright law to train its artificial intelligence model. And the company has also scraped online data de…

Mediapart report claims that the French start-up Mistral AI has used copyrighted material to train its model. And the company has also scraped online data despite explicit bans on doing so, including data belonging to media outlets.

The Cat and the Stock-Footage CEO: How a Digital Trail Helped Unmask an Iranian Money Machine A woman named Elizabeth Newman supposedly runs two U.K.-registered crypto exchanges. But she appears to be a corporate fiction used as a front for a convicted embezzler whom the United States has accu...

A woman who runs two U.K.-registered crypto exchanges appears to be a corporate fiction used as a front for a convicted embezzler whom the United States has accused of moving billions of dollars’ worth of digital assets on behalf of Iran’s regime.

Oil majors profit $467bn since Russia’s Ukraine invasion As Russia-Ukraine conflict reaches fourth anniversary, analysis shows oil majors channelled record earnings into shareholder payouts while clean energy investment lagged

The latest Global Witness analysis shows that BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies have pocketed record profits, even as the energy crisis continues to strain Europeans’ budgets.

Эпштейн получил российскую визу по приглашению ветеранов ФСБ — Новая газета Европа В 2011 году, заполняя заявление на российскую визу, Джеффри Эпштейн указал в качестве приглашающей организации московскую МОО «Вымпел». С этим названием в России на тот момент существовала только Ме...

Belyakov has held a number of government posts in Russia: he worked at the Ministry of Economic Development, headed the board of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, and since 2016 has worked at the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which is headed by Kirill Dmitriev.

The head of the Vympel International Public Organization is FSB veteran and KGB colonel Sergei Shestov, who earned personal praise from Yuri Andropov for his operations in Afghanistan. Sergei Belyakov helped draft the invitation letter from the Vympel veterans to Epstein.

Vympel is the name of a special unit of the FSB that conducts counterterrorism operations. On the page dedicated to associations of veterans of the special unit, there is a link to the Vympel website (currently inactive).

“In 2011, when filling out an application for a Russian visa, Jeffrey Epstein indicated the Moscow-based MOO Vympel as the inviting organization. At that time, the only organization with this name in Russia was the International Public Organization Vympel."

Interesting details on Epstein’s Russian visa and links to the FSB by Novaya Gazeta Europe: novayagazeta.eu/articles/202...

Key Witness Who Disputed ICE Account of Fatal Texas Shooting Dies in Car Accident

The only passenger in the car when an ICE officer shot and killed an American citizen in Texas last year had planned to speak up and contradict the government’s account of the shooting. But the passenger, Joshua Orta, died in an car crash on Sunday.

Fascism? No thanks! Why Britain rejected extremism in the 1930s Extremism was on the march across continental Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. Yet Britons chose a different, more moderate, path. Alwyn Turner explores why the posturing and rants of would-be dictators...

“Is this the age of dictators?” asked veteran journalist Sir Sidney Low. He was writing in September 1923, the month in which a military coup brought Miguel Primo de Rivera to power in Spain & at the same time, Benito Mussolini was reinforcing his new dictatorship in Italy.

A Cuba/Venezuela-style blockade combined with or followed by a military campaign against Iran is one actively being debated.

Made in the EU, Dropped on Kyiv: How European Parts Are Enabling Russia’s Winter Drone War The workhorse of Russia’s drone fleet — responsible for crippling Ukraine's energy grid and triggering a humanitarian crisis — is built with EU technology. Despite tightening sanctions, parts for the ...

"The workhorse of Russia’s drone fleet — responsible for crippling Ukraine's energy grid and triggering a humanitarian crisis — is built with EU technology. Despite tightening sanctions, parts for the Geran-2 are still flowing into Russia with ease."

BBC Audio | Start the Week | Breakage and repair Tom Sutcliffe's guests include Booker Prize-winner George Saunders on his new novel, Vigil

In a recent episode of BBC Radio 4's Start the Week, investigative journalist Oliver Bullough joins Tom Sutcliffe to discuss the mechanics of international money laundering, based on his work regarding how illicit wealth is hidden within global financial systems. Good episode!

Greece to take part in Gaza peace force | eKathimerini.com Greece plans to take part in the International Stabilization Force with Gaza, with a special battalion that will include armored vehicles that will take part in maintaining security, as well as medics...

