Christopher Miller Profile picture
Aug 17, 2019 11 tweets 8 min read Read on X
Ukraine's scandal-prone state security service, the SBU, has earned a reputation as one of the country's most corrupt institutions and proven thus far to be immune to reform. Is Ukraine’s newly elected President Zelenskiy up to the task? My story: rferl.org/a/ukraine-zele… v @RFERL
@RFERL How successful Zelenskiy is in cleaning up the SBU will be a litmus test of his office's resolve to bring Ukraine more into line with Western democracies. On the other hand, failure to reform it could hobble wider efforts to curb corruption & econ crime. rferl.org/a/ukraine-zele…
"Now there's a real opportunity to reform [Ukraine's security service]," says Ambo William Taylor, current charge d'affaires @USEmbassyKyiv. Insight also from @MarkGaleotti @AndyHunder @ANTAC_ua's Tania Shevchuk @JohnEdHerbst @PA3yMKOB's Oleksiy Melnyk rferl.org/a/ukraine-zele…
@USEmbassyKyiv @MarkGaleotti @AndyHunder @ANTAC_ua @JohnEdHerbst @PA3yMKOB You'll remember Ukraine's security service from the time last year when it faked the murder of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko to expose what it claimed was a team of hitmen allegedly hired by Moscow to destabilize Ukraine. It didn't go over so well. rferl.org/a/lavrov-rejec…
With 30,000+ employees, the SBU is more than seven times the size of the U.K.'s MI5, and more than four times the size of Israel's Mossad. Besides performing the intel roles, the SBU's also responsible for combating economic crimes and corruption. That's become a big problem.
Ihor Smeshko, SBU head from 2003-2005, told me the agency is "the most powerful institution in the country." Over the years, abuse of its power — including accusations of blackmail, corruption, arms trafficking, secret jails, torture, FSB links — has cast a shadow over the SBU.
So why wasn't it been reformed? "Ukraine has used the war as an excuse to not reform the SBU," said @MarkGaleotti. Critics also said ex-president @poroshenko lacked the political will to reform the agency b/c he didn't want to relinquish control of it as he fought for reelection
@MarkGaleotti @poroshenko SBU agents have for years abused their sweeping powers to enrich themselves. Directorate K, its economic crimes unit formed in the turbulent privatization era of the 1990s, is notorious for corruption and abusing its power. As one expert put it, "they can do whatever they want."
.@AndyHunder of @ChamberUkraine, says Directorate K's activities have scared away potential investors. He's met with Zelenskiy's team to encourage them to reform the SBU, warn them that "maski shows" (raids by armed, masked agents) would hobble Ukraine's ability to attract biz.
@MarkGaleotti @poroshenko This thread could go on... but I'll leave you instead with a tease of what else is in the piece & link: more on the SBU's corrupt nature, including lavish lifestyles of its agents; the SBU's infiltration by Russian spies; recommendations for reforming it. rferl.org/a/ukraine-zele…
@MarkGaleotti @poroshenko Oh, and this good quote:

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More from @ChristopherJM

Jun 4
New @Maxar satellite imagery today, June 4, of Russia's Belaya and Olenya airbases struck by Ukrainian drones. Multiple Tu-95 and Tu-22 bomber aircraft are destroyed and some cleanup activity is seen near the plane debris, Maxar says. Cloud cover obscured several of the other Russian airbases that were reportedly also struck by drones. A thread 🧵
1. after Ukrainian drone strike, overview of Belaya airbase, June 4
2.before drone strike, group of Tu22 aircraft, Belaya airbase, May 22
3. after drone strike, group of Tu22 aircraft Belaya airbase, June 4
4., before drone strike, Tu95 aircraft, Belaya airbase, May 22
📸: @MaxarImage
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5. after drone strike, destroyed Tu95 aircraft, Belaya airbase, June 4
6. before drone strike,Tu22 aircraft, Belaya airbase, May 22
7. after drone strike, two destroyed Tu22 aircraft, Belaya airbase, June 4
8. after drone strike, closer view of destroyed Tu95 aircraft, Belaya airbase, June 4
📸: @MaxarImage
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Read 4 tweets
Jun 2
Satellite images made by @Maxar before Ukraine's big drone strike operation show Russian airfields in Belaya, Ivanovo, Ukrainka, Olenya & Ryazan Dyagilevo, as well as close-up views of bomber, transport and airborne warning aircraft.

Maxar writes: "At each of the five airbases, defensive measures have been observed on many of the planes, presumably in an attempt to protect the aircraft from drone attacks by placing tires and other objects on the top of the wings. Additionally, the use of decoy aircraft was also seen at the airbases including painted aircraft outlines on the tarmac and materials positioned in the shape of bomber aircraft."

