Two High-Ranking Cyber Security Officials Sacked in Ukraine.

Today, two high-ranking officials in the Ukrainian government’s cyber security department were fired. According to a report in Reuters, Yurii Shchyhol and Viktor Zhora, the head and deputy head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP), were sacked due to allegations of their role in a plot to embezzle $1.72 million between 2020 and 2022. According to a report in US news, Shchyhol and Zhora are accused of buying software at increased prices from two companies they allegedly ran. The procurement process for the software program was very secretive and possibly rigged in favor of Shchyhol and Zhora. Ukraine is making strides in confronting corruption, but there is a long way to go.

Old Tensions Between Kosovo and Serbia Flare up.

In recent weeks, long-held tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have simmered to the surface. Kosovo is an ethnically divided country between Albanians and Serbians. Despite independence and vocal support from the West, there is always a fear of Serbia trying to reclaim what it sees as its rightful territory. According to an article in CNBC, there has been violence on Kosovo’s northern border with Serbia, not to mention Serbian military units amassed on the border. In late September, there was a shootout between Kosovar police and heavily armed Serbs. One of the major sticking points is that, according to the AP, The Serbian population in the North of Kosovo, particularly in the city of Mitrovica, feels the government in Pristina is not representing them. Earlier this year, the Serbian population in the north boycotted local elections, allowing ethnic Albanians to claim most of the mayoral positions, further alienating the Serbs. While the rest of Europe focuses on Russia and Ukraine, the situation in Kosovo should warrant closer examination by Western leaders.

Ukraine’s ongoing crusade against Corruption.

This week, the Ukrainian government under President Zelensky has been making further efforts to eradicate societal Corruption in Ukraine. Several outlets, including Reuters, have reported that a delegation of Ukrainian officials has met with Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, about improving anti-corruption efforts. Along with that is a report from the BBC that Ihor Kolomoisky, a well-known Ukrainian oligarch, is to be held in custody for two months on fraud and money laundering charges. Arguably, the most critical corruption story to come out of Ukraine is that President Zelensky has fired his defense minister, Oleskii Reznikov, because of allegations of Corruption. A report by the Washington Post suggests that Rustem Umerov, the former head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, will take over. While there is a long way to go, it is clear that the Ukrainian government is making strides in stamping out governmental malfeasance.

The Death of Prigozhin.

Yesterday, a private jet traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg carrying Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and several of his henchmen plummeted to earth outside of the village of Kuzenhiino in Russia’s Tver region. According to a report by the AP, an early assessment by the U.S. intelligence community suggests that the plane crash was caused by an explosive device on board the plane. Despite this, a report in the New York Times suggests that it is too early to know for sure what happened; Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicates that it will be challenging to gain a complete picture of what happened due to the reliability of any information released by the Russian government. It is assumed that President Putin was behind the crash, more likely as retaliation for Prigozhin’s aborted coup attempt in June. It was only a matter of time before Prigozhin would meet an untimely demise; one doesn’t attempt a coup against Putin and usually lives to tell the tale. In the last few hours, an article by The Guardian reports that Putin has acknowledged Prigozhin’s death by saying he was a “talented businessman” but made some “serious mistakes.”

Another fascinating aspect of this incident is who else was onboard the plane with Prigozhin. According to an article by The Washington Post, Dmitry Utkin, who was Prigozhin’s second in command, also died. According to various reports, Wagner was so named because of Utkin’s love of the German composer Richard Wagner, a favorite of Hitler. Also on board were several other high-ranking Wagner officials who maintained close ties to Prigozhin. We may never know how exactly this plane came down, but if I were Sergey Surovikin, a close friend of Prigozhin, I would make sure my passport was up to date.

Ukrainian Military Officers Fired Over Bribery Allegations.

Last Week President Zelenskyy fired officials who led Ukraine’s military recruitment drive over bribery allegations. Under Zelenskyy’s leadership, Ukraine has started to crack down on corruption, partially to improve its prospects of joining the EU and NATO. According to a BBC article, Zelenskyy announced that 30 people would face bribery allegations, including all the regional heads of the military conscription effort. The charges allege that these officials took bribes in cash and cryptocurrency and aided non-disabled men to leave the country. Current Ukrainian law states that all men over 18 able to fight up to 60 can be conscripted. It is admirable to see Zelenskyy clamp down on corruption after years of unchecked greed by other Ukrainian leaders.

A follow-up on Navalny.

