Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

Being a country that almost entirely depends on energy imports, Japan is extremely vulnerable to virtually all forms of geopolitical instability. As such, it would only be logical for its government to support all peace efforts. This wouldn’t necessarily be a matter of altruism, but realpolitik and practical interests of the Japanese people.

Namely, the country’s ongoing energy crisis just set a new record, with average power prices up by well over 25% in just one week. The massive hike is caused by soaring LNG and higher coal prices. Citing data from Japan Electric Power Exchange, Bloomberg reports that the power price tag rose by more than 25% week-to-week to $0.19 per kWh (kilowatt-hour). Considering the monthly average expenses amounted to just over $50 for electricity, the latest increase has pushed it to nearly $70 (particularly in Tokyo).

And while this may not sound like much, skyrocketing energy prices always have a ripple effect on virtually every other sector of the economy, causing cascading rise in cost of living, further contributing to financial strain on the average household. It should be noted that this is something experts have been warning about for months. Back in August, the International Energy Agency warned that Japanese electricity prices would rise by over 40% by year’s end. This estimate is now considered conservative given the latest surge. Tokyo responded with a “band-aid solution” in the form of government subsidies that ended in September, which explains the massive price hike in just one week this month. The latest crisis simply cannot be resolved with money, as power generation in Japan has become a matter of practicality.

Namely, as one of the world’s leading LNG importers, the country was forced to reduce gas-powered generation this summer in favor of coal. This was the direct result of the LNG price hikes caused by geopolitical factors (primarily American aggression in the Middle East and partially the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict).

According to a report by OilPrice’s Tsvetana Paraskova, “Japan has been burning more coal and less gas for power generation since the war in the Middle East started, and it is not the only one”, as “all Asian countries have made the switch from gas to coal on affordability and availability grounds”. Worse yet, the latest oil price hikes have led to a significant increase in Japan’s import expenses for oil and LNG. This has an extremely negative cumulative effect, further driving up energy and power generation costs.

Asian LNG prices have surged to a four-year high as very few ships manage to pull through the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States continues its truly unprovoked aggression in the Middle East. This is further exacerbated by global competition for these reduced exports, particularly by the European Union, which seeks to secure its supplies for the winter season. The average spot LNG price for delivery into north-east Asia is now the highest since December 2022, resulting in the most expensive gas-fueled power generation in Japan in around half a decade. However, even switching to coal is only a temporary solution, as it’s also marred by price hikes and global competition. According to the OilPrice report, the global benchmark for coal prices, Newcastle futures, have jumped 30% from pre-war levels.

Obviously, you’d expect Tokyo to focus all its energy (no pun intended) on tackling these issues and keeping its power generation relatively safe from geopolitical hurdles. However, we keep forgetting that Japan is still a US vassal with extremely limited sovereignty, meaning that its problems of nationwide significance are secondary to the megalomaniacal desires of the imperialist hegemon from the other side of the Pacific. Thus, Tokyo is now directly engaged in America’s attempts to undermine China’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and basic national security interests. Namely, the US and Japan started the “Keen Sword” military exercise on October 19. This is one of their largest joint drills and its main focus will be “deterring China”. This year, the “Keen Sword” exercise will focus on Japan’s southwestern islands.

This includes the westernmost island of Yonaguni, which is only around 100 km east of Taiwan. Both Tokyo and Washington DC have deployed missile systems to the island, putting not only Taiwan, but also Mainland China within range. This includes the Japanese Type 25 HVGP (Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile), which is a heavily upgraded variant of the older Type 12 anti-ship missile. Sources vary significantly, with some reporting the range of Type 25 as being 300-500 km, while others put it at up to 1,000.

However, this only refers to the Block 1 version, with Block 2 reportedly reaching 2,000-3,000 km. Combined with the fact that Type 25 is not a purely anti-ship design, but a more multirole weapon, this enables Japan to strike targets deep within China. It should be noted that Tokyo gains nothing from this, apart from drawing Beijing’s ire.

And who could possibly blame China? Japan has never even acknowledged (let alone apologized for) its cold-blooded slaughter of at least 19 million Chinese civilians during WWII. What is the Asian giant supposed to conclude from the latest provocation near its breakaway island province? Is China undermining Japan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security?

