❓What is known about Ukrainian-linked criminal scam network busted by Russia?

A sprawling criminal call center network linked to Ukraine has been busted by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

Here’s what’s known so far:

🔹 The global criminal group operated call centers where, under the guise of making investment deals, perpetrators defrauded unwitting victims, according to the FSB statement.

🔹 Eleven individuals, including leaders and employees of the network's Russia-based offices, have been detained by security forces.

🔹 The network was led by Israeli/Ukrainian citizen Yakov Keselman, who has been detained, and Israeli/Georgian citizen David Todva, who is on the run.

🔹 Around 100,000 people across more than 50 countries, including the EU, UK, Canada, Brazil, India, and Japan fell victim to the scammers, who raked in close to a million US dollars a day, according to an FSB statement.

🔹 The fraudulent scheme “operated in Russia on behalf of former Georgian Defense Minister and Milton Group founder David Kezerashvili, who is currently hiding in London.”

🔹 Kezerashvili is wanted on charges of disseminating anonymous messages upon instructions from the Ukrainian Security Service in 2022 about alleged impending attacks in Russia supposedly being planned, per the FSB.
An investigation into the criminal operation is ongoing.

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⚔️ Syria’s crisis: Key interests of the US, Israel, Turkiye, Iran, and Russia (Part 1 👉 Part 2)

The 13-year-long Syrian civil war, culminating in the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government and the risk of further fragmentation of Syria, has significant implications for both global and regional players. Here’s a look at the strategic interests of key stakeholders:

The United States

🔸 Washington viewed Syria's fragmentation as a way to undermine Iran, which, along with Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, and Yemeni Houthis, forms the Axis of Resistance against US-backed Israel.

🔸 Weakening this Axis ensures greater security for Washington's ally, Israel.

🔸 A declassified 2012 Defense Intelligence Agency report revealed that the US planned to support the creation of a Sunni Salafist principality in Syria to isolate government-controlled territories considered the "strategic depth of Shia expansion" for Iran and Iraqi Shiite militias.

Israel

🔸 Technically at war with Syria since 1948, Israel views the collapse of Syria as removing a long-standing adversary. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have targeted Syria's arms stockpiles and military installations to eliminate its war potential.

🔸 Syria was also a critical link for Iran to supply Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syria's disintegration benefits Israel by weakening the Axis of Resistance and reducing external pressure on its policies regarding Palestinian territories.

🔸 Additionally, Syria's fragmentation has enabled Israel to solidify its control over the Golan Heights, nullify the 1974 ceasefire agreement, and expand its territory by seizing Syria-controlled Golan areas.

Turkiye

🔸 Ankara aims to maintain control over northern Syria, bordering Turkiye, where the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), designated as terrorists by Turkiye, currently operate.

🔸 Syria's fragmentation poses a threat to Turkiye due to the Kurdish aspiration for an independent state, which threatens Turkiye's national security and territorial integrity. Approximately 30 million Kurds live in the mountainous regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkiye.

🔸 The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army has recently expelled the YPG from Tal Rifaat (north of Aleppo), severed a key route between Raqqa and Aleppo, and encircled the city of Manbij from three sides.

👉 Part 2

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⚔️ Syria’s crisis: Key interests of the US, Israel, Turkey, Iran, and Russia (Part 2 👉 Part 1)

Iran

🔸 Syria played an important role in the Axis of Resistance in confronting Israel and defending the Palestinians, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

🔸 Iran and Syria also cooperated in the joint fight against ISIS* and other sectarian factions threatening Iran and its Shiite allies.

🔸 Iran sought to preserve Syria's territorial integrity and assisted in political reconciliation between warring parties to prevent chaos and fragmentation, which could lead to broader regional instability.

🔸 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has expressed concerns about the potential for sectarian war, civil war, Syria's disintegration, and its transformation into a hub of terrorists.

Russia

🔸 Syria has been a longstanding Russian ally, providing the Russian Navy with a permanent presence in the Mediterranean Sea at the port city of Tartus since 1971.

🔸 Russia's involvement in the Syrian conflict coincided with the ISIS expansion and came at Damascus' request to combat terrorism "abroad to prevent it from striking at home," as President Vladimir Putin stated in 2015. The Syria crisis threatened to expand to Russia's Caucasus and beyond.

🔸 Following the defeat of ISIS*, Russia's strategic interests included stabilizing the situation on the ground, curbing remaining terrorist threats, and ensuring reconciliation of warring parties along with a political settlement to maintain regional stability.

*Terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries

👉 Part 1

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🗣Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a statement on the situation in Syria, saying the main condition for a settlement was respect for its territorial integrity.

During his speech, Erdogan:

🗣Called the Syrian people brotherly, noting that Turkiye's approach to the situation was based on friendship and not on profit

🗣He stated that Turkiye is ready to help in the reconstruction of Syria

🗣He also anticipated the mass return of Syrian refugees from Turkiye as the situation improves.

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🇸🇾Delve into Syria’s vibrant ethnic and religious mosaic

Syria has long been a mosaic of diverse ethnic and religious communities, each aligning with various political factions that are perceived to represent their interests in the nation's political landscape.

