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☆ Ukraine war live updates: Belarus starts military drills near EU borders; Russia targets energy infrastructure in drone strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) enter the hall during the plenary session of the Supreme Council of Russia and Belarus, at the Konstantin Palace on January 29, 2024, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Belarus began military drills on Tuesday in regions along its border with Ukraine, together with European Union nations Lithuania and Poland, the Russian ally's defense ministry said. Russia and Ukraine meanwhile continued to exchange drone strikes in recent days, with Russia on Monday night targeting energy facilities in raids on the Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovograd regions, Ukraine's Operational Command "South" said on Facebook. The head of Ukraine's national grid company said on Monday that while Russian drone attacks have significantly damaged the Ukrainian power system, a total collapse is unlikely. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks on Monday with military and government officials over Kyiv's drone production plans and a project to build an "integrated electronic warfare control system" to protect Ukrainian troops from Russian drone attacks.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Konstantin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Supreme, of, European Union, Command, Facebook Locations: of Russia, Belarus, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Russian, Gomel, Grodno, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovograd

☆ Australian Open: ‘Part of … war machine hurting my country and my people’ says Ukrainian of Russian and Belarusian opponents
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —For Ukrainian tennis players Marta Kostyuk and Lesia Tsurenko, focusing on tennis continues to be challenging. Kostyuk and Tsurenko have continued to avoid the usual post-match handshakes with opponents from either Russia or Belarus, which is being used as a staging ground for the invasion. “My mother sends me videos when there are missiles flying over their house,” Kostyuk told reporters. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka and said playing against players from Russia or Belarus is still “tough.”“They’re part of that … war machine hurting my country and my people,” Tsurenko said. “She said: ‘Great play,’” Sabalenka told reporters.

Persons: Marta Kostyuk, Lesia, Tsurenko, Kostyuk, Russia’s Elina Avanesyan, “, ” Kostyuk, it’s, ”, “ It’s, It’s, Sabalenka, ” Tsurenko, Lesia Tsurenko, Phil Walter, what’s, ’ ” Sabalenka, Maria Timofeeva Organizations: CNN, “, ” CNN, Getty, Kostyuk Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Melbourne, Russian

☆ WTA roundup: Jelena Ostapenko upset in Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wild card Dayeon Back, down 5-2 in the third set, rallied to beat second-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) in two hours, 13 minutes to advance. It was the first time two South Koreans won their opening matches in Seoul since 2013. 569, was able to force Ostapenko into long rallies, and the mistakes piled up for Ostapenko. In other first-round action, Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, fresh off her finals appearance in the China Open, continued her strong play with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Germany's Tatjana Maria. Another Russian, Kamilla Rakhimova, beat eighth seed Varvara Gracheva of France 6-3, 6-2, and Czech Linda Fruhvirtova topped seventh-seeded Peyton Stearns in three sets.

Persons: Jelena Ostapenko, Russia's Liudmila Samsonova, Florence, Jeong Jang, Sofia Kenin, Jang, Kenin, Jessica Pegula, Viktoria, Marie Bouzkova, Vera Zvonareva, Veronika Kudermetova, Zvonareva, Germany's Tatjana Maria, Daria Kasatkina of, Petra Martic, Laura Siegemund, Zhuoxuan Bai, Canadian Leylah Fernandez, Victoria, Fernandez, Anna Blinkova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Martina Trevisan, Kamilla, Varvara Gracheva, Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, Peyton Stearns Organizations: National Tennis Center, Hana Bank, South Koreans, Ostapenko, Viktoria Hruncakova, WTA, China . Hong Kong, Victoria Azarenka, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Hana Bank Korea, Seoul, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Zhengzhou, Russia, Daria Kasatkina of Russia, Croatia, Germany, China . Hong, Canadian, Italy, France, Czech

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee urged Iran to release imprisoned peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi and let her accept the award at the annual prize ceremony in December. Mohammadi, an Iranian human rights activist, is the fifth peace laureate to get the prize while in prison or under house arrest. Here’s a look at previous Nobel laureates who were in detention:CARL VON OSSIETZKYPolitical Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesThe 1935 Nobel Peace Prize to German journalist Carl Von Ossietzky so infuriated Adolf Hitler that the Nazi leader prohibited all Germans from receiving Nobel Prizes. He was the first Nobel peace laureate to die in captivity. His wife was placed under house arrest, and dozens of his supporters were prevented from leaving the country.

