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☆ Easter desserts that everyone will love
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Food Network Kitchen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Matt Armendariz / Food NetworkGET THE RECIPEPeanut Butter and Chocolate EggsForget dying Easter eggs — try making homemade chocolate eggs instead. Kate Mathis / Food NetworkGET THE RECIPEBunny Butt Snickerdoodle CookiesTurn store-bought cookie dough into an adorable and subtly spiced Easter treat. Matt Armendariz / Food NetworkGET THE RECIPEChocolate Pastel Easter Cake with a Chocolate Vermicelli NestMoist chocolate cake is frosted with an easy, fluffy buttercream and topped with a chocolate nest for this festive Easter dessert. Matt Armendariz / Food NetworkGET THE RECIPERaspberry-Lemon Easter CakeThis adorable cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Food NetworkGET THE RECIPEPavlova Eggs with Lemon CurdThis fun and beautiful Easter treat is deceptively easy to make.

Persons: Easter, Teri Lyn Fisher, Matt Armendariz, Renee Comet, Kate Mathis Organizations: Food

☆ Alexey Navalny: Arrests, vigils, and Kremlin silence as Russia marks Putin critic’s death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The prosecutor’s office in Moscow warned that any demonstrations in the capital over the death of Navalny were forbidden. Stringer/ReutersSince Navalny’s death more than 366 people have been detained, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights group that monitors Russian repression. “Navalny’s death is terrible: hopes have been smashed,” he said. On some of Russia’s state media channels, however, reports of Navalny’s death have been scant. The claims follow condemnation from Russia’s foreign ministry over the West’s response to Navalny’s death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, “ Putin, Josef Stalin, SOTA, Stringer, Vladimir Putin’s “, ”, “ Navalny, Alexander, Andrei Bok, Mikhail, Surgut, Alexei Navalny, Peter Nicholls, Maria Zakharova, –, “, CNN’s Eve Brennan, Uliana Pavlova Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Don, Nizhny, Russian, Russian Embassy, CIA, Russia, Foreign, NATO, Putin, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Berlin, Paris, Hague, ”, Moscow, Siberian, Novosibirsk, St Petersburg, Murmansk, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, OVD, Ukraine, Germany, Soviet, Surgut, Siberia, St . Petersburg, Belgorod –, Chelyabinsk, Russia’s, London

The attacks are forcing Russian tourists to reconsider their plans. Popular destinationCrimea has always been popular with Russian tourists, many of whom remember vacationing there during Soviet times. After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, a number of countries closed their doors to Russian tourists. Crimea suddenly became one of the few sunny beach destinations Russian tourists could still visit without having to spend a lot of money. The attack was frightening enough to scare away many of the Russian tourists who had still been planning to come.

Persons: Oleksii Reznikov, Svitlana, “, ”, Olga Maltseva, hasn’t, Iryna Vereshchuk, Putin, ” Svitlana, Vladimir Konstantinov, ATOR, ” Reznikov, Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, –, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Kyiv’s, “, Getty, Crimean Ministry of Resorts, Tourism, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Ukraine’s, Moscow, European Union, Association of Russian, Kyiv, Security Service of Ukraine, State Council of, Russian, Fleet, Crimean Human Rights Group Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, AFP, Yalta, Kerch, EU, Europe, Turkey, Sochi, Republic of Crimea, Crimean, Sevastopol, Kyiv

CNN —Russian investigators have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed when their plane crashed Wednesday, after carrying out genetic tests. “As part of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed,” a statement published on the Russia’s Investigative Committee’s Telegram channel read. The Wagner warlord was on the plane which crashed Wednesday, Russian authorities said. Telegram/WAGNER_svodkiAlso killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin. To date, no evidence has been presented that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitriy Utkin, Valeriy, Prigozhin, Prigozhin’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Joe Biden, Putin, I’m, ”, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Putin Locations: Moscow, St . Petersburg, Tver, Prigozhin’s, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Soviet Union

CNN —Russia’s first moon mission in decades has ended in failure after the Luna-25 spacecraft collided with the Moon’s surface. The incident happened after communication with the spacecraft was interrupted, a blow to Russia’s space ambitions. Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, said it lost communication with Luna-25 on Saturday around 2:57pm Moscow time. The Luna-25 spacecraft launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Amur Oblast on August 10, setting the vehicle on a swift trip to the moon. Luna 25’s trajectory allowed it to surpass India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander, which launched in mid-July, on the way to the lunar surface.

