
Moldova's president warns of Russian interference threat ahead of parliament election
"The Russian Federation wants to control the Republic of Moldova from autumn onwards and is preparing unprecedented interference in the September elections," she told a press briefing in Chisinau.
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The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Watch: Ukrainian military takes down Russian drones
Watch as the Ukrainian army appears to take down numerous Russian drones mid-air. Aerial footage shared by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Saturday (2 August) shows several unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being intercepted by The 93rd Mechanized Brigade, which is known as one of Kyiv 's most effective front-line brigades, Sharing the footage online, the ministry said: 'Warriors of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade are taking down russian drones — Orlan, Lancet, ZALA, Supercam, Albatros — at altitudes of several kilometers. 'Every enemy wing will have its final flight.'


BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Ukraine officials held in military drone corruption probe
A Ukrainian MP and other officials have been arrested after the country's anti-corruption agencies uncovered what they call a large-scale bribery scheme in the purchase of drones and electronic warfare a statement on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Ukrainian MP, heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard service members had been exposed for their involvement, which involved state contracts with suppliers being signed at prices inflated by up to 30%.Zelensky wrote that there can be "zero tolerance" for corruption in Ukraine, and thanked the agencies for their independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies was restored on Thursday, following nationwide protests. Zelensky's government faced an extensive backlash after introducing a bill that would strip the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, known as Nabu and Sap respectively, of their president claimed the agencies needed to be "cleared of Russian influence", and sought to give the general prosecutor the authority to decide who should be prosecuted in high-level corruption saw the move as a step backwards for corruption in Ukraine, resulting in the largest anti-government demonstrations since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in acknowledged public anger and submitted a new bill restoring the agencies' former independence, which was voted through by parliament just nine days after the original bill had been head of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, thanked Zelensky for "hearing the public's call" regarding the powers of anti-corruption agencies and "not making a mistake".The move was also praised by EU allies, who had voiced concerns over the implications of the original bill. The fight against corruption is significant in Ukraine's bid to join the EU. The creation of Nabu and Sap was a requirement set by the European Commission and International Monetary Fund in 2014, in order to move towards a relaxation of visa a result, Kyiv was granted EU candidate status in 2022, bringing the nation another step towards closer ties with the their establishment, Nabu and Sap have been involved in far-reaching investigations into the misappropriation of millions of dollars' worth of assets and bribes across various ministries and sectors.A joint investigation in 2023 resulted in the arrest of the head of Ukraine's Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, in connection with a $3m (£2.4m; €2.9m) bribe.


The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Jack Smith under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel over Trump prosecutions
Former special counsel Jack Smith, the federal prosecutor who led two federal investigations into President Donald Trump, is being investigated by the Office of Special Counsel. Smith, who has long been targeted by Trump and allies for what they believe is weaponization of the justice system, is being investigated by the office for allegedly violating the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity. The Office of Special Counsel confirmed the inquiry into Smith to The Independent. That comes after Senator Tom Cotton of Alabama, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, requested that an investigation be opened into Smith on allegations that he intended to interfere with the 2024 presidential election by trying to speed up proceedings in Trump's election interference case. 'Jack Smith is a partisan Democrat who weaponized the law against President Trump to help Dems win,' Cotton wrote on X. 'I've asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate his actions that likely violated the law to influence the election.' Smith is a registered independent voter. The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal agency that safeguards the government's merit system by investigating allegations of wrongdoing and protects employees while whistleblowing. It is separate from the Justice Department office where Smith's special counsel status came from. The investigation into Smith is the latest move in the president's campaign of retribution against those whom he believes unfairly targeted him for political reasons. Trump has used his power as president to open investigations into people, revoke security clearances, and target businesses and institutions. In August 2023, Smith brought a four-count criminal indictment against Trump for his actions to overturn the 2020 election results in his favor. Smith had pushed for the trial to begin soon after the indictment was filed because the presidential election was coming up and Trump was running. Cotton claims that Smith's urgency is a sign that he was acting at the behest of Democrats to influence the election. No evidence has yet been brought forward to confirm Cotton's theory. Smith had investigated Trump for less than a year before bringing the indictment. He accused the president of pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud to try and convince the public that the election had been rigged in former president Joe Biden's favor, despite no evidence of mass voter fraud. Those claims incited Trump supporters who, at the direction of Trump, marched to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to protest Congress's certification of election results. The mob turned angry and violent and physically stormed the Capitol that day, resulting in multiple deaths. The indictment claimed Trump and his allies engaged in a scheme to try and appoint fake electors in states with close races to certify the election in Trump's favor, even though he lost. Trump had denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges, constantly railing against the indictments and Smith as corrupt and motivated by politics. Smith's case against Trump began seeing cracks after the Supreme Court ruled in the president's favor, awarding him vast immunity from criminal prosecutions in July 2024. Once Trump won the 2024 election in November, Smith moved to dismiss the case, saying there was a precedent not to prosecute a sitting president. shortly before Trump took office. The president had threatened to fire Smith as soon as he assumed power.