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☆ The US is weighing using the power of the dollar to stop Chinese banks aiding Russia — but its plan could backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese banks are helping to aid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US alleges. The US is considering sanctions to cut Chinese banks off from the dollar, according to The Wall Street Journal. AdvertisementThe US is drawing up sanctions that could cause some Chinese banks to lose access to the dollar, according to The Wall Street Journal. In response to previous sanctions, Russia and China intensified efforts to create exchange mechanisms that don't rely on the dollar. Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center think tank, told The Wall Street Journal that regional Chinese banks had emerged that had little involvement in dollar exchanges.

Persons: —, Antony Blinken, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, Maria Snegovaya Organizations: Wall Street, Service, Reuters, Financial, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Ukraine, China, Russia, Italy, Russian

☆ Russia's economic strength will last another 18 months before unraveling as Putin grapples with policy 'trilemma,' think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewRussia's economic strength could last another year-and-a-half before it starts to fade, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In a best-case scenario, the current arrangement will likely begin to come apart within eighteen months owing to growing imbalances and possible social problems," Prokopenko warned. In other words, temporary fixes and a decline in living standards will add to the political and economic headwinds facing the Kremlin," Prokopenko said. Experts have warned of near-term social unrest in Russia, particularly as living standards continue to deteriorate.

Persons: —, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, Putin Organizations: Service, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Washington DC, Monetary Fund, Business, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow

☆ The Moscow-Beijing alliance is here to stay because partnering with China is the only way Putin can sustain his conflict with the West, think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's growing partnership with China isn't going to fade, a think-tank director said. The West should consider enforcing economic sanctions on China as well, he said. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In an op-ed for Foreign Affairs, the think-tank director pointed to Russia and China's economies becoming increasingly intertwined since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The two nations scaled up their trade partnership to a record $240 billion last year, partly because China has snapped up key Russian commodities while the West has shunned trade with Moscow.

Persons: China isn't, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Gabuev Organizations: Service, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Foreign Affairs, Business Locations: China, Beijing, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Central Asian migrants face xenophobic backlash in Russia after Moscow terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The men had been in Russia as migrant workers on either temporary or expired visas, authorities said. But in the days since, that emotion – combined with the disturbing videos – appears to have unleashed a wave of xenophobia from some towards Central Asian migrant workers in general. Her organization offers legal assistance to migrants looking for help in Russia, often on a pro bono basis. We need to spread the word.”A user in another channel, with 200,000 followers, suggested there was no space for anyone to feel sorry for migrants in Russia. According to Umerov, there are some 7 million migrants in Russia, of whom around 80% are from Central Asia.

Persons: Moskovsky, “ I’m, Vladimir Putin, Shamsidin, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Yulia Morozova, Putin, ”, ‘ It’s, Valentina Chupik, Tong Jahoni, Temur Umerov, don’t, ” Umerov, Umerov, Emomali Rahmon, “ Putin Organizations: CNN, Moscow’s Crocus, Central, Crocus City Hall, Reuters, Soviet, Kazakhstan —, Human Rights Watch, Central Asia, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Hall, Russian, Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, European Bank for Reconstruction, “, Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ISIS, Kremlin Locations: Moscow’s Crocus City, Tajikistan, Soviet, Central Asia, Russia, Ivanovo, Russian, Crocus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Illinois, Moscow, Central, Berlin, Ukraine, Kyrgyz, Tashkent, Western

☆ Russians vote in an election that Putin will win, but the Kremlin is looking for a landslide victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesThere are no surprises over who will win Russia's presidential election this coming weekend with incumbent, Vladimir Putin, set to win a fifth term in office, keeping him in power until at least 2030. The heavily stage-managed vote taking place from Friday to Sunday is not expected to throw up any nasty surprises for the Kremlin which told CNBC months ago that it was confident Putin would win the vote comfortably. That's particularly the case in a country where Russian opposition figures are not represented on the ballot paper or in mainstream politics, with most activists having fled the country. "According to official data, Putin received 77.5% of valid votes in the 2018 presidential election that saw a turnout of 67.5%. Russian opposition activists, most in self-imposed exile in order to evade arrest, imprisonment or attack, have also condemned the election.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Putin, That's, Alexei Navalny, there's, Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Slutsky, Nikolay Kharitonov, Russia's, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Andrei Kolesnikov, —, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Andreas Tursa, Russian Federation's, Yulia Navalnaya, Dmitrii, we're Organizations: Kremlin, CNBC, New People, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party, Russia's, Commission, Levada, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Putin, Teneo, Russian Democratic Society, Festival Locations: Kremlin, Ukraine, Russia, Klishchiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Europe, Kyiv, Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, London, Sirius, Sochi, Stavropolsky Krai, Krasnodar Krai

