Statement of Telegram CEO on restrictions of the messenger app in Russia t.me/durov/470

Viktor Bout (convicted arms dealer, “Lord of War” inspiration etc.), newly interviewed by propaganda channel linked to former Wagner Group. Says he’s getting back into business in Africa, a middle finger to enemies: "Despite everything, you guys didn't get what you wanted."

You might have wondered whether our team has paused analytical updates. Absolutely not. We have been working on several major probes, and the first, looking at the growth of artillery production sites and showing strong reliance on Western machinery, will be published tomorrow

If you're interested in the global Dark Fleet of #tankers, or want to know which ones to avoid working aboard, then these two links may come in handy: tankertrackers.com/report/sanct... tankertrackers.com/report/darkf... #OOTT

SCOOP: The NSA detected a phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump last spring. Whistleblower says that DNI Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

I can highly recommend this article about the German-speaking telegram cosmos ⬇️

For perspective, this is me standing next to a Shahed drone, one of the attack drones that Russia throws at Ukraine each day, sometimes by the hundreds, oftentimes by the dozens, both in frontline areas and on civilian infrastructure in the rear. They can carry up to 90 kilos of explosives.

In der Schweiz ist diese etwas skurrile Organisation registriert: die Weltallianz für traditionelle Werte. Einer ihrer Gründer: der ehem. Afd-MdB Waldemar Herdt. Ende Januar fand die Generalversammlung dieser global angelegten Organisation statt vkvideo.ru/video-930057...

In den Epstein-Files finden sich Tausende Namen. Die meisten tauchen nur am Rande auf – und schaffen es zum Teil dennoch in Schlagzeilen. Eine Deutsche hinterlässt aber über Jahre eine Spur, die von enger Freundschaft zeugt.

An open letter Jeff Bezos and Washington Post leadership:

How Russia is utilizing single-use agents to sow fear throughout Europe. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Nice read about the Shadow Fleet crew members www.raebaker.net/blog/littler...

There are about two dozens stateless shadow tankers in European waters at the moment. All are fair game for any navy, anywhere.

The SBU has published a summary of the various drone attacks on Russian airfields last year. Destroyed planes 11 fighters and bombers: Su-30SM, Su-34, Su-27, Su-24, MiG-31 ▪️ 3 helicopters: Mi-28, Mi-26, Mi-8 ▪️ 1 transport aircraft: An-26 t.me/SBUkr/16662

NEW from @davidgilbert.bsky.social: Meta Is Blocking Links To ICE List on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads www.wired.com/story/meta-i...

Deutschland will härter gegen die russische Schattenflotte vor www.tagesschau.de/investigativ... Sie sind weiterhin auf der Ostsee unterwegs, wie z.b. der sanktionierte Tanker MONTE 1. Das zeigt, wie schwierig das juristische Unterfangen ist www.opensanctions.org/entities/NK-...

Russia hammered Ukraine's Odesa overnight, injuring at least 2 dozen people and causing widespread damage. Emergency workers are searching rubble for survivors.

This fake AI "enhanced" photo is going around. AI "enhancement" doesn't actually enhance things. It invents many fake "details" where none exist. The gun AI invented here doesn't match Pretti's, and the agent has no face. Bellingcat comparison of the real screenshot, and photo of the gun:

Alex Pretti’s coworkers take a moment of silence this morning

We have just signed the ban on Russian gas into law. Europe is securing control of our energy supply and strengthening our autonomy.

@bellingcat.com analysis of the Alex Pretti killing, including all of the video evidence that our team was able to find. Contrary to statements from DHS and other US gov't officials, Pretti was disarmed when he was shot and did not threaten agents with his gun. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...

The events of the last 24 hours show why it's important to build functional verification structures in public and counterpublic spaces to resist the authoritarian erosion of our democratic systems, as described in this thread.

Einem Militärattaché an der russischen Botschaft wird Spionage vorgeworfen. Recherchen von @correctiv.org und @istories.bsky.social zeigen: Russland hat offenbar mindestens einen weiteren Top-Agenten unter falscher Identität nach Deutschland geschickt. correctiv.org/aktuelles/ru...

Falko H. war mehrmals in Russland und der Ostukraine. 2017 hat er fast 4000 Euro nach Russland überwiesen

Bornholm lost power! Marine cable suspected fault.

it is a little bit lustig mit den Videos rum um die Schneemassen in Kamtschatka

Die Schneemassen in Kamtschatka haben auch einiges an AI-Videos zu Tage gefördert..Auf Grok ist dabei eher wenig Verlass...

