Deutsche Bank Braces For Massive Disruptions Due To Reliance On Russian IT Workers

While Credit Suisse (and, by extension, its clients) face brutal margin calls on their Russian assets, Deutsche Bank is struggling with a different, but equally vexing, issue involving it Russia exposure: the bank is bracing for the loss of more than 25% of its investment bank IT specialists as sanctions against Moscow threaten to cut off the bank's key tech centers in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

According to the FT, the German lender employs some 1,500 people in its Russian tech centers. These employees are responsible for developing and maintaining the software the bank uses for its global trading business, as well as software used by its may corporate banking arm. Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the German banking giant has been conducting "stress testing" and "disaster recovery" exercises to simulate the impact should it no longer be able to operate or pay its Russian staff.

The bank has already frozen hiring of IT staff in Russia, and is already looking into moving more of its IT capabilities to other countries, according to the FT.

"All options are currently on the table," one senior DB executive said.

It has also reportedly told German regulators that there was "no immediate systemic risk" to its IT infrastructure, something the bank reportedly confirmed via a three day stress test.

Fortunately for DB, the hardware it uses to store data is all within the EU. Still, losing such a massive chunk of its IT staff would likely have serious repercussions, rendering the bank's order book effectively inoperable.

"No quotes can make it out to the market, no negotiations can make it back from the market without passing through this software," they said. "Trading is complicated and requires real-time support every day…without co-operation from the Russian teams things could start to go wrong almost immediately."

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/deutsche-bank-braces-massive-disruptions-due-reliance-russian-it-workers

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/deutsche-bank-braces-massive-disruptions-due-reliance-russian-it-workers

Countries Flood Ukraine With Military Support After Zelensky's Appeal

After Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video two days later saying he needs “ammunition, not a ride,” referring to the United States’ offer of asylum to the besieged head of state. Since then, 15 countries have sent military hardware to Ukraine amid Russia’s further invasion.

The majority of arms and supplies from ally nations are being sent via Ukraine’s 310-mile border with Poland, which has become an important lifeline both for supplies and equipment, and refugees looking to flee the conflict.

Some border nations have chosen not to allow military equipment bound for Ukraine to pass through their territory out of fear of Russian retaliation.

On Feb 28, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said his country won’t allow “deadly weapons” to be transported through Hungary’s territory while reiterating the government doesn’t want to be involved in the Russia-Ukraine war. Szijjarto cited security concerns for Hungarian citizens as one of the primary factors in the decision.

Despite supply chain and shipping challenges, millions of dollars of ordnance continue to flow into Ukraine from two continents.

United States

On Feb. 26, U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the State Department to send $350 million in weapons to Ukraine. Among the list of hardware on the list are Javelin anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft systems, ammunition, and body armor.

Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. Acting Permanent Representative Aud-Frances McKernan said, “The United States reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.”

McKernan then added, per Biden, neither the United States nor NATO has any desire or intention to engage in a conflict with Russia, clarifying that there is no threat to Moscow from either.

This is the third time Biden has used his presidential drawdown authority to send emergency security assistance, now totaling $1 billion, from U.S. reserves to Ukraine.

“It is another clear signal that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign, courageous, and proud nation,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Canada

The Canadian government approved an additional $25 million in military aid to Ukraine on Feb. 27.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the country would send $7.8 million worth of “lethal equipment” to the European nation during a press conference back on Feb. 14 in anticipation of a Russian attack.

Regarding the initial shipment, Trudeau said, “The intent of this support from Canada and other partners is to deter further Russian aggression.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/here-are-the-countries-flooding-ukraine-with-military-support_4317496.html

ARCHIVE OFFLINE

CDC Director Walensky Blames Over-Optimism For Her False Claims That the Vaccine is 95% Effective

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky visited St. Louis on Thursday to advocate for public support for continued Covid-19 mandates and restrictive health measures.

Unsurprisingly, she flouted the city’s mask mandates as she made her way around town.

The Covid-theater performance came as cities and states across the country, including St. Louis, are in the process of easing mask and vaccine restrictions because of immense public pushback and the now-predominant Omicron variant, which is much milder than previous strains of the virus.

Nevertheless, Walensky stuck with the fear-porn and stressed that the CDC is ready for another Covid pandemic (watch out midterms) to hit the US.

During Wallensky’s stop in The Lou, she made an appearance at Washington University to discuss Covid with medical students. In the session, the CDC director finally admitted that her previous claims of the Covid vaccine being 95% effective (against severe illness and death, mind you) were completely false, and made on an optimistic whim.

According to Walensky, there was no warning on the vaccine effectiveness waning over time and no warning that the vaccines might not work as well on new variants of the virus, so the ‘experts’ decided to just be “optimistic,” and make baseless claims in hopes of ending the pandemic.

“I can tell you where I was when the CNN feed came – that it was 95% effective, the vaccine [it’s not]. So many of us wanted to be helpful. So many of us wanted to say ‘okay, this is our ticket out,’ right? Now we’re done.

