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Thibault Spirlet

I am a London-based freelance journalist specialising in human rights.

I have worked for Business Insider, Politico Europe, Euronews, Factal and AFP.

I am covering all things Russia-Ukraine war, Israel's war on Hamas, immigration, LGBTQ+ news, politics and more. Please message me if you want to work with me.

My Articles

Insider •

Putin is tightening his grip over what's left of the Wagner Group

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Vladimir Putin reportedly ordered Yevgeny Prigozhin's demise last year — and he's now trying to do the same to his mercenary group.

Since Prigozhin's last August, many have pond
Insider •

Everyone expected Putin to kill Navalny in prison, and here we are


• Alexey Navalny lost consciousness after taking a walk and died, per Russia's Federal Prison Service.
• Russia experts say Putin and the Kremlin likely ordered his execution.
• They have a track record of killing and ordering the killing of political opponents, they said.

Alexey Navalny went out for a walk, then abruptly died.

At least, that is what prison officials said on Friday, announcing the death of Russia's main opposition politician.

Few believe it.

Analysts, Western leaders, and i
Insider •

Ukraine goes after Elon Musk, disputing his claim that Russia isn't buying and using Starlink


• Russia is using thousands of Starlink terminals bought on the "open market," Ukraine's spy chief said.
• Kyrylo Budanov told The Wall Street Journal that Russian companies are disguising purchases as personal use.
• Elon Musk has denied such claims, saying Starlink is inoperable in Russia and not sold there.

Russian forces are using thousands of Elon Musk’s Starlink terminals in Ukraine that are being bought through Russian companies, Ukraine’s intelligence chief said.

"It’s an open market,
Insider •

The GOP could be about to cost Ukraine the war

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The House GOP's refusal to take up a massive aid deal to Ukraine starves its embattled military of the firepower it needs to defend itself from Russian attacks and, over a longer
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Cats: Ukraine's secret weapon in the war with Russia


• Cats have provided crucial comfort and emotional support to Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines.
• They have also been key to raising thousands of dollars in aid.
• "One small cat can make big dreams come true," one cat owner told BI.

Cats have played a key role in supporting Ukrainian soldiers and civilians since Russia began its invasion in February 2022, keeping troops company on the front lines and providing comfort for displaced citizens.

They even help Ukraine raise funds for its mi
Insider •

Vladimir Putin pulled a classic power move that steamrolled Tucker Carlson


• Tucker Carlson said Vladimir Putin was "a couple hours late" for their Kremlin interview this week.
• Making people wait is a power move often used by the Russian president.
• Putin launched into a lengthy revisionist history of Russia that Carlson said "annoyed" him.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pulled a power move on Tucker Carlson that set the stage for the former Fox News host getting steamrolled.

In a , Carlson said Putin was "a couple hours late" for his with the Russian leader in
Insider •

Russia really wants to stop Ukraine using Elon Musk's Starlink satellites


• Analysts said Russia is trying to reduce Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellites.
• They said it's not succeeded despite developing a growing arsenal of electronic warfare systems.
• Satellites have proven crucial in military operations and for communications among Ukrainian troops.

Russia is trying to cut off Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellites, according to space-warfare analysts.

Since the start of the war, Russia has been using jamming systems to try to deny
Insider •

Losing Navy SEALs at sea during operations is extremely rare. It's only happened a handful of times.

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Two US Navy SEALs are feared dead after going missing during a nighttime raid off the coast of Somalia more than a week ago.

The pair were helping seize Iranian warheads for mis
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Xi Jinping is in a battle with China's own military, and the outcome could drag the US into WWIII

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Xi Jinping is fighting with China's own military, seeking to purge commanders he sees as unwilling or unable to go to war, military analysts told Business Insider.

The Chinese l
Insider •

The EU has sent less than a third of the 1 million rounds of ammo it promised Ukraine, report says


• The EU pledged to send Ukraine one million rounds of ammunition by March 2024.
• But it has only sent 300,000 so far, an EU official told Politico Europe.
• Hitting that target is almost impossible because of the EU's production rates, officials said.

The European Union will likely fall short of sending the one million rounds of ammunition it pledged to Ukraine, an unnamed senior EU official

"It will be very difficult to reach" the figure in time for the bloc's March 2024 target date, the s