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☆ Genius or madness? Why Putin wants an economist to be Russia's new defense minister at a key point in the war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

But Putin's replacement of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was unexpected — and his choice of successor, civilian economist Andrei Belousov, was even more of a surprise. Russia's incoming Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. "Belousov's main goal is to secure [Russia's] military needs in terms of arms. The Kremlin announced on Sunday that Shoigu, Russia's defense minister since 2012, had been relieved of his post and would become secretary of Russia's influential Security Council. Prigozhin died last August in a plane crash after a short-lived and ill-fated rebellion against Russia's military leadership.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Miguel Diaz, Maxim Shemetov, Sergei Shoigu, Andrei Belousov, Belousov, Putin, Andrey Belousov, Shoigu, Belousov's, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Uralvagonzavod, Ramil Sitdikov, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Nikolai Patrushev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ukraine —, Prigozhin, Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Klimentyev Organizations: Cuban, Canel, Reuters, NATO, Institute for, Anadolu, Getty, Kremlin, Russian MoD, Defense Ministry, Sputnik, Afp, Staff, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, CNBC, Nazi, Security, Wagner Group, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defence, Defence Ministry Board, National Defence Control Centre Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Kharkiv, Russian, Urals, Nizhny Tagil, Nazi Germany, Kremlin

NASA awarded Blue Origin $172 million to develop a space station for both astronauts and tourists. The space station, called Orbital Reef, will need to be able to support human life. AdvertisementThe International Space Station won't be around forever, and NASA is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its potential replacements. One promising candidate is Orbital Reef — a joint venture between Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin and Sierra Space. "Think spacious modules with large windows to view Earth, our blue origin, while experiencing the thrill of weightlessness in complete comfort," Blue Origin states on its website.

Persons: —, Jeff Bezos's, Angela Hart, Chris Hadfield, Matthias Maurer, Blue, Thomas Pesquet, Hart, Artemis, George Scott, NASA's, NASA It's, Biden, there's Organizations: NASA, Service, Origin, NASA's, ISS, Space Station, Space, International, ESA, Artemis, Soyuz, Shepard

☆ Trump coopts Navalny’s legacy as a smokescreen for his own legal morass
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Alexey Navalny died a political martyr after returning home to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal rule. But that’s not stopping Donald Trump from coopting his heroic legacy to suggest false equivalence with his own legal troubles. He offered a tempered tribute to Navalny, before returning to his own false claims of political persecution. There is no world in which Trump and Navalny can be compared. “Instead, Trump said Navalny’s death made him realize how bad America is.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Donald Trump, Putin, Trump, Navalny, “, …, ” Trump, Joe Biden, “ Trump, ”, he’s, predecessor’s thrall, Biden, Trump’s, CNN’s MJ Lee, Alexey Navalny, ” Biden, America, can’t Trump, Mike Johnson, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Russia’s, Zelensky, it’s Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Russia, Communist, Fox, Trump, Kremlin, Biden, Republicans, Senate, NATO, White House, Soviet Union, Saturday Locations: Russian, Russia, West Coast, Ukraine, Moscow, Trump’s, America, Avdiivka, Washington

☆ AMC's CEO thought he was texting naughty photos to a former ballerina fling. Then everything went haywire.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

This "resentment toward her abusers" may have led her to text Aron — a wealthy, powerful man in the public eye, her lawyers said. "Send me a naughty picture," Blackwood texted, a couple weeks into their flirty exchange. When he asked for photos in return, Blackwood sent him images of an unnamed Russian model that she pulled from Instagram. "Ceo scandal is apparently lucrative," Blackwood texted, posing as Brian. AdvertisementAdvertisement"I was shown some images and I was wondering if you're available to speak," the fake reporter texted Aron.

Persons: Adam Aron's, Mia, Aron, Sakoya Blackwood, Adam Aron, Matthew Belloni, Blackwood, She'd, Evander, —, Aron —, paramour, Koya Blackwood Fews, Lila Cohen, Brian, Blackwood texted, he'd, they'd, Brian —, He'd, Brian didn't, there's, he's, abt, Aron didn't, Blackwood didn't, texted Aron, hadn't, Jeff Bezos, Bezos, fiancée Lauren Sanchez —, Aron hasn't, hasn't, Taylor, unfazed, He's Organizations: of, United States, Court Southern District of, Hollywood, AMC, Evander Childs High School, —, Instagram, Arizona, National Enquirer, ppl, FBI, Twitter, Amazon Locations: Southern, of New York, Court Southern District of New York, Bronx, Jamaica, Russian, York City, California, Sinai, Aron

☆ Movie theater giant AMC's boss Adam Aron revealed as the mystery CEO who fell victim to a catfish blackmail scheme he called an 'elaborate criminal extortion'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A woman was last year indicted after catfishing an anonymous CEO and threatening to release sexually explicit photos. Semafor reported Thursday that the CEO was Adam Aron, boss of movie theater giant AMC. Aron confirmed the report in a post on X, saying he was "the victim of an elaborate criminal extortion." Soon after Semafor reported that Aron was the victim in the case, he confirmed the news in a post on X. The following day, Blackwood then asked him to send sexually explicit photos, and he complied — including sending one of him with another woman — prosecutors said.

Persons: Semafor, Adam Aron, Aron, —, Blackwood, Mia Organizations: AMC, Service, Prosecutors, of New York Locations: Southern

☆ Russian module on International Space Station suffers coolant leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Nauka (Science) Multipurpose Laboratory Module is seen docked to the International Space Station (ISS) next to next to Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on July 29, 2021. Oleg Novitskiy/Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 9 (Reuters) - Russia's space agency said on Monday that its multipurpose Nauka module attached to the International Space Station suffered a leak of a backup cooling system used to regulate onboard temperatures for astronauts. The crew and the station "are not in danger" as astronauts assess the leak, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said in a statement posted on Telegram. "There's a leak coming from the radiator on MLM," replied NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, referring to the Nauka module on the station's Russian segment. American Loral O'Hara and Russians Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub arrived via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft last month.

Persons: Oleg Novitskiy, Jasmin Moghbeli, Loral O'Hara, Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai, Joey Roulette, Leslie Adler, Sandra Maler Organizations: Module, International Space, Soyuz, REUTERS, Russian Progress, NASA, Russia's Soyuz, SpaceX, Russian Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Handout, Russian, Russia, Houston, U.S, Nauka, Denmark, Japan, Ukraine

☆ Dead or alive? Mystery surrounds the fate of Russia's Black Sea Fleet commander
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Admiral Viktor Sokolov attends a ceremony marking 240th anniversary of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea May 13, 2023. Alexey Pavlishak | ReutersMystery continues to surround the fate of the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, who Ukraine claimed it had killed in a missile strike on the Russian naval headquarters in Crimea. Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov (left) appears on the screen at the meeting that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held with ministry officials in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 26, 2023. Viktor Sokolov attends a ceremony marking the 240th anniversary of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea, on May 13, 2023. U.K. defense officials noted Tuesday that "a dynamic, deep strike battle is underway in the Black Sea."

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, Alexey Pavlishak, Sokolov, Sergei Shoigu, it's, Michael Clarke, there's, Reuters Clarke, Sam Ramani, Kyrylo Budanov, Ramani, Stringer Organizations: Reuters, Fleet, Russia's Defense, Russian, Defense Ministry, Zvezda, NBC, Russia, Russian Defense, Russian Defense Ministry, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Sky News, Black, Russian Federation, Russian Army, Royal United Services Institute, Defense, Russia's, Afp Locations: Russian, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, British, Moscow, Russia, Novorossiysk

CNN —Fighters who had previously fought in Ukraine for the Russian mercenary group Wagner have returned to the battlefield in the east, according to the Ukrainian military. Wagner mercenaries had withdrawn from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in May as they handed control of the area to Russia’s military. “As of now, there are several hundred of them in our direction, on the Eastern Front, in different areas,” Cherevatyi told CNN. “Wagner is here too,” a drone operator with call-sign “Groove” told CNN’s Fred Pleitgen on the ground in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. The Ukrainian general leading the southern counteroffensive, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, told CNN last week that Wagner fighters continue to pop up “here and there” on the frontlines.

