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Kushner Holds Talks With Netanyahu On Gaza Peace Plan
Kushner Holds Talks With Netanyahu On Gaza Peace Plan
Why the Mecca Agreement has given the UAE-Israel alliance the jitters
Why the Mecca Agreement has given the UAE-Israel alliance the jitters Intelligence services don’t like surprises, especially those who pride themselves on being able to listen in on any conversation anywhere in the world. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on 7 August, came as a surprise to the Emiratis and Israeli intelligence services. The Emiratis only found out about it two weeks before it was declared and by then it was too late. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had made little secret of his wish to create a Muslim alliance in reaction to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. He had his setbacks, but never lost hope in the project. But Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, played his cards closer to his chest, making moves that each side in the Iran war could interpret as collegiate. After Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed a nuclear deal in Washington last month, the US President Donald Trump appeared to scupper it by demanding retrospectively that Saudi normalise with Israel. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Saudi and US air strikes targeted those Popular Mobilisation Force militias who were commanded by "advisers” from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC ) in southern Iraq. Saudi intelligence had got word that they were about to mount cross border raids into Kuwait, Saudi and other sources in the region said. Saudi jets had also attacked Sanaa in Yemen, as the ceasefire with Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, unravelled as rockets and drones fell on Saudi oil installations. Fundamental changes To the coalition of states who had joined in the US and Israeli attack on Iran, it looked as if an initially sceptical MBS was - at last- coming on their side. Like all Gulf leaders, MBS may have had conflicting advice. But joining the US military campaign on Iran was very far from his thinking. For the simple truth is that while the two core military campaigns against Iran and Gaza have become frozen conflicts, and are set to stay that way for some time to come, fundamental changes are taking place in the region around them. Launching three wars against Iran, Gaza and Lebanon, and failing to win any of them, but being equally unwilling to retreat, has its consequences on the allies which host US bases. Particularly on the Saudi mindset. For that group of Saudi foreign policy analysts, who were educated in the west, to witness two US presidents arming Israel’s genocide, was a rite of passage. They could no longer count themselves in the western camp. And to then see how the US was unable to defend its own airbases in the region, let alone their host country’s strategic assets, was to heap disdain on contempt. Dr Ahmed Altuwaijri, a former member of the Saudi Shura Council, is at pains to say he does not speak for the Saudi foreign ministry. However, he is a good example of the Saudi intelligentsia to which I am referring. "The Mecca Defence Agreement is coming into life at a crucial time. Everyone has lost faith in Trump. This agreement serves the interests of the whole region, not just those three countries. "It is reshaping the region and will continue to do so, with more countries joining in the future from the Arab world and Islamic world, joining such agreements," he told me. For his former regional allies, Trump has been exposed in this conflict by his inability to turn his war aims into reality. Not winning, or being locked into a stalemate, rather than the stupidity of launching a war of regime change, turns out to be Trump’s original sin. Iran's negotiators have understood this and want to prolong the current impasse over the Strait of Hormuz until Trump’s midterm elections, after which they calculate there is a good chance he could lose control of Congress and return to the negotiating table in a weaker position. All three founding members of the agreement have something to gain. Dr Altuwaijri said:"It serves Pakistan in its feud against India. It serves Turkey, who has found its membership of Nato insufficient deterrence against Israel’s overt threats against it. They openly said that after Iran had been dealt with Turkey was next. "And it serves Saudi Arabia, which will benefit not just from the military power of Turkey and Pakistan, but their intelligence and planning." Out of the shadows Israeli diplomatic and military strategists have been saying for some time that they want to build an alliance against a "Sunni" Muslim pact, and their military cooperation with the United Arab Emirates was the core of this. The joint US-Israeli attack on Iran brought that alliance out of the shadows. Many view Saudi Arabia as the beating heart of the Muslim world. Israel and its followers are, in comparison, recent and wholly western arrivals on the security scene of the region It moved from being covert - with visits by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and accompanying military delegation to Abu Dhabi being denied by the hosts - to overt. For them, the Abraham Accords, to which Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ), UAE