Nobody said [the vaccine would be] waning [over time] – [it was] oh this vaccine’s going to work, [nobody said] oh maybe it will wear off. Nobody said well what if it’s [the vaccine] not as potent on the next variant.”

Yes, really. This is the CDC Director. The so-called ‘expert’ of all public health experts – aside from the embodiment of science itself, Dr. Fauci, of course – openly admitting that their decision-making process is primarily influenced by blind optimism.

But, it’s even worse than that. Wallensky continued to explain that the public health ‘experts’ have routinely thrown “caution” to the wind when discussing the vaccines publicly in an effort to encourage people to take the experimental jab.

In other words, this has never been about public health or saving lives.

In response to a question about what the CDC could have improved throughout the pandemic, Wallensky responded:

“So I think we have perhaps (displayed) too little caution and too much optimism for good things that came our way [the vaccine]. I really do. I think all of us wanted this to be done.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/03/inexcusable-cdc-director-walensky-blames-optimism-false-claims-vaccine-95-effective-video/

VP Harris on push for federal 'voting rights' legislation:

"We have put the full power of the executive branch behind our shared effort. And if we all continue to work together, to march together, to fight together, we will secure the freedom to vote."

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1500597160336838665

US Border Patrol Sees Spike In Women Smuggling Fentanyl In Vaginal Cavity

EL PASO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso area ports of entry have encountered individuals attempting to smuggle fentanyl concealed internally on their bodies over the past two weeks.

“It is tragic that people are willing to put themselves in these dangerous situations,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A. Mancha. “This synthetic opioid is so powerful that if a package were to rupture inside the body, the consequences could be life threatening.”

On Feb 24, CBP Officers working at the Port of Ysleta, intercepted a 31-year-old female, U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle .394 pounds of fentanyl. The female was referred for a secondary inspection where a CBP drug sniffing dog alerted to the presence of narcotics leading to a pat down search where CBP Officers felt a foreign object in the groin area. The female then voluntarily removed a bundle from her vaginal cavity.

On Feb. 28, CBP Officers working at the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing intercepted a 42-year-old female, U.S. citizen, who attempted to smuggle .293 pounds of fentanyl. A CBP drug sniffing dog presented a positive alert for narcotics leading the subject to admit that she was carrying drugs. The female voluntarily removed a bundle from her vaginal cavity.

On March 2, CBP Officers stopped three fentanyl body carriers on separate unrelated incidents. At the Bridge of the Americas Border Crossing, CBP Officers encountered a 19-year-old female, U.S. citizen, attempting to smuggle 0.26 pounds of fentanyl. During a secondary search, the female voluntarily removed a condom wrapped bundle from her vaginal cavity. The female was two months pregnant. Later that day, CBP Officers encountered a 39-year-old female U.S. citizen attempting to smuggle 0.17 pounds of fentanyl concealed in her rectum. The female admitted to CBP Officers that she was carrying drugs and voluntarily extracted the bundle. At the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing, CBP Officers encountered a 27-year-old female, U.S. citizen who was discovered to have a bag filled with 4.1 grams of fentanyl concealed in the bra area.

https://breaking911.com/us-border-patrol-sees-spike-in-women-smuggling-fentanyl-in-vaginal-cavity/

US hints at what happens if Zelensky is killed

Washington confirms “continuity of government” plans exist for Ukraine

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Sunday that the Ukrainian government has “plans in place” to ensure the “continuity of government” should President Volodymr Zelensky be killed. Zelensky insists he is still in Kiev, but western officials have already reportedly planned to set him up as a leader in exile.

“The Ukrainians have plans in place that I'm not going to talk about or get into any details on to make sure that there is what we would call continuity of government one way or another,” Blinken told CBS News when asked about the prospect on Sunday, adding “let me leave it at that.”

The US’ top diplomat then called Zelensky and his cabinet the “embodiment of these incredibly brave Ukrainian people.”

Blinken, President Joe Biden, and a broad array of NATO and Western leaders have offered Zelensky similar messages of support, as well as shipments of arms and humanitarian aid. However, decision makers in Washington and Europe have explicitly ruled out direct military intervention, and refused to implement a “no-fly zone.” The latter, which Zelensky has repeatedly requested, would see the US and NATO commit to shooting down Russian aircraft over Ukraine, a move that Moscow has said it would consider an act of war.

Although Zelensky’s military is receiving a steady stream of western weapons, Russia has been advancing through Ukraine in the 11 days since its forces first crossed the country’s borders. Some cities have been taken by Russian troops and others - including Kharkov, Mariupol, Volnovakha and Kiev - are currently encircled.

This encirclement has given rise to speculation that Zelensky might have already fled Kiev. While the president has appeared in nondescript surroundings during most of his recent video addresses, he released a video on Instagram on Friday purportedly shot in his Kiev office, saying that “nobody has fled anywhere.”

Despite Zelensky’s declared commitment to the fight, US officials have already brainstormed plans to extricate the Ukrainian leader. Days into the conflict, Zelensky was reportedly offered an evacuation from Kiev, which he said he refused. According to reports in multiple American news outlets over the weekend, Western officials have discussed supporting a possible Zelensky government in exile, as the Trump administration attempted to do with Venezeulan opposition leader Juan Guaido in 2019.

