Corruption is Everywhere > Certainly in Ukraine; but also in Scotland!?

 

Ukraine's ex-energy minister detained while trying to leave the country

By Darryl Coote

   

German Galushchenko, Ukraine's former energy minister, pictured here in Britain in April 2025, was detained Sunday while attempting to leave Ukraine. Photo by Chris J. Ratcliffe/EPA

Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A Ukrainian anti-corruption law enforcement initiative on Monday announced it has detained former Energy Minister German Galushchenko as he was attempting to leave the country, authorities said.

Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau said in a statement that does not mention Galushchenko by name that the suspect, identified as the former minister of energy who was in office from 2021 to 2025, was detained Sunday.

The arrest comes as part of Ukraine's Operation Midas investigation into an alleged large-scale bribery scheme within the European country's energy sector.

Investigators with NABU announced that they uncovered the scheme in November, alleging a criminal organization comprised of current and former government officials, as well as businessmen, sought to influence strategic state-owned enterprises, particularly Energoatom, to obtain unlawful benefits and launder money.

The scheme participants allegedly received kickbacks from contractors with Energoatom to avoid having payments for their services or products blocked or losing their supplier status, according to the investigators. The kickbacks were valued at between 10% and 15% of the contract's value, they said.

Five people were initially arrested and allegations were made against a total of seven people. Amid the fallout, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Galushchenko resign, which he did.

The investigators on Monday alleged that the criminal organization received more than $112 million in cash from illegal activity in the energy sector during Galushchenko's tenure as energy minister. The transactions were allegedly conducted through a third person Galushchenko trusted, referred to as "Rocket."

About $7.4 million of the money was transferred to accounts allegedly controlled by Galushchenko's family, with a further $1.7 million worth of Swiss francs and $2.8 million in euros were paid out in cash and transferred directly to the family in Switzerland.

NABU said part of the funds were allegedly spent on his children's education at prestigious institutions in Switzerland and were placed in the account of his former wife, while the rest was placed in a deposit from which Galushchenko's family received additional income and spent it on their needs.

Corruption has long plagued Ukraine, and Zelensky has sought to eradicate it as part of his push for the country to gain European Union status.

Ex-Scottish NP leader Peter Murrell faces $626K embezzlement charge

By Mike Heuer

   

Former Scottish National Party CEO Peter Murrell (L) is accused of stealing more than $626,000 from the party and will appear in Edinburgh High Court in May, but his ex-wife, Nicola Sturgeon (R) is not accused of any wrongdoing. File Photo by Robert Perry/EPA

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Peter Murrell, the former CEO of the Scottish National Party, has been accused of embezzling more than $626,000 over a 12-year period, an indictment made public Friday indicates.

Murrell, 61, is expected to appear in a preliminary hearing at Glasgow's High Court in Edinburgh on May 25. He is accused of embezzling the funds from the political party's accounts Aug. 12, 2010, through Jan. 13, 2023.

He initially had a preliminary hearing scheduled on Feb. 20 in Glasgow, but the court and date were changed.

A police investigation dubbed Operation Branchform led to Murrell's arrest in 2023, and he was charged in April 2024.

Prosecutors allege that Murrell used the funds to buy a motorhome, two vehicles, jewelry, luxury items and cosmetics, as initially reported by The Scottish Sun.

He faces eight charges that accuse him of embezzlement and falsifying documents to hide the alleged theft.

Police say the largest expenditure was $169,911 on the motorhome for his personal use. He allegedly created false documents that indicated the purchase was for the political party.

He also is accused of using party funds to buy a Jaguar I-PACE car in 2019, for which prosecutors say he submitted a false invoice to hide the purchase.

Investigators said Murrell sold the vehicle in 2021 and deposited the proceeds into his personal bank account.

Murrell's ex-wife, Nicola Sturgeon, is not accused of any wrongdoing. The former first minister and SNP party leader announced their divorce on Jan. 13, 2025, ending their 15-year marriage.