☆ Putin appears unstoppable, but even he 'doesn't know where the tolerance of the Russian people lies,' an economic historian said
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's economy appears resilient amid its war with Ukraine which has entered its third year. Military spending has reached 40% of Russia's budget, overshadowing social spending. AdvertisementDespite sweeping Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, Russia posted a GDP growth of 3.6% in 2023 after contracting 1.2% in 2022. Experts say Russia's growth is driven primarily by war spending and subsidies. An International Monetary Fund official told CNBC earlier this month that Russia's economy is starting to look like the Soviet Union's.

Persons: —, Putin, Mark Harrison, Harrison, Alexandra Prokopenko Organizations: Guardian, Military, Service, Warwick University, Monetary Fund, Foreign Affairs, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Center of Eastern European, International, International Monetary Fund, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Soviet Union, Soviet

☆ Inside the deadly Russian Arctic prison where Alexey Navalny spent his last days
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Deceased Russian dissident Alexey Navalny spent his final days in one of Russia's harshest prisons. Located near the Arctic Circle, the IK-3 prison colony is infamous for its terrible conditions. AdvertisementNavalny might have joked about prison life, but the reality of life behind bars was brutalA satellite image of the IK-3 prison colony where Navalny was detained. While Navalny did crack a couple of dark jokes about prison life, inmates in Russia's penal colonies often have to contend with brutal living conditions. Khulilidze told Life that his beating lasted about half an hour and he wasn't given any medical assistance after that.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, —, Navalny, Igor Kalyapin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Vera Savina, Santa, I'm, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Meduza, Antonina Favorskaya, Mikho, Khulilidze, It's, Joe Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Biden Organizations: IK, Service, Moscow Times, Getty, Prison Service, Maxar Technologies, Reuters, US State Department, State Department, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, BBC, Russia's Federal Prison Service, NATO Locations: Moscow, AFP, Russia, Santa Claus, IK, Russian, Russia's

☆ Russia may have to raise taxes to meet the spiraling cost of invading Ukraine: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Kremlin has plans to hike Russia's spending by 26% in 2024, per the UK's Ministry of Defence. Russia's National Wealth Fund is "increasingly being used to fund its invasion of Ukraine," it said. AdvertisementThe Kremlin will likely need to impose austerity measures to resolve Russia's budget deficit amid the growing cost of its invasion of Ukraine, according to UK intelligence. Advertisement"It is likely that the government will need to reduce its contributions to the National Wealth Fund and increase domestic taxes and debt to fund its planned expenditure," the UK MOD said. Such policies will have negative medium-to-long-term impacts, the UK MOD said on Monday.

Persons: —, Alexandra Prokopenko, who's Organizations: Ministry of Defence, MOD, Wealth, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, National Wealth Fund, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Center of Eastern European, International Studies, Foreign, Reuters, Bloomberg, International Monetary Fund, IMF Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union, Russian

☆ Russian war critic poses an awkward challenge for Putin and the Kremlin as the election nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The Kremlin has sought to dismiss Nadezhdin's potential to upset an election whose win for Putin is seen as a done deal. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC Thursday that "we are not inclined to exaggerate the level of support for Mr. However, Nadezhdin's recent growing popularity and prominence has changed that, political analysts say, and he now poses a challenge and a dilemma for the Kremlin as the election nears. Nadezhdin has said in interviews that he would end the war with Ukraine, describing the war as a "fatal mistake." Stanovaya believed it was likely that the CEC would not recognize a portion of the signatures that Nadezhdin has garnered.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vera Savina, Vladimir Putin's, Nadezhdin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, isn't, Putin's, Tatiana Stanovaya, he's, Stanovaya, András, Czifra, Peskov Organizations: Civic Initiative, Central, Commission, Afp, Getty, Kremlin, CNBC, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Duma, Ukraine, Moscow, Election Commission, CEC, Eurasia, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Boris Nadezhdin Press, Central Electoral, Putin, Kremlin's Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Mar, today's Russia, Anadolu

☆ Ukraine piling pressure on China but Beijing’s peace plans are focused on Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —As Ukraine scrambles to keep international support with Russia’s invasion grinding into a third year, its leader has made clear one country he would like to see join his push for peace: China. There, Zelensky told reporters he would “very much like China to be involved” in Ukraine’s peace plan. “China thinks it is already playing an important role in moving toward peace. There is even less reason for China to ‘advance a fair peace as advocated by the West and Ukraine,’” she said. But when it comes to how Beijing may maneuver toward brokering peace in Gaza, China likely doesn’t see itself as yet having captured the opportunity “to present itself as a conflict mediator,” according to Sun.

Persons: Ukraine scrambles, –, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Li Qiang, Zelensky –, It’s, ”, Yun Sun, Xi Jinping, ’ ”, Li, Wang Yi, Wang, Xi, Alex Gabeuv, Israel, “, Svitlana Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Economic, Stimson, Kyiv, Sun, West, CNN, Arab League, Palestine, Global, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, China’s, Ministry Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, China, Beijing, Switzerland’s Davos, Interfax, Russia, Washington, Moscow, Davos, Gaza, Russia’s, CNN China, Cairo, Africa, Israel, Palestine, United States, that’s, Berlin, Global, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, counterbalancing, Kyiv, London

How the Russian Government Silences Wartime DissentJust days after invading Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia signed a censorship law that made it illegal to “discredit” the army. The indignities of the crackdown, and the long arm of the Russia law, is being lost in the numbers. Nanna Heitmann for The New York TimesIn dry legalese, the court documents recount the Russian state’s case against these statements and protests. People’s “negative assessment” of the Russian military could adversely affect its performance, the court said, presenting a national security risk. And I very much don’t want this.”Sergei Platonov at district court in Moscow listening to his guilty verdict in November.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, ”, — schoolteachers, —, That’s, Ukraine —, pollsters, Andrei Kolesnikov, Demyan, Aleksandr T, Olga V, ” Maksim L, Omsk Diana I, Denis V, Russia ”, “, Maksim P, Anna S, Maria V, people’s “, Russia’s, Zaynulla Gadzhiyev, Mr, Bespokoyev, Marina Tsurmast, scrawled, Nanna Heitmann, Tsurmast, Gadzhiyev, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Aleksandra Y, Skochilenko, Selimat, Vladimir A, Rustam I, ” Yelena L, Aleksandr K, Olga P, Dmitri D, Sergei V, Eve, Daria Ivanova, Ms, Ivanova, “ you’ll, Anton Redikultsev, Redikultsev, Jan, Marina, Sergei P, ” Yuldash, ” Dmitri S, Peskov, Putin’s, Sergei Platonov, Platonov, Russian Gestapo ”, Polina, Kolesnikov, Anna Sliva, Sliva Organizations: New York Times, Times, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, OVD, Penza Yuriy V, Russia, ”, Ukraine ” “, YouTube, Bucha, Ukraine, Police, The New York Times, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, VK, Russian Gestapo, The New York Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, “, Omsk, Peace, Ukraine ” “ Ukraine, Bucha, Moscow, St, Petersburg, Iglino, ”, Novosibirsk, Siberia, Crimea, Ukrainian, Kalga, Russia’s, OVD, Coast, Primorye, Soviet

Ten days after that, Russia said a Hamas delegation was in Moscow for talks. Moscow has offered to host a regional meeting of foreign ministers and Putin has said that Russia is well placed to help. "My explanation is it's because the war is becoming the organising principle of Russian foreign policy and (because of) ties with Iran, which brings military materiel to the table. The central Russian war effort is more important than, for example, the relationship with Israel." "We're going to finish this war (with Hamas) ... After this, Russia will pay the price," Weitmann said in a stormy October interview with Russian state broadcaster RT.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yosri, Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sergei Markov, Washington, Hanna Notte, Moscow, Alexei Pushkov, Pushkov, Markov, Alex Gabuev, Anatoly Viktorov, Alexander Ben Zvi, Mikhail Bogdanov, Amir Weitmann, Weitmann, we're, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, West Bank, REUTERS, West, EU, Kremlin, U.S, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Likud, RT, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Russian, Gaza, Israel, Hebron, Russia, Moscow, United States, U.S, EU, Iran, Tehran, Ukraine, Berlin, Washington, Palestine, Arab, Jerusalem, Syria

LONDON (AP) — Russia's State Duma took a step forward Wednesday towards approving its biggest-ever federal budget which will increase spending by around 25% in 2024, with record amounts going on defense. Part of the Russian budget is secret as the Kremlin tries to conceal its military plans and sidestep scrutiny of its war in Ukraine. Analysts suggest Russia is in third place globally for defense spending behind China and the United States, which spends around $850 billion a year. The main driver of that growth is Russia's war in Ukraine, which is now as important to the Kremlin economically as it is politically. If there is a reduction in military spending, or a need to reduce spending which impacts living standards, it could send shockwaves through the Russian economy and significantly impact ordinary people.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Richard Connolly, Farida Rustamova, Maksim Tovkaylo, Alexandra Prokopenko, Anton Siluanov, “, Connolly, they’ve, ” Prokopenko, Prokopenko, — — David McHugh Organizations: —, Duma, Kremlin, Royal United Services Institute, Independent, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Russian Central Bank, Finance, Defense, Central Bank Locations: — Russia's, Russia, Ukraine, London, China, United States, Russian, West, India, Berlin, Frankfurt

☆ As the West courts Russia's neighbors, Putin shows he won't give up its backyard without a fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Eurasian Economic Summit on Nov. 9, 2022, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a joint news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Feb. 10, 2022. "Central Asia obviously has to keep a fine balance and tread that line," Hess said. Analysts note that while an economically isolated Russia wants and needs to keep Central Asia on side, it is gradually losing its grip on the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrive for a working breakfast of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Keen, Emmanuel Macron, Putin, Ilham Aliyev, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Emomali Rahmon, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Lavrov, —, it's, Max Hess, Hess, Kassym, Mikhail Klimentyev, Xi Jinping, Florence Lo, they've, Temur Umarov, Tokayev, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Vladimir Smirnov Organizations: Economic, Getty, Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian, Central Asia —, Central Asian, Kazakh, CIS, West, Georgia, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Kremlin, Reuters Central, Central, Central Asia Summit, Afp, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Commonwealth of Independent, Sputnik Locations: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Moscow, Russian, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakh, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China, Soviet, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Baltic States, Soviet Union, Moldova, Ukraine, U.S, Afghanistan, Asia, Xian, Shaanxi

☆ Russia is turning increasingly hostile toward Israel as it picks sides in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - JANUARY 23: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) attend their meeting at Prime Minister's Office on January 23, 2020 in Jerusalem, Israel. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 19, 2022. Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during a meeting in Sochi on November 20, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting on Jan. 23, 2020, in Jerusalem. Russia's President Vladimir Putin with senior Saudi officials in 2014.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mikhail Svetlov, Russia's, Petroleum Javad, Putin, Erdogan, Ebrahim Raisi, John Drennan, Sergei Savostyanov, Mark Galeotti, Israel, Israel Russia's, Sergei Lavrov, Bashar al, Assad, UN Vasily Nebenzya, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Rob Griffith Organizations: Israeli, Minister's Office, Getty, Israel's, Petroleum, Turkish, Israel, U.S . Institute of Peace, AFP, Ministry, Russian Foreign Affairs, Russian, UN, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kremlin, America, Saudi, Afp Locations: JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, Jerusalem, Israel, Russia, Gaza, East, Tehran, Iran, Ukraine, Syria, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Arabia, Sochi, Tel Aviv

Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas. It also expects the Israel-Hamas war to distract attention from the fighting in Ukraine and erode support for Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel. Unlike Putin, who carefully balanced his statements, other Russian officials were more blunt in their criticism of Israeli strikes on Gaza. But this position also threatens Russia's friendly ties with Israel, which hasn’t joined Western sanctions against Moscow or given weapons to Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Israel, ”, Putin, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Konstantin Kosachev, Ramzan Kadyrov, assailing, hasn’t, Andrei Kortunov, Amir Weitmann, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Solovyov, Yevgeny Satanovsky, Mikhail Bogdanov, Maria Zakharova detests, ” Alexander Baunov, ” Izabella Tabarovsky Organizations: Kyiv, Washington, Security, U.S, British, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Moscow, Russian International Affairs Council, The, Likud, Kremlin, RT, Ukraine, Foreign, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kennan Institute Locations: Russia, Israel, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Gaza, Nazi, Leningrad, Palestinian, China, Beijing, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Chechnya, assailing Israel, Maria Zakharova detests Israel, israel, russia, ukraine

☆ Xi and Putin to reunite in China as divisions with the West sharpen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Putin and Xi, who frequently refer to their close friendship, have met 40 times in the past decade, including twice since the start of the war in Ukraine. “And for China, having an important international player like Putin to join the BRI summit is also politically important,” he added. Chinese leader Xi Jinping inspects the honor guard at the Moscow Vnukovo Airport on March 20, 2023. Last year, Russia and China saw record trade, which continued to grow in 2023. Xi and Putin are expected to discuss the conflict in their upcoming meeting – where Russia’s war in Ukraine will also likely feature.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Ukraine –, ’, Xi, Putin, “, ”, Li Mingjiang, Xie Huanchi, “ China, Alex Gabuev, it’s, Xu Wei, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Israel –, Li, don’t Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Hamas, Palestinian, Forum, West, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Moscow Vnukovo Airport, Getty, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, ’, Xinhua, United Nations Security, UN, Israel, Ukraine Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Xinhua, Europe, Berlin, East, Israel, Gaza, Leningrad, Singapore

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two. Biden has referred to Xi as a "dictator" and has said Putin is a "killer" and a leader who cannot remain in power. Since the Ukraine war, Putin has mostly stayed within the former Soviet Union, though he visited Iran last year for talks with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The United States has warned China against supplying Putin with weapons as Russia, a $2 trillion economy, battles Ukrainian forces backed by the United States and the European Union.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Putin, Xi Putin, Xi, Joe Biden, Graham Allison, Bill Clinton, Biden, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mao Zedong, Alexander Gabuev, Gabuev, Li Shangfu, Alexei Miller, Igor Sechin, Guy Faulconbridge, Alison Williams Organizations: Kremlin, Sputnik, Forum, Soviet Union, U.S, Harvard University, Reuters, Soviet, United, European Union, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Gazprom, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, China, USSR, MOSCOW, BEIJING, United States, Beijing, Hague, Ukraine, Europe, U.S, Soviet Union, Iran, Communist China, Ukrainian, Siberia, Mongolia

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet this week with Chinese leaders in Beijing on a visit that underscores China’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine. China has sought to balance its ties with Israel with its economic relations with Iran and Syria, which are strongly backed by Russia. Putin’s visit is also a show of support for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road drive to build infrastructure and expand China’s overseas influence. “I don’t expect that Russia and China will create a military alliance,” Gabuev said. China and the former Soviet Union were Cold War rivals for influence among left-leaning states, but have since partnered in the economic, military and diplomatic spheres.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin’s, Xi, Putin, ”, ” Putin, ” Alexander Gabuev, that’s, ” Gabuev, “, Beijing's, hasn't Organizations: Moscow, Soviet Union, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Ukraine, Associated Press, International Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Beijing, Ukraine, United States, Israel, China, Iran, Syria, Russia, Russian, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Moscow, Central Asia, “, Asia, Europe, Cold

☆ As Israel goes to war, Russia must now decide where its loyalty lies in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 30, 2020. Maxim Shemetov | Afp | Getty ImagesThe outbreak of bloodshed, violence and outright war between Israel and Hamas has put Russia in an awkward position, with Moscow traditionally treading a fine diplomatic line between Israel and its allies in the Middle East. Russia has enjoyed warm and constructive relations with Israel in recent years. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi hold a meeting in Tehran on July 19, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at the Kremlin on April 21, 2016.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Maxim Shemetov, Tatiana Stanovaya, Ebrahim Raisi, Sergei Savostyanov, Stanovaya, Saudi Arabia —, Vladimir Putin's, Bashar Assad's, Bashar Assad, Sergei Shoigu, Alexei Nikolsky, Netanyahu, Putin, Mohammed Shia, Al Sudani, Mikhail Svetlov, tellingly, Russia's, Ian Bremmer, Antony Blinken, Petroleum Javad, Erdogan Organizations: Israeli, Kremlin, Afp, Getty, Hamas, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, AFP, Saudi, Russian Defense, Sputnik, AP Putin, Iraqi, . Security Council, Israel, Eurasia Group, ., Ukraine, Ministry of Defence, Institute for, Petroleum, Turkish Locations: Moscow, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Russian, Tehran, Syria, Eastern, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Umayyad, Damascus, U.S, Palestinian, China

While Russia narrowly avoided what many feared could be a civil war, the violent clashes on Oct. 3-4, 1993, marked a watershed. The public feels scared and intimidated after years of sweeping Kremlin efforts to quash dissent, he said. As tensions soared, Yeltsin ordered the parliament disbanded, a move that Russia’s Constitutional Court declared illegal. Grigory Yavlinsky, a veteran politician who defied Yeltsin and later opposed Putin, described the 1993 events as a key moment that determined Russia’s post-Soviet history. “The result is … the system that has led Russia where it now is,” he said in a recent commentary.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Josef Stalin, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, ”, Andrei Kolesnikov, ” Kolesnikov, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, Mikhail Gorbachev, Alexander Rutskoi, Viktor Alksnis, Grigory Yavlinsky Organizations: Kremlin, Communist, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Putin, Constitutional Locations: Moscow, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Ukraine, USSR

