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☆ The Wagner Group is back, Russian regional media says — and led by Prigozhin's son
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian regional media reported this week that the Wagner Group is hiring again in two oblasts. The reports follow months of speculation that Pavel Prigozhin would lead Wagner under the Russian Guard. And the fighters are led by the young son of Prigozhin himself, Pavel Prigozhin, reported 59.RU, a regional news outlet based in Perm. A Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner, Prigozhin 2023, has also been touting Pavel Prigozhin as the organization's future leader. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Russian news site Military Review also reported on Sunday that Wagner would continue operations as a division of the Russian Guard.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Pavel, Pavel Prigozhin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Russian Guard, Service, Group, Kremlin, Getty, Wagner, Telegram, Russian Defense Ministry, New York Times, The Defense Ministry, Institute for, RU, Russian National Guard, Defense Ministry Locations: Perm ., Perm . Novosibirsk, Perm, VKontakte, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, AFP, Africa, US, Wagner Perm

☆ The Wagner Group is back, and led by a new Prigozhin, Russian regional media says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ 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

☆ Ukraine's army keeps outsmarting Russia on the battlefield, with cunning ruses and opportunistic attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Tom Porter | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Deception has succeeded against Russian forces at all echelons and across all three service branches," the report said. A Russian drone had earlier damaged a tank there, and Afanasyev wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company says over 250 of these decoys have so far been handed over to the Ukrainian military. In eastern Ukraine's Popasna, a base used by the mercenary pro-Russian Wagner Group was bombed to rubble by Ukrainian troops in April 2022. Ukraine's 110th brigade then "worked effectively to attack the Russian soldiers," he said.

Persons: it's, Ivan Oleksii, Oleksii, Cmdr, Oleksandr Afanasyev, Afanasyev, Vladimir Solovyov, Wagner, Igor Russak, Ukraine's, Huw Dylan, David Gioe, Joe Littell Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Russian, Getty, Kremlin, Wagner, Russian Wagner, Wired, Purpose, Center for Information Resilience, 25th Airborne Brigade, Modern War Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, Makiivka, Lyman, Donetsk, St Petersburg, Ukraine's, Avdiyivka, Europe, Izium, Kharkiv, Kherson

☆ Former Wagner fighters are having to find new careers. One started a 'Wagner Taxi' company using the group's logo.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Wagner Group soldiers are being forced to seek out new employment, per Russian reports. One soldier has started a taxi company named after the notorious mercenary group. Valery Bogdanov, a resident of Bolotnoye in Russia's southern Novosibirsk region, has even printed business cards using the Wagner Group's emblem of a grinning skull against a set of wings, Russian outlet VN.ru reported. Both Prigozhin and the rumored co-founder of the Wagner Group, Dmitry Utkin, were on the passenger list of the flight that plunged catastrophically to earth on August 23, 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe representative also said the group had been forced to look for more opportunities in Africa and the Middle East, Important Stories reported.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Valery Bogdanov, Wagner, Bogdanov, they're, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, catastrophically, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Central African Republic —, — Wagner, Touadera Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Wagner, Daily, Central African, Eye, Faustin, Kremlin Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Bolotnoye, Russia's, Novosibirsk, Ukraine, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Africa, Central African Republic

☆ George W. Bush says it was 'shocking' to learn that Yevgeny Prigozhin once served him dinner in St. Petersburg: 'All I know is I survived'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A photograph from 2006 shows Yevgeny Prigozhin serving dinner to then-President George W. Bush. Prigozhin was running catering for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, earning the name "Putin's chef." The former president was then asked if he thought Russian leader Vladimir Putin could "survive" the consequences of the Ukraine war if the conflict does not end in Moscow's favor. Russian leader Vladimir Putin listens to his US counterpart George W. Bush prior to a dinner 14 July 2006. In those days, Prigozhin had earned himself the nickname "Putin's chef" because he provided catering services to the Russian leader.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, George W, Bush, he'd, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, —, It's, Laura Bush, Putin, DMITRY ASTAKHOV, US Justice Department —, Weeks Organizations: Service, Yalta European Strategy, Getty, World Trade Organization, US Justice Department, Wagner, Kremlin Locations: Wall, Silicon, Yalta, Kyiv, St . Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow's, Russia, Constantine, Washington, Moscow, Concord

☆ WSJ Opinion: Democrats' Circular Firing Squad
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Wsj Opinion | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WSJ Opinion: Donald Trump, Hunter Biden and the Rule of Law Wonder Land: At the center of the legal problems now engulfing Donald Trump and Hunter Biden is the refrain that no one is above the law. Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin offers the alternative: No rules. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly

Persons: Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Kelly Organizations: Getty

☆ Ukraine's front-line forces are trying to fight their way through Russia's formidable Surovikin Line. Here's what that is.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian forces are making steady territorial gains in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. In doing so, Kyiv's troops have fought against the formidable Surovikin Line. As they approach Verbove, Kyiv's troops have are pushing against the main part of the so-called "Surovikin Line." The Surovikin Line is a complex system of defensive fortifications and obstacles across Russian-occupied territory in southern and eastern Ukraine. AdvertisementAdvertisementTo even reach the main line, Kyiv's soldiers have had to move through sprawling minefields — which has proven to be a slow and painstaking process.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin's, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner, George Barros, Barros, Rob Lee, Michael Kofman Organizations: Service, Factory, Russian Army, Institute, REUTERS Locations: Robotyne, Verbove, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Orikhiv, Azov, Kherson, Crimea, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Washington, Russia, Tokmak, Ukrainian, Moscow

☆ WSJ Opinion: The Stupid Party vs. the Evil Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Wsj Opinion | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Kelly Organizations: Getty

☆ Newly surfaced video of Wagner boss Prigozhin shows him joking about his own death days before his fatal plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new video has surfaced of Yevgeny Prigozhin, where he claims to be in Africa in mid-August. In it, the Wagner Group leader says he's doing "fine" amid speculation over his wellbeing. The footage appears to be from just days before Prigozhin died in a plash crash near Moscow. Prigozhin's reference to a weekend in the second half of August indicates that the newly surfaced video was likely filmed around August 19 or 20, just days before he died in a plane crash. After initial reports of the plane crash surfaced, US officials said it wasn't surprising.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, he's, Prigozhin, Wagner, Anton Gerashchenko, Dmitry Utkin, Valery Chekalov, Vladimir Putin, Moscow —, Putin, Bill Burns, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre Organizations: Group, Service, Wagner Group, Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, Pentagon, Ostorozhno, CIA, House Press Locations: Africa, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Ostorozhno Novosti

☆ Old interview clip of Wagner chief Prigozhin sparks speculation about his death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash near Moscow. An old video has surfaced in which he says he would rather die than lie and makes a plane crash analogy. The clip has sparked speculation about the way he died, and whether he is dead at all. The mercenary group leader, who led an aborted coup against Russian military leadership in June, was killed in a plane crash outside Moscow. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the plane crash on Wednesday, Wagner-affiliated social media channels claimed that air-defense systems shot the plane down, but the cause remains unclear.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, William Burns, Putin Organizations: Service, Russian, Sunday, BBC, Kremlin, CIA Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Jamaica, Russian

☆ With Prigozhin dead, Putin has traded low-budget global reach for safety at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On Friday, the Kremlin's spokesperson said the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind the Wednesday plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin was "a complete lie." It was unavoidable payback for Prigozhin's insubordination, which culminated in a march towards Moscow with a column of his Wagner Group mercenaries. AdvertisementAdvertisementThose files were obtained from anonymous hackers who had pried them loose from the Wagner Group. Russia uses the Wagner Group to boost its military strength, but it is nothing like a conventional fighting force or diplomatic corps. Other reports suggest that the job replacing Wagner in Africa will fall to the GRU, Russia's military intelligence unit.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Prigozhin's, he'd, —, Putin, grandiosity, they'd, Alexander Lukashenko, James, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Wednesday, Wagner Group, Saint, Kremlin, Group, Central African, YouTube, Google, Wagner, Saint Petersburg, ISIS, Russia, Wall Street Journal, Russia's Ministry of Defence Locations: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Central African Republic, Russian, Ukraine, East, Africa, Saint, China, Belarus, Russia's

☆ After Wagner's Prigozhin, who will stick their head above the parapet in Putin's Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Kremlin has vehemently denied speculation that the Russian state might have been involved in the crash. It’s worth remembering that Prigozhin never had particularly high name recognition in Russia, at least certainly not before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That changed in late June after Wagner’s march on Moscow raised the unsettling possibility of civil war in Russia. Alexey Navalny, who succeeded Nemtsov as Russia’s most galvanizing opposition leader, is currently in a Russian prison colony, along with many others who have peacefully opposed Putin’s war on Ukraine. Killed the leaders.”No evidence has surfaced that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash.

Persons: Yevgeny, Wagner, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, “, ” Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Joe Biden, I’d, Biden, Prigozhins —, Prigozhin, Prigozhin —, —, Igor Girkin, ultranationalist, Matthew Chance, bouquets —, Boris Nemtsov, Alexander Ermochenko, Alexey Navalny, Nemtsov, Navalny, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Embraer, Kremlin, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Russia’s

☆ Second plane had no connection to Wagner group, operator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters. But the jet operator, Russian company Jetica LLC, denied any such link. "Neither the plane itself nor its passengers are related to Wagner and never have been," Jetica's CEO Sergey Trifonov told Reuters. This plane had not been rented out, Trifonov said, though he declined to say who its owner was.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Vaganov, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Trifonov, Trifonov, Gleb Stolyarov, Gareth Jones Organizations: PMC Wagner, in, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Embraer, Jetica, Thomson Locations: in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Grey, St . Petersburg

☆ Second Russian plane reportedly linked to Prigozhin had no connection to Wagner group, operator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters. Russia's aviation authority has said Prigozhin was on board a private Embraer jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors. But the jet operator, Russian company Jetica LLC, denied any such link. "Neither the plane itself nor its passengers are related to Wagner and never have been," Jetica's CEO Sergey Trifonov told Reuters.

☆ Who is Dmitry Utkin, the Nazi-obsessed Wagner commander presumed dead in the same crash as Prigozhin?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dmitry Utkin, a close associate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, is presumed dead in Wednesday's plane crash. The Wagner Group is named after Utkin's callsign, which stems from his fascination with Nazi Germany. AdvertisementAdvertisementNonetheless, Utkin's influence is woven into the Wagner Group's origin story and its exploits. AdvertisementAdvertisementWith Moran, Utkin served in a failed operation sponsored by the Syrian government to suppress Islamic State militants, the think tank wrote. The US sanctioned Utkin along with the Wagner Group in 2017, citing activities that "threaten the peace, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine."

Persons: Dmitry Utkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Utkin, Bellingcat, Prigozhin, Utkin's, Time, Moran, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin's Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Concord Management, Consulting, BBC, Third, Nazi, Russia's, Moran Security Group, CSIS, Islamic, Radio Free Europe, US, Guardian Locations: Nazi Germany, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Wagner boss and failed coup leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a plane that crashed in Russia, killing everyone on board, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian media reports say Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a plane that crashed. It's unclear if the Wagner Group leader was on the plane that went down near Moscow, but he is believed to have been killed. It's not immediately clear if the mercenary boss was on board, but he was on the passenger list. AdvertisementAdvertisementBefore it became a disgraced organization in the wake of Prigozhin's failed coup, the Wagner Group fought in Ukraine alongside the regular Russian army. Some Western officials suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might opt to deal with the betrayal at a later date.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, It's, Prigozhin, Adrienne Watson, Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Bill Burns Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Group, TASS, Embraer, Federal Agency for Air Transport, National, US State Department, Kremlin, CIA Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Tver, St, Petersburg, Tver Region, Russia, Africa, Belarus, Ukraine, Rostov, Belarusian

☆ Wagner, infamous for brutality in Ukraine and a failed mutiny in Russia, is registered as an 'educational organization' in its new home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Wagner Group has reportedly registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus. The embattled organization has been training soldiers in the Belarusian military for several weeks. Now, the mercenary group is registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus — its new home — as it trains the country's military. Information published by Belarus' Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs shows that Wagner registered as a company earlier this month, with the sole purpose of educational activities, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing earlier this month, adding that "when it comes to Wagner Group, I think we all keep a close eye all of the time."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Agnė Bilotaitė Organizations: Wagner, Service, Belarus ' Unified State, Entrepreneurs, Wagner Group, Russian, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Officials, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, Belarus — Locations: Belarus, Belarusian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Asipovichy, Russian, Brest, Africa, Officials Poland, Lithuania, Warsaw, Minsk, Poland