Plans mooted reportedly include Zelensky governing from the western Ukrainian city of Lvov, or from another European country. Some political figures in the US and Europe, most notably former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have suggested supporting a possible Ukrainian insurgency against Russian forces in this evantuality.

https://www.rt.com/news/551377-zelensky-killed-backup-plan/

US DS needs him dead as if the Russians get him that little faggot is gonna squeal

TikTok blocks content from Russia-Company cites ‘fake news law’ in decision to pull out

Micro-vlogging platform TikTok has banned live-streaming and posting new content in Russia, blaming the country’s recently-adopted “fake news law” which threatens those spreading false information about the Russian military or calling for sanctions on Russia with up to 15 years’ prison sentence. In a series of tweets on Sunday, the company insisted it was putting the “the safety of our employees and our users” first, adding that its in-app messaging service would not be affected.

2/ In light of Russia's new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law. Our in-app messaging service will not be affected.

— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) March 6, 2022

However, the popular platform said, its primary functions would remain offline to Russian users “while we review the safety implications of this law.” TikTok will “continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances” as necessary to determine when it can return to functionality.

The so-called fake news law has scared out a number of western companies since it was passed by the State Duma and signed by President Vladimir Putin on Friday. In particular, American media companies have been sent running for the exits, from Bloomberg to CNN, ABC and CBS. The BBC and Canada’s CBC have also pulled out.

Restrictions previously placed by the EU and US on Russian outlets mean social media platforms are one of the only routes for information from Russia to reach the West. However, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and now TikTok have all taken steps to block Russian media - in some cases even targeting individual correspondents. While these tech giants encourage users to fact-check the information they do receive, it is increasingly difficult to do so without access to the facts on the ground - a reality Twitter appeared to acknowledge by serving up its users a host of posts claiming to teach them how to identify “fake news”.

https://www.rt.com/russia/551380-tiktok-blocks-russian-content-law/

>>15799378

>Russia claims it has evidence of U.S.-funded 'biological weapons' research in Ukraine

So the internet won't be going down in Russia?

>>15799752

He knows they want him dead

Zelensky accuses West of ‘wanting us to be slowly killed’

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the West of wanting “us to be slowly killed” as the Ukrainian President again demanded NATO enter the war against Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the West of wanting “us to be slowly killed” as the Ukrainian President again demanded NATO enter the war against Russia.

“We repeat every day, ‘Close the sky over Ukraine!’” Mr Zelensky said in a video message. “If you do not do that, if you at least do not give us aircraft for us to be able to protect ourselves, there can be only one conclusion – you also want us to be slowly killed.”

His comments came as a furious Ukrainian national guard soldier slammed the US as a “nation of liars” for not doing more to assist against Russia’s invasion, including imposing a no-fly zone – which Western leaders including US President Joe Biden have emphatically ruled out as it would lead to “World War III”.

“You are afraid to clear our skies because you are afraid of Russia,” the soldier told Fox News in Kyiv. “You are a nation of f**king liars. We give our nuclear power and our nuclear weapons for your guarantees – your guarantees is nothing.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now into its 11th day, has seen more than 1.5 million people flee the country in what the United Nations has called “Europe’s fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II”.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed and thousands wounded, with hundreds of thousands of mostly women and children pouring into neighbouring countries such as Poland, Romania or Moldova for refuge.

https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/russia-ukraine-conflict-live-updates-putin-says-wests-sanctions-are-akin-to-a-declaration-of-war/news-story/ea6d4d6461bfcdb8a93e97e822d3c664

27 March - 27 April

Done in 30

IAEA "Extremely Concerned" Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Is Under Russian Control, Communications Switched Off

On Sunday the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is now under the command and operation of Russian forces, and that its communications are now restricted to the outside world.

The UN nuclear watchdog agency further said it is "extremely concerned" with these developments, following the Thursday night into Friday widespread reports that it had witnessed heavy fighting and shelling. In those several alarming hours Ukraine's government leaders claimed there could be massive radioactive fallout and sought to use the episode to attract greater Western military help and intervention. The IAEA itself later rejected that assertion.

Citing Ukraine's nuclear regulator, the IAEA said Sunday, "Ukraine reports that any action of plant management – including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units – requires prior approval by the Russian commander."

"In a second serious development, Ukraine has reported that the Russian forces at the site have switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through the normal channels of communication," it added.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi made an urgent appeal to Moscow on Sunday, saying "In order to be able to operate the plant safely and securely, management and staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions without undue external interference or pressure," he said.

A Ukrainian narrative and contrasting Russian version of events at the plant has emerged in the last few days, with each side blaming the other for acts of aggression which damaged some administration buildings there. Kiev had initially painted a picture of the Russian's shelling nuclear reactor sites, however, but it was later admitted that a fire was at the plant's training facility and had not threatened the most sensitive parts of the plant.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iaea-extremely-concerned-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-under-russian-control