Persons: Wagner, Serhii Cherevatyi, ” Cherevatyi, “ Wagner, ”, CNN’s Fred Pleitgen, “, ” Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Podolyak, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, that’s Organizations: CNN — Fighters, Communications, Ukrainian, Russian Ministry of Defense, CNN, Russian MoD, Wagner PMC Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Russia's using its elite paratroopers in an unusual way to hold the line, leaving the force 'airborne in name only,' war analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia is relying on its elite paratroopers, the VDV, to defend against Ukraine's counteroffensive. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia has turned to its elite paratroopers, the VDV Airborne Forces, to help defend against Ukraine's battlefield advances. As so-called "elite" Russian forces have taken losses, they have at times been backfilled with poorly-trained replacements, degrading the overall capability of the unit. Since those figures were released, VDV units have been transferred to support Moscow's defensive efforts in the face of Ukraine's pressing counteroffensive. The VDV is one of several elite units to suffer severe casualties during the war as Moscow has relied heavily on them.

Persons: —, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky Organizations: Ukraine's, Service, VDV Airborne Forces, Russian, Institute for, Victory, Russian MoD, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Paratroopers, Rifle Brigade, 155th Naval Infantry Brigade Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, Russian, Alabino, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Kherson, Luhansk, Kyiv

☆ The mastermind of Russia's treacherous defenses in Ukraine appears to be in a kind of faraway 'exile' as the line is being breached
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian Army Gen. Sergey Surovikin appears to be in Algeria, according to recent photos. Surovikin is the mastermind of Russia's formidable defensive lines and fortifications in Ukraine. But as Kyiv's forces break through these elaborate fortifications, the mastermind behind them is nowhere near the action. The experts cited several additional photographs of Surovikin purportedly in Algeria, which were published to Telegram by Russian sources. Insider was unable to independently verify any of the recent photographs of Surovikin shared to X and Telegram.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Surovikin, Dara Massicot, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, subsume Wagner Organizations: Russian, Wagner Group, Service, RAND Corporation, Twitter, Institute for, Commonwealth, Independent States, CIS, Kommersant, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Russian MoD Locations: Algeria, Ukraine, Africa, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Moscow, California, Washington, Yevgeny Prigozhin — Russia, North Africa, Russian, Sochi

☆ The new T-14 tank Russia has been bragging about? We haven't seen it 'a single time,' Ukraine's military intel chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian media has reported that the new T-14 tank has seen combat in Ukraine. But Ukraine's military intel chief says Ukrainian forces haven't seen any T-14s in action. It's possible the T-14 has been used, but the war has tarnished the reputation of Russian tanks. "We haven't seen a single instance of this machine being used," Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukrainian defense intelligence, said in response to a question about the T-14 during a recent conference in Kyiv. Not only is the T-14 expensive, but Russian defense industry publications have reported development and manufacturing problems with it.

Persons: haven't, Kyrylo Budanov, Armatas, weren't, Sean Gallup, Abrams, Budanov, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, RIA, Michael Peck Organizations: intel, Service, RIA, Southern Military, Getty, Russia, British Defence Ministry, International Military Forum Army, REUTERS, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Kyiv, Moscow, AFP, India, Kharkiv, Soviet, Forbes

The Russian flag flying outside la Maison Russe, or the Russian House, a cultural center in Bangui. As the Kremlin tries to get its arms around Wagner’s sprawling commercial network, what’s next for the group remains unclear. Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova (right) appears in the background of a photo of Prigozhin outside the Russian House last month. In three tents outside the center, Russian language classes were taking place, while Russian movies were being screened in a cinema room. “He was my friend, he was my best friend in front of all central African people,” he said of the late mercenary boss.

