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☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine says it downed Tu-22M3 bomber for the first time; 8 killed in major attack by Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk on Friday said the country shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber for the first time, destroying a warplane capable of using long-range missiles. "During today's attack, two such missiles were destroyed for the first time. Ukraine needs more means, more missiles, in order to better protect the frontline territories from Russian terrorism," he added. Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said the bomber crashed over the southern Stavropol region when it was flying back to its home airfield, state news agency RIA reported via Telegram. The Stavropol region is located in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia, hundreds of kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Persons: Mykola Oleschuk, Oleschuk, Sam Meredith Organizations: Tupolev, Kremlin, Nazi, Ukrainian Air Force, Air Force, Main Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, CNBC, Russia's Defense Ministry Locations: Moscow, Nazi Germany, Russian, Ukraine, Stavropol, North Caucasus, Russia

☆ Chechnya bans all music deemed too fast or too slow
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Authorities in the Russian Republic of Chechnya have announced a ban on music that they consider too fast or slow. The ban will mean that many songs in musical styles such as pop and techno will be banned. Chechnya sits in the North Caucasus region between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Kadyrov has been leader since 2007 and has used his time in office to stifle any form of dissent. The pro-Kremlin leader has also subdued the Chechen separatist movement that fought for independence from Russia for almost two decades.

Persons: Culture Musa Dadayev, Chechen Republic “, Chechen Republic Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov, ” Dadayev, Dadayev, Kadyrov, Mike Pompeo, ” Organizations: CNN, Authorities, TASS, of Culture, United, Kremlin, US State Department Locations: Russian Republic, Chechnya, Culture, Russian, Chechen Republic, North Caucasus, Russia’s, Georgia, United Nations, Chechen, Russia

☆ Crocus City attack: The ghost of Russia’s past wars comes back to haunt Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Twenty years ago, the Dubrovka gunmen were the disturbed product of Russia’s savage anti-terror campaign that summarily executed hundreds of military aged males in Chechnya in the early 2000s. Emergency services personnel and police work at the scene of the Crocus City Hall attack. First, there will be further efforts to suggest Ukraine and the West are somehow involved in these attacks. The Dubrovka attack was followed two years later by airplanes being blown out of the sky and the catastrophic nightmare of the Beslan school siege. In 2002, Dubrovka forced Moscow reluctantly yet closer to the United States’ war on terror.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Kadyrov, Stringer, Maria Zakharova, Margarita Simonyan, overstretched Putin, Dubrovka, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Gunmen, Dubrovka Theatre, Chechen, Crocus City, Kremlin, Authorities, Getty, Russia Today, ISIS Locations: Moscow, Crocus, Russia, Chechnya, Iraq, Syria, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Caucasus, AFP, Ukraine, fatigues, Russian, Beslan, United States

Chechnya sought to break away from the Russian Federation, but after two brutal wars Chechnya was subjugated by Vladimir Putin under the Kadyrov family. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. The son of a judge, he is a human rights attorney who has attempted to put a spotlight on the abuses and depredations of the Kadyrov regime. In this comic, you will hear about the rise of the Kadyrovs, what it is like to endure your country being taken over by thugs and killers, and how to survive in a brutal authoritarian regime. Business Insider is proud to present, Sons of Chechnya.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrov, Abubakar Yangulbaev Organizations: Russian Federation, Business, Chechen Locations: Soviet Union, Russia, Chechnya, North Caucasus

☆ Russian soldiers killed a Ukrainian family of 9 for refusing them moonshine liquor, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two Russian soldiers are being investigated for murdering a Ukrainian family. Reports say that they had a dispute over the soldiers demanding moonshine liquor. Throughout the conflict there have been multiple reports of Russian soldiers heavily consuming alcohol. AdvertisementAdvertisementTwo Russian soldiers are being investigated for killing a Ukrainian family, possibly in revenge for not giving them moonshine, according to reports. Throughout the conflict, there have been multiple reports of Russian soldiers heavily consuming alcohol and drugs.

Persons: —, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov Organizations: Service, Russian Investigative, Russian Telegram, Chechen, Russian Army, Astra, Russian Investigative Committee, Russian, Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, for Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russian, Chechen, Russia, Ukraine, Chechnya, Russia's North Caucasus

☆ Rampage by antisemitic mob puts pressure on Moscow to confront rising ethnic tensions in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

People shouting antisemitic slogans at an airfield of the airport in Makhachkala, Russia, on Oct. 30, 2023. APMoscow is coming under increasing pressure to protect the country's Jewish community after the latest episode of antisemitism highlighted growing interethnic tensions in Russia. Russia's Jewish populationThe incident in Dagestan highlights wider demographic tensions in Russia, whose population of 144 million is diverse and disparate in terms of ethnicity, religion, culture and language. The latest episode of antisemitic aggression in Dagestan is likely to be very concerning for Jews living in the region, and wider Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting on Jan. 23, 2020, in Jerusalem.

Persons: Allahu Akbar, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Tupolev, STRINGER, Stringer, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Boroda, Ramzan Kadyrov, Juma, Gavriil Grigorov, Sergei Lavrov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Max Hess, Hess, there's, Lavrov, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mikhail Svetlov Organizations: AP Moscow, Sunday, Russian Federation, Kremlin, Russia's, CNBC, Institute for, Hamas, AFP, Getty, Afp, Getty Images Israel, Russia's Federation of Jewish, Reuters, Chechen, Ukraine, Nazi, Foreign Policy Research Institute Locations: Makhachkala, Russia, Israel, Russian, Dagestan, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Russia's, Christianity, Russia's North Caucasus, Chechnya, Tatarstan, Ingushetia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Republic of Dagestan, North Caucasus, Caucasus, Moscow, Derbent, Russia's Republic of Dagestan, Nazi Germany, Jerusalem

☆ Dagestan riot: Anti-Jewish protest in Russia’s Dagestan shows risks of Putin’s balancing act on Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Threats to exterminate the Jews are the result of the work of Russian state propaganda, which for decades cultivated feelings of hatred towards other peoples among Russians,” he noted. Kadyrov has also provided footsoldiers for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Gaza war adds one more match to the fire. Additionally, Russia’s war in Ukraine has impacted Dagestan heavily, with significant casualties. But an anti-Jewish riot in the southern region of Dagestan shows how quickly that model can backfire, particularly for those trapped inside the echo of Russian state propaganda.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, –, Matthew Miller, Israel, ”, Putin, ” Putin, “, Bashar al, Assad, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Communications John Kirby, “ we’ve, ” Kirby, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleh Nikolenko, Ramzan Kadyrov, – Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Harold Chambers, Riddle, Yevgenia Albats Organizations: CNN, multiconfessional, Ukraine –, Kremlin, Red Wings Airlines, Tel Aviv –, Jewish, Authorities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamas, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sunday, Saudi, Israeli, National Security, Strategic Communications, ” Observers, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian National Guard, AFP, Getty, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Global Locations: Russia, Dagestan, Makhachkala Uytash, Ukraine, Gaza, Tel Aviv, ”, Russian, Makhachkala, Palestine, Beijing, China, Israel, Jerusalem, Moscow, Iran, United States, Chechnya, Chechen, Russia’s, Kremlin, East

The government in the predominantly Muslim republic said that the outburst had been calmed and vowed to prevent further clashes. Russian aviation authorities said that the airport, in Makhachkala, the republic’s capital, would reopen on Tuesday. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said on Monday that Mr. Putin had been receiving reports about the events in Dagestan. Some people in the videos held Palestinian flags and carried signs opposing the war in Gaza, and some chanted “God is great” in Arabic. The local authorities in Dagestan blamed “extremist” outlets administered by “Russian enemies” for inciting the unrest.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Dmitri S, Peskov, “, ”, Sergei Melikov, Ilya Ponomaryov, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Aric Toler Organizations: The New York Times, Red Wings, The Times, Telegram, Kremlin Locations: Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russian, Tel Aviv, Russia, Kremlin, Israel, North Caucasus, Ukraine, Gaza, ”, Caucasus, Khasavyurt

☆ Facts about Russia's republic of Dagestan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Acquire Licensing RightsOct 30 (Reuters) - Twenty people were injured when hundreds of anti-Israeli protesters stormed on Sunday an airport in Russia's Dagestan region before security forces closed the airport and removed the demonstrators. Here are some facts about Russia's mainly Muslim republic of Dagestan, where waves of violence have erupted in the past. * A mountainous territory in the eastern part of the North Caucasus, Dagestan is Russia's most ethnically and linguistically varied region and home to at least 40 different ethnicities. A republic within the Russian Federation, Dagestan's population is about 3.2 million, according to Russia's official figures. * For almost a decade until 2017, Russian security forces were battling an armed insurgency conducted by an array of Islamist militant groups in Dagestan, neighbouring Chechnya and Ingushetia.

Persons: Shamil, Lidia Kelly, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Sunday, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Makhachkala, Russia, Russia's Dagestan, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Dagestanis, Nationalities, Russian, Today, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Derbent, Melbourne

☆ Kremlin: Dagestan airport violence result of 'outside influence'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk as Pro-Palestinian protesters storm an airport building, in Makhachkala, Russia, October 29, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a video obtained by Reuters. Video Obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that the storming of an airport in the capital of the southern Russian region of Dagestan by an anti-Israeli mob on Sunday was the result of "outside influence". In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It is well known and obvious that yesterday's events around Makhachkala airport are largely the result of outside interference, including information influence." He did not specify who the Kremlin believed had engineered the violence, or why. Russia's interior ministry said on Monday that 60 people had been arrested after hundreds of anti-Israel protesters stormed the airport in Makhachkala on Sunday, shortly after a plane from Israel arrived.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Makhachkala, Russia, Russian, Dagestan, Gaza, Israel

☆ Factbox-Facts About Russia's Republic of Dagestan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Twenty people were injured when hundreds of anti-Israeli protesters stormed on Sunday an airport in Russia's Dagestan region before security forces closed the airport and removed the demonstrators. Here are some facts about Russia's mainly Muslim republic of Dagestan, where waves of violence have erupted in the past. * A mountainous territory in the eastern part of the North Caucasus, Dagestan is Russia's most ethnically and linguistically varied region and home to at least 40 different ethnicities. A republic within the Russian Federation, Dagestan's population is about 3.2 million, according to Russia's official figures. * For almost a decade until 2017, Russian security forces were battling an armed insurgency conducted by an array of Islamist militant groups in Dagestan, neighbouring Chechnya and Ingushetia.

Persons: Shamil, Lidia Kelly, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Reuters, Sunday, Russian Federation Locations: Russia's Dagestan, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Dagestanis, Nationalities, Makhachkala, Russian, Today, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Russia, Derbent, Melbourne

☆ Russian security forces remove pro-Palestinian protesters from Dagestan airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Grigory Dukor Acquire Licensing RightsOct 29 (Reuters) - Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters on Sunday stormed Russia's Dagestan airport in Makhachkala where a plane from Israel had just arrived, forcing Russian security forces to close the airport and divert flights while removing the demonstrators. Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia security forces had removed the group by 10:20 p.m. Moscow time (1920 GMT). The passengers on the plane were "in a safe place", security forces told Reuters. Israel urged Russian authorities to protect Israelis and Jews in their jurisdictions following the reportA statement by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with Russian authorities. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was appalled by the events in Dagestan, blaming the events on Russia's official messages about Israel.

Persons: Grigory Dukor, Allahu Akbar, Rosaviatsia, Israel, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dagestan's, Dan Williams, Ron Popeski, Hugh Lawson, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, Russia's, Reuters, Foreign Ministry, Israel, Regional, Thomson Locations: Dagestan, Makhachkala, Israel, Russia's Dagestan, Caucasus, Palestine, Russian, Moscow, Nalchik, Kabardino, Jerusalem, Israeli, Russia

☆ Russian tourism in Crimea is down, but many still shrug off risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary This content was produced in Russian-annexed Crimea, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. They said it was all calm here with no problems on the Crimea Bridge. Fewer visitors to Crimea have meant more for Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea and Dagestan in Russia's north Caucasus region, he said. FATAL CROSSINGFor one Russian couple, the choice of Crimea as a holiday destination proved fatal. "The goal of our trip is, of course, to have a rest, and support Russian tour operators, hoteliers, and Russian tourism, no doubt."