president, was an enthusiastic signatory, had been tested by fire. Israel deployed its most sensitive and high-tech kit to Abu Dhabi, which at the time was taking a big hit from Iranian missiles and drones. Israel also deployed an Iron Dome battery and troops as well as Iron Beam, a battlefield laser, and Spectro, an electro optical system to detect drones. The deployment of Israel's most advanced defence systems under direct Israeli command to an Arab country was seen at the time as groundbreaking. But it was only just the start of a much bigger regional ambition. Once Israel’s foes had all been crushed, an alliance, extending from India to the Eastern Mediterranean, would place Israel at the crossroads of a highway of oil, gas, finance and high tech trade. America and the west could retreat at last, leaving the military keys to the region in Tel Aviv’s hands. The traditional Arab centres of power like Egypt and Syria were destined under this plan to wane, either hopelessly bankrupt or split into confessional and ethnic cantons of power, which is what Israel still plans for Ahmed Sharaa’s Syria. Both the UAE and Israel had similar interests in stoking civil wars in Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and using breakaway states like Somaliland to set up a spider’s web of forward operating military bases to police their new seaborne empire. The Mecca Defence Agreement is a counterweight to this project, if not its nemesis. Competing alliances Its first effect will be to deepen and accelerate the strategic rivalry between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, its small, but highly active neighbour. This can be measured by monitoring the social media posts of influencers each country deploys. As social media is strictly controlled in each Gulf state and influencers can only post under licence, their posts are an accurate reflection of current official thinking. After the Emiratis were expelled from Yemen in December 2025, Dr Abdul Khalek Abdullah, associate professor in the department of political science at United Arab Emirates University posted: "We do have differences over Yemen 100%, and the difference has gone to a higher level with current escalation. Allies clash… But they mend their differences and build on what they have in common." But by January, his mood had darkened. "The rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE is deeper than what is at play in Yemen." The Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said at the time the future of relations between the two depended on "mutual respect for sovereignty and national security". This period ended with the UAE banning Al Arabiya X accounts and leaving Opec. Last month, there was a brief rapprochement. Turki Al Sheikh, Saudi Royal Court Adviser, posted a photo of Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud and the UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayan in each other’s arms. "Saudi Arabia and the UAE: a story of brotherly relations and a deeply rooted partnership." While Anwar Gargash, former UAE foreign minister, heartedly agreed: "The biggest story in the Gulf is captured in a single photograph." Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, chairman of the UAE National Media Authority, concluded:"Emirati-Saudi relations are an extension of a shared history and deep-rooted fraternal ties between two brotherly peoples, united by a single destiny." But this destiny was not to stay shared for long. Abdul Khalek Abdulla was incandescent at the Mecca Agreement: "If this agreement is not an alliance, then what is the name that befits it? Was it done with the knowledge of the GCC states? Does it strengthen the Gulf Joint Defence Agreement of 2000 which collapsed because of Iranian aggression?" Then he posted in Trump-like capitals: "Gulf cooperation is NOT in its best state - it suffers from neglect by its major states who search for security OUTSIDE the Gulf house. The rush to establish regional political axes and military alliances comes at the expense of Gulf cooperation and weakens it." The kingdom has many allies in the Emirates who are keeping their head down and staying silent, but who are just as critical of the path MBZ is taking them all on, not least his alliance with Netanyahu To which Prince Abdulrahman bin Musaed replied: “What’s the problem, Doctor? Isn’t it the right of any state to make agreements with any country as it sees fit? Isn’t this a sovereign matter for every state? Or does this principle not seem logical to you when it concerns Saudi Arabia?!” Dr Ahmed Al-Sanie, also from Saudi Arabia, posted: "Five years ago, the idea that an Emirati account would attack 'Saudi strategic depth' was like science fiction. The Mecca agreement exposed the bitter truth: we disagreed because Riyadh decided to be the ‘beating heart’ of Gulf decision-making, not merely the 'funding heart' for others’ ambitions." The Saudis now fully expect MBZ to make life as difficult as possible for them in Yemen and Sudan. One analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity said: "The situation will get worse between Saudi and UAE, the UAE will purposefully complicate and sabotage things in Yemen and Sudan, and they will push Egypt to take more serious and public stances against the Saudis." If it got to this level, I am told, the kingdom might be tempted to look at regime change in Abu