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☆ Ukraine can keep on fighting Russia — but the 'victory' it wants might be out of reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian servicemen practice combat drills involving a BMP-1 in Donbas, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on March 19, 2024. But, with future aid uncertain, analysts question what "victory" Ukraine could realistically achieve against Russia — a country that has put its industries on a war footing and is able to mobilize hundreds of thousands more men to war. While additional aid allows Ukraine to keep on fighting Russian forces in the short stretch, a "victory" in the near-term is an unlikely prospect. What's more, what "victory" looks like for Ukraine, or its allies, could be a source of friction. This is particularly the case in eastern Ukraine, where it has enjoyed support from pro-Russian separatists for over a decade.

Persons: Teneo, Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Tursa, Frankness, Oleksandr Musiyenko, Putin Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Russia —, Afp, Centre for Military, Legal, U.S, CNBC Locations: Donbas, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, U.S, Central, Eastern Europe, Ukrainian, Crimea, Red, Moscow, Russian, Sevastopol

☆ Russia claimed the West, Kyiv ordered the Moscow terror attack. Now it has the problem of proving it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded Prosecutor General's Office meeting on March 26, 2024, in Moscow. An investigation into the attack is ongoing, but the latest, outlandish accusations give Moscow a problem: It now has to find the evidence to back up its unsubstantiated claims. What's particularly awkward for the Kremlin is that the Islamic State militant group has already claimed responsibility for the attack. Ukraine denies any involvement in the attack, saying it was "absolutely predictable" that Moscow would look to blame it. The White House said Ukraine had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack and that any claim to the contrary was "Kremlin propaganda."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It's, Andrius, Putin, David Cameron, concertgoers, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Karpukhin, Nikolai Patrushev —, —, Patrushev, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, Putin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Rachabalizoda, Barotovich, Muhammadsobir, Shamsidin Fariduni, Tatyana Makeyevaolga Maltseva, Max Hess Organizations: General's, Getty, Ukraine, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State, West, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian Security, AFP, Security, Islamic, RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign, U.S, Kremlin's, CNBC Wednesday, Institute for, Afp, Analysts, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, CIA Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Crocus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, Europe, Russian, U.S, Kyiv, Belarusian, Belarus, Basmanny, Soviet Union

☆ Putin expected to use deadly Moscow attack to Russia's advantage, whoever's to blame
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

U.S. officials and defense experts agreed that it's highly likely that IS was responsible for the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that "what happened yesterday in Moscow is obviously just Putin and the other scum trying to blame it on someone else." Moscow openly rebuffed and ignored a warning from the U.S. earlier in March that "extremists" had "imminent plants" to attack large gatherings in Moscow. Law enforcement officers stand guard near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia. Just days before the attack, Putin instructed Russia's security services to focus their efforts on supporting Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Vladimir Putin's, Olga Maltseva, hasn't, Ukraine —, Putin, Ali Cura, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Maksim Blinov, Maximilian Hess, Hess, Putin's, Tatyana Makeyeva Organizations: Sputnik, Afp, Getty, Hall, Islamic State, Ukraine, West, Crocus City Hall, Anadolu, Russia's Security, NBC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Islamic Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Crocus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Basmanny, U.S, Chechen, Islamic State, Syria, Afghanistan

☆ War, reforms and a possible successor? Here's what we could see from 6 more years of Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Analysts share their views on what we can expect now that Putin has strengthened his grip on power, with the Ukraine war, domestic economic reforms and a possible government reshuffle key factors to watch. Having cleared more of a procedural hurdle than a real test of his policies and popularity in the election, Putin will have more freedom to advance contentious reforms at home, analysts note. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivering an annual address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, at Moscow's Gostiny Dvor, in Moscow on Feb. 29, 2024. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JANUARY 8: (RUSSIA OUT) A woman eats hot corn while walking along the Red Square near the Kremlin, as air temperatures dropped to -18 degrees Celcius, January,8 2024, in Moscow, Russia. However, with the dynamics of the war now shifting in Russia's favor, Putin might feel more confident with the reshuffle.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, embolden Putin, Liam Peach, Jose Colon, Anton Siluanov, Tursa, Adeline Van Houtte, Donald Trump, Dmitry Peskov, Peach, he's, Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Lavrov, Mikhail Mishustin, Dmitry Medvedev, Gavriil Organizations: Afp, Getty, Kremlin, Commission, Analysts, U.S, Capital Economics, Anadolu, Anadolu Agency, Economist Intelligence Unit, Federal Assembly, Russian Federation, New, Putin, Security Council, Sputnik Locations: Crimea, Red, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Central, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Eastern Europe, Europe, U.S, Russia's, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