Persons: Central African Republic CNN —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin’s, ” Nathalia, –, ” Dukhan, Faustin, Masked Wagner, Maison, Dmitry Syty, ”, Syty, Prigozhin, Nafisa, Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova, Kiryanova, begrudgingly, Touadera, Vitali Perfilev, CNN’s, Fidèle, Gouandjika, “, Sebastian Shukla, ” Gouandjika, Putin, ’ Organizations: Central African, Central African Republic CNN, Central African Republic, Russe, Russian, Bangui . CNN, Kremlin, CNN, Wagner, European, European Union, United, Local, Sorbonne, Linguistic University, US, Russia’s Ministry of Defence, Ilyushin IL Locations: Bangui, Central, Central African Republic, la, Russian, Bangui ., Moscow, Russia, United States, Paris, Prigozhin

☆ Russian hardliners are fuming that the Kremlin wasn't able to top a string of embarrassing attacks on home soil
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's military bloggers are mad over escalating drone attacks on home soil. They have often highlighted problems within Russia's military which were not acknowledged by officials or Russia's closely-controlled mass media. Their anger was prompted by an increasing number of drone attacks, likely organized by Ukraine or Ukraine-affiliated groups. And some of these strikes have destroyed and damaged Russian military aircraft sitting on home soil. Military analysts told The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine has probably disabled more Russian aircraft sitting in Russian bases than it has aircraft involved in combat.

Persons: Russia's, milbloggers, Rybar, Alexander Kots Organizations: Service, Ministry of Defense, Wall Street Journal Locations: Western Russia, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia's Pskov, Crimea, Russian, Europe

☆ Ukraine claims it damaged prized Russian jets using 'cardboard' drones from Australia in a daring raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine claims it used cardboard drones from Australia to strike five jets at a Russian air field. In March, Australia announced delivery of the lightweight drones in an aid package to Ukraine. According to prominent pro-Russian blogger @fighterbomber, which closely follows the Russian air force, the attack was the first use of Australian-provided delivery drones made of cardboard. AdvertisementAdvertisementInsider could not independently confirm the claim, but on Tuesday Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko vouched for it, saying in a post on X: "Cardboard drones from Australia used in attack on Russian airfield." The Corvo drones are described by SYPAQ as "the cardboard plane," but per an earlier company press release they're made from waxed foamboard.

Persons: Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko vouched, SYPAQ, they're, SYPAQ's, Mick Ryan, Roman Starovoyt Organizations: Service, Ukraine's Security, Russian, MoD, RBC, Sydney Morning Herald Locations: Ukraine, Australia, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Kursk, Australian, Bryansk, Ukrainian

☆ A deadly plane crash appears to have killed Wagner's top boss, but even without Prigozhin, the group likely isn't a 'chicken with its head cut off,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Chris Panella | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is believed to have died in a plane crash on August 23. Without Prigozhin, Wagner's key operations, finances, and future are unclear, experts told Insider. It's likely not "a chicken with its head cut off," Miles said because Wagner's local operations "are still in play." His mercenaries were given the choice to join the ranks of the Russian military, leave for civilian life, or join Prigozhin in Belarus. A mural depicting mercenaries of Russia's Wagner Group that reads: "Wagner Group - Russian knights."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, it's, Simon Miles, Miles, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Sergei Shoigu, Defense Valery Gerasimov, Alexander Lukashenko, Catrina Doxsee, Doxsee, There's, Kateryna Stepanenko, Prigozhin —, —, Russia's, Darko Vojinovic, Prigozhin's, ISW Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Russian, Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, Soviet Union, TASS, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Defense, Kremlin, Prigozhin, Press, REUTERS, PMC, Transnational, Center for Strategic, Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Soviet, Russian, Tver, Moscow, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Rostov, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Concord, Latin America, Crimea, Syria, Libya, Mali

☆ Russia fires warning shots and boards cargo ship in Black Sea, says Russian MoD
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Russian warship fired warning shots and boarded a cargo ship it claims was headed to Ukraine in the Black Sea on Sunday, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. Russia said the warship fired warning shots when the captain of the Palau-flagged dry cargo ship failed to respond to a request to stop for an inspection. “The Russian warship opened warning fire from automatic small arms fire to forcefully stop the vessel,” the statement said. Marine traffic websites currently shows the cargo vessel’s destination as the Romanian port of Sulina which is close to Izmail. “Following radio conversations, the ship stopped its course and the boarding team landed on the bulk cargo ship,” the statement said.

