I’m so scared that my trans child will go to school one morning and come home secretly transformed into a Christian by the teachers.
Altro...He calls 31% approval polling fake. Iran strikes in February, the pump climbing, 37% of his own party against his economy.
Who pays the fake gas bill
Altro...He calls 31% approval polling fake. Iran strikes in February, the pump climbing, 37% of his own party against his economy.
Who pays the fake gas bill, motherfucker?
#Trump #Politics #USPol #Iran #QueerMedia #MutualAid #MutualAidRequest
I’m so scared that my child will go to school as a Christian and come home as a Presbyterian or a Jehovah’s Witness.
If it happens I pray it’s just
Altro...iPhones, Perfume and a Sunken Ship: The Strait of Hormuz Viral Video That Fooled Millions
Viral footage claimed to show people recovering iPhones and
Altro...iPhones, Perfume and a Sunken Ship: The Strait of Hormuz Viral Video That Fooled Millions
Viral footage claimed to show people recovering iPhones and luxury perfumes after a shipwreck near the Strait of Hormuz. Fact-checkers identified key videos as AI-generated.Dear Cherubs, the internet has apparently discovered a new form of treasure hunting: wait for a cargo ship to sink, then help yourself to floating iPhones and luxury perfumes. There is just one small problem with this spectacular maritime bargain: while a real ship did sink near the Strait of Hormuz, fact-checkers have found that some of the viral footage showing people collecting the expensive goods was AI-generated.
The story is a perfect cocktail of geopolitical tension, consumer temptation and social media doing what it does best: turning an alarming real-world event into an unbelievable spectacle.
A REAL SHIP, A VERY REAL CRISIS
According to reporting by The Associated Press and The Guardian, the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sank near the Strait of Hormuz on 14 October 2026, amid escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the region.
The cause remains contested. Iranian authorities said the vessel struck a naval mine after allegedly taking an unauthorised route. Other maritime reporting described the ship as having been struck by a projectile. The precise circumstances should therefore be treated with caution rather than settled as fact.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Disruption there can affect shipping, energy markets and international trade. In other words, this is not exactly an ideal location for an impromptu shopping trip.
And then came the videos.
THE IPHONE HAUL THAT WASN’T
Clips spread across social media purporting to show people gathering iPhone boxes and luxury perfumes from the sea after the ship sank. Some posts presented the scenes as Iranian fishermen salvaging valuable cargo, while others encouraged viewers to believe that a floating Apple Store had suddenly appeared in the Gulf.
The reality is rather less cinematic.
Al Jazeera’s open-source investigation, published on 17 October, traced several viral clips to an Instagram account called Nativora, which describes its output as fictional, AI-generated cinematic content. The investigation concluded that the videos claiming to show people collecting iPhones and perfumes after the shipwreck were fabricated.
Other fact-checking reports reached similar conclusions about footage showing people collecting iPhone boxes on a beach. Some clips contained visual inconsistencies, while technical analysis also suggested AI generation.
That distinction matters. The sinking was real; the viral scenes used to illustrate the supposed treasure haul were not reliable evidence of what happened. Nor has the ship’s cargo manifest established that the vessel was carrying the specific haul of new iPhones and luxury perfumes featured in the videos.
The distinction is important because a video can look convincing without being authentic. In this case, Al Jazeera reported that the clips collectively attracted around 80 million views. That is an impressive audience for fiction, particularly when the plot involves a maritime disaster and suspiciously convenient luxury shopping.
The lesson is not that every image of floating cargo is fake. It is that footage circulating online needs independent verification before it can be treated as evidence. A real disaster does not automatically make every video attached to it real.
THE INTERNET’S NEW TREASURE MAP
Why do these clips travel so far? Because they combine three ingredients social media loves: expensive products, dramatic events and the possibility of getting something valuable for nothing. Add a geopolitical crisis, and suddenly a dubious video becomes a ready-made narrative about punishment, profiteering or ordinary people getting lucky.
But a shipwreck is not a floating discount outlet. Recovering cargo from the sea can involve serious hazards, and ownership of salvaged goods is not automatically transferred to whoever reaches them first. The exact legal position depends on the circumstances and applicable maritime law.
