Starker on 14/11/2025 at 07:07
A massive case of corruption has been uncovered in Ukraine, with one of Zelensky's close associates being named as a major suspect and having fled the country. This looks especially bad, as Zelensky's party was trying to limit the independence of anti-corruption agencies earlier this year and might have succeeded, if Ukrainians hadn't come out to the streets Maidan-style.
Quote:
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https://www.kyivpost.com/post/64120)
A major corruption scandal and a string of high-level accusations have rocked Kyiv, raising fresh questions about accountability in Ukraine nearly four years into Russia's invasion.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has revealed interim results from its high-profile Operation Midas, which targets a $100-million kickback scheme in the state nuclear power company Energoatom.
NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said top company officials demanded illicit commissions of 10-15% from contractors.
Investigators say seven individuals are under suspicion, five have been detained, and two - including the alleged mastermind, Timur Mindich - have fled Ukraine.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, identified in NABU recordings as “Che Guevara,” faces a notice of suspicion for illicit enrichment.
Authorities say the group transferred $1.2 million and nearly €100,000 in cash, sometimes in offices or even in a medical clinic owned by a network member. One episode reportedly saw $500,000 handed to Chernyshov's wife after he became a suspect.
[...]
Tocky on 14/11/2025 at 23:04
As if Trump needed an excuse to stop funding to his friends enemy. They should have the book thrown at them. They are worse than traitors.
DuatDweller on 16/11/2025 at 02:37
Is Putin's health going down? Is the man going to die?
(
https://www.gbnews.com/news/world/vladimir-putin-health-swollen-hands-illness)
Quote:
Vladimir Putin's health under intense scrutiny as Russian President's hands 'swollen and sore' amid speculation of serious illness
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sparked intense scrutiny about his health after he was spotted clenching his “swollen and sore” hands while addressing supporters.
The 73-year-old has been the subject of much speculation concerning his health after the former KGB man launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Rumours of a serious condition, ranging from Parkinson's to cancer, have dogged the Russian leader despite the Kremlin's insistence that he remains in rude health.
Speaking on a basketball court in Russia, President Putin's hands appeared to display prominent bulging veins beneath thin, wrinkled skin.
Throughout the event, President Putin kept his hands clenched firmly at his sides in what observers described as an apparently uncomfortable position.
The footage, which emerged last week, has triggered widespread discussion across social media platforms.
Ukrainian officials quickly seized upon the imagery to raise questions about potential health issues affecting the Russian leader.
Kyiv's former interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko questioned the state of Putin's hands in a social media post, asking: "What's with Putin's hands in this video?"
"They look swollen and sore, with veins bulging prominently on one hand," Journalist Dmytro Gordon observed.
The Kremlin acknowledged in October that Putin had been hospitalised in Moscow following a two-week absence from public view.
This marks the latest episode in the ongoing scrutiny of President Putin's condition, including previous instances of his hands demonstrating potential ill health.
Quote:
Mr Putin has also been filmed gripping tables whilst speaking, with his hands displaying involuntary movements that some interpreted as potential symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
The Russian leader has been rumoured to have undergone cancer treatment several times in 2014, 2020, and 2022.
He is also said to travel with an entourage of doctors to assist him in case of a medical emergency.
"If you watch Putin closely, it's hard to avoid the suspicion that often some of the appearances you're seeing are not, in fact, the same person,” Russia expert Keir Giles said.
The expert also noted the stark differences in Mr Putin's appearance, from looking healthy at one event to looking sick at the next.
"There are some times when he looks really quite frail, bloated, puffy, shaking, having to grip onto the table and only giving very short five-minute speeches even on major public events.
"And then there are times when he appears to bounce back as a much healthier individual who is standing up and speaking for 40 minutes,” Mr Giles said.
He added that the Russian leader's health was a “mystery to us all” while speaking to The Sun.
Tocky on 16/11/2025 at 04:53
Nah. Much like his counterpart he will last long enough to make the world a worse place. He will only die once the maximum damage has been done. That is the way things work. We are unfortunately in interesting times.
baeuchlein on 16/11/2025 at 22:05
I once read or heard something from a journalist, stating that Putin is not as important as we might think. Even at the time of his sudden appearance in politics, somewhere around 1999 and shortly before Yelzin made Putin his successor, Putin was supported by several persons in the background. They needed him to push Russia to where they want or need it, and if Putin is not the Russian leader anymore, for whatever reason, they will (s)elect another one who best fits their plans. Sounds convincing.
Starker on 16/11/2025 at 23:08
The oligarchs and power players around Yeltsin supported Putin becoming the successor of Yeltsin because he seemed to pose the least amount of threat and seemed fairly controllable and, most importantly, loyal (and that he was, to a degree, as his first act as acting president was to give Yeltsin immunity from any corruption investigations). He was kind of a compromise, as none of the big players trusted the others with the power and other candidates they shopped around as prime ministers seemed a bit too ambitious and hungry or too independent.
However, make no mistake, Putin is the one who's controlling the oligarchs now, not the other way around. Anyone who tried to put up a fight, refused to bend the knee, or dared step out of line has long been made an example of (cf Gusinsky and Khodorkovsky). They ended up in prison, fled the country, and/or were killed. A lot of the people in power now are installed by Putin and not an insignificant portion of them are his close associates from beforetimes. Though, sometimes, as with Prigozhin, things don't necessarily work out all that well for them either.
