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☆ Andrey Morozov: Pro-Kremlin military blogger dead days after reporting massive Russian losses in Avdiivka
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Vasco Cotovio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A pro-Kremlin Russian military blogger, Andrey Morozov, has reportedly died just days after he reported that Russia had suffered massive losses during its assault on the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka. Morozov’s death comes after he reported that Russia was suffering massive losses during its assault of Avdiivka. CNN has seen evidence Russia suffered heavy casualties during the offensive on Avdiivka, but cannot verify the estimates published by Morozov. If he doesn’t remove it, we won’t provide supplies,” Morozov wrote. Pro-Russian military bloggers have enjoyed some freedom to criticize the Russian military and the way the Ministry of Defense was prosecuting the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Andrey Morozov, Mozorov, Maxim Pashkov, Morozov, “, ” Pashkov, ” Morozov, ”, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Igor Girkin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Defense Locations: Kremlin Russian, Russia, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Russian, Luhansk People’s Republic, Ukrainian, Luhansk, Moscow

☆ Russian military blogger Igor Girkin sentenced to four years in prison on extremism charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Igor Girkin, a prominent Russian pro-war blogger who criticized President Vladimir Putin’s handling of the war on Ukraine, has been found guilty on extremism charges and sentenced to four years in prison by a Moscow court. Moscow City Court convicted Girkin, also known under his pseudonym, Strelkov, of inciting extremism – a charge he denied. Girkin was an influential blogger and critic of Putin. The court in 2022 found Girkin guilty of mass murder for his role in the incident and he was sentenced in absentia to life in prison. According to the court, Girkin participated in the conflicts in Chechnya, Transnistria and Bosnia.

Persons: Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin’s, Girkin, Strelkov, Putin, Wagner, Natalia Kolesnikova, ” Organizations: CNN, Court, Federal Security Service, Malaysia Airlines Flight, Getty, Angry Patriots Club, Reuters, Donetsk People’s, DPR Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Crimea, Donbas, Russia, AFP, Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic, Netherlands, Chechnya, Transnistria, Bosnia

☆ Jailed Russian nationalist nominates himself for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Girkin said from custody in August that he would make a better president than Vladimir Putin, whom he described as "too kind". The letter instructed his followers to set up a headquarters and start collecting signatures for his candidacy, SOTA said. Supporters of Girkin said in September that his criminal investigation had been extended until Dec. 18. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Putin has unprecedented support and that he would win an overwhelming majority if he ran. Reporting by Elaine Monaghan in Washington; editing by Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Igor Girkin, Igor Strelkov, Girkin, Vladimir Putin, SOTA, Oleg Nelzin, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Elaine Monaghan, Clelia Organizations: Kremlin, REUTERS, Maxim, Russian, Strelkov, West, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Malaysian, Ukraine, Washington

☆ Imprisoned Russian ultranationalist claims Putin's regime is near 'collapse' due to failures in Ukraine and can't be saved
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A prominent Russian pro-war blogger doubled down on his criticism of Putin from prison this week. Igor Girkin, a former FSB operative, said he believes Russia is on the eve of collapse. Girkin believes Putin and his defense officials haven't gone far enough in Ukraine. Girkin said he believes it is his duty — even from prison — to offer an alternative and unite Russia's remaining patriotic people. Ukraine's spy chief told The Economist this week that Russia is running out of reserve troops and weapons that it needs to continue fighting.

Persons: Putin, Igor Girkin, Girkin, haven't, Vladimir Putin, castigating Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader's, Prigozhin's, —, Ukraine's Organizations: Service Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Donetsk

☆ Recent arrests suggest Putin is quietly trying to rein in some of his most effective promoters of the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Putin regime has leaned heavily on propaganda to rally support for its war in Ukraine. In doing so, it has come to rely on military bloggers to spread its message and back its efforts. Milbloggers also have become an indispensable tool for Western governments, think tanks, and media to track the Russian war effort. But the relationship between Putin and milbloggers illustrates the complexities of social media in an authoritarian state. Many milbloggers are ultra-nationalists with deep ties to the Russian military and intelligence agencies.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin's, —, Donald Jensen, Angel Howard, Milblogs, aren't, Milbloggers, DOMINIQUE FAGET, It's, Ramzan Kadyrov, milbloggers, Jensen, Howard, Igor Girkin, Girkin, Andrey Kurshin, Maxim Shemetov, Russia's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Kyiv Independent, Getty, REUTERS, Putin's, Kremlin, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russian, Makiivka, Donetsk, AFP, British, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Moscow, Russia, Forbes