☆ West closely watching Putin's next move after breakaway region asks Moscow to 'protect' it from Moldova
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with his confidants for the 2024 election at Gostiny Dvor in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 31, 2024. Maxim Shemetov | ReutersSpeculation is mounting that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use his annual address to Russian lawmakers Thursday to announce that Russian troops will be sent to "protect" the pro-Russian, breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova. Officials in the separatist region appealed to Russia on Wednesday for "protection" against Moldova's pro-Western government. "We keep a close eye and reiterate that the Transnistrian region is aligned with the goal of peace and security of Moldova. A map of Moldova, including the breakaway region of Transnistria.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Maxim Shemetov, —, Putin, Moldova's, Daniel Voda, Matthew Miller, Tursa, Russia's, Ivana Stradner, Daniel Mihailescu Organizations: Gostiny Dvor, Reuters, Moldova's, Russia's Foreign, RIA Novosti, Analysts, Federal, U.S . State Department, EU, Getty Russia, United Nations, Defense, Democracies, CNBC, Kremlin, Russian Federation, Institute for, Afp, Getty Locations: Moscow, Russia, Transnistria, Moldova, Soviet Union, Europe, Pridnestrovie, Moldavian Republic, Transnistrian, Ukraine, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Washington, U.S, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chisinau

☆ Shopify is launching an ad product that takes a page from Meta's playbook
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shopify quietly announced a program last week where it will buy Google and Meta ads on behalf of its merchants. This new program, called Shop Campaigns, is the first time Shopify is providing full marketing services for its merchants. However, Shopify Audiences is only available to Shopify's large enterprise merchants to help supplement their existing ad campaigns. Shopify claims that Shop Campaigns have helped brands like Thrive Cosmetics and Caraway acquire more than 1 million customers. He compared Shopify Campaign to Meta's now defunct Audience Network, where Meta placed ads on publishers' websites outside of Meta.

Persons: Shopify, Baranauskas, —, Glen Coates, James Borow, spender, Meta, They're, Borow, Mike Ryan Organizations: Google, Meta, Business, Audience Network, Facebook Locations: adtech, Meta, Shopify

☆ Estonia Says Chinese Ship Is Main Focus of Probe Into Cables Damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Andrius Sytas and Essi LehtoVILNIUS/HELSINKI (Reuters) - Estonian prosecutors said on Friday the Hong Kong-registered NewNew Polar Bear container ship was the main focus of their investigations into the damage of two subsea telecoms cables last month. It is the first time Estonia has said it was the primary scenario it was investigating. NewNew Shipping, the owner and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, has previously declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Estonia's prosecutor general said on Friday the main lead they were following was that "damage to the telecom cables between Estonia and Finland and Estonia and Sweden is connected to the vessel Newnew Polar Bear flying the flag of Hong Kong". Reuters has reported that two vessels, the NewNew Polar Bear and the Russia-flagged Sevmorput, were present near the cables and pipeline around the time of the damage, according to data from MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking and maritime analytics provider.

