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☆ Isolated From West, Putin Projects Domestic Power at Inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vladimir V. Putin was inaugurated for a fifth term as president on Tuesday in a ceremony filled with pageantry and a televised church service, as the Russian leader tried once more to depict his invasion of Ukraine as a religiously righteous mission that is part of “our 1,000-year history.”Mr. Putin took the presidential oath — he swore to “respect and safeguard the rights and freedoms of man and citizen” — with his hand on a red-bound copy of Russia’s constitution, the 1993 document that guarantees many of the democratic rights that he has spent much of his 25-year rule rolling back. Mr. Putin claimed his fifth term in March in a rubber-stamp election that Western nations dismissed as a sham. If he serves the full six years of his new term, he will become the longest serving Russian leader since Empress Catherine the Great in the 19th century. “Together, we will be victorious!” Mr. Putin said at the end of a speech after he took the oath in the Kremlin’s gilded St. Andrew’s Hall.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, —, ” —, Empress Catherine the Great Organizations: Andrew’s Locations: Russian, Ukraine

☆ Putin, Bidding to Cement His Legacy, Will Seek Re-election as President
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-08 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the absence of genuine political opposition, Mr. Putin is all but assured of winning another six-year term, prolonging his authoritarian grip. There had been next to no doubt that he would run: Perhaps in an acknowledgment of his expected candidacy, Mr. Putin declared his intentions not at a podium, but in a conversation with soldiers that was recorded on camera. Still, the exchange was laden with symbolism, coming after a military awards ceremony at the Kremlin that underscored his standing as a wartime president overseeing a brutal invasion of Ukraine. The interaction appeared to be highly choreographed, though the Kremlin later denied that was the case. A Ukrainian-born Russian military officer and official from Donetsk, a Russian-occupied city in eastern Ukraine, approached Mr. Putin and expressed gratitude that its residents now had the opportunity to vote for the first time in Russian presidential elections, and they wanted to cast their votes for Mr. Putin.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Catherine the Great, Mr Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russian

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the "Russia" forum and exhibition celebrating the country's major achievements in Moscow, Russia, December 4, 2023. Putin was given an explanation of a Soviet nuclear bomb design and shown a mock control panel for launching a nuclear test, before observing images of a blast and mushroom cloud through a viewing window. Since the start of the Ukraine war, Putin has frequently reminded the West of the size and capabilities of Russia's nuclear arsenal, saying anyone who tried to launch a nuclear attack against it would be wiped from the face of the earth. Supporters of Putin dismiss that analysis, pointing to independent polling which shows he enjoys approval ratings of above 80%. They say that Putin has restored order and some of the clout Russia lost during the chaos of the Soviet collapse.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Voskresensky, Putin, Oleg Saitov, Boris Yeltsin, Josef Stalin, Catherine the Great, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kremlin, State, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, Ukraine, Belarus, Soviet Union, Putin's Russia, London

☆ Putin Greets Kids, Views 'Nuclear Button' as Re-Election Bid Nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Putin was given an explanation of a Soviet nuclear bomb design and shown a mock control panel for launching a nuclear test, before observing images of a blast and mushroom cloud through a viewing window. Since the start of the Ukraine war, Putin has frequently reminded the West of the size and capabilities of Russia's nuclear arsenal, saying anyone who tried to launch a nuclear attack against it would be wiped from the face of the earth. Putin was shown a replica of Stalin's office during his exhibition tour. Supporters of Putin dismiss that analysis, pointing to independent polling which shows he enjoys approval ratings of above 80%. They say that Putin has restored order and some of the clout Russia lost during the chaos of the Soviet collapse.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan MOSCOW, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Oleg Saitov, Boris Yeltsin, Josef Stalin, Catherine the Great, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kremlin, State Locations: Soviet, Ukraine, Belarus, Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, Putin's Russia, London

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan says it wants to "reintegrate" breakaway region. What does that mean?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Karabakh officials said their forces were outnumbered and had no choice but to surrender. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has long been explicit about the choice that confronts Karabakh officials. In a speech delivered in May, he told Karabakh Armenians they needed to “bend their necks” and accept full integration into Azerbaijan. “It’s a mess.”It is also unclear where Karabakh Armenians will travel to, if evacuations are able to begin. Azerbaijani officials met with ethnic Armenian representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh in Yevlakh, Azerbaijan, September 21, 2023.

