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Garland Nixon on the most likely way the Russian op went downRussian are now definitely targetting foreign mercenaries in Country404....

FTX managed to raise $400 million in funding while showing false documents to investors, according to the crypto exchange's new CEO. John J Ray III made the accusation in a report about the company which was filed with the Delaware Bankruptcy Court on Monday. He said that Sam Bankman-Fried and one of the company's attorneys created "sham agreements" to make improper financial arrangements with Alameda, its sister hedge fund, look legitimate. This is a particularly interesting detail because the crypto exchange's implosion last November was provoked by the apparent commingling of funds between FTX and Alameda. -snip "In January 2021...

Nishad Singh is third person in founder’s inner circle agreeing to cooperate with federal prosecutors ... The collapse of FTX has set off the largest crypto-related bankruptcy ever ... Singh said that in mid-2022 he learned that Mr. Bankman-Fried’s crypto hedge fund Alameda Research was borrowing FTX customer funds. By September 2022, Alameda was no longer able to repay the billions of dollars that it had taken from FTX, Mr. Singh said. He said that, at the direction of Mr. Bankman-Fried, he falsified FTX’s revenues to make the company more appealing to investors. ... Mr. Singh also pleaded guilty to...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rode to power on pledges to clean up the Eastern European country, but the Pandora Papers reveal he and his close circle were the beneficiaries of a network of offshore companies, including some that owned expensive London property. Key Findings >Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his partners in comedy production owned a network of offshore companies related to their business based in the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, and Belize. >Zelensky’s current chief aide, Serhiy Shefir, as well as the head of the country’s Security Service, were part of the offshore network. >Offshore companies were used by...

ransomnote: There are many useful charts and tables at the link shown in the Tweet. The last table at the bottom matches donation amounts with names.https://unusualwhales.com/politics/article/senate_ftx

Axios is positioning this announcement as FTX asking for political donations to be returned. However, the request is realistically from the FTX debtors. (Via Axios) – Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX is sending notices to former donor recipients asking for the donated funds to be returned, the company said in a press release Sunday. Why it matters: Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Digital Markets Co-CEO Ryan Salame were two of the largest political donors during the last election cycle. Now the company’s debtors want the money back.

As we approach the first anniversary of the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine, it’s becoming increasingly important for Americans to ask: Who benefits? America’s open checkbook for Ukraine is more likely to produce a long war than a swiftly decisive outcome. Three groups favor a long war in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin, the global industrial defense complex, and China. As long as a state of war persists in Ukraine, even at a low simmer, Putin achieves his goal: Ukraine will not be part of NATO. As President Eisenhower cautioned, an overly powerful military-industrial complex risks putting its own interests and the...

Ukraine has launched a major crackdown on corruption ahead of a summit with the European Union (EU) in Kyiv this week.Under the anti-corruption drive, Ukraine is investigating current and former top officials in the defence and energy ministries as well as the tax office, reported The Washington Post.On Wednesday (1 February), the Ukrainian authorities also raided the house of an influential billionaire, Ihor Kolomoisky. Former interior minister Arsen Avakov’s home was also searched.The raids come as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his government was “preparing new reforms” that will make the country “more human, transparent and effective”, reported BBC.Let’s take a...

Ukrainian authorities launched criminal cases against six former defense-ministry officials and raided the home of a former political backer of President Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday, amid a flurry of attempts by Mr. Zelensky to show Western governments that he is serious about an anticorruption drive.

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian state security officials searched the home of billionaire businessman Ihor Kolomoiskiy on Wednesday, in what several media outlets said was an investigation into possible financial crimes. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reports, and Kolomoiskiy could not be reached for comment. A senior governing party official confirmed Kolomoiskiy's home had been searched - as well as that of a former interior minister - but did not state the reason for the search.

