1/ US citizen Daniel Martindale, who has disclosed that he spied on Ukraine for Russia for two years, worked alongside German volunteers as an aid worker in frontline towns near Vuhledar and Pokrovsk. It's likely that he used this as cover to spy on the Ukrainian Armed Forces. ⬇️
2/ Martindale's extraction by Russian forces was publicised in an announcement on 27 October by the military authorities in the 'Donetsk People's Republic'. He spoke in much more detail in a Moscow press conference on 2 November.
3/ The German news outlet t-online reports that German volunteers in the Vuhledar region recall Martindale working with them to deliver aid from the end of 2022. According to the volunteer, "he introduced himself to us as Daniel from Indiana."
4/ Martindale spoke very fluent German: "It was striking how well [he spoke German]. You could hear the slightly slurred accent, otherwise it was flawless." He also spoke Polish, Chinese, and Russian fluently.
5/ The German volunteer says that Martindale came under previous suspicion. According to a local partner, he repeatedly disappeared for short periods, and also when a US aid group was in the region. He is said to have travelled around with the Ukrainian military administration.
6/ Martindale was active in unloading and distributing aid supplies in Selydove near Pokrovsk and near Vuhledar, where the Russians say he gave them information that enabled them to capture Bohoiavlenka on 27 October. He was photographed helping the German volunteers.
7/ Martindale was "noticeably reticent about giving information about himself." However, the German volunteer says that secrecy is not unusual near the front and is in fact strongly recommended: "Our helpers do not introduce themselves there with their real names." /end
1/ Life after Starlink is proving to be difficult and frustrating for the Russian army. Russian warbloggers appear to be going through the stages of grief, expressing anger and alarm at the crisis and concern that Ukraine will exploit it. One anticipates "24/7 fucking". ⬇️
2/ Further instances of price-gouging are being reported, with the cost of US-made Ubiquiti WiFi bridges – illegally imported into Russia – doubling overnight. 'Strong Word' complains:
3/ "Elon is certainly a real jerk. But we have some real assholes in the rear who decided to ride the wave and make money off their own soldiers. Wi-Fi bridges instantly doubled in price. It's maddening, some are spilling blood, and others are making a living off of it."
1/ What can Russian soldiers do with thousands of useless Starlink terminals? One Russian warblogger has some humorous suggestions. ⬇️
2/ 'BKGB Casuar' writes:
"Here are 10 ways to use a broken terminal in the Special Military Operation zone:
3/ "1. Butt Kick.
The ground in the trench is cold and damp, and Elon Musk's plastic is warm and high-tech. Use it as an elite seat. Now you're not just a soldier in the mud, but a cyberpunk on a throne, whose butt is protected from moisture by American technology.
1/ Russian political officers are reportedly using the Epstein files to justify the 'Special Military Operation' (SVO) as a "war against global evil". However, as a frontline Russian warblogger points out, Russia and its soldiers are hardly innocent of crimes against children. ⬇️
2/ 'Vault No. 8', a serving soldier in the Russian army, writes:
"Over dinner, we were shown a report on the Epstein files: Satanism, cannibalism, paedophilia, child trafficking to EU countries in Ukraine, etc. The conclusion: "The SVO is the fight against global evil."
3/ "At the same time, during the SVO:
— I listened to the stories of several female specialists in men's health. One was raped by her grandfather, then later by her first husband. The second had a stepfather who was violent and raped her mother.
1/ As many as 4% of the able-bodied men in one village in the Russian Far East may have died in Ukraine. The figure illustrates how the human cost of the war is being borne disproportionately by impoverished communities deep in the Russian interior.
2/ The village of Tigil is the principal settlement of a lightly populated region the size of West Virginia or Latvia. About 1,600 people live in the village. Ethnic Russians only make up about 36% of the population, with various indigenous groups making up the rest.
3/ The village museum has installed a display with photographs of local residents who died in the war. It currently shows 18 portraits of confirmed victims, though there may well be more unlisted given the very large numbers of soldiers declared to be missing in action.
1/ The Russian authorities have published details of three people accused of Friday's shooting of Lt Gen Vladimir Alekseyev. Two men have been arrested, one in the UAE, while a woman is said to have escaped to Ukraine, which is blamed for the attack. ⬇️
2/ The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (roughly Russia's equivalent of the FBI) has issued a statement, which includes the following:
3/ "Investigators conducted a thorough inspection at the scene, during which they discovered the murder weapon – a Makarov pistol with an attached silencer and three rounds of ammunition.
1/ General Vladimir Alexseyev, who was shot yesterday in a Moscow apartment building, may have been secretly visiting his mistress before the attack. Despite a reputation as an uncorrupt officer, he is said to have enjoyed the same luxurious lifestyle as many of his peers. ⬇️
2/ The building where Alekseyev was shot is a fairly ordinary apartment building in Moscow's Shchukino District. Completed in 2022, it has 10 apartments on each floor. Alekseyev was using an apartment on the 24th floor.
3/ According to neighbours, the apartment is occupied by a younger woman with a young child. They say she was seen often with the child, but Alekseyev was only seen rarely. His 'official' wife is in her 60s (he is 64) and their children are in their 30s.