Persons: ” Olesya, “, ”, Ilham Aliyev, Aliyev, AZA, Nikol Pashinyan, Miroslav Jenca, Siranush Sargsyan, Sargsyan, Reuters Olesya Vartanyan, Vartanyan, –, Armenia doesn’t, Farid Shafiyev, Shafiyev, Anna Ohanyan, Ohanyan, ” Ohanyan, …, Catherine the Great Organizations: CNN, Azerbaijan’s, Karabakh, Armenian, United Nations, UN, UN Security, Russian, Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, ICRC, ”, International Relations, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, gaslight Locations: Azerbaijan, Armenian, Nagorno, Karabakh, South Caucasus, Armenia, Soviet Union, Baku, Yevlakh, Stepanakert, ”, Russian, Soviet Azerbaijan, Russia, Eurasia

CNN —Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has tapped Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar, to become his next defense minister, replacing Oleksii Reznikov at a critical time for Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Umerov will have a bulging in-tray if and when the Ukrainian parliament approves his appointment. The Defense Minister is also Ukraine’s main interlocutor with western allies through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Zelensky chose Umerov for the top defense job even though Umerov is not a member of his political party, the Servant of the People. I also explained to colleagues that they should have no hesitation because the invaders are coming to kill.”Rustem Umerov is expected to become Ukraine's next defense minister.

Persons: CNN —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Rustem, Oleksii, Zelensky, Umerov, Stalin, Forbes, “, Catherine the Great, ”, Dogukan, Reznikov, –, impinge, ” Reznikov Organizations: CNN, Defense Ministry, Defense, Ukraine Defense Contact, US, Group, State Property Fund, Center, Humanitarian Dialog, Turkish, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Ukrainian Emerging, Stanford University, Analysts, NATO, Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Twitter Locations: Crimean, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Crimea, Soviet, Russian, Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian, Norway, Turkey

CNN —Ukrainian officials have criticized Pope Francis’ recent address to Russian youth, calling his remarks “imperialist propaganda.”The pontiff made a video address to the 10th All-Russian Catholic Youth Assembly in St. Petersburg on Friday, during which he urged them to view themselves as descendants of the Russian empire. You are the descendants of great Russia: the great Russia of saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire – educated, great culture and great humanity. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared himself to Peter the Great during an exhibition dedicated to the first Russian emperor, using the comparison to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years,” Putin said at the time. The pope has previously been criticized for some of his comments about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Persons: Pope Francis ’, Peter I, Catherine II, Russia, ”, Oleh Nikolenko, ‘, Russia ’, ” Nikolenko, Vladimir Putin, Peter the Great, “ Peter the Great, ” Putin, “, Peter, –, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Catherine the Great, ” Shevchuk, Pope, Francis, Darya Dugina, Visvaldas Kulbokas, Francis ’, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Catholic Youth Assembly, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kremlin, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Vatican, La Stampa, NATO, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Sweden, Ukrainian, Italian, Moscow, Rome

☆ Pope Francis draws criticism for extolling Russian imperialist tsars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience, in Paul VI hall at the Vatican, August 9, 2023. You are heirs of the great Russia - the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, the great Russian empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity. An editorial on Italy's Il Sismografo website, which specialises in Catholic affairs, called the pope's words "odd" at a delicate moment in history. Pope Francis is a Jesuit. The comment prompted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to summon the Vatican's ambassador in Kyiv to protest, saying the pope's words were "unfair" and had "broken Ukraine's heart".

Persons: Pope Francis, Paul VI, Peter the Great, Vladimir Putin, Francis, Catherine II, Russia, Oleg Nikolenko, Nikolenko, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Italy's, Catherine, Catherine the Great, Pope Clement XIV, Last, Putin, Tsar Peter the Great, propounding, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Nexta, Darya, Dmytro Kuleba, Ron Popeski, Tomasz Janowski, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Kremlin, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Rite Catholic Church, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Russia, Crimea, Russian, Estonian, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Catherine the Great Founded Odesa. Now Missiles Are Destroying Its Russian Legacy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Matthew Luxmoore | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/catherine-the-great-founded-odesa-now-missiles-are-destroying-its-russian-legacy-73f98c7c

Persons: Dow Jones, catherine

☆ Russia's Bolshoi, performing in China, vows to return to the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, July 26 (Reuters) - The artistic director of Moscow's state-owned Bolshoi Ballet has vowed that his company will eventually perform in the West again, having been subject to a cultural boycott since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The storied ballet company performed at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts on Tuesday in its first international tour since the pandemic. Speaking in Beijing on the eve of the performance, artistic director Makhar Vaziev insisted the troupe was "not suffering" from being unable to perform in the West. Cancellations in other Western cities soon followed, and creative collaboration with Western venues and choreographers evaporated. Several Russian and foreign leading dancers also quit the company in opposition to the Ukraine war, including former principal ballerina Olga Smirnova.