Obviously, it’s a rhetorical question, as we all know who really does. Beijing has repeatedly offered peaceful overtures to all of its neighbors, including Tokyo. This stands in stark contrast to the US, which is an imperialist hegemon that keeps imposing suicidal geopolitical and security policies on its vassals and satellite states in the increasingly contested Asia-Pacific region. Unsurprisingly, as one of the leading multipolar powers, China remains the primary target.

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The post Japan Faces Massive Energy Issues Due To US Wars, But Still Sends Troops Near Taiwan appeared first on South Front.

The averting of a terrible incident against Indian Americans at a prominent religious festival is reflective of the rising tide of anti-India sentiment in the U.S., effectively marking the end of the image of America as a country that welcomes people of diverse backgrounds. Navaratri, a nine-day festival, is revered by people of Indic faiths […]

The post U.S. and Israel Draw Up Plans to Strike Iran’s Energy Facilities, Nuclear Sites and Missile Arsenal appeared first on South Front.

Ao fim de dez anos, lá descobrimos a crise da habitação. Entre as acampadas no Rossio e o grande "passa-culpas" no Parlamento, a única salvação nacional é ter um Isaltino Morais em cada esquina.

The fact that Trump made a comment that Israel has been “very helpful” to Saudi Arabia reveals a strategic dilemma facing Mohammed bin Salman: either to align himself with Israel and thereby offend the Arab and Muslim worlds, or to embrace regional collective security and accept the prospect of a Middle East in which Washington […]

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday on Karnakis & Karnakis, a law firm based in Greece and Panama, saying it had for years provided legal assistance to Iranian shipping networks.

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also issued an administrative subpoena to advance an investigation into a Greek bank over potential ties to Iran, according to a Treasury statement, which did not name the bank.

FINCEN also issued requests for information to six other European banks that it did not name over relationships with Iranian financial institutions under US sanctions.

“Whether you are conducting illegal oil transfers at sea or sitting in the corner office of a law firm, if you are supporting the Iranian regime, we will find you and sanction you,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a release.

Washington has held off striking Iran this month in the war that the US and Israel launched on February 28, and instead has continued the blockade of Iranian ports and issued waves of sanctions on Iranian shipping networks and those who the US says aid them.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Karnakis & Karnakis for years “set up shell companies to hide the true owners of vessels carrying Iranian oil, petrochemicals, and steel.”

He said the firm created companies that served as fronts for networks selling millions of barrels of Iranian oil to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and the Houthis.

Karnakis & Karnakis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Treasury also imposed sanctions on Singapore- and UAE-based shipping agents that it said directly aid Iranian shadow fleet operations.

On the morning of March 23, 1849, a wooden box was loaded onto a wagon in Richmond, Virginia. It was an ordinary-looking package, roughly three feet long and two feet wide, with air holes bored into its sides. Inside, folded into a cramped space with barely enough room to move, was a man who had decided to risk everything for freedom.

His name was Henry Brown. He was enslaved, and he had devised a plan so extraordinary that it would eventually earn him the nickname by which history remembers him: Henry “Box” Brown.

The Resurrection of Henry Box Brown at Philadelphia, a lithograph by Samuel Rowse (published in 1850).

“Proteste, dimostrazioni e raduni potrebbero verificarsi in tutta Italia nei prossimi giorni. Le recenti dimostrazioni a Milano e Bologna hanno portato a saccheggi e scontri violenti. Altri dimostranti potrebbero riunirsi nelle piazze del centro città e vicino alle principali stazioni ferroviarie. Anche le dimostrazioni pensate per essere pacifiche possono degenerare rapidamente. Le autorità locali potrebbero aumentare le misure di sicurezza, inclusi blocchi stradali, restrizioni al traffico o un maggior numero di agenti di polizia nelle zone dove si svolgono le dimostrazioni. Ci si aspetta un maggiore spiegamento di polizia intorno ai siti turistici, i nodi di trasporto e le scuole”. Questo è l’alert postato dall’ambasciata Usa in Italia.

