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Russia Today
19 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Declassified document links Russiagate hoax to Soros
A newly unclassified document suggests George Soros' Open Society Foundation was involved in the effort by the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 to falsely accuse then-candidate Donald Trump of ties to Russia. The document, a 29-page annex to John Durham's 2023 Special Counsel report, was released by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday shortly after it was declassified. It sheds more light on what Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) described as 'one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history.' 'Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton's political gain... These intelligence reports and related records, whether true or false, were buried for years,' Grassley said in a statement. The annex cites several emails allegedly sent by Leonard Benardo, senior vice president of Soros' Open Society Foundations, throughout July 2016, which provide details on the Clinton campaign's plans to falsely accuse Trump of Russia links and tie him to the alleged Democratic National Committee (DNC) hack. Analysis by the Durham team concluded the Benardo emails 'were likely authentic,' the annex states. 'During the first stage of the campaign, due to lack of direct evidence, it was decided to disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated 'attic-based' technical structures… in particular, the Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect companies, from where the information would then be disseminated through leading US publications,' one of the emails reads. Another email purportedly sent by Benardo states that the 'media analysis on the DNC hacking appears solid' and suggests that 'later the FBI will put more oil into fire,' apparently predicting the probe by the agency. It also cites an individual named 'Julie,' identified in the annex as Clinton's foreign policy adviser Julianne Smith, who said the future Russiagate 'will be a long term affair to demonize [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Trump.'


Russia Today
19 minutes ago
- Russia Today
US and UK behind cyberattack on Aeroflot
US and UK intelligence services were behind this week's major cyberattack that disrupted operations at Aeroflot and other Russian companies earlier this week, a senior Russian lawmaker has claimed. Andrey Svintsov, the deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, has said the attack is part of a coordinated campaign by Western powers to damage the Russian economy after failing to achieve their objectives through military means and sanctions. Aeroflot, Russia's largest airline, was forced to cancel or delay dozens of flights on July 28 after pro-Ukrainian hacker groups claimed to have crippled the airline's internal IT systems. The cyberattack also disrupted airport operations and affected other companies, including a nationwide pharmacy chain. 'These are not isolated hackers, but a planned action by American and British intelligence agencies,' Svintsov told Russian outlet Abzats. He described the campaign as a 'systematic effort that is being carried out against Russia,' suggesting that it's a sign of desperation by the country's adversaries. 'This is a systematic approach by our Western enemies, who have failed to defeat Russia on the battlefield. They are moving to weaken the economic potential, since sanctions are not helping,' Svintsov said. He warned that cyber sabotage could continue until Russia achieves victory in the Ukraine conflict. In May, Defense Secretary John Healey said the UK would significantly increase cyber operations against Russia and China. He confirmed the creation of a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, adding that 'the keyboard is now a weapon of war.' The Kremlin has urged Russian businesses to replace foreign-made software and hardware to reduce exposure to cyber threats. Last month, President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to accelerate import substitution. Hacker groups Silent Crow and Cyberpartisans BY have claimed responsibility for Monday's attack on Aeroflot. They claim to have been inside the airline's corporate network for over a year, stealing more than 20 terabytes of data and destroying around 7,000 servers. Communications regulator Roskomnadzor said the data leaks have not been confirmed. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has confirmed the cyberattack and opened a criminal case.

Kuwait Times
19 minutes ago
- Kuwait Times
Zelensky urges ‘regime change' in Russia
Russia captures town of Chasiv Yardrone, strikes Kyiv, killing 11 KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged his allies to bring about 'regime change' in Russia, hours after a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv killed 11 people including a six-year-old boy. The overnight strikes reduced part of a nine-storey apartment block in Kyiv's western suburbs to rubble and wounded more than a hundred in the capital, according to authorities. The Russian army meanwhile claimed to have captured Chasiv Yar, a strategically important hillside town in eastern Ukraine where the two sides have been fiercely fighting for months. Moscow has stepped up its deadly aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, resisting US pressure to end its nearly three-and-a-half year invasion as its forces grind forward on the battlefield. Speaking virtually to a conference marking 50 years since the signing of the Cold War-era Helsinki Accords, Zelensky said he believed Russia could be 'pushed' to stop the war. 'But if the world doesn't aim to change the regime in Russia, that means even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries,' the Ukrainian leader added. Between late Wednesday and early Thursday, Russia fired over 300 drones and eight cruise missiles at Ukraine, the main target of which was Kyiv, the Ukrainian air force said. One missile tore through a nine-storey residential building in western Kyiv, tearing off its facade, authorities said. AFP journalists at the scene of the strike saw rescuers scouring through a smoldering mound of broken concrete, the belongings of residents scattered among the debris. 'It's a shock. I still can't get my bearings. It's very frightening,' Valentyna Chestopal, a 28-year-old resident of Kyiv, told AFP. Tymofii was woken up by the sound of a missile, 'everything started falling on me. It was terrifying,' said the resident of the Solomyansky district, whose apartment was destroyed and described the experience as 'a nightmare.' Among the victims was a six-year-old boy, who died on the way to hospital in an ambulance, the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said in a post on Telegram. The Russian army said it had hit Ukraine's military airfield, ammunition warehouse and drone production facilities with a combined overnight strike using high-precision weaponry and drones. The attack came just days after US President Donald Trump issued a 10-day ultimatum for Moscow to halt its invasion, now in its fourth year, or face sanctions. Russia said on Thursday it had captured the town of Chasiv Yar, which had been a strategically important military hub for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region. The town 'was liberated by Russian forces', Russia's defense ministry said in a statement, while a Ukrainian army spokesperson rejected Russia's claim as 'lies'. Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko said the Russians 'have full control over the entire northern and eastern part,' of Chasiv Yar including districts that were hardest to get. But that the fighting for the western side was still ongoing, added. He said the situation was 'very difficult' in the town that has been holding up in urban skirmishes for over two years, a record time in the war. Taking control of Chasiv Yar would represent a major military boon for Russia, which has been making incremental but steady territorial gains for months. Home to around 12,000 people before the war but now largely destroyed, the town's capture would pave the way for Russian forces to advance on remaining civilian strongholds in the eastern Donetsk region. These include the garrison city of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, important logistical bases for the Ukrainian military and home to many civilians, who have up to now not fled the fighting. The Kremlin has made the capture of the Donetsk region a priority since it claimed the industrial region as part of Russia in September 2022. Russia, which denies targeting civilians, has not yet commented on the strike or Zelensky's call for regime change. Putin has himself called for Zelensky to be removed from office and has repeatedly questioned his legitimacy. — AFP