For readers trying to separate fact from fiction, compare viral footage with reputable reporting, check whether the original creator identifies it as AI-generated, and look for independent confirmation of the specific details. As a general rule, if a video appears almost tailor-made to confirm someone’s political argument, a little scepticism is healthy.
For more accessible explainers on viral claims, current affairs and geopolitical stories, visit thisclaimer.com or the Thisclaimer YouTube channel.
The bottom line, Cherubs? The ship sank, the regional tensions are real, and the videos of people collecting iPhones and perfumes have been exposed as fabricated in key examples. Until credible evidence emerges, treat the supposed luxury haul as internet fiction rather than breaking news.
Sources:
Al Jazeera — Investigation into fake iPhone and perfume videos, published 17 October 2026. https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2026/10/17/حصدت-80-مليون-مشاهدة-ما-حقيقة-مقاطع-جمع-الآيفون-والعطور-من-مياه-هرمز
Associated Press — Iran says a ship sank after striking a mine in the Strait of Hormuz. https://apnews.com/article/7e2c57a29fd5c3afc7ffe0cf63954bf3
The National — Fire, sinking and reported scramble for cargo: what we know about the ship lost in the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/gulf/2026/10/15/fire-sinking-and-reported-scramble-for-cargo-what-we-know-about-ship-lost-in-strait-of-hormuz/
The Guardian — Two container ships sink near the Strait of Hormuz amid a surge in Iranian attacks. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/14/container-ship-sinks-strait-of-hormuz-surge-iranian-attacks-iran-us-midterm-elections
Thisclaimer — Further reading and accessible explainers. https://thisclaimer.com/
Thisclaimer YouTube — Videos and explainers. https://www.youtube.com/@thisclaimer?sub_confirmation=1
https://www.instagram.com/thisclaimer_/The Thisclaimer logo blends a classic warning symbol with a brain icon to represent critical thinking, curiosity, and thoughtful disclaimers
#aiMisinformation #art #cargoShip #factChecking #fakeViralVideos #food #geopolitics #iphone #Iran #luxuryPerfumes #photography #politics #SocialMedia #straitOfHormuz #technology
It's very easy to get depressed by the state of politics right now, but then you see interactions like this one, and it rekindles your faith. A new ge
Altro...It's very easy to get depressed by the state of politics right now, but then you see interactions like this one, and it rekindles your faith. A new generation of politicians will come forward and they will be different.
TRUE LOYALTY IS A GIFT. IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DEMAND.
#MAGA #trump #MAGA #republicans #war #Iran #Israel #epstein #news #politics #midterms #oil #middleeast #middleeast
So, MAGA, last time the gas prices, fuel prices, food prices, inflation and unemployment were high you blamed it on the President.
Now that Trump is
Altro...So, MAGA, last time the gas prices, fuel prices, food prices, inflation and unemployment were high you blamed it on the President.
Now that Trump is President, why isn’t he at fault? You can’t have it both ways.
#MAGA #trump #republicans #economy #gas #food #inflation #war #unemployment #iran #politics #Israel #news #Midterms #Epstein
Shouldn’t the WH Press Secretary at least be able to read?
Just sayin’
#trump #whitehouse #MAGA #republicans #politics #press #Epstein #iran #news #
Altro...Shouldn’t the WH Press Secretary at least be able to read?
Just sayin’
#trump #whitehouse #MAGA #republicans #politics #press #Epstein #iran #news #worldnews
THROUGHOUT HISTORY DICTATORS HAVE COME AND GONE. THEIR TIME IN POWER NEVER ENDS WELL.
THIS PERIOD IN HISTORY WILL ALSO PASS.