Persons: Andrius Sytas, Triinu Olev, Risto Lohi, Elina Valtonen, China, Essi, Terje Solsvik, Christina Fincher, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Essi Lehto, NewNew Shipping, Reuters, NATO, Finland's Locations: Essi, Essi Lehto VILNIUS, HELSINKI, Hong Kong, Estonia's, Finland, Estonia, China, Baltic, Sweden, Russia, MarineTraffic, Vilnius, Helsinki

A damaged Balticconnector gas pipeline that connects Finland and Estonia is pictured in this undated handout picture in the Baltic Sea. Tallinn is investigating the cables incidents. In the case of the Estonia-Finland cable damage, it is also focusing on the Hong Kong vessel, and on Thursday evening Kallas said all three incidents were likely connected. The NewNew Polar Bear sailed over the Estonia-Sweden cable 133 kms (82 miles) before reaching the pipeline damage site. It then crossed the Estonia-Finland cable 32 kms (20 miles) after the gas pipeline, according to MarineTraffic.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Gasgrid, Kallas, Janne Kuusela, Andrius Sytas, Anne Kauranen, Nerijus Adomaitis, David Evans, Hugh Lawson, Emelia Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, REUTERS, Estonian, National Emergency Supply Agency, Lithuanian, Reuters, NATO, Norwegian Navy, Thomson Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, VILNIUS, HELSINKI, Sweden, Hong, Kong, Tallinn, Hong Kong, Estonian, Russia, MarineTraffic, China, Vilnius, Helsinki, Oslo

☆ Three Baltic Pipe and Cable Incidents 'Are Related', Estonia Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Finnish police have named the Chinese-owned and Hong-Kong-flagged container carrier NewNew Polar Bear as the prime suspect in damaging the Balticconnector Finland-Estonia gas pipeline early on Oct. 8. NewNew Polar Bear sailed over the Estonia-Sweden cable 133 kilometres before reaching the pipeline damage site. It then crossed the Estonia-Finland cable 32 kilometres after the gas pipeline, according to MarineTraffic. NATO has stepped up patrols in the Baltic sea after the incidents, and Norwegian navy has shadowed NewNew Polar Bear as it sailed over country's key pipelines. China is willing to provide necessary information in accordance with international law regarding an investigation on damage to a Baltic Sea gas pipeline, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday at a regular press briefing.

Persons: Andrius Sytas, Kaja Kallas, Nerijus, David Evans Organizations: Nerijus Adomaitis, Reuters, Estonian, NATO Locations: Nerijus, Nerijus Adomaitis VILNIUS, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Hong, Kong, Helsinki, Tallinn, Estonian, Russia, MarineTraffic, Baltic, China, Vilnius, Oslo

[1/4] A view of the turbines at an offshore wind farm near Nysted, Denmark, September 4, 2023. Time is short: The EU has a legally binding goal to nearly double renewable sources as a share of total energy by 2030, to 42.5%, requiring a rapid expansion of offshore wind. But of the governments surveyed, only Britain and Poland said they had invested or budgeted for steps to improve the security of offshore infrastructure. It requires a lot of effort from the government side," said Mattia Cecchinato, senior adviser for offshore wind at WindEurope. It said it would establish a permanent coast guard base close to where offshore wind farms are planned.

Persons: Tom Little, Thomas Almegaard, Vladimir Putin, Mads Nipper, Orsted, Ewa Skoog Haslum, James Appathurai, Germany's RWE, Anitta, Mattia Cecchinato, Rasmus, Krzysztof Jaworski, Orsted's Errboe, Benjamin Mallet, Riham, Elizabeth Piper, Toby Sterling, Andrius Sytas, Marek Strzelecki, Sara Ledwith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Baltic Seas, EU, NATO, NewNew, Sweden's, Soaring, Emerging, Research, Solutions, Internal, Fund, Military, Naval Operations Centre, Polish Navy, Thomson Locations: Nysted, Denmark, Europe, Baltic, Nord, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Russian, Russia, NewNew Shipping, Netherlands, Britain, Poland, Germany, North, Swedish, Copenhagen, Moscow, Sofia, European, Anitta Hipper, Belgium, Norway, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Baltic . Poland, Paris, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Vilnius, Warsaw

☆ 'They're running out of time': Ukraine's counteroffensive is gaining urgency as winter approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

