He came to D.C. as a Brazilian student. The U.S. says he was a Russian spy.
THE HAGUE — Like anyone who gets into his dream college, Victor Muller Ferreira was ecstatic when he was admitted to Johns Hopkins University’s graduate school in Washington in 2018.
“Today we made the future — we managed to get in one of the top schools in the world,” he wrote in an email to those who had helped him gain entry to the elite master’s program in international relations. “This is the victory that belongs to all of us man — to the entire team. Today we f---ing drink!!!”
The achievement was even sweeter for Ferreira because he was not the striving student from Brazil he had portrayed on his Johns Hopkins application, but a Russian intelligence operative originally from Kaliningrad, according to a series of international investigations as well as an indictment the Justice Department filed in federal court.
Read the full story here.
THE HAGUE — Like anyone who gets into his dream college, Victor Muller Ferreira was ecstatic when he was admitted to Johns Hopkins University’s graduate school in Washington in 2018.
“Today we made the future — we managed to get in one of the top schools in the world,” he wrote in an email to those who had helped him gain entry to the elite master’s program in international relations. “This is the victory that belongs to all of us man — to the entire team. Today we f---ing drink!!!”
The achievement was even sweeter for Ferreira because he was not the striving student from Brazil he had portrayed on his Johns Hopkins application, but a Russian intelligence operative originally from Kaliningrad, according to a series of international investigations as well as an indictment the Justice Department filed in federal court.
Read the full story here.
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Mark Hamill, as Luke Skywalker, voices air raid alerts in Ukraine
Mark Hamill, best known as Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies, has lent his famous voice to a popular Ukrainian air raid alert app, joining a growing list of celebrities to support the embattled nation.
“Attention. Air raid alert,” Hamill’s voice booms when the country’s defense system detects a threat of aerial strikes by Russia. “Proceed to the nearest shelter.”
To those who might not heed the warning immediately, Hamill goes on: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness,” a nod to a Skywalker line from “Return of the Jedi.”
Once the danger has passed, Hamill returns to announce the alert is over, adding: “May the force be with you.”
The app is available for users on Apple and Android devices.
Read the full story here.
Mark Hamill, best known as Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies, has lent his famous voice to a popular Ukrainian air raid alert app, joining a growing list of celebrities to support the embattled nation.
“Attention. Air raid alert,” Hamill’s voice booms when the country’s defense system detects a threat of aerial strikes by Russia. “Proceed to the nearest shelter.”
To those who might not heed the warning immediately, Hamill goes on: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness,” a nod to a Skywalker line from “Return of the Jedi.”
Once the danger has passed, Hamill returns to announce the alert is over, adding: “May the force be with you.”
The app is available for users on Apple and Android devices.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The chief of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog arrived at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine on Wednesday, the country’s atomic energy firm said.
- Zelensky said Ukrainian forces must hang on to the front-line city of Bakhmut.
- A Russian official said Moscow will no longer notify the United States when it conducts missile tests, after Russia last month suspended its participation in the nuclear arms control accord New START.
- Zelensky said the fighting in Ukraine could be over sooner “if the world is faster, if the world is more determined,” in an apparent appeal for accelerated support from the West.
- Sweden will summon Moscow’s ambassador after the Russian Embassy appeared to threaten its government with “retaliatory measures” for joining NATO.
More live updates here.
- The chief of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog arrived at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine on Wednesday, the country’s atomic energy firm said.
- Zelensky said Ukrainian forces must hang on to the front-line city of Bakhmut.
- A Russian official said Moscow will no longer notify the United States when it conducts missile tests, after Russia last month suspended its participation in the nuclear arms control accord New START.
- Zelensky said the fighting in Ukraine could be over sooner “if the world is faster, if the world is more determined,” in an apparent appeal for accelerated support from the West.
- Sweden will summon Moscow’s ambassador after the Russian Embassy appeared to threaten its government with “retaliatory measures” for joining NATO.
More live updates here.
Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia by security service
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, said Thursday that it had detained a Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen assigned to the newspaper’s Moscow bureau, and had opened an “espionage” case against him.
Gershkovich was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals, the FSB said in a statement.