CNN —A Russian military blogger who has written critically of Russia’s conduct in Ukraine was arrested in Moscow Thursday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. The blogger, Andrey Kurshin, runs the Moscow Calling Telegram channel, which has some 87,000 subscribers. “A criminal case was opened against the administrator of the Moscow Calling telegram channel Andrey Kurshin for fake news about the Russian army,” RIA Novosti said Thursday. In April, Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in an explosion at a cafe in the center of St. Petersbug, where he was appearing as a guest of a pro-war group. Russia’s pro-invasion military bloggers have filled some of the information vacuum left behind by the closure of independent media outlets in Russia.

Persons: Andrey Kurshin, RIA Novosti, “, Kurshin, ” ISW, Igor Girkin, Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Vladlen Tatarsky, Daria Trepova, Trepova, Russia’s, Wagner Organizations: CNN, RIA Novosti, RIA, The, Investigators Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, St, Petersbug, Russia

☆ After Wagner's Prigozhin, who will stick their head above the parapet in Putin's Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Kremlin has vehemently denied speculation that the Russian state might have been involved in the crash. It’s worth remembering that Prigozhin never had particularly high name recognition in Russia, at least certainly not before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That changed in late June after Wagner’s march on Moscow raised the unsettling possibility of civil war in Russia. Alexey Navalny, who succeeded Nemtsov as Russia’s most galvanizing opposition leader, is currently in a Russian prison colony, along with many others who have peacefully opposed Putin’s war on Ukraine. Killed the leaders.”No evidence has surfaced that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash.

Persons: Yevgeny, Wagner, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, “, ” Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Joe Biden, I’d, Biden, Prigozhins —, Prigozhin, Prigozhin —, —, Igor Girkin, ultranationalist, Matthew Chance, bouquets —, Boris Nemtsov, Alexander Ermochenko, Alexey Navalny, Nemtsov, Navalny, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Embraer, Kremlin, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Russia’s

☆ Opinion: Who the drone attacks on Russia are really aimed at
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Jade Mcglynn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Jade McGlyn Jade McGlynIt is the latest in more than 140 suspected Ukrainian drone attacks directed against Russia and its occupying forces on Ukrainian territory this year, according to the BBC. Does that mean the drone attacks are strategically pointless? Investigators work near a damaged roof following a reported Ukrainian drone shot down in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, August 18. Unlike in Russia, Ukraine’s population is not passive or depoliticised, as shown by its heroic fight for its sovereignty. The drone attacks probably won’t turn Russians against the war.

Persons: Jade McGlynn, “, Read, McGlyn, Volodymyr Zelensky, arrogate, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Igor Girkin, Shamil Zhumatov, pacifying, Vladimir Kara Murza, ”, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov Organizations: Center for Strategic, International Studies, CNN, Russia, BBC, Malaysia Airlines Flight, Kremlin, of Defence, Armed Forces, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Putin’s Russia, Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russian ultra-nationalist who has gotten away with criticizing the Kremlin for years is arrested after calling Putin a 'cowardly mediocrity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A prominent Russian war blogger was arrested on Friday after months of criticizing Putin. Igor Girkin, a former FSB operative, had long flouted Russian laws forbidding wartime criticism. But the pro-war blogger was detained this week after calling Putin a "cowardly mediocrity." But for all his critiques of the conflict in Ukraine, Girkin is decidedly pro-war, suggesting that Putin and his generals haven't gone far enough, and calling for the full mobilization of Russia's population. In a June 25 Telegram post, Girkin suggested that if Putin can't win in Ukraine, "he needs to legally transfer his powers."

Persons: Putin, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Girkin's, haven't, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Girkin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, YouTube, Financial Times Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Girkin, Donetsk, Russia

☆ The 'taboo' of criticizing Putin has been 'significantly weakened,' which is why an influential pro-war blogger trashed him, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pro-war Russian ultra-nationalist was arrested for criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The UK MoD said he made the comments as the "taboo" around criticizing Putin is weakened. Ivor Girkin, a Russian ultra-nationalist, was arrested on extremism charges on Friday after he called Putin a "cowardly mediocrity." Girkin, like many other Russian war bloggers, has been critical of Russia's military performance in Ukraine. The UK MoD noted that Girkin had "long been a critic" of Russia's military performance but that, in recent days, his comments had turned to criticizing Putin himself.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Ivor Girkin, Girkin's, Russian Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Igor Girkin, ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Insider's Erin Snodgrass, Girkin Organizations: MoD, Service, Wagner Group, Getty, MOD, Guardian Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian Donetsk