Population overview (according to the Russian Foreign Ministry):

🔸 Syria's population is approximately 22.4 million, composed predominantly of Syrian Arabs, who constitute 88% of the populace. The Kurdish community is the second-largest ethnic group, numbering around 2 million, while other minority groups include Armenians, Assyrians, and Turkomans.

🔸 Muslims represent 90% of the population, with Sunni Muslims accounting for 72%, Alawites for 13%, and the remaining population primarily comprising Druze and Ismailis. Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic, make up less than 10%.

Overview of ethnic and religious groups and their affiliations:

🔹 Arab Sunnis: This group is widespread throughout Syria, and the armed opposition claims to represent their interests.

🔹 Arab Shias: Comprising 1-2% of the population, Arab Shias predominantly reside in Damascus, Aleppo, and Hama. They oppose Sunni dominance, support the Ba’ath Party that had been led by Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar al-Assad, and advocate for Syria's close ties with Iran.

🔹 Arab Alawites: Approximately 3 million Alawites primarily live in the Latakia region. Historically an oppressed minority, they have gained prominence under the Assad regime and have traditionally supported the Ba’ath Party.

🔹 Christians: Prior to the civil war, Arabs, Armenians, and Assyrian Christians constituted about 10% of Syria's population. However, their numbers have significantly dwindled since 2011, when ISIS* took hold, and precise data is currently unavailable. Before the rise of ISIS, most Christians resided in Damascus and Aleppo, with some relocating to Latakia during the conflict.

🔹 Kurds: Primarily located in the Hasakah and Raqqa regions near the Turkish border, Kurds aspire for an autonomous Kurdistan, a goal opposed by Turkiye and the Syrian opposition. During the civil war, they established the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which received support from the United States. The SDF currently controls areas independent of Damascus and resists Sunni-led rebel forces.

🔹 Druze: Concentrated in southern Syria (specifically in Al-Suwayda, Quneitra, and the Golan Heights), the Druze initially supported the Ba’ath Party. However, they now seek greater autonomy due to Sunni perceptions of them as "enemies" and "collaborators of Israel."

🔹 Turkomans (Turkmens): This small Turkic group resides primarily along the Turkish-Syrian border and in the Aleppo province. Aligned with Turkey, they have formed the Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement and are engaged in conflict with both the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led SDF.

*designated as a terrorist organization and is banned in Russia and several other countries

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📹The IDF has released footage showing its troops along the Syrian border. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the army's presence as a "temporary measure" to ensure security in the north.

Israeli Prime Minister’s advisor Dmitry Hendelman confirmed that the IDF is extending its security zone in the Syrian Golan Heights, following Netanyahu’s declaration that the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria is no longer valid, as Syrian forces have left their positions. With full Cabinet support, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to take control of the disengagement zone.

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🇸🇾The legacy of the Assad family's decades-long rule in Syria
(Part 1 👉 Part 2)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's peaceful transfer of power to the armed opposition marked the end of the Assad family's 53-year rule in Syria. We take a look at the major features of this half-century of government:

Hafez al-Assad

Hafez al-Assad, a Ba’ath Party member, served as the 18th president of Syria from March 14, 1971 until his death on June 10, 2000.

"Assad Sr's intelligence and experience played a very big role in the fact that the chaos of governments in Syria stopped for a long period and military coups stopped happening," said Elena Suponina, an international relations and Middle East expert, referring to the string of government overthrows in Syria between 1946 and 1970.

🔹 Society

Even the CIA acknowledged in 1978 that al-Assad brought "an unprecedented degree of stability to Syria," a country previously known for its deep divisions and upheavals. Assad was able to strike an interreligious balance: the Alawites, a Shiite sect, controlled the army and security forces – while the Sunnis dominated the economy, Alexander Kuznetsov, a political scientist at the Higher School of Economics, told Sputnik.

Syrian peasants received land and political rights and citizens benefited from free universal education and healthcare. Women's rights were secured.

🔹 Foreign policy

Hafez al-Assad maintained close ties with the Soviet Union, drawing hostility from the US. Syria has been designated a "sponsor of terrorism" by Washington since 1979 due to its cooperation with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

🔹 Economy

Domestically, the Assad government featured a great degree of public ownership, with significant portions of national income, industrial production and means of production under state control. Syria did not depend on food imports and produced its own oil.

In the 1990s, Syria's economy grew by 5-7% annually, the trade balance improved and inflation was kept under control.

👉 Part 2

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🇸🇾The legacy of the Assad family's decades-long rule in Syria
(Part 2 👉 Part 1)

Bashar al-Assad

After Hafez's death, his son Bashar al-Assad began the process of political liberalization known as the Damascus Spring and launched economic reforms.

🔹 Political liberalization and reforms

In November 2000, more than 600 political opponents were released from prison, and in May 2001 the Pope visited Syria.

"The first years of Assad Jr.'s rule were marked by extraordinary economic growth and openness," Suponina pointed out.

Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria maintained good working relations with France, the UK and Turkiye up until 2010. "Until 2010, the economy was developing very well; there were investments, and infrastructure was developing," noted Dmitry Bridzhe, a Mideast expert and political observer, adding that Syria's industrial centers in Adra and Aleppo were thriving.