Persons: Narges Mohammadi, CARL VON OSSIETZKY, Carl Von Ossietzky, Adolf Hitler, Ossietzky, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Suu Kyi, LIU XIAOBO Liu Xiaobo, Barack Obama, ALES BIALIATSKI Belarussian, Ales Bialiatski, Alexander Lukashenko, Bialiatski Organizations: STOCKHOLM, Nazi, Norwegian Nobel, Human Rights Locations: Norwegian, Iran, Iranian, Norway, Myanmar, Aung San Suu, China, Beijing, Oslo, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine reportedly destroys supersonic Russian bomber; drones damage Moscow apartments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The chief of Russia's Wagner private military company, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, appeared in a video published by Wagner-affiliated channels on Telegram. The footage appears to be Prigozhin's first video address since leading an aborted mutiny in Russia in late June. It was not possible for CNBC and NBC News to verify the video or ascertain when and where the footage was shot. PMC Wagner is conducting reconnaissance, making Russia even greater on every continent – and Africa even freer," Prigozhin said, according to a NBC News translation. Wagner has operated in parts of Africa including Mali, the Central African Republic and Libya.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, Wagner, PMC Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, — Natasha Turak Organizations: CNBC, NBC News, PMC, NBC, ISIS, Central African Locations: Russia, Africa, Belarus, Mali, Central African Republic, Libya

☆ Putin hosts Belarus leader, calls Ukraine's counteroffensive a failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) at the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 25, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St. Petersburg on Sunday. "There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Poland is moving extra troops toward the border with Belarus in response to the arrival of the Wagner forces who relocated there after staging a short-lived mutiny in Russia last month. Putin, in response, warned Poland on Friday that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Milley, Russia's Wagner, Wagner Organizations: U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Telegram, NATO Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Poland, Warsaw, Rzeszow, Belarusian, Polish, Belarus, Minsk

☆ Putin wanted his own version of NATO. Instead he has a failing alliance that has only made him look weaker since the invasion of Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Putin wanted his own version of NATOPutin has long viewed NATO as a threat to Russia, even citing it as an excuse for his invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that CSTO members states' desires for closer ties with the US weren't new. Russian President Vladimir Putin in Armenia in November 2022. Graham also said the invasion of Ukraine meant Putin is less and less able to deal with CSTO members' complaints.

Persons: it's, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Thomas Graham, NATO Putin, Alexander Cooley, Cooley, Armenia's, Nikol Pashinyan, KAREN MINASYAN, Putin's, isn't Putin, Ilya PITALEV, ILYA PITALEV, Getty Images Graham, Russia's, ANATOLII STEPANOV, you've, Graham, CSTO, Sadyr Japarov, Stanislav Zas, Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym, Tokayev, AP Cooley, – Putin, Vladimir Voronin, Nikol, They've, Hayk Organizations: NATO, Service, Soviet Union, Security, Organization, Yale, Columbia University, REUTERS, Getty Images, SPUTNIK, AFP, CSTO, Kazakh, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, AP, Collective Security, Vladimir Voronin NATO, Putin, Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, UN, US, EU, Armenian Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Soviet, East, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, The Hague, Netherlands, Yerevan, AFP, Soviet Union, Moscow, Asia, Ukrainian, Oskol, Ukraine's Kharkiv, NATO, USSR, Dushanbe, tatters, Photolure, China, Turkey, United States

☆ A newly surfaced image of Prigozhin hints at where the Wagner boss may have finally ended up after his failed mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But a new photo of the mercenary boss offers a hint that he may be at a military camp in Belarus. A Skyfi satellite image of the training base at Tsel outside Asipovichy in Belarus where Wagner forces are training Belarusian troops. But the new image of Prigozhin suggests that he may be at the same military camp where his Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian soldiers. The windows in the photo appear to match those on tents at the military camp being used by Wagner and Belarusian soldiers. Although the rebellion left questions about where Wagner fighters would end up, US officials have since said that they aren't fighting in Ukraine anymore.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Jens Stoltenberg, Adam Berry, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Belta, Wagner's, Alexander Lukashenko, — Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozin, —, Prigozhin, It's Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Belarussian, NATO, Belarusian Defence Ministry, Getty, PMC Wagner, Kremlin, Twitter, Ukrainian, Pentagon, Bakhmut, Russian Armed Forces Locations: Belarus, Minsk, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Moscow, Tsel, Asipovichy district, Asipovichy, Asipovichy District, Mogilev Region, AFP, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine

☆ Opinion: Putin faces a challenging task that threatens his power
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Russian president needs to restore his image of a man in full command of his country to audiences at home and abroad. Speaking at the summit, Putin tried to reinforce the message he had delivered to the Russian people, the claim that all Russians had stood with him. It wasn’t just his use of “alternative facts” that undermined Putin’s effort to leverage the SCO summit into a place to restore his standing as Russia’s czar for the foreseeable future. In fact, in the aftermath of the Prigozhin uprising, Putin has echoed the traditional strongman’s playbook of buying loyalty. Putin now faces a triple task: reclaiming the mantle of invincibility in Russia, rebuilding that image abroad and winning his calamitous war in Ukraine.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Putin, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, ”, “, Modi, Ebrahim Raisi, Xi, Dmitry Peskov, India’s Modi, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, Frida Ghitis CNN, Wagner Group, Belarussian, Indian, Biological Safety, Twitter, Financial Times, Russian Locations: Russia, China, India, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Ukraine, Iran, Rostov, New Delhi, Iranian, Republic, Dagestan, Kremlin, Asia, Washington, Beijing

☆ Belarusian dictator who negotiated the end of Prigozhin's mutiny says there's no way Putin is 'malicious and vindictive' enough to have him killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he doesn't think Putin will have Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. Putin is not "malicious or vindictive enough" to order the murder, said the close Putin ally. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that he doesn't think Vladimir Putin would be so "malicious and vindictive" as to have Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will 'kill' Prigozhin tomorrow, no, this will not happen." The Russian leader has a long history of brutal and violent crackdowns on those he sees as disloyal.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, doesn't, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Sergei Skripal, Alexei Navalny, Putin's, Prigozhin, Progozhin, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, CNN Locations: Belarusian, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ Here's what could happen to the Wagner Group after the armed rebellion against Russia failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Wagner paramilitary group attempted an armed rebellion in Russia but failed. Around 1,000 Wagner fighters have already decided to go to Belarus, the independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported, citing a source in Russia's Ministry of Defense. Putin admitted earlier this week that from May last year to May 2023, the Russian state paid more than 86 billion rubles ($940 million) to the Wagner Group. De Deus Pereira told Insider that this is where many fighters will return. Lukashenko told reporters earlier this week that he convinced Putin not to "wipe out" the Wagner chief after the failed rebellion, though some experts have disagreed.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, group's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Joana de Deus Pereira, Belarussian, Mikhail Svetlov, De Deus Pereira, Julia Stanyard, Lukashenko Organizations: Service, The Times, Prighozin, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Guardian, Prigozhin, Press, REUTERS Russia's Ministry of Defense, Marshall Fund, Wagner, Royal United Services Institute, Ministry of Defense, Russian, Central African, Global Initiative, Transnational, BBC Locations: Russia, Belarus, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Africa, Prigozhin, British, Russian, Luhansk, Donbas, Krasnodar, North Caucasus, Concord, Europe, Sochi, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali

☆ Wimbledon 2023: The favorites to win the championships, the main challengers and how to watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Despite struggling for form in the lead up to the French Open, Djokovic found his A-game when it mattered most in Paris and looked largely unstoppable. Lisi Niesner/ReutersRybakina became the first player from Kazakhstan to win a grand slam title after beating Ons Jabeur in three sets in last year’s Wimbledon final, catapulting her to stardom overnight. Belarussian Sabalenka and Poland’s Iga Świątek are joint favorites to win the title alongside Rybakina, according to bookmakers. Sabalenka has three titles to her name this year, including that maiden grand slam in Australia, and has matched her career-high of No. Iga Swiatek is a four-time grand slam champion but is yet to win Wimbledon.

Persons: Novak, Roger Federer’s, –, Björn Borg –, Djokovic, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Garros, Carlos Alcaraz, Susan Mullane, Reuters Alcaraz, Alcaraz, – Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, Julian Finney, Francis Tiafoe, Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, Elena Rybakina, Donna Vekić, hadn’t, Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, Linda Noskova, Lisi Niesner, Reuters Rybakina, Belarussian, Iga, Rybakina, Sabalenka, Aryna Sabalenka, agains Karolina Muchova, Veronika Kudermetova, Świątek, Tatjana Mariana, hasn’t, Joaquim Ferreira, Coco Gauff, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Madison Keys Organizations: CNN — Tennis, All England Club, Wimbledon, Roland, Queen's, USA, Sports, Reuters, Queen’s, Getty, Stuttgart, Eastbourne International, Czech, Stade Roland, Bad, Junior Wimbledon, Bernarda Pera, BBC, ESPN, Tennis Channel Locations: London, Paris, Germany, Wimbledon, Kazakhstan, Australia, United Kingdom

☆ ‘You have to ask for help if you need it’: Billie Jean King encourages tennis players struggling with demands of the tour to seek support
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Billie Jean King has urged players that are struggling with the demands of being a tennis professional to seek support from psychologists. “Being a pro-athlete is hard,” tennis great King, who won 39 major titles, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. “The WTA [Women’s Tennis Association] has been fantastic with mental health for years, but people would say: ‘Why aren’t you doing anything?’Billie Jean King says support is available for players on the WTA Tour. The governing body has provided staff that are dedicated to athletes’ mental health for more than 25 years, with a Mental Health Care Provider available in person at tournaments, including all four grand slams, and there are virtual meetings available upon request in between tournaments. Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open, citing her mental health.