Ukraine scored 33 out of 100 on corruption in 2022, which puts the country near the bottom third out of 180 countries scored, according to the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published this week by non-profit Transparency International. Out of 180 countries scored, Ukraine was the 116th most corrupt, according to the yearly ranking published on Tuesday. Ukraine’s score of 33 was one point higher than in 2021, but the same as the year before, 2020.

Ukrainian President Zelensky ordered government officials to destroy all information on Hunter Biden’s Metabiota Company on the same day Russia invaded the country. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Zelensky sent out this document on February 24, 2022.

US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, despite renewed calls from Ukrainian officials for air support.Asked by a reporter on Monday if the US would be providing the planes, Mr Biden replied simply "no".His comment comes a day after Germany's leader also ruled out sending fighter jets.Ukraine has said it needs the jets to take control of its airspace in its ongoing war with Russia.F-16 Fighting Falcons are widely considered one of the world's most reliable fighter jets and are used by other countries, such as Belgium and Pakistan.They would be a significant upgrade...

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the prospect of peace talks with Vladimir Putin while dismissing his Russian counterpart Thursday as a “nobody.” Zelensky used an interview with Britain’s Sky News to declare Putin “doesn’t want negotiations because he doesn’t want peace.” The Ukrainian leader said he was “convinced” Ukraine was “just the first step” for Putin, who has his eye on “other countries” as he seeks Eastern European domination.

Freshman Republican Sen. JD Vance is calling on the White House to release a complete audit report detailing the exact amount of financial support the United States has provided to Ukraine since February 2022 and how it has been spent as Congress weighs additional funding. "Whether you support Ukrainian funding or not, the fundamental question is, we deserve, and the American people deserve to know how their money is being spent, especially when we're talking about $120 billion dollars of it," Vance said Wednesday on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." Earlier this week, Vance, R-Ohio, drafted a letter addressed to the White...

"Theory" doesn't mean what you think it means...The World Economic Forum, governments around the world, and the mainstream news media are sounding the alarm in Davos about crazy-sounding, right-wing conspiracy theories. And it’s easy to see why: conspiracy theories are prima facie silly. The boring truth is that people and institutions are terrible at keeping secrets. And yet, a shocking number of crazy-sounding right-wing conspiracy theories have, recently, turned out to be true:The World Economic Forum really does exercise a creepy influence over world leaders and it really does want “A Great Reset” whereby we’ll collectively move to living in...

Switzerland's veto on the delivery of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine has raised security policy issues and caused irritation in Berlin. A German armaments company reacts - and builds up new capacities. Rheinmetall is setting up an extensive new ammunition production facility in Germany with the aim of supplying the Bundeswehr independently. The systems for so-called medium-caliber ammunition should be ready in January, the armaments company confirmed on request. Previously, there had been political anger in Berlin over the Swiss veto on ammunition deliveries from Germany to Ukraine. The export of old stocks of the weapon material needed for the anti-aircraft...

On Wednesday it was revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government is prepping to participate in January’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, and that the Ukrainian leader is in talks with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink regarding rebuilding efforts following the war with Russia.

President Biden has returned to the scene of the crime. The 80-year-old commander-in-chief arrived Friday evening at the Delaware home where he kept classified documents from his time as vice president next to his 1967 Corvette Stingray, one day after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate the matter. Friday’s trip is Biden’s 52nd to Wilmington since taking office in January 2021. According to a tally by The Post, Biden has spent all or part of 151 days of his presidency at the 6,850-square-foot mansion. [cut] “I said when I was running, I wanted to be president...

I've said it repeatedly. When Biden was in Congress and even when VP he could hide his incompetence and mendacity. At the top of the food of the food chain one can no longer hide. His incompetence is frightening and putting the nation in jeopardy, and his deceit is the stuff of legend. After leaving office, Biden said “I don’t have access to classified information anymore” In 2018, Joe Biden — while in his private office where classified documents were just found — said “I don’t have access to classified information anymore” pic.twitter.com/NoC9OihcKk — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 10, 2023When...