Earlier, independent Russian journalist Dmitry Kolezev had reported the arrest, citing two sources in Yekaterinburg.
Gershkovich was detained Wednesday according to local media. He was being taken to Moscow for a court hearing and the case was being handled by the FSB’s central office, the Kommersant newspaper reported.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, said Thursday that it had detained a Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen assigned to the newspaper’s Moscow bureau, and had opened an “espionage” case against him.
Gershkovich was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals, the FSB said in a statement.
Earlier, independent Russian journalist Dmitry Kolezev had reported the arrest, citing two sources in Yekaterinburg.
Gershkovich was detained Wednesday according to local media. He was being taken to Moscow for a court hearing and the case was being handled by the FSB’s central office, the Kommersant newspaper reported.
Read the full story here.
Kyiv doctor killed in Russian airstrike shows war’s fallout far from front
KYIV, Ukraine — Oksana Leontieva was late for work. The 36-year-old doctor was due at Ukraine’s top children’s hospital, where she treated patients with cancer and other serious diseases. But first she had to get her son to kindergarten.
An air raid siren was blaring across Kyiv, which meant, according to school rules, that Oksana, a widow and single mom, could not drop him off. It was Oct. 10. The alerts had been sounding for months, but there had been no strikes in the Ukrainian capital since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion. Most people went on with their lives. “I may be late for the morning meeting,” Oksana texted her colleagues at 7:25 a.m. “Issues with accepting kids.”
Finally, the school staff relented. Oksana told Hrysha, a blond, dark-eyed boy, goodbye. She put the car in gear and pulled out.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Oksana Leontieva was late for work. The 36-year-old doctor was due at Ukraine’s top children’s hospital, where she treated patients with cancer and other serious diseases. But first she had to get her son to kindergarten.
An air raid siren was blaring across Kyiv, which meant, according to school rules, that Oksana, a widow and single mom, could not drop him off. It was Oct. 10. The alerts had been sounding for months, but there had been no strikes in the Ukrainian capital since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion. Most people went on with their lives. “I may be late for the morning meeting,” Oksana texted her colleagues at 7:25 a.m. “Issues with accepting kids.”
Finally, the school staff relented. Oksana told Hrysha, a blond, dark-eyed boy, goodbye. She put the car in gear and pulled out.
Read the full story here.
King Charles III applauds German and British unity in defending Ukraine
BERLIN — King Charles III addressed the German people from its parliament on Thursday and lauded the cooperation between their two countries in helping Ukraine confront the Russian invasion.
The monarch’s first royal visit comes as Britain seeks to turn a page from the fraught Brexit years and rebuild ties with its European neighbors and he spoke fervently, both in English and German, of his history with the country as well as the many visits made by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II — mostly notably in 1965.
“My parents’ 11-day tour proved to be a pivotal moment in reconciliation between our nations. My mother knew what a huge reconciliation this meant,” he said, referring to how the two countries became close allies in the wake of World War II.
Read the full story here.
BERLIN — King Charles III addressed the German people from its parliament on Thursday and lauded the cooperation between their two countries in helping Ukraine confront the Russian invasion.
The monarch’s first royal visit comes as Britain seeks to turn a page from the fraught Brexit years and rebuild ties with its European neighbors and he spoke fervently, both in English and German, of his history with the country as well as the many visits made by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II — mostly notably in 1965.
“My parents’ 11-day tour proved to be a pivotal moment in reconciliation between our nations. My mother knew what a huge reconciliation this meant,” he said, referring to how the two countries became close allies in the wake of World War II.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian security agents detained Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen covering Russia and Ukraine, in the city of Yekaterinburg, the Federal Security Service said.
- There has been a “significant increase in the number of troops” in Zaporizhzhia and “open talk about offensives and counteroffensives” involving Ukrainian and Russian forces, IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said during a visit Wednesday to the nuclear plant.
- The situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant will “only become less dangerous” once the facility is returned to Ukraine, Ivan Samoyduk, the deputy mayor of Enerhodar, the city where the nuclear facility is located, told The Post.
- Turkey’s parliament is expected to ratify Finland’s NATO bid on Thursday, paving the way for the Nordic country to join the alliance — but without its ally and fellow membership hopeful Sweden.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to discuss the war.
