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CNN —Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that the released prisoners had returned to Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine and Russia exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in what the Ukrainian government called the “second major exchange after a long break.”It was the first exchange since the mysterious crash of a Russian IL-76 plane on January 24 in Russia’s Belgorod region, which neighbors eastern Ukraine. Moscow claimed the plane was transporting dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war, while Kyiv said it was carrying Russian missiles to be used in further strikes on Ukraine. Zelensky said 207 Ukrainian service members were returned on Wednesday, while the Russian Defense Ministry said 195 Russian military personnel had been received.

Persons: KSHPPV, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Armed Forces, United Arab Emirates, Russian Ministry of Defence, Russian Air Force, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Azovstal, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russian, Russia’s Belgorod, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine launched a barrage of attack drones at Crimea overnight, Russia says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia says Ukraine sent a wave of 41 drones over Crimea targets overnight on Monday. AdvertisementUkraine sent a wave of attack drones across Crimea overnight on Monday, Russian officials said, amid multiple unconfirmed reports of explosions on the peninsula. AdvertisementIn accounts cited across mainstream Ukrainian media, various prominent Telegram accounts reported explosions over eastern Crimea. The Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to the Crimean peninsula, is a prime target for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Crimean Wind also reported explosions being heard there, and said that a Pantsir-S1 antiaircraft missile system was fired from the oil depot.

Persons: —, Russia's, Ukrainska, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, It's, Baza Organizations: Service, Russian Ministry of Defence, MOD, Astra, Ukrainian Telegram, Ukrainska Pravda, Defense, Ukrainian Defense Forces, UK's Ministry of Defence, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Azov, Kerch, Ukrainian, Feodosia

The highly unusual incident suggested disarray in Russia's military establishment and state media over how to report the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine. It said that, after the regrouping, the Dnepr force would release some troops to be deployed in offensives on other fronts. RIA said the Russian military command had agreed with the Dnepr leadership's conclusions and ordered the relocation of troops to start. Another state agency, TASS, published just one alert on troops regrouping to more favourable positions, and then withdrew it, saying it had been released in error. Russian state media have privileged access to official briefings and typically report major military announcements shortly before they appear in the Telegram channel of the defence ministry.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: RIA, LONDON, RBC, Russian Ministry of Defence, Dnipro, Telegram, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Dnipro, Ukraine, Dnepr, Russia, Kherson, Russia's, Russian, The U.S, Ukrainian

☆ How a Ukrainian salt town was laid to waste in Russia's desperate push for Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The eastern Ukrainian city of Soledar fell to Russia in January after months of brutal battle. It would be another five months before the eastern Ukrainian city, located 10 miles northeast of Bakhmut, would fall to Russia as the new year dawned. The town of Soledar offered little strategic value to Russia's forces beyond a political win. They didn't care what would happen to Ukrainian forces, they didn't care what would happen to their own forces." "It felt like I had left at least a part of me in Soledar," Cherniavska said.

Persons: —, Tania Synia, Synia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Soledar, Russia's, Putin, Serhii Ivanov, Ivanov, Kateryna, Tania Synia Wagner, — Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Bakhmut, Stepanenko, wasn't, Nika Cherniavska, Nika Cherniavksa, Cherniavska, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ANATOLII STEPANOV Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Volunteers, Ukrainian, Institute, 46th Airmobile Brigade, 77th Airmobile Brigade, 93rd Mechanized Brigade, Russia, Getty, Russian Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukrainian, Soledar, Russia, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Russian, Cherniavska, AFP

☆ Russian soldiers who drink and break rules get sent to punishment battalions where they are likely to die fighting, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

These "Storm Z" units have been sent to where the heaviest fighting is. AdvertisementAdvertisementReuters interviewed 13 people as part of the investigation, five of whom were Storm Z fighters. Reuters found that soldiers are sent to Storm Z for being drunk on duty, for using drugs, or for refusing to carry out orders. Relatives of a missing Storm soldier fighting in Ukraine told Reuters that Russia's Defense Ministry never responded when they asked where he was. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the summer, some Storm fighters said in a video that they refused to carry out combat missions due to their treatment.

Persons: —, Storm, Storm Z, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Serhii, we've Organizations: Reuters, Service, Storm, Wagner Group, Russian Ministry of Defence, The, Pravda, Russia's Defense, Russia's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ Explainer: Wagner group - Is it back? Who controls it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Is Wagner back, who controls it and are its fighters returning to the Ukraine war? After the fall of Bakhmut, Wagner fighters were withdrawn from the front. While Prigozhin criticised Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Yelizarov said Shoigu was "out of control" and seeking to destroy Wagner. Russian, Ukrainian and Western sources have indicated that Wagner fighters are returning to the front. Russian war blog Rybar, which has over 1.2 million subscribers, said that Wagner fighters would return to Bakhmut.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Andrei Troshev, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Mikhail Metzel, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Putin, Anton Yelizarov, Yelizarov, Utkin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Wagner's Troshev, Troshev, Rybar, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, deniability, United States, . Police, Reuters, Russian, Russian Ministry of Defence, PMC, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, dabble, Syria, Libya, Mali, Bakhmut, Rostov, Russian, St Petersburg, Central African Republic, redeploy

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with senior former commander of the Wagner mercenary group Andrei Troshev and Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov in Moscow, Russia, September 28, 2023. Putin was shown on state television meeting at the Kremlin with Andrei Troshev, a former Wagner commander known by his nom de guerre "Sedoi" - or "grey hair". Russia's Kommersant newspaper has reported that just days after the Wagner mutiny Putin had suggested that Troshev take over from Prigozhin. The Putin meeting in the Kremlin appears to indicate that what remains of Wagner will now be overseen by Troshev and Yevkurov. After Bakhmut's fall, Wagner units withdrew from Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Andrei Troshev, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Mikhail Metzel, Putin, Troshev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin's, WAGNER'S, Yevkurov, of, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Ukraine British, Kremlin, Deputy, Russia's Kommersant, Reuters, British, Russian Ministry of Defence, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, Prigozhin, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, redeploy, Afghanistan, Chechnya, St Petersburg, of Russia, Palmyra, Syria

☆ Russia pardoned a murderer who put his girlfriend through a meat grinder because he agreed to fight in Ukraine, his mom says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian murderer was pardoned after fighting against Ukraine with the Wagner group, his mom said. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Russian convicted murderer who was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he killed his girlfriend and put her body through a meat grinder has been pardoned after fighting against Ukraine, his mother said. The mother of Dmitry Zelensky told the Russian media news outlet 59.RU that her son was pardoned after serving less than half of his sentence. AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to 59.RU, Zelensky told investigators during an interrogation that he dismembered her body, processed it in a meat grinder, collected the bones in three bags, and threw them into the river. However, a July report by the independent Russian outlet Verstka alleged that Russian authorities were covering up crimes being committed by pardoned men.

Persons: Wagner, —, Dmitry Zelensky, Tatiana Melekhina, Zelensky, Galina Zelenskaya, Zelenskaya, Zelensky's, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Ukraine, Service, RU, Wagner Group, Russian Ministry of Defence, UK Ministry of Defence Locations: Russian, Chechen, Ukraine, Russia, Antratsit, Luhansk

☆ A Russian sub took 'catastrophic' damage from a Ukrainian missile strike despite attempts to downplay it, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A key Russian submarine suffered "catastrophic" damage in a recent Ukrainian attack, UK intel said. The loss is significant, the MOD said, as it's one of four cruise-missile-capable subs in Russia's Black Sea Fleet. It could take "many years" before the submarine can return to service, the UK MOD said. The UK MOD added that "the complex task of removing the wreckage from the dry docks" will also place the facility out of use for many months. "The demilitarization of the Russian Black Sea fleet is a real long-term guarantee of security for regional trade routes and the "grain corridor," he added.

Persons: Don —, OSINTtechnical, Ben Hodges, Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: UK intel, MOD, Service, Fleet, Ministry of Defence, Kilo, Russian Ministry of Defence, Russia's Defense, US Army Locations: Russian, UK, Wall, Silicon, Sevastopol, Minsk, Rostov, Ukraine, Crimea, US Army Europe

☆ The Kremlin is purging the military in a search for traitors after the Wagner mutiny: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Kremlin is searching for traitors in the Russian military, a report said. It comes after the Wagner mercenary group launched a mutiny aimed at toppling military chiefs. The Kremlin believes the rebellion may've had broader military backing. According to Washington DC-based think tank The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a well-sourced Russian military blogger claimed that "large-scale purges" had been launched of Russian military commanders and that the Russian Ministry of Defence is currently undergoing a "crash test" for loyalty. Prigozhin claimed to have extensive backing for his mutiny among Russian military members, but wider backing for the rebellion did not materialize on Saturday.

Persons: Wagner, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Viktor Zolotov, Sergei Surovokin, Surovikin, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Washington DC, Russian Ministry of Defence, Financial Times, Russian, New York Times Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Rostov, Moscow, Belarus

☆ Putin's embattled defense minister Shoigu appeared in a video released after the Wagner mutiny that experts say is confusing and feels off
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian defense chief Shoigu appeared in a video released after the Wagner Group's armed rebellion. Moscow published the video purportedly showing Shoigu in Ukraine, though its unclear when it was filmed. Some Russian milblogger channels have arrived at the same conclusion, that the video of Shoigu was older footage. Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the notorious Wagner mercenary organization, has long criticized Moscow's military leadership over its handling of the war in Ukraine. Russia denied the allegations, but it didn't stop Prigozhin from openly encouraging his mercenaries to take up arms against the defense ministry in open rebellion.

Persons: Shoigu, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, —, Sergei Shoigu, General Yevgeny Nikiforov, Yevgeny Nikiforov's, Sergei Shoigu's, Jimmy Rushton, Mark Krutov, Yevgeny Nikiforov, I'm, Dara Massicot, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Valery Gerasimov, Russia's, Moscow's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Don, Stringer, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, he's, Antony Blinken, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: Service, Russian Defense, Wagner Group, Russian Ministry of Defence, Twitter, Radio Free, Radio Liberty's, Russian Ministry of Defense, RAND Corporation, Prigozhin Press Service, Prigozhin Press, Associated Press, Don REUTERS, Stringer Western, ABC News, NATO, Ukraine Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty's Russia, Shoigu, Rostov, Don, Russia, Belarus, Ukrainian, Kyiv

"Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. He later said his men had been involved with clashes with regular army soldiers and had shot down a helicopter. The video showed him telling the generals: "We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu. Army Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev - who was later to appear with Prigozhin in the video from Rostov-on-Don - issued a video appeal asking Prigozhin to reconsider his actions. An unverified video on a Telegram channel close to Wagner showed the purported scene of an air strike against Wagner forces.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yulia Morozova, Moscow, Prigozhin, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Reuters Wagner, Shoigu, Dmitry Peskov, Sergei Sobyanin, Joe Biden, Putin's, Vladimir Alekseyev, Sergei Surovikin, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Daniel Wallis, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Russian Defence, General Staff, Reuters, Don, Southern Military District, Prigozhin, Wagner, Moscow, Russian Federation, PMC, Private Military Company, Russian Ministry of Defence, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Russian, St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Rostov, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Voronezh, Bakhmut, Washington , U.S, European Russia

☆ Ukraine counteroffensive: Is Kyiv's operation underway south of Zaporizhzhia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Andrew Carey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The attacks had been repelled, Shoigu said, adding that Ukrainian forces had suffered significant losses of both soldiers and arms. The situation facing Russian forces was very serious, he said. Breaking Russia’s land-bridge to Crimea, by rolling back Russian forces to the Sea of Azov, is clearly a central military objective for Ukraine. Ukrainian troops fire a Caesar self-propelled howitzer towards Russian forces near the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/ReutersCNN cannot independently verify claims made by Russian officials or those of well-sourced Russian military bloggers.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Semyon Pegov –, ” –, Volodymyr Zelensky, Alexander Kots, Vladimir Rogov, ”, Caesar, Ratynskyi Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Russian Ministry of Defence, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Defense Ministry, Reuters CNN, Russian Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Nova, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Orikhiv, Tokmak, Russian, Crimea, Azov, Melitopol, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine unit says Russian brigade flees Bakhmut outskirts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Moscow has not commented on the reports from either side that its 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut. A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men," Prigozhin said. Early on Wednesday the unit, formed from Ukraine's nationalist Azov Battalion, reposted a video of one of Azov's founders, Andriy Biletsky, who said his forces had "defeated" the Russian brigade. "In fact, the 6th and 7th squadrons of this brigade were almost entirely destroyed, brigade intelligence was destroyed, large number of fighting vehicles were destroyed, a considerable number of prisoners were taken," he said.