☆ WSJ Opinion: The Musk vs. Zuckerberg Cage Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Wsj Opinion | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Kelly Organizations: Getty

☆ Russia's 200,000-strong national guard is getting armed with heavy weaponry, in a sign of its growing importance to Putin, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is granting its 200,000-strong national guard force heavy weaponry, the UK MOD said. This shows how the Kremlin sees the force as key to ensuring "regime security," per the MOD. While its leader bragged of its response to the Wagner mutiny, there's no sign it did much, the MOD said. Reports have suggested that Putin has become increasingly isolated and paranoid since he launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Reports of a paranoid Putin have only intensified since the Wagner Group's mini-mutiny, which could lead to a bigger role for the national guard.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Rosgvardia, Viktor Zolotov Organizations: MOD, Kremlin, Service, UK Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ This Trump Indictment Imperils the Presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( David B. Rivkin Jr. | Lee A. Casey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wonder Land: At the center of the legal problems now engulfing Donald Trump and Hunter Biden is the refrain that no one is above the law. Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin offers the alternative: No rules. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyThe latest indictment of Donald Trump takes the courts and the country into uncharted territory. Special counsel Jack Smith and a District of Columbia grand jury accuse Mr. Trump of conspiring to steal the 2020 presidential election and charge him, among other things, with defrauding the U.S. But Mr. Trump’s status as president when the alleged crimes took place raises questions about whether he can be successfully prosecuted—and, if he is, troubling implications for future presidents.

Persons: Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Kelly, Jack Smith, Trump, — Organizations: Getty, Columbia

☆ Vivek Ramaswamy Dives Into Swamp Land
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wonder Land: At the center of the legal problems now engulfing Donald Trump and Hunter Biden is the refrain that no one is above the law. Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin offers the alternative: No rules. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyVivek Ramaswamy is rising in the GOP presidential polls, which is a credit to his energy and message of U.S. revival. But as he garners more attention, an obvious line of attack on the 37-year-old entrepreneur is that he’s too young and inexperienced. All the more reason for him to avoid wading into the political fever swamps, alienating voters who might otherwise give him a serious look.

Persons: Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Kelly Vivek Ramaswamy Organizations: Getty

☆ Democrats and the Trump Indictment Spectacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wonder Land: At the center of the legal problems now engulfing Donald Trump and Hunter Biden is the refrain that no one is above the law. Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin offers the alternative: No rules. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyDonald Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, as the world’s cameras focused on the spectacle of a former President and current candidate in the dock. The legal case will play out in the coming months, but the political point to keep in mind is that this is exactly where Democrats want voters to focus: On Mr. Trump all day, every day.

Persons: Donald Trump, Hunter Biden, Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Kelly Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: Getty, Washington , D.C Locations: Washington ,

☆ Exiled Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian troops in what may signal Putin's puppet next door is cutting some of the strings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Wagner Group mercenaries cast into exile in Belarus have been training the country's soldiers. The increased military training suggests that Putin's influential grip on Belarus may be waning. "The Wagner Group's new role in Belarusian company-level training is notable," the ISW analysis said. Shortly after that, Wagner troops began training internal troops, the Belarusian Deputy Commander of the Internal Troops confirmed on July 25. Lukashenko, meanwhile, has praised the Wagner fighters and welcomed the military training with open arms.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Eager, Russian Wagner, ISW, George Barros, Wagner's, Barros, Putin, Belta, John Kirby, We're, Kirby Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Russian, Institute for, Belarusian, Sputnik, Internal Troops, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Moscow, Ukrainian, Minsk, White, National Security, NATO Locations: Belarus, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Asipovichy, Minsk, Russian, Brest, Washington, DC, wean, Moscow, Ukraine, Sochi, Kremlin, Africa, Poland, Lithuania

☆ Russian stocks are back at pre-war levels as investors see them as safer bet than falling ruble
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian stocks are back at pre-war levels as investors see them as safer bets amid the falling ruble. The Moex index closed at 3,093.64 on Tuesday, above where it was when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Fears of political chaos caused Russian demand for foreign currencies to jump to 70%-80% in some regions. But while the Moex stock index, which is denominated in rubles, has surpassed pre-war levels, it remains well below earlier highs. Meanwhile, a separate gauge of Russian stocks that's denominated in dollars is more than 10% below pre-invasion levels, Bloomberg said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner Group's Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, P Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, China

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