cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3410771

Archived version

Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers has begun avoiding the English Channel, steering clear of high-risk zones and traditional shipping routes, according to maritime analysts at Starboard Maritime Intelligence, who spoke to the All Exclusive project.

For over a month now, Russia-linked tankers have been diverting around the Channel via the west of Ireland, Starboard analyst Mark Douglas told All Exclusive. The only known exceptions were the tankers Selva and Sierra, which passed through the waterway in late June — accompanied at the time by the Russian Navy’s Boikiy corvette, a Steregushchiy-class warship. Both tankers are under UK sanctions, while Sierra is also sanctioned by the European Union.

At least three tankers — Marathon, Ma Jin, and Tiburon — have since altered their routes.

• The **Marat

Avoid Paywall

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43142602

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3406764

The European Commission has opened a call for evidence and public consultation on a new EU Civil Society Strategy. The strategy will propose a framework for action at EU and Member State level.

The key objectives of this call for evidence and public consultation will be to recognise the crucial role of civil society in our democracies and propose actions to foster a thriving civic space. These actions will aim to strengthen meaningful engagement with and protection and support of civil society organisations working on a broad range of EU policies.

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The EU Civil Society Strategy will provide a comprehensive framework for action at EU and Member State level; It will focus on strengthening meaningful engagement and providing support to all civil society actors, whilst including specific actions to address the shrinking civic space for civil society organisations and human rights defenders active in promoting

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3405027

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• Dutch military intelligence says Russia uses banned chemical weapons in Ukraine
• Evidence points to 'large-scale program' of producing and using choking agent, officials say
• Dutch defence minister urges tougher sanctions

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The Dutch intelligence findings on alleged Russian use of chloropicrin, a banned warfare agent first used by Germany during World War One, have not previously been reported.

The head of the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency (MIVD), Peter Reesink, said the conclusions followed "our own independent intelligence, so we have observed it ourselves based on our own investigations."

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The United States first accused Russia of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3405265

Archived version

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Speaking to the National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) yesterday, Ministry of Defence parliamentary under-secretary Luke Pollard admitted that the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 – which can impose £1,000 fines – "does seem somewhat out of step with the modern-day risk."

However, he pointed out that forming legislation to mitigate the risk to undersea infrastructure is a balance between a civil and military approach, but this raises the question of how the government might prosecute a perpetrator of undersea cable sabotage.

"We've identified that this is an area that could be looked at again. That's why the Strategic Defence Review talked about creating a defence readiness bill, probably in a later stage, a later session of parliament," he said.

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Archive: https://archive.is/2025.07.04-044827/https://www.ft.com/content/c3223f76-3cba-40c3-b54c-8cd0cb611359

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.07.03-175155/https://www.ft.com/content/efc46178-0d2b-4236-a14c-36fc4b6ba4ea

Jeremy Corbyn has hinted he could launch a political party alongside other leftwing independent MPs in an attempt to offer “an alternative” to Labour, before the next general election.

Speaking on ITV’s Peston programme, the former Labour leader confirmed discussions were under way among the Independent Alliance group of MPs that he co-founded last year.

Asked directly whether they were preparing to form a new party, Corbyn did not rule it out. “That grouping [of independents] will come together, there will be an alternative,” he said.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3395472

Archived version

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"The vast majority of cluster munitions that are being used in the world today are being used by Russia in Ukraine," said Mary Wareham, deputy director of the Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch.

Their use "is an element of Moscow’s broader policy of terror against the Ukrainian people," Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on June 26.

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Ukrainian authorities have documented at least 5,974 cases of Russia’s cluster munitions use in Ukraine since 2022, the Foreign Ministry said.

When such attacks are launched on big cities, like Russia’s strike on Kyiv on June 17 that killed 30 and injured 172 people, they stand out for the number of civilian casualties inflicted. According to Wareham, video

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3394940

Archived version

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[Deminer Viktoria] Shynkar and her colleagues, who work for the demining charity the Halo Trust, uncovered 243 TM-62 Soviet-designed anti-tank mines left by the Russian army in a neighbouring field.

A chunky and intimidating 32-centimetres in diameter and 13-cm-wide, the TM-62 contains 7.5 kilos of TNT and can puncture a tank if triggered.

The presence of landmines and other unexploded ordnance is a significant issue in Ukraine, impacting civilians and Ukraine’s agricultural industry – a major employer and source of income to the country.

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Established by the [Ukrainian] Ministry of Defence, the country’s National Mine Action Centre (NMAC) has produced a map that highlights areas it confirms as hazardous, ar

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3390551

Archived version

An arson attack on a Ukrainian restaurant in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, was an influence operation ordered by Russian intelligence and carried out by two Moldovan citizens, a court heard on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at the Slava Ukraina restaurant in Tallinn's Telliskivi district on January 31 ... camera footage clearly showed it was a deliberate act. The restaurant owner said:]: "It was arson, they smashed the windows."

The defendants ... were caught by law enforcement agencies in Italy on February 11, [One of the defendants admitted to participating in and supporting intelligence activities directed against Estonia by carrying out two counts of arson.

Under a plea agreement, he told the Prosecutor's Office that he establish