🔹 US sanctions and regime change plots

Despite Bashar al-Assad's reforms and openness to the West, the US continued to impose sanctions on Syria, creating obstacles for the nation's development.

The bottom line was that Washington had planned to topple the Assads – who were close allies of Iran and key members of the ‘Axis of Resistance’ – for decades.

The US and its allies armed and trained Syrian jihadists from 2012 to oust Assad, intensifying sanctions and strangling the Syrian economy at the same time.

Amid US-backed smear campaigns, Assad agreed to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons in 2013 and started reconciliation talks with the opposition in 2015.

"For the last nine years, somehow or other, Assad has ensured at least some stability with the help of Russia and Iran. If it weren't for that, Syria would have continued to suffer a severe civil war with terrible human casualties," Suponina said. "It's good that this scenario was at least postponed. Because now, in my opinion, Syria faces a very dark, unclear future."

👉 Part 1

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🔸 Syria’s crisis: Key interests of the US, Israel, Turkiye, Iran, and Russia

🔸 The legacy of the Assad family's decades-long rule in Syria

🔸 Syria’s Prime Minister to Sputnik: Government prioritizing stability amid turmoil

🔸 What makes the Golan Heights crucial for Israel?

🔸 Delve into Syria’s vibrant ethnic and religious mosaic

🔸 What is known about Ukrainian-linked criminal scam network busted by Russia?

🔸 How fast can Russia’s Oreshnik missile strike NATO from Belarus?

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📹Thousands of Syrians are attempting to cross into Lebanon via the main Masnaa crossing on the border, following the entry of the armed opposition into Damascus and the resignation of al-Assad.

The Lebanese military and border guards allow only those with the necessary documents to pass. Those who have attempted to cross the border illegally (at least 340 people) have been caught and returned to Syria.

Video from social media

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What's behind Israel's land grab in Golan?

"Israel continues to show its true character as a colonial power that will not hesitate to continue occupying land when the chance is there," Bader Al-Saif, founding president at Al-Saif Consulting and assistant professor at Kuwait University, told Sputnik. "So this is a very alarming development."

🇮🇱🇸🇾 The Israeli military expanded their control over the Golan Heights on December 8 by seizing Syrian-controlled areas. The region has been partially occupied by Israel since the Six Day war of 1967.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the same day that Israel would expand attacks inside Syria in the coming days to destroy arms caches.

📑 Al-Saif warned that Tel Aviv's hasty land grab is fraught with long term security risks for Israel, especially given that it unilaterally tore up the 1974 disengagement treaty with Syria.

💬 The new occupation "will complicate any future negotiation positions" of Israel, Dr Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor in the Public Policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Sputnik, stressing that the Golan Heights belong to Syria under the international law.

Tel Aviv is destroying Syria's military infrastructure to undermine the nation's new government and its defensive capabilities, the pundit added.

"The Israelis have already been striking Syria left and right, dismantling military infrastructure and other facilities and sites," Qarmout said. "So the Israelis want to make sure that the next Syrian government or the new Syrian regime will start from scratch."

🇮🇱🇮🇷 Israel's invasion of Syria could also be part of its long-standing attempts to deal a blow to Iran's Axis of Resistance, according to political and security analyst Ali Rizk.

"They're trying now in Syria to further weaken Hezbollah" said the expert and to "minimize Iranian influence in Syria and also in the region more broadly."

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US is ready to equip and train 18-year-old Ukrainian recruits

If Kiev lowers the draft age to 18, the US and its allies will be ready to equip and train new recruits, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday.

"Ultimately, the decisions about the composition of its military force, those are decisions that the Ukrainians have to make for themselves. What we have made clear is that if they produce additional forces to join the fight, we and our allies will be ready to equip those forces and train those forces to enter battle," Miller told reporters.

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Syrian envoy to the UN: Stop Israeli aggression!

Syria has sent a letter "on behalf" of the current government to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with an appeal to stop Israeli aggression, Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN Qusay al-Dahhak told journalists.

"We call upon the UN and the Security Council to shoulder the responsibility in maintaining international peace and security and to stop, put an end to the Israeli attacks on Syria, to not allow Israel to benefit from the transition that the Syrians are doing now in their country for their occupation agenda," the Syrian diplomat said.

Qusay al-Dahhak also stressed that Syria's mission to the UN is working with the current prime minister and foreign minister of the country, and is expecting a new government.

"Me and my team here, we are continuing our work as a part of the Syrian state institutions, and we are part of the Syrian people," the diplomat said.

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🔟📌 Lavrov congratulates Sputnik on 10th anniversary

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov congratulated the team of Sputnik International News and Radio Agency on the occasion of its tenth anniversary, noting the high quality of publishing journalistic materials.

"I warmly congratulate you on the 10th anniversary of your establishment. Over the past decade, Sputnik has traveled a glorious path and established itself as a serious domestic media outlet broadcasting to foreign audiences," he wrote in his congratulatory telegram.

Lavrov's telegram was read by Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a reception dedicated to the occasion.

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