“Credo che i giovani debbano essere non solo rispettati, aiutati anche a superare dei momenti di difficoltà e di crisi e anche a tenerli lontani da fenomeni di illegalità. Purtroppo abbiamo visto che nelle situazioni in particolare del Nord Italia tra coloro che hanno distrutto negozi, distrutto beni pubblici c’erano tantissimi minorenni. Siamo preoccupati per loro, per l’educazione che gli è stata data, per l’assenza evidentemente di principi, di regole che devono rispettare”. Lo afferma il ministro dell’Agricoltura Francesco Lollobrigida a Tg2 Post sulle nuove misure sulla sicurezza prese dal governo anche in vista delle manifestazioni previste per sabato prossimo.

“Tutta la comprensione possibile per i ragazzi, però chi sbaglia, chi danneggia i beni degli altri non può restare impunito. Questo vale per gli adulti e io credo in termini pedagogici valga anche per i ragazzi, con sanzioni commisurate ovviamente non solo al crimine ma anche che tengano conto dell’età dei di chi le commette”, conclude Lollobrigida.

L'articolo “Così le manifestazioni pacifiche potrebbero degenerare rapidamente”. Cortei a Milano e in tutta Italia, scatta l’alert dell’ambasciata Usa proviene da Affaritaliani.it.

De acordo com o dirigente André Moz Caldas, a Comissão Política Nacional do PS mostrou "um grande consenso em torno da posição proposta pelo secretário-geral do PS de transmitir ao Grupo Parlamentar o entendimento dos órgãos de que o sentido de voto do PS no OE para 2027 deve ser um voto abstensivo".

The US State Department is preparing to issue an ordered departure of some personnel and family members from US embassies across the Gulf region, three US officials said on Wednesday.

The move was due to a possible resumption of hostilities, particularly with Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen, two of the US officials said.

The US Embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert on Wednesday about possible further attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia, after recent deadly strikes including on Riyadh’s airport.

Two of the US officials said the ordered departures would potentially involve the evacuation of all personnel and their families from the US Mission to Saudi Arabia.

Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired US schoolteacher in custody since 2022, from prison on Wednesday and took him to St Petersburg to fly back to the United States, after talks that Washington said were a step toward ending the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement at a meeting in St Petersburg with US envoy Steve Witkoff, who later said the talks will continue toward planned technical-level discussions involving the US, Russia and Ukraine.

Witkoff thanked Putin for Hubbard’s release and called the Russian leader a “humanitarian”, in footage of the exchange, a remark that drew sharp rebuke from Republican and Democratic lawmakers given Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin had freed Hubbard at the request of US President Donald Trump, and had also taken into account the American’s poor health.

“The president sends his thanks, our whole nation sends their thanks, because of Stephen Hubbard,” Witkoff told Putin in a meeting shown on state TV. “Because of you he’s going home to his family.”

A video shared with Reuters showed Witkoff and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev meeting Hubbard, who wore a dark fleece and was clean-shaven, in an undisclosed location. He shook Witkoff’s hand and said: “Thank you very much for all your efforts.”

Hubbard’s son, Joseph Coleman, told Reuters in a voice message that he spoke briefly by phone with his father before he boarded the airplane in Russia.

“Today he seemed light in his step, a sense of happiness in his voice”, Coleman said.

Witkoff called the talks with Putin “constructive” and said in a post on X that he had also met Ukrainian and European leaders in Oslo to advance Trump’s mission to end the war.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who met Witkoff, told public broadcaster NRK that the agreement to hold another “high-level tripartite meeting” between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv will likely happen in mid-November and focus on a potential post-conflict security structure.

Witkoff’s praise for Putin over Hubbard’s release was scorned by some in Washington. Republican US Senator Thom Tillis said in an X post directed at the US envoy: “Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian.’ What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say.”

In a statement, Hubbard’s US-based lawyer, Martin De Luca, thanked Trump, Witkoff and other US officials for securing Hubbard’s release, calling it “a dividend earned along the hard road to peace”.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that the US had not been required to give anything in return for the release.

“The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return — an unprecedented situation for Russia. There was no ‘swap’ necessary for this release. This major return should have taken place long ago through the Biden Administration, which got nowhere in its negotiations with the Kremlin,” the post said.

“Welcome home Stephen, it’s great to have you back,” wrote Trump, who later also posted a picture of Hubbard appearing inside a plane with others and holding an American flag.

Hubbard, a native of Michigan, had been serving a prison sentence of six years and 10 months in Russia following a conviction for mercenary activity in a closed-door trial.