☆ Russia wants to replenish its troops by recruiting 400,000 new contract soldiers starting April: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia wants to recruit 400,000 new contract soldiers starting in April, per multiple local reports. Russian contract soldiers are typically volunteers who serve three-year paid stints in the army. The authorities said the summons were issued just to collect information, and not to lay the groundwork for a second mobilization, BBC Russia reported. Russian contract soldiers are typically volunteers who sign up for a three-year paid stint in the army, per the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank. Since the war began in February 2022, recruiters have been offering hefty bonuses and increased salaries to contract soldiers, while the Kremlin rushes to bolster resources for its hard-hit troops.

☆ Ukraine vows not to give up on Bakhmut amid constant Russian attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Oleksandr Kozhukhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

After Russian gains in recent weeks, at the culmination of a winter offensive, Ukrainian troops have been reinforcing positions west of Bakhmut in apparent preparation for a possible retreat. "I told the commander in chief to find the appropriate forces to help our guys in Bakhmut." "If everyone is coordinated, without ambition, screw-ups and tantrums, and carries out this work, then we will block the armed forces of Ukraine. [1/7] A Ukrainian serviceman carries a shell for a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled howitzer before firing towards Russian troops outside the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 5, 2023. Ukraine and the West describe Russia's actions as an unprovoked war of aggression aimed at expanding territory.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: World leaders convene in Munich; Zelenskyy rules out conceding territory for peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As many as 60,000 Russian forces, including both the formal military and private contractors, may have been killed in the year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Britain's Ministry of Defense. "Russian Ministry of Defence and private military contractor (PMC) forces have likely suffered 175-200,000 casualties since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. This likely includes approximately 40-60,000 killed," the ministry wrote in its daily intelligence update on Twitter. "By modern standards, these figures represent a high ratio of personnel killed compared to those wounded. This is almost certainly due to extremely rudimentary medical provision across much of the force."

☆ Factbox: What is known about the drone attack on Crimea?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia said 16 air and maritime drones attacked civilian and Black Sea Fleet vessels in the Bay of Sevastopol in Crimea at 0420 Kyiv time on Saturday. Unverified footage on social media showed what appeared to be maritime drones speeding across the water towards a Russian battleship while bullets were fired at the drone. Ukraine has neither denied nor confirmed that it carried out the drone attack on Sevastopol and has instead suggested that Russia carried out the attack on itself so that it could suspend participation in the grain deal. Russia says it has recovered the wreckage of some of the maritime drones. The defence ministry said one of the maritime drones appeared to have started from within the security zone of the grain corridor itself.

SummarySummary Companies Russia says UK navy personnel blew up pipelinesRussia says UK navy personnel helped attack CrimeaRussia does not give evidence for claimBritain denies Russian claimsLONDON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that British navy personnel blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month, a claim that London said was false and designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine. "To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale," it said. Russia has previously blamed the West for the explosions that ruptured the Russian-built Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines on the bed of the Baltic Sea. PIPELINE MYSTERYSweden and Denmark have both concluded that four leaks on Nord Stream 1 and 2 were caused by explosions, but have not said who might be responsible. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines have a joint annual capacity of 110 billion cubic metres - more than half of Russia's normal gas exports volumes.

☆ Finnish seismologists detect five blasts in Russian waters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HELSINKI, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Finnish seismologists detected five underwater blasts in Russian waters in the Baltic Sea last week, the Helsinki University Institute of Seismology said on Tuesday. Four explosions were recorded on Thursday and one on Friday in Russian territorial waters in the Gulf of Finland, Tiira said, adding it had been clear that the observations had been caused by blasts and not by other seismic activity. "It can be seen in the shape of the signal and in the content of its frequency," he said. The institute did not know what had caused the blasts but that similar disturbances had been detected during previous naval drills and sweeping of old mines from the sea bottom, Tiira said. "We have detected explosions in that same area before, but not very often, not even every year," he said.

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