Ex-CIA Veteran: Ukraine's Burisma Could be Used to Fund Covert Ops Under Biden's Watch

The Russian Investigative Committee has singled out Ukrainian gas company Burisma as an apparent vehicle to fund terrorist activities on the Russian territory. Could the allegation spell trouble for US President Joe Biden, given his son's ties to the company?

Funds received through commercial organizations, in particular the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings, have been used over the past few years to carry out terrorist acts in Russia, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.

Burisma's role in the alleged scheme turns the spotlight on US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter who served on the company's board of directors between 2014 and 2019.

It's potentially very dangerous for Joe Biden, according to Larry Johnson, a retired CIA intelligence officer and State Department official. The CIA veteran noted, however, that there's more to this story than just the Biden family's apparent influence peddling.

He drew attention to the fact that besides Hunter, a former top-level CIA official and ex-Blackwater vice chairman named Joseph Cofer Black also served on Burisma's board.

On February 15, 2017, Ukrainian press reported that Black, a former director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center and ambassador-at-large for counter-terrorism, joined Burisma's board as an independent director. In an interview with the Kiev Post, Black said that he was invited to join the board by Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky to provide guidance with respect to the company’s "security and strategic expansion."

"Prior to joining the board at Burisma, Mr. Black was also on the board of a Latvian bank, and they put him on the board, allegedly for what he described as his expertise with counter-terrorism finance, in other words, tracking money that goes to terrorists," said Johnson. "Two years later that Latvian bank was sanctioned for its role in failing to put in proper procedures to prevent terrorist financing."

Black became a new council member at Baltic International Bank (BIB) in November 2016, while on December 6, 2019, Latvia's financial regulator, the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FKTK), slapped a €1.5 million fine on the bank having conducted an onsite inspection.

According to the regulator, the bank's control system did "not fully comply with the regulatory requirements governing the prevention of money laundering and terrorism and proliferation financing." In 2019 the bank received a $2 million fine. It was eventually closed in 2022 over the failure to prevent chronic money laundering.

As per Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), BIB’s majority owner and chairperson Valerijs Belokons met with Hunter Biden in New York in 2014, according to emails from the younger Biden's 'laptop from hell.'

Remarkably, Burisma has also repeatedly come in the crosshairs of Western and Ukrainian regulators over non-transparent murky financial schemes and alleged money laundering. In 2023 the company ceased operations.

"One of the things to point out is that when investigators in the US Congress try to talk to a lawyer who works with Hunter Biden, they were prohibited from talking to him by the CIA," Johnson said. "That's unheard of. So, clearly, Hunter Biden's activities with Burisma alongside Cofer Black means that Burisma probably was being used by the CIA as one means of at least moving money."

According to Johnson, the latest revelations from the Russian Investigative Committee could take the Bidens' Ukraine saga into a "dramatically new direction."

Follow the Money to Find the Culprit

The CIA veteran pointed out that global companies and financial organizations are routinely used to conceal grey money transferals.

"Usually, false invoicing or one big way to pass money is to use trade," Johnson explained. "So, for example, I know that with tobacco companies, Philip Morris in particular. They would sell containers and sell master cases of cigarettes to Colombian drug traffickers and frankly, the criminal organizations in Russia and Ukraine as well. And, they would sell it to them at a higher price. And then the criminal organizations would resell it at a lower price. And that way they would be able to claim that the source of the money that they received came from the sale of cigarettes, and not from the sale of narcotics."

Johnson explained how traces connecting terrorist operators and global companies and financial institutions could be established. "You have to work backwards. So for example, the rifles, the firearms that were used - I'm sure those have serial numbers on them, or they should. And if they have a serial number, then you can trace back where that gun was manufactured. And then once you established where it was manufactured, then you can start tracking down who bought it. Who was it sold to?"

If a terrorist suspect was spotted making frequent trips abroad, investigators usually look into who paid for their tickets, and how the payment was arranged. When it comes to cyber currency such as Bitcoin, the source could still be established by tracking blockchain operations, according to the CIA veteran.

"I guess Burisma (was used) to pass money to a contractor, to somebody who was providing services to the company, and then that money that gets passed from that individual to the actual terrorists. So I doubt that they were directly passing it to these people. I'm pretty sure they were using a cutout," he suggested.

All eyes are now on Russia's investigation into the financing of terrorist activities, according to Johnson. Ample evidence connecting the dots and shedding light on high-profile perpetrators could become a disaster for some representatives of the US political elite.