Persons: CNN —, Luna, “, Roscosmos, ” Roscosmos, India’s Organizations: CNN, Vostochny Locations: Moscow, “, Russia’s Amur Oblast

☆ Dagestan: Gas station explosion kills 35, injures dozens in Russian region
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Uliana Pavlova Duarte Mendonca Alex Stambaugh Aruzhan Zeinulla Ivana Kottasová | Uliana Pavlova | Duarte Mendonca | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a fire caused an explosion at a gas station in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan, local authorities said. Several children were among the dead, according to the head of the Dagestan republic, Sergey Melikov, and at least three bodies were recovered from the rubble, state media agency TASS reported. TASS reported that 80 people were wounded, citing a department of the Russian ministry of health, in an apparent revision of the injury toll that Melikov earlier put at 102. The emergency ministry said it sent a special aircraft to evacuate casualties from the blast to hospitals in Moscow. The Dagestan government declared Tuesday a day of mourning, TASS reported.

Persons: Sergey Melikov, Vladimir Putin “, ”, Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov Organizations: CNN, TASS, Federal Center for Disaster Medicine, Ministry of Health, Russia’s, RIA Novosti, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Dagestan, Dagestan’s, Makhachkal, Moscow, Makhachkala

Putin emphasized that an “exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means,” was important in resolving the ongoing situation, the statement said. Putin also mentioned the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region while speaking in a pre-recorded message at Tuesday’s Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS). Mali’s interim president Goita also reiterated Putin’s call for “a peaceful resolution” in Niger. “He (Putin) stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel,” Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Mali hosted a large delegation of officials from the Niger junta in early August, signaling a potential partnership between the Niger junta and Wagner mercenary group.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Assimi, Republic of Mali Assimi, ”, Putin, Mohamed Bazoum’s, ” Putin, Goita, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, West, Tuesday’s Moscow Conference, International Security, Central African, Twitter, UN, African, Niger Locations: Niger, West, “, Malian, Republic of Mali, Sahara, Russian, Russia, Africa, St Petersburg, Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Libyan, African Union, Burkina Faso

Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking. Russian President Vladimir Putin has always maintained that Moscow’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine is an effort to liberate the country from a “Nazi regime” and Western influence. No critical thinking allowedMany countries introduce school children to patriotic ideas and civic values. According to independent human rights monitor OVD-Info, there have been almost 20,000 people detained for protesting against the war in Russia. This complete crackdown on freedom of speech means there isn’t a force in Russia that can counteract school propaganda.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergey Kravtsov, ” Kravtsov, Katerina Tertytchnaya, “ There’s, ”, Putin, Yuri Kadobnov, Sergey Lavrov, Kirill, ” Ian Garner, ” Tertytchnaya, ” Garner, Garner Organizations: CNN, country’s Ministry of Education, Nazi, Russian, Russian Federation, RIA Novosti, University College London, Ministry of Education, Schools, Getty, Kremlin, University of Chicago’s, Political, Students Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Moscow, AFP, Russian, France, Russians, China

☆ Blast at plant near Moscow injures at least 25, Russian state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —At least 25 people were injured in an explosion at an industrial plant northeast of Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. The blast took place in the area of the boiler room at Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant, in the town of Sergiev Posad, state news agency TASS reported. The plant is a developer and manufacturer for optical and optoelectronic devices for the Russian military, law enforcement agencies, industry and healthcare. The source of the detonation was a pyrotechnics warehouse rented by a third company on the site of the plant, RIA Novosti said, citing local authorities. Two of the people injured were hospitalized, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said, reported RIA Novosti.

Organizations: CNN, RIA Novosti, Windows, Ministry, Emergency, RIA Locations: Moscow, Russian, Sergiev

☆ Russia says it shot down Ukrainian missile over southern city with 14 injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russia said it shot down a Ukrainian missile over the southern Russian city of Taganrog and that fragments from the blast injured several civilians. Vasily Golubev also said on Friday in a Telegram post that there was a rocket explosion in the middle of the city. The Russian Ministry of Health later said 14 people had been injured. Russian air defense systems intercepted the missile, fragments of which fell on the city and damaged buildings, the defense ministry said. There were no victims or severe damage reported at the site, Khinshtein said.

