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☆ US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally for less than $20,000 each, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe US has acquired 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported. The motive behind the US purchase remains undisclosed, said the Post, fueling speculation about potential use in Ukraine, where similar aircraft are in service. Kazakhstan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, has maintained close ties to Russia and historically was one of its strongest allies. Some of Russia's outspoken propagandists have suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan next following its invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: —, Kassym, David Cameron, Antony Blinken, Olivier Douliery, Vladimir Solovyov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Business, Mikoyan MiG, Soviet, Airforce Technology, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Aerospace Forces, Ukrainian Air Force, Russia, Foreign, Ak, AP, AFP Locations: Kazakhstan, Kyiv, Ukraine, Soviet, Afghan, Soviet Union, Russia, Moscow, Germany, Astana, Russian, Western, China, Afghanistan, Iran

☆ US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe US has acquired 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported. The US purchased 81 of the aged warplanes, said the Ukrainian Telegram channel Insider UA, per the Post. AdvertisementDerived from the MiG-23, the MiG-27 was a ground-attack aircraft and saw action in conflicts like the Soviet-Afghan War. Some of Russia's outspoken propagandists have suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan following its invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: —, Mikoyan, Antony Blinken, Kassym, Olivier Douliery, Vladimir Solovyov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Business, US, Ukrainian Telegram, UA, Mikoyan MiG, Soviet, Airforce Technology, Russian Aerospace Forces, Ukrainian Air Force, Russian Defense Ministry Kazakhstan, Ak, AP, AFP Locations: Kazakhstan, Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Afghan, Soviet Union, Russia, Moscow, Astana, Western, China, Afghanistan, Iran

☆ Russia's hunted A-50 command planes are its eyes over Ukraine. Here's how it compares to the Boeing E-3 Sentry.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Ukraine's most significant aircraft kills in 2024 are two Russian A-50 command planes. AP PhotoThe MainstayAEW&C aircraft are aerial radar stations meant to detect and track enemy weapon systems — namely aircraft, missiles, and naval ships. An E-3 Sentry takes off at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in January 2024. Last November, the Russians threatened to destroy a French Air Force E-3 that was operating over the Black Sea in what a French military spokesman described as "a particularly aggressive radio exchange." AdvertisementLast year, the US Air Force announced that it had selected the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail as the E-3's intended replacement.

Persons: —, Tupolev, William R, Park Chung, hee, Anwar Sadat, Joseph Barron, hasn't, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, Russian Aerospace Forces, Soviet Union, Machulishchy, State TV, Radio Company, AP, Western Allies, Beriev, Ilyushin, NATO, Nellis Air Force Base, US Air Force, System, Boeing, Air, Air Force, North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, Saudi, Royal Air Force, Control Force, NATO Air Base, U.S . Air Force KC, US Air Force Ukraine, Ukrainian Air Force, Allied, French Air Force, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Business, Modern, Institute Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Soviet, Minsk, Belarus, Ukrainian, USSR, China, India, Turkey, Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Syrian, Nevada, American, Latin America, South Korea, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, France, Chile, NATO, Germany, Europe, Azov, Russia, Poland, Romania, Australia, West

☆ The US snatched thousands of illegal Iranian guns and gave them to Ukraine to repel the Russians
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US has sent Ukraine guns and ammunition that were intercepted while being smuggled from Iran to Yemen. It's the second time Washington has given Kyiv weaponry that was bound for the Houthis. The haul is helpful for Ukraine, but its forces need more than small arms to fight Russia. AdvertisementThe US has sent Ukraine guns and ammunition that were intercepted over the past few years while being illegally smuggled from Iran to the Houthis in Yemen. AdvertisementIranian weaponry bound for Yemen after it was seized by US forces in January.

Persons: —, Biden, CENTCOM, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: US, Service, AK, US Central Command, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, United Nations Security, Coast Guard, Command, Russia, Republican, Washington, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, Washington, Russia, Tehran, Kyiv

☆ Russia isn't ready for the surprise NATO attack its strategists foresee
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian strategists argue its military needs more robust systems to defend against a NATO surprise attack that would come in the form of conventional missile strikes, a warning that comes as NATO conducts a massive exercise near Russia's northern border. How exactly NATO would attack Russia in this scenario is unclear, though the Russian analysts seem to be describing what the US military would call "multi-domain operations." The attack would be preceded by "provocations" to justify a war, as well as the deployment of forces near Russia. This perceived NATO strategy of massive strikes risks compelling Russia to use its nuclear weapons, especially tactical nukes, to defend itself. Ironically, the missile strike that Russian military experts accuse the West of planning is a mirror image of how Russia itself would fight a war.

Persons: —, David Petraeus, Cpl, Christopher Hernandez, That's, Julian Waller, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, NATO, TASS, Russian Aerospace Forces, CIA, Army, Marine Corps, US, Corps, Nordic, Kremlin, Russian Air Force, Center for Naval Analyses, West, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Russia's, Ukraine, Andenes, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Barents, Arlington , Virginia, Forbes

CNN —Ukraine says it has intelligence suggesting only five bodies were delivered from the crash site of a Russian military transport plane to a nearby morgue, a Ukraine military intelligence official told CNN, casting doubt on Moscow’s claim that dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in the explosion. Moscow says the plane was transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war, while Kyiv says it was carrying Russian missiles to be used in further strikes on Ukraine. Ukraine’s military command said it regarded Russian military aircraft approaching Belgorod as legitimate target, but did not confirm it had fired at the plane. Traffic officers block off a road near the crash site of the IL-76 plane outside the village of Yablonovo, Russia, January 24, 2024. Russia has not yet provided evidence that dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were on board the plane that crashed.

Persons: Andriy Yusov, ”, –, Yusov, Stringer, Dmytro Lubinets, Mykola Oleschuk, Reuters Lubinets, Cross, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, “ Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russian Aerospace Forces, Russian, Reuters, Ukraine, UN, International Committee, Ukraine’s Security Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Russia’s Belgorod, Kyiv, Yablonovo, Russia, Belgorod, Belgorod city, Ukrainian, Kharkiv

☆ Russian forces kill 34 fighters in Syria's Idlib - Interfax agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - Russian forces have killed 34 fighters and wounded more than 60 in air strikes on targets in Syria's Idlib governorate, Russia's Interfax reported late on Sunday, citing the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria. "The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air strikes in the province of Idlib on targets of illegal armed groups involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Interax cited Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit as saying of the Saturday attack. Kulit said that in 24 hours, positions of Syrian government troops were attacked seven times. Kulit also reiterated frequent Russian accusations of aircraft violation in Syria's airspace by the U.S.-led coalition saying that a number of jet and drone flights were not coordinated with the Russian side. Earlier, a source told Reuters that the United States has carried out two air strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Syria.

Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al, Assad, Lidia Kelly, Robert Birsel Organizations: Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Idlib, Russia's, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, U.S, Russian, United States, Iran, Melbourne

☆ Russian Forces Kill 34 Fighters in Syria's Idlib - Interfax Agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian forces have killed 34 fighters and wounded more than 60 in air strikes on targets in Syria's Idlib governorate, Russia's Interfax reported late on Sunday, citing the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria. "The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air strikes in the province of Idlib on targets of illegal armed groups involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Interax cited Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit as saying of the Saturday attack. Kulit said that in 24 hours, positions of Syrian government troops were attacked seven times. Kulit also reiterated frequent Russian accusations of aircraft violation in Syria's airspace by the U.S.-led coalition saying that a number of jet and drone flights were not coordinated with the Russian side. Earlier, a source told Reuters that the United States has carried out two air strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Syria.

Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al, Assad, Lidia Kelly, Robert Birsel Organizations: Reuters, Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Idlib, Russia's, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, U.S, Russian, United States, Iran, Melbourne

☆ Russian forces strike drone warehouse in Syria's Idlib, Interfax reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 6 (Reuters) - Russian military forces carried out air strikes on a drone warehouse in Syria's Idlib governorate, the Russian Interfax news agency reported, citing Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, on Sunday. "The Russian Aerospace Forces launched an air strike ... against a warehouse of unmanned aerial vehicles of militants involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Kulit was quoted as saying. No information about the scale of the damage or potential casualties was available. The Syrian army has blamed rebels, who it says are Islamist jihadists, for attacks on government-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo provinces and denies indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas in areas under rebel control. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al Assad, Lidia Kelly, Richard Chang Organizations: Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces, Thomson Locations: Russian, Idlib, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, Melbourne

☆ Colonel-General Afzalov Confirmed as Chief of Russian Aerospace Forces - Defence Ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry on Friday confirmed the appointment of Colonel-General Viktor Afzalov as commander of the country's aerospace forces, replacing General Sergei Surovikin who was removed from the role in August. Russian state-run RIA and TASS news agencies had reported his appointment last week, citing sources. Russia's Aerospace Forces comprise the air and space branches of its armed forces. Afzalov, 55, had been acting head of the aerospace forces after Surovikin's dismissal. In September Surovikin apparently returned to official duties as he was a part of a Russian Defence Ministry delegation that made a trip to Algeria, a major buyer of Russian weapons.

Persons: Viktor Afzalov, Sergei Surovikin, Afzalov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Surovikin, Vladimir Putin’s, Gareth Jones, Hugh Lawson Organizations: TASS, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Ukraine, New York Times, Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Algeria

☆ Putin to travel to Kyrgyzstan in first known trip abroad since ICC arrest warrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Putin to visit KyrgyzstanPutin also to attend CIS summitArmenian PM Pashinyan not to attend CIS summitMOSCOW, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin will visit Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, the presidential office of the Central Asian country said, in what would be the Russian leader's first known trip abroad since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. Putin agreed in May during talks with Japarov to visit Kyrgyzstan, but there has been no official confirmation yet from the Kremlin that the Russian president will travel there on Thursday. The Russian leader is also due to travel to China next week for the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Neither Kyrgyzstan nor China are members of the ICC, which was established to prosecute war crimes. Pashinyan said on Tuesday that plans were proceeding for a meeting with the Azeri president to discuss a durable peace accord.

Persons: Putin, Kyrgyzstan Putin, Vladimir Putin, Sadyr, Japarov, Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Lidia Kelly, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: CIS, MOSCOW, Central, ICC, Kremlin, Russian Federation, Forum, Russian Aerospace Forces, 999th Air Base, Commonwealth, Independent States, Thomson Locations: Kyrgyzstan, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Kyrgyz Republic, China, Beijing, Moscow, Kant, Armenia, Bishkek, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, EU, Brussels, Melbourne

☆ A new improvised anti-drone protection system appears at Russian military airfield
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russians are not only using car tires to protect their aircraft from Ukrainian "kamikaze" drones. A Telegram channel recently posted images of what's described as an anti-drone structure at a Russian airfield. According to Ukrainian sources, the tires are being used as a sort of makeshift protection from attacks carried out with kamikaze drones. A rough translation of the first part FighterBomber's post reads as follows:"This solution was urgently developed, and literally in a couple of days it was installed at one airfield to protect aircraft from drones. How the system works is not clear: maybe the net is used to repel hostile drones that would get caught up in the wires.

Persons: what's, Engels, Sukhoi Su Organizations: Telegram, Service, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Sukhoi, Ukraine

☆ Russia says it's using a new jet to launch Kinzhal 'hypersonic' missiles in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian state media says an Su-34 aircraft launched Kinzhal missile against a target in Ukraine. Until now, only MiG-31K aircraft were known to have employed the Kinzhal missile in combat. Russia touts the Kinzhal as a hypersonic weapon but it's really a conventional air-launched ballistic missile. "The Su-34 fighter jet used the Kinzhal hypersonic missile in the special military operation. Since then, Ukraine has reported downing Kinzhal missiles at least four more times, the last one last month.

Persons: Su, Russian Aerospace Forces Su, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Kinzhal, Fullback wasn't Organizations: Service, Russian Aerospace Forces, TASS, Russian State, Russian Air Force, 47M2, AP, Observers, Russian, U.S . Air Force, Kinzhal, Fullback Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian

☆ 'Final nail in the coffin' for Russia's Wagner Group as leader Prigozhin presumed dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Stringer | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesRussian mercenary force Wagner Group may have suffered a "final nail in the coffin" with the presumed death of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash, analysts suggest. Yet the group also appeared to call for peace, with the Wagner Group Telegram channel on Thursday calling for its members and supporters not to "take any measures" within Russian territory. A member of private mercenary group Wagner pays tribute to Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin following their apparent deaths in a plane crash on Aug. 23, 2023. Members of the Wagner Group prepare to depart from the Southern Military District's headquarters and return to their base on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

Persons: Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Jason Bush, They've, Bush, it's, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Nikolayev, Putin, disbursing Wagner, who'd, reimagining Wagner, Doxsee, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, —, Prigozhin's Organizations: Wagner Group, Southern Military, Stringer, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NBC News, Grey Zone, Central African, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Armed Forces, Kremlin, Redut PMC, Mercenaries, Defense Ministry, Eurasia Group, CNBC, Afp, Russian Embassy, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Transnational, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Russian Aerospace Forces, PMC Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow, Tver, Hell, Russia's, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Syria, Belarus, Africa, Russian, London

☆ Opinion: Prigozhin seemed to be living on borrowed time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin — who the Russian aviation agency confirmed was a passenger on board a plane that crashed on Wednesday evening — seemed to be living on borrowed time. Video of the plane debris taken at the purported crash site in the western Tver region of Russia matches the plane registered to Prigozhin. Investigations were started within the armed forces, and probably within the security forces as well. Any effort to paint Prigozhin as wealthy and corrupt stopped almost immediately, and no new financial investigations were announced. And in what might have been the last straw for Putin, Prigozhin released a video on Monday of himself standing in what looked like an African desert, boasting of his men’s exploits.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, “, CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, William Burns, “ I, Alexander Zemlianichenko, –, —, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Viktor Afzalov Organizations: University of California, CNN, Belarus, CIA, Kremlin, Central African, Investigations, Washington, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Russian, Russia, Tver, Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Moscow, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Sudan, Ukraine, Petersburg, Sahel, St . Petersburg

☆ A Backfire bomber being blown apart deep inside Russia's territory is the latest in a string of glaring failures to protect its strategic bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Last weekend, an apparent drone strike destroyed a prized Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber. The attack occurred far from the front lines of the war and may have been launched from inside Russia. The strike on a vulnerable Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber is part of a growing list of Russian failures to protect its critical bases and vital aerial assets. If that's the case, it may speak to both Ukraine's expanding ability to threaten domestic Russian air bases and Russia's inability to protect them. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the aftermath of the Tu-22M3 attack, there's a question of how Russia might adapt.

Persons: — Engels, Samuel Bendett, they're, Bendett, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, It's, Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko Organizations: Service, Russian Defense Ministry, Aviation, Center for Naval Analyses, Russia, Russian Aerospace Forces, NATO, Russian Defence Ministry, Kremlin, Nazi, Getty, Internal Affairs, Mobility Artillery, Systems Locations: Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Saratov, Ryazan, Moscow, Novgorod Oblast, Russia's, Nazi Germany, AFP, Murmansk, Finland

