Russia: Tricked into Becoming Mercenaries; Disinformation Ring and Assassination Plot; Dissent Silenced; NATO Summit with 4 Non-Members

Indians Tricked into Becoming Mercenaries: The Russian Federation is reportedly sending back dozens of Indians who had gone to Russia on the promise of jobs and were tricked into becoming mercenaries fighting in support of Russian aggression against Ukraine. India is prosecuting a ring that was trafficking Indians to Russia. I had posted recently of the policies of Nepal and Kyrgyzstan to ban or prosecute their citizens for volunteering for Russia. Disinformation Ring and Assassination Plot Disrupted: The United States disrupted another Russian disinformation network last week in which they posed as Americans to influence public opinion in favor of Russia and against Ukraine. American intelligence agencies reportedly have identified another Russian effort to back Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, as they did in 2016 and 2020, and to oppose candidates who support defending Ukraine against Russian aggression. The U.S. and Germany last week foiled an assassination plot against an arms industry owner who has been supplying arms to Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression. The disinformation campaign and assassination plot are part of an increased Russian hybrid war that includes sabotage, cyberattacks, and other means. Dissent Silenced: Oleg Orlov, a Russian who co-founded a human rights organization and who is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term last week for criticizing the Russian aggression against Ukraine and of the erosion of liberty under Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin. During his statement at trial that was broadcast on television and attended by other dissidents and foreign embassy representatives, the audio feed was cut off immediately after he cited “repression” across Russia. Russia criminalized criticism of its war and has arrested thousands of peaceful protestors. NATO Summit with 4 Non-Members: At the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last week, which is led by the U.S., a joint statement was issued with four non-member States in attendance: Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. The statement declared Communist China an "enabler” of Russian aggression, expressed concern for the increased ties between Communist North Korea and Russia, and reported that the four had launched cooperative programs on Ukraine, cybersecurity, disinformation and artificial intelligence. In addition, New Zealand signed a partnership agreement with NATO and the U.S. and South Korea signed significant military agreements.