Persons: Siberian Viktor Motorin, Olga Morskova, Alexei Volkov, Volkov, Vasyl Maliuk, Alexander Semashko, Sergei Lenkov, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: National Union of Hospitality Industries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, YALTA, Siberian, Moscow, Russia, Khanty, Siberia, Turkey, Thailand, Rybinsk, Sochi, Novorossiysk, Kaliningrad, Dagestan, Russia's, Caucasus, Stavropol, Vologda

* "Sedoi" is the nom de guerre of Andrei Troshev, a senior Wagner commander, according to European Union sanctions documents, French official documents, sources with knowledge of the matter and Russian media reports. * The EU described him as the "executive director (chief of staff) of the Wagner Group" in its 2021 document which also says he was a founding member of the group. "Andrei Troshev is directly involved in the military operations of the Wagner Group in Syria," the EU said. Britain also described him in its Syria sanctions documents as the chief executive of Wagner. Western sanctions documents list his date of birth as April 5, 1953.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrei Troshev, Wagner, France's, Dmitry Utkin, Troshev, Putin, Bashar al, of, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Wagner Group, France's Treasury, Kommersant, Wagner, St, Red Star, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, EU, Syria, Deir, Britain, Leningrad, Soviet, St Petersburg, Afghanistan, Soviet Union, North Caucasus, SOBR, Russian, of Russia, Palmyra, Utkin

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

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

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

☆ UFC maintains links with Russian fighters and fighters connected to sanctioned Chechen warlord despite Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We have been saying for some time that these sports organizations need to prohibit Kadyrov’s fighters to perform,” he said. There’s also its decision to allow Russian fighters in general to compete in the world’s premium mixed martial arts organization. Some critics have suggested Russian fighters in general should be suspended, like has happened in some other sports, for the country’s involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty ImagesUFC’s primary focusThere are 20 active Russian fighters currently competing in their organized events, according to the UFC website. CNN approached all 20 of those Russian fighters, only two responded initially and ultimately none of them agreed to an interview.

☆ Moscow's 'special' forces: An inside look at how Russia's famed Spetsnaz really operate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mark Galeotti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Russia's Spetsnaz forces are often depicted as a kind of Russian super troops. Osprey PublishingMost countries' special forces emphasize physical fitness, determination and aggression. Special people, for special tasksMembers of the Russian military's 16th Separate Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in 2018. Even so, being better than most of the Soviet army's miserable and recalcitrant conscript forces did not make most of them truly special, special forces. The special operations commandMembers of Russian's 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in November 2017.

☆ Putin's war in Ukraine looks more and more like a failure. Past Russian leaders haven't survived similar mistakes.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Joy Neumeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Instead, Russia's failing war effort has raised doubts about Putin's hold on power. For now, Putin looks secure, but past Russian leaders have suffered at home for blunders abroad. By the following summer, the Germans had taken huge swathes of Russian-controlled territory and a million Russian soldiers were dead. Captured Russian soldiers after the defeat at Tannenberg, in present-day Poland, on August 30, 1914. After an ineffectual troop surge, Gorbachev gave up on trying to improve the situation, and the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989.

☆ Caspian seal deaths: Thousands of dead seals wash up in Russia's Dagestan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Around 2,500 endangered seals have been found dead on Russia’s Caspian coast, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported Sunday, citing authorities in the North Caucasus region. Caspian seals, the only mammals found in the Caspian Sea, have been classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list since 2008. According to RIA, inspectors were patrolling the coastline in search of additional dead seals. Meanwhile, specialists from the Caspian Environmental Center were analyzing samples from the dead seals to identify the cause of death. The mass deaths come after more than 140 Caspian seals were found dead on Kazakh beaches of the Caspian Sea earlier this year, according to KASPIKA, an agency for the conservation of Caspian seals.