More live updates here.
- Russian security agents detained Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen covering Russia and Ukraine, in the city of Yekaterinburg, the Federal Security Service said.
- There has been a “significant increase in the number of troops” in Zaporizhzhia and “open talk about offensives and counteroffensives” involving Ukrainian and Russian forces, IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said during a visit Wednesday to the nuclear plant.
- The situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant will “only become less dangerous” once the facility is returned to Ukraine, Ivan Samoyduk, the deputy mayor of Enerhodar, the city where the nuclear facility is located, told The Post.
- Turkey’s parliament is expected to ratify Finland’s NATO bid on Thursday, paving the way for the Nordic country to join the alliance — but without its ally and fellow membership hopeful Sweden.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to discuss the war.
More live updates here.
Turkey approves Finland’s NATO bid, clearing path for it to join alliance
BRUSSELS — Turkey’s parliament has voted to approve Finland’s NATO membership bid, paving the way for the Nordic country to join the security alliance.
The decision only applies to Finland, not Sweden, its neighbor and fellow membership hopeful. Both countries applied on the same day last year, having made the decision to join the alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Thursday’s vote was the last hurdle in Finland’s quest to join NATO. Its eventual accession would remake European security, doubling NATO’s land border with Russia and bringing the full force of the alliance to Europe’s far north.
Turkey was the last holdout among NATO member countries, who need to approve new members unanimously. Once it notifies the U.S. that it has approved Finland’s bid, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the alliance, will formally invite Finland to accede to the Washington Treaty, according to NATO.
Read the full story here.
BRUSSELS — Turkey’s parliament has voted to approve Finland’s NATO membership bid, paving the way for the Nordic country to join the security alliance.
The decision only applies to Finland, not Sweden, its neighbor and fellow membership hopeful. Both countries applied on the same day last year, having made the decision to join the alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Thursday’s vote was the last hurdle in Finland’s quest to join NATO. Its eventual accession would remake European security, doubling NATO’s land border with Russia and bringing the full force of the alliance to Europe’s far north.
Turkey was the last holdout among NATO member countries, who need to approve new members unanimously. Once it notifies the U.S. that it has approved Finland’s bid, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the alliance, will formally invite Finland to accede to the Washington Treaty, according to NATO.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Gershkovich was arrested on Wednesday in the city of Yekaterinburg and faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted in Russia’s politicized justice system.
- Russia is scheduled to take on the presidency of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday, a role that rotates between member states monthly.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to deploy newly conscripted soldiers to Ukraine “due to concerns about the stability of his regime,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in a report Thursday, citing local Russian media.
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry clarified Thursday that Moscow will continue alerting Washington of any ballistic missile launches.
Read here for more updates
- Gershkovich was arrested on Wednesday in the city of Yekaterinburg and faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted in Russia’s politicized justice system.
- Russia is scheduled to take on the presidency of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday, a role that rotates between member states monthly.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to deploy newly conscripted soldiers to Ukraine “due to concerns about the stability of his regime,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in a report Thursday, citing local Russian media.
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry clarified Thursday that Moscow will continue alerting Washington of any ballistic missile launches.
Read here for more updates
Russia says notifications of ballistic missile launches will continue
The Russian Foreign Ministry clarified Thursday that Moscow will continue to notify Washington of any ballistic missile launches, despite a statement Wednesday that “all forms of notifications” were terminated as a result of President Vladimir Putin suspending the New START nuclear nonproliferation agreement.
In February, during a speech marking the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin announced that he was “suspending” participation in New START, which is the last remaining arms control agreement between the United States and Russia.
But since then, the Russian Foreign Ministry has issued several seemingly contradictory statements.
On the same day as Putin’s speech, the ministry issued a statement saying that Russia would voluntarily adhere to some core components of New START, including its limits on the total number of certain types of nuclear weapons.
Read the full story here.
The Russian Foreign Ministry clarified Thursday that Moscow will continue to notify Washington of any ballistic missile launches, despite a statement Wednesday that “all forms of notifications” were terminated as a result of President Vladimir Putin suspending the New START nuclear nonproliferation agreement.