Russia slaps sanctions on 22 UK government officials, members of IT sector, legal market

London
©Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Moscow has blacklisted 22 British government officials, members of the IT sector and legal service market as a measure of retaliation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We can see that the British government continues to pursue its anti-Russian policy as London has declared the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on our country on the battlefield. It is actively using the mechanism of sanctions and conducting a subversive information and propaganda campaign," the statement reads.

"In response to these hostile actions by the United Kingdom, a decision has been made to blacklist a number of British government officials, as well as IT sector and legal service market participants," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

Those blacklisted particularly include employees of British companies, namely Micro Focus, providing Ukrainian forces with "software and cyber protection services necessary in the process of data collection for strikes on Russian troops and infrastructure." "The activities of such IT companies, which are accomplices of neo-Nazis, lead to the loss of life and can be directed against any country whose authorities may not suit the Anglo-Saxons," the Foreign Ministry said.

The list also includes people involved "in attempts to impose compliance with the West’s illegitimate unilateral sanctions on economic operators in Central Asian countries." "Stubbornly and fruitlessly trying to strangle the Russian economy, the British authorities are also dealing painful blows to the welfare of third countries and inventing repressive mechanisms for their own businesses, which have a pragmatic view of the situation and understand the futility of the collective West’s sanctions policy," the statement adds.

London’s policy bound to fail

The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated that "London’s policy aimed at providing comprehensive support to Ukrainian neo-Nazis is bound to fail and will only prolong the conflict, leading to more civilian casualties." "The United Kingdom should also realize that it’s counterproductive to continue the policy of sanctions on Russia, which will be met with a harsh rebuff from us," the statement notes.

"Work to expand the Russian blacklist in response to hostile actions by the British authorities will continue," the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

NATO building up capabilities to carry out cyberattacks against Russia — MFA

NATO is busy building up its capabilities for cyberattacks and information operations against Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
©Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

"NATO's military and political leadership continues to build up its military capabilities with an eye on the Russian information space to prepare and conduct cyber operations. The US and its allies are using a network of centers that sit along the perimeter of our country's borders - in Estonia, Latvia, Finland - and are controlled by the [US] National Security Agency," she said at a news conference. "In the future, they want to engage Moldova, and unfortunately, Georgia, where cyber laboratories are being created and will be created to provide operational and technical support to groups and personnel of the cyber command or the bloc's special operation forces."

According to the diplomat, these centers are used to monitor and collect intelligence data, process scenarios of delivering information-technology strikes against critical facilities of Russia's information infrastructure.

"All this serves as proof that Western countries, hiding behind slogans about the protection of so-called values, use information and communication technologies as one of the tools of the hybrid warfare that was unleashed against Russia," she said.

As a counterpoint to this Western policy, Zakharova said Russia and the majority of developing states of the Global South stand for other principles and approaches as they advocate on international negotiating platforms for the formation of a fair and equitable system of global information security, and the development of, and compliance with rules in this area that would be uniform for all.

"We are convinced that this is the only solution that will ensure compliance with the principles of sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, and will contribute to the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts in the use of information and communication technologies," Zakharova said.

As a counterpoint to this Western policy, Zakharova said Russia and the majority of developing states of the Global South stand for other principles and approaches as they advocate on international negotiating platforms for the formation of a fair and equitable system of global information security, and the development of, and compliance with rules in this area that would be uniform for all.

"We are convinced that this is the only solution that will ensure compliance with the principles of sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, and will contribute to the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts in the use of information and communication technologies," Zakharova said.

Cyberattacks employing Ukrainian hackers

Since the start of Russia’s special military operation, the scale and intensity of cyberattacks on critical facilities of Russia’s information infrastructure and Russian citizens have reached an unprecedented level, the diplomat said.

Behind many major cyberattacks are foreign special services, and they act mainly through Ukrainian hackers, Zakharova said.

"It's convenient," she said. "It is no secret that Ukraine has also become a foothold for aggression against Russia in the information space. Officials in Kiev openly say this, and they take pride in carrying out cyberattacks against our country, often trying even to take responsibility for fictitious operations."

Watch Russian Su-25 Jet Fighter Vaporize Ukrainian Troops in Donbass

Sukhoi Su-25 jets serve as attack aircraft, offering vital air support to Russian infantry in the special military operation.