He was arrested in April 2022 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, where Russian prosecutors alleged he had been manning a Ukrainian military checkpoint.

Prosecutors said Hubbard had joined a Ukrainian territorial defence unit, received training, weapons and ammunition, and was promised $1,000 a month.

Russian state media reported he pleaded guilty to the charges. But De Luca previously told Reuters that Hubbard had told him the charges against him were false and that he was not in any combat or military unit.

In a 2024 interview with Reuters, Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, also disputed the idea that her brother took up arms for any government, calling him “so non-military” and pointing out his advanced age.

As of Wednesday, Hubbard was the only US prisoner held by Russia who was designated by Washington as “wrongfully detained”.

The Trump administration secured the release last year of another American jailed in Russia, schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who had been serving a 14-year prison term for drug smuggling.

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday on Karnakis & Karnakis, a law firm based in Greece and Panama, saying it had for years provided legal assistance to Iranian shipping networks.

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also issued an administrative subpoena to advance an investigation into a Greek bank over potential ties to Iran, according to a Treasury statement, which did not name the bank.

FINCEN also issued requests for information to six other European banks that it did not name over relationships with Iranian financial institutions under US sanctions.

“Whether you are conducting illegal oil transfers at sea or sitting in the corner office of a law firm, if you are supporting the Iranian regime, we will find you and sanction you,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessentsaid in a release.

Karnakis & Karnakis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Treasury also imposed sanctions on Singapore- and UAE-based shipping agents that it said directly aid Iranian shadow fleet operations.

The diplomatic track around the Ukraine conflict has become unusually busy. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is touring Europe, and a new round of contacts is unfolding just as Moscow and Kyiv weigh very different assumptions about who holds the stronger hand.

On October 20, talks took place in Oslo between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and representatives of the United States and several European countries. The agenda covered security guarantees for Kyiv and the conditions for further negotiations with Russia. Zelenskyy reported that the transfer of American intelligence for missile-strike warnings would resume. Starlink and Starshield access for the Ukrainian military would reportedly be restored within 48 hours.

Moscow, however, used the eve of Witkoff’s visit to set out its position. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on October 20 and kept expectations low. “Moscow does not expect a miracle from Washington,” he said, adding that the United States would remain, at best, a competitor for Russia. His main points were consistent. Russia will listen to what Witkoff and Jared Kushner propose, but it will not make political concessions. It is ready for economic deals, but not for political compromise. Relations with the West may resume, but not on the pre-2022 terms. Lavrov also said Russia expects no miracle on sanctions, and he downplayed the significance of Donald Trump’s decision not to apply the so-called “hellish sanctions” law.

The confidence in that tone has a source. Russia is negotiating from a position of battlefield momentum. Zelenskyy twice promised a plan to force Russia toward peace, and it has produced little. Ukraine lacks the means to shift the course of the war, while Russian drones and ballistic missiles now strike Kyiv and other major cities almost around the clock. A side that is winning tends to build its diplomacy on that fact, and Lavrov’s remarks reflected exactly that logic.

Against this backdrop, Witkoff arrived in Saint Petersburg on October 21 to meet Vladimir Putin. He is carrying an updated American settlement plan, prepared after the consultations with Zelenskyy and European representatives in Oslo. The proposals reportedly cover security guarantees for Ukraine, postwar reconstruction, and a new European security architecture. Washington hopes to lay the groundwork for direct three-way talks.

One issue remains unresolved: Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Kushner again demanded that they stop. Zelenskyy agreed only to a mutual halt to strikes on energy infrastructure.

Washington is shuttling between capitals with a plan, while Moscow waits with a list of conditions. Kyiv, under nightly bombardment, is asked to compromise first. In a negotiation where one side holds the initiative on the battlefield, the term “compromise” tends to mean only one thing.

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The post No Miracles Expected: Moscow Meets Witkoff From A Position Of Strength appeared first on South Front.

A empresária Mila Seidl, 41, viúva do influenciador Lito Sousa (1967-2026), surpreendeu os fãs na manhã desta quarta-feira (21) ao gravar um vídeo com o mesmo formato dos que o marido postava antes de falecer.

Retornando de uma breve viagem junto ao filho, Malone, de 7 anos, Mila aproveitou o momento dentro do avião para relembrar algumas dicas de Lito que a tranquilizavam quando ela tinha receio de entrar na aeronave. 