In February, during a speech marking the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin announced that he was “suspending” participation in New START, which is the last remaining arms control agreement between the United States and Russia.
But since then, the Russian Foreign Ministry has issued several seemingly contradictory statements.
On the same day as Putin’s speech, the ministry issued a statement saying that Russia would voluntarily adhere to some core components of New START, including its limits on the total number of certain types of nuclear weapons.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board called on the Biden administration to expel Russia’s ambassador in Washington and Russian journalists in the United States after Moscow detained Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
- In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the anniversary of the recapture of Bucha, the town in the Kyiv suburbs where Russian forces are alleged to have committed atrocities against civilians before retreating.
- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Finland would formally join the alliance “in the coming days,” describing the Nordic nation’s accession as a “historic occasion.”
- Russia on Saturday is to assume the U.N. Security Council presidency, a role that rotates among member states monthly.
More live updates here.
- The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board called on the Biden administration to expel Russia’s ambassador in Washington and Russian journalists in the United States after Moscow detained Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
- In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the anniversary of the recapture of Bucha, the town in the Kyiv suburbs where Russian forces are alleged to have committed atrocities against civilians before retreating.
- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Finland would formally join the alliance “in the coming days,” describing the Nordic nation’s accession as a “historic occasion.”
- Russia on Saturday is to assume the U.N. Security Council presidency, a role that rotates among member states monthly.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Wall Street Journal accused Russia of taking a U.S. citizen hostage on “phony espionage charges.” Gershkovich is the first U.S. journalist arrested in Russia on spying allegations since the Cold War and his detainment has drawn condemnation from governments and organizations around the world.
- Finland will formally join NATO “in the coming days,” the alliance’s head Jens Stoltenberg said, finalizing what he described as “the fastest ratification process in NATO’s modern history.”
- The International Monetary Fund approved a $15.6 billion economic program for Ukraine, allowing around $2.7 billion to be immediately disbursed to Kyiv, the organization announced Friday.
Read more updates here
- The Wall Street Journal accused Russia of taking a U.S. citizen hostage on “phony espionage charges.” Gershkovich is the first U.S. journalist arrested in Russia on spying allegations since the Cold War and his detainment has drawn condemnation from governments and organizations around the world.
- Finland will formally join NATO “in the coming days,” the alliance’s head Jens Stoltenberg said, finalizing what he described as “the fastest ratification process in NATO’s modern history.”
- The International Monetary Fund approved a $15.6 billion economic program for Ukraine, allowing around $2.7 billion to be immediately disbursed to Kyiv, the organization announced Friday.
Read more updates here
Wimbledon reverses ban on Russian and Belarusian players
Wimbledon will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete at this year’s tournament, organizers announced Friday, after they were banned from the 2022 event because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian players will compete at the Grand Slam tennis event under a neutral flag, and they will not be allowed to express support for the invasion. Any player who receives funding from the Russian or Belarusian governments, including sponsorships from state-controlled companies, will not be allowed to play.
All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a statement that while Wimbledon continues “to condemn totally Russia’s illegal invasion” and “our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine,” allowing Russian and Belarusian players to compete made the most sense, in part because they are allowed to play as neutral athletes in tennis’s other Grand Slam events.
Read the full story here.
Wimbledon will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete at this year’s tournament, organizers announced Friday, after they were banned from the 2022 event because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian players will compete at the Grand Slam tennis event under a neutral flag, and they will not be allowed to express support for the invasion. Any player who receives funding from the Russian or Belarusian governments, including sponsorships from state-controlled companies, will not be allowed to play.
All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a statement that while Wimbledon continues “to condemn totally Russia’s illegal invasion” and “our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine,” allowing Russian and Belarusian players to compete made the most sense, in part because they are allowed to play as neutral athletes in tennis’s other Grand Slam events.
Read the full story here.
Analysis | Russia’s covert operations have a major weakness: Hubris
The tale of Brazilian student Victor Muller Ferreira — or rather, alleged Russian agent Sergey Cherkasov — is a remarkable modern story of spycraft. But if this tale details the strengths of Russian covert operations, it also reveals their weaknesses.