Persons: Makhar Vaziev, Empress Catherine the Great, Don Quixote, Vladimir Putin's, Olga Smirnova, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Laurie Chen, John Geddie, Raju gopalakrishnan Organizations: Bolshoi Ballet, National, Performing Arts, Reuters, London's Royal Opera House, Western, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Ukraine, Beijing, Russia, Minsk, Oman, Moscow

CNN —Russian missiles badly damaged dozens of Ukrainian architectural landmarks, including a historic Orthodox cathedral in the southern port city of Odesa, sparking outrage and prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to vow retaliation. “Russians deliberately aimed their missiles at the historic city center of Odesa, which is under the UNESCO protection. Some of the other cultural sites damaged include the House of Scientists and Zhvanetskyi Boulevard, Odesa’s Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said Sunday. Jae C. Hong/APThe cathedral lies in Odesa’s city center, which UNESCO named a World Heritage Site amid the threat of Russia’s invasion. “Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral … There can be no excuse for Russian evil,” Zelensky said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Odesa –, Oleh Kiper, Hennadii Trukhanov, Jae C, Catherine the Great, Oleksandr Tkachenko, Maia Sandu, Russia’s, Oleksandr Gimanov, ”, Julia Gorodetska, I’ve, Odesa, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Serhii Smolientsev, Reuters “, Josep Borrell, Oleh Syniehubov, ” Syniehubov Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Scientists, Zhvanetskyi, Ukrainian, Heritage, Getty, Command, Russian Ministry of Defense, “, Odesa, Reuters, Telegram . Civilian Locations: Russian, Odesa, Odesa’s, Soviet, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, AFP, Ukrainian, Kharkhiv, Dvorichna, Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, Kupyansk

☆ Russia's Bolshoi, shunned in West, heads to Beijing for first tour since COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Principal dancers of the Bolshoi Theatre Elizaveta Kokoreva and Dmitry Smilevsky take part in a rehearsal in Moscow, Russia July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File PhotoMOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, grounded by COVID-19 and then shunned in the West since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, returns to international touring next week for the first time since the pandemic with a trip to Beijing. "I believe that we will perform again (in the West), and others will come to (Russia) to perform. Vladimir Urin, the Bolshoi's director, said in April that he was saddened by the loss of what had been regular creative cooperation with Western theatre companies and artists. Reporting by Reuters Writing by Lucy Papachristou Editing by Andrew Osborn and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bolshoi Theatre Elizaveta Kokoreva, Dmitry Smilevsky, Evgenia, Makhar Vaziev, Empress Catherine the Great, Don Quixote, we'll, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Vladimir Urin, Lucy Papachristou, Andrew Osborn, Peter Graff Organizations: Bolshoi Theatre, REUTERS, Bolshoi Ballet, Reuters, London's Royal Opera House, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Beijing, China, Western, Italian, Minsk, Oman

☆ Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Experts break down Putin's motivations and excuses for launching his war.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Insider spoke to three experts about why it happened, and the motives behind President Putin's move. AP Photo/Evgeniy MaloletkaPutin blamed the WestTaylor said the invasion of Ukraine reflects Putin's "grievances that have been brewing for a long time." For Putin, "Russia has a right to rule Ukraine. At the start of the invasion, Putin blamed NATO's expansion into eastern Europe for forcing his hand, echoing a criticism he has made for years. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with war correspondents in Moscow, June 13, 2023.