Dhabi, as this would be the easiest way to stop the local feud. The kingdom has many allies in the Emirates who are keeping their head down and staying silent, but who are just as critical of the path MBZ is taking them all on, not least his alliance with Netanyahu. The Saudis are serious about reclaiming power over their own strategic decisions, which is one reason why they opposed the inclusion of Egypt in the Mecca Agreement. However, last week, Hakan Fidan stated during a brief visit to Egypt that he hoped Egypt will join Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the Mecca Agreement. Fidan assured that he hopes "Egypt will be an official partner and that the quartet will continue its work". Protection and answers The two competing military alliances are being framed in Washington as an alliance of strategic depth, versus an alliance which is nimble and transactional. "At first glance, the UAE-Israel bloc delivers more tangible gains for both parties, but the Mecca pact may ultimately resonate more broadly and less transactionally," Theodore Singer, a former US intelligence officer, told Middle East Eye. But the Mecca Agreement wins hands down when you look at it through the lens of legitimacy, a concept which admittedly is not often summoned in a landscape of absolute rulers and dictators. Many view Saudi Arabia as the beating heart of the Muslim world. Israel and its followers are, in comparison, recent and wholly western arrivals on the security scene of the region. Thanks to America, Israel may have the cutting military edge but it lacks the regional legitimacy to wield it. Furthermore, these wars are not achieving their military aims. Netanyahu and Trump have brought the Gulf to the brink of destruction, and the war has brought traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a stop. "Trump is trapped. If he does a deal with Iran, it will be on Iran’s terms. If he fights on, the domestic opposition before an election will spiral," Dr Altuwaijri said. In both Gaza and southern Lebanon Israel is building major infrastructure works to cement their presence. Withdrawal is not on the cards on either front. Frustrated in its military aims to dismantle Hamas and Hezbollah, but told by Trump to stop, Israel’s response is to dig in. In these circumstances, the Arab world will increasingly look to the Mecca Alliance for protection and for answers. Whether or not they find them, it is the only mechanism powerful enough to create the very thing that has been absent from three years of war - a region that pushes back and which extracts a cost for this sort of wild, madcap adventurism. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
Why the Mecca Agreement has given the UAE-Israel alliance the jitters
Why the Mecca Agreement has given the UAE-Israel alliance the jitters
Russian court jails a Kremlin critic for 11 years for opposing the war in Ukraine
Russian court jails a Kremlin critic for 11 years for opposing the war in Ukraine Russian court jails a Kremlin critic for 11 years for opposing the war in Ukraine Lev Shlosberg senior member of the Yabloko party, stands in the defendant’s box prior to a verdict in the case against him is delivered, in a court in Pskov, Russia, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo) Lev Shlosberg, left, senior member of the Yabloko party, waves standing in the defendant’s box after a verdict in the case against him is delivered, in a court in Pskov, Russia, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, with his wife Zhanna Shlosberg on the right. (AP Photo) Lev Shlosberg, center, senior member of the Yabloko party, is being led out of the court room after a judge convicted him and sentenced him to more than 11 years in prison, in a court in Pskov, Russia, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo) Chairman of the Appellate Board of the Supreme Court judge Vladimir Zaitsev, background center, his deputy Igor Zinchenko, and Judge Denis Tyutin, attend a reading of the court decision on an appeal against its ruling to bar the Yabloko party from the upcoming parliamentary elections, at the Russia’s Supreme Court, in Moscow, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov) Yabloko party leader Nikolai Rybakov carries a box with documents leaving the Russia’s Supreme Court after hearing an appeal on a lawsuit to bar the party from the upcoming parliamentary elections, in Moscow, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov) Yabloko party leader Nikolai Rybakov speaks to his supporters and journalists after hearing an appeal on a lawsuit to bar the party from the upcoming parliamentary elections, at the Russia’s Supreme Court, in Moscow, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov) A Russian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician for speaking out against the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison in the latest crackdown leading up to next month’s parliamentary election. The verdict against Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Yabloko party, was another step by the Kremlin to stifle dissent since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. Yabloko is the only official political party overtly opposing the war. In a separate ruling Monday, Russia’s Supreme Court upheld its earlier decision to bar Yabloko from the ballot in the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary vote, denying an appeal by the party. The moves against Shlosberg and Yabloko highlight the Kremlin’s intolerance toward any criticism of the war, now in its fifth year. It was Shlosberg’s second trial in 2 years Shlosberg, 63, is Yabloko’s deputy chairman and served in the regional legislature of Pskov from 2016-21. He stood trial in the city of Pskov, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of Moscow, on charges of “discrediting” and spreading “false information” about the Russian military. The charges stemmed from a debate in which he called for ending the war and from posting on his Telegram channel a British tabloid front page featuring an image of a bloodied woman next to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the headline: “Her blood ... his hands.” Shlosberg has rejected the charges as unfounded. It was the second trial for Shlosberg in the last two years. He has also been designated a “foreign agent,” a label that carries strong pejorative connotations in Russia and brings additional government scrutiny. He was convicted of violating the foreign agent regulations. In December 2025, he was placed in pretrial detention on the new charges and has been behind bars ever since. He is one of several prominent Yabloko members in recent years to be jailed or designated a “foreign agent” as Kremlin pressure on the party has mounted. Yabloko called the sentence ‘barbaric’ In his final statement to the court Friday, Shlosberg said that for 30 years, Russia has traveled “a path from hopes for freedom to the almost complete destruction of human and civil rights and freedoms.” He said the war in Ukraine has “changed the lives of every Russian citizen without exception,” and predicted that once its true death toll becomes known, “the entire country will shudder.” Yabloko said Shlosberg received a “barbaric sentence” for “love of the Motherland and calls for a ceasefire.” In a statement on Telegram, the party said Shlosberg will appeal. Amnesty International denounced the verdict against Shlosberg. “His arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace,” said Marie Struthers, the group’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director. “The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Lev Shlosberg and quash his conviction,” her statement added. “They must repeal legislation criminalizing peaceful anti-war expression, end the persecution of Yabloko members and supporters, and respect the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and political participation for all Russians.” Supreme Court upholds removing Yabloko from the ballot In Moscow, the Supreme Court upheld its ruling of a week ago to remove Yabloko from the ballot in the election for the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, denying an appeal by the party. The Central Election Commission in July had allowed Yabloko on the ballot along with 10 other parties. Young social media users and many Russian opposition figures in exile have since come out in support of Yabloko, urging voters to back the party, once a leading liberal voice in parliament that later lost its bloc of seats as the Kremlin tightened its grip on politics. In recent years, Yabloko was the only registered opposition party that opposed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its campaign slogans for this year’s election included, “For a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy and peace!” “Our goal is to prevent nuclear war!” and “For a Russia free from fear and political repression!” Several Kremlin parties publicly assailed Yabloko for its anti-war stance after it got a slot on the ballot. The Motherland Party filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court, demanding its removal from the ballot, accusing Yabloko of copyright infringement and exceeding campaign spending limits. The party also viewed Yabloko’s stance on Ukraine as unlawful and tantamount to calling for the violation of Russia’s territorial integrity. Yabloko rejected these accusations, but the Supreme Court sided with the Motherland Party. As the court met Monday on Yabloko’s appeal, the party’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse and Russian media reported that several dozen people were detained. Liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky, who co-founded Yabloko in the 1990s and chairs its political committee, deplored the court’s ruling in an online statement. It marked “a serious, deepening crisis in the Russian political system and a lack of understanding of a desired future,” he said. “People begin to feel this more acutely, regardless of their political views and positions,” he said, adding that Yabloko’s campaign “for peace and freedom” hit this particular “sore point.” Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov told reporters after the ruling that the party will continue its fight by lodging a complaint to the Presidium of the Supreme Court and possibly going to the Constitutional Court. “We achieved the main thing: The whole world knows how many people in Russia want peace, want to live normally and to raise children under a peaceful sky in their country,” Rybakov said. Regarding the prison term handed to Shlosberg, Rybakov said that “our feelings are with Lev and other political prisoners who have fought and are fighting for peace, for people to not die.”
