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☆ US says Russia used choking agents against Ukrainian troops, breaching chemical weapons ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident, and is probably driven by Russian forces’ desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield,” it said. Russia has previously denied using chemical weapons. The US has previously warned Russia against chemical warfare in Ukraine; in March 2022, a month after the invasion began, President Joe Biden said that NATO would respond if Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine. The use of chemical weapons is banned by international law. Russia has signed those treaties and claims it doesn’t have chemical weapons, but the country has already been linked to the use of nerve agents against critics in recent years.

Persons: Ukraine’s, Chloropicrin, Joe Biden, Mallory Stewart, Sergei Skripal, Alexey Navalny –, Vladimir Putin, Navalny Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Ukrainian, Chemical Weapons Convention, CWC, Russian Embassy, CDC, State Department, United, United Arab Emirates, US, NATO Locations: United States, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Netherlands, China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, United Arab, Moscow, Ukrainian, Siberia

☆ Putin likely did not directly order Navalny’s killing, U.S. intelligence agencies conclude
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Floral tributes, portraits of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and messages are seen left outside the former Russian Embassy in Tbilisi on March 1, 2024. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably didn't directly order the killing of Alexei Navalny at a remote penal colony in February, according to three sources familiar with the matter. As Russia's most high-profile and popular dissident, Navalny's death dealt a severe blow to the country's opposition movement, which has been brutally suppressed by the Kremlin. Before Navalny's death, there had been tentative discussions about a possible prisoner exchange with Russia involving Navalny and Americans detained in Russia, NBC News previously reported. Navalny's allies allege that Putin had the dissident killed to thwart the proposed prisoner swap that would have freed him.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Navalny, Joe Biden, Sergei Skripal, Navalny's Organizations: Russian Embassy, Kremlin, Washington, Russia's Federal, Service, CIA, National Intelligence, NBC Locations: Tbilisi, Russia's, Russia, Russian, United Kingdom, Western

☆ Opinion: Despite ISIS threat, Putin’s only concern is the politics of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Opinion Douglas London | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia knows it has a terrorist problem, despite its deflection and spin to preserve Putin’s image, but his priorities are elsewhere. Russian intelligence also suffers from systemic failings in recognizing, penetrating and dismantling terrorist cells, failings that stem from doctrine and a deliberately stovepiped structure that obstructs information sharing and agility. FSB officers will coerce, threaten and intimidate potential sources with diminishing returns that will only fuel ISIS-K recruitment and fundraising, which is no doubt seeing a surge from its Moscow attack. Russian intelligence will be left to depend on the unwilling, ill-informed or duplicitous. At the Islamic State’s height, Tajik Gulmurod Khalimov commanded its Iraqi capital of Mosul.

Persons: Douglas London, ”, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, Douglas, Mike Pompeo, Russia’s, Sergey Naryshkin, Igor Korobov, Donald Trump, Pompeo, Russia Michael McFaul, Barack Obama, Trump, Putin, Gulmurod Khalimov, Khalimov, “ Omar al, “ Omar, ” Batirashvili, Washington, Sergei Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CIA, of American Intelligence, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Global National Security Institutes, CNN, Federal Security Service, CBC, Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Military Intelligence, Trump, White, ISIS, Central, Former, Terrorism, Embassy, K’s, Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry, Islamic Locations: South, Southwest Asia, London, Khorasan, United States, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Great Britain, Russia, Washington, State, Moscow, Syria, Iraq, Russian, US, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Central Asia, Central Asian, Central, East, Turkey, Turkish, Istanbul, Mosul, Chechen, Georgian, Georgia, Iran, Kerman, Salisbury, England

