The Russian Invasion

Russian Invasion|Russian Reactions
Task: Russia sets fires in Europe - hopes to disrupt supplies to Ukraine

Western intelligence agencies believe they are seeing an increase in Russian sabotage on European soil, sources told the New York Times. The purpose is said to be to disrupt deliveries to Ukraine and the Russian military intelligence service GRU is said to be behind it.

The overall goal should be to get European countries to take safety measures in the liver chain, which lead to higher costs and delays in deliveries.

The sources mention arson and attempted arson as the most common method. Fires in a department store in England, a paint factory in Poland and an Ikea store in Lithuania are specifically mentioned, but it is not clear how these would be targets linked to the Ukraine deliveries.
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Expert: Now everyone has to figure out what Putin accepts

The invasion of Ukraine has exposed Russian problems of corruption and incompetence to the point that the Kremlin feels it is a problem that needs to be addressed. This is what the political scientist and East European expert Samuel Charap tells the New York Times regarding the high number of military leaders arrested.

Putin believes the timing is right, he says.

- Because there is no short-term acute risk on the battlefield.

Russia analyst Dara Massicot says the arrests are having an effect on "the system" as everyone tries to figure out what is now "accepted behavior".

Earlier in May, Sergei Shoigu was forced to leave his post as Minister of Defense and in the weeks that followed, several high-ranking members of the military were arrested, officially for corruption.
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Russia wants to stop countries from participating in the conference

Russia has contacted about ten countries to persuade them not to participate in the peace conference on the Ukraine war in Switzerland in June, according to a diplomatic dispatch seen by Bloomberg.

High-ranking representatives, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, are said to have contacted countries of varying size and diplomatic importance – from India to the African island nation of the Comoros.

According to the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, there is an increased risk that the Kremlin will try to disrupt the conference through cyber attacks. Franz Grüter, Member of Parliament and IT entrepreneur, therefore has an appeal for all participants.

- I would not log on to a public Wi-Fi network in Bürgenstock (the place of the conference, ed. note).
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The Russian invasion The sanctions
Russians buy billions in Dubai after the invasion

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian elite have bought homes for the equivalent of SEK 68 billion in Dubai. This is shown in a report by economists from the EU Tax Observatory in Paris and Skatteforsk in Norway, writes the journalist network ICIJ.

According to the documents on which the report is based, Russian politicians, suspected criminals and people with sanctions from the West have bought exclusive properties in the country.

According to the economists, the estimate of the sums is "cautious".

- We calculate that the Russian money that has flowed into Dubai has increased tenfold since the invasion, says Matthew Collin at the EU Tax Observatory to ICIJ.