Persons: It’s, Ukraine —, Vasily Golubev, ”, Maria Zakharova, “, ” Zakharova, Alexander Khinshtein, Khinshtein Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Defense, Regional Gov, Russian Ministry of Health, Russian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Duma Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Taganrog, Ukraine, Rostov Region, Rostov, Moscow, Kiev, Samara

CNN —Igor Girkin, a prominent Russian military blogger and former official in the separatist so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in Ukraine, has been arrested in Moscow, according to a message attributed to his wife and posted on his Telegram account and in Russian news reports. Girkin, also known by the nom de guerre Igor Strelkov, was reportedly taken from his apartment by Russian security officials Friday morning. Russian state news agency TASS said Reginskaya informed them about the extremism charge, and that law-enforcement agencies confirmed Girkin’s detention. Girkin is a former colonel in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and served as defense minister in the DPR in eastern Ukraine. According to the court, Girkin participated in the conflicts in Chechnya, Transnistria and Bosnia.

Persons: Igor Girkin, Girkin, Igor Strelkov, ”, Miroslava, “, ” Reginskaya, Reginskaya Organizations: CNN, Donetsk People’s, Investigative, Federal Security Service, DPR, Malaysia Airlines Flight Locations: Russian, Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic, Ukraine, Moscow, Chechnya, Transnistria, Bosnia

"The missile was equipped with prohibited cluster munitions. Reports from outside organizations: Cluster munitions have been used on civilian targets in the northeastern Kharkiv region as well, a CNN investigation from last year found. In a report published on August 25, 2022, the UN-partnered Cluster Munition Monitor civil society group said Russian forces had “repeatedly” used cluster munitions since the start of the war. Ukraine's own use of the weapons: The same report by the Cluster Munition Monitor group found that Ukrainian forces had also used cluster munitions "several times" and "mostly" in populated areas. Cluster munitions have killed at least 215 civilians and injured 474 people overall since the start of the war, according to the monitoring group's report.

Persons: Igor Ovcharruck, Clodagh Kilcoyne, —, Vladimir Putin's, General's, Michelle Bachelet, “, CNN's Uliana Pavlova Organizations: US, United Nations, General's, CNN, UN Locations: Ukraine's Kharkiv, Ukraine, Russia, Dnipropetrovsk, Rih, Russian, Kharkiv, Syria

CNN —Russia has a stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine “if they are used against us,” President Vladimir Putin said. “Russia has a sufficient supply of various types of cluster munitions,” the Russian leader said during an interview with a pro-Kremlin journalist. What are cluster munitions? Cluster munitions contain multiple explosives that are released over an area up to the size of several football fields. Putin also claimed that Russia has not yet used cluster munitions, despite evidence to the contrary.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, “, ”, Connie Chen, Henrik Pettersson, Joe Biden, Putin, Biden, Jen Psaki Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Geneva International Centre, US Defense Department, White House, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s

CNN —A crucial deal allowing the export of grain from Ukraine is set to expire Monday unless Russia agrees to an extension. The last ship to travel under the Black Sea deal left the port of Odesa early on Sunday, Reuters reported. “Moreover, the main goal of the deal, namely the supply of grain to countries in need, including those on the African continent, has not been realized,” it said. Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis-flagged bulker TK Majestic, carrying grain under the UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. Mehmet Emin Caliskan/ReutersThe deal, which was first brokered by Turkey and the United Nations following the outbreak of Russia’s war on Ukraine in July 2022, creates procedures to ensure the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Putin, “, Mehmet Emin Caliskan Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Reuters, South, UN, United Nations, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Saint, Kitts, Nevis, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Black, Moscow, Sevastopol, Crimea

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed to Wagner Group fighters that a senior mercenary named Andrey Troshev now command the private military group, according to comments the Russian leader made to the Kommersant newspaper. Who is Andrey Troshev? “Andrey Troshev is directly involved in the military operations of the Wagner Group in Syria. Troshev is also associated with Wagner group commanders Aleksandr Sergeevich Kuznetsov and Andrey Bogatov. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Andrey Troshev, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, –, ‘, ” Putin, Troshev, “ Andrey Troshev, Bashar al, “ Andrey Nikolaevich Troshev, ”, Dimitriy Utkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich Kuznetsov, Andrey Bogatov, Roman Romokhov, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, Wagner Group, Kommersant, Prigozhin, Wagner, European Union, Soviet Union, Federal District, Red Star, Courage, Merit, Fatherland, Kremlin, Getty, Troshev, Belarusian Locations: Russian, France, Syria, Leningrad, Deir, United Kingdom, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Soviet Union, Rostov, AFP, Ukraine, Belarus, Belarusian, Russia, St . Petersburg