Persons: Billie Jean King, Naomi Osaka, Sabalenka, “, Emma Raducanu, King, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, JP Yim, Kathleen Stroia, Ukraine –, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Tim Clayton, Raducanu, ”, hadn't, Clive Brunskill, “ We’ve, I’ve, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, WTA, Mental Health, ‘, Virginia Slims Circuit, WTA Tour, Wimbledon Locations: Paris, Ukraine, Osaka, Belarus

☆ Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, Wagner Group insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | Jason Hanna | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Alexander Lukashenko delivers a speech in Minsk, Belarus, on June 27. Lukashenko on Tuesday described his view of the negotiations that led to Prigozhin ending his march towards Moscow, and said the oligarch is now in Belarus per the deal. Let’s talk with Prigozhin, with his commanders.”Lukashenko — a longtime ally of the Russian President — said Putin told him: “Listen, Alex, it’s useless. There were 10 times more swear words (I later analyzed them) than normal vocabulary,” Lukashenko added, describing his interactions with a foul-mouthed Prigozhin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko was able to draw on a personal relationship with Prigozhin to reach the deal, which would also see Wagner troops and equipment absorbed by the Russian military.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, ” Lukashenko, Putin, ” Lukashenko —, —, Alex, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Read Organizations: Press Service, Reuters Locations: Minsk, Belarus, Republic of Belarus, Reuters Belarus, Russian, Russia, Moscow, “

CNN —Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko claims he convinced Russian leader Vladimir Putin not to “destroy” the Wagner group and its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, talking up his role in halting the mercenaries’ military insurrection that caused crisis in Russia at the weekend. Let’s talk with Prigozhin, with his commanders.”Lukashenko – a longtime ally of the Russian President – said Putin told him: “Listen, Alex, it’s useless. There were 10 times more swear words (I later analyzed them) than normal vocabulary,” Lukashenko added, describing his interactions with a foul-mouthed Prigozhin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Lukashenko was able to draw on a personal relationship with Prigozhin to reach the deal, which would also see Wagner troops and equipment absorbed by the Russian military. Lukashenko said Tuesday that Prigozhin has received his personal assurances of safety, and the safety of his men, in order to defuse the rebellion on Saturday evening.

Persons: Aleksandr Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, ” Lukashenko, Putin, ” Lukashenko –, –, Alex, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu –, “ Organizations: CNN, Federal Security Service Locations: Belarus, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Belarusian, Minsk

☆ Badminton federation extends ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has maintained its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in international tournaments, the governing body said on Thursday. The BWF first banned Russian and Belarusian athletes in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, initially using its ally Belarus as a staging ground in what Russia called a "special military operation". Table tennis, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among the Olympic sports which have readmitted athletes from the two countries as neutrals. The BWF said in a statement that the decision to extend the ban was taken at its council meeting on Tuesday. "However... BWF is not convinced there is satisfactory justification to lift the suspensions on Russian and Belarussian players and officials at this time.

☆ Russian censors scour the internet for claims Putin is a 'bald dwarf' or seriously ill, leaked documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian government unit scours the internet for insults about Putin, reports say. Staff at the agency will reportedly hunt down insults about Putin classed as "negative discrediting information", including labelling the Russian president a "thief," or a "bald dwarf". They are allegedly charged with tracking comparisons of Putin to negative figures, such as serial killers or in pornographic films. The Kremlin has closely monitored the internet for signs of dissent, clamping down on Russian search engine Yandex, Reuters reported. According to a Wall Street Journal report last year, Putin never uses the internet because he's concerned about being spied on.

☆ Belarusian and Russian charge in Melbourne throws spotlight on Wimbledon ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Friday, Russia's Karen Khachanov faces Stefanos Tsitsipas as he bids to reach his first Grand Slam final. With the conflict in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, a decision about Russian and Belarussian players competing at the All England Club is pressing. Australian Open organisers even banned Russian and Belarusian flags from Melbourne Park last week after a complaint from Ukraine's ambassador to the country. 'SITUATION NO-ONE WANTS'Nine-times Australian Open champion Djokovic has urged Wimbledon to allow Russian and Belarus players to enter the 2023 tournament, a view also backed by American great John McEnroe. "I disagreed with it last year that Wimbledon didn't allow the Russians or Belarusian players to play.

