Omnibus Russia Ukraine crisis

[spaminator]

'Maximum penalty' sought for accused in murder of Ukrainian refugee
Authorities say Iryna Zarutska was repeatedly stabbed from behind by DeCarlos Brown Jr. last month while riding a light rail train

Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Sep 10, 2025 • 2 minute read

A screengrab from video released by the transit authority of Decarlos Brown Jr. and Iryna Zarutska.
A screengrab from video released by the transit authority of Decarlos Brown Jr. and Iryna Zarutska.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed Tuesday to pursue the “maximum penalty” against a man charged with murdering a Ukrainian refugee, as the Trump administration continues touting its tough-on-crime agenda in Democratic-led cities.


Authorities say Iryna Zarutska was repeatedly stabbed from behind by 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr. last month while riding a light rail train in the southern city of Charlotte, North Carolina.


“We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man,” Bondi said in a statement.

Brown is charged with one federal count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, and faces life in prison or the death penalty, the statement said.

Mecklenburg County prosecutors have separately charged Brown with first degree murder.

Local Democratic leaders came under fire for highlighting Brown’s history of mental health issues in their response to the slaying.


Zarutska, 23, left Ukraine in 2022 following Russia’s invasion, and “her blood is on the hands of the Democrats,” US President Donald Trump wrote on social media Monday.

Chilling security footage that went viral shows a man boarding the tramway, sitting behind her, and minutes later stabbing her three times — with no prior interaction.

The case has been seized upon by Trump administration officials, who accuse Democrats of being lenient on crime.

Criminal cases are typically the jurisdiction of local prosecutors in the United States, based on state and local criminal codes. Federal prosecutions are typically limited to crimes committed against federal law.

Brown has multiple prior convictions — including an armed robbery that led to five years in prison, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.

“This monster should have been locked up, and Iryna should still be alive, but Democrat politicians, liberal judges and weak prosecutors would rather virtue signal than lock up criminals and protect their communities,” Leavitt said.

Brown also has “a long history” of mental health issues, according to his lawyer in a previous case, the Raleigh News & Observer newspaper reported.

'Maximum penalty' sought for accused in murder of Ukrainian refugee

Authorities say Iryna Zarutska was repeatedly stabbed from behind by DeCarlos Brown Jr. last month while riding a light rail train

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

 

[Ron in Regina]

So Trump, ‘cuz…Saturday? “I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA,” he said in a post to social media, quoting what he said was a letter sent to his NATO counterparts.

He continued, “As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia. Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when?”

(The EU has slightly reduced Russia’s market share of liquefied natural gas imports since 2021 – from 22% down to 19% in 2025 – while also greatly increasing the US market share, ‘cuz there’s not business case for Canada to provide EU Nations with NG)

So qualifiers, that just can’t happen in the short term, so no Russian sanctions, & it’s somebody else’s fault.

He further added, “I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR.”

Trump issues an ultimatum for NATO countries on Russia sanctions — CNN

Meeting Trump’s demands would mark a major shift among the alliance, and there are major questions as to whether there would be collective interest in taking these steps.

apple.news

Earlier this week when the president spoke with a European delegation from the EU, he pushed them to put 50-100% tariffs on both China and India, according to people familiar with the conversation.

(By issuing his Russian oil ultimatum to NATO instead of the EU, Trump is including Turkey, which is the third largest purchaser of Russian oil after China and India, in those demands.)

But notably, Trump’s missive to his NATO counterparts on on Saturday did not mention India, ‘cuz Saturday? The EU is in final stages of negotiating a trade deal with India, so it was unlikely they would go along with that.

Russia, meanwhile, is showing few signs it is interested in deescalation. Ukraine’s Zelensky said that Russian drones had entered Ukraine through Belarusian airspace on Saturday. Romania’s defense ministry said it intercepted a drone that entered its airspace while Russia attacked Ukraine on Saturday.

Drone breaches Romanian airspace during Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine — Reuters

Romania scrambled fighter jets on Saturday when a drone breached the country's airspace during a Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border, the defence ministry said.

apple.news

Poland’s armed forces also launched aviation operations due to drone strikes in regions of Ukraine that border Poland. The operation was “preventive in nature,” the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said. Lublin Airport temporarily paused operations while the aircraft were deployed, Poland’s aviation agency reported.

Trump's public shrug over drone incursion in Poland fuels unease in Europe — Reuters

The swarm of nearly 20 drones across Polish borders this week triggered deep anxiety among NATO members who, for the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine, fired on a Russian target, violating the alliance's airspace.

apple.news

NATO announced plans to beef up the defence of Europe's eastern flank on Friday, after Poland shot down drones that had violated its airspace, the first known shots fired by a member of the Western alliance during Russia's war in Ukraine.