#trump #MAGA #politics #dictatorship #Midterms #iran #middleeast #epstein #republicans #news #worldnews
Statecraft and Faultines 5: Diplomacy, Deterrence, and the Limits of Economic Power
Author(s): [Scott Douglas Jacobsen](https://in-sightjournal.com/i
Altro...Statecraft and Faultines 5: Diplomacy, Deterrence, and the Limits of Economic Power
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Irina Tsukerman
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Washington Outsider
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/01/16
by Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Irina Tsukerman
Irina Tsukerman is a human rights and national security attorney based in New York and Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in National and Intercultural Studies and Middle East Studies from Fordham University in 2006, followed by a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 2009. She operates a boutique national security law practice. She serves as President of Scarab Rising, Inc., a media and security strategic advisory firm. Additionally, she is the Editor-in-Chief of The Washington Outsider, which focuses on foreign policy, geopolitics, security, and human rights. She is actively involved in several professional organizations, including the American Bar Association’s Energy, Environment, and Science and Technology Sections, where she serves as Program Vice Chair in the Oil and Gas Committee. She is also a member of the New York City Bar Association. She serves on the Middle East and North Africa Affairs Committee and affiliates with the Foreign and Comparative Law Committee.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is a contributor to The Washington Outsider. Also, he is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing(ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and the Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
In this wide-ranging exchange, Scott Douglas Jacobsen examines Lee Kuan Yew’s views on U.S. creativity, Chinese governance, and the “Singapore model,” asking whether diplomacy and economic statecraft can manage China’s rise. Irina Tsukerman argues that diplomacy without credible military deterrence is insufficient, citing Russia’s resurgence, China’s long-standing nuclear status, and expanding military reach. She contends that U.S. inconsistency weakens strategy, while selective uses of force and deterrence have prevented worse outcomes. Tsukerman contrasts U.S. power with that of economically driven states like Qatar and stresses that small-state models cannot be scaled up to great powers. She concludes that without de-radicalization, economic incentives alone cannot produce lasting peace.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I came across a clip of Lee Kuan Yew talking about the United States and China. In the U.S. case, he argued that America’s strength is its creativity—driven by a freer contest of ideas and a capacity to draw on global talent—whereas China’s political culture can constrain that kind of innovation.
At the same time, he suggested the United States should rely more on diplomacy and economic statecraft than on force in managing China’s rise—especially because Chinese leaders can plan over longer horizons than U.S. election cycles typically allow. He also described China’s ascent as structurally robust—at least in economic scale—even if he doubted China would match the United States in creativity.
There has also been discussion of Lee’s influence on Chinese governance thinking via the “Singapore model”—the idea of combining authoritarian rule with high-capacity administration and growth—though calling him the template for modern China is more a matter of debate than settled history. Singapore’s transformation into a high-income state over a few decades is fundamental, even if “third world to first world” is rhetorical shorthand rather than a formal category.
So what are your thoughts on his commentary on the United States, his framing of contemporary China, and the posture he suggested the United States should adopt toward China—diplomacy rather than force? How does that compare to the current situation?
Irina Tsukerman: I was going to start with the current situation, because, in my opinion, the last 20 to 30 years have shown that diplomacy alone—no matter how muscular or coercive—is not enough without a formidable military force to back it up. That does not mean intervening in every skirmish around the world, but it does mean being prepared for the likelihood that aggressors and threats may arise independent of the effectiveness of one’s political and economic position.
As we have seen, many Western policymakers underestimated Russia as a long-term strategic threat after the collapse of the Soviet Union, even though Russian security institutions and methods showed significant continuity. It was only a matter of time before an increasingly centralized, authoritarian system reasserted itself, shaped by elite networks and security-state power rather than a clean democratic consolidation.
China, too, while it focused for a significant period on building economic influence, used state-backed tactics—technology acquisition, industrial policy, and trade leverage—that many countries experienced as aggressive. China did not become a nuclear power recently; it first tested nuclear weapons in 1964 and has maintained nuclear forces since then. What has changed more recently is the scale, modernization, and global reach of its military capabilities.
While some argue that Xi has overstepped through personalist rule, the longer arc suggests that China’s political vision and economic power were likely to translate into a much stronger military capacity over time. When a state holds hegemonic ambitions, economics and political doctrine alone are rarely sufficient counterweights. For the United States, abandoning credible military deterrence in favour of markets alone would be strategically self-defeating.