A thread. 🧵
1. overview of belaya airbase, May 22
2. objects on Tu 22 aircraft at belaya airbase, May 20
3. Tu 160 bombers and decoy painted on tarmac at belaya airbase, May 20
4. Tu 160 bombers at belaya airbase, May 20 Image
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5. tires and objects on Tu 22 aircraft at Belaya airbase, May 20
6. decoy Tu 22 aircraft at Belaya airbase, May 20
7. decoy aircraft at Belaya airbase, May 20
8. decoy aircraft Belaya airbase, May 20
📸: @Maxar Image
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Read 6 tweets
Jun 1
Ukrainian SBU security service sources tell @FT the agency is conducting "a large-scale special operation to destroy enemy bomber aircraft" deep inside Russia.

"SBU drones are targeting aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities every night. At this point, more than 40 aircraft have reportedly been hit."

Video footage filmed by a Ukrainian reconnaissance aircraft and shared by the official appeared to show Russia’s Belaya airfield, located in south-eastern Siberia some 5,500km east of the frontline, in flames.

This was a hugely ambitious SBU operation. According to people familiar with the attack, codenamed “Spiderweb”, it was planned more than a year in advance and “personally supervised” by Zelensky. It used dozens of FPV drones armed with explosives that were smuggled into Russia. Photo: SBU Chief Vasyl Malyuk looks over a map of Russian targets in today's attack.Image
The SBU has shared photos of the drones it says were used in today's attack on Russian airfields. The images appear to show how the drones were hidden during transport to Russia ahead of the attack. Image
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Read 4 tweets
May 17
Trump spoke to @BretBaier on Fox News on Friday. Here's what the US president said about Putin and Russia, Zelensky and Ukraine. Link to the interview here: foxnews.com/video/63729349…

Baier: "You said [to Putin], get to the table... stop bombing. He hasn't stopped bombing..."

Trump: "Well he is at the table. And he wanted this meeting. And I always felt there can't be a meeting without me because I don’t think a deal is gonna get through. There’s a lot of hatred on both sides. I have a very good relationship with Putin, I think we’ll make a deal. We have to get together and I think we’ll probably schedule it up, because I’m tired of having other people go and meet and everything else. With that I think Steve Witkoff is doing such an incredible job, but it’s a very tough job and it’s a job that because of position that I think I’m the only one that’s gonna be able to do that one and I think we’ll do it fast too. I think Putin is tired of this whole thing and he’s not - he’s not looking good. And he wants to look good. Don’t forget this was supposed to end in one week and if he didn’t get stuck in the mud with his army tanks all over the place, they would’ve been in Kyiv -- Kiev -- in about five hours. And who gave the javelins? Do you remember who gave the javelins? Was it Barack Hussein Obama who gave the javelins? No it was Donald Trump who gave the javelins."
Trump on Zelensky: "I had a real rough session with Zelenskyy because I didn't like what he said. And he was not making it easy. And I always said he doesn't have the cards, and he doesn't have the cards. And I'm being honest, he doesn't have the cards."

"You're dealing with a massive army and you're dealing with someone that's brave and had great equipment." [Unclear if he's talking about Putin or Zelensky, I think the latter?]
foxnews.com/video/63729349…
Baier asks Trump about hitting Russia and its banking sector with sanctions...

Trump goes on a tangent about making "money in a few days" on his Middle East trip.

Trump then repeats a previous remark about Zelenskyy's salesmanship: "I think he's the greatest salesman in the world, far better than me. Zelenskyy, he comes to Washington, he walks out with $100 million every time he walks away. ... We send checks, we dont' send equipment, we send cash." (This is false.)
foxnews.com/video/63729349…
Read 6 tweets
Feb 15
President Zelensky has rejected a US proposal to take ownership of around 50% of the rights to Ukraine's rare earth minerals and is trying to negotiate a better deal, according to several people familiar with the matter.
w/ @felschwartz @HenryJFoy via @FTft.com/content/b08b72…
Ukraine’s main concern with the US offer is the lack of connection to broader security guarantees, according to people who reviewed the proposal. Ukrainian officials asked how the agreement would contribute to their country’s long-term security, but were only told it would ensure an American presence on Ukrainian soil — a vague response that left key questions unanswered. ft.com/content/b08b72…
Another sticking point is the document’s specification that New York would be the jurisdiction in which disputes over the mineral rights are resolved, according to two people familiar with the matter. ft.com/content/b08b72…
Read 4 tweets
Jan 21
Zelensky really hammered Europe in his Davos speech, addressing its future and the threats facing it.
"Right now, all eyes are on Washington. But who’s actually watching Europe at the moment?"
Here are some highlights from his speech 🧵
Zelensky: "Most of the world’s now thinking – so, what’s gonna happen to their relationship with America? What will happen to alliances? To support? To trade? How does President Trump plan to end wars? But no one is asking these kinds of questions about Europe. And we need to be honest about that."
Zelensky: "Europe can’t afford to be second or third in line for its allies. If that happens, the world will start moving forward without Europe, and that’s a world that won’t be comfortable or beneficial for Europeans."
Read 12 tweets

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