Mike Eckel
@Mike_Eckel
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Opponent of Quiet Desperation. Contains Multitudes. In Search Of Meanness Or Sublimity. Former Nigeria-With-Snow Correspondent. ( @mikeeckel .bsky.social) @RFERL
Prague, Czech Republic
Joined November 2010
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Pinned Tweet
The Death Of Mikhail Lesin: here's what the autopsy records obtained exclusively by myself and
@carl_schreck
say about the former Russian press minister's final days
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Fiona Hill (former WH NSC adviser on Russia affairs), speaking on the record: 😳
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just noticing this little Easter egg that was hidden at the end of the U.S. judge ruling last week ordering the seizure of Vekselberg's yacht.
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Video of the moment when Navalny ally/lawyer Lyubov Sobol is grabbed by riot cops while speaking in Moscow. (Video by
@tvrain
)
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anti-war protests in Moscow today; people chanting "No To War!" newly passed legislation (signed into law on Saturday) makes it crime to call Russia's invasion of Ukraine a "war"-- or an "invasion" for that matter. (source: )
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Armed men (Ukrainian) in civilian clothes carrying AK-47s and, in one case, an RPG, now seen on Kyiv street corners
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WNBA center Brittney Griner appeared in a Moscow court today, where she reportedly pleaded not guilty (to drug charges). The court extended her detention for another two months, according to
@mash_breaking
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А Russian woman stood outside the entrance to Moscow's Christ The Savior Church with the Sixth Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" written on it. She was arrested. (source:
@avtozaklive
)
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Footage of an intense close-contact tank battle near Bakhmut. Published today by Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade (but dated May 31). (source: )
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Cool video (shown by TV Zvezda) of a Norwegian P-3 Orion dropping a sonar buoy in full view of the crew of a Russian nuclear missile submarine, in the Barents Sea (h/t
@The_Lookout_N
)
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When Prague city officials removed the statue of Soviet Marshal Konev in 2020, it kicked off a firestorm with Moscow. Since its removal, there's been a plywood on the pedestal, pending a new statue. Yesterday, people painted the pedestal in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
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this is purportedly a letter leaked by an FSB analyst about the Ukraine war, as published by a well-known Russian whistleblower. It is is very detailed, and very dark: among other things, says the war has to be finished by June because by then, Russia's economy will be nothing.
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A rather dramatic dawn explosion at a Russian ammo dump in Kherson this morning. (source: )
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another group of protesters in the Kherson region, confronting Russian soldiers, trying to block the road. (watch for the woman kicking the truck as it pushes past her). They're
chanting "Go Home!" and "Get Out Of Here!" source:
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NBC and Bloomberg now reporting that Rod Rosenstein has been pulled off oversight of Mueller probe.
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The U.S. military has just released video of the encounter between the Russian Su-27 fighter jets and the
@usairforce
MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
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A BBC reporter live on air, forced to take cover as incoming strikes hit the city.
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reports of another school shooting in Russia; this time at Perm State University. Russian agencies say there are casualties.
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The body of Sergey Protosenya, the deputy chairman of Russian gas giant Novatek, was found hanged at his house on Spain's Costa Brava on Tuesday. His wife and daughter were found in a bed nearby, dead from stab wounds. (h/t
@AbraxasSpa
)
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🔥crazy video of a Russian cruise missile, reportedly over Zaporizhzhya today, being shot down.
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Lukashenko offering his analysis of McDonald's pulling out of Belarus: "We must do what this McDonald's used to... and do it better. What, we don't know how to cut a bun in half? And stuff a piece of meat, some potatoes and lettuce into it? God, who actually eats that."
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new satellite imagery of the Crimea/Kerch Bridge from this morning, 11:01 a.m. (local time), showing the collapsed road span and burning rail cars on the adjacent rail track. 📸
@Maxar
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Crazy video of a cruise missile hitting a depot in Ivano-Frankisk
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No idea where in Ukraine this was taken (nor when), but holy shit, it's intense.
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🔥🔥🔥video from inside a Russian police bus, with people who were detained at anti-war rally being driven to a precinct (can't tell exactly where this is). they're singing a classic, 20-year-old song by the rock group "Spleen" called "My Heart" (source: )
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Maria Butina, the Russian gun advocate tied to Alexander Torshin, who met repeatedly with NRA officials, has been detained, charged by US prosecutors today under FARA (!)
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The cemetery where Navalny is buried is closed for the day. So people are now throwing flowers over the fence and chanting "Let Us In!"
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.
@Reuters
poll: Nearly 3/4 of Americans say that the United States should continue to support Ukraine, despite Russian threats that it could use nuclear weapons to protect its territory.
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Putin's introduction and entrance -- to the roaring crowd -- is 🧐
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After more than a decade of activism, Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina disguised herself as a food courier to evade the police — and secretly escape Russia
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👀Turkey is blocking the Bosporus for Russian warships. (?)
