My reporting worlds are colliding. Far-right Proud Boys channels on Telegram are beginning to share Ukraine-Russia content as the war in the Donbas heats up again.
Oh no. Q channels, too.
Proud Boys and Q followers don’t seem to know quite who they’re rooting for, Ukraine or Russia. There are some contradicting statements in the channels’ and commenters’ posts. However, some are indeed on Putin’s side.
The Proud Boys’ latest Ukraine post, in which they hint a bit more at what side they’re on (although they still seem confused about who they should support):
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With things getting hot in Ukraine again — & by that I mean Russia dialing up pressure with rhetoric, overt military threats, & ceasefire violations — here are some great threads that help understand what’s going on. First, @CITeam_en compiled evidence of Russia’s military moves.
Analyst @KofmanMichael considers what the Kremlin is up to (and explains what many of us who know the Ukraine war intimately). Hint: readying for all-out war doesn’t always mean an all-out war is imminent.
NEW, with @TTP_updates, 100s of far-right militias, including some whose members were charged in the deadly insurrection on the Capitol, continue to organize, recruit, and promote violence on @Facebook. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
200+ militia pages an groups are on Facebook as of March 18, according to @TTP_updates and @BuzzFeedNews research. Of them, at least 140 included the word “militia” in their name. Not exactly trying to hide! Here's the TTP report: techtransparencyproject.org/articles/faceb…
Facebook banned some militant groups and other extremist movements tied to violence. But dozens persist and some have opened new pages in recent months, even after Jan. 6. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
For Ukraine watchers, this is an intriguing development: President Zelensky has imposed sanctions on MP Taras Kozak, a proxy of Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk, and his TV channels, NewsOne, Zik, 112, which are notorious pushers of Russian disinformation. president.gov.ua/documents/4320…
The move was signed by Zelensky after approval from National Security and Defense Council. Kozak faces a slew of restrictions and bans now, including asset freezes. His TV channels—which really are controlled by Medvedchuk, who is Putin's lackey in Kyiv—are already off the air.
Many Ukrainian progressives, political analysts, and even journalists have long supported measures like those imposed today against what are essentially Kremlin disinfo networks in Ukraine. Poroshenko blocked Russian social networks and other sites.
Judge is about to rule in the case of Alexei Navalny, who was just let back into court. He's now standing in a glass holding dock surrounded by armed police.
@SvobodaRadio Navalny looks to his wife Yulia in the courtroom and makes a heart gesture with his hands before the court rules. He could get 3.5 years behind bars (with roughly a year knocked off) or be released on parole.
Judge now reading out the ruling as Navalny looks on with a slight smirk on his face. His fate will be known imminently.
NEW: Biden spoke with Putin. Kremlin readout says the presidents discussed int'l security & the exchange of documents today to extend the New START nuclear treaty.
Also discussed: the pandemic, trade & economic issues, Open Skies Treaty, Ukraine, & more. kremlin.ru/events/preside…
The Kremlin says, "On the whole, the conversation between the leaders of Russia and the United States was businesslike and frank in nature. [Putin and Biden] agreed they would stay in contact."
No readout from the White House yet. But here's what Biden said about it moments ago:
Incredible scenes across Russia—from Tomsk to Chelyabinsk to Ulan-Ude to St. Petersburg—of crowds in the tens of thousands (or more?) coming out to protest the arrest of Alexei Navalny. Here’s Moscow’s Pushkin Square just 20 min after the start of the protest in Russia’s capital.