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☆ A Russian drone unit is recruiting members of the Kremlin elite so they can 'sidestep' military service on the front, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A military unit called "Bars Kaskad" is recruiting Russia's elite, the UK Ministry of Defence said. It likely allows recruits to "sidestep" usual service requirements "with guaranteed safety," said the MoD. AdvertisementA special Russian military unit is recruiting Russian elites, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The unit is primarily involved in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations far from the front lines in Ukraine, likely allowing Russian VIPs to "sidestep usual military service requirements with guaranteed safety," the MoD said. AdvertisementAlexei Blinovsky was pictured serving with Bars Kaskad on April 16, per the MoD.

Persons: —, SERGEI SUPINSKY, Ruslan Leviev, Russian, Yelena Blinovskaya, Alexei Blinovsky, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: UK Ministry of Defence, MoD, Service, Russian, Russian State Duma, Putin United Russia Party, Getty Images, Conflict Intelligence Team, Guardian Locations: Ukraine, Russian, AFP, Kaskad

☆ Russia presidential election: Putin set to sweep to fifth term in power
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) approved only three candidates to oppose Putin: Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party. “A vote for Slutsky and LDPR is absolutely not a vote against Putin,” he said. Although the ruling United Russia party has declared its “full support” for the president, Putin is running as an independent candidate, placing himself above party politics. A local election commission member prepares a polling station for early voting in the Republic of Karelia, March 10, 2024. Polls are set to open in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka at 8 a.m. local time on Friday (4 p.m.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joseph Stalin, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolay Kharitonov, Slutsky, “, ”, Stringer, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny “, Navalny, “ Putin, Yulia Navalnaya, Don’t, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Dmitry Serebryakov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Commission, Liberal Democratic Party, New People Party, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, United, Getty, CEC, Russian Security Service, The New York Times, TASS, Russia Locations: Alaska, Kaliningrad, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, United Russia, AFP, Moscow, Republic of Karelia, Avdiivka, Russia’s, Kamchatka

☆ Analysis: As Putin sails to re-election, Russia’s leader has a succession problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to sail to re-election in a nationwide vote that begins on March 15, securing a fifth term in office and a full third decade as Russia’s paramount leader. As Kremlin chairman, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin would become the country's leader temporarily if Putin were to die or be incarcerated while in office. In 2008, Putin reached the end of his second presidential term, and stepped aside for a handpicked placeholder, Dmitry Medvedev. Some Russian political observers speculate that the real competition to succeed Putin is not likely until the 2030s, when Putin reaches his sixth term. Even the former president Medvedev, who lost the number two slot in 2020 when he stepped down in a government shakeup, may still have aspirations.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexey Navalny, Joseph Stalin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Putin “, Joe Biden, Putin’s, …, ”, Andreas Umland, “ Putin, ” Umland, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin –, “ It’s, Umland, Mikhail Mishustin, Gleb Schelkunov, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Irina Buzhor, Leonid Brezhnev, Alexander Lukashenko, Xi Jinping, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Nazarbayev, President Kassym, Tokayev, Andrey Pertsev Organizations: CNN, Stockholm Centre, Eastern European Studies, Russian, Russian Federation, Soviet, Air Force One, United Russia, Russian Security Council, AP, Chinese Communist Party, country’s Security, Kremlin Locations: Soviet, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Belarusian, Kazakhstan

☆ Alexey Navalny: Jailed Russian opposition figure dies aged 47, prison service says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Anna Chernova | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died aged 47, the Russian prison service said. Russia’s prison service said it was investigating the “sudden death” of Navalny. Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said his lawyer is traveling to Kharp, where Navalny has been held since December. The White House at the time said it was “deeply concerned” about the reports of Navalny’s disappearance. “Navalny has never been hidden for so long,” Navalny’s team said in a Telegram post.