Persons: Putin's, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Felipe Dana, it's, George W, Bush, Stephen Hall, Hall, Alexander Ermochenko, Brian Taylor, Thomas Graham, Graham, Evgeniy Maloletka Putin, West Taylor, Taylor, Lithuania — Taylor, NATO didn't, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Omar Marques, They've, Russia's, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Stalin, Zelenskyy, Viktor Medvedchuk, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, GAVRIIL Organizations: Service, AP, University of Bath, Kyiv, REUTERS, Slavic, of, West, Syracuse University, Yale, NATO, NATO doesn't, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Getty, Nazis, Nazism, Putin, SPUTNIK Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bucha, Kyiv, Russian Ukraine, Soviet Union, USSR, Russian, Moscow, Luhansk, Belarus, Asia, of Russia, East, Avdiivka, Europe, Ryazan, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Zelenskyy, Afghanistan, Germany

Traditional dishes are served for lunch at a Crimean Tatar restaurant in Kyiv. The Crimean Tatars were accused of collaborating with the Nazis and were taken off in cattle trucks to the Ural Mountains and to Uzbekistan, thousands of kilometers away. I see now how stupid it is to hold back on making new friends and acquaintances.”Crimean Tatar history books -- Viktor Shevchenko's reading during frontline deployments. According to Shevchenko, Crimean Tatars are grateful Ukraine allowed them to return in the 1990s. Ukraine’s politicians, too, were too often guilty of making empty pledges, Shevchenko said, promising greater freedoms for Crimean Tatars that never materialized.

Persons: Viktor Shevchenko, Volodymyr Zelensky, Shevchenko, ” Zelensky, Zelensky, ”, Andrew Carey, Catherine the Great, Joseph Stalin, –, Vladimir Putin’s, I’ve, “, ” Viktor Shevchenko, Viktor Shevchenko's, Ukraine’s, Ukraine Zelensky, Victor, Berkut Organizations: CNN, Crimean Tatars, Hitler’s Wehrmacht, Crimean, Tatars, United Nations General Assembly, Rights Watch, European Union Locations: Kyiv, Crimean Tatar, Crimea, Russian, Crimean, Hitler’s, Uzbekistan, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Crimean Tatars, Russia, Poland, Bilohorivka, Tatars, Moscow

☆ Zelensky Signs Law Banning Russian Place Names
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Jeffrey Gettleman | Olha Kotiuzhanska | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has signed two laws that strictly reinforce his country’s national identity, banning Russian place names and making knowledge of Ukrainian language and history a requirement for citizenship. The moves late Friday were Ukraine’s latest steps to distance itself from a long legacy of Russian domination, an increasingly emotional subject since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last year. Already, countless streets across Ukraine have been renamed and statues of Russian figures like Catherine the Great have come toppling down. While such efforts to scrub away old Russian names have been going on since the fall of the Soviet Union, they have picked up pace since the war began in February 2022 in a process called “de-Russification.”A new law that Mr. Zelensky signed on Friday prohibits using place names that “perpetuate, promote or symbolize the occupying state or its notable, memorable, historical and cultural places, cities, dates, events,” and “its figures who carried out military aggression against Ukraine.”

☆ How Naomi Watts and Elle Fanning Stay Hungry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Ella Riley-Adams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When I was shooting the first season of “The Great” [the Hulu series that premiered in 2020, and that will soon air its third season, with Fanning playing Catherine the Great], it was also my first time producing a show. I hadn’t been behind the scenes much before, making those decisions, but I’d always been curious about how everything’s put together. Now I can feel myself evolving, not being as afraid to speak up in rooms that I wouldn’t normally be in. I’m still young, but I keep having to remind myself, “You’ve been acting since you were 2 — you’ve been on a lot of film sets, and you’ve seen a lot of things.”

☆ Crimea is shaping up to be the battleground that will decide the Russia-Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Crimea is poised to be the next big battlefield, and one that could decide the Ukraine war. "The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea," Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, told Insider. Ukraine will "never be safe or secure" if Russia retains control of Crimea, Hodges siad. The fight to retake Crimea could be extremely bloody, in a war that's already led to massive casualties for both sides. President of UkraineUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to expel Russian forces out of all occupied territory, including Crimea.

☆ Pro-Putin operatives in Germany work to turn Berlin against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +17 min

Now the main Russian Cossack organisations are loyal to Putin, and they are fighting alongside Russia’s forces in Ukraine. He is regularly pictured on his and other social media pages at Cossack gatherings, often wearing Cossack military uniform. Felk has worked as a security guard and has run a logistics firm, according to posts on Felk’s OK social media account. Photos shared by Kharkovsky on social media show him and other participants standing in front of a Great Don Army flag. Eremenko confirmed to Reuters that he worked for Russian military intelligence, the GRU.

