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CNN —Vladimir Putin has formally begun his fifth term as Russia’s president in a carefully choreographed inauguration ceremony, in a country he has shaped in his image after first taking office nearly a quarter of a century ago. Putin won Russia’s stage-managed election by an overwhelming majority in March, securing for himself another six-year term that could see him rule until at least his 77th birthday. Attendees wait in the Kremlin as Putin arrives for his inauguration ceremony. Putin waves during his inauguration ceremony. To ensure it has enough drones and missiles to bombard Ukraine, Russia has also entered into deeper partnerships with Iran and North Korea.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Putin, – Putin, “, Matthew Miller, Putin’s, Maxim Shemetov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ”, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, US State Department, Reuters, US Embassy, Presidential Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Iran, North Korea

☆ Putin orders tactical nuclear weapons drills in response to Western ‘threats’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Anna Chernova | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces to rehearse deploying tactical nuclear weapons, as part of military drills to respond to what he called “threats” by the West. Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Putin has repeatedly made veiled threats to use tactical nuclear weapons against the West, but Monday marked the first time Russia has publicly announced drills. “During the exercises, a set of measures will be carried out to practice the issues of preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” Russia’s defense ministry said. Non-strategic, or “tactical,” nuclear weapons can be used in battlefield situations, carrying less power than strategic nuclear weapons, which have the potential to level entire cities. Putin said Russia would not be the first to test nuclear weapons, but would do so in the event of a US test.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Emmanuel Macron, I’m, ” Macron, Ludovic Marin, David Cameron, ” Cameron, Macron, “, Joe Biden, ” Organizations: CNN, Russia, Economist, Getty, United, Ukraine, Kyiv, State Department, US, military’s, Staff, Southern Military District Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Western, Europe, AFP, United Kingdom, United States, Moscow, Hiroshima, Nagasaki

☆ Kate, Princess of Wales conspiracies peddled by Russian disinformation group, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The motive of such campaigns, Innes said, is to “destabilize” Russia’s Western antagonists and “undermine trust” in their institutions. The pattern of behavior was one his team recognized from a group of Russian actors his team had studied before. It is a commercial firm contracted to run disinformation campaigns, Innes said. Aaron Chown/Press Association/APMeta said it disrupted the group, but its disinformation campaigns have since grown more sophisticated. The timing of the Kate conspiracies was also propitious for the Kremlin – coming just as Putin secured a fifth term in power in a stage-managed election devoid of credible opposition.

Persons: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate, “, ” Martin Innes, ” Innes, Emmanuel Macron, Innes, Princess, Wales, ”, Instagram –, Doppelganger, Aaron Chown, King Charles III, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, ” Anna George, Timothy Snyder, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Nicholls, Prince William, ’ ”, Putin Organizations: CNN, Cardiff University, –, Soviet, Meta, Facebook, Press Association, AP Meta, US Treasury, British Embassy, Reuters Institute for, Journalism, Oxford University, Oxford Internet Institute, Yale, Russian Foreign, ” Police, London Clinic, Getty, CNN’s Royal, Kremlin Locations: Wales, Ukraine, ”, Russia, Soviet Union, London, Moscow, Cardiff, Russian, United States, Europe, British, Kensington, Britain, AFP, Windsor

CNN —Russia says it killed large numbers of Ukrainian soldiers with a destructive so-called “vacuum bomb” in a claim Ukraine swiftly called nonsense. The deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting that up to 300 soldiers were killed “as a result of an accurate strike by an aerial munition,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday. The spokesperson of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, told CNN the claims were “absolute nonsense and propaganda as well as Russian information about killing 1500 Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk and Belgorod regions yesterday”. The spokesperson of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, told CNN the claims were “absolute nonsense and propaganda.”CNN cannot independently verify the incident. Volumetric weapons are also known as vacuum bombs, thermobaric weapons or fuel-air explosives.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, “, Andriy Yusov, Alexei Kim, Kim, Shoigu Organizations: CNN, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense, Russia’s Defense, Defense Intelligence, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, RIA Novosti, Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare, US Military Academy, West, Center for Arms Control, Russian, Joint Group of Forces Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Belgorod, West Point , New York