☆ Russia Arrests Militant Right-Wing Critic Igor Girkin in Widening Crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Alan Cullison | Thomas Grove | ) 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/russia-arrests-militant-right-wing-critic-igor-girkin-in-widening-crackdown-3b6308

Persons: Dow Jones, igor Locations: russia

☆ Pro-war Putin critic and nationalist Girkin detained in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, helped Russia annex Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and then organise pro-Russian militias who took control of part of eastern Ukraine from Kyiv. Girkin's lawyer told the state news agency TASS that it was not clear why his client had been detained. RBC, citing two unnamed law enforcement sources, said Girkin's Moscow home was being searched and that he had been detained over a complaint against him made by a former Wagner employee. Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the R.Politik analysis firm, said the men who run Russia's law enforcement and power ministries had long wanted to arrest Girkin. Stanovaya said Girkin's detention was a signal that any of the bitterest critics of Moscow's approach to the war could face prosecution.

Persons: Putin, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Igor Strelkov, Girkin, PUTIN, Miroslava Reginskaya, Girkin's, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: RBC, Malaysia Airlines, Federal Security Service, of Angry Patriots, Kremlin, Telegram, Investigative, TASS, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, Crimea, Kyiv, Girkin's Moscow

☆ Russian investigators detain pro-war nationalist and Putin critic Igor Girkin, his wife says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Russian investigators have detained prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, his wife said on Friday, a move which suggests authorities may have wearied of his criticism of how Moscow is running its "special military operation" in Ukraine. Girkin, who is also known as Igor Strelkov, helped Russia annex Crimea in 2014 and then organise pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine. In a message posted on Girkin's official Telegram account, his wife, Miroslava Reginskaya, said:"Today, at about 11.30, representatives of the Investigative Committee came to our house. Soon, according to the concierge, they took my husband out by his arms and in an unknown direction." She said friends had told her that Girkin had been charged with extremism.

Persons: Igor Girkin, Girkin, Igor Strelkov, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Miroslava Reginskaya, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Federal Security Service, Defence, Investigative, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea

CNN —Igor Girkin, a prominent Russian military blogger and former official in the separatist so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in Ukraine, has been arrested in Moscow, according to a message attributed to his wife and posted on his Telegram account and in Russian news reports. Girkin, also known by the nom de guerre Igor Strelkov, was reportedly taken from his apartment by Russian security officials Friday morning. Russian state news agency TASS said Reginskaya informed them about the extremism charge, and that law-enforcement agencies confirmed Girkin’s detention. Girkin is a former colonel in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and served as defense minister in the DPR in eastern Ukraine. According to the court, Girkin participated in the conflicts in Chechnya, Transnistria and Bosnia.

Persons: Igor Girkin, Girkin, Igor Strelkov, ”, Miroslava, “, ” Reginskaya, Reginskaya Organizations: CNN, Donetsk People’s, Investigative, Federal Security Service, DPR, Malaysia Airlines Flight Locations: Russian, Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic, Ukraine, Moscow, Chechnya, Transnistria, Bosnia

☆ There's blood in the water after Prigozhin's revolt shattered the façade of Putin's invincibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jason Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It represented the most significant affront to President Vladimir Putin's 23-year reign. It has also fed paranoia and put a spotlight on Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's ex-bodyguard turned governor. A brief and ultimately aborted attempt at a coup d'état by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin represented the most significant affront to President Vladimir Putin's 23-year reign. President Vladimir Putin (L) and Aleksey Dyumin, the governor of Tula and Putin's former personal bodyguard, in Moscow in 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Tula Governor Aleksey Dyumin visit Russian writer Lev Tolstoy's former home in 2016.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's, —, Vladimir Putin —, Prigozhin, Vladimir Fesenko, trundling, Sergey Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, There's Prigozhin, Wagner, Putin, Belarus —, defenestration, Dyumin, Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Svetlov, Igor Girkin, Alexander Lukashenko —, Dyumin's, Dmitry Peskov, Boris Yeltsin, Viktor Yanukoyvch, Girkin, Andrei Gurulyov, Russia's, Lev Tolstoy's, Tatiana Stanovaya, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Viktor Zolotov, Zolotov, Alexander Lukashenko, Chris Weafer Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Kommersant, Angry Patriots, Russia's First Channel, Prigozhin, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Central Bank, Washington Post, New York Times, Defense Ministry, Moscow Times, National Guard, Ministry, Macro Locations: Russian, Russia, Rostov, Ukraine, Moscow, Voronezh, Lipetsk, St, Petersburg, Minsk, Belarus, Russia's Tula, Kremlin, Tula, Dyumin's Tula, St Petersburg, Prigozhin, Crimea, Berlin, Novosibirsk, Osipovichi, Africa, Syria