Last week Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in a Russian prison camp on extremism charges. According to ABC, Navalny is already in prison on other charges that are politically driven. These charges are related to Navalny’s efforts to expose endemic corruption in the Russian state. According to VOAnews, Russian prosecutors asked for a 20-year sentence. It is abundantly clear that Navalny will never get out of prison and that the Putin regime doesn’t want him to give any opportunities to fuel protests that could bring down Putin.

Another Ally of Navalny Jailed.

A close associate of Alexei Navalny was jailed for nine years on Monday after being found guilty of “extremism” charges. According to ABC News, Vadim Ostanian, who ran the Siberian office of Navalny’s anti-corruption organization, was guilty in the eyes of the Russian state for organizing an extremist community and belonging to a non-profit that, in the words of the Russian government, “infringes on citizens rights.” Al Jazeera reported that last month another ally of Navalny Liliya Chanysheva was also found guilty on similar charges and sentenced to seven years in a Russian penal colony. It is highly likely that, like Navalny, Ostanian will not get the chance to appeal his conviction and will languish in prison. All of this further proves that Russia is a mafia state.

Putin vs. Prigozhin: a Struggle For Power In Russia.

This past weekend, the ongoing conflict involving Ukraine and Russia took an unexpected turn. Yevgeny Prigozhin accused President Putin of attacking members of his Wagner paramilitary group. It is well known that relations between the Russian army and Wagner are not cordial. On Friday night, rumors of serious unrest between the two parties emerged. On Saturday morning, numerous reports of Wagner forces streaming toward Moscow, seemingly to confront the high command. Barricades were erected to try and prevent any possibility of a coup. As all of this transpired, the Russian government announced that legal proceedings were being filed against him. Then, suddenly his forces turned back towards Rostov, and it was announced that he would be exiled to Belarus and any charges against him would be dropped.

According to an article from today’s New York Times, Prigozhin stated in a rambling audio message that the motivation for the protest was not to overthrow Putin’s government. It was instead a response to a move by the Russian army to force Wagner fighters to be co-opted into the regular army. Nonetheless, Prigozhin’s actions severely threatened Putin’s legitimacy as president. An article from The Guardian adds that Putin is weaker than he has ever been and that aligning himself with Wagner is proving to be a mistake that could lead to him being deposed as leader. Another critical component is how this impacts the fighting in Ukraine; according to another article by the New York Times, there is hope among the Ukrainian military that the current internal strife within Russia could lead to gains on the battlefield. It is an ongoing and complex story that could go in many directions and lead to many globally significant events.

Odesa Mayor Arrested on Corruption Charges.

Last Thursday, the mayor of Odesa, Hennadii Trukhanov, was arrested in connection with an ongoing corruption investigation. Recently, Ukraine has been in the process of cracking down on governmental misconduct. According to Radio Free Europe Trukhanov is alleged to have embezzled roughly 2.5 million dollars from Odesa’s budget through a scheme involving the purchase of a disused factory. On Friday, according to Yahoo News Trukhabov was released on bail. While it is an encouraging sign that high-ranking government officials are being investigated over corruption allegations, Ukraine still has much to achieve, or they are serious about cracking down on governmental wrongdoing.

Vladlen Tatarsky and the Rise of Pro-Russian Bloggers.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine last year, a new type of blogger has emerged in Russia. According to a report by CNN, a growing group of Russians are acting as war correspondents despite not having a journalistic background. These bloggers have embedded themselves within Russian units on the front lines in Ukraine and have developed close links to the regular army and the Wagner Group paramilitary group. These bloggers have become a vital source for on-the-ground information about the war, as the Russian Government is notoriously unforthcoming about the actual state of the war. It must also be noted that while all these bloggers are ultranationalists and pro-Putin, they are not afraid to voice their opinion on how the war should be fought.

This is the background to the events that occurred in St Petersburg recently. Vladlen Tatarsky was a prominent member of the military blogging community in Russia. Recently, he received a likeness of himself in the form of a figurine that just so happened to be filled with explosives, killing and injuring many others in a crowded restaurant called Street food bar #1 Cafe. According to a report in the New York Times, Tatarsky was handed the statuette by a woman called Nastya, who was a sculptor, while he was giving a talk to about 100 people. Shortly after the explosion, a woman named Daria Trepova, who, according to Sky News, is a supporter of the jailed anti-corruption activist Alexi Navalny. The moral of this tale appears to be that one should always be careful when accepting suspicious-looking statuettes.