Persons: CNN —, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalnvy, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kira Yarmysh, “, ” Yarmysh, Navalany’s, he’d, “ Navalny, ”, Ivan Zhdanov Organizations: CNN, United, Novosti, Navalny’s, IK Locations: Russian, United Russia, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Navalny, Kharp, Moscow

☆ 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

☆ Russia's Parliament to Vote on Suspending Moscow's OSCE Participation
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia's parliament will vote on Feb. 21 on suspending the country's participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE), Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Tuesday. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the organisation has been largely paralysed by Moscow's ongoing use of the effective veto each country has. "It's time for us to say goodbye to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly," Volodin said at a meeting of the Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, according to a statement on the Duma's website. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesBoth chambers of the Russian parliament, the Duma and the Federation Council, will vote simultaneously on suspending participation and on stopping Moscow's payments to the OSCE, Volodin said. Ukraine and its Baltic allies, which are Russia's neighbours, refused to attend the OSCE annual foreign ministers meeting late last year over the presence of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov there.

Persons: Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Lidia Kelly, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters, Organization for Security, OSCE, Soviet, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Duma, Federation Council, United, Russia's Locations: Parliamentary, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Washington, United Russia, Baltic

☆ Russia Closes Presidential Race Candidate Registration With Putin, 3 Others -TASS
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia's registration of candidates for the March presidential election has closed, TASS reported on Sunday, with a list including President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win, and three politicians who all support Moscow's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has said it does not see him as a serious rival to Putin. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesNadezhdin said on Thursday he would challenge the CEC's decision in Russia's Supreme Court. The war, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation", is nearing the end of its second year. It has killed thousands on both sides, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and turned scores of cities and villages into rubble.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Boris Nadezhdin, Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Slutsky, Nikolai Kharitonov, Putin, Nadezhdin, Elaine Monaghan, Lidia Kelly, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters, Commission, CEC, Russian Duma, New People, Kremlin, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party, United Russia, Putin Locations: Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russian Anti-War Candidate Nadezhdin Says He Has Enough Signatures to Run for President
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin said on Wednesday he had submitted 105,000 signatures in his support to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to underpin his bid to challenge Vladimir Putin in an upcoming presidential election. The CEC will check the authenticity and quality of the signatures submitted by Nadezhdin and other would-be candidates and announce next month who will join Putin on the ballot paper. Putin's victory is widely seen as a foregone conclusion, but Nadezhdin has surprised some observers with trenchant criticism of what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. As a candidate nominated by a political party, he needed to gather 100,000 signatures across at least 40 regions in order to stand in the March 15-17 election. Putin, who has chosen to run as an independent rather than as the candidate of the ruling United Russia party, needs 300,000 signatures but has already collected over 3.5 million, according to his supporters.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, Nadezhdin, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Commission, CEC, Kremlin, United, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, United Russia

☆ Opinion: The real story behind Russia’s new ‘Stalin Centers’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Opinion Jade Mcglynn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Last month, a new ‘Stalin Center’ was opened in Barnaul, Siberia. According to the independent Levada Center, Stalin has taken first place in their ‘who is the greatest figure of all times and all people’ survey since 2012. Students of a military-sponsored school attend the opening of a series of busts of Russian leaders, including Josef Stalin (center), in Moscow, on September 22, 2017. What the West gets wrong about Stalin and PutinMoreover, these comparisons divert attention from important differences between the Stalin and Putin regimes. That is abundantly not the case in Putin’s Russia, where the government instead encourages a ritualistic patriotism and political apathy.

Persons: Jade McGlynn, “, Read, ’, Jade McGlynn Jade McGlynn, Stalin, Vladimir Putin’s, Josef Stalin, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Memorial, Gorbachev, Yury, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Nemenov, demonize ’ Stalin, —, weren’t, Mikhail Bulgakov Organizations: Center for Strategic, International Studies, CNN, Communists, Kremlin Russian Communist Party, Levada Center, YouTube, Communist, Reuters, Kremlin, Putin Locations: Putin’s Russia, Barnaul, Siberia, Russian, Penza, Bor, Communist, Russia, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia, Moscow, Perm, Baltic, Laski, Ukraine, today’s Russia, Kyiv, Putin Russia