DNIPROVS’KE, Ukraine — The smell of sawdust hangs in the air around a network of neatly dug trenches in a quiet and densely forested area on Ukraine’s border with Belarus. Originally built in April, Ukrainian forces continue to update and strengthen defenses such as these trenches, amid reports of Russian troops and armor pouring into Belarus. Air force drills will be held from Monday to Feb. 1 using all of Belarus's military air fields, and joint army exercises involving a “mechanized brigade subdivision,” the Belarusian defense ministry said. “We are now focused on the reserves and groupings of troops that Russia is putting in the temporarily occupied territories. Across the Dnipro river from Belarus, not far from the trenches, Ukrainian forces are taking no chances.

☆ A Russian soldier has been arrested for beating a captain to death while 'intoxicated'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian soldier has been arrested for beating a commander to death, say local reports. The man drunkenly beat the captain of a military unit to death during a train journey. Both men were part of President Vladimir Putin's military mobilization. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyA Russian soldier has been arrested for beating a captain to death, a Russian military court has announced. This is not the first time that Russian soldiers have been involved in drunken brawls.

☆ Belarus protests to Ukraine after downing stray air defence missile
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Belarus protested to Ukraine's ambassador on Thursday after saying it had downed a Ukrainian S-300 air defence missile in a field, during one of Russia's heaviest aerial onslaughts against Ukraine since the start of the war. A Ukrainian military spokesman in effect acknowledged that the missile was a Ukrainian stray, saying the incident was "nothing strange, a result of air defence" and something that "has happened more than once". The S-300 is a Soviet-era air defence system used by both Russia and Ukraine. "Fragments were found in an agricultural field ... the wreckage belongs to an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile fired from the territory of Ukraine," the defence ministry said. BelTA published photos and video of what it said were parts of an S-300 missile lying in an empty field.

☆ IKEA suppliers allegedly used Belarus prisoners under forced labor conditions, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Mia Alberti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —IKEA furniture was allegedly produced by prisoners in Belarus penal colonies under forced labor conditions, according to a new report by the French non-profit investigative journalism network Disclose. “These are forced labor camps that are particularly brutal, known for practicing torture as well as food and healthcare deprivation, the exact opposite of the values flaunted by the Swedish firm,” Disclose said in its report. Disclose says other IKEA suppliers resorted to forced labor from prisoners in Belarus’ IK-15 penal colony and IK-2 juvenile prison. IKEA takes the report “very seriously and never accept[s] human rights violations” in its supply chain, the company told CNN in an emailed statement. We always strive to live up to our values and the expectations of those in our supply chain,” IKEA said.

☆ Gauff, Garcia into WTA Finals after Sabalenka defeat in Guadalajara
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tennis - WTA 1000 - Guadalajara Open - Guadalajara, Mexico - October 19, 2022 Coco Gauff of the U.S. in action during her second round match against Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto REUTERS/Henry RomeroOct 19 (Reuters) - Coco Gauff and Caroline Garcia qualified for the eight-player WTA Finals after Aryna Sabalenka lost to Liudmila Samsonova in the Guadalajara Open second round on Wednesday. The WTA Finals featuring the world's top eight players start on Oct. 31. Despite the loss, Sabalenka has not been eliminated from making the elite eight, according to the WTA. Fifth seed Gauff was not at her best but was still good enough to see off Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6(1) 6-3. Danielle Collins and Jelena Ostapenko, who both have an outside shot of making the WTA Finals, won their second round matches on Wednesday, while other hopefuls including Madison Keys, Belinda Bencic and top seed Paula Badosa play later.

☆ Video shows mobilized Russian soldiers drunkenly fighting one another as Putin's controversial new draft gathers pace
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video on social media, shared by a Belarussian journalist, shows Russian to-be soldiers engaging in a drunken brawl. The over-consumption of alcohol by Russian soldiers has been an issue since the beginning of the invasion. An intelligence report from Britain's defense ministry said "The impact of Russia's manpower challenge has become increasingly severe." The video, shot in the Yuzhno-Kurilsk region in the Sakhalin Oblast, shows men slamming into each other, throwing slurred punches, and shouting. Poor morale among Russian soldiers is often attributed to issues of alcohol over-consumption and infighting.

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