A squadron of Su-25 jets completed a sortie, hammering Ukrainian positions with unguided missiles.

Upon successfully fulfilling their combat mission, the crews executed evasive maneuvers and deployed false targets to confuse heat-seeking air defenses.

In an interview following the mission, one Su-25 pilot stated, "Our work is our direct mission. Victory will be ours." The footage of the operation was provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Watch Russian Soldiers Unleash Inferno on Ukrainian Troops Near Kupyansk

Russian forces used the "Schmel" portable flamethrower (Bumblebee) to attack the Ukrainian outposts.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage showing the soldiers using portable flamethrowers called "Schmel" (Bumblebee) against Ukrainian outposts in the special military operation zone.

The Russians fired thermobaric shells to level Ukrainian fortifications and returned safely to their positions, the ministry added.

The "Schmel" is a portable flamethrower capable of firing thermobaric projectiles, which consume all the oxygen in the area of the explosion and generate extreme heat of up to 3,000 degrees Celsius, half the temperature of the surface of the sun.

Bodies of American Mercs Slain in Ukraine Piling Up at US Cemeteries

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier said that Ukrainian commanders are not held accountable for losses among foreign mercenaries on the front line, and that almost 6,000 of them had already been eliminated since the start of the special military operation.

US cemeteries are full of graves of American mercenaries who died in Ukraine - hirelings described by Western press as the so-called “volunteer soldiers.”

One of them is retired Marine veteran Grady Kurpasi, who died two months after the start of the Russian special military operation. According to a Sputnik correspondent, the 50-year-old is buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, the most famous in the United States, where politicians, astronauts and even presidents, including John F. Kennedy, are buried.

A cemetery in California has become the final resting place for another US mercenary, Bryan Young, 51, who was killed by "Russian artillery fire" in the Donetsk region in July 2023, according to American media. In a bizarre sight, the epitaph on Young's gravestone reads "On to the next adventure".

Another American mercenary who was buried in California is “Marine Corps veteran” Ian Tortorici. The 32-year-old fought for the Foreign Legion of Ukraine and was eliminated in an attack by Russian forces on a Ukrainian unit stationed in the city of Kramatorsk.

US citizen Dane Partridge, 34, who had served in Iraq, fought on the side of the Kiev regime immediately after the start of Russia’s special operation, but was then seriously wounded and died a few months later. Partridge, who is survived by his wife and five children, is buried in Idaho.

American mercenary Paul Lee Kim was also 34, when he was killed in Ukraine last year and was buried in a Texas cemetery.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that almost 6,000 foreign mercenaries, who came to Ukraine to fight on the side of the Kiev regime, have been killed since the beginning of the special operation. According to the MoD, at least 1,113 mercenaries came from the United States, 491 of whom have already been killed. The Defense Ministry earlier stressed in a statement that the Kiev regime uses foreign mercenaries as "cannon fodder" and that "their lives are not spared by anyone in the Ukrainian command."

"Therefore, they have only one choice - to flee Ukraine or to die. The Russian armed forces will continue to destroy foreign mercenaries in the course of the special military operation, regardless of their location on the territory of Ukraine," the statement read.

Money From Ukraine's Burisma Used for Terrorist Attacks in Russia - Moscow

©Sputnik / Sergey Bobylev / Go to the mediabank

The Russian Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday that it has opened a criminal case against high-ranking officials from the US and other NATO countires for financing terrorism following the deadly Crocus City Hall attack in Mosco

"It has been established that the funds received through commercial organizations, in particular the Burisma Holdings oil and gas company that is operating in Ukraine, have been used over the past few years to carry out terrorist acts in Russia, as well as abroad, in order to eliminate prominent political and public figures and cause economic damage," the committee declared.

Moreover, the committee is investigating the sources and transfer of several million dollars as part of the opened criminal case, the statement read.

"The Main Investigative Directorate of Russian Investigative Committee has conducted an inspection after the appeal of a group of lawmakers … and other people about the financing of terrorist activities by top officials of the United States and NATO countries. As a result, a criminal case was opened on the grounds of a crime under part 4 of the article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (financing of terrorism)," the committee wrote on its Telegram channel.

The statement comes as Russian investigators are discovering foreign states' links to the March terror attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow that claimed at least 143 lives.

The perpetrators of the shooting tried to flee the country in a car but were detained and charged with terrorism. Russian authorities believe their plan was to flee to Ukraine, where the masterminds of the attack had reportedly arranged a safe haven for them.