That does not mean the United States could not have done much more effectively. The current U.S. foreign policy, inconsistent, semi-isolationist, semi-kleptocratic, and entirely incoherent, is the opposite of what any serious strategist would have advocated. However, had Trump, for example, focused exclusively on economics in a serious, consistent, Reagan-esque way while simultaneously abandoning defence funding and effectively writing off military power projection, that approach would have been just as ineffective as his actual policy.
In fact, it is mainly because he was willing to use force on several specific occasions that the United States avoided far greater trouble during his administration. The elimination of Qasem Soleimani is one such example. Another is the maintenance of a deterrence posture in the Middle East, the willingness to supply Israel with weapons and to continue arms sales, and the continued development of innovative military technologies.
All of this makes the United States not merely an actor that can articulate policies or purchase support. If you want a model of almost exclusively economic and political power, consider Qatar—a tiny country with limited military capability that depends heavily on the United States, Turkey, and others for its defence. Qatar has projected significant influence through economic and political means, nevertheless.
I am not suggesting this influence is positive; I am stating it as a fact. In Qatar’s case, it has little choice. Its small population prevents it from building a serious national military force independently, forcing it to rely heavily on foreign personnel, which would be dangerous for a Gulf monarchy.
The United States cannot replicate that experience and does not need to. It has a large population and its own strategic model. Projecting Singapore’s experience as a small state onto a country the size of the United States would have been dangerous—a misapplication that ignores the differing needs and geopolitical realities of both countries. Singapore’s model may make sense for smaller states, particularly those trapped between great powers, but even then, it is not always viable.
Israel is an instructive example. Without a formidable military force, it would not have survived long enough to develop economically. Events over the last two years have shown that relying exclusively on economic incentives in a region where radicalism persists can lead to existential disaster.
Jacobsen: Do you agree that the United States stands out in that regard, as a country dynamic enough to adapt to extreme circumstances?
Tsukerman: Yes, I do. Geography is a significant factor. The United States is difficult to invade through conventional means. The threats it faces are more likely to target its interests abroad or to arrive through asymmetric means rather than through direct invasion.
It also has a large, diverse population and a flexible economic and political system that tolerates considerable diversity, divergence, and even hostile currents of thought without necessarily collapsing into dysfunction. Despite significant tensions, the United States has survived major upheavals and near-revolutionary changes without suffering the same degree of social breakdown or economic reversal that Europe has experienced under similar pressures.
That said, no matter how flexible or dynamic a society may be, failure to renew its capacities, reassess past failures, and regroup will lead to deterioration—socially, politically, and economically—if it remains on self-destructive, polarizing, and unsustainable paths in politics, the economy, and the military. We are seeing that threshold tested by Trump’s unaccountable and kleptocratic governance, decades of political polarization, and systemic weaknesses in U.S. education. Added to this is an insufficiently critical approach to countering foreign malign influence, combined with deepening domestic polarization.
Jacobsen: In a period when a region is experiencing a spike in radicalization and violence driven by that radicalization, are there conditions under which overwhelming economic incentives can bring about peace talks that lead to genuine peace with radicalized actors or quasi-organizations?
Tsukerman: Unless those organizations are willing to de-radicalize, or are at least open to that process, so-called peace talks will amount to little more than truces or ceasefires—temporary pauses in violence or frozen conflicts. If the underlying ideology remains radical and violent, it will sooner or later lead to the resumption of hostilities.
We have seen this repeatedly with groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and even the Muslim Brotherhood, which moved from a relatively dormant state several years ago to a much more active posture across the Middle East and North Africa and elsewhere globally. Radical ideology does not lend itself to good governance, pro-civilian priorities, or the advancement of sustainable peace initiatives.
When radical ideologues are elected to office, they tend, over time, to become entrenched in personal and political corruption, prioritizing ideological objectives over state responsibilities and grassroots needs.
Jacobsen: Thank you very much for the opportunity and your time, Irina.
Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.
NONE OF US THOUGHT WE’D WITNESS THE END OF AN EMPIRE IN OUR LIFETIME, YET HERE WE ARE.
AND NOBODY EVER IMAGINED IT WOULD BE AT THE HANDS OF A CIRCUS
Altro...YOU DON’T EARN A NOBEL BECAUSE YOU WHINE, BRAG ABOUT NON-EXISTENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND BECAUSE YOU FEEL ENTITLED.