☆ Opinion: What is Putin afraid of?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. But in its attempt to exercise and display its strength, Putin is showing his fear. Security forces have arrested Russians questioning the war in Ukraine, let alone questioning Putin. According to rights organization Freedom House, Russia has become one of the world’s top perpetrators of transnational repression. Criticism of the war or of Putin can lead to death in a Russian prison camp.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Ksenia, Putin, Karelina, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Chris Van Heerden, didn’t, Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, There’s Navalny, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, —, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, ”, Maxim Kuzminov, Russia “, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, “ Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Kremlin, Russia’s Federal Security Service, KGB, Security, US, Wall Street, House, Police Locations: Russia, Russian, Los Angeles, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Germany, Chechen, Alicante, Kuzminov, London, Salisbury, England, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Navalny is the latest in a long line of Putin critics who met an early death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —When Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny returned to Russia in 2021, there were many who feared he would face an untimely end. The Kremlin has said it is investigating the critic’s death, the circumstances of which were not immediately clear. After his death, opposition leader Ilya Yashin said his friend had been working on a report about Russian troops and their involvement in Ukraine. Nemtsov’s death came two days before he was set to lead an opposition rally in the Russian capital. Alexander PerepilichnyyOver the years, suggestions have emerged of the possible use of a rare plant poison in the death of Russian financier Alexander Perepilichnyy.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Navalny, Yegveny Prigozhin Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Reuters Yevgeny Prigozhin, –, Bill Browder, “ Putin, ” Boris Nemtsov, Boris Nemtsov, Dmitry Korotayev, Boris Yeltsin, Ilya Yashin, Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, Nemtsov’s, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Yelena Gorbunova, Peter Macdiarmid, Boris Berezovsky, Putin, Berezovsky, Alexander Perepilichnyy, CNN Alexander Perepilichnyy, Perepilichnyy, Sergei Magnitsky, ANDREY SMIRNOV, Magnitsky, Browder, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Natasja Weitsz, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko –, Robert Owen, Putin “, Litvinenko, Marina Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya, JENS SCHLUETER, Lom, Ali Gaitukayev, Politkovskaya, Chechen Republic …, ” Drownings, Prigozhin, Gennady Lopyrev –, “, Lopyrev, Pyotr Kucherenko, Pavel Antov, Vladimir Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Buzakov, Anatoly Gerashchenko, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Maganov “, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Sergei Skripal, Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CNN, Putin’s United, “, Kremlin, PMC Wagner, Reuters, Republican Party of Russia, Party, Newsweek, Royal Botanic, Getty Images, Hermitage Capital, KGB, Getty, Authorities, The, Protect Journalists, RIA Novosti, Russia’s, Science, Higher Education, Gazprom, Lukoil, Moscow Aviation Institute, TASS Locations: Russia, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Putin’s United Russia, Ukraine, ” Boris Nemtsov Russian, Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, London's, England, Soviet Union, Britain, Surrey, London, Kew, American, Chechnya, Leipzig, Germany, AFP, The New York, Chechen Republic, Washington, Gelendzhik, ”, Cuba, India, United States

☆ Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny had long been a thorn in Putin’s side
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Laura Smith-Spark | Zamira Rahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

From prison, Navalny denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine via social media and encouraged anti-war protests across the country. Navalny was detained and sent to a Russian prison in 2021 after he had returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from Novichok poisoning he blamed on the Russian government. Navalny took up Nemtsov’s mantle, becoming Russia’s most prominent opposition figure. Alexey Navalny was given a suspended sentence and his brother was sentenced to a prison term. Russia launched a new fraud accusation and jail threat against Navalny at the end of 2020, increasing pressure on him.

Persons: CNN — Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Alexei Navalny, Dmitry Lovetsky, “, Putin, ”, Kira Yarmysh, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Litvinenko, Novichok, Sergei Skripal, Russia’s, Boris Nemtsov, Alexey Navalny, ‘ Putin, Oleg, Yves Rocher, “ Putin, ” Navalny, Dasha Navalnaya, Margarita Kotova, gaunt, Alexey, –, Putin –, Alexander Nemenov, vociferously, I’m, Yulia Navalnaya Organizations: CNN, United, Kremlin, CNN Former, Getty, Corruption, Navalny, “, Moscow’s, Peoples University, Transneft, Court, of Human Locations: United Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Germany, Moscow, CNN Former Russian, Britain, Russian, English, Salisbury, Siberian, Tomsk, Omsk, France, Sweden, Anadolu, Melekhovo, Vladimir Region, Butyn, AFP, Moscow’s

Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption, organized major anti-Kremlin protests and ran for public office. Shortly after Navalny’s death was reported, the Russian SOTA social media channel shared images of the opposition politician reportedly in court yesterday. In the footage, Navalny is seen standing up and is laughing and joking with the judge via video link. The day before the sentence, Navalny had registered as a candidate for Moscow mayor.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kira Yarmysh, Boris Nemtsov, —, ”, Dmitry Medvedev’s, Sergei Skripal, “ Alexei, David Roher, Oscar, Navalny’s, “, Alexei, alexey, navalny Organizations: Kremlin, Federal Penitentiary Service, People’s Friendship University, Yale, Moscow, Fund, Fighting, YouTube, Federal Security Service, Navalny’s Foundation Locations: ”, Moscow, Germany, Russian, Russia, Kharp, Butyn, Crimean, St, Petersburg, Siberian, Tomsk, Omsk, England, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine says spymaster's wife is recovering after being poisoned by heavy metals, and an expert believes Russia is a prime suspect
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top Ukrainian military official's wife was diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning, officials said. An expert said Russia is a prime suspect given the country's penchant for poison. AdvertisementThe wife of Ukraine's top military intelligence official is recovering in a hospital after being poisoned by heavy metals, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. While the motive and perpetrator behind Budanova's poisoning remains unclear, an expert on Russia and Ukraine said Russia is the obvious suspect. Russia's penchant for poison points to "a precedent and pattern for this type of behavior," Miles told Business Insider.

Persons: Marianna Budanova, —, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's Elle, Budanova, Simon Miles, Alexei Navalny, Sergeĭ Skripal, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Miles, Budanov, Kyiv —, Budovna Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Local, AP, Washington Post, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Business, Kyiv, Ukrainska Pravda Locations: Russia, Local Ukrainian, Ukraine, Soviet, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Wife of Ukraine’s top military intelligence official hospitalized with apparent heavy metals poisoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —The wife of Ukraine’s top military intelligence official has been hospitalized with apparent heavy metals poisoning, according to Ukrainian and western officials. American and western intelligence officials have not independently verified the poisoning but believe Ukrainian reports to be accurate, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. According to the GUR representative, she has been hospitalized for a week and had felt poorly for some time prior to being hospitalized. In England in 2018, Russian agents used a nerve agent to poison Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for British intelligence agencies. While initial reports indicated that they suffered from poisoning, later reports indicated the they were sickened due to an environmental factor, not poisoning.

Persons: Marianna Budanova, Kyrylo Budanov, GUR, Andriy Yusov, Budanova, Edward Boyer, ” Boyer, “, Russia –, –, Sergei Skripal Organizations: Washington CNN, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, CNN, Defense Intelligence, University of Massachusetts Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Union, England, Russian, United States, Turkey

In that case, Britain accused Russia of an assassination attempt on its soil and expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the country. For its part, the U.S. expelled 60 Russian diplomats and ordered the closure of Russia's consulate in Seattle in solidarity with its British ally. If asked by Canada to expel a large number of Indian diplomats, these officials said, the U.S. would have little choice but to comply. This week, India told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country, ramping up the confrontation. Trudeau and other Canadian officials, including Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, have hinted that Canada won't take reciprocal measures.

Persons: —, Biden, Justin Trudeau's, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Sergei Skripal, Trudeau, “ I’m, we're, ”, Danny Russel, Barack Obama’s, Modi, Melanie Joly Organizations: WASHINGTON, Publicly, Canadian, U.S, NATO, Asia Society Policy Locations: Canada, India, U.S, Vancouver, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Pacific, United States, Ukraine, China, Australia, Japan, Salisbury, England, Britain, Seattle, St . Petersburg, Indian, British, New York, New Zealand, New Delhi, Washington

"India is important in Western calculations for balancing China, and Canada is not," said Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international relations at Ottawa's Carleton University. A free trade deal would be a "major political win" for both India and Britain, Bajpaee said. Reuters Graphics'WAITING GAME'White House national security adviser John Kirby said the United States was "deeply concerned" and encouraged Indian officials to cooperate in any investigation. Britain, the United States, Canada and others threw out more than 100 Russian diplomats to punish Moscow for an attack it has always denied carrying out. Canada has not made public the intelligence it has because there is an active murder investigation, the senior source said.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Justin Trudeau, Evan Vucci, Stephanie Carvin, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, James, Chietigj Bajpaee, Bajpaee, John Kirby, Trudeau, Kirby, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Wesley Wark, Canada's, Richard Fadden, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Andrew MacAskill, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Indian, Canada, Bharat, Ottawa's Carleton University, Chatham House, Reuters Graphics, White House, Washington Post, week's, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CTV, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Britain, China Canada, OTTAWA, Canada, United States, China, Ottawa, Australia, New Zealand, London, England, Moscow, Waterloo , Ontario

