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☆ Putin references Russian hitman in German jail as he suggests ‘agreement can be reached’ on detained US reporter Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested “an agreement can be reached” with the United States to release detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich, as he brought up the conviction of a “patriotic” Russian hitman in Germany. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested last March while on a reporting trip in the country. When Putin said Gershkovich was working with US special services, Carlson did push the Russian president, saying: “This guy is obviously not a spy, he’s a kid. In fact, journalists have repeatedly been requesting interviews with Putin, but the Russian President had declined to grant access. The Russian President suggested that the path to ending the war in Ukraine was through direct negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Tucker Carlson, Putin’s, Carlson, Putin, “, ” Putin, ”, Natalia Kolesnikova, Gershkovich’s, “ He’s, Evan, ” Danielle Gershkovich, Biden, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, He’s, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Whelan, “ Evan, ” “ Evan, “ We’re, Viktor Orbán, Javier Milei, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Putin, railroaded Tucker Carlson, Jill Dougherty, Dougherty, Armin Wolf, Joe Biden, Dmitry Medvedev Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Street Journal, Federal Security Service, Novosti, US State Department, Getty, White, Russian, Street, Big Tech, International Criminal Court, Rights Watch, Russia’s, Kremlin, NATO, Republicans Locations: United States, American, Russian, Germany, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Russia, US, AFP, Berlin, Chechen, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Austrian, Washington, Poland, Belarus, Israel

☆ NAFO: The pro-Ukraine internet 'fellas' using Shiba Inu memes to fight Russian propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“NAFO” stands for the North Atlantic Fellas Organization and is a decentralized online volunteer organization that is waging its own social media war against Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. Over the weekend, the group held its own summit in Lithuania’s capital, which was opened by the country’s foreign minister. A cartoon Shiba Inu, wearing the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine's flag, pops up behind Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in a video she shared on Twitter. Some fellas are Ukrainian soldiers, who are fighting on the front lines and provide pictures from the battlefield, mocking the incompetence of the Russian military or praising Ukrainian bravery. After identifying Russian propaganda or pro-Russian sympathizers, fellas pile on their posts with memes, humor, wry logic, and dismissive comments.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Petras Malulas, NAFO, Kamil Dyszewski, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Keir Giles, Matt Moores, you’ve, Maria Zakharova, ’ ”, Defense Oleksii Reznikov, ”, Shiba, Shiba Inu, Ben Wallace, Adam Kinzinger Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Atlantic Fellas Organization, Twitter, Getty, Georgian Legion, Center for Strategic, International, Russian Foreign, Union, Ukraine’s, Defense, United Kingdom’s, Ukraine Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Estonian, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania’s, AFP, Russian, Egypt

☆ Analysis: Prigozhin's fate remains unclear and it signals more trouble in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The bizarre tale of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former pal-turned-mutineer, just got a whole lot weirder. His men had three choices: follow Prigozhin to Belarus, join the regular Russian military, or stop fighting and go home. He was a tough guy strutting about in camouflage, whose fighters could win battles in Ukraine that the regular Russian military couldn’t handle. Prigozhin’s ultimate fate is still unclear, but he is only one of Putin’s problems. And that portends more repression, more “settling scores,” and more fighting behind the scenes in Putin’s Russia.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, –, ”, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Putin, Vlad Karkov, “ Organizations: CNN, Putin’s, ” Locations: Russian, Belarusian, Russia, Belarus, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Prigozhin’s St, Petersburg, Ukraine, Rostov, Vesti

☆ Russia has avoided an armed Wagner insurrection — for now. Here's what we know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The crisis in Russia erupted Friday when Prigozhin accused Russia’s military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing his men – and vowed to retaliate by force. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation after an insurrection led by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 24. The Wagner group is “an independent fighting company” with different conditions than the Russian military, said retired US Army Maj. Mike Lyons on Saturday. Whatever it is, it’s really bad news for Putin.”Video shows Prigozhin leaving Russian military headquarters 01:46 - Source: CNNWho is Prigozhin? Wagner was thrust into the spotlight during the Ukraine war, with the fighters appearing to win tangible progress where regular Russian troops failed.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, –, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters Wagner, It’s, Russia’s, Pavel Bednyakov, ”, Tsar Nicholas II, What’s, Mike Lyons, we’ve, “ Putin, ‘, Jill Dougherty, CNN’s, “, Dougherty, ” Dougherty, it’s, Steve Hall, Hall, ” Hall Organizations: CNN, Belarusian, Kremlin, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Reuters, Sputnik, AP Russia’s Defense Ministry, Putin, Russia, Saturday, US Army, ”, Russian Ministry of Defense, CIA Locations: Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Voronezh, Russian, ’

☆ Eyeball to eyeball: Estonia stares down Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It sits high on the western bank of the Narva River, its 13th-century castle proudly flying the blue, black and white flag of Estonia. We think we know roughly what makes them tick.”Like parts of Ukraine, Estonia was illegally annexed and occupied by the Soviet Union. Estonians at the conference were adamant: Unless Russia is utterly defeated in Ukraine, there is no reason to expect Putin will change his strategic objective. Jill Dougherty/CNNSeveral Russians at the conference said they feel personally responsible for the horrors Russia is unleashing on Ukraine. What’s more, Vladimir Putin is winning support for the war from so-called “swing states” and nations in the Global South.

☆ Little would make sense about a drone attack on the Kremlin. Except this
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Kremlin was slow to react, eventually releasing a statement calling it a “planned terrorist attack,” a deliberate attempt by Ukraine to assassinate Putin, but presenting no evidence. Even more embarrassingly for the Kremlin, how did the drones get so close to the Kremlin? Ukraine officials said the attacks might be exploited by Russia to launch even more vicious attacks on Ukraine, including “terrorist” attacks. What about the possibility that Russians opposed to Putin launched a drone attack from within Russia? This year, with drones apparently attacking the Kremlin, it may be harder than usual to feel victorious.

☆ Viktor Bout: The Russian arms dealer swapped for Brittney Griner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Eliza Mackintosh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Brittney Griner’s freedom ultimately hinged on the release of a convicted Russian arms dealer whose life story inspired a Hollywood film. On Thursday, a source told CNN that the US basketball star had been released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” by his accuser. Viktor Bout is pictured in a temporary cell ahead of a hearing at a court in Bangkok in August 2010. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images“His early days are a mystery,” Douglas Farah, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center who co-authored a book on Bout, told CNN in 2010. He said that Bout graduated from the Military Institute on Foreign Languages, a well-known feeder school for Russian military intelligence.

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