New Maxar satellite imagery collected over the past 48 hours (December 15-17th) in Syria reveal that Russian military vehicles and equipment continue to be withdrawn from the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia and likely arrived at the nearby port of Tartus.
On December 15th, a group of military trucks, armored personnel carriers (APC) and personnel were seen assembled on the tarmac at the Khmeimim airbase. An Il-76 transport aircraft was parked nearby the equipment and several additional transport aircraft were also seen at the airbase.
In likely related activity, on this morning’s imagery (December 17th) a group of military trucks and APC had arrived and were positioned in the military section of the Tartus port facilities. No military or transport-associated ships were seen at the port that would probably be used for loading the vehicles/equipment
New Maxar satellite imagery collected over the past 48 hours (December 15-17th) in Syria reveal that Russian military vehicles and equipment continue to be withdrawn from the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia and likely arrived at the nearby port of Tartus.
On December 15th, a group of military trucks, armored personnel carriers (APC) and personnel were seen assembled on the tarmac at the Khmeimim airbase. An Il-76 transport aircraft was parked nearby the equipment and several additional transport aircraft were also seen at the airbase.
In likely related activity, on this morning’s imagery (December 17th) a group of military trucks and APC had arrived and were positioned in the military section of the Tartus port facilities. No military or transport-associated ships were seen at the port that would probably be used for loading the vehicles/equipment
Lastly, the web previews of t.me links have been given a new look, adding chat backgrounds and design elements from the fully-features Telegram Web client. Elsewhere, version 8.6 of Telegram integrates the in-app camera option into the gallery, while a new navigation bar gives quick access to photos, files, location sharing, and more. To that end, when files are actively downloading, a new icon now appears in the Search bar that users can tap to view and manage downloads, pause and resume all downloads or just individual items, and select one to increase its priority or view it in a chat. Given the pro-privacy stance of the platform, it’s taken as a given that it’ll be used for a number of reasons, not all of them good. And Telegram has been attached to a fair few scandals related to terrorism, sexual exploitation and crime. Back in 2015, Vox described Telegram as “ISIS’ app of choice,” saying that the platform’s real use is the ability to use channels to distribute material to large groups at once. Telegram has acted to remove public channels affiliated with terrorism, but Pavel Durov reiterated that he had no business snooping on private conversations. Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based lawyer and head of the Center for Civil Liberties, called Durov’s position "very weak," and urged concrete improvements.
from br