The Ukrainian-based oil company mentioned by the Russian Investigative Committee is also known for its participation in the scandal around US President Joe Biden's son Hunter.

Hunter held a leadership position in the company when his father - then vice president under Barack Obama - handled policy towards the new Kiev authorities.

While Joe Biden denied any involvement in his son's business deals, files from the notorious 'laptop from hell' suggested that Hunter organized a meeting between his father a representative of the company in 2015. Ukraine's former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin was forced to resign after trying to investigate Burisma.

In February 2020, a Ukrainian court ruled to launch a probe on Joe Biden's pressure on Kiev, which forced then-Ukrainian president Poroshenko to fire Shokhin, but it was closed in November 2020 after Biden was elected as President of the United States.

Moment total solar eclipse occurs in North America

Eclipse-watchers waited more than six years since the last time a total solar eclipse charted its way across the United States, in 2017. After the April 8 event, prepare to wait a lot longer — the next chance won't be coming around any time soon.

Viewers in what's called "the path of totality" saw the moon completely block the sun — an opportunity those in North America won't have again for 20-plus years. The next total solar eclipses in North America are not anticipated until 2044 and 2045.

"A total solar eclipse is one of the most spectacular things anyone can see in their lifetime," Virginia Tech astrophysicist Nahum Arav told CBS News. The eclipse "looks like a black hole in the sky," said Arav, who watched the paths of totality of eclipses in 1991 and 2017.

A total eclipse of the sun occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, briefly blocking the sun from view. WILL POWERS/SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES

Monday's eclipse started around 11:07 a.m. PDT on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and then moved into Texas. The eclipse's visibility tracked through 15 states — Oklahoma, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, among them — before heading northward into Canada and then exiting North America.

Even with spotty weather in some states, millions of people from coast to coast saw a partial solar eclipse, in which the moon partially covers the sun. However, only those within the path of totality experienced the darkness of the total solar eclipse.

When is the next total solar eclipse in the U.S. after the 2024 eclipse?

Solar eclipses happen about twice a year, said Arav. "Eclipses happen all over the Earth evenly," he told CBS News — but noted the timings when they occur are not regular. That means eclipses can occur within just a few years, or every few decades, in North America.

Before the eclipse in 2017, the last total solar eclipse to cross North America was in 1979. That was the first eclipse whose path of totality crossed the entire continent in 99 years.

Even though eclipses may seem to occur randomly, scientists can pinpoint exactly when and where they will happen.

"There is no ambiguity, as we know exactly where it will land," said Arav.

There will be eight total solar eclipses visible from North America in the 21st century, Arav said, with one occurring about every 12 years, on average.

The next total solar eclipse to cross North America is predicted to occur on Aug. 23, 2044, NASA said. However, the path of totality from this eclipse will only touch three states, according to The Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to public interest in space.

This next eclipse will mainly be observed in Canada, Arav said.

Path of totality for the 2044 total solar eclipse

The 2044 eclipse will start in Greenland on Aug. 23, 2044, and will continue its path through Canada.

The 2044 total solar eclipse will be short, mostly appearing in Canada. It will be visible from three states in the U.S.: Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The path of totality will cross Williston and Dickinson, North Dakota, and Great Falls, Montana.

Path of totality for the 2045 total solar eclipse

The next solar eclipse that crosses a significant portion of the continental U.S. will be in 2045, said Arav. That year, a solar eclipse will darken skies in parts of the U.S., Haiti, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Brazil.

In North America, the 2045 total eclipse will be visible in many states as it moves from coast to coast. The eclipse will start in California and move east to end in Florida, similar to 2017, Arav said.

There will be numerous U.S. cities where eclipse watchers can view the total eclipse, including Reno, Nevada; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Orlando, Florida.

Future solar eclipses in North America after 2045

Scientists have predicted eight total solar eclipses will appear in North America in the 21st century.

"Natural phenomena are like a Swiss clock," Arav said. "We know exactly when and where they will appear."

After the 2044 and 2045 total solar eclipses, the next total eclipses in North America will occur in 2078 and 2099.

Indonesia, Arab Saudi, Qatar, Bahrain, hingga Nigeria Rayakan Idulfitri Besok

Ilustrasi/Net

Sejumlah negara di dunia, seperti Indonesia, Arab Saudi, Bahrain, Uni Emirat Arab, hingga Nigeria, telah menetapkan Hari Raya Idulfitri jatuh pada hari Rabu besok, 10/04/2024.