Along with ramping up its domestic arms production, Moscow is turning to an old ally with a vast arsenal — North Korea. That would be a remarkable reversal from the 1950-53 Korean War, when the Soviet Union provided the communist North with weapons and ammunition. Shoigu became the first Russian defense chief to visit North Korea since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. “Russia is hoping that North Korea could swiftly establish support channels to provide it with war materials like ammunition, bombs and other supplies,” Hong said. U.S. officials have cast Moscow’s reach for North Korean weapons as a reflection of Russian military problems.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, Kim Jong Un, ”, Alexander Gabuev, Shoigu, Kim, Dmitry Peskov, ” Kim, Hong Min, Hong, Wagner, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, embolden Kim, Dmitry Medvedev, “, Emma Burrows, Kim Tong Organizations: United, North, Soviet Union, Russian Defense, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kremlin, Moscow, Korean People’s Army, Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, House, Washington, Strategic, International Studies, Ukrainian, Russian, Royal United Services Institute, Russia’s Security, Associated Press Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, North Korea, United States, Soviet, Soviet Union, Pyongyang, Korea, Russian, Hong, U.S, United Nations, ” Washington, Iran, Ukrainian, Tallinn, Estonia, Seoul

That’s almost three times what Russia spent on defense in 2021, before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Those figures are likely to underestimate the total spent on Russia’s war effort. He said that before the war Russia would typically splash around 3-4% of its annual gross domestic product on defense but now it could be anywhere between 8% and 10%. Russia’s exports are still greater than the value of its imports, despite a boost to the latter from the hefty military spending. Rising military spending is, on the other hand, boosting Russia’s industrial output and, with it, GDP.

Persons: London CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, That’s, Richard Connolly, Janis Kluge, Irina Okladnikova, Liam Peach, it’s, Peach, Kluge, “, ”, —, Maksim Konstantinov, Alexandra Suslina, Suslina, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, — Anna Cooban, Tim Lister, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Reuters, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Royal United Services Institute for Defence, Security Studies, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Capital Economics, CNN, “, ZUMA, International Monetary Fund, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, International Energy Agency, West Locations: “, Ukraine, Russia, Stockholm, Moscow, “ Russia, Russian, Saint Petersburg, Soviet, Berlin

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin: Where in the world is the Wagner warlord?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It was a stark contrast to the fate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Back in June, Prigozhin led the abortive mutiny that presented the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in over two decades of rule. Speaking after Wagner fighters relocated to Belarus, Prigozhin suggested he remained focused on this core African market. In a recent Telegram message, Prigozhin hinted that Wagner might be ready to offer its services there. “And this is the (the reason for the) love for PMC Wagner, this is the high efficiency of PMC Wagner.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Prigozhin hasn’t, –, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Andrei Kelin, Kelin, “, ” Kelin, Vladimir, Kara, Murza, … Prigozhin, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Candace Rondeaux, Rondeaux, it’s, ” Rondeaux, Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, ” Prigozhin, Sudan –, PMC Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Tatiana Stanovaya Organizations: CNN, Central African Republic, Kremlin, Amanpour, Putin’s, NATO, Polish, Wagner Group, PMC Wagner, PMC, Russian Foreign Ministry, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Putin Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Africa, St . Petersburg, Orchestra_W, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, America, Prigozhin, Putin’s Russia, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Sudan, Libya, Niger, Putin Russia

☆ Russia’s Moves to Shore Up Ruble Reflect War’s Toll on Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The Russian currency fell nearly 25 percent since the beginning of the year. “The ruble exchange rate is only an indicator,” said Alexandra Prokopenko, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and a former Russian central bank official. The ruble plummeted to as low as 135 per dollar and the central bank took a series of dramatic measures, including capital controls, to stave off a full-blown meltdown. The most immediate concern for Russian financial policymakers is the possibility of significant inflation. The country’s central bank reacted to that risk late last month with a higher-than-expected rise in interest rates, to 8.5 percent.

Persons: ”, Alexandra Prokopenko, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V Organizations: Bank of Russia, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Soviet Union

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