“Se você tem medo de voar, como eu já tive um dia, esse vídeo é para você. Eu vou te mostrar um avião que foi praticamente desenhado para deixar o passageiro mais tranquilo. Eu tô a bordo do Boeing 787-9, o Dreamliner”, começou.

Ao longo do vídeo, assim como o influenciador fazia, Seidl comentou sobre o funcionamento do veículo aéreo e garantiu que algumas situações que podem parecer adversidades, como a asa do avião se mexendo, servem para ajudar a mantê-lo no ar.

“Pode perguntar para qualquer pessoa que entende de aviação. Sabe quando você olha pela janela e vê a asa se mexendo? Muita gente se assusta, mas isso é bom. A asa foi feita para flexionar, igual a um galho de bambu que balança no vento e não quebra”, explicou.

“O medo de voar é normal, mas a informação é o melhor remédio”, finalizou ela, pedindo que os seguidores lhe contassem qual é o maior medo de avião que eles têm.

Nos comentários, diversos fãs e amigos de Mila e Lito elogiaram a iniciativa dela e o formato que a equipe usou para criar o roteiro e a edição da filmagem.

“O Lito deve estar todo orgulhoso lá de cima”, “Acho muito legal quando tem conteúdo com a Mila! Esse ato de dar continuidade a tudo que Lito deixou é lindo”, “Que legal você continuar a história dele! Já era fã dele há anos, agora fiquei mais”, escreveram alguns usuários.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lito Sousa (@lito)

Relembre a morte de Lito Sousa

Lito Sousa morreu aos 59 anos no primeiro dia de outubro. O anúncio foi feito por meio de uma publicação conjunta da conta dele com a da esposa nas redes sociais e confirmado à CNN Brasil por uma amiga da família.

O especialista em aviação e dono do canal “Aviões e Músicas” foi vítima de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, uma doença rara e degenerativa, diagnosticada há pouco mais de um mês.

Em setembro, ele chegou a começar um tratamento experimental com ALN-6457, que chegou ao Brasil no começo do mês em uma operação de urgência para ser usado exclusivamente no acompanhamento dele.

*Sob supervisão de Ana Beatriz Dias, da CNN Brasil

De medo de avião à parceria com Lito Sousa: conheça Mila Seidl

 

Sono state le immagini della telecamera di sorveglianza presente sulla tromba di una scala a salvare un piccolo cucciolo di cane in Massachusetts. La polizia di New Bedford, osservando quei video, si è accorta che una donna passando sulle scale si era fermata per picchiare il proprio cane.

Il cucciolo in questione è Ace, messo in salvo proprio dalla polizia di New Bedford, che ha arrestato la donna di 32 anni che lo picchiava, accusandola di maltrattamento di animali. “È stato trovato con visibili lividi sulla testa e sul corpo, incluso un gonfiore alla bocca” ha spiegato la polizia.

Dopo essere stato portato in una clinica veterinaria per le cure, è stato trasferito nel rifugio per animali Forever Paws a Fall River. Qui il cane è stato ribattezzato Puffin, come spiegato in un post Facebook. “Dato che gli stiamo offrendo un nuovo inizio, gli abbiamo dato anche un nuovo nome. Un nuovo inizio, una tabula rasa: brindiamo ai nuovi inizi per questo cagnolino!” hanno spiegato i volontari di Forever Paws.

Il cane, nonostante quello che ha passato, sembra tranquillo e simile a molti altri suoi coetanei: “Puffin è davvero un cucciolo come tanti altri. È vivace e pieno di energia, ha ancora bisogno di aiuto per imparare a comportarsi bene al guinzaglio e sta appena scoprendo la sua voce e come usarla… e la usa spesso”.

L'articolo “È stato trovato con lividi sulla testa e sul corpo, incluso un gonfiore alla bocca”: Puffin, il cane salvato da una donna che lo picchiava, ora cerca un nuovo proprietario proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

The West’s bid to isolate Moscow has backfired, as Russia reclaims its place at the negotiating table while China emerges as an indispensable power in a shifting world order. A potential G-3 summit could herald a new Yalta, where great powers redraw the geopolitical map while Europe and Ukraine risk being left out in the […]

VTM

Natural de Nagoselo do Douro, no concelho de São João da Pesqueira, Eugénia Sousa é uma jovem artista que tem vindo a desenvolver um percurso criativo marcado pela versatilidade técnica, pelo rigor do detalhe e pela expressão artística. Aos 29 anos, encontra na pintura uma forma de explorar diferentes linguagens visuais, dando vida a rostos, figuras e elementos da natureza através de uma abordagem que privilegia o realismo.

