Valeria Baigascina, an influencer, has been linked to the illegal export of high-tech U.K. equipment to the Russian military. She posts regularly about her wealthy lifestyle on social media. In the past two years she has visited Dubai, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. #opcanary 🧵 www.bbc.com/news/article... - ThreadSky

opcanary.bsky.social • 124 days ago

Valeria Baigascina, an influencer, has been linked to the illegal export of high-tech U.K. equipment to the Russian military. She posts regularly about her wealthy lifestyle on social media. In the past two years she has visited Dubai, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. #opcanary 🧵

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4vzlx1350o

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Comments

joejinis.bsky.social•124 days ago

Deep jail.

dtc94133.bsky.social•123 days ago

Just my uninformed two-cents....
1) Perhaps she's already been recruited as an agent.
2) That's pretty low-level/low-dollar tech which could be easily acquired anywhere.
3) As an influencer, well. I suppose that she would be pretty easy to find and well, you know. Fall from a window.

qirab.bsky.social•123 days ago

Good now let her hang.

opcanary.bsky.social•124 days ago

Baigascina facilitated shipments of precision lenses made by U.K. manufacturer Beck Optronic Solutions to sanctioned Russian entities, including the Ural Optical & Mechanical Plant, known for producing bomb-aiming technology. #opcanary

thomdee.bsky.social•124 days ago

If Russia decides she's a liability they'll just kill her. Pretty risky game of #FAFO

opcanary.bsky.social•124 days ago

Rama Group sent two shipments of optical components to Sol Group in sanctioned Smolensk, Russia. Four more shipments via Kyrgyz intermediary Shisan LLC carried similar equipment, totaling $2.1M and raising concerns over Western sanctions enforcement post-Ukraine invasion. #opcanary

opcanary.bsky.social•124 days ago

Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet state with close ties to Moscow, has become a hub for sanctions evasion. UK exports to Kyrgyzstan have surged by over 300% since 2022, despite efforts to close the loopholes by EU and U.K. officials. #opcanary

opcanary.bsky.social•124 days ago

“When they sell this technology to a client who is potentially a Russian end-user, they fully should understand that this is to kill people,” ... “Without those technologies, those weapons would not fly.” Olena Tregub of Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdog NAKO. #opcanary

sadx3.bsky.social•124 days ago

I bet Trump lifts sanctions on Russia almost immediately after taking office.

beautyguru.bsky.social•123 days ago

Russian asset alert!!

eleanorrigbyatx.bsky.social•123 days ago

interesting.

73mojo.bsky.social•124 days ago

Surprised...not! Social Media Influencers are the scum of the earth & only care about their fragile egos.

marveliana.bsky.social•118 days ago

Just poke their ego, it's fun.

zadett.bsky.social•124 days ago

I need a better picture so I can ID her

impsardo.bsky.social•123 days ago

Throw the book at her (if she ever sets foot in a Western country)

dmobrewsky.bsky.social•124 days ago

Would be nice if Ukrainian special forces could intercept these people... Or maybe if western governments could enforce sanctions on Russia and it's assets.

silverliningguy.bsky.social•124 days ago

Reality is stranger than any fiction I could imagine.

amygstarks.bsky.social•123 days ago

They always show their hand bcs they can’t help but publicly brag about their nouveau Riche lifestyle.

mmechevrolet.bsky.social•123 days ago

Great work by BBC journos.

klosters.bsky.social•124 days ago

Jesus, how difficult should it be to let her pay. ALOT!

pechelele.bsky.social•123 days ago

How red sparrow🥱
Enjoy it now hun... watch out for the windows & tea cakes;)

bluecryptic.bsky.social•123 days ago

She also has a large orb growing out of her head.

amunro.bsky.social•124 days ago

There is absolutely no way that these companies don't know where these exports are going to end up.
Same thing with luxury car manufacturers.
Money is clearly king here.

ketosnacks.bsky.social•124 days ago

Heyoooo I might have some intel on something similar I saw on LinkedIn. “Optical lenses” shipped to Dubai. If anyone from the community is out there, shoot me a message.

jaimi.bsky.social•123 days ago

Last year I got some weird work spam emails for a tiny import-export company that I wasn’t able to follow up on at the time, but I have a suspicion that it was a feeler for some sanctions-busting attempt.

ketosnacks.bsky.social•123 days ago

Possible. Sadly, there’s lots of willing collaborators out there. My experience touches a lot on courier goods and aviation related parts. There’s plenty of relaying through Armenia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Dubai, Thailand and a few others.

jaimi.bsky.social•123 days ago

Yeah, and just people who won’t ask questions when someone in NYC with a russian surname wants to buy electrical parts…