CNN —Large numbers of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in a single airstrike, a Russian general has claimed. The deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting that up to 300 soldiers were killed “as a result of an accurate strike by an aerial munition,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers and there has been no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kim also told Shoigu during the meeting that Ukraine is “suffering significant losses in both equipment and manpower as a result of the use of high-precision weapons and strike drones,” the ministry said. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, “, Alexei Kim, Shoigu, Kim Organizations: CNN, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense, Russia’s Defense, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Joint Group of Forces Locations: Russian, Ukraine

“What we are in now is a production war,” a senior NATO official told CNN. “The number one issue that we’re watching right now is the munitions,” the NATO official said. There is also a limit to Russian production capacity, officials say: Russian factories will likely hit a peak sometime in the next year. “If we were talking about this last fall, we would have talked about how they were targeting critical infrastructure,” the NATO official said. “In the short term — say, the next 18 months or so — it may be unsophisticated, but it’s a durable economy,” the NATO official said.

Persons: ”, Abrams, “, — “, Joe Biden, Inna Varenytsia, it’s, Putin’s, Steven Basham, “ It’s, Maxym, Russia’s ‘, Basham Organizations: CNN, Army, NATO, ”, Reuters, Ukraine, European Command, US Army, ” Intelligence, US European Command, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, that’s, Iran, North Korea, Kreminna, Germany, Pennsylvania , Iowa, Texas, Moscow, Tehran, Bohorodychne, Donetsk, Russian

☆ Russian Court Jails Rights Advocate for ‘Discrediting’ the Military
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | More About Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Moscow court sentenced the co-chairman of Memorial, the Russian rights group that was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, to two and a half years in prison on Tuesday for “discrediting” Russia’s military by voicing his opposition to the war in Ukraine. Although the Kremlin ordered his group liquidated in late 2021, the co-chairman, Oleg Orlov, 70, chose to stay in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine two years ago and has continued to criticize his government despite a climate of increasing repression. In November 2022, Mr. Orlov wrote an article headlined “They Wanted Fascism. They Got it,” in which he blamed President Vladimir V. Putin and the wider Russian public for the invasion and for allowing the country to slip “back into totalitarianism.”Nearly a year later, he was convicted of “repeated discreditation” of Russia’s armed forces. That charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, but he was punished only with a fine of 150,000 rubles, about $1,600, because of mitigating factors including his age and his prominent public profile.

Persons: ”, Oleg Orlov, Orlov, Vladimir V, Putin, “ Organizations: Memorial, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia

Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesA Russian helicopter pilot Maxim Kuzminov who defected to Ukraine in a dramatic operation is dead, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) tells CNN. A source at Ukraine’s GUR confirmed to CNN the body was that of Kuzminov, but would not comment on how he had died. Spanish Civil Guard officers investigate the garage where the body of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov was found in Villajoyosa, Spain, on February 13. Some context: Last September, CNN reported on how the Russian pilot flew his Mi8 combat helicopter across the border – in an operation directed by Ukraine’s GUR. In an interview, carried out under the auspices of the GUR, Kuzminov explained how he planned his defection and why he did it, telling reporters he was opposed to the war.

Persons: Butenko, Andrew Carey, Al Goodman, Maxim Kuzminov, Maxym, Ukraine’s GUR, Rafa Arjones, Dmitry Peskov, Sergey Naryshkin, Kuzminov Organizations: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, CNN, Spanish Civil Guard, Ukraine’s, Civil Guard, Reuters, Foreign, RIA Novosti, Mi8 Locations: CNN’s, Kyiv, Madrid, Russian, Ukraine, Spain, Villajoyosa, Informacion, Russia, Moscow

☆ Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine is dead: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Victoria Butenko | Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian pilot who dramatically defected to Ukraine by flying his helicopter across the border, is dead, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR). A source at Ukraine’s GUR confirmed to CNN the body of the man found in Spain was that of Kuzminov, but would not comment on how he had died. The shooting took place in a neighborhood where some Russian and Ukrainian expatriates have settled since the war began, according to the Villajoyosa city hall press office. When Kuzminov flew into Ukraine, the two other Russian service members on board the Mi-8 helicopter with him did not know what was happening. “I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, explained my situation, to which they offered this option: ‘Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee monetary compensation, a reward,’” the pilot said.

Persons: CNN — Maxim Kuzminov, Ukraine’s GUR, Dmitry Peskov, Sergey Naryshkin, Russia Legion –, Kuzminov, ” “, Maxim, ‘, ’ Kuzminov, Kyrolo Budanov, Budanov, “, ” Budanov, GUR, ’, I’m, ”, ” Kuzminov, Victoria Butenko, Andrew Carey, Al Goodman, Madrid Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Spanish Civil Guard, Civil Guard, Ukraine’s, Russian Foreign Intelligence, RIA Novosti, Russian TV, Russia Legion, Armed Forces of, EU, Legion, Kyiv, Radio Liberty Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Alicante, Villajoyosa, Spain, Alicante province, Russia, Moscow, ” “ Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv

Near Avdiivka, Ukraine CNN —Straddling the frontlines, the small town of Avdiivka has become the epicenter of the war in Ukraine. Still in Ukrainian hands – just – it’s enclosed on three sides by Russian troops and cannons. Amid the ruins, Russian and Ukrainian troops clash, preyed upon by drones and the occasional tank. Reliant on the Soviet kit they have, not the Western arms they crave, Ukrainian troops have learned to be more creative with their weapons in battle. The Ukrainian drone dives into the narrow dugout behind them and explodes.

Persons: –, “ Bess, ”, “, Joseph Ataman, Volodymyr Zelensky, Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s, Daria Tarasova, Trump, John Kirby, Bradley, “ Barbie ”, “ It’s, Bradleys, Teren, Serhii Nuzhnenko, Zelensky, Dmitry Medvedev, “ Sayer ” Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, CNN, Omega Special Forces Group, 110th Mechanized Brigade, Reliant, Omega, National Security, Bradley, Ukraine, US, Russia, Ukraine's National Guard Omega, Kyiv, Russia’s Security, Omega Special Forces Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Ukraine’s Donetsk, Ukrainian, Soviet, Bakhmut, “, Marinka, US, Russian

☆ Davos: Zelensky warns Putin’s war must not become ‘frozen’ as Ukraine faces shortage of weaponry and aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Christian Edwards | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Is the third world war possible? Putin’s war was less than a year old when Zelensky last spoke at Davos via a video link in January 2023. Zelensky said the West's fears that supplying weapons would escalate the war cost Ukraine time, lives and opportunities. Speaking at Davos shortly before Zelensky, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said only continued support for Ukraine would make Putin to relent. “And the paradox is that, if we want that to happen… the way to get there is [to send] more weapons to Ukraine.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, “, Putin, ” Zelensky, Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, ” Von der Leyen, Ursula Von der Leyen, Gian Ehrenzeller, ’, ”, Fabrice Coffrini, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg Organizations: CNN, Economic, Hamas, ”, Getty, NATO Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Pyongyang, Tehran, AFP

☆ Trump’s avalanche of dishonesty: Fact-checking 102 of his false claims from this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +111 min

Below is a fact check of 102 of Trump’s false claims from the 12 speeches. But contrary to Trump’s claim, it’s not true that people had been attempting for decades to create such an initiative. Trump’s aid to farmersIn speech after speech, Trump claimed that he had given US farmers $28 billion from China. Even if the poll result is off, it’s clear that Trump’s claim that “nobody wants them” is not true. He said he was an airline pilot.”Facts First: Trump made a false claim while mocking Biden for making false claims.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, “, ”, Mexico’s, ‘ Trump, Defense Department –, ” Theresa Cardinal Brown, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, ” Trump, I’ve, Todd Harrison, Harrison, It’s, Trump’s, ” Ben Cahill, Nobody, Jimmy Carter’s, Barack Obama, isn’t, El Salvador –, Obama, we’d, Obama’s, Webster, Covid, Wuhan ”, They’d, they’d, you’d, Scott Gottlieb, ” Gottlieb, Trump Trump, it’s, Abraham, Aaron David Miller, Miller, Dana El Kurd, Qasem Soleimani, they’ve, we’re, We’re, ’, Iran haven’t, ” Matt Smith, Biden’s, Smith, Ali Vaez, Kpler, Biden Trump, Iran “, Democrats ”, that’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter “, Carter, ‘, Hillary Clinton, Kari Lake, Bill Gates, Gates, ” Chris Wallace, Chris Wallace, Hunter Biden, “ Chris Wallace, ‘ He’s, ‘ ” Trump, Wallace, “ you’re, “ Biden, ‘ You’re, Wallace interjected, Rather, you’ve, ’ ” Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James &, ” Molchanov, Tim Woody, Woody, autoworkers, CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Joe Biden’s, Erin Mellon, Gavin Newsom, Mellon, ” Vonette Fontaine, Biden “, CNN’s Matt Egan, Egan, ” Biden, Europe Trump, United Kingdom “, Brent, Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James, Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy, De Haan, Matt Smith, Matt Egan, Afghanistan Trump, we’ve, Krista Wiegand, Wiegand, ” Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Qasem, Bibi, Netanyahu, Soleimani, Asad, Mark Milley, Hezbollah Trump, Steven Cheung, John Kirby, Cheung, Kirby, Iran’s, ” Ali Vaez, Joseph Amon, Washington –, Faiq Zidan, Zidan’s, Zidan, Abu Mahdi al, China Trump, Ukraine Trump, Letitia James, James, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, You’re, Bragg, Colangelo, Tanya Chutkan, I’m, Jack Smith, Bill Clinton, That’s, everybody’s, Letitia James –, Al Capone’s, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, CNN couldn’t, Schwartz, Eliot Ness, MAGA, “ MAGA, …, White, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Inflation Trump, Bacon, Joe, PolitiFact, Trump . Howard Gleckman Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Republican, Trump Trump, Republican Jewish Coalition, Department, ISIS, Trump’s, Democratic, Congress, Defense Department, former Defense Department, Center, US Customs, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, IHS, Islamic, The State Department, Customs Enforcement, Policy Institute, ICE, El Salvador, ”, Merriam, The New York Times, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Hezbollah, State Department, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arab Center Washington DC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, Obama, US International Trade Commission, Washington Post, U.S . International Trade Commission, New England lobstermen, England lobstermen, Americas, Crisis, government’s Energy, Administration, Washington Free Beacon, Energy Information Administration, Democrats, Biden, Electoral, Georgia, Michigan, Carter, Democrats can’t, Republicans, Alabama, Arizona, Fox News, ” Energy, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Wildlife, Alaska Industrial Development, Export Authority, Raymond James & Associates, Wilderness Society, Cox Automotive, Pew Research Center, New York Times, National Oceanic, California Gov, California, American Petroleum Institute, Union, West, Energy, American Automobile Association, AAA, GasBuddy, New Hampshire, Houston, Keystone XL, Obama administration’s State Department, –, Foreign, Military, DoD, Afghan, Defense, Policy, Taiwan News, “, University of Tennessee’s Center for National Security, Foreign Affairs, Israeli, NBC, Jerusalem Post, Yahoo, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, National Security, Group, US government’s Defense Intelligence Agency, Narcotics Bureau, Global Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Justice Department, Washington, Judicial, Popular Mobilization Forces, Customs and, Middle East, Customs, Protection, CBP, Border Protection, Kiel Institute, European Union, New York, New, ExxonMobil, Trump University, Trump Foundation, Manhattan, Attorney, federal Justice Department, Department of Justice, Washington DC, Presidential Records, Presidential, Mar, Biden White, MAGA Republicans, Inflation, Heritage Foundation, Trump ., Brookings Tax, Urban Institute Locations: New Hampshire, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Iowa, Mexico, “, U.S, Houston, Iraq, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nord, Germany, Russian, Trump’s, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, El, Washington, ”, ” In Texas, Covid, China, Wuhan, Italy, France, Abraham, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, New England, England, Kpler, Malaysia, Oregon, Alabama, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arizona’s, Moscow, Alaska, East, South Carolina, California, “ California, West Virginia, Virginia, United Kingdom, West Texas, “ U.S, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Mississippi , Louisiana, Canada, United States, Paris, Taiwan, “ China, Iranian, that’s, –, Singapore, Iraqi, San Diego, Kiel, York, Manhattan, York’s, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, Qaeda

☆ Israel-Hamas War Biden Says Palestinian State Must Be Part of Solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Many residents of northern Gaza used four-hour long humanitarian pauses to flee the area toward the south of the strip. The resolution passed with twelve votes, with the remaining three members — the United States, Britain and Russia — abstaining. The majority of Security Council member states, voted for a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire on Oct 26. But she said the United States supported many of the resolution’s provisions such as the release of hostages and humanitarian pauses. “Humanitarian pauses cannot be a replacement for a cease-fire or even a truce,” Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya, said.