I thank my friend Mr. President of 🇹🇷
@RTErdogan
and the people of 🇹🇷 for their strong support. The ban on the passage of 🇷🇺 warships to the Black Sea and significant military and humanitarian support for 🇺🇦 are extremely important today. The people of 🇺🇦 will never forget that!
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new satellite imagery from 📸Maxar, which says it has identified a 3.25-mile convoy of Russian military vehicles, northeast of the Ukrainian city of Ivankiv, moving in the direction of Kyiv (as of this morning)
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16 months ago, we sued the city of Washington, D.C., to get access to the autopsy records of Mikhail Lesin. Today the judge ordered the files released to me and
@RFERL
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satellite imagery of what remains of Mariupol's Azovstal steel factory, which has been the scene of intense fighting for weeks (taken 9 April). Also images of Mariupol port facilities and burning buildings, and burning buildings in eastern Mariupol . 📸
@Maxar
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video of the damaged Nord Stream pipelines, shot by an underwater drone operated by
@Expressen
. Copenhagen police and Norwegian investigators said today that the damage was caused by "powerful explosions."
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A totally fascinating story of a Russian NGO, public diplomacy, and a woman who -- the FBI alleges -- was secretly sending to the FSB photographs, passports, and other info about Americans and Europeans who participated in events she organized. 🧵Link in the final tweet.
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This seems to be the reason why Zelenskiy decided to (was advised to) cancel his appearance. 👇
Breaking: Ukrainian President Zelensky will not attend classified briefing virtually anymore because of a “last-minute” matter, says Sen Schumer. Zelensky also didn’t end up appearing virtually at the House briefing, lawmakers said.
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Jill Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukraine today (the western city of Uzhorod, to be precise)
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Here's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announcing the creation of 2 new ground armies, along with 16 new brigades and 14 new divisions. Very unclear where the new numbers will come from, though there are fears of a new, post-election mobilization.
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Pretty incredible video of the explosion at the Siberian arms depot today
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Serious gun battle reportedly ongoing on Kyiv's left bank (on opposite side of river from main city)
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whoa. reporters from
@tv2newsdk
got new video of the site where the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was destroyed by an explosion last year.
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another video from Moscow's Arbat this evening. The crowd is chanting "No To War!" (source: )
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Alexander Ionov, a Russian who headed a FSB-backed organization called the Anti-Globalization Movement that promoted political secession movements around the world (including in Texas) has been indicted for being an unregistered agent of the Russian government.
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2 videos purporting to show panic buying in two Russian towns. first one is in Kasimov, southeast of Moscow, people rushing to buy sugar. (hard to corroborate, or confirm dates/locations, but these are posted by Baza, a channel known for its ties to Russian law enforcement)
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How
@AP
photographer Liu Heung Shing became the only foreign photographer to capture the moment that the Soviet Union ceased to exist: on Dec. 25, 1991.
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Scene outside US federal courthouse, Alexandria, Virginia, where Paul Manafort goes on trial today
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new
@USTreasury
sanctions issued today, targeting Russians for U.S. election infererence. Also targeted is Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who's been linked to Rudy Giuliani.
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Another video of the moment when Sobol was detained (by
@CurrentTimeTv
)
Как задерживали Любовь Соболь.
Прямая трансляция протестов:
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.
@tv2danmark
adds new details to the Nord Stream investigation. For still unexplained reasons, Greek tanker Minerva Julie drifted over the explosions site, with its engine on/off, in early Sept. 2022, then continued on to St. Petersburg. Two weeks later, the blast was reported.
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👀. Ukrainian air defense shooting down a Russian drone over Kyiv. (source: )
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17 miles of Russian military vehicles still moving south toward Kyiv, shown along the eastern edge of Antonov airport, about 17 miles from city center. 📸
@Maxar
taken today at 11.11 am local time
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A VERY big crowd in Minsk today; serious show of support for opposition/anti-Lukashenko movement — and a sign that Lukashenko may not in fact have the momentum. (TBD) (video by
@tutby
)
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Poll: American Voters Now View Ukraine as Favorably as France, Germany and Japan
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I can't think of the last time I saw such a dire warning from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow: "U.S. citizens should not travel to Russia and those residing or travelling in Russia should depart Russia immediately..."
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fascinating, granular details in this FBI affidavit unsealed last night about a Russian intel agent who created a false Brazilian identity, enrolled at
@SAISHopkins
, tried to get a
@IntlCrimCourt
internship, and is now in jail in Brazil (awaiting extradition)
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⚡️
@MIT
has cut ties with The Skolkovo Fioundatiom, and the high-tech/Silicon Valley project it was hired to develop in Moscow's outskirts, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine
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people in Kherson are again trying to gather/protest in the city's central square, one day after a confrontation with Russian troops. Unclear how big the crowds are today: source:
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🧐"Russia now has more troops on the border of Ukraine than at any time since 2014," according to White House
@PressSec
.