"Despite inflicting significant losses on Russian armed forces, Ukraine's four-and-a-half-month-old counteroffensive has not achieved major territorial gains nor managed to slice through Russia's 'land bridge' to Crimea," he added. "The hope is that they're far enough through the Russian defensive lines now ... to make some rapid progress. Russian forces had months to prepare layers of defenses including extensive networks of trenches; anti-tank obstacles such as ditches and "dragon's teeth"; and minefields. Russian forces are also receiving support from artillery, attack helicopters and other aircraft, again impeding Ukraine's forces. Minefields, in particular, have disrupted Ukraine's offensive momentum and rate of advance, according to analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Persons: Roman Pilipey, Tursa, Yevhen, they're, Michael Clarke, John Moore, they'll, Ukraine hasn't, Clarke, Orikhiv, They'll, that's, Seth Jones, Riley McCabe, Alexander Palmer, Ukraine's, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kevin Lamarque Organizations: AFP, Getty, Russian, L119, Armed Forces, Anadolu Agency, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Ukraine, Planet Labs PBC, Handout, Reuters, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Ukrainian, 35th Marine Brigade, Hamas Locations: Kostyantynivka, Donetsk, East, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Luhansk, Crimean, Kherson, Central, Eastern Europe, Crimea, Marinka, Krasnohorivka, British, Bakhmut, Dnipro, Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, Tokmak, Melitopol, Sevastopol, Moscow, Kyiv, Ukrainian, U.S, Israel

Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Estonia has contacted Chinese authorities as part of its investigation into how two Baltic Sea telecom cables were severed, the Estonian foreign ministry said on Monday. Early on Oct. 8, a gas pipeline and a telecoms cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea were broken, in what Finnish investigators say may have been deliberate sabotage. The incidents have stoked concerns about energy security in the wider Nordic region, prompted NATO to increase patrols in the Baltic Sea and Helsinki to contact Moscow and Beijing via diplomatic channels about the incidents. Earlier on on Monday China called for an "objective, fair and professional" investigation into the gas pipeline damage. Any threats against Russia were "unacceptable", he said in response to Latvian President's Edgars Rinkevics call for NATO to shut the Baltic Sea to shipping if Moscow were found responsible.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Andrius Sytas, Terje Solsvik, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Baltic, Reuters, NATO, China, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Finland, Rights VILNIUS, Estonia, Estonian, Finland, Baltic, Sweden, Hong, Kong, Russia, MarineTraffic, Helsinki, Moscow, Beijing, Tallinn, Latvian, Latvia

☆ Estonia has linked Baltic cable, pipeline damages, Sweden says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Simon Johnson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Estonian Navy conducts an undersea communications cable survey after a subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea was damaged, in the Gulf of Finland, October 10, 2023. Estonian Navy Handout/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Estonia believes that damage to a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Estonia is related to damage to a pipeline and cable between Estonia and Finland, Sweden's government said on Monday. On Oct. 8 a subsea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged, in what Finnish investigators believe may have been deliberate sabotage. Bohlin added that Estonia had assessed that "the damage to the gas pipeline and communications cable between Finland and Estonia is related to the damage to the communications cable between Sweden and Estonia". NATO has said it is stepping up patrols in the Baltic Sea following the incidents, which have stoked concerns about the security of energy supplies in the wider Nordic region.

Persons: Sweden's, Carl, Oskar Bohlin, Bohlin, Triinu Olev, Sevmorput, Simon Johnson, Andrius, Jan Harvey, Emelia, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Estonian Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Civil Defence, NATO, National Bureau of Investigation, Andrius Sytas, Thomson Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Handout, Rights STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Helsinki, Tallinn, Estonian, Russia, Germany, Stockholm, Vilnius

☆ Estonia asks China for cooperation over severed Baltic Sea telecom cables
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Finnish Navy Deep Divers support to civilian authorities in the investigation of the gas pipe damage in the Gulf of Finland, in this undated handout. Finnish Navy/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Estonia has contacted Chinese authorities in the investigation into the cause of how two Baltic Sea telecom cables were severed, the Estonian foreign ministry said on Monday. "Estonia has been in contact with Chinese authorities to encourage cooperation concerning the investigation", a ministry spokesperson said in an email to Reuters. He added that Estonia wanted to encourage "any cooperation necessary for the investigation".