CNN —Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has alleged that Russian President Vladimir Putin “must have killed” Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and said there can be no peace negotiation with Putin on Ukraine. It is not clear yet what caused the plane crash, but US and Western intelligence officials that CNN has spoken to believe it was deliberate. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson CNNThe plane crash thought to have killed Prigozhin came exactly two months after the Wagner boss launched a short-lived rebellion in Russia. I cannot think of another example of such ostentatious and uninhibited savagery by a world leader – not in our lifetimes,” Johnson wrote. Putin stands exposed as a gangster, and his absurd televised ‘tribute’ to the dead Wagnerites is straight from the pages of ‘The Godfather,’” Johnson concluded.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin “, ” Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Johnson, Wagner, ” Johnson, “, Moscow –, Prigozhin ”, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, ”, Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov, –, ’ ” Johnson Organizations: CNN, Former UK, Daily, Embraer, UK, Boris Johnson CNN Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Tver, Russia

BERLIN, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Despite the murders of four of her colleagues for their reporting, Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko never considered she had been poisoned when she fell ill on a train to Berlin. But when I found myself in Europe I totally forgot all these security measures." Her symptoms started with disorientation and stomach ache on the train journey from Munich to Berlin and persisted for several weeks. A former Chechen rebel died in Berlin in what a German court said was a Russian state assassination. She was one of three Russian independent woman journalists who were apparently poisoned while abroad in a similar period.

Persons: Elena Kostyuchenko, Kostyuchenko, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Skripal, Sergei Litvinenko, Thomas Escritt, Mike Harrison Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Berlin, Russia, Europe, Munich, Chechen, Ukraine

☆ Nerve agents, poison and window falls: Over the years, Kremlin foes have been attacked or killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Over the years, Kremlin political critics, turncoat spies and investigative journalists have been killed or assaulted in a variety of ways. Assassination attempts against foes of President Vladimir Putin have been common during his nearly quarter century in power. watch nowHis allies almost immediately said he was poisoned, but Russian officials denied it. A British inquiry found that Russian agents had killed Litvinenko, probably with Putin's approval, but the Kremlin denied any involvement. JournalistsNumerous journalists critical of authorities in Russia have been killed or suffered mysterious deaths, which their colleagues in some cases blamed on someone in the political hierarchy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, —, turncoat, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Pyotr Verzilov, Verzilov, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Boris Nemtsov, Boris Yeltsin, Nemtsov, Putin, Alexander Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya, service's, Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Novichok, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Shchekochikhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Sputnik, AFP, Getty, Kremlin, KGB, Authorities, Novaya Gazeta Locations: Moscow, Russia, Siberia, Omsk, Berlin, Germany, France, Sweden, Soviet, Russian, Chechnya, London, Britain, Salisbury, British, Novaya

☆ There is little doubt that Putin had Prigozhin killed — which is almost certainly the point
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

While it's not confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin is dead, or why, or how, it is not hard to figure out. Prigozhin publicly challenged Vladimir Putin and, not long after, his plane fell from the sky. President Vladimir Putin, of course, hasn't said a thing. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe BBC's respected security correspondent Franker Gardner noted Thursday: "Vladimir Putin does not forgive traitors nor those who challenge him." AdvertisementAdvertisementAlexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov told RT’s editor-in-chief they had nothing to do with the Skripals’ poisoning.

Persons: it's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, hasn't, GAVRIIL, Franker Gardner, Sergei Skripal, — Novichok, Luke Harding, Alexander Petrov, Ruslan Boshirov, Alexandr Litvinenko, Alexei Navalny, Boris Nemtsov, Putin Organizations: Service, Getty, Anadolu Agency, RT Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Kursk, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Union, Britain, Berlin

☆ Russian Putin critics like Prigozhin who met an early death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

No evidence has been presented that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash. Nemtsov’s death came two days before he was set to lead an opposition rally in the Russian capital. Alexander PerepilichnyyOver the years, suggestions have emerged of the possible use of a rare plant poison in the death of Russian financier Alexander Perepilichnyy. ANDREY SMIRNOV/AFP/AFP/Getty ImagesRussian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in a Russian prison in 2009. The most prominent voice of dissent in Putin’s Russia, the lawyer, politician and corruption activist for years orchestrated massive street protests.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Wagner, –, Bill Browder, “ Putin, Boris Nemtsov, Boris Yeltsin, Ilya Yashin, Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, ”, Nemtsov’s, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Warrick Page, Boris Berezovsky, Putin, Berezovsky, Alexander Perepilichnyy, Perepilichnyy, Sergei Magnitsky, ANDREY SMIRNOV, Magnitsky, Browder, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko –, Robert Owen, Putin “, Litvinenko, Marina Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya, JENS SCHLUETER, Lom, Ali Gaitukayev, Politkovskaya, Chechen Republic …, ” Drownings, Prigozhin, Gennady Lopyrev –, “, Lopyrev, Pyotr Kucherenko, Pavel Antov, Vladimir Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Buzakov, Anatoly Gerashchenko, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Maganov “, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Sergei Skripal, Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Getty, Republican Party of Russia, Party, Newsweek, of Justice, Royal Botanic, AFP, Getty Images, Hermitage Capital, KGB, Authorities, The, Protect Journalists, RIA Novosti, Russia’s, Science, Higher Education, Gazprom, Lukoil, Reuters, Moscow Aviation Institute, TASS, Putin’s United, “ Locations: Russia, Boris Nemtsov Russian, AFP, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, London's, Europe, England, Soviet Union, Britain, Surrey, London, Kew, American, Chechnya, Leipzig, Germany, The New York, Chechen Republic, Washington, Gelendzhik, ”, Cuba, India, Putin’s Russia, Putin’s United Russia, United States

☆ Putin foes who, like Prigozhin, have suffered mysterious fates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses participants of the international military-technical forum Army-2023 via a video link in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released August 14, 2023. Prigozhin, 62, spearheaded a mutiny against Russia's top army brass on June 23-24, which President Vladimir Putin said could have tipped Russia into civil war. Moscow denied involvement. Russia denied involvement. Russia denied any involvement.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, ALEXEI NAVALNY Russia's, Alexei Navalny, Novichok, Navalny, SERGEI SKRIPAL, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, VLADIMIR KARA, MURZA, Vladimir Kara, Murza, ALEXANDER LITVINENKO Alexander Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoy, Dmitry Kovtun, Litvinenko, ALEXANDER PEREPILICHNY, Alexander Perepilichny, Perepilichny, VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO Viktor Yushchenko, Viktor Yanukovich, Yanukovich, ANNA POLITKOVSKAYA Anna Politkovskaya, Politkovskaya, Lisa Shumaker, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Russia's, Reuters, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine's, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Germany, Siberia, Russian, English, Salisbury, Soviet, Britain, British, London, Ukrainian

CNN —Russian dissident journalist Elena Kostyuchenko has revealed how she was traveling to Berlin by train last autumn when she was abruptly taken ill, in a case that has led German authorities to investigate a suspected poisoning attempt. Kostyuchenko was living in exile at the time in the German capital after being warned of Russian plans to assassinate her. In March 2022, she said she was tipped off by a source in Ukrainian military reconnaissance about Russian plans to assassinate her. Kostyuchenko eventually fled to Germany, where she rented an apartment in Berlin and began working for Meduza on September 29. Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny also fell ill on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow in 2020.

Persons: Elena Kostyuchenko, Kostyuchenko, Sebastian Büchner, ” Kostyuchenko, “, ”, Zelimkhan, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Theresa May, Alexei Navalny Organizations: CNN, Russian, Novaya Gazeta, Meduza, UK Locations: Russian, Berlin, Munich, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Iran, Meduza, Ukrainian, Chechen, English, Salisbury, Siberian, Tomsk, Moscow

☆ Three suspected Russian spies arrested in Britain - BBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The individuals are Bulgarian nationals, who were alleged to be working for Russian security services, the BBC said in its report, saying they had been held as part of a major national security investigation. The police declined to comment on whether they were suspected of being Russian spies. Britain has been sharpening its focus on external security threats and last month it passed a new national security law, aiming to deter espionage and foreign interference with updated tools and criminal provisions. Last year, Britain's domestic spy chief said more than 400 suspected Russian spies had been expelled from Europe. Britain has also been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year and has imposed a range of sanctions on Russian officials and oligarchs.

