Daily Report from the Ukraine Field for 2022-08-14
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⚠️🏳️🌈 Amnesty International ordered to return donation from billionaire George Soros
Standards in Public Office commission deems €137,000 donation in breach of law
Amnesty International has said it will not obey an instruction by the State's ethics watchdog to return a donation from billionaire George Soros to fund its campaign to overturn Ireland's abortion ban.
The Standards in Public Office commission (SIPO) has instructed Amnesty International to return a €137,000 donation from the Soros-funded Open Society Foundation.
Refusing to obey, Amnesty’s chief executive, Colm O’Gorman, told The Irish Times: “We’re being asked to comply with a law that violates human rights, and we can’t do that.”
It got the money for its My Body My Rights campaign, which advocates the repeal of the Eighth Amendment and the introduction of laws providing for abortion in Ireland.
However, SIPO said the donation breached Ireland’s Ireland’s campaign finance laws, which prohibit foreign donors making donations to groups involved in elections, or referendums here.
Last night, a spokesman for the commission declined to comment on the Amnesty case, but said SIPO’s role was to enforce the legislation. Under the legislation, a sentence of up to three years can be imposed.
‘Dangerous precedent’
Saying that it is taking legal advice on its options now, Amnesty said the Soros grant accounts for nearly 2.5 per cent of its total annual income, but returning it would set “a dangerous precedent”.
Amnesty and other civil society organisations have previously flagged concerns about the strict campaign finance laws which employ a wide definition of political activity that cannot be funded by foreign donations.
Mr O’Gorman pointed out that Irish Aid, the Government’s development aid arm, regularly funds campaigns run by civil society organisations in many countries around the world.
The electoral law contravenes Ireland’s obligations under international human rights law and constitutes a violation of rights to freedom of association and expression, said Amnesty.
The Electoral Act’s rules are “seriously impacting” on a growing number of other organisations, and could have a severe chilling effect on civil society in Ireland, it said.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/amnesty-international-ordered-to-return-donation-from-billionaire-george-soros-1.3320638
[Forwarded from MoD Russia]
⚡️Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine
▫️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine.
▫️As a result of the Russian Armed Forces' offensive actions Udy in Kharkov Region has been completely liberated.
💥High-precision strikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces against a temporary deployment point of 66th Mechanized Brigade near Djerzhinsk in Donetsk People's Republic have destroyed up to 40 nationalists and 9 pieces of military equipment.
💥As a result of the Russian Aerospace Forces strikes against manpower and military equipment concentrations of 63rd Mechanized Brigade of AFU near Belaya Krinitsa and Belogorka, Kherson Region, 35 nationalists and 15 units of armoured vehicles and equipment have been destroyed.
💥Concentrated strikes on positions of 53rd Mechanized Brigade of AFU near Sribnoye in Donetsk People's Republic have destroyed up to 200 nationalists and 15 pieces of military equipment.
▫️More than 200 servicemen of 56th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of AFU have refused to perform combat tasks near Opytnoye and Pervomaiskoye in Donetsk People's Republic and voluntarily abandoned their positions due to heavy losses. For example, the brigade's third battalion, which was operating near Mar'inka, had about 140 of its 580 men on its payroll.
💥Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery strikes continue against military facilities in Ukraine.
▫️1 radar detection and targeting station near Peresadovka in Nikolaev Region, 1 fuel depot near Slavyansk and 2 ammunition depots near Zvanovka in Donetsk People's Republic and Iskrovka in Kirovograd Region have been destroyed.
▫️In addition, 2 missile and artillery weapon depots of 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade in Artemovsk, Donetsk People's Republic, and 63rd Mechanized Brigade near Bereznevatoye, Nikolaev Region, have been destroyed.
▫️5 command posts have been hit, including those of 43rd Airborne Brigade in Velikaya Novoselka, artillery group of 79th Airborne Assault Brigade near Chasov Yar in Donetsk People's Republic, headquarters of 247th Battalion of 127th Territorial Defence Brigade in Kharkov, 4 temporary deployment points of 113th Territorial Defence Brigade units near Zolochev in Kharkov Region, and 151 areas of manpower, weapons and military equipment concentration.
💥In the course of counter-battery warfare, 1 platoon of Grad MLRS near Artemovsk, 1 artillery platoon of Giatsint-B guns, and 7 platoons of D-30 howitzers have been suppresed at the nationalist firing positions in Zvanovka, Kuz'minovka, Seversk, Pereyezdnoye, Vesyoloye and Vyemka in Donetsk People's Republic.
💥Russian air defence means have shot down 2 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Lisichansk in Luhansk People's Republic, and Glubokoye in Kharkov Region.
▫️1 Tochka-U ballistic missile over Lisichansk in Lugansk People's Republic and 15 shells of MLRS near Lisichansk in Lugansk People's Republic, Antonovka and Novaya Kakhovka in Kherson region have been intercepted.
📊In total, 267 Ukrainian airplanes and 148 helicopters, 1,738 unmanned aerial vehicles, 365 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,303 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 798 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,298 field artillery and mortars, as well as 4,888 units of special military vehicles were destroyed during the operation.
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