Persons: Andrius Sytas, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Baltic, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Finland, Rights VILNIUS, Estonia, Estonian

☆ Ukraine ally Poland is moving to the political center. And that's bad news for Russia's Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It has taken in more than a million refugees from its close ally Ukraine since the start of the war, with many more millions passing through it. Its relations with Ukraine have soured in recent months, partly because of a dispute over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on local farmers. Tian also expects the result to "reposition Poland as a staunch supporter of Ukraine" and for Tusk to push for EU accession for Ukraine. "The big thing to bear in mind when looking at Poland and Ukraine is they have an overarching strategic common interest [challenging Russian aggression], and this supersedes everything. So it will be difficult to restore relations to how they were in the first 18 months of the war, regardless of what Poland does."

Persons: Donald Tusk, Donald Tusk —, —, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Tusk, Tian, Aleks Szczerbiak, Szczerbiak Organizations: Civic, Getty, EU, Justice, CNBC, NATO, World Trade Organization, Law, Nurphoto, European, Economist Intelligence Unit, University of Sussex, Confederation, Soviet, Russia Locations: Warsaw, Moscow, Ukraine, Europe, Russia, China, India, Poland, Warsaw's, Krakow, Central Europe, Hungary, Slovakia, Berlin

"We have identified that during the incidents, the vessels NewNew Polar Bear and Sevmorput were in the area. 'HEAVY OBJECT'Finland's NBI said "a heavy object" was found on the seabed near the pipeline damage and were investigating whether this was linked to the incident. NewNew Shipping, the owner and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The Finnish foreign ministry, in a statement to Reuters said it had contacted China to seek help to get in touch with the NewNew Polar Bear. Russia's Rosatom said the Sevmorput had no link to any of the pipeline damage.

Persons: NBI, Risto Lohi, Lohi, Russia's Rosatom, Rosatom, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Gwladys Fouche, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, National Bureau of Investigation, Reuters, NewNew Shipping, NATO, Thomson Locations: Paldiski, Estonia, Handout, HELSINKI, VILNIUS, Finland, Sweden, Stockholm, Tallinn, Hong Kong, China, Russia, Finnish, Russian, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Beijing, Moscow

☆ NATO boosts Baltic patrols after undersea infrastructure damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Navy ships sail during the Northern Coasts 2023 exercise in the Baltic Sea, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Janis Laizans/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - NATO is stepping up patrols in the Baltic Sea following recent damage to undersea infrastructure in the region, the transatlantic military alliance said on Thursday. A fleet of four NATO minehunters is also being dispatched to the area," NATO said in a statement. "NATO will continue to adapt its maritime posture in the Baltic Sea and will take all necessary steps to keep Allies safe." The buildup illustrates that NATO allies are vigilant and ready for action, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said.

Persons: Janis Laizans, Dylan White, Hanno Pevkur, Andrew Gray, Andrius, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Baltic, Estonian Defence, European Union, Andrius Sytas, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Rights BRUSSELS, Sweden, Estonia, Finnish, Estonian, Finland, Tallinn, Brussels, Vilnius

The NewNew Polar Bear is a container ship travelling between Europe and China via the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic. On Monday, it left the Baltic Sea and entered the North Sea to head north along the Norwegian coast. The KV Sortland followed the NewNew Polar Bear at a distance of 1 nautical mile, or about 1.8 km, for about 15 hours. NewNew Shipping, the owner and operator of the NewNew Polar Bear, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Oslo is closely monitoring the progress of the probe in the Baltic Sea incident.

Persons: Christian, Nerijus Adomaitis, Anne Kauranen, Gwladys Fouche, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Norwegian Navy, KV, KV Sortland, NewNew Shipping, Reuters, Navy, Andrius, Thomson Locations: Nord, Mukran, Ruegen, Rights OSLO, HELSINKI, Norwegian, Gulf of Finland, Norway, Russian, Baltic, Europe, China, Bergen , Marine, NewNew, Oslo, Helsinki, Andrius Sytas, Vilnius, Beijing