As detailed earlier this week, Cherkasov is alleged to have spent almost a decade building a fictitious persona for Ferreira. He appears to have used fraudulent documents including a birth certificate and a driver’s license to create an identity in Brazil, taking advantage of lax record-keeping in the country and perhaps exploiting inside help.
Cherkasov was ultimately exposed. Last year, he was turned away by Dutch authorities who had been alerted to his real history as an agent of Russia’s military intelligence wing, the GRU, by the FBI, according to The Post’s reporting. He was returned to Brazil, where he is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence.
Read the full analysis here.
The tale of Brazilian student Victor Muller Ferreira — or rather, alleged Russian agent Sergey Cherkasov — is a remarkable modern story of spycraft. But if this tale details the strengths of Russian covert operations, it also reveals their weaknesses.
As detailed earlier this week, Cherkasov is alleged to have spent almost a decade building a fictitious persona for Ferreira. He appears to have used fraudulent documents including a birth certificate and a driver’s license to create an identity in Brazil, taking advantage of lax record-keeping in the country and perhaps exploiting inside help.
Cherkasov was ultimately exposed. Last year, he was turned away by Dutch authorities who had been alerted to his real history as an agent of Russia’s military intelligence wing, the GRU, by the FBI, according to The Post’s reporting. He was returned to Brazil, where he is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence.
Read the full analysis here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s turn as the head of the U.N. Security Council shows the “complete bankruptcy of such institutions,” Zelensky said Saturday in his evening address. He said reform to the council was “clearly overdue” and added that “terrorists must lose, must be held accountable for terror, and not preside anywhere.”
- The U.S. government is moving quickly to designate Gershkovich as “unlawfully detained,” the Journal’s editor in chief, Emma Tucker, said in an interview Saturday on CNN with Anderson Cooper.
- Russia failed to meet its objective of seizing the Luhansk and Donetsk regions by the end of March, the Institute for the Study of War noted.
- Civilians were killed and wounded in the Donetsk region by missile strikes, the Ukrainian military said in an update Sunday local time.
Read here for more updates
- Russia’s turn as the head of the U.N. Security Council shows the “complete bankruptcy of such institutions,” Zelensky said Saturday in his evening address. He said reform to the council was “clearly overdue” and added that “terrorists must lose, must be held accountable for terror, and not preside anywhere.”
- The U.S. government is moving quickly to designate Gershkovich as “unlawfully detained,” the Journal’s editor in chief, Emma Tucker, said in an interview Saturday on CNN with Anderson Cooper.
- Russia failed to meet its objective of seizing the Luhansk and Donetsk regions by the end of March, the Institute for the Study of War noted.
- Civilians were killed and wounded in the Donetsk region by missile strikes, the Ukrainian military said in an update Sunday local time.
Read here for more updates
The Vulkan Files: Secret trove offers rare look into Russian cyberwar ambitions
Russian intelligence agencies worked with a Moscow-based defense contractor to strengthen their ability to launch cyberattacks, sow disinformation and surveil sections of the internet, according to thousands of pages of confidential corporate documents.
The documents detail a suite of computer programs and databases that would allow Russia’s intelligence agencies and hacking groups to better find vulnerabilities, coordinate attacks and control online activity. The documents suggest the firm was supporting operations including both social media disinformation and training to remotely disrupt real-world targets.
An anonymous person provided the documents from the contractor, NTC Vulkan, to a German reporter after expressing outrage about Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The leak demonstrates another unintended consequence of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to take his country to war.
Read the full story here.
Russian intelligence agencies worked with a Moscow-based defense contractor to strengthen their ability to launch cyberattacks, sow disinformation and surveil sections of the internet, according to thousands of pages of confidential corporate documents.
The documents detail a suite of computer programs and databases that would allow Russia’s intelligence agencies and hacking groups to better find vulnerabilities, coordinate attacks and control online activity. The documents suggest the firm was supporting operations including both social media disinformation and training to remotely disrupt real-world targets.
An anonymous person provided the documents from the contractor, NTC Vulkan, to a German reporter after expressing outrage about Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The leak demonstrates another unintended consequence of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to take his country to war.
Read the full story here.