Russia used AI slop to discredit news of Ukraine’s territorial gains (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,635)
Every day, the Ukraine Battlefield update newsletter offers a clear look at how the war is unfolding on the ground. Subscribe for free here to get the full text delivered to your inbox. Russia is trying to cover up problems in Dnipropetrovsk region with AI videos and other tricks. Flamingo missiles struck a factory in Samara where rockets for Russia’s Starlink were being produced. The largest Wildberries warehouse near Moscow burned down. What we know after one week about the Russian incursion towards Orikhiv. Maps of the day — Dnipropetrovsk region; Orikhiv. Videos of the day — the largest Wildberries warehouse burned down; the heroic act of the commander of the 475th Regiment’s company; drones against electronic equipment; damaged drones continue towards their target. The information in this article summarises events from Sunday (16 August). The situation may have changed since then. Russia is trying to cover up problems in Dnipropetrovsk region with AI videos and other tricks. Last week, Ukraine announced that since the start of the year, it had managed to liberate 26 villages and 745 square kilometres of territory at the junction of the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions. This section of the front is generally referred to as the ‘Oleksandrivka direction’. We have regularly written in Ukraine Battlefield update that something was happening in this area, and independent analysts also reported it, but the operation was accompanied by silence from the Ukrainian side. As this has now changed, it most likely means that no major changes can be expected. Still, this is unwelcome news for Russia, as it exposes just how unreliable the information its army provides to the Russian public is. An information war therefore followed, aimed at casting doubt on Ukraine’s gains and persuading audiences that the Kremlin version was correct. Russia deployed various tools in its information operation, including AI videos. Its course and content are sufficiently interesting and instructive to merit a closer look. The first map lists the settlements that the Ukrainian army considers liberated. Each is marked with a yellow pin. In the following days, however, Russia began publishing videos intended to prove that its forces were still present in all of these settlements. Using them, the Russian Telegram channel Rybar created its own map, marking 21 of the 26 allegedly liberated villages. A soldier carrying a Russian flag appeared in each of them. “Media ‘victories’ do not last long. While the enemy was celebrating the ‘clearing’ of Dnipropetrovsk region, the command of the East group of forces presented objective evidence of the stability of the front line in this direction,” Rybar wrote. According to Rybar, it was instead the Ukrainian side that had sent its flag-bearers into the villages in order to create a false impression of Ukrainian successes among the public. “The Ukrainian army command’s loud statements about a ‘successful counteroffensive’ are not supported by any real advance or change in the situation in this sector,” Rybar added, saying that the soldiers in footage purporting to demonstrate a Ukrainian presence had been sent on a “one-way” mission. This is therefore a situation in which Russia accuses Ukraine of doing something that Russia itself does far more often. The source of Rybar’s information is an almost seven-minute compilation of drone footage from another Telegram account, Voin DV — which can only be viewed by those with Telegram. The account said that all the footage had been recorded between 12 and 14 August. Several accounts analysed the Russian images and found that at least some of them were fabrications. The respected analyst Playfra, for example, said that the second segment of the compilation was already misleading. Russia claimed that it showed Voskresensk on 13 August. In reality, the images were from Velyka Mykhailivka and dated from some time before 14 July. Playfra used Sentinel satellite imagery to verify the authenticity of the footage. French analyst Clément Molin calculated that eight of the 20 videos in the compilation were fake — containing an incorrect date or location, or being AI-generated; these are marked in white on the map — while five were also in the grey zone on the current DeepStateUA map. Among other things, he found that footage from Oleksandrohrad was from last year. By contrast, he described the view of a soldier in Ternove as genuine, but wondered why Russia had shown it in this way, thereby revealing his position. It is almost certainly inaccurate to describe all 26 settlements as liberated, as Russia is able to infiltrate some of them with its soldiers. However, its claims are clearly false and far less accurate than Ukrainian claims and independent analyses. Ukrainian military analyst Kostiantyn Mashovets said of the situation in this sector that the Ukrainian army command faced a difficult decision over how to proceed. Very limited forces had been attacking in the Oleksandrivsk direction, and their advance had slowed, while Russia continued its attempts to capture