‘The [Real] Con Before the Storm’– Ukraine at War Update for Oct. 8

On Monday, the US State Department said that Moscow is not allowing a 72-year-old American, charged with fighting on the side of Ukraine as a “mercenary,” access to Washington’s diplomats after having been sentenced to about seven years in a Russian prison.

“We have limited information available about this case because Russia has refused to grant consular access,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday.

Typically, foreign nationals are allowed to consult with the foreign service officers of their country’s embassy or consulate, but in this case, Washington said, no such meeting was granted.

In a White House briefing Monday, Miller said that the Russians “have an obligation” to do so and added that President Joe Biden's administration was “considering our next steps.”

Stephen Hubbard, 72, was arrested more than two years ago and sentenced to six years and ten months in jail by a Moscow court for fighting for Kyiv.

Russian media reported that Hubbard, originally from Michigan, allegedly fought alongside the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) troops in Izyum, Kharkiv region, after signing a contract for about $1,000 per month. (To give perspective to non-US residents, the average monthly housing cost in Michigan, one of the cheaper markets in the US, is about $1,400 per month. The average monthly rent in the US is about $1,700.)

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His sister, however, told American media that Hubbard, a teacher, had never handled a gun and said he was not a gun owner. Trisha Hubbard Fox told Reuters that her brother held pro-Russian views and that “He’s more of a pacifist.”

She contends that her brother’s “confessions” to the charges were coerced under duress.

AFP reported that Hubbard has been in custody since April 2022,  but his case only became public on Sept. 27, when his closed-door trial began in Moscow.

Russia has not said where Hubbard had been detained, but US officials say he was held in occupied parts of Ukraine before the Moscow trial began.

Russian missile targets port of Odesa, striking civilian cargo ship

On Monday, a Russian ballistic missile hit a civilian ship in the port of Odesa, killing one. Russian forces were once again targeting industrial infrastructure in the nation’s busiest port, local authorities reported.

“The enemy hit a civilian ship flying the Palauan flag with a ballistic missile,” Oleg Kiper, the head of the Odesa region, said. “A 60-year-old Ukrainian, an employee of a private cargo handling company, was killed. Five other foreign nationals were injured... This is the second attack on a civilian vessel in Odesa region ports in the last few days.

“In addition, five foreign nationals were wounded. Four of them are in moderate condition, and one has minor injuries. They are currently receiving the necessary medical treatment,” he continued.

Some right-wingers blame Ukraine aid for bankrupting FEMA, while those Republicans who actually voted against storm relief now face hurricanes’ death and destruction in their own districts

As a second devastating hurricane in less than two weeks approaches the shores of Florida, and right-wingers in the US are loudly blaming immigrants and Ukraine aid as the reason storm-stricken Americans may not get the financial relief they need, the Florida Republicans who actually voted against more disaster relief are seeking political shelter.

Last week, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was short on cash for the rest of the hurricane season.

Republican candidate Donald Trump struck his usual populist target over the weekend by claiming that Americans hit hard by Hurricane Helene were losing out on emergency relief money because all of it had been spent on migrants. Right-wing tabloids across the country then ran eye-catching headlines such as “The Con Before the Storm,” claiming falsely that FEMA was bankrupt because of aid given to immigrants.

Hurricane Helene last week wiped out coastal areas of the Tampa, Florida area (one of the 20 most-populated metro areas in the US) and went on to devastate North Carolina, a swing state in this election year, with a death toll of 227 people and rising. It was the deadliest hurricane in the US since Katrina in 2005.

As Hurricane Milton, also a Category 5 storm, threatens another deadly landfall in Tampa this week, right-wing conspiracy theorists are setting their sights on Ukraine aid.

Trump and his Republican cohorts claimed that FEMA had spent more than $640 million in such funding on housing migrants, whereas such Congressional funding was unrelated to disaster relief.  The greatest “con game” rather came from Republicans on Capitol Hill who represent some of the worst-hit areas but voted against additional disaster relief in the latest bill.

The districts of several Florida Republican representatives who voted against the resolution to add funding now find themselves in the path of the next hurricane: Daniel Webster, Gus Bilirakis, Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills and Bill Posey. 

Luna, a freshman representative who railed against Ukraine funding in addition to voting against more hurricane relief, represents Pinellas County, one of the worst-hit areas in last week’s storm.

Slovak ammunition arrives in Ukraine, while EU tries to offset Hungary’s €6 billion veto

More than 120 tons of ammunition funded by Slovakia has arrived in Ukraine, Slovakian TV reported on Monday, representing about €4 million ($4.39 million) in supplies donated by a country that, like Hungary, has frequently blocked military aid to its eastern neighbor.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the collection for the Czech-led ammunition initiative in Slovakia began about the same time that its government formally declared that it would not participate. The Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, ridiculed the fundraiser but public contributions rolled in nonetheless.

“It may seem long to some – four to five months – but for the supply of military equipment and ammunition, this is a record period,” said Fedor Blaščák, a spokesperson of the Ammunition for Ukraine campaign, highlighting the documentation needed to examine each round.

The remaining €500,000 ($549,000) collected to assist Ukraine, he said, would be put toward grenade launchers.

Meanwhile, on Monday, financial news outlet Bloomberg reported that the EU is looking into ways for member states to make voluntary contributions to the European Peace Fund in order to supply Ukraine with more than €6 billion ($6.59 million) despite Hungary’s veto of the measure.