Menurut beberapa negara itu, bulan sabit Syawal tidak terlihat di daerah mereka pada Senin malam kemarin, 08/04/2024.

Artinya bulan suci Ramadan akan berlanjut pada Selasa ini, dan Idulfitri akan dimulai pada esok hari.

“Bulan sabit tidak terlihat di Arab Saudi. Oleh karena itu, Idul Fitri akan dirayakan pada hari Rabu, 10 April 2024," bunyi pengumuman oleh Mahkamah Agung Kerajaan Arab Saudi.

Sementara itu, Uni Emirat Arab, Qatar, hingga Nigeria juga mengumumkan hal yang sama, di mana perayaan Idulfitri yang biasanya dirayakan dengan pertemuan keluarga akan dimulai pada Rabu besok.

Dengan ditetapkannya Hari Raya Idulfitri ini, maka bulan Ramadan secara resmi berakhir di sebagian negara-negara di dunia.

“Semoga Allah mengizinkan kita menyaksikan Ramadhan yang lebih banyak lagi dalam keadaan sehat. Amin," bunyi unggahan di laman Facebook resmi Haramain.

1 Syawal besok, Kemenag: Ijtimak hilal sudah terjadi sejak dini hari

Anggota Tim Hisab Rukyat Kementerian Agama (Kemenag) RI Cecep Nurwendaya menyatakan ijtimak posisi bulan berada di antara bumi dan matahari dalam satu bujur astronomis yang menentukan 1 Syawal 1445 H sudah terjadi di Indonesia pada dini hari tadi pukul 01.20.47 WIB.

"Ijtimak sudah terjadi pada tadi dini hari tadi, 09/04/2024, pukul 01.20.47 WIB, bahkan yang menarik, ijtimak sudah terjadi pada hari Senin, 08/04/2024, pukul 18.20.47 waktu dunia atau Universal Time (UT)," kata Cecep saat memaparkan posisi hilal pada sidang isbat di Jakarta, Selasa.

Ia menjelaskan ijtimak 1 Syawal ini berbeda dengan penetapan awal Ramadhan 1445 Hijriah yang ijtimaknya setelah Ashar, sehingga waktu Maghrib pendek, jadi hilal atau sabitnya sangat tipis, karena umurnya belum lama.

"Sekarang, ijtimak sudah terjadi dini hari, akibatnya seluruh wilayah Indonesia ketinggian hilalnya sangat signifikan," ujarnya.

Ia menyebutkan di wilayah NKRI sudah masuk kriteria awal bulan, sehingga 1 Syawal 1445 Hijriyah, jatuh pada hari Rabu 10 April 2024.

Cecep juga memaparkan berdasarkan kriteria Menteri Agama Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, dan Singapura (MABIMS) tanggal 29 Ramadhan 1445 H atau 9 April 2024, posisi hilal di seluruh wilayah NKRI sudah masuk kriteria minimum tinggi hilal 3 derajat dan elongasi 6,4 derajat, sehingga tanggal 1 Syawal 1445 secara hisab jatuh bertepatan dengan Hari Rabu 10 April 2024.

"Pada hari rukyat tanggal 9 April 2024, tinggi hilal di wilayah NKRI antara 4° 52'43" (empat derajat lima puluh dua koma empat puluh tiga menit) sampai dengan 7° 37'50" (tujuh derajat tiga puluh tujuh koma lima puluh menit) dan elongasi antara 8°23'41" (delapan derajat dua puluh tiga koma empat puluh satu menit) sampai dengan 10°12'56" (sepuluh derajat dua belas koma lima puluh enam menit)," tuturnya.

Untuk itu ia menegaskan pada hari rukyat awal Syawal 1445 Hijriah ini secara teoretis dan empiris hilal akan dapat dirukyat (dilihat), karena posisinya berada jauh di atas kriteria MABIMS dan ada referensi empiris rekaman foto hilal yang didapat di wilayah NKRI maupun internasional.

Tahun ini Kemenag menetapkan 127 titik lokasi rukyatul hilal awal Syawal 1445 Hijriyah. Data rukyatul hilal ini selanjutnya menjadi bahan pertimbangan dalam Sidang Isbat 1 Syawal yang digelar sore ini.