A Culture in theCross Hairs Russia’s invasion has systematically destroyed Ukrainian cultural sites. It has also dealt a grievous blow to Ukrainian culture: to its museums and monuments, its grand universities and rural libraries, its historic churches and contemporary mosaics. This is how empires always work.” The war in Ukraine is a culture war, and the extent of the destruction is becoming clearer. Kyiv Sviatohirsk UKRAINE Damaged or destroyed religious sites Areas controlled by Russia at any time since invasion. Kyiv Sviatohirsk UKRAINE Damaged or destroyed religious sites Areas controlled by Russia at any time since invasion.

☆ Ukraine's Odesa votes to remove Catherine the Great statue
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The city council announced the decision to remove the statue on its website on Wednesday. Local lawmakers had also voted to remove and relocate a monument to an 18th century Russian general, Alexander Suvorov. A slim majority of Odesa residents had already voted - in an online poll organised by city authorities - to remove the statue to Catherine the Great, who was empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. First erected in 1900, the statue to Cetherine the Great was dismantled in 1920 under Soviet rule but restored by Ukrainian authorities in 2007. Since Moscow's invasion, Ukrainian authorities have been removing monuments associated with Russia and renamed some streets linked with Russia under a process of "derussification".

☆ Video appears to show a Russian-Ukrainian businessman stealing a llama and a raccoon from a zoo in Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Videos appear to show the owner of a Crimea-based zoo taking several animals from a different zoo. The owner of the Crimea zoo claims it was all done as part of a "humanitarian mission." But Ukraine accused him of theft, with the defense minister tweeting, "Steal a raccoon and die." The video also shows the businessman, identified as Oleg Zubkov, grabbing a raccoon by its tail and putting it in a cage. Ukraine's Defense Ministry, however, accused Zubkov of theft.

☆ Russia says it has completed retreat from Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's defence ministry said all Russian forces and equipment had been transferred to the eastern bank of the Dnipro. "The transfer of Russian troop units to the left bank of the Dnipro river has been completed," the defence ministry said in a statement. This time, General Sergei Surovikin, the commander in chief of Russian forces, said it was futile to waste more Russian blood on Kherson. Russian military bloggers said it was probably blown up as Russian troops withdrew. Peskov said the decision to retreat was taken by the defence ministry.

☆ Analysis: Russia's planned Kherson retreat a double-edged sword for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Civilians evacuated from the Russian-controlled part of Kherson region of Ukraine arrive at a local railway station in the town of Dzhankoi, Crimea November 10, 2022. If it happens, the planned retreat could make life easier for the Russian army, in some respects, and harder for Ukraine. Both men publicly accepted that Russia's position in Kherson had become untenable. Regardless of any potential military upside, retreat would represent a humiliating defeat for Russia's political and military leadership. Kherson is the first and only regional capital Moscow's forces have captured, at great cost, since their Feb. 24 invasion.

The pullout proposed by General Sergei Surovikin, appointed last month to take overall charge of Russia's war effort, means Moscow is giving up a strategic city just north of annexed Crimea, the only Ukrainian provincial capital it had captured since its Feb. 24 invasion. The decision - described by one Russian military blogger as "a black page in the history of the Russian army" - was nonetheless quickly defended by some of the most high-profile proponents of the war as a wise and necessary action. But he said that ceding Kherson to Ukraine would put Russian-annexed Crimea within range of Ukrainian guided missile systems and U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets. As Shoigu and Surovikin announced the retreat on Wednesday, Putin was congratulating employees of a leading scientific institute on its 75th anniversary. And after that, to understand who is right, who to blame and what is the essence of the problem".

☆ Russia stole from a Ukrainian crypt the bones of Catherine the Great's lover, the conqueror who annexed Crimea and inspired Putin
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The bones of Potemkin were removed from Kherson and taken deeper into Russian-occupied territory. Potemkin was Catherine the Great's lover and played a key role in the annexation of Crimea in 1783. Potemkin's remains were removed from St. Catherine's Cathedral and taken deeper into Russian-occupied territory as Ukrainian forces move to retake Kherson. Sebag Montefiore, a historian and author of "Catherine the Great and Potemkin," said in tweets that Potemkin would've "loathed" Putin's "primitive" and "cruel nationalism." An attempt to quickly seize the Ukrainian capital fell apart, forcing Russia to concentrate its efforts on the east, where grinding artillery battles took their toll on both sides.

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