Russia Intercepts U.S. Phone Calls in Bid to Influence 2024 Election
www.newsweek.com

... Russia has intercepted the phone calls of several prominent Americans and could use the information as kompromat, or blackmail, during the upcoming presidential election, according to a Department of Justice court memo citing former FBI contact Alexander Smirnov as its source. ...

"Smirnov told the FBI Handler that the Russian Intelligence Service intercepted cell phone calls made by guests at the hotel. The Russian Intelligence Service intercepted several calls placed by prominent U.S. persons the Russian government may use as 'kompromat' in the 2024 election, depending on who the candidates will be.

"This story...which again was relayed by Smirnov to his Handler in/about December, 2023, appears to mirror the story that Smirnov was pushing on investigators and prosecutors during their meeting with him in September, 2023."

According to the Justice Department court filing Smirnov had "extensive and extremely recent" contact with "officials affiliated with Russian intelligence." If further alleged he was involved in efforts "to spread misinformation about a candidate of one of the two major parties in the United States" ahead of the November election. ...

Of course, things that Mr Smirnov says need to be backed up with other evidence, so I have a big concern whether he was telling the truth in this instance.

Russian Officers Told to Bring Dress Uniforms for Kyiv Victory Parade (2022)
brian-kean.medium.com

... Russian invasion plans, obtained by The New York Times, show that the military expected to sprint hundreds of miles across Ukraine and triumph within days. Officers were told to pack their dress uniforms and medals in anticipation of military parades in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv ...