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☆ Thousands of Ukrainians have been sent to Russian prisons. Ukraine says they’re being held as bargaining chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

The Ukrainian government says there are thousands of people like Dima, civilians arrested by Russia who have been held in arbitrary detention for years. In the early weeks of the war, Russian troops took over their home, parking their tank in the garden and stealing anything of value. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia opened a second pre-trial detention facility in Simferopol, SIZO No. Detained civilians, however, are stuck in limbo. Mariana Checheliuk's photos were among those displayed by relatives of detained civilians at a recent protest in Kyiv.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — “, ”, Vasyl Khyliuk, Dmytro Khyliuk, Dima, –, Ivana Kottasova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, ” Achille Després, Cross, it’s, Vasyl, ” Vasyl, Halyna, “, Dmytro Khyliuk’s, Russia —, Khyliuk, Anastasiia, MIHR, Pantielieieva, CNN “ We’ve, ” Pantielieieva, Yulia Khrypun, Serhii, ’, Serhii Khrypun, Yulia, ” Yulia, Mariana Checheliuk, Mariana, Natalia Checheliuk, ” Natalia, ’ ” Natalia, Alexander Ermochenko, Mariana –, Mila, Natalia, Volodymyr, Zelensky, Mariana Checheliuk's Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Ukrainian Independent, Agency, Kyiv, CNN, Russian Federation, International Committee, Ukrainian, Organization for Security, Getty, Media Initiative, Human Rights, Penal, Russian Investigative Committee, Russian Prison Service, ICRC, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian National Guard, Directorate, General Staff, Serhii, Crimean Human Rights, Maxar Technologies, Volunteers, Russia, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Information Bureau, Ministry, “, Headquarters Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Dima, Ukrainian, Kozarovychi, Russia, Geneva, Europe, Novozybkov, Russia’s Bryansk, Russia’s Vladimir, Mordovia, Russian, Moscow, Bryansk, Nove, Tokmak, Melitopol, Olenivka, Kursk, Crimea, Kamensk, Russia’s Rostov, Yulia Khrypun Russia, Chonhar, Kherson, Crimean, Crimean Tatars, Simferopol, SIZO, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, ‘, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Bezimenne, Donetsk People’s Republic, Azovstal, Donetsk, Taganrog, Kamyshin, Russia’s Volgograd, Qatar

☆ India is drawing lessons from Ukraine to counter China's military might
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

India is trying to modernize its military of 1.5 million people with lessons from Ukraine. AdvertisementAs India boosts defense spending amid tensions with China and Pakistan, it is closely studying the Ukraine conflict for clues to the future of warfare and how to thwart its neighbors. Some lessons that Indian experts have already drawn: India needs lots of artillery, drones and cyberwarfare capabilities. Drones have become the stars and workhorses of the air war, with both sides deploying — and losing — drones in the hundreds of thousands. AdvertisementThere are lessons here for Indian airpower, according to Arjun Subramaniam, a retired Indian Air Force air vice marshal who helped write the ORF report.

Persons: —, Amrita Jash, Wolfgang Schwan, Arjun Subramaniam, Subramaniam, Cyberwarfare, Shimona Mohan, Mohan, Michael Peck Organizations: NATO, Service, Artillery, Indian Army, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Observer Research Foundation, Getty, Russian, Indian Air Force, Air Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: India, Ukraine, Russia, China, Pakistan, Eastern, Western, Indian, Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, cyberwarfare, Forbes

☆ F-16s headed to Ukraine this summer will face their most dangerous battlefield ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukraine is slated to receive its much-anticipated fleet of F-16 fighter jets this summer. AdvertisementThe long-awaited delivery of F-16s to Ukraine is on the horizon, and these advanced American-made fighter jets can't come soon enough for its forces. The fighter jets are expected to arrive at some point this summer, reportedly as early as June. Romanian air force F-16 fighter planes fly above the Baza 86 military air base, outside Fetesti, Romania, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. US Air Force F-16's stand ready with bombs loaded to take off during the first daylight attack to liberate Kuwait in 1991.

Persons: —, Falcon, SAMs, Alexandru, Egypt —, John Baum, Russia —, Baum, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV Russia's, Tannehill, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Rutte, Peter Dejong Organizations: Service, Russia's, Rygge Air Force Base, OLE BERG, Getty, NATO, Kyiv, Israeli Air Force, AP, US Air Force, Operation, Allied Force, Yugoslavia, Air Force, Defense Technical Information, Reuters, Storm, Russia, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, US Navy, SA, Russian, AIM, INA Locations: Ukraine, Balkans, Kyiv, Romania, Norway, AFP, — Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Lebanon's, Israel, Yom, Romanian, Fetesti, Storm, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan, Islamic, Kuwait, Russian, Zhukovsky, Moscow, Bekaa, East, Syria, Russia, Ukrainian, Eindhoven, Rzeszow, Jasionka, Poland, Crimean

☆ Ukraine can keep on fighting Russia — but the 'victory' it wants might be out of reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian servicemen practice combat drills involving a BMP-1 in Donbas, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on March 19, 2024. But, with future aid uncertain, analysts question what "victory" Ukraine could realistically achieve against Russia — a country that has put its industries on a war footing and is able to mobilize hundreds of thousands more men to war. While additional aid allows Ukraine to keep on fighting Russian forces in the short stretch, a "victory" in the near-term is an unlikely prospect. What's more, what "victory" looks like for Ukraine, or its allies, could be a source of friction. This is particularly the case in eastern Ukraine, where it has enjoyed support from pro-Russian separatists for over a decade.

Persons: Teneo, Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Tursa, Frankness, Oleksandr Musiyenko, Putin Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Russia —, Afp, Centre for Military, Legal, U.S, CNBC Locations: Donbas, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, U.S, Central, Eastern Europe, Ukrainian, Crimea, Red, Moscow, Russian, Sevastopol

☆ Europe is beating inflation. Why can’t America declare victory?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Fed aims to keep inflation at 2% over the longer run. Meanwhile, among the 20 countries that use the euro, annual consumer price inflation has slowed steadily since the start of the year. Fed Governor Michelle Bowman said earlier this month that she would favor a rate hike “should progress on inflation stall or even reverse.”So why does the United States appear to have a bigger inflation problem than Europe? Some economists argue there isn’t actually much daylight between the US and European rates of inflation, pointing to a quirk in the US measures. The measure is designed to track inflation in the real estate market while accounting for the fact that most Americans own their homes.

Persons: Michelle Bowman, Paul Donovan, Simon MacAdam, ”, MacAdam, ” Carsten Brzeski, Janet Yellen, Jim Watson, Brzeski, “, ” Davide Oneglia Organizations: London CNN, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, PCE, UBS Global Wealth Management, Capital Economics, ING, CNN, Monetary Fund, Washington, Reuters, Getty, —, ECB, Lombard Locations: United States, Europe, Centreville , Maryland, AFP, Russia, Ukraine

☆ U.S. to Withdraw Troops From Chad, Dealing Another Blow to Africa Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Pentagon will withdraw dozens of Special Operations forces from Chad in the next few days, the second major blow in a week to American security and counterterrorism policy in a volatile swath of West and Central Africa, U.S. officials said on Thursday. The decision to pull out about 75 Army Special Forces personnel working in Ndjamena, Chad’s capital, comes days after the Biden administration said it would withdraw more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel from Niger in the coming months. The Pentagon is being forced to draw down troops in response to the African governments’ demands to renegotiate the rules and conditions under which U.S. military personnel can operate. Both countries want terms that better favor their interests, analysts say. The decision to withdraw from Niger is final, but U.S. officials said they hoped to resume talks on security cooperation after elections in Chad on May 6.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Pentagon, Operations, Special Forces Locations: Chad, West, Central Africa, U.S, Ndjamena, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, United States, Russia, Moscow

☆ NATO Puts on a Show of Force in the Shadow of Russia’s War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Helene Cooper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

About 90,000 NATO troops have been training in Europe this spring for the Great Power war that most hope will never come: a clash between Russia and the West with potentially catastrophic consequences. In Estonia, paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Liberty, N.C., jumped out of planes alongside soldiers from Colchester Garrison in Essex, Britain, for “forcible entry” operations. In Lithuania, German soldiers arrived as a brigade stationed outside Germany on a permanent basis for the first time since World War II. And on the A4 autobahn in eastern Germany, a U.S. Army captain and his Macedonian counterpart rushed toward the Suwalki Gap — the place many war planners predict will be the flashpoint for a NATO war with Russia — hoping the overheated radiator on their Stryker armored combat vehicle wouldn’t kill the engine.

Persons: Russia — Organizations: NATO, Great, 82nd Airborne, Colchester Garrison, U.S . Army, Macedonian Locations: Europe, Russia, Estonia, Fort Liberty, N.C, Essex, Britain, Lithuania, Germany

☆ 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

☆ Narendra Modi: India’s popular but controversial leader seeking a transformative third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +26 min

Varanasi and New Delhi CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once famously made a simple election promise: “good days are coming”. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar on April 6, 2024. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during a rally in Sydney, Australia, on May 23, 2023. Kalpit Bhachech/Getty Images Narendra Modi, then BJP secretary is welcomed at Ahmedabad Railway Station by the party's followers on January 31, 1992. Brent Lewin/Bloomberg/Getty Images India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Himanshu Sharma, Getty Images Modi, –, ”, Saba Naqvi, “, Vajpayee, Naqvi, Dileep Patel, John Mees, Akash Jaiswal, “ We’ve, ” Jaiswal, isn’t, Matthew Abbott, Hiraben, Damodardas, Dipam Bhachech, Lal Krishna Advani, Subhas Chandra Bose, Kalpit Bhachech, Kalpit, Negi Yasbant, Amit Dave, Ajit Solanki, Kevin Frayer, Saurabh Das, AP Modi, Manish Swarup, Lucas Jackson, Barack Obama, Adrien Helou, Reuters Modi, Adnan Abidi, Stringer, Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Marco Longari, Angela Merkel, Tobias Schwarz, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Platiau, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, India's, Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Amit Shah, Money Sharma, Boris Johnson, Phil Noble, Anthony Albanese, Brent Lewin, Pedro Ugarte, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Paul Mashatile, Jacoline, Imtiyaz Khan, Amr Alfiky, Patel, India’s, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv, Rahul Gandhi, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, “ Narendra Modi, ” Mukhopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, ” Modi, Keshav Baliram, “ Modi, BJP Modi, Lord Ram, ” Naqvi, Critics, Christophe Jaffrelot, Karan Thapar, ” Jaffrelot, Modi’s, it’s, —, Raj, India Narendra Modi, Kenny Hoston, Ram, ” Raniva, That’s Organizations: New Delhi CNN, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, India's, Getty Images, Pew, CNN, World Health Organization, New York Times, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Getty, Modi, Hospital, Narendra, India Today, Indian National Congress, AP, Madison, Garden, Reuters, Washington , D.C, French National Space Agency, of Yoga, Meta, Facebook, Bloomberg, European, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kyodo, British, Summit, Qudos Bank, White, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu, United, United Arab Emirates, Cambridge, today’s Congress Party, Harvard, The Times, Muslim, Australia Locations: Varanasi, New Delhi, Gujarat, Pushkar, India, “ India, United States, Brazil, “, Sydney, Australia, Ahmedabad, Ahmadabad, Washington, Washington ,, Toulouse, France, Xian, AFP, Menlo Park , California, U.S, Pretoria, South Africa, China, Berlin, Paris, Rashtrapati, Russian, Brasilia, Glasgow, Red, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Oxford, Vadnagar, Babri, Kadi, Kashmir, United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Jama

☆ Here’s how the Israel-Iran conflict affects the oil market
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Oil prices spiked Friday to levels not seen since October in anticipation of just such an escalation but on Monday were subdued. “It is the most significant chokepoint in the global oil market,” Richard Bronze, co-founder and analyst at data firm Energy Aspects, told CNN. A renewed crackdown would, however, “create upward pressure on global prices” at an inopportune moment, Tagliapietra said. A tight oil marketDespite Iran’s barrage of drones and missiles, the conflict had a relatively muted impact on the global oil market Monday. Oil prices have already risen sharply since hitting a low in early February.

Persons: London CNN —, Brent, Israel —, Simone Tagliapietra, ” Richard Bronze, Tagliapietra, Joe Biden’s, WTI, Russia — Organizations: London CNN, West Texas Intermediate, CNN, International Energy Agency, Hamas, Organization of, Petroleum, United Arab Emirates, Traders Locations: Israel, Iran, Syria, Paris, Gaza, Tehran, Hormuz ‘, Hormuz, Brussels, China, Strait, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United States, Ukraine, Washington, Damascus, OPEC, Russia, Brazil, Guyana, Canada

☆ Zelenskyy bashes the idea Ukraine would cede land to Russia — the core of Trump's reported secret plan to end the war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Paul Ronzheimer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Trump's reported secret plan to end Russia's war. According to The Washington Post, Trump favors Ukraine ceding territory to Russia to end the war. "If the deal is that we just give up our territories, and that's the idea behind it, then it's a very primitive idea," Zelenskyy said in an interview with Axel Springer media outlets. AdvertisementIn a statement to the Post, Trump's campaign cast doubt on any claims that the former president has formulated a way to end the war. "President Trump is the only one talking about stopping the killing."

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump's, Trump, Zelenskyy, —, Donald Trump, Axel Springer, Joe Biden's, Karoline Leavitt, @ZelenskyyUa, Z69XAR0f0f, Paul Ronzheimer, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Mitch McConnell, Reagan, McConnell, Biden Organizations: The Washington Post, Service, Washington Post, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Kharkiv, Russian, Israel, Taiwan, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia

☆ There's a thriving Russian black market for Elon Musk's Starlink terminals, with the tech being sent far beyond Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Starlink terminals are being widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported. AdvertisementThe Journal also reported that a similar black market is also thriving in Sudan, even though the terminals' use is not authorized there. AdvertisementIn early February, Musk pushed back on claims from Ukrainian military intelligence that the terminals were being systematically used by Russian forces in Ukraine. House Democrats have also pressured Musk to take action, saying Russian military use of the tech is "potentially in violation of US sanctions and export controls." Musk has long sought to limit Starlink's military use, stipulating in the technology's terms of service that it is intended for civilians only.

Persons: Elon Musk's, —, Vladimir Putin's, Musk, Mikhailo Fedorov, Starlink, Musk's Organizations: Street Journal, Service, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Rapid Support Forces, SpaceX, eBay, Democrats Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Crimea, Russia's, Dubai, Chad, South Sudan, Russian, Starlink

☆ Kaspersky: Biden administration preparing to prevent Americans from using Russian-made software over national security concern
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

US government agencies are already banned from using Kaspersky Lab software but action to prevent private companies from using the software would be unprecedented. It’s the latest US government effort to use its vast regulatory powers to prevent Americans from using popular technology that US officials consider a national security risk. A Kaspersky Lab spokesperson did not respond to questions about a potential prohibition or about how big the company’s market share is in the US. Commerce Department officials have to carefully consider how practical any such regulation would be for the department to enforce and for users to comply with. But the expected move from the Biden administration would go a step further by using Commerce Department authorities to prevent private companies from using Kaspersky Lab software.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Kaspersky, Trump, ”, ” Henry Young, Young, Eugene Kaspersky, ” Kaspersky, hasn’t, Harold Martin, ” CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Phil Mattingly, Evan Perez Organizations: CNN, Commerce Department, Kaspersky, Commerce, Trump, Emergency Economic, Street, Companies “, Business Software Alliance, Department, McAfee, Symantec, Lab, —, Russian Ministry of Defense, West, National Security Agency, Politico, NSA, Wall Street Locations: Russian, America, Commerce, Moscow, Russia, Israel, Eugene, Ukraine

☆ Oil prices climb to five-month high on escalating Middle East tensions and fresh supply threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A flare stack burns beyond oil storage tanks at the Taneco Oil Refining and Petrochemical complex, operated by Tatneft PJSC, in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, Russia, on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Oil prices on Tuesday rose to their highest level since October as investors closely monitored fresh supply threats amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East and a Ukrainian drone strike on a major Russian oil refinery. International benchmark Brent crude futures for June delivery traded at $88.58 per barrel at 1:15 p.m. London time, up $1.2 per barrel from the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures with May expiry stood at $84.97 per barrel, roughly $1.3 per barrel higher. PVM's Varga warned that the potential for direct Iranian involvement in the Israel-Hamas war could spark a "region-wide conflict with plausible impact on oil supply."

Persons: Tatneft PJSC, Brent, Tamas Varga, Israel, PVM's Varga, Rustam Minnikhanov, Minnikhanov, Russia —, — CNBC's Elliot Smith Organizations: Oil Refining, Petrochemical, Brent, . West Texas, Sky News, Organization of, Petroleum Locations: Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, Russia, Ukrainian, London, haven't, Iran, Syrian, Damascus, Tehran, Israel, Ukraine, Moscow, OPEC

☆ Ukraine said its new attack drones can hit targets 600 miles inside Russia — and appeared to use them right away
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine bragged that it made drones with a range of more than 620 miles. Russia then reported drone attacks on factories around 620 miles from Ukraine's border. AdvertisementUkraine said it made attack drones that can fly more than 620 miles — just before Russia reported drone attacks on factories around 620 miles from Ukraine's border. Ukraine's Digital Transformation Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, told German news outlet Welt that Ukraine had developed drone models that can fly more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). Soon after, authorities in Russia reported attacks at sites in Tatarstan, which is around 620 miles from the closest point in Ukraine.

Persons: —, Mykhailo Fedorov Organizations: Service, Transformation Locations: Russia, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Tatarstan

☆ Russia's economy is now so isolated that it has few options other than the Chinese yuan for its reserves
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's central bank says it has few alternatives other than the Chinese yuan as a key reserve asset. "These factors predetermine the key role of the Chinese yuan in the formation of reserve assets," it said. AdvertisementA state of increasing isolationRussia's increasing reliance on the yuan shows its economy is becoming increasingly isolated in the international trade and finance system. Moscow's reliance on the Chinese yuan comes with risks. Russian companies that borrow in the Chinese yuan are facing increased lending costs, Bloomberg reported last month.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, SWIFT Organizations: Service, Central Bank of Russia, Bloomberg Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, India, China, Moscow, EU

☆ Turkey's opposition party just won the local elections. It could prompt a change in the country's relationship with Russia.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Turkey's President's AK Party lost major local elections in Istanbul and Ankara. AdvertisementThe Turkish party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suffered big losses in local elections held on Sunday. But an opposition victory in the majority of the largest Turkish cities would have "a dampening effect on President Erdoğan's prestige at home," they wrote. Advertisement"The extent to which President Erdoğan can exercise his personal power at home will be a crucial factor that determines Turkey's international behavior," they added. To be sure, the elections on Sunday were local — Erdoğan already won the presidential election in May, securing another term for five years.