417th day of protest in Tbilisi.

New from the @nytimes.com Visual Investigations team: Detailed, second-by-second video analysis of all of the video footage of the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

About a year ago we published a story on Black Basta and the alleged leader of the gang, called Oleg N. He managed to escape after being presented to a judge Today, LEA agencies announced having searched two homes of Black Basta operators in Ukraine. For Oleg, there's a "Wanted" poster

⚠️ Update: #Iran has now been offline for 96 hours, limiting reporting and accountability over civilian deaths as Iranians protest and demand change; fixed-line internet, mobile data and calls are disabled, while other communication means are also increasingly being targeted ⌛️

Hidden Telegram proxy links can reveal your IP address in one click

This is the deepest open-source investigative dive I’ve seen so far on the U.S. commando raid in Venezuela, presenting a new and most likely capture location for Maduro: 10.4436, -66.9184. osintmethat.com/2026/01/12/t...

Bridges sind für User aus Ländern, in denen der Zugang zum Internet blockiert wird, oft essentiell wichtig. Hier Schätzungen zu Bridge-Usern im Tor-Netzwerk für den #Iran. metrics.torproject.org/userstats-br...

On Monday, January 12, Tavaana published a letter from a doctor living in Tehran, revealing the scale of the mass killing of civilians and protesters during Iran’s total internet shutdown:

New: We published another translated KGB training manual, this one about Moscow's use of 'compatriots' abroad. A highly relevant topic. Expertly introduced by my friend Dr. Kevin Riehle. You can subscribe to Foreign Office here: macspaunday.substack.com/p/moscows-co...

Protesters in Gonbad-e Kavous, Iran 37.24824, 55.18433 Video: x.com/ThomasVLinge...

⚠️ Update: #Iran has now been offline for 48 hours, as telemetry shows the nationwide internet blackout remains firmly in place. Meanwhile, regime leaders have continued to post their version of events online while their kill-switch silences the voices of 90 million Iranians 😶

⚠️ Update: It has now been 24 hours since #Iran implemented a nationwide internet shutdown, with connectivity flatlining at 1% of ordinary levels. The ongoing digital blackout violates the fundamental rights and liberties of Iranians while masking regime violence ⏱

Iranian authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown on protesters across the country since December 28, 2025, marked by security forces’ unlawful use of force and firearms and mass arbitrary arrests. New from HRW and @amnesty.org:

Europe controls 11 of the 15 tankers keeping Russia's biggest LNG terminal alive. Yamal earned €7.2 billion last year — enough to fund 240,000 Shahed drones. Britain is banning its six ships. Greece operates five more with no restrictions.

A call for the truck drivers to strike. This would freeze the country essentially. 28/

Again, the US president, his government officials, and supporters, are all lying to you about what happened here. This video clearly demonstrates the vehicle was not driving towards the ICE agent.

Video analysis clearly contradicts what Noem and Trump claim about the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. By @devonlum.bsky.social @robinsteinnyt.bsky.social Ainara Tiefenthaler Courtney Brooks for @nytimes.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCv...

I was hoping when large media covered Mobile Fortify, the ICE facial app we revealed in June, it would add substantial information. Instead this front page WSJ piece rehashes our reporting, presents it as new attributed to officials, and forgets to capitalize M in 404 Media bsky.app/profile/cori...

“I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country," Maduro told the judge. apnews.com/live/us-vene...

⚡️The Prime Minister of 🇱🇻 Latvia Evika Siliņa on X: Damage to an optical cable in the Baltic Sea near Liepāja has been detected. 🔗 x.com/EvikaSilina/... @auonsson.bsky.social @pa.nton.cx @vesselspotter.bsky.social

After the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump made false and misleading statements about previous U.S. strikes on Venezuelan boats and Maduro sending the gang Tren de Aragua to the U.S., according to fact-checking by @politifact.bsky.social. https://to.pbs.org/3YVHeh3

MARINERA now 489 West of Ireland. No military or law enforcement vessels on AIS but there are reports of USN P8s tracking the tanker and other US assets being moved to the UK. bsky.app/profile/sara...

By framing this brazen act of aggression in euphemistic terms, the media is falling in line with Trump.