CNN —The Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, has voted in favor of a new law banning nearly all medical help for transgender people including gender reassignment surgery, in a raft of new anti-LGBTQ laws in Russia. These recent legal developments in Russia expand the constraints on the LGBTQ community and reflect a tightening of regulations and control over transgender rights in the country. Russia’s first transgender politician, Yulia Alyoshina, has warned of the severe consequences of the proposed transgender bill. The latest restrictions seem to be closely intertwined with the ongoing dissent on the political and human rights activity in Russia. The Russian state labeled OVD-Info a foreign agent in 2021 under a law that critics say suppresses dissent.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia’s, Yulia Alyoshina, “, ” Alyoshina, Alyoshina Organizations: CNN, Russian State Duma, Federation Council, Putin, State Duma, Civic Initiative, Federal Security Service, FSB, Armed Forces Locations: Russia, Ukraine, State, Russian, Oryol

CNN —A senior Russian general in command of forces in occupied southern Ukraine says he was suddenly dismissed from his post after accusing Moscow’s Defense Ministry leadership of betraying his troops by not providing sufficient support. Gen. Ivan Popov was the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, which has been engaged in heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region. He is one of the most senior officers to have taken part in the bloody Russian campaign in Ukraine. The recording was posted on the messaging app by Andrey Gurulev, a member of the Russian Parliament and former deputy commander of the Southern Military District. Another Russian commander, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since the failed Wagner-led rebellion last month, is “resting,” a Russian lawmaker said Wednesday.

Persons: CNN —, Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulev, ” Popov, “, Sergei Shoigu “, vilely, –, Voyenniy Osvedomitel, Oleg Tsokov, ”, Valery Gerasimov, ISW, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin Organizations: CNN, Moscow’s Defense Ministry, Arms Army, Telegram, Southern Military District, ”, Kremlin, Combined, Army, British Storm, 58th Combined Army, Ukrainian, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, “, Berdyansk, Washington, Zaporizhia –

☆ Live updates: Russia accuses Wagner chief of urging "armed rebellion"
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Helen Regan | Andy Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Yulia Morozova/Reuters/FILEThe chief of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Friday accused Russian military leadership of striking a Wagner military camp and killing a "huge amount" of his mercenary forces. Prigozhin claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defense tricked Wagner and he vowed to "respond to these atrocities." Prigozhin claimed that the "evil that is being carried out" by Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" following the alleged attack. "The details started to appear; Minister of Defense arrived to Rostov especially to conduct an operation to destroy Wagner PMC. And earlier this month, the Wagner boss said he won't sign contracts with Russia’s defense ministry, rejecting an attempt to bring his force in line.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yulia Morozova, Wagner, Prigozhin, The Wagner, “, ”, CNN's Katharina Krebs, Lindsay Isaac, Uliana Pavlova, Radina Gigova, Josh Pennington Organizations: Russian Ministry of Defense, Wagner PMC, Ministry of Defense, Russia's Ministry of Defense, of Defense, Russia, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Moscow, Rostov, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Bakhmut

The Bradleys are among almost 3,600 pieces of military equipment Ukraine has lost in the war, according to Oryx. Meanwhile, the website says it has documented the loss of more than 10,600 pieces of Russian military equipment. In a statement in Monday, Moscow claimed it had destroyed multiple Ukrainian armored vehicles in the Zaporizhzhia region. However, Russian anti-tank troops stand in their way, cold-bloodedly turning Western armored vehicles into scrap heaps,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said. While Russian forces continue to hold the city, Ukraine’s forces have concentrated their efforts on areas to the northwest and southwest.

Persons: Jakub Janovsky, Bradley, Bradleys, Rebecca D’Angelo, Artur Widak, ” D’Angelo, James “ Spider ” Marks, ”, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Mark Hertling, ” Hertling, CNN’s Jim Acosta, “, ” Serhii Cherevatyi, Cherevatyi, Hertling Organizations: CNN, US Bradley, Washington, US, 841st Transportation Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Bradley Fighting, US Army, Russian Ministry of Defense, Deputy, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Vostok, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk, Nowa Deba, Poland, Bradleys, Moscow, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Velyka, Makrivka, Ukrainian, Neskuchne, Urozhaine, Orikhiv, Bakhmut