Greece is preparing to join the new so-called International Gaza Stabilization Force with a specialized battalion that will include armored vehicles, medical teams, and engineering units.

How surveillance companies track smartphone users through advertising data Companies are offering law enforcement agencies the ability to track smartphone users through advertising data gathered on their devices. Le Monde attended confidential presentations of these new surv...

"Companies are offering law enforcement agencies the ability to track smartphone users through advertising data gathered on their devices. Le Monde attended confidential presentations of these new surveillance tools to learn more."

Exclusive | Pentagon Used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro Venezuela Raid The use of the model through a contract with Palantir highlights the growing role of AI in the Pentagon.

Anthropic’s artificial-intelligence tool Claude was used in the U.S. military’s operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Podcast | European money pushes Cambodians into despair Microloans were meant to lift people out of poverty. But in Cambodia, they’ve pushed families into crushing debt – and in some cases, even to suicide. Reporters Leila Goldstein and Phon Sothyroth trav...

Microloans were meant to lift people out of poverty. But in Cambodia, they've pushed families into crushing debt. The @ftm.eu's reporters travelled across the country to investigate how European development institutions helped fuel a system that profits from desperation.

Greek squadron leader arrested for China spying A series of military espionage cases have rocked European capitals in recent years.

A Greek air force colonel currently held on espionage charges faces a life sentence if found guilty of leaking top-secret NATO military plans to China in exchange for cash.

Europe poised to help US companies profit from Venezuelan oil Europe and the UK already have a blueprint for supporting Venezuela's people – stop importing its oil while it is controlled by the US

Last year, Europe bought over half a billion dollars’ worth of diesel from America’s leading refiner of Venezuelan crude. According to customs and shipping records, in 2025, European countries imported at least $565 million worth of diesel, with the 🇳🇱 and the 🇬🇧 among the top destinations.

China Fails to Curb the ‘Secret Filming Betrayal’ of Women and Girls Hidden cameras capture women in intimate moments without their consent, yet the authorities do little to stop it.

Private Telegram groups for the sharing of secretly taken footage of women and girls take payments via Alipay and WeChat Pay, as well as the cryptocurrency Tether. One group offers access to more than 40,000 videos of footage from hotels, homes, and public toilets for a $20 ‘V.I.P.’ membership.

A Russian Esoteric Sect Goes West—with a Putinist Running Its Hub in Poland - VSquare.org The Russian sect known as the Anastasians promotes an anti-democratic, patriarchal ideology. For several years, its colonies have been quietly emerging across Poland.

The Russian sect known as the Anastasians promotes an anti-democratic, patriarchal ideology. For several years, its colonies have been quietly emerging across Poland. @vsquare.bsky.social established that the movement in Poland was organized by a Putin sympathizer who bought land for his compounds.

Epstein Made Efforts to Free the Son of Senegal’s Former President After Corruption Conviction Emails released by the U.S. Justice Department trace a years-long friendship between Jeffrey Epstein and Karim Wade — the son of Senegal’s former president — who was jailed for corruption.

"Emails released by the U.S. Justice Department trace a years-long friendship between Jeffrey Epstein and Karim Wade — the son of Senegal’s former president — who was jailed for corruption."

(S+) Joscha Bach: Wie ein deutscher Forscher mit Epsteins Hilfe Karriere machte Joscha Bach ist ein bekannter deutscher KI-Forscher, offenbar hat er mehr als eine Million Dollar von Jeffrey Epstein erhalten. SPIEGEL-Recherchen zeigen: Der Kontakt reichte weit ins Private.

Der Spiegel reported that German AI researcher Joscha Bach might have received nearly $1 million in financial support from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and gained access to influential networks through him.

US held secret meeting between Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania over Western Sahara Moroccan media say Madrid meeting saw Algeria open to autonomy plan rejected by Sahrawi leaders

"At the end of December, Boulos told the Lebanese daily An-Nahar that resolving the Western Sahara issue was an "absolute priority for the United States".

“China has unveiled plans for a space carrier that can deploy unmanned fighter jets capable of firing missiles from the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere.”

Aha, okay. Well, good graphics. I hope Nvidia will make it easier to play. www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...