NOPE … YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY DO THE WORK
Altro...YOU DON’T EARN A NOBEL BECAUSE YOU WHINE, BRAG ABOUT NON-EXISTENT ACHIEVEMENTS AND BECAUSE YOU FEEL ENTITLED.
NOPE … YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY DO THE WORK TO EARN IT.
#Nobel #trump #MAGA #republicans #politics #iran #Israel #middleeast #epstein #news #icc #worldnews
Will this be PPV? It wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if Trump and Hegseth tried to cash in on a public execution.
#trump #Hegseth #MAGA #republicans
Altro...Will this be PPV? It wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if Trump and Hegseth tried to cash in on a public execution.
#trump #Hegseth #MAGA #republicans #america #politics #News #EpsteinFiles #Iran
This storm season, maybe name all the hurricanes “Trump’s Promise” and they’ll all fail to materialize.
Just sayin’.
#MAGA #republicans #trump #poli
Altro...La commissaria per l'allargmento dell'UE, Marta Kos, propone un periodo di prova di 15 anni per i nuovi membri dell'unione durante il quale verificare
Altro...La commissaria per l'allargmento dell'UE, Marta Kos, propone un periodo di prova di 15 anni per i nuovi membri dell'unione durante il quale verificare che non ci siano rigurgiti antidemocratici o contrari alla comunità europea.
Si vuole, in pratica, evitare che l'intera unione sia bloccata dal veto di un unico membro a guida anti-europea, come avvenne con Viktor Orban.
I WISH THEY HATED CHILD MOLESTERS AS MUCH AS THEY HATE HIGH GAS PRICES.
#trump #republicans #MAGA #politics #iran #gas #Israel #epstein #EpsteinFiles
Altro...Written and Posted By: Marlene*
Monday 5th October, 2026.
Middle East war continues… Was it a good tactical move for the American president to send
Altro...Written and Posted By: Marlene*
Monday 5th October, 2026.
Middle East war continues… Was it a good tactical move for the American president to send ground troops into Iran? This is not going to end well. I do hope that they have a lot of evac-helicopters on standby. This is so sad and they continue to war, fight, kill and destroy. I guess it is what it is… and it is the people who will suffer and die. The Evil ones are growing fat on our miseries. STOP THE WARS!!! M.
https://youtu.be/sagmwhiov8I?si=PQmbYgH5ncIy0fZM
Saudi Arabia has decided to do what they have to do to destroy the threat from the Houthis. More bombs flying through the skies. What is wrong with Humans? Are we so lacking in wisdom and love for our brothers and sisters, that all we do is war and kill and destroy? Who are the ones waging war. These are the world leaders, they are the ones giving the orders. I really wish I could write the words I want to here, but I am self-censoring again. This world sucks and our leaders are making it suck. Why can they not see what is happening and stop what they are doing? How is it they are able to produce so many drones and missiles. You would think that they would run out of weapons by now. The Middle East War is escalating and spreading to more countries. My brain hurts having to write about these stupid and illogical wars. I cannot listen to or even look at the American president. I use CC when I look at these videos I post. It really breaks my heart when I see what we are doing to each other, but alas, it is only for a short time and then there is an even worse war ahead. God have mercy on us. M.
https://youtu.be/2fDeO70brbQ?si=ivgQpB9m9EgLRNWX
Meanwhile in Ukraine German Chancellor Merz visiting Kyiv as Russia bombed a bridge and fired on the city. What would happen if the Chancellor was hurt or killed by Russian fire, is there some kind of protocol for that at the UN or EU. These people are crazy and it is possible that you may think that I am too. I will not argue, but Reptilians rule the world and Lucifer sits on the Throne of the Earth. Nothing good ever happens here, because the system is established to enslave us, keep us blind. They even eat us!!! See, that was uncensored! M.
https://youtu.be/rmPWTg-Bd0Q?si=j5mIMvQ2wxdwz-S2
You can add the comments, I give up… M
https://youtu.be/39ntax2k_bA?si=v7sjmVxfvGHUZbUi
This is interesting. Where are the American warships? M.
https://youtu.be/enfOTYK2i7g?si=4tQU4OBz-4a8h-EP
Control over the Strait of Hormuz and conditions for safe shipping for cargo vessels. M.
https://youtu.be/GQsxYKc2g2k?si=G3aLuZV8L-MIWiUK
Please LIKE, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE to my BLOG for the LATEST NEWS and WEATHER UPDATES and check out my ARCHIVES for more RELATED NEWS and INTERESTING VIEWS. Thanks, M.