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The Islamization of Europe > 17 migrants found in truck in Holland; 17 y/o boy points knife at cops in NL; 3 Muslims arrested for planning terror attack in UK; Terrorism charges filled in Vienna

 

Six kids, 11 adults found stowed away in refrigerated truck in Hoek van Holland

Koninklijke Marechaussee officers found 17 people stowed away in a refrigerated truck in Hoek van Holland on Saturday. Six of the people found were children. The truck was on the ferry about to depart for the United Kingdom. Two suspects were arrested on suspicion of people smuggling, the Marechaussee reported on Monday.

The Marechaussee, a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military and is responsible for border security, found the stowaways during a regular exit check for the ferry to the United Kingdom.

The trailer’s refrigeration system was turned on, so medical assistance was called in. Several ambulances responded to the scene, but it proved unnecessary. All 17 people were unharmed.

The group consisted of 14 people with Turkish nationality, two people from Kuwait, and one from Iran.

The Marechaussee arrested the truck driver, a 50-year-old man from Turkey. After further investigation, they also arrested a 31-year-old man from the group found inside the trailer.

The investigation is ongoing. 

Teen arrested after threatening police officer with knife in Heerle

A 17-year-old boy was arrested Saturday night in Heerle after threatening a police officer with a knife during a chase, Omroep Brabant reported.

Police received a call at about 11 p.m. reporting a man with a knife in the Meidoornstraat in the village of Heerle, in Noord-Brabant. When officers arrived, they saw a boy who matched the description provided in the report.

According to police, the suspect ran when he saw the patrol car. One officer got out of the vehicle and chased him on foot. The pursuit continued into the Esdoornstraat.

As the officer approached, the suspect turned around and pointed a knife at the officer, police said. The officer then used pepper spray, after which the boy dropped the knife. No injuries were reported, and the officer filed an official complaint.

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3 British men sentenced for planning terror attack on Jewish community

By Mike Heuer

   

A British court sentenced Walid Saadaoui (L), Amar Hussain (top-R) and Bilel Saadaoui on Friday for a terror plot targeting Jewish people. Photo courtesy Greater Manchester Police

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Three British men will serve a combined 69 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack on the Jewish community in Greater Manchester, a court ruled Friday.

The Preston Crown Court ordered Walid Saadaoui, 38, of Abram, to serve at least 37 years in prison, while Amar Hussain, 52, will serve at least 26 years. No hometown was listed for Hussain, according to the Greater Manchester Police.

Also sentenced was Bilel Saadaoui, 37, of Hindley, who will serve a six-year sentence, plus another year of community service. He is Walid Saadaoui's younger brother.

"Today's sentencing brings a conclusion to one of the most significant terrorist plot disruptions we have seen in the U.K. for several years," said Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who oversees counterterrorism policing in the northwest.

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"Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein intended to target members of the Jewish community in an evil act born out of hate and intolerance," he continued.

"If they had been successful, then what followed would have been devastating and potentially one of the deadliest terrorist attacks to ever take place on U.K. soil."

"Walid was the ringleader," Potts added. "He was the driving force behind the plot, and he recruited Hussein to join him."

Walid Saadaoui and Hussein were convicted in December for plotting the terrorist attack in violation of the Terrorism Act of 2006, while Bilel Saadaoui was convicted of failing to disclose information about an act of terrorism.

Prosecutors said Walid Saadaoui in late 2023 established contact online with someone he thought shared his views and frequently exchanged messages in which he discussed carrying out a "significant terrorist attack targeting Jewish people," the police said.

The contact was an undercover operative going by the name "Farouk" in court documents.

Walid Saadaoui introduced Farouk to Hussein, and the pair thought Farouk could supply them with automatic firearms from an overseas source to enable them to carry out their planned attack.