☆ Ukraine says it killed Kremlin-backed politician in car bombing in occupied Luhansk
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Christian Edwards | Gul Tuysuz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Kyiv CNN —Ukraine said it was responsible for the assassination of a Russia-backed official with a car bomb in the occupied eastern city of Luhansk on Wednesday. Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities reported Filiponenko had been killed in a car bombing early Wednesday morning. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence posted Filiponenko’s address and warned others: “All addresses of traitors and places of their service to terrorist Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are known! Defense Intelligence of Ukraine states that all war criminals and collaborators will receive a fair retribution!”There have been several assassination attempts against Russian-backed officials in occupied Ukraine. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, in the south of Ukraine, have been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Persons: Mikhail Filiponenko, Filiponenko, Russia ”, ”, Russian Liberal Democratic Party Filiponenko Mikhail Yuryevich, ” Filiponenko, “ Filiponenko, Stanislav Krasilnikov, LPR, Igor Kornet, Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: CNN —, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russia’s, Russian Liberal Democratic Party, Defense Intelligence, Russian, CNN Locations: CNN — Ukraine, Russia, Luhansk, Luhansk People’s Republic, Russian, Kherson, Ukraine, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia

☆ Russia formally withdraws from key post-Cold War European armed forces treaty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Deputy head of Russia's Security Council and chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev visits the Raduga State Machine Building Construction Bureau named after A. Bereznyak in Dubna, Moscow region, Russia February 2, 2023. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 7 (Reuters) - Russia formally withdrew on Tuesday from a key post-Cold War security treaty designed to de-escalate potential East-West conflicts, in a latest sign of rising tensions between Russia and NATO. "At 00:00 on November 7, 2023, the procedure of Russia's withdrawal from the CFE (Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe), was completed," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. Russia suspended its participation in the treaty in 2007 and halted active participation in 2015. "Thus, the CFE Treaty in its original form lost touch with reality."

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Lidia Kelly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Russia's Security, United, Sputnik, NATO, CFE, Conventional Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: United Russia, Dubna, Moscow region, Russia, Europe, Warsaw, Ukraine, United States, CFE, Melbourne

☆ The Kremlin plans to raffle off houses and holidays to shore up support for Putin ahead of an election: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Kremlin is reportedly launching a nationwide raffle ahead of next year's presidential election. The project aims to support Putin amid Russia's challenges with Western sanctions, the report said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Kremlin plans to shore up support for Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of next year's election by launching a nationwide raffle, according to the independent Russian outlet Meduza. The prizes up for grabs include 300 trips across Russia and 30 housing certificates, which are vouchers that can exchanged for real estate, Meduza reported. Meduza reported that more than 400,000 people have already entered the raffle and that Russian news outlets and regional media have been instructed to promote the event.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Meduza Organizations: Service, Russian, Kremlin, United, Levada Center, CNN, Freedom Locations: Russia, United Russia, US, Ukraine

☆ Russian party official killed in Ukrainian car bomb attack in occupied Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian party official was killed Saturday in a Ukrainian car bomb attack in occupied Kherson. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the ruling United Russia party, died in the attack. The acting governor of occupied Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, called the incident a "terrorist attack." AdvertisementAdvertisementAn official with Putin's ruling United Russia party was killed Saturday in a car bombing orchestrated by Ukrainians, according to Russian politicians. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the pro-Putin political party, died in the bombing, Reuters reported Vladimir Saldo, the acting governor of the Russia-occupied Kherson Oblast, said in a Telegram post declaring the incident a "terrorist attack."

Persons: Vladimir Malov, Vladimir Saldo, —, Malov Organizations: United, Service, Putin, Reuters, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Government of, Russian Federation, Ukrainian Locations: Ukrainian, Kherson, United Russia, Russia, Kherson Oblast, Russian, Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine

☆ Car bomb kills official in Russian-held Ukrainian town, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 7 (Reuters) - A party official in the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine's Kherson province was killed by a car bomb on Saturday, the provincial governor said. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the town branch of Russia's governing United Russia party, died in hospital, Vladimir Saldo said in a post on his Telegram channel. He said it had been a "terrorist attack", meaning one orchestrated by Ukraine. In July, Russia said it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to kill Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of unilaterally annexed Crimea, arresting an agent before he could blow up Aksyonov's car. Reporting by Reuters; writing by Kevin Liffey; editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Malov, Vladimir Saldo, Sergei Aksyonov, Kevin Liffey, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Nova, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Crimea