☆ Russia can gain from Middle East turmoil — but it could backfire if the war spirals out of control
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Putin likely wanted to show that Moscow is still important in the Middle East by visiting Iran, said John Drennan of the U.S. Institute of Peace. It could present an opportunity for them but also could present a very, very disastrous outcome for their influence in the Middle East too if the conflict spirals out of control," Ramani said. Analysts also believe Russia will use the war in Israel and Gaza to sow disinformation about Ukraine and discord among its allies. As such, the war between Israel and Hamas also provides Russia with an opportunity to flex its diplomatic muscles in the Middle East, after something of a hiatus from the global stage. So this shows that Russia is not isolated in the Middle East, and Russia still maintains the same array of diplomatic partnerships that it had before the war," he noted.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ebrahim Raisi, Putin, John Drennan, Sergei Savostyanov, Samuel Ramani, Ramani, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Jim Watson, Volodymy Zelenskyy, Sergei Karpukhin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Maxim Shemetov, They've, they've, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: Getty, Palestinian, Hamas, U.S . Institute of Peace, AFP, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Kremlin, Ukraine, Analysts, White, U.S, Congress, NATO, Afp, International Energy Agency, Russia, Israeli, Iraqi Locations: Sochi, Russia, Israel, Gaza, Moscow, Iran, Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, U.S, Europe, Washington ,, Brussels, Russian, OPEC, Turkey, Egypt, Tehran

But when Israel called up its reservists and declared war this week, the response was swift and overwhelming. Most reservists were already in Israel at the time of the call-up - the largest such compulsory mobilisation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. But many were out of the country, for a variety of reasons, and dropped everything to rush back. "I cannot sit here and study medicine while I know that my friends are fighting and my family needs protection. A former captain in the Israeli army, he immediately acknowledged the call-up, but didn't tell his children what he was doing.

Persons: Ammar Awad, Rush, Israel, Yonatan Steiner, Nimrod Nedan, L.K, Yonatan Bunzel, Bunzel, Yedidya Shalman, Oren Saar, it's, there's, Alexander Cornwell, Helen Coster, Krystal Hu, Gabriella Borter, Crispian Balmer, Andrius, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, El Al, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Sderot, DUBAI, New York, Lebanon, kibbutzes, Lithuania, India, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Thailand, El, WhatsApp, New York City, Rome

A view of the Balticconector pipeline as it is pulled into the sea in Paldiski, Estonia in an undated handout photo taken in 2019. ELERING/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS/HELSINKI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The damage to the Baltic Sea gas pipeline that burst on Sunday was caused by "quite heavy force", Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said on Wednesday, a day after Finland said it could have been a deliberate action. The Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on Sunday. On Tuesday, Helsinki said the damage was likely caused by "outside activity" and that the cause was being investigated. Location of damaged gas pipe"It can clearly be seen that these damages are caused by quite heavy force," Pevkur told Reuters, adding that investigators were not ruling out anything at this stage.

Persons: Hanno Pevkur, Pevkur, Henri Vanhanen, Andrius Sytas, Anne Kauranen, Tom Little, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik Organizations: REUTERS, Estonian Defence, Reuters, Finnish Institute for International Affairs, NATO, Thomson Locations: Paldiski, Estonia, Handout, VILNIUS, HELSINKI, Baltic, Finland, Helsinki, Vilnius, Malmo

The Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut early on Sunday on concerns that gas was leaking from a hole in the 77-km (48-mile) pipeline. Finnish operator Gasgrid said it could take months or more to repair. "It is likely that damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of outside activity. The damage to the gas pipeline was believed to have taken place in Finnish waters, while the telecoms cable breach was in Estonian waters, Finnish authorities said. Prices were already up on Tuesday due to fears over tensions in the Middle East but expectations that outside activity caused the pipeline damage pushed prices in the nervous market higher.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Gasgrid, Sauli Niinisto, Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Elisa, Timo Kilpelainen, Terje Solsvik, Anne Kauranen, Anna Ringstrom, Andrius, Marta Frackowiak, Louise Rasmussen, Susanna Twidale, Julia Payne, Bart Meijer, Gwladys Fouche, Susan Fenton, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, Companies Gas, PM, NATO, Reuters, Finnish, Amber Grid, Thomson Locations: of Finland, Estonian, Finland, Estonia, HELSINKI, Baltic, Finnish, Inkoo, Paldiski, St Petersburg, NORD, Russia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Lithuanian, Ukraine, United States, Latvian, Hamina, Oslo, Helsinki, Stockholm, Andrius Sytas, Vilnius, Gdansk, Copenhagen, London, Brussels