The two would-be terrorists conducted reconnaissance in Upper Broughton in Salford and the Port of Dover, which is the port of entry through which they thought the automatic weapons would be delivered.

Evidence gathered showed Walid Saadaoui discussed the plan with his brother, Bilel Saadaoui, which the elder brother initially denied but later admitted to during cross-examination in court.

Austria files terrorism charges in plot to attack Taylor Swift show

By Staff  The Associated Press

Posted February 16, 2026 1:08 pm

 1 min read

Austrian public prosecutors filed terrorism-related charges Monday against a 21-year-old defendant who they say planned to carry out an attack on one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna in August 2024.

Vienna public prosecutors said in a statement that the unnamed defendant had declared allegiance to the Islamic State group by sharing propaganda material and videos via various messaging services.

Vienna prosecutors also accuse the defendant of having “obtained instructions on the internet for the construction of a shrapnel bomb based on the explosive triacetone triperoxide” typically used by IS, and of having produced a small amount of the explosive.

Prosecutors also say that the defendant had made “several attempts” to buy weapons illegally outside the country and to bring them to Austria.

4:43

2 teens arrested in terror plot wanted to ‘kill large crowd’ at Taylor Swift concert in Austria

Vienna public prosecutors plan to proceed with a criminal case against the unnamed suspect in Wiener Neustadt, a town near the Austrian capital.

The spokesperson for the Vienna public prosecutors office confirmed to The Associated Press that the defendant is in custody. Austrian media identified the suspect as Beran A. and said he was arrested in August 2024.

Austrian authorities cancelled three planned Taylor Swift shows in Vienna in August 2024 after they said they foiled an apparent plot to target the performances.

The U.S. provided intelligence that fed into the decision to cancel the concerts.

“The United States has an enduring focus on our counterterrorism mission. We work closely with partners all over the world to monitor and disrupt threats. And so as part of that work, the United States did share information with Austrian partners to enable the disruption of a threat to Taylor Swift’s concerts there in Vienna,” then-White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in August 2024.

Military Madness > The War Party takes Munich's Security Conference; Rubio baffled by Western war cheerleaders

 

Is it madness or stupidity? Or are the two indistinguishable in Europe?

The war party takes Munich

The Munich Security Conference again became a rally, not a forum

By Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of the Federation Council

The 62nd Munich Security Conference, February 13, 2026, Munich, Germany ©  Kay Nietfeld-Pool / Getty Images

This year’s Munich Security Conference was not merely disappointing; it was pointless. It produced no new ideas and no added value. Instead, it resembled a rally of a self-styled “coalition of the willing” for war. That, unfortunately, is consistent with Germany’s long tradition of failing to draw the right lessons from history.

Western European leaders spoke almost exclusively about rearmament and the creation of an independent military capability aimed, openly or implicitly, at confrontation with Russia. The tone was unmistakable: preparation for war, not peace. At the same time, participants repeated the familiar mantra that “more must be done” to ensure Ukraine’s victory. The contradiction went largely unnoticed. What emerged instead was a disturbing impression that Western Europe’s war party has overwhelmed everything else, including common sense and the instinct for self-preservation.

There was something unsettlingly familiar about the atmosphere. One could not help recalling Germany in the spring of 1945, when defeat was inevitable yet resistance continued with fanatical intensity, sustained by fantasies of miracle weapons. In Munich itself, Bavarian Gauleiter Paul Giesler crushed an attempted surrender on April 28, 1945 by executing Wehrmacht officers and civilians who wanted to hand the city over to the Americans without a fight. Hitler rewarded this “loyalty” by appointing Giesler interior minister the day before his own suicide. Within days, Giesler shot his wife and then himself. History rarely repeats itself neatly, but it often rhymes, and Munich echoed loudly this year.

On stage, European figures such as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, alongside American voices like Senator Roger Wicker, openly called for supplying Ukraine with ever more advanced weapons, including Tomahawk missiles, described with an alarming casualness as if it were a modern “wunderwaffe.” The old refrain was repeated yet again: Ukraine can win, but Russia is also poised to attack NATO. This logical contradiction has become a permanent feature of Western discourse.