CNN —The boss of the Russian private military company Wagner says he won’t sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry, rejecting an attempt to bring his force in line. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s comments follow an announcement by the Russian Ministry of Defense Saturday that “volunteer units” and private military groups would be required to sign a contract with the ministry. The order – signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu – said the move would “give the voluntary formations the necessary legal status,” and create “unified approaches” to their work. “The orders and decrees issued by (Defense Minister Sergei) Shoigu apply to employees of the Ministry of Defense and military personnel. PMC ‘Wagner’ will not sign any contracts with Shoigu,” Prigozhin said in a Telegram post.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, –, Sergei Shoigu –, ”, Prigozhin –, “, Sergei, Shoigu, PMC ‘ Wagner ’, ” Prigozhin, The Wagner Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Defense, Ministry of Defense, PMC, Shoigu, Russian Federation, Russia, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut

Zelensky shrugged off Putin’s suggestions Ukraine’s armed forces were struggling and sought to apply some psychological pressure of his own. It is important that Russia feels [the counteroffensive], feels that they do not have much time left,” he said. On the battlefield, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported further Ukrainian offensive operations along the frontline to the south and east of Zaporizhzhia. Zelensky tight-lippedCNN is unable to verify Russian defense ministry claims, and the picture is no clearer from the Ukrainian side. Despite this, and the comments by the Ukrainian leader Saturday, there is still no evidence that Ukraine has begun a major advance involving large numbers of forces.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Zelensky, Putin, ”, Mala Tamkachka, Justin Trudeau, “ Organizations: CNN —, Kyiv Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry, The Defense Ministry, Vostok, Russian Defense Ministry, CNN, Officials, Canada’s Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv, Novopokrovka, Novodanilovka, Tokmak, Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk, Bakhmut

CNN —An Air India flight from India to San Francisco was diverted due to a technical issue with one of the plane’s engines and has landed safely in Russia’s Magadan airport, in the country’s far east, according to a statement from the carrier. The airline will operate an alternate flight carrying everyone from Magadan to San Francisco on Wednesday. “Air India will operate an alternate aircraft from Magadan to San Francisco on June 7, 2023 carrying all passengers and crew of AI173 who are presently accommodated in local hotels in Magadan,” an Air India spokesperson said in a statement. Russia has banned numerous western countries from operating in its airspace, though some carriers like Air India continue to fly over Russia. Russian aviation agency Rosaviation said Tuesday that it has issued a permit to Air India to send a reserve aircraft to Russia’s Magadan airport.

Persons: AI173, Rosaviation, ”, Vedant Patel, Patel, ” Patel, Scott Kirby Organizations: CNN, An Air, “, India, Air, United, State Department, United Airlines, Reuters Locations: An Air India, India, San Francisco, Russia’s Magadan, Magadan, ”, Air India, Russia, Russian, Delhi, Moscow, United States

☆ Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offers nuclear weapons to nations willing 'to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Mariya Knight Uliana Pavlova Helen Regan | Mariya Knight | Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that nations who are willing “to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus” will be given nuclear weapons, days after confirming the transfer of some tactical nuclear weapons from Moscow to Minsk had begun. “Join the Union State of Belarus and Russia. It was not clear how wide Lukashenko’s invitation to join the Union State extended, and he offered no other specifics. Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller than strategic nuclear weapons – which can decimate entire cities – and are designed for use in a limited battlefield. Strong condemnationsThe United States and the European Union, as well as opposition leaders in Belarus, have denounced the move to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

CNN —The boss of Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, accused a Russian brigade of abandoning its position in front-line Bakhmut, allowing Ukraine to seize territory. The flanks are already cracking and falling through.”“At the moment, within the city of Bakhmut, there is only Wagner PMC, there are no other units. PMC Wagner is not there,” he said. Bakhmut is the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated. Prigozhin also questioned the value of capturing Bakhmut, claiming that the city “has no strategic importance.”Separately, a prominent Russian military blogger, Anastasiya Kashevarova, has reported a complete lack of communication in the Bakhmut area between Wagner and the 72nd Brigade.

Putin, who came to power on the last day of 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned, is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin. "I know Russia will hold a presidential election," Xi told Putin in Mandarin. As Xi's words were translated into Russian, Putin looked Xi in the eye and smiled briefly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov swiftly pointed out that Xi had not specifically said Putin would participate in next year's election but added that the Kremlin shared Xi's confidence in Russians' support for Putin. Xi called Putin his "dear friend", and Putin used the same term to his guest.

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