☆ After Prigozhin's mutiny, another Russian ultranationalist said that Putin must 'transfer' his war powers if he can't win in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If Putin can't secure victory in Ukraine, one of them argued, "he needs to legally transfer his powers." "The whole current system is built on the irresponsibility of the elites," wrote Igor Girkin at the Angry Patriots Club meeting planned weeks before the Wagner Group armed rebellion. "If the president is not ready to take responsibility for the war, he needs to legally transfer his powers." "The Kremlin's continued careful response to the armed rebellion will likely prompt other Russian nationalists to test Russian official reactions to more explicitly critical rhetoric." Girkin — a former FSB security operative who goes by the nom de guerre Strelkov, Russian for "shooter" — had warned that Prigozhin's Wagner Group could be a threat to Putin.

Persons: ultranationalists, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Igor Girkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, SERGEI ILNITSKY, Wagner, Prigozhin, Girkin —, Strelkov, Prigozhin's Wagner Organizations: Service, Angry Patriots Club, Wagner Group, Kremlin, for Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, milbloggers, Russian

Image Mr. Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin at one of Mr. Prigozhin’s factories in St. Petersburg in 2010. Mr. Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his forces, vowed to retaliate, on Friday. In an earlier videotaped speech, Mr. Prigozhin did not explicitly impugn Mr. Putin, instead casting him as a leader being misled by his officials. But, during the battle for Bakhmut, Mr. Prigozhin also emerged as a populist political figure, excoriating Russia’s military leadership for corruption. Others theorized that the Kremlin had orchestrated Mr. Prigozhin’s tirades against Mr. Shoigu, the defense minister, to deflect blame from Mr. Putin himself.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, ” Gen, Vladimir Alekseyev, ” Mr, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Russia’s, ’, “, ”, GOH, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adam Hodge, Vladimir Putin, —, Sergei K, Shoigu, Dmitri S, diatribes, excoriating, Prigozhin’s, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ” Julian E, Barnes, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: Russian, ., Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Russia’s, Defense Ministry, Telegram, Twitter, National Security, Associated Press, Bakhmut, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, Don, Russia, White, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Russian, Ukraine’s, “

☆ Prigozhin's Wagner mercenaries appear to be on the march towards Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Wagner paramilitary forces appear to be headed toward the capital, Moscow. Photos and videos now appear to show Wagner forces and their armored vehicles in the region of Lipetsk, which is a roughly eight-hour drive from Rostov-on-Don — and less than six hours from Moscow. He later confirmed that Wagner forces were moving through the area, state media reported, and urged civilians to stay in their homes. The "march" began Friday after Prigozhin accused Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, of ordering an air strike on Wagner forces in Ukraine. He has repeatedly accused Shoigu and other military leaders of undermining Wagner forces in Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Don —, Igor Artamonov, Prigozhin, Russia's, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Sergey Sobyanin, Igor Girkin Organizations: Service, New York Times, Russian, British Ministry of Defense Locations: Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Vorenezh Oblast

☆ An Russian ex-commander says Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin should face 'treason' charges after his latest tirade against Russia's war with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian ex-commander said Wagner boss should be tried for "treason" over his latest anti-war tirade. Prigozhin posted a video on Friday calling the war a "racket" used to line oligarchs' pockets. "The war wasn't needed to return Russian citizens to our bosom, nor to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine," Prigozhin said in the video, according to The New York Times. And that rant ticked off Igor Girkin, the former commander of another Russian paramilitary group, and an ultranationalist who is also highly critical of Prigozhin and Russia's strategy. "Prigozhin already should have been handed over to a military tribunal for many things," Girkin wrote in a Telegram post on Friday, which was translated by The New York Times.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, Prighozin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Putin, Igor Girkin, Girkin, he's Organizations: Service, The New York Times, New York Times Locations: Russian, Ukraine, The, Bakhmut

☆ Russian pundits are blaming the rain for Ukrainian advances
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lauren Steussy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian forces have gained ground along the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russian milbloggers reportedly said it's only because rain and fog grounded Russian aircraft. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the rain but said his forces remained strong. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the weather but said his troops did just fine with it. By Monday, the rain cleared, allowing Russian forces to launch a counterattack in western Donetsk Oblast, said former Russian officer and nationalist Igor Girkin, according to the ISW.