Some analysts said Trump also could be wary of antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin, who they say may be testing both NATO’s military capabilities and U.S. resolve more than three and a half years after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Russia and Belarus start military exercise near NATO border after drone incursion — Reuters

Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on NATO's doorstep on Friday at a time of heightened tension with the Western alliance, two days after Poland shot down Russian drones that crossed into its airspace.

apple.news

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

So Trump, ‘cuz…Saturday? “I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA,” he said in a post to social media, quoting what he said was a letter sent to his NATO counterparts.

He continued, “As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia. Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when?”

NATO: Sure, Donny, we'll stop buying oil right now. It's not like we need oil, really. We can always run our entire energy economies on. . . beer, maybe?

 

[Ron in Regina]

NATO: Sure, Donny, we'll stop buying oil right now. It's not like we need oil, really. We can always run our entire energy economies on. . . beer, maybe?

Solar & wind power? Triple A batteries? Tidal energy from Newfoundland? There wasn’t a business case for Canadian Liquefied Natural Gas according to Trudeau three years ago but America has greatly increased its market share in Europe, so they’ve got that going for them.

Trudeau Makes Good on Ethical Energy to Germany

Naturally, I expect Ezra Levant to be his #1 cheerleader. Trudeau is set to sign an energy development agreement largely focused on hydrogen with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during Scholz's visit to Canada next week. Europe, and Germany in particular, are heavily reliant on Russian oil and...

forums.canadiancontent.net

 

[petros]

Solar & wind power? Triple A batteries? Tidal energy from Newfoundland? There wasn’t a business case for Canadian Liquefied Natural Gas according to Trudeau three years ago but America has greatly increased its market share in Europe, so they’ve got that going for them.

Trudeau Makes Good on Ethical Energy to Germany

Naturally, I expect Ezra Levant to be his #1 cheerleader. Trudeau is set to sign an energy development agreement largely focused on hydrogen with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during Scholz's visit to Canada next week. Europe, and Germany in particular, are heavily reliant on Russian oil and...

forums.canadiancontent.net

NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA,

 

[Ron in Regina]

NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA,

We, as Canadians, sure helped ween Europeans off that Russian Petro-Tit, eh? Sure glad we stepped up to the plate and did our part. When did Ezra Lavant write that book of his? Ethical oil? Something like that?

Fifteen years ago now. Oh well.

Why NATO (& not EU) nations Turkey? It gives Trump the #3 purchaser of Russian petroleum products to add to the list to justify why he’s not putting sanctions on Russia…or not. Could just be a coincidence.

 

[spaminator]

Damn us Ukrainians are good looking

 

[petros]

I know her brother. He does those "Hot Tub Expos" with a cousin of mine and we go drinking every time they're in Regina selling hot tubs.

 

[Ron in Regina]

The U.S. and its allies prohibited transactions with the Russian central bank and finance ministry after President Vladimir Putin sent his army into Ukraine in 2022, and blocked $300-$350 billion of sovereign Russian assets, mostly European, U.S. and British government bonds held in a European securities depository.

Reuters reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants the European Union to find a new way to finance Ukraine's defence against Russia using the cash balances associated with Russian assets frozen in Europe.

Politico reported that the European Commission is mulling the idea of using Russian cash deposits at the European Central Bank from maturing bonds owned by Russia to fund a "Reparations Loan" for Ukraine.

"If this happens, Russia will pursue the EU states, as well as European degenerates from Brussels and individual EU countries who try to seize our property, until the end of the century," former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

Russia will pursue European states in "all possible ways" and in "all possible international and national courts" as well as "out of court", said Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council.

Russia warns Europe: we will go after any state which takes our assets — Reuters

Russia on Monday warned it would go after any European state that sought to take its assets after reports that the European Union is looking for new ways to leverage hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

apple.news

Some bankers, though, have been wary of the precedent that seizing sovereign assets might have on the confidence that foreign sovereigns have in keeping their money invested in Western government bonds.

Russia says any seizure of its assets amounts to theft by the West and will undermine confidence in the bonds and currencies of the United States and Europe.

Medvedev said earlier this month that Russia would take more Ukrainian territory and go after British property around the world after London said it had spent around $1.3 billion of money raised from frozen Russian assets on weapons for Ukraine.

Russia's RIA state news agency said the West had made a total of $285 billion in foreign direct investment in Russia's economy which could be at risk if Russia's assets were taken.