Washington, for its part, played along. But cautiously. This time, it sent the 'good cop': Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in contrast to last year’s 'bad cop', J.D. Vance. Gone were the blunt warnings about Western Europe’s inevitable collapse if it stayed the course. Instead came soothing assurances of American support and solidarity. Yet the underlying message remained unchanged: without the United States, the EU cannot survive. The transatlantic alliance was not restored; it was merely cosmetically repaired.

Read more

 Deaf spiral: Highlights and low-points from the Munich Security Conference

Zelensky received the expected applause from Munich’s hawkish audience and once again demanded security guarantees from Washington. In plain terms, he was asking the United States to commit itself to direct war with Russia.

Germany, meanwhile, declared its readiness to rearm and assume leadership of the Western slice of Europe in a new confrontation with Moscow. At the same time, Emmanuel Macron cautiously signalled that the bloc must eventually negotiate with Russia. Albeit, if only to avoid being excluded altogether while talks proceed in a Russia-Ukraine-US format. He even floated extending the French and British nuclear umbrella to other NATO members. In other words, “all quiet on the Western Front.”

Once again, the conclusion is unavoidable: there is little to be gained from dialogue with this EU. And furthermore, one is reminded why it was precisely “civilized” and “enlightened” Europe that became the cradle of the two most devastating wars in human history.

Equally telling were the subjects that never surfaced. Talk of corruption in Ukraine, or of where Western funds are going, or when accountability will begin, was absent. So too was the fate of Venezuela’s leadership and the precedent set for international law. Iran was barely mentioned, despite last year’s US-Israeli military actions and the obvious risks of escalation. Even Greenland appeared only in whispered conversations offstage. Why complicate matters, when invoking the Russian threat remains the safest and most reliable option?

That, in essence, is all one needs to know about this year’s Munich Conference. A forum with a promising youth and a respectable maturity, now drifting toward ideological exhaustion.

War industry oligarchs are running the world with the sole purpose of keeping the war industry inventories moving. Why should Rubio be baffled?

Rubio baffled by Western war cheerleaders

The US has been seeing condemnation from some actors over its efforts to end the Ukraine conflict, the top US diplomat has said

FILE PHOTO. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. ©  Getty Images / Zuzana Gogova

The Ukraine conflict is “one of the few wars” that some in the international community have been cheering and condemning efforts to bring to an end, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.  

The top US diplomat made the remarks on Monday during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest.

Rubio claimed that the US was the only country that has managed to bring Russia and Ukraine together for negotiations, yet lamented the reaction of certain actors in the international community to the mediating effort of the Trump administration.  

“Usually when you’re trying to end wars, the international community applauds you. This is one of the few wars I’ve ever seen where some people in the international community condemn you for trying to help end the war, but that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said without explicitly naming any pro-war actors.

READ MORE: Zelensky takes another jab at Hungarian PM

This year, Russia, Ukraine, and the US held two rounds of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, and multiple discussions between the parties in different formats have also taken place. Negotiations are set to take place “again in Geneva later this week,” Rubio stated. The top diplomat claimed that Washington has not been trying to “impose a deal on anybody” but rather “help” both parties to end the “incredibly damaging” conflict.  

The two recent rounds of talks were held behind closed doors, with no details shared by either side other than both Moscow and Washington calling the talks “productive” and “constructive.” The latest meeting has yielded an exchange of 314 POWs between Russia and Ukraine. Multiple public statements from senior officials from all the sides, however, have indicated that the positions of the two sides remain far apart on territorial issues.  

Moscow has maintained that any sustainable settlement requires Ukraine to withdraw from the areas still under its control in Donbass, which voted to join Russia in 2022. Kiev, however, has repeatedly rejected making any territorial concessions.

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