RT @MadPumpkinCorp: The #FBI hired #AlexanderSmirnov, an Israeli citizen, 14 years ago to spy for the US. #Bitcoin $BTC #Ethereum $ETH #Da…
Day: February 22, 2024
Once-prized #FBI informant is now the center of a #scandal. The agency is facing #scrutiny since it came to light that one of the #bureau’s longtime paid sources was pushing #fake dirt about #Biden. pic.twitter.com/Bl9DOG4gPi
— Gopal Sengupta (@senguptacanada) February 22, 2024
Russian state-owned media outlet TASS reported that 22-year-old Mamuka Gatserelia, a Georgian citizen and Azovstal defender in Ukraine, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the occupied Donetsk region for the alleged “killing of three Russian soldiers.” Russian side refuses to include Gatserelia in a prisoner exchange program, citing his Georgian nationality and describing him as a mercenary. According to Gatserelia’s mother, the Georgian Foreign Ministry and Ukrainian Embassy in Tbilisi are aware of his captivity but, due to obvious reasons, can’t guarantee his safety.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels. According to an official press release, the PM and Secretary General discussed Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, Black Sea security matters, and prospects for future cooperation. During the meeting, PM Kobakhidze reaffirmed that the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration remains a top foreign policy priority, which is also provided for by the constitution. In his post on internet platform X, Jens Stoltenberg described Georgia as a valuable partner, calling on the authorities to step up reforms toward full membership in the Euro-Atlantic family.
While in Brussels, PM Kobakhidze also met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. PM Kobakhidze and President Metsola reviewed Georgia’s progress in European integration, assessed the EU-Georgia cooperation, and expressed their readiness to deepen the partnership. The situation in the occupied territories and regional and global security challenges were also addressed during the meeting. “European Parliament fully supports the European aspirations of the people of Georgia. Necessary reforms will be key as Georgia proceeds on its European path,” said Metsola in her post on the internet platform X.
Rikard Jozwiak, the Europe Editor of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, revealed that the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó attended the EU-Georgia Association Council when junior diplomats usually attend Council meetings. According to Rikard Jozwiak, the Hungarian Foreign Minister explained his presence at the association council by the forthcoming Hungarian presidency, during which Hungary aims to open accession negotiations with Georgia. In a post on the internet platform X, Zoviak challenged Péter Szijjártó’s statement, claiming that such decisions need unanimity and should be based on the European Commission’s enlargement report.
In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, Abkhazia’s de facto leader, Aslan Bzhania, praised Georgian authorities for their pragmatic approach and not engaging in Ukraine-staged provocation. When asked what he thought about “improving relations with Georgia, taking into account the political changes in the country,” Aslan Bzhania said that “in recent years, since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Georgian leaders… have shown a pragmatic approach to everything”. In an extensive interview, he also spoke about the recent fuel and electricity problems in the occupied region, relations with Russia, and the prospects of uniting with Russia and Belarus in a union state.
Categories
The Daily Beat: 21 February
Russian state-owned media outlet TASS reported that 22-year-old Mamuka Gatserelia, a Georgian citizen and Azovstal defender in Ukraine, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the occupied Donetsk region for the alleged “killing of three Russian soldiers.” Russian side refuses to include Gatserelia in a prisoner exchange program, citing his Georgian nationality and describing him as a mercenary. According to Gatserelia’s mother, the Georgian Foreign Ministry and Ukrainian Embassy in Tbilisi are aware of his captivity but, due to obvious reasons, can’t guarantee his safety.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels. According to an official press release, the PM and Secretary General discussed Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, Black Sea security matters, and prospects for future cooperation. During the meeting, PM Kobakhidze reaffirmed that the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration remains a top foreign policy priority, which is also provided for by the constitution. In his post on internet platform X, Jens Stoltenberg described Georgia as a valuable partner, calling on the authorities to step up reforms toward full membership in the Euro-Atlantic family.