☆ Russia plans to try to block VPN services in 2024 - senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Demand for VPN services soared after Russia restricted access to some Western social media after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Senator Artem Sheikin said an order from the Roskomnadzor watchdog would come into force on March 1 that would block VPNs. "From March 1, 2024, an order will come into force to block VPN services providing access to sites banned in Russia," Sheikin was quoted as saying by state news agency RIA. Sheikin said that it was particularly important to block access to Meta Platforms (META.O), which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. He stressed that this order also applies to those VPN services that give access, in particular, to Instagram, which is banned in Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Artem Sheikin, Sheikin, Bobby McFerrin, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Private Networks, United, Roskomnadzor, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, United Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Instagram

In short, Russia’s children are being prepared for war. Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said recently that there are now about 10,000 so-called “military-patriotic” clubs in Russian schools and colleges, and a quarter-of-a-million people take part in their work. There are mandatory classes on military-patriotic values; updated history books accentuate Russian military triumphs. President Putin has personally led the campaign to inject patriotism into Russia’s schools. That message - hammered home by the president and state media - is now being taken into Russia’s schools.

Persons: Sergei Kravtsov, Vladimir Putin, ’, ”, ” Putin, Ukraine “, Putin, “, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Uliana Shumelova, schooler, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Daria, Vladimir, Ukraine –, Buryatia, She’d, It’s Organizations: CNN, Education, Security, Defense, Education Ministry, Novosti, RIA Novosti, Russia, Kremlin, Educational, Ministry of Defense, Air Defense, United, ”, Northern Military District, Military Sports Games, Defense Ministry, Armed Forces Russian Federation Locations: Pacific, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Crimea, Ukrainian, stoke, Belgorod, Krasnodar, Vologda, Sakhalin, Russia’s Far, Yeysk, Azov, Astrakhan, United Russia, Vladivostok, Voronezh, Ussuriysk, Buryatia, Chita trumpeted, Orenburg, Polish, Perm, State

☆ Meet Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s Ghostwriter - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Mikhail Zygar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Medinsky was born in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine in 1970. His father was a military man and his childhood was spent traveling across the Soviet Union, from garrison to garrison. In this peripatetic environment, according to close acquaintances, Mr. Medinsky was brought up with very conservative values and as a sincere patriot of the Soviet Union. That’s when I met Mr. Medinsky, when I was as an undergraduate at the institute in the late ’90s. man should, Mr. Medinsky adapted to the change in atmosphere, parlaying a job in the civil service into a political career.

Persons: Medinsky, —, Christopher Buckley’s, ”, Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Putin’s Organizations: Soviet Union . Education, Moscow Institute of International Relations, School of Journalism, Komsomol, Communist Party’s, Mr, Ya Corporation, Putin’s United Locations: Cherkasy, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Soviet Union, Soviet, Russia, Putin’s United Russia, Russian

☆ Ex-Russian general warns 'lies' may obscure the battlefield realities of how Ukraine's troops are gaining ground
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ex-Russian general said "lies" are obscuring the reality that Ukraine's troops are gaining ground. His Telegram message also said Russian victory is being prevented by "lies" and "false reporting." His points were sharply at odds with the victoriousness and censorship that often characterize Russian war commentary. A Ukrainian soldier of 42nd Separate Mechanized Brigade puts camouflage on a tank's muzzle on September 11, 2023 in Eastern Ukraine, Ukraine. While assuring Russian troops are stronger and will endure, adapt, and win, he added: "Victory is separated from us only by one serious problem of ours - lies.

Persons: Gurulyov, Andrey Gurulyov, Yan Dobronosov, Vladimir Putin's, he'd Organizations: Service, Southern Military, Separate Mechanized Brigade, Getty, Stingers Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Orikhiv, Azov, Ukrainian, Eastern Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's United Russia, Russia

☆ Russian Regional Vote Delivers Strong Result for Putin Amid Claims of Rigging
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

But in the regions voting, electoral competition was limited, as strong candidates, including some from Russia's main opposition Communist Party, were blocked from running by authorities. Across the country, United Russia won every provincial governor's race it contested. Among the regional chiefs re-elected was powerful Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a close Putin ally. Similar systems have been rolled out in many other Russian regions. According to Russian officials, United Russia received large majorities in the regions, taking at least 70% of the vote in each.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Europe's, Putin, Stanislav Andreychuk, Andreychuk, Sergei Sobyanin, Sobyanin, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Moscow's, Felix Light, Lidia Kelly, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters, of Europe, Putin's United, Communist Party, United Russia, Kyiv, United Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Putin's United Russia, Russian, Moscow, Kremlin, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, United Russia, Bakhmut, Tbilisi, Melbourne

☆ Russian regional vote delivers strong result for Putin amid claims of rigging
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Europe's, Putin, Stanislav Andreychuk, Andreychuk, Sergei Sobyanin, Sobyanin, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Moscow's, Felix Light, Lidia Kelly, Leslie Adler Organizations: of Europe, Putin's United, Communist Party, United Russia, Kyiv, United, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Putin's United Russia, Russian, Moscow, Kremlin, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, United Russia, Bakhmut, Tbilisi, Melbourne

“They just come and say ‘vote.’ So people vote,” Baska told CNN. “Here, when you buy a SIM card for your phone, you immediately get an SMS from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and United Russia Party,” Baska said. The text messages carry pro-Kremlin messaging, informing voters that “about 90% of voters are ready to vote for Yedianaya Rossiya (United Russia),” or that “United Russia is helping Zaporizhzhia region,” she added. Guerrilla activity by Ukrainian partisans has taken place but is more difficult to achieve now, Baska told CNN. ‘Nothing to do with democracy’Few residents in Melitopol are interested in the bogus elections taking place, Baska told CNN.

Persons: ”, Alexander Ermochenko, ” Baska, Yedianaya Rossiya, ’, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Jens Stoltenberg, Baska, Melitopol, …, Republic Denis Pushilin, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, ” Sobolevskyi Organizations: CNN, Communist, National Resistance Center, Ministry of Internal Affairs, United Russia Party, Kremlin, “, NRC, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of, NATO, Yale Humanitarian Research, United Russia, Russian, Russian Guard Locations: Melitopol, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, United Russia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, Kyiv, of Europe, ”, Mariupol, Crimea, Republic

Political Cartoons View All 1148 Images“The Russian authorities are trying hard to pretend that everything is going according to plan, everything is fine. In the occupied regions, early voting kicked off last week as election officials went door to door or set up makeshift polling stations in public places to attract passersby. As a result, Moscow has maintained control of about 70% of the Kherson region. “It looks like the Russian authorities know the result (of the election) already,” Fyodorov said. In the end, said Gallyamov, the Russian analyst, Russian authorities will not get “anything good in terms of boosting their legitimacy” in the occupied regions.

Persons: Russia “, Abbas Gallyamov, ”, Gallyamov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, we’ve, ” Sergei, we’re, Konstantin, ” Kostantin, Weeks, Yevgeny Balitsky, “, Ivan Fyodorov, Fyodorov, ” Fyodorov, —, Pavlo Lysianskyi Organizations: Russian, Kyiv, of Europe, Kremlin, United, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic, Associated Press, AP, Eastern Human Rights Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Ukraine, Moscow, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, “, Russia, United Russia, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Siberia, Melitopol, Ukrainian

☆ 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 new bodyguard incudes thousands of elite special forces, tanks and warplanes to make him 'coup-proof,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin has reinforced his National Guard with elite special forces, arming them with tanks and warplanes. The move is seen as making the Kremlin "coup-proof," an analyst told The Telegraph. The National Guard, created by Putin in 2016, has 320,000 men and reports directly to him rather than the Ministry of Defense. An MP for Putin's United Russia party Alexander Khinshtein said that Putin has personally ordered the Interior Ministry's 7,000-men-strong Grom special forces unit to move under its command. "Putin is straightening the special forces' command and control after Prigozhin's mutiny," he said.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, It's, Putin's, Viktor Zolotov, Alexander Khinshtein, Ben Noble, Andrei Soldatov, John Hardie, Zolotov, Grom Organizations: National Guard, Telegraph, Service, British, The Telegraph, Ministry of Defense, Putin's United, Interior, Praetorian Guard, Politics, University College London, Foundation for, Defense of Democracies Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Putin's United Russia, Russia, Belarus

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