When it’s finally announced that he’s gone, I’m gonna keep checking the news cuz that mutherf*cker has lied so much that he just can’t be trusted.
Altro...When it’s finally announced that he’s gone, I’m gonna keep checking the news cuz that mutherf*cker has lied so much that he just can’t be trusted.
#trump #republicans #MAGA #politics #iran #Israel #america #middleeast #war #epstein #EpsteinFiles #news
Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Valdai Discussion Forum, said
Altro...Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Valdai Discussion Forum, said that “The current leadership of Serbia and its former president and, I hope, the future prime minister, Aleksandar Vučić, lead a balanced policy and want cooperation with Russia, and we certainly appreciate that and will reciprocate in kind.“
Before submitting his resignation as the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić informed the Russian president about it. Let that sink in: the Serbian president informed the Russian president when he would resign. Jumpin’ Jesus on a pogo stick.
Putin’s endorsement is bad news for the Serbian Student Ticket, which, just a few days before,reiterated their pro-Russian stance by publicly announcing that they will not impose any sanctions on Russia if they come to power after the elections scheduled for October 25th, as if we needed to be reminded that the students are just another wave of nationalist authoritarians.
The pro-EU European Serbia coalition used these events to rally around the flag and reaffirm their stance that they will harmonize Serbian foreign policy with the European Union if they come to power, which would entail sanctions against Russia.
Putin’s kind words for Vučić come as no surprise. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian FM, made a prediction in early September that Serbia will soon lose interest in joining the EU, while relations between both countries and governments remain cordial as ever.
The European Parliament, in a resolution, marked Serbia as a hub for Russian and partly Chinese hybrid war against the continent, and demanded a tougher EU response. Iran, North Korea and Belarus were also named as threats. The report outlines targeted recommendations to protect the EU from foreign information manipulation, disinformation and growing hybrid threats.
“For too long, Europe has feared that a stronger response would provoke Moscow. But the opposite is the case. Putin keeps crossing one boundary after another, and Russia’s hybrid warfare is becoming increasingly kinetic. The Kremlin sees our hesitation as weakness. We must not be afraid to respond firmly and to impose real consequences for Russian aggression,” rapporteur Rasa Juknevičienė (member of the EPP, Lithuania) said.
“Agentsvo” reported that every third employee of the Russian Embassy in Serbia can be connected with the intelligence agencies. At least 29 of the 78 diplomatic employees at the Russian Embassy in Serbia (37.2%) are connected with the special services or may have connections to them. There are 78 employees in the embassy and trade offices. For comparison, 18 Russian diplomats work in Bulgaria (population: 6.7 million people, versus 6.6 million in Serbia).
BIRN wrote that one of the two men described by the German media as Russian “disposable agents” arrested in June at the Serbian-Hungarian border with explosives and a drone is a 35-year-old Belgradian who has been living and working in St. Petersburg. He participated in the debates of the “Aleksandr Gorchakov” Public Diplomacy Support Fund, a Russian state institution founded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. were included in the investigation that resulted from the work on the case of the discovery ofexplosives near Kanjiža in April of this year. Danilo B. and Slobodan Đ. were arrested on June 11. The German weekly Spiegel writes that investigators there received information that the two men arrested at the Hungarian border may have been on their way to Germany, carrying parts that, when assembled, could potentially serve as a flying bomb. Bild wrote that information from partner intelligence services and German security authorities significantly contributed to the Serbian police’s action, and that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution informed colleagues in German services about the arrest in Serbia.
[CAPTION: Serbia is winning – Србија побеђује! election slogan of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party]