Persons: Khan Younis, Russia —, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Ms, Thomas, Sarah Yenesel, ”, Vasily Nebenzya, Ayman Safadi, Jordan Organizations: United Nations Security Council, Diplomats, Security, United, Council Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Israel, Malta, United States, Britain, Russia, U.S, New York, Brazil, China, Israeli

☆ Russian manufacturer test-flies prototype widebody passenger airplane
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Barry Neild | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russia’s leading aircraft manufacturer says it’s completed a successful test flight of a new widebody passenger airplane that it claims could replace Western aircraft in the country’s skies. UAC, which oversees Russian aviation brands including Tupolev, Ilyushin and Sukhoi, said the plane will be capable of carrying up to 370 passengers, a capacity that would put it alongside the likes of Airbus’ A340 or Boeing’s 777. As of 2022, only 144 active Russian airline planes were built in Russia, according to data provided by aviation analytics firm Cirium. “Although Moscow won’t admit it, the sanctions that followed the Ukraine invasion have really damaged Russian aviation,” Murdo Morrison, head of strategic content at FlightGlobal, tells CNN. Addressing concerns, Russia’s Ministry of Transport said at the time that flight safety on Russia-operated aircraft meets international standards.

Persons: CNN —, it’s, ”, Denis Manturov, Vladimir Putin, Murdo Morrison, ‘, Yuri Slyusar, FlightGlobal’s Morrison Organizations: CNN, CNN — Russia’s, United Aircraft Corporation, UAC, Russian, Tupolev, Sukhoi, Airbus, Russia, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Moscow, ”, Ural Airlines, International Civil Aviation Organization, Russia’s Ministry of Transport Locations: Ukraine, Russia, “, Russia’s Novosibirsk, Bhutan, Congo, Liberia, Moscow

☆ Investors flock to defensive stocks and safe havens on worries about Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Israel-Hamas war is sending investors in search of defensive assets. Israel declared war on Hamas Sunday after the Palestinian militant group launched a brutal attack that killed at least 1,300 people. But investors have since bought up shares of virtually risk-free government bonds, indicating that Wall Street remains worried. Utilities, energy and real estate stocks have also outperformed the broader S&P 500 index’s roughly 1% gain this week. In August, a recently passed EU law known as the Digital Services Act went into effect for large online platforms, including the companies Breton addressed this week.

Persons: ”, George Smith, Bryan Hinmon, Hinmon, hasn’t, TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, Thierry Breton, Brian Fung, Breton, ” Breton, TikTok didn’t, Anna Cooban, ” Russia’s, Andrei Belousov, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, CNN, Stock, Treasury, LPL, Twitter, Meta, Digital Services Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ukraine, Chew, Moscow

☆ Ruble gains as Russia reintroduces capital controls
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

At the time, Russia ordered exporters to swap 80% of their foreign currency revenues for rubles, rather than hold onto US dollars or euros. The government also banned residents from making bank transfers outside Russia, and Russian brokers from selling securities held by foreigners. Russia’s defense spending has ballooned since its invasion of Ukraine last year. That’s compared with a surplus of 203 billion rubles ($2 billion) during the same period in 2022. In August, the central bank implemented an emergency hike to its main interest rate in a bid to buttress the tanking ruble.

Persons: ” Russia’s, Andrei Belousov, — Organizations: London CNN —, Reuters Locations: London CNN — Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russia’s, Russian

☆ Opinion | How to Make Russia Really Pay for Invading Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington this week to give thanks to the United States for its generosity — while asking for $24 billion more, which is what the Biden administration is seeking from Congress in additional military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. That will bring the total amount of American aid to $135 billion, which so far has been $223 million a day since the war began, according to one calculation. Maybe it’s time to open a new funding source before American largess runs out — this time from Russia. As the former Treasury secretary Larry Summers has put it, “Bank robbers should not expect banks to honor their safe deposit boxes.”So far, the Biden administration has disagreed. “It would not be legal now in the United States for the government to seize” Russia’s assets, Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, said in May 2022.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, Larry Summers, Janet Yellen Organizations: Bank, Economist Locations: Washington, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Russian

That’s almost three times what Russia spent on defense in 2021, before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Those figures are likely to underestimate the total spent on Russia’s war effort. He said that before the war Russia would typically splash around 3-4% of its annual gross domestic product on defense but now it could be anywhere between 8% and 10%. Russia’s exports are still greater than the value of its imports, despite a boost to the latter from the hefty military spending. Rising military spending is, on the other hand, boosting Russia’s industrial output and, with it, GDP.

Persons: London CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, That’s, Richard Connolly, Janis Kluge, Irina Okladnikova, Liam Peach, it