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“Russia Without Putin” (can’t tell exactly where this is; not far from Manezh Square). (Video Navalny.2021)
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The U.S. has designated Russia's Wagner Group as a "transnational criminal organization."
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Marching in Kyiv in support of Ukraine (in its fight against Russia)
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Shocking (and somewhat brutal) encounter between protesters and riot police in St Petersburg today. You don't usually see this sort of resistance. (Source: )
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FSB agents reportedly raided Aeroflot's offices in Moscow this week. According to
@bazabazon
, they were searching for materials linked to Andrei Panov, a former top executive who fled the country last month. Yesterday, he published a scathing op-ed in the
@FinancialTimes
.
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In A Ukrainian Region Occupied By Russian Forces, People Are Disappearing. Locals Fear It's About To Get Worse.
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meantime,
@AvtozakLIVE
dug up a social media post advertising today's rally at Luzhniki. The post offers people 500 rubles to attend (plus hot food).
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apocalyptic landscapes in Mariupol from today. not clear where in the city exactly. (source: )
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⚡️The US is imposing blocking sanctions and other restrictions on 19 Russian oligarchs, Kremlin insiders & family members and associates. List includes Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, Sergei Chemezov, Igor Shuvalov, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov, Alisher Usmanov.
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📸
@Maxar
(very quickly) releases satellite images of the Mariupol theater it says were taken 14 March. the words "children" are visible in white, written on the pavement in front and back of the theater.
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Full detail of new
@USTreasury
sanctions in response to Russia's Donetsk/Luhansk recognition. Individuals include: FSB Chief Aleksandr Bortnikov; VTB Chairman Denis Bortnikov; top presidential aide Sergei Kiriyenko; Vkontakte CEO Vladimir Kiriyenko (and wives and children too)
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New satellite imagery of Russian troop deployments near Ukraine: images 1-2, near Pogonovo (south of Voronezh, NE of Ukrainian border); images 3-4, near Yelnya, near Smolensk, ~ 200 km N of Ukrainian border). 📷
@Maxar
(imagery is similar, but not identical to WaPo, NYT reports)
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APNewsAlert: KYIV, Ukraine (AP) _ Ukrainians defending Mariupol steel plant say Russian forces are storming the facility.
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more video this evening from St. Petersburg: people marching (along what appears to be Nevsky Prospekt) chanting "No To War!" (source: )
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Denmark expelling 15 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover.
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.
@DeptofDefense
announces contents of new $1.1 billion arms package for Ukraine. Includes 18 new HIMARS. 🧐
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A grocery store (or cafe) in the village of Hroza, near Kupyansk in northeast Ukraine, was hit by shelling today; at least 48 people were killed, according to
@ZelenskyyUa
.
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new before/after satellite imagery of Snake Island, where Ukraine allegedly hit Russian positions a couple days ago. Images 1-2: taken June 17. Images 3-4: taken June 21. Some damage to the tower on the island's southern end is visible along with burned vegetation. 📸
@Maxar
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hearing similar reports, both second-hand, and at least one first-hand from a woman leaving Stanytsya Luhanska: that teenage boys as young as 15-16 are also being forcibly conscripted (in Luhansk), and armed men are going house-to-house to locate men/teenagers.
Locals in occupied
#Donbas
say forced mobilization is in full swing – Russian proxies are taking men away from their homes and even grabbing them off the streets.
“Wanted to even take the little one. He is 15”
Source:
@BackAndAlive
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Finland's
@ylenews
says Russia has emptied many of its antiaircraft defense batteries around St. Petersburg, using missiles to attack Ukraine. (in part because Russia is running short on precision-guided weapons).
#yleuutiset
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new (or newly released) satellite imagery of Russia's Engels air base, taken Dec. 3 and 4, showing a bunch of Tu-95 and Tu-60 bombers parked. Engels was hit by mysterious/unexplained explosions today that damaged at least 2 bombers, and injured a few servicemen. 📸
@Maxar
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In central St. Petersburg, crowd chants "We Don't Have Weapons!" -- many with hands in the air-- on Dmitrovskaya Lane. Riot cops bludgeoning with truncheons part of the crowd. (video navalny.2021)
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New satellite imagery from 📸
@Maxar
of the aftermath of the Russian airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theate, taken 18 March.
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AvtoVAZ, Russia's largest car manufacturer, will idle all operations for all of next week, due to a parts shortage.
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satellite imagery from Bucha, Ukraine, from 31 March: a mass grave on the grounds of the city's main church. Also and image from 10 March, which also shows evidence of a mass grave. 📸
@Maxar
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