Persons: –, Vasily Bykov, Dmytro Pletenchuk, ” Pletenchuk Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Defense Ministry, UN, Ukrainian Navy, “, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Turkish, Palau, Izmail, Romanian, Sulina, Kyiv, Ukrainian

CNN —Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Friday took aim at Russia’s “corrupt” elite that placed President Vladimir Putin in power. “I hate Yeltsin, […] Chubais and the rest of the corrupt family who put Putin in power,” he said, referring to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and former high-level Russian official Anatoly Chubais. “Is there any other country where so many ministers of (a) government of reforms became millionaires and billionaires? But he said “Russia will still have a chance” to turn things around into the democratic direction. Moscow has denied involvement in the poisoning, with Putin himself saying in December 2020 that if Russian security services had wanted to kill Navalny, they “would have finished” the job.

Persons: CNN —, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, ”, – Navalny, ” Navalny, “, Yeltsin, Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Anatoly Chubais, Navalny, didn’t, Russia “, Novichok Organizations: CNN, Soviet Union Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Russia, “ Russia, ”, Germany

In his address, Xi said the military must broaden its combat capability and readiness, the official Xinhua news agency reported. "We need to push for new equipment and new forces to accelerate forming combat capabilities and integrate into the combat system," Xi told the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force's western theatre command during a visit last Wednesday, Xinhua reported on Sunday. Marking the anniversary on Tuesday, an editorial in the official PLA Daily newspaper said the military had "enhanced its ability to carry out diversified military tasks in a wider space". "When the Chinese military conducts an exercise, it is showing force - it is bestowing or sending a message to other countries," he said. At sea, China is readying its aircraft carriers to extend and assert its power beyond its home waters.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Florence, HONG KONG, Xi, Song Zhongping, Drew Thompson, National University of Singapore's Lee, Thompson, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, China's J, Shi Yunjia, Greg Torode, Albee Zhang Organizations: Communist Party of China, Military Museum of, REUTERS, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Xinhua, Peoples Liberation Army Air, PLA Daily, National University of Singapore's, National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, Reuters, People's, of Army, U.S, House, China Morning Post, Western, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG, Tuesday's, Russia, United States, U.S, Washington, Taiwan, Japan, Shandong, Fujian, South Korea, Guam

NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - The billionaire investor Leon Black was sued on Tuesday by an autistic woman who says he raped her in the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's mansion in Manhattan in 2002, when she was 16. Black co-founded private equity firm Apollo Global Management (APO.N), which he left in 2021. Black has denied other sexual abuse accusations, including in a dismissed lawsuit by former Russian model Guzel Ganieva, and a lawsuit by Cheri Pierson who also claimed he raped her in Epstein's home two decades ago. The billionaire has also reached a $62.5 million settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a home, to avoid a possible lawsuit. The case is Doe v Black, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: Leon Black, Jeffrey Epstein's, Jane Doe, Black, Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Susan Estrich, Estrich, Doe, massages, Jeanne Christensen, Cheri Pierson, Jonathan Stempel, Kanishka Singh, Daniel Wallis Organizations: YORK, Apollo Global Management, Forbes, U.S ., Court, Southern District of, Washington , D.C, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Russian, U.S . Virgin Islands, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York, Washington ,

☆ Threats of desertion are spreading in Russia's military as troops openly disrespect their commanders, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Insubordination is spreading through the Russian military in Ukraine, a report said. It names the dismissed officers as Major General Vladimir Seliverstov, Major General Alexander Kornev, and Major General Ramil Ibatullin. It cited Russian military bloggers, an important source of information about the Russian military, saying that authorities were also preparing to arrest Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky. The report says that the defiance towards Russia's top commanders appears to be spreading through the ranks. The VDV servicemen are blackmailing the Russian MoD to ensure that Teplinsky continues to command troops in Ukraine," the ISW said.

Persons: Wagner, Ivan Popov, Vladimir Seliverstov, General Alexander Kornev, Ramil, Mikhail Teplinsky, Teplinsky, Sergey Shoigu, Sergey Surovikin Organizations: Institute, Kremlin, Service, Russian MoD Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Bakhmut, Russian, Kherson, Ukrainian

☆ 'Chaos' is fueling fights among Putin's top commanders. These are the players battling for power.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

More than three weeks after the historic challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's authority, there's still internal power plays and high-level purges in motion. "We are seeing a lot of military formations and military figures that are pushing for their own objectives." For example, in Kadyrov's case, he may be pushing for control to shield his fighters from the battlefield in Ukraine and send conventional Russian forces instead. Consequences for disobedienceInsubordination against Moscow's military leadership, such as Teplinsky's criticisms or the Wagner's rebellion, has undermined Russian military leaders but has also come with consequences for members of the anti-Gerasimov camp. The instability increasingly endemic to the Russian military comes as the Ukrainians try to break through their defensive lines.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, doesn't, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexander Ermochenko, he's, Stepanenko, Valery Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, there's, Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Alexei Nikolsky, Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Russia's, Teplinsky, Sergei Surovikin, There's, Friedemann Kohler, hasn't, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Popov, Vladimir Seliverstov, Popov, vilely, Viktor Zolotov, it's, ISW, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: Service, Institute for, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Southern Military, REUTERS, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense, Russian, Staff, AP, Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Getty, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Arms Army, 106th Guards Airborne, Russian MoD, National Guard, Russian National Guard Service, PMC Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Prigozhin, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia's Belgorod, Sputnik, Washington, Chechnya, Sochi, REUTERS Maj, Belgorod

☆ U.S. Virgin Islands seeks at least $190 million from JPMorgan Chase in Jeffrey Epstein case
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands in a court filing Friday estimated that it will seek damages of at least $190 million from JPMorgan Chase in a lawsuit accusing the big bank of facilitating sex trafficking by its former long-time customer Jeffrey Epstein. The Virgin Islands also said it wants an order requiring JPMorgan to take a series of steps to protect young women and girls from other predators in the future. The filing says the Virgin Islands wants at least $150 million in civil penalties alone. JPMorgan in its own court filings has accused the Virgin Islands itself of being "complicit in the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein." Last month in the same court where the Virgin Islands is suing the bank JPMorgan agreed, without admitting wrongdoing, to pay $290 million to victims of Epstein to settle a suit by one of his accusers.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Jed Rakoff, Jeffrey Epstein's, JPMorgan Chase, Ariel Smith, Smith, Patricia Wexler, JPM, Virgin, Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, Lex Wexner, Glenn Dubin, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew of Great Organizations: New York State Division, Criminal, Services, Reuters, U.S . Virgin, JPMorgan Chase, Virgin, JPMorgan, Virgin Islands, Google, Microsoft, Limited Brands, Deutsche Bank, New York state's Department of Financial Services Locations: U.S, Manhattan, United States, Virgin, Eastern, Prince Andrew of Great Britain, Florida, New York

☆ After Wagner's mutiny, Russia's military is now fighting with war bloggers because they won't celebrate its few wins the way they want
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's claims of a small battlefield victory have drawn criticism from military bloggers. The milbloggers won't celebrate with Moscow, causing the defense ministry to clash with the writers. Russian military bloggers, or milbloggers, have disputed some of the defense ministry's claims, according to a Sunday assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank. The milbloggers, said Ukrainian forces had managed to establish positions and that fighting was ongoing. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, continue to make use of their huge inventory of heavy Western armor — including advanced tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the US and its NATO allies — to liberate territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's, Putin, —, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Institute for, Russian MoD, Russia's Defence Ministry, Military District, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Wagner Group, Kremlin, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, The General Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Dnipro, Kherson, Russian, Washington, Russia, Rostov, Belarus, Ukrainian, —

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

☆ Russia's defense ministry is pressuring volunteer brigades fighting in Ukraine to fall under its command, but at least one is resisting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's MOD said Tuesday it signed contracts with 4 detachments and 3 brigades of volunteers. It came after the MOD announced last week that Russian "volunteer" groups fighting in Ukraine would be required to sign contracts with the country's defense ministry. The move was widely seen as an effort to bring the Wagner Group under official military control, the BBC reported. Wagner group head Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Sunday that he received an order from Russia's defense ministry to bring his group under its command. The Wagner group — which sent tens of thousands of mercenary fighters and convicts to fight in Ukraine — and Russia's defense ministry have been involved in an escalating public feud.

Persons: It's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Alekseev, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Sergey Surovikin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: MOD, Service, Ministry of Defense, Kremlin Wagner, Volunteer Assault Corps, Wagner Group, BBC, Russian MOD, Washington DC, for, Ukraine's, Kremlin, Washington Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut

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