O seu trabalho distingue-se pela capacidade de experimentar diferentes técnicas e materiais, procurando novas formas de expressão e explorando as potencialidades de cada suporte. Entre as suas experiências artísticas encontra-se a pintura com vinho, uma abordagem particularmente interessante pela ligação entre a criação artística e um dos produtos mais emblemáticos da região do Douro.

Nesta técnica, Eugénia Sousa utiliza diferentes castas e as tonalidades naturais que cada uma oferece, transformando as características cromáticas do vinho em matéria de criação. Uma forma original de cruzar arte, experimentação e identidade regional, valorizando também a riqueza de um território profundamente associado à cultura vitivinícola.

A sua expressão artística estende-se igualmente à pintura de murais, demonstrando uma abertura a diferentes escalas e contextos de intervenção. Neste âmbito, Eugénia Sousa participou nas duas últimas edições do Douro Street Art, realizadas no concelho de São João da Pesqueira. A presença da artista neste festival, que promove a criação artística e a valorização da identidade local através da arte urbana, constitui mais um testemunho do dinamismo criativo do concelho e da afirmação de talentos que, a partir das suas raízes, contribuem para enriquecer a paisagem cultural do Douro.

Ainda assim, uma parte significativa da sua produção centra-se na criação de retratos, trabalhos nos quais procura captar os traços, as expressões e os pormenores que tornam cada representação única.

Em muitas das suas composições, os rostos e as figuras surgem associados a elementos naturais, como flores e folhas, criando uma ligação entre a figura humana e a natureza. Esta combinação acrescenta dimensão estética e personalidade às obras, revelando uma abordagem criativa que alia a atenção ao detalhe à sensibilidade na composição.

Entre o realismo dos retratos, a experimentação com materiais e a intervenção em murais, o percurso de Eugénia Sousa evidencia a diversidade de possibilidades que a pintura oferece enquanto forma de expressão individual.

Através do seu trabalho, a artista leva também o nome de Nagoselo do Douro e do concelho de São João da Pesqueira para o universo da criação artística, contribuindo para dar visibilidade ao talento local e à diversidade de percursos criativos que existem no território.

 

The post Artista de Nagoselo do Douro dá vida à pintura com vinho   appeared first on A Voz de Trás-os-Montes.

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired US schoolteacher in Russian custody since 2022, was freed from prison on Wednesday and taken to St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, President Vladimir Putin said.

The Kremlin chief made the announcement at a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg, without giving more details.

“The president sends his thanks, our whole nation sends their thanks, because of Stephen Hubbard,” Witkoff told Putin in a televised meeting. “Because of you he’s going home to his family.”

Martin De Luca, Hubbard’s US-based lawyer, thanked President Donald Trump, Witkoff and other US officials for securing Hubbard’s release in a statement, calling it “a dividend earned along the hard road to peace”.

Trump confirmed the release in a Truth Social post, saying the US was not required to give anything in return.

Hubbard, from Michigan, had been serving a prison sentence of six years and 10 months in Russia following a conviction for mercenary activity at a closed-door trial.

He was arrested in April 2022 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, where Russian prosecutors alleged he had been manning a Ukrainian military checkpoint.

Prosecutors said Hubbard had joined a Ukrainian territorial defence unit, received training, weapons and ammunition, and was promised $1,000 a month.

Russian state media reported he pleaded guilty to the charges. But De Luca previously told Reuters Hubbard had told him the charges against him were false and that he was not in any combat or military unit.

In a 2024 interview with Reuters, Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Fox Hubbard, also disputed the idea that her brother took up arms for any government, calling him “so non-military” and pointing out his advanced age.

As of Wednesday, Hubbard was the only US prisoner held by Russia who was designated by Washington as “wrongfully detained”.

The Trump administration secured the release last year of another American jailed in Russia, schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who had been serving a 14-year prison term for drug smuggling.