Persons: Russian milbloggers, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, —, Zelenskyy, Insider's Ryan Pickrell, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, milbloggers Organizations: Service, Russian, Institute for, Kyiv Independent, The New York Times, Associated Press Locations: Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Donetsk Oblast, Russia, —, Ukraine

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin is escalating his feud with the Russian military to stay relevant after Bakhmut, but he risks taking it too far, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Wagner founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin continues to escalate his feud with the Russian defense ministry. But some prominent voices in Russia's pro-war ultranationalist community are troubled by his antics, ISW observed. But in that same information space, Prigozhin also voiced repeated, profane, and blunt criticisms of the regular Russian military and its leadership. This aspect of his online activities appears to have become more pronounced as Wagner forces come off the line and reposition to rear areas. "Prigozhin is exposing a similar hatred for select individuals within the Russian military command," she said.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ISW, —, Prigozhin, Russia's ultranationalist, Bakhmut, Stepanenko, Roman Venevitin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Igor Girkin, Shoigu, Russian oligarch Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russia's, Kremlin, Institute for, Press, REUTERS, 72nd, Motorized Rifle Brigade, Wagner, Russian MoD, RIA, MoD, Washington DC Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Belgorod Oblast, Russia, Concord, Russian, Soledar

☆ Anti-Kremlin rebels are back marauding inside Russia and triggering fears Putin's forces can't defend the homeland
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A small group of anti-Kremlin Russians with armored vehicles crossed into the Belgorod region of Russia. Images captured the damage they caused inside Russia, and triggered debate and skepticism of Putin's regime. The melee adds to fears that Russia's troops are not up to the task of stopping a looming Ukrainian counter-offensive. But their operation has succeeded in one critical aspect: Creating images of wreckage inside Russia's borders that are reigniting debates among hardliners deeply skeptical of Russian officialdom. —Novaya Gazeta Europe (@novayagazeta_en) June 2, 2023According to Russia's TASS state-run news agency, Ukraine's military "repeatedly shelled" Shebekino, injuring more than 10 people and Russian troops had stopped them from entering the village.

Persons: —, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, that's Organizations: Kremlin, Service, of Russia Legion, Novaya Gazeta Europe, Russia's TASS, Institute for Locations: Belgorod, Russia, Ukrainian, Shebekino, Ukraine, Russian, Western, Belgorod Oblast

☆ Russian ultranationalists think Putin's response to the Moscow drone attacks and border raids shows he's 'out of touch with reality'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian ultranationalists say Putin's response to recent attacks shows he's "out of touch with reality." The ISW says responses to the drone attacks and cross-border raids haven't satisfied war-hawks. To the ultranationalists Russia allows to criticize the war, it is evidence that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is "out of touch with reality." Former Russian officer and ultranationalist Igor Girkin said Putin was "out of touch with reality" and criticized "an absence of an honest conversation with" Russian society. According to ISW, both Girkin and other ultranationalists also criticized Putin's response to recent border raid attacks in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts of Russia.

Persons: he's, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ISW Organizations: Service, Institute, Twitter, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Belgorod, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Kyiv, Kursk

☆ Russia's Wagner Group chief threatens to pull his mercenary army from fighting in Ukraine if war efforts continue to be 'led by clowns who turn people into meat'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, continues to criticize the Kremlin. Prigozhin has said his group will not continue fighting in Ukraine if leadership doesn't improve. The Wagner Group, which has taken heavy losses in Ukraine, is in the process of leaving Bakhmut. Wagner, the private army founded by Prigozhin, has experienced heavy losses fighting in Ukraine. Igor Girkin, a former Russian Federal Security Service officer, has said the Wagner Group could pose an active threat to Putin's power and attempt to overthrow him.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Igor Girkin, Putin Organizations: Wagner Group, Wagner, Service, Russian Wagner Group, Reuters, Wagner Army, The Institute, Kremlin, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Federal Security Service Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, Russia, Donbas, Moscow

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