Persons: Roussev, Biser Dzambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Sergei Skripal, Novichok, Sachin Ravikumar, Michael Holden, William James, Sharon Singleton Organizations: British, BBC, London's Metropolitan Police, Bailey Court, Police, Thomson Locations: Russia, Bailey, Britain, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Belarusian dictator who negotiated the end of Prigozhin's mutiny says there's no way Putin is 'malicious and vindictive' enough to have him killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he doesn't think Putin will have Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. Putin is not "malicious or vindictive enough" to order the murder, said the close Putin ally. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that he doesn't think Vladimir Putin would be so "malicious and vindictive" as to have Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will 'kill' Prigozhin tomorrow, no, this will not happen." The Russian leader has a long history of brutal and violent crackdowns on those he sees as disloyal.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, doesn't, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Sergei Skripal, Alexei Navalny, Putin's, Prigozhin, Progozhin, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, CNN Locations: Belarusian, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ Putin 'clearly is stumbling' and may be weaker than we thought for letting exiled Wagner boss Prigozhin back into Russia after his revolt, ex-spies say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is reportedly back in Russia after revolting against Putin's military leaders. It's a shocking and confusing development for former spooks, who told Insider that it may indicate the Russian leader's grip on power is more tenuous than it seems. "The thought that immediately comes to mind is this is a sign of Putin's weakness" amid Russia's continued losses in the Ukraine war, Glenn Carle, a former CIA spy who was stationed in Russia, told Insider. Prigozhin, for now at least, is an anomaly in that he's been allowed back into Russia after leading an armed rebellion against key Russian military officials. British intelligence sources told The Telegraph that Prigozhin called off the advance after Russian officials threatened the families of Wagner leaders if they continued.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, It's, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Fontanka, Russia's, Glenn Carle, John McLaughlin, McLaughlin, Sergei Skripal, Alexei Navalny, he's, Lukashenko, Putin's, excoriate Prigozhin, Carle Organizations: Service, Russian, CIA, Kremlin, Telegraph, Putin Locations: Russia, Belarus, Belarusian, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Without a hint of irony over Ukraine, Putin rages against countries that meddle in other states
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrive for a working breakfast of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Moscow, Russia May 9, 2023. Vladimir Smirnov | Sputnik | ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin slammed countries that he said were trying to "impose their dominance" and rules on others, saying Wednesday that those that do were "completely ignoring the sovereignty" of other states. Russian President Vladimir Putin on a screen at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the annexation of four regions of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — in central Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022. Putin said Tuesday that Russia was going through "difficult times" as it continued its military campaign in Ukraine, but said national pride was growing. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov looks on, next to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they wait for the US-Russia summit at the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021.

☆ Britain’s Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

“He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don’t want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute’ or something like that. Jolly,” Johnson said, recalling the “very long” and “most extraordinary” call in February 2022 which followed a visit by the then prime minister to Kyiv. Johnson, who stepped down in September in the wake of a series of scandals, sought to position London as Kyiv’s top ally in the West. While in office he visited Kyiv several times and called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy frequently. He also visited again this month.

☆ Britain's Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike during a phone call in the run up to the invasion of Ukraine. "He threatened me at one point, and he said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. Jolly," Johnson said, recalling the "very long" and "most extraordinary" call in February 2022 which followed a visit by the then prime minister to Kyiv. Johnson, who stepped down in September in the wake of a series of scandals, sought to position London as Kyiv's top ally in the West. While in office he visited Kyiv several times and called Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy frequently.

☆ UK review of 'golden' visas for millionaires finds links to corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The government first commissioned the visa's review in 2018 after the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Britain. Russian oligarchs and newly-minted Chinese entrepreneurs have flocked to London over the past two decades, snapping up everything from opulent homes to soccer clubs. Under the programme, foreigners who invested 2 million pounds in assets in Britain could apply for permanent residency after five years in the country. Investing 10 million pounds allowed an application after two years. In total, more than 12,000 golden visas have been granted, including more than 2,500 to Russians, according to government data.

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