☆ Russia scrambles jets to force reconnaissance drones off Crimea -defence ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Aug 22 (Reuters) - Russia's air force scrambled two jets to force two drones to stop reconnaissance near the Crimean peninsula, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday. "On August 22, the flight of two unmanned aerial vehicles MQ-9 Reaper and TB2 Bayraktar carrying out aerial reconnaissance in the area of the Crimean Peninsula was recorded over the Black Sea by means of the airspace control of the Russian Aerospace Forces," the ministry said. According to the statement, Russia scrambled two jets forcing the drones "to change the direction of the flight and leave the areas of aerial reconnaissance". Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bayraktar, Maxim Rodionov, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Russian Aerospace Forces, Thomson Locations: Crimean, Russia

☆ Fact Check-Video of traffic jam in Ukraine predates Putin's promise to retaliate for Crimean bridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

As a result of the attack, a Russian couple were killed and their 14-year-old daughter wounded. Later on Monday Russia's President Vladimir Putin said his defence ministry was preparing proposals for a response (here). Posted to Twitter and Facebook, the video shows a traffic jam that users allege shows people living in Kyiv reacting to the potential threat by fleeing the Ukrainian capital. However the same video (here) can be traced back to at least Aug. 22, 2022. The video was filmed and published before the blast on the Crimean bridge in 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Read Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, Russian Aerospace Forces, Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, “

☆ Russia's military leaders are at each other's throats at a crucial time in the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian military leaders are at each other's throats amid continued losses in the Ukraine war. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has been accused of treason by a general in the Russian military claiming he was fired for raising concerns. But at this critical juncture in the war and while Russia's army continues facing losses, Russian military leaders appear to have more pressing targets in mind: each other. But even after Prigozhin all but disappeared following the Wagner revolt, concerns about Russia's military leadership persist. Popov claimed he was removed from his post after flagging issues that Russian forces were facing on the front lines in Ukraine.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Putin, Prigozhin, Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulyov, vilely, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov, Gerasimov, Gen, Viktor Afzalov Organizations: Defense, Service, Russian, Wagner, Bakhmut, Politico, Arms Army, Street Journal, Prigozhin, The New York Times, Times, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Syria

☆ A Missing Russian General Is ‘Taking a Rest’ a Top Lawmaker Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gen. Sergei Surovikin of Russia, a onetime ally of the Wagner chief who hasn’t been seen publicly since a short-lived mutiny last month, is “taking a rest,” one of the country’s top lawmakers said Wednesday, when pressed by a reporter. “He is unavailable right now,” the lawmaker, Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Russian Duma’s defense committee, added in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app before hurrying away from the reporter. General Surovikin, the chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, was considered to be an ally of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary company, whose forces mounted the brief insurrection in June aimed at toppling Russia’s military leadership, before standing down in a deal with the Kremlin. In the days since then, intense speculation has surrounded General Surovikin, who skillfully pulled out Russian forces from Kherson amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year and has often been dubbed “General Armageddon” for his ruthless tactics.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, hasn’t, Andrei Kartapolov, General Surovikin, Yevgeny V, Surovikin, ” Organizations: Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Russia, Russian, Kherson

Colonel General Sergei Surovikin attends a briefing in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, on June 9, 2017. Rumors about his whereabouts — and his potential role in the short-lived insurrection — have been swirling in recent days. CNN has reached out to the Kremlin and Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on Surovikin’s whereabouts. Surovikin first served in Afghanistan in the 1980s before commanding a unit in the Second Chechen War in 2004. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces during Russia’s operations in Syria, which saw Russian combat aircraft causing widespread devastation in rebel-held areas.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Pavel Golovkin, Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Surovikin, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Peskov, Putin, “ Surovikin, Alexey Venediktov –, –, Sergey Markov, ”, Surovikin “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Mikhail Gorbachev, Organizations: Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow Times, CNN, Kremlin, Russian Ministry of Defense, General Staff, Defense, Ministry, Echo, New York Times, Russian Aerospace Forces, Washington DC, Jamestown Foundation, Human Rights Watch Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Surovikin, Echo Moscow, Rostov, Afghanistan, Syria, Idlib

The commander of the Russian air force Sergey Surovikin and the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have not been seen in public in days as questions swirl about the role Surovikin may have played in Prigozhin’s short-lived mutiny. The Russian air force commander Sergey Surovikin (left) and the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin APWhy is everyone talking about Surovikin? Prigozhin meanwhile, played the central role in the short-lived insurrection – it was he who ordered Wagner troops to take over two military bases and then march on Moscow. Putin assembled Russian security personnel in Moscow Tuesday, telling them they “virtually stopped a civil war” in responding to the insurrection. Prigozhin was last spotted leaving the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don Saturday, after abruptly calling off his troops’ march on Moscow.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Surovikin, “ Surovikin, ”, Alexey Venediktov –, –, Sergey Markov, Surovikin’s, “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Don Saturday, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Peskov, ” Peskov, Mikhail Gorbachev, , Joe Biden, Josep Borrell Organizations: CNN, Moscow Times, Russian Telegram, Baza, Yevgeny Prigozhin AP, New York Times, PMC Wagner, Russian Ministry of Defense, Kremlin, Street, Belarusian, General Staff, Defense, Ministry, Washington DC, Jamestown Foundation, Russian Aerospace Forces, Human Rights Watch, Union’s, Foreign Affairs Locations: Kremlin, Russian, Moscow, Rostov, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Minsk, St . Petersburg, Ukraine’s, Afghanistan, Syria, Idlib, ”, Brussels, Dagestan, Derbent

Some Russian military bloggers with substantial followings expect a serious reshuffle of the military in the light of the Wagner uprising, and perhaps within the security services for not seeing the preparations for it. Putin has sought to reassert his authority after Prigozhin's mutiny. There is no way to verify Rybar’s allegations, but their airing may demonstrate a level of apprehension in the Russian military in the light of the mutiny. At one point, according to Russian military bloggers, Surovikin interceded to try to procure ammunition for Wagner. There is still considerable respect in Russian military circles for what Wagner has contributed to the Ukraine conflict.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Sergey Shoigu, Rybar, ” Rybar, Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Teplinsky, Boris Rozhin, Sergey Surovikin, “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Surovikin, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti, Tatiana Stayonova, Rob Lee, “ Wagner, ” Surovikin, Prigozhin, Vyacheslav Volodin, ” Volodin, Anastasia Kashevarova, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Stayonava, Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, George W Bush, Concord Company ”, we’ll, eking, Viktor Zolotov, ” Zolotov, ” Anastasia Kashevarova, Russia “, there’s Organizations: CNN, FSO, Federal Guard Service, Federal Protective Service, AP, General Staff, The New York Times, Mayak Intelligence, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Russian Aerospace Forces, Sputnik, Getty, Western Military, Concord Company, Kremlin, MoD, Defense Ministry, Russian National Guard, Ministry of Defense, Telegram Locations: Rostov, Moscow, Don, Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Bakhmut, Shoigu, Putin, St, Petersburg, Russian, Minsk, Belarus, Prigozhin

☆ Ukraine hails return of 45 Azov fighters, Russia says 3 pilots released
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) pose for a picture after a swap, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location in Ukraine, in this handout picture released May 6, 2023. The freed Ukrainian prisoners included 42 men and three women from the Azov battalion, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office. Thirty-five privates and sergeants, 10 officers," Yermak said on the telegram app in a post that did not mention the release of Russian prisoners. The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that three pilots had been returned and were being provided with medical and psychological assistance. There were no reports on Russian state media of additional Russian prisoner releases.

☆ Video shows a bomb that Russia accidentally dropped on its own city blowing up, sending cars flying into the air
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Russian fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb on its own city late Thursday. The blast from the weapon erupted in the city of Belgorod, sending cars flying in the air. Three people were reportedly injured in the explosion that left several cars and buildings damaged. Dramatic video footage shows the moments the explosion erupted in Belgorod after a Russian Su-34 aircraft dropped the weapon. Cars were driving by on a city street as the blast went off, catapulting vehicles in the air and leaving a crater with a 65-foot radius in the ground.

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