Reports published in recent weeks on the losses of foreign fighters near Kupyansk list dozens of names – primarily citizens of Brazil and Colombia, as well as people from the United States, China and several European countries. Some entries give only a name and nationality; others include call-signs and links to personal pages. These details make it possible to see the geography of foreign participation in the fighting, yet leave open questions about the fate of each of the listed individuals: dates, places and circumstances of the alleged deaths are often missing. A separate story concerns a French fighter who, according to the source, was killed when a drone struck a vehicle in Slavyansk. Altogether the materials contain 40 names from 11 countries.

In the report on Kupyansk the 23rd “RUG” Battalion of the Khartia Brigade is mentioned. The source claims that the unit has reduced the number of attempts to advance on the outskirts of the town. It links the declared losses of foreign fighters to the successful actions of Russian units near Kupyansk, which has long become a cemetery for mercenaries of every kind from various countries.

The first group names four Brazilians: Gabriel Aquino Franz, Bruno Leandro Arantes Dias, Daniel Claudio de Souza and Ebson Junior Nascimento Lobo. Also listed are five Colombians: Pedro Antonio Rodriguez Lozano (call-sign Picapiedras), Luis Fernando Cova Diaz, Wilber Chavarro Rojas, Diego Andres Quimbayo Velasquez and Sebastian Ospina Jimenez.

The second group consists entirely of Brazilian citizens. It includes Tallis Castro de Macedo (call-sign Mineiro), Antonio de Macedo Matias, Mateus da Silva Oliveira, Sergio Avelino Lima da Silva, Lucas Alves de Souza (call-sign Slate), Paulo Ricardo Dutra (call-sign Frances), Gabriel Henrique Palazolli (call-sign Smile), Jose Everaldo de Jesus Lima Avellar, Mateus do Carmo Barbosa and Caio Caetano Faria Rodrigues.

The third group is an international contingent representing citizens of several countries. Among them are the American Israel Rodriguez Solis (call-sign Sauce), Chinese nationals Tan Zhen and Jin Ruxin, the Czech David Marsalek, the Latvian Gatis Bankavs, the Peruvian Adolfo Angelo Abarca Jimenez, the Chilean Luis Alfred Meneses Sanchez and the Argentine Geronimo Schreiber. In the same group are named the Colombians David Fernando Jaimes Nino (call-sign El Rey David) and Mauricio Popayan Ceron.

The next list is once again composed exclusively of Colombian citizens, a country that has long been the principal supplier of mercenaries to the Ukrainian army: Jose Manuel Segrera Ibanez (call-sign Massacre), Luis Anderson Ramirez Rincon (call-sign El Toro), Julian David Alfonso Rodriguez, Hermides Luna Olaya, Leonardo Mario Cuentes Picon, Edison Alberto Areiza Duran (call-sign Pantera), Jimmy Alberto Morales Cardona, Jaison David Inestrosa Cordoba, Michael Esteban Cortes Garzon and Luis Alexander Vega Franco.

Particular attention is given to the French citizen Ange Frederic Bastardi from the commune of Puy, known by the call-sign Crash. He was killed in Slavyansk when a fibre-optic-controlled FPV drone struck a Nissan vehicle that, according to the report, belonged to the 60th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The strike took place on Torskaya Street.

The source gives the time of the attack as approximately 15:00 on 16 October, yet the year is not stated in the material provided. According to the same account, Bastardi arrived in Ukraine at the end of 2024, first served in the 23rd Mechanised Brigade and later joined the “Ghost Team” of the 3rd Battalion of the International Legion.

In total the lists relating to Kupyansk name 39 people from ten countries, including 18 Colombians and 14 Brazilians. Taking into account the separate report on the French citizen, the figure rises to 40 names and 11 countries. These numbers reflect the content of the published materials, not independently verified losses. Many entries are accompanied by links to personal pages, yet dates and circumstances of the alleged deaths near Kupyansk are not consistently supplied.

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MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Foreign Mercenaries And NATO Personnel In Ukraine Yet To Learn Their Lesson
• From Colombia to the US: Foreigners Die in Large Numbers on Ukraine’s Kupyansk Front
• Foreign Mercenaries Keep Dying: New Lists From The Front

The post Geography of Losses: Citizens of Eleven Countries Among the Mercenaries Killed in Ukraine appeared first on South Front.