the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration further east. Mykhailo Drapatyi therefore faces a choice between continuing the offensive “with limited forces and resources in the Southern Strategic Operational Zone, with rather questionable prospects”, and focusing “on repelling the Russian offensive in the Eastern Strategic Operational Zone”. Flamingo missiles struck a factory in Samara where rockets for Russia’s Starlink were being produced. The factory is called Progress and is part of the Russian company Roscosmos. Volodymyr Zelensky was among the first to report it in a post on Saturday, indicating the importance Ukraine attached to the event: As the Ukrainian analytical account Oko Hora wrote, the factory is located 930 kms from Ukraine and, among other things, produces Soyuz-2 rockets. One of them launched 16 Rassvet-3 system satellites into space on 23 March. Two Flamingo missiles reached their target. According to several sources, including the Russian Telegram channel Veteran’s Notes, they struck a hall where the final phase of rocket assembly was under way. The same author claimed that two of six Flamingos had managed to reach the factory under the cover of a large-scale Ukrainian drone raid. Veteran’s Notes described the cruise missile, also known as the FP-5, as a “serious challenge” for Russian air defences. This is due to its very low flight altitude and low cost, which enables mass production. Russia estimates its production at 60 to 100 units per month. To reduce the risk posed by the Flamingo, Russia is also attacking sites where it is manufactured. Ukraine itself acknowledged some time ago that one of its factories had been destroyed. According to Veteran’s Notes, Russia targeted another one, directly in Kyiv, in early August. Rassvet-3 is still difficult to compare with the US Starlink in terms of scale, but its aim is to achieve a similar capability — allowing the Russian army to operate over Ukrainian territory in the same way that Ukraine is able to use drones over occupied parts of Ukraine. What we know after one week about the Russian incursion towards Orikhiv. Exactly seven days ago, Ukraine Battlefield update examined reports from the Russian side that its soldiers had infiltrated near the highly important town of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia direction. It was the Russian Telegram channel Rybar that tempered the enthusiasm of its compatriots at the time.
Russia used AI slop to discredit news of Ukraine’s territorial gains (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,635)
Russia used AI slop to discredit news of Ukraine’s territorial gains (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,635)
EU plans most far-reaching sanctions against Russia in coming months, Kallas says
EU plans most far-reaching sanctions against Russia in coming months, Kallas says
Russia jails opposition politician for 11 years over Ukraine war criticism
Russia jails opposition politician for 11 years over Ukraine war criticism
Russian court sentences anti-war politician Shlosberg to 11 years in jail
A Russian court on Monday, August 17, sentenced prominent opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison over his criticism of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. The 63-year-old is among the very few Kremlin opponents who remained in Russia after it launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent following the 2022 Ukraine assault. The court in Pskov, northwestern Russia, found the deputy head of the Yabloko party guilty of "public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," sentencing him to "11 years and 1 month of imprisonment." Shlosberg, when asked by the judge whether he understood the verdict, said: "I feel sorry for you, Your Honor, you have to live with this." Yabloko leaders Nikolay Rybakov and Grigory Yavlinsky called the ruling "the tragedy of the disintegration of modern Russian justice" and said the party would seek an end to Shlosberg's prosecution by all lawful means. Last week, Yabloko, Russia's only anti-war party still functioning in the country, was barred from running in the September legislative elections and is appealing the ruling on Monday. Rights group Amnesty International said Shlosberg's "arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace." Shlosberg has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and was charged over his participation in an online debate on the war as well as for sharing critical articles about it. The longtime Kremlin opponent has denounced Moscow's actions in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine. Russia has criminalised criticism of its offensive in Ukraine, with laws punishing "discrediting" the army and spreading "false information" about it carrying sentences of up to 15 years. Most of President Vladimir Putin's opponents are dead, jailed or exiled.
Ukraine's recently fired defense minister describes the "technological war" with Russia
Ukraine's recently fired defense minister describes the "technological war" with Russia Former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov is breaking down the technological efforts from both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war. CBS News' Aidan Stretch reports.
Ukraine's recently fired defense minister describes the "technological war" with Russia
Ukraine's recently fired defense minister describes the "technological war" with Russia
‘Emirati money buys a lot of conscience’: How UAE-linked recruiters sent Colombians into Sudan’s war
‘Emirati money buys a lot of conscience’: How UAE-linked recruiters sent Colombians into Sudan’s war
‘Emirati money buys a lot of conscience’: How UAE-linked recruiters sent Colombians into Sudan’s war
A UAE-based security company with extensive links to the Emirati state recruited and deployed Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including during the paramilitary group’s capture of El-Fasher where mass atrocities were committed, according to a major investigation by the Financial Times. The investigation provides new details about a sophisticated mercenary pipeline involving Abu Dhabi-based Global Security Services Group (GSSG), military facilities in the UAE and transit hubs across Libya and Somalia. Around 2,000 Colombians are estimated to have travelled to Sudan to support the RSF, with some receiving specialist training in drones and anti-aircraft weapons before deployment. GSSG was founded in 2016 by Ahmed Mohammed Al-Humairi, secretary-general of the UAE Presidential Court. Its website has listed the Presidential Court and the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior among its clients and previously described GSSG as the UAE government’s “only armed private security services provider”. The Colombians were recruited through an opaque network of employment agencies, intermediaries and informal military contacts spanning several countries. However, they were not the only foreign fighters. Mercenaries interviewed by the newspaper described working alongside Ukrainians, Russians, Spaniards and Panamanians. According to The Sentry, “an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict”, GSSG contracted Colombian recruitment company International Services Agency, also known as A4SI, to supply hundreds of former soldiers. The network was linked to retired Colombian colonel Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, who is based in the UAE. The US sanctioned Quijano and other members of the recruitment network in December 2025, accusing him of playing a “central role” in recruiting and deploying former Colombian military personnel to Sudan. Britain subsequently sanctioned figures involved in the operation. The FT investigation reveals how informal and secretive much of the recruitment process was. Former fighters said job offers circulated through WhatsApp messages from friends and former military colleagues, drawing on Colombia’s large pool of veterans experienced in counterinsurgency, urban warfare and specialist weapons. Some recruits apparently knew little about where they were ultimately being sent. The mercenaries were then moved through a network of routes linked to key UAE allies. Fighters described travelling through Kufra in eastern Libya and Bosaso in Somalia’s Puntland region before being flown or driven into areas controlled by the RSF in Darfur. The investigation also uncovered evidence that significant numbers received military training inside the UAE itself. One Colombian fighter told the FT that around 300 specialists were secretly trained in drone and anti-aircraft operations in the UAE between January and October 2025 before being sent to Sudan. Other mercenaries described receiving training at Ghayathi in Abu Dhabi, a military facility previously identified by a UN panel of experts as a site used to train Sudanese recruits. One fighter told the newspaper that GSSG personnel and Emiratis wearing military uniforms provided drone instruction, although he could not identify their units. READ: On the UAE mercenary operations in Africa Phone-tracking analysis examined by the FT further supported the fighters’ accounts. Spanish-language devices were traced from military facilities in the UAE to transit hubs in Somalia and Libya and ultimately to RSF-controlled areas of Darfur. Justin Lynch, head of the Conflict Insights Group, which analysed the data, said: “The digital trail connects Abu Dhabi’s training camp to El Fasher’s mass graves.” The routes described by the fighters also point to a much broader logistics network. Bosaso, where the UAE operates a military base, was described by one Colombian as a hub through which mercenaries were moved towards Sudan and other conflicts across Africa. Another fighter said Quijano was “trusted deeply by the Emiratis”, who supplied him with resources, transport, equipment and logistics. The financial attraction was considerable. Fighters told the FT that ordinary operators received around $2,600 per month, supervisors $2,800 and officers $3,500. When bank payments were delayed for two months, mercenaries were reportedly told that cash had been flown in from the UAE to resolve the dispute. One former fighter summed up the attraction saying: “Emirati money buys a lot of conscience.” The Colombian contingent developed into one of the largest and most organised foreign forces involved in Sudan’s war. Mercenaries described three battalions operating with the RSF, including specialists in drones, artillery and anti-aircraft weapons. The third Colombian battalion fought alongside the RSF during the capture