Persons: Turkey's, —, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ekrem Imamoğlu, Erdoğan, Vladimir Putin —, Putin, Marc Pierieni, Francesco Siccardi, Erdoğan's, Russia —, Hakan Akbas, Albright, Erdogan Organizations: Turkey's President's AK Party, Service, CHP, Reuters, AK Party, AFP, NATO, Erdoğan's AK Party, Turkish, Carnegie, West, Sunday, AK, Group, AK Party's Locations: Istanbul, Ankara, Russia, Turkey, Carnegie Europe, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, —

☆ Belarus' leader undermined the Kremlin's dubious claims that Ukraine backed ISIS attackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Lukashenko claims Belarus and Russian security prevented Moscow shooting suspects from entering Belarus. AdvertisementBelarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said his country's security, with the help of Russia's Federal Security Service, tried to prevent Crocus City Hall shooting suspects from entering Belarus. "There was no chance they could enter Belarus," Lukashenko said, reported the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Lukashenko's statements on the concert hall terror suspects fleeing towards Belarus undermine the Kremlin's claims that the suspects tried to escape to Ukraine first, in an attempt to link Ukraine to the attack. No credible evidence has emerged to suggest that Ukraine was involved in the attack that killed at least 139 people.

Persons: Lukashenko, Putin, —, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Maria Zakharova, Crocus Organizations: Service, Federal Security Service, Crocus, Belarusian Telegraph Agency, ISIS, Russian Ministry of Foreign Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Washington

☆ An MIT professor devised a 'Fortress Ukraine' plan in 1994 that proved remarkably right about the Russian invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

An MIT professor envisioned a defensive strategy in 1994 for Ukraine to survive a Russian attack. AdvertisementIn 1994, an American professor came up with a plan for Ukraine to defend against Russian invasion. Rather than seizing all of eastern Ukraine, Russia currently occupies about 18 percent of Ukrainian territory, mainly in the southeast and along the Black Sea coast. AdvertisementA member of 120th Independent Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine takes part in training exercises on March 16. "The Ukrainian force can cover about 60 percent of the front with no reserves.

Persons: Barry Posen, —, Posen's, Posen, Vladimir Putin, Gian Marco Benedetto, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, envelopments, didn't, Ukraine hadn't, George Barros, Barros, Michael Peck Organizations: MIT, Service, Russia —, NATO, Ukraine —, 120th Independent Brigade, Territorial Defense Forces, Russia, Mechanized, Russian, Institute for, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, American, Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Dnipro, Posen, Soviet Union, Soviet, Moscow, America, Britain, Crimea, Donetsk, Nazi Germany, Washington ,, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Forbes

☆ From Russia, Elaborate Tales of Fake Journalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Steven Lee Myers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A young man calling himself Mohamed al-Alawi appeared in a YouTube video in August. Still, his story caromed through social media and news outlets from Egypt to Nigeria and ultimately to Russia — which, according to researchers, is where the story all began. Four months later, two new videos appeared on YouTube. They said Mohamed al-Alawi had been beaten to death in Hurghada, a town about 20 miles south of El Gouna. The suspected killers, according to the videos: Ukraine’s secret service agents.

Persons: Mohamed al, Alawi, Angelina Jolie’s, Still Organizations: YouTube Locations: Egypt, Angelina, El Gouna, Ukraine, Nigeria, Russia, Hurghada, El

☆ As Putin Pitches His Vision, Voters Avert Their Gaze From the War
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vladimir V. Putin’s vision of Russia — successful, innovative and borderless — is on display at one of Moscow’s biggest tourist attractions, a Stalin-era exhibition center that currently houses a sleek showcase called Russia 2024. The exhibition promotes what the Kremlin portrays as Russia’s achievements in the past two decades, roughly the period Mr. Putin has been in power, and his promises for the future after he secures another six-year term in rubber-stamp elections this weekend. The exhibition is in many ways a microcosm of a country whose people largely — at least in public — avert their gaze from the big and bloody war in Ukraine that Mr. Putin started more than two years ago. The centerpiece is a grand hall housing pavilions featuring all the Russian regions, including five illegally annexed from Ukraine. Visitors to one pavilion are greeted by two LED screens attached to robotic arms displaying tulip fields that portray the region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, as calm and peaceful.

Persons: Vladimir V, Russia —, Stalin, Putin Organizations: Mr, Visitors Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Belgorod, Ukrainian

☆ Opinion: Russian elections weren’t always like this
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Opinion Ekaterina Kotrikadze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Ekaterina Kotrikadze is a news director and anchor for the independent Russian TV channel Dozhd (TV Rain). They couldn’t win elections, but they could participate, they could speak to independent media and convey their ideas to a significant audience. Thousands of people protest against the parliament elections in Moscow, on December 24, 2011. The Central Election Commission of Russia, of course, did not allow Nadezhdin to participate in the elections. While we cannot make the upcoming elections free, we can cover this circus as honestly as possible.

Persons: Ekaterina Kotrikadze, Kotrikadze, Read, Vladimir Putin, Ekaterina Kotrikadze Denis Kaminev, Putin, Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Nemtsov, Yuri Kadobnov, Kara, ”, Alexey Navalny, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Russia — Organizations: CNN, Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University, Union of Right Forces, Getty, Putin, Commission, YouTube Locations: Russian, Europe, Netherlands, Russia, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Amsterdam

A leading state television channel opened with its host railing against the West and NATO. THE KREMLIN MEDIA DIETThe Kremlin regularly meets with the heads of TV stations to give “special instructions on what can be said on air,” said Ovsyannikova. State television broadcasts dull debates between representatives of Putin's opponents. GRANULES OF TRUTHRussian propaganda is “sophisticated and multifaceted,” said Francis Scarr, a journalist who analyzes Russian television for BBC Monitoring. Even those soothed by the Kremlin’s propaganda also could long for a real choice at the polls.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, whittle, ”, PUTIN’S, Anna Politkovskaya, Evan Gershkovich, “, Marina Ovsyannikova, Sam Greene, Half, Jade McGlynn, —, Francis Scarr, McGlynn, Greene Organizations: West, NATO, NTV, Russia, Center for, Levada, King's College, Putin, State, BBC Monitoring, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, State, Victoria, Russian, Crimea, Soviet, Washington, West, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, King's College London, RUSSIAN

☆ Putin's big message on International Women's Day: Your job is to make babies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewInternational Women's Day on March 8 is a big deal in Russia. It's observed as a national holiday, on which workers get the day off work, TV stations highlight the achievements of Russian women, and Russian President Vladimir Putin makes an address. In this year's speech, Putin had a clear message about what a Russian woman's purpose in life should be: having kids. AdvertisementPutin said becoming a mother was an "amazing purpose for a woman," according to a translation by The Moscow Times.

Persons: —, It's, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Service, Business, Moscow Times, Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ NATO navies can exploit a Russian fear and keep Putin from invading more neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Today, NATO's naval power is far superior to Russia's. NATO may dominate the oceans, but that may not be much help if Russian tanks invade the Baltic States or Poland. Or more specifically, use naval power to scare Moscow into allocating its scarce resources to defending its huge coastlines rather than invading neighbors. "Rather than naval combat per se, the purpose of Russian sea power is to ensure that the Russian state can compete and engage in conflict safely and effectively," the essay said. In 2024, the fear is that NATO ships could launch long-range guided missiles at the Russian heartland.

Persons: Napoleon, Hitler fumed, Russia —, Kaushal, Rene Balletta, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Channel, Royal Navy, NATO, Alliance, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Russian Navy, Black, Century, Russia, Russian Army and Aerospace Forces, West, Baltic, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: British, Russia, Baltic States, Poland, Moscow, Britain, Europe, Asia, Russian, Crimean, Sevastopol, Ukraine, Russia's, Finland, Norway, Forbes

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