☆ Ukraine lawmakers brand Chechnya 'Russian-occupied' in dig at Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ichkeria is the historical name of Russia's southern region of Chechnya that was devastated by two bloody wars between Russian troops and Chechen separatists after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. A majority of Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to back a resolution that "recognises the Chechen republic of Ichkeria as territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as a result of armed aggression which contravened the UN's Statute". Ukraine uses the same language - "temporarily occupied" - to describe swathes of Ukrainian territory that were seized by Russian forces in 2014 and following this year's invasion. Ukraine's 450-seat parliament, which has continued to function behind closed doors despite Russian attacks on the capital Kyiv and other cities, said 290 lawmakers had voted to adopt the resolution. The parliament known in Ukraine as the Verkhovna Rada said 352 lawmakers were present for the vote.

Russians trying to avoid getting conscripted to fight in Ukraine appeared to be trying to cross the border into Georgia, Kazakhstan and even remote Mongolia, satellite imagery suggested Monday. Russian border guards didn’t appear to be trying to stop them. The Russians are fleeing to Georgia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and other countries because they don't require visas. Logvin said he waited 34 hours at the border before he was allowed to enter Georgia. According to Maxar, this satellite image appears to show a traffic jam near the Russian border with Georgia on Sunday.

☆ Gunman fires at Russian draft office amid anger over Ukraine mobilization
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

A gunman opened fire at a draft office in Russia’s Siberian region of Irkutsk on Monday amid a growing backlash against President Vladimir Putin’s chaotic efforts to mobilize more people to boost his troops in Ukraine. A video circulating online, confirmed by NBC News to have been shot in the draft office, showed people inside running for cover and screaming as the gunman fired. But Melvin said it's further evidence of Russia's disorganized mobilization drive. The unrest throughout Russia comes against the backdrop of a voting process underway in four Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that Russian soldiers who die in the war against Ukraine will be cleansed of their sins.

☆ U.S. warns of 'horrific' consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Washington responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's veiled threat of using nuclear weapons, warning of serious consequences and that the U.S. response would be "decisive." "The consequences would be horrific," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an interview. The number cited for the mobilization — 300,000 — is nearly double the size of the initial invasion force. Anti-mobilization protests appear to be continuing, with reports of standoffs with authorities and several arrests in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan. Western and Ukrainian officials are condemning the referendums as a sham that will allow Putin to annex the territories and then use them to justify threatening anyone trying to retake them with nuclear weapons.

☆ Russians flee to Georgia after Putin's mobilisation order
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Georgian capital Tbilisi had already seen an influx of around 40,000 Russians since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to government statistics. There, they hired a local driver to take them through the border checkpoints and after 24 hours they arrived in Tbilisi. The exact number of people who have left Russia since Putin announced what he called a "partial mobilisation" last Wednesday is unclear. LOCAL RESENTMENTRussians already in Tbilisi saw Putin's mobilisation decree as further vindication of their decisions to flee. More than 200 men who were detained at anti-war protests in Moscow last week were issued draft summons, state media reported.

☆ Police clash with people opposed to mobilisation in Russia's Dagestan
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sept 25 (Reuters) - Police clashed on Sunday with people opposed to the mobilisation in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, underscoring the level of discontent with President Vladimir Putin's decision to send hundreds of thousands more men to fight in Ukraine. Russia's first military mobilisation since World War Two, announced by Putin on Wednesday, has triggered protests in dozens of cities across the country. Public anger has appeared to be particularly strong in poor ethnic minority regions like Dagestan, a Muslim-majority region located on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the mountainous north Caucasus. There have been several reports from across Russia of people with no military service or parents of young children being called up in the draft - despite guarantees from Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu they would be excluded. Earlier on Sunday Russia's two most senior lawmakers - key Putin allies - also addressed public concerns about mobilisation, acknowledging "excesses" had stoked public anger.

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