of the city in October 2025, according to fighters interviewed by the FT. Mercenaries provided videos showing Colombians firing weapons alongside RSF forces during the fighting. The fall of El-Fasher followed an 18-month siege that had already subjected civilians to starvation and sustained bombardment. After the RSF captured the city, evidence emerged of mass executions, sexual violence, ethnically targeted killings and other atrocities. The US has determined that the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan. One mercenary described Colombians detaining people approaching the RSF-controlled airport in Nyala and handing them over to local commanders. He said the detainees were tortured so severely that the Colombians at one point intervened because they could no longer tolerate hearing the victim’s cries. The investigation paints a picture of an organised transnational mercenary operation stretching from recruitment networks in Colombia to military facilities in the UAE, logistical hubs in Somalia and Libya and ultimately the battlefields of Darfur. READ: Sudan army claims killing of Ukrainian mercenaries fighting with rebels in Darfur
Ukraine takes aim at Russia's economy and morale by attacking online retailer Wildberries
Ukraine takes aim at Russia's economy and morale by attacking online retailer Wildberries
Blair and Kushner meet with Hamas and Netanyahu over peace for Gaza
Blair and Kushner met with Hamas ahead of crunch talks with Netanyahu aimed at saving 15-point roadmap for peace in Gaza - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Sir Tony Blair and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a surprise meeting with Hamas leaders before crunch talks with Israel's prime minister today to salvage the Gaza peace deal. The former Prime Minister and the US envoy met the terror group in Egypt to discuss disarmament. Israel still controls much of Gaza and refuses to withdraw until Hamas disarms. There has been deadlock since the peace deal agreement struck in October to end the Gaza war and rebuild the territory. On Sunday, Sir Tony – a member of the Board of Peace's executive board set up to rebuild Gaza – was in Cairo with Mr Kushner for a two-hour meeting with Hamas leaders who are classified by the US, UK and others as terrorists. They pushed them to give up weaponry. Then today, the pair met for one hour with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - days after he rejected the 15-point, US-backed roadmap to move the ceasefire deal forward. Jared Kushner (second on left), the US Special Envoy for Peace, met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair attending the inaugural Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace in Washington in February 2026 Hamas senior official Khalil al-Hayya pictured at a news conference in Damascus, Syria, in October 2022 Hamas says it has agreed to the roadmap, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the US-created Board of Peace to 'compel' Israel to sign up to it. But Israel, which under the roadmap must gradually withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal. The new leader of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, emerged as a pivotal figure in the militant group during the Gaza war as Israel assassinated its other leaders. He served as part of a five-member council that ran the group from 2024 after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Al-Sinwar - one of the masterminds of the October 7, 2023, attacks that ignited the Gaza war. Hayya was named Hamas' overall leader in July, having narrowly escaped assassination himself in a 2025 Israeli airstrike in Qatar that killed his son and aides. Sunday's historic Cairo meeting marked Hayya's second meeting with Mr Kushner, having met in October 2025 with US envoy Steve Witkoff helping to clinch a deal that led to a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages. The meetings have marked a departure from Washington's longstanding policy of shunning Hamas. The focus of the meeting was to get Hamas to agree to disarm the terrorist group as part of the next point of the US peace plan When he was Prime Minister, Sir Tony's meetings with the leadership of the IRA eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement after 30 years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. There is a lot at stake in Gaza, including the lives of some two million Palestinians, reconstruction of the war-demolished enclave and future control over it. Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap, saying, 'Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza'. Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators. The foreign ministers' statement called on the Board of Peace and the US to take 'immediate and concrete measures' to keep any party from obstructing the plan's implementation. Israel had no immediate response. Last week, Israel rejected Trump's 15-point plan for peace, which also calls for Israeli troops to withdraw and for Gaza to be rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration. The rejection came after the president's Board of Peace said it had reached an agreement for the 'complete disarmament' of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza last month.
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