☆ A second war could easily erupt in Europe — while everyone's distracted by Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Violence erupted in northern Kosovo in September, and Belgrade responded with a military build-up on its border with its neighbor. Given the current political and security context, analysts say an outbreak of violence in northern Kosovo "should raise alarm bells." Open hostilityLong-simmering animosity between Serbia and Kosovo has broken into open hostility in northern Kosovo in recent months. Northern Kosovo, which borders Serbia, has an ethnic Serb majority whereas the country as a whole is around 93% ethnic Albanian. Mojsilovic stated that number of troops on the Kosovo border had been reduced to 4,500 from 8,350.

Persons: Milan Radoicic, Majda Ruge, Stringer, Milos Vucevic, Staff Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Aleksandar Vučić, Vučić, Ian Bremmer, Bremmer, Ruge, Aleksandar Vucic, Krusha, Armend Nimani, Slobodan Milošević, Serbian, Albin Kurti, Andrius, Tursa, Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic Organizations: Kosovo Police, Kosovo Serb, Milan, Anadolu Agency, Getty, European Council, Foreign Relations, Albanian, Kosovo, Afp, NATO, Serbian, Staff, Financial Times, EU, Eurasia Group, Yugoslavia, Yugoslav, Yugoslav Ministry of Defense, Federal, Nato, Kosovo Albanians Locations: Banjska, Jarinje, Serbia, Zvecan, Kosovo, Ukraine, Europe, Belgrade, destabilising Kosovo, Northern Kosovo, Serbian, Serbs, Yugoslavia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, Mitrovica, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Balkans, Kosovo Albanian, Krusha, Madhe, Albanian, Yugoslav, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Central, Eastern Europe, Stagovo

☆ With Putin and Kim Jong Un set to meet, the West fears what Russia and North Korea are planning
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, Thursday, April 25, 2019. Alexander Zemlianichenko | Pool | APThe leaders of North Korea and Russia are scheduled to meet this week, with deepening military, economic and geopolitical cooperation on the official agenda. There are also fears about what Moscow might offer the economically isolated and heavily sanctioned North Korea in return. A fire assault drill by North Korean rocket artillery units at an undisclosed location in North Korea in March 2023 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). For their part, Russia and North Korea have both denied claims of alleged arms dealing.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Kim Yong Un, Putin, Pat Ryder, Edward Howell, Kim Jong Un, Kim Ju, Howell, scot, Dmitry Peskov, Kim, Peskov, It's, —, Pyongyang's, Jung Yeon, Victor Cha, Andrius Tursa, Sergei Shoigu's, John Kirby, Wagner, Vladimir Putin grimaces Organizations: White, North, Pentagon, Ukraine, North Korean, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, UN, North Korea —, Oxford University, CNBC, North Korea's Central News Agency, Kcna, Nuclear Weapons, UN Security Council, Kremlin, Getty, Eastern Economic, U.S, U.S . National Security, Zvezda Shipbuilding, Bolshoi Kamen Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, North Korea, Russian, Korea, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Moscow, Korean, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, North Korea's, London, Washington, Japan, South Korea, U.S, Bolshoi

☆ Lithuania summons Pope's diplomat over remarks on Russian empire heritage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 27, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Majority-Catholic EU member Lithuania has summoned the Vatican's top diplomat in the country after Pope Francis told Russian youths to remember they are the heirs of "the great Russian empire". The Vatican said on Tuesday Pope Francis did not intend to glorify Russian imperialism in the speech, in which he also extolled Russian emperors Peter the Great and Catherine II who expanded the Russian empire. The territories of Lithuania and Poland were annexed into the Russian empire in the 18th century by Catherine II. Francis' intent was "to preserve and promote all that is positive in the great Russian cultural and spiritual heritage", said Vatican.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Peter the Great, Catherine II, Russia, Andrius Sytas, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Catholic EU, Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Russian, European Union, NATO, Catholic, Communist, Thomson Locations: Rights VILNIUS, Lithuania, St . Petersburg, Russian, Poland, Vatican, Ukraine, Soviet, Vilnius

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