While in Brussels, PM Kobakhidze also met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. PM Kobakhidze and President Metsola reviewed Georgia’s progress in European integration, assessed the EU-Georgia cooperation, and expressed their readiness to deepen the partnership. The situation in the occupied territories and regional and global security challenges were also addressed during the meeting. “European Parliament fully supports the European aspirations of the people of Georgia. Necessary reforms will be key as Georgia proceeds on its European path,” said Metsola in her post on the internet platform X.
Rikard Jozwiak, the Europe Editor of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, revealed that the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó attended the EU-Georgia Association Council when junior diplomats usually attend Council meetings. According to Rikard Jozwiak, the Hungarian Foreign Minister explained his presence at the association council by the forthcoming Hungarian presidency, during which Hungary aims to open accession negotiations with Georgia. In a post on the internet platform X, Zoviak challenged Péter Szijjártó’s statement, claiming that such decisions need unanimity and should be based on the European Commission’s enlargement report.
In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, Abkhazia’s de facto leader, Aslan Bzhania, praised Georgian authorities for their pragmatic approach and not engaging in Ukraine-staged provocation. When asked what he thought about “improving relations with Georgia, taking into account the political changes in the country,” Aslan Bzhania said that “in recent years, since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Georgian leaders… have shown a pragmatic approach to everything”. In an extensive interview, he also spoke about the recent fuel and electricity problems in the occupied region, relations with Russia, and the prospects of uniting with Russia and Belarus in a union state.
I completely agree. It really is.“People cling to sources they think are reliable… Sometimes the problem is not technological, but cultural.” https://t.co/DWUIDMfspG
— Emin Bred (@emin_bred) February 22, 2024
Nice recap thread of our Tues evening event. Thanks Danielle! ⬇️ https://t.co/fZSQiKA4hq
— Hayden Center (@mvhaydencenter) February 22, 2024
As long as the Aliyev regime is in power, Azerbaijan, Europe and the region will always be in danger. https://t.co/k9braLWXwo
— Emin Bred (@emin_bred) February 22, 2024
INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!
PUT THE INCOMTENT AND TREACHEROUS FBI NINCOMPOOPS IN PRISON! DEFUND THE FBI! https://t.co/46AGN7VShI – The News And Times Reviewhttps://t.co/O0SIgLVWzM#NewsAndTimes #NT #TNT #News #Times#World #USA #POTUS #DOJ #FBI #CIA #DIA #ODNI#Israel…— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) February 22, 2024
Categories
NPR News: 02-22-2024 1AM EST
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Thursday that the number of Russian spies operating inside the United States is “still way too big,” despite efforts to kick them out.
“The Russian traditional counterintelligence threat continues to loom large,” Wray said during public remarks at the Spy Museum in Washington. “The Russian intelligence footprint, and by that I mean intelligence officers, is still way too big in the United States and something we are constantly bumping up against and trying to block and prevent and disrupt in every way we can.”
The threat of Russian spies operating on US soil is nothing new. But as US officials have increasingly recognized Russia under President Vladimir Putin as an adversary, traditional counterintelligence concerns once thought of as Cold War relics – human spies operating on US soil rather than cyber spies acting from inside of Russia – have once again drawn top level attention.
The US in 2018 expelled 60 Russian diplomats whom the US identified as intelligence agents, as well as ordering the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle, as part of its response to Russia’s alleged use of a nerve agent to poison a former Russian spy living in the United Kingdom.
Russia employs not only “traditional intelligence officers” but also cut-outs, Wray said on Thursday, citing a Mexican national arrested by US authorities in 2020 and accused of assisting Russian intelligence.
Last year, a Dutch intelligence agency publicly identified a Russian military intelligence officer who had studied at the prestigious Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies, an elite graduate program favored by US military personnel, young diplomats and future spies.
“I will say that, over the last several years, the US has made positive significant strides in reducing the size of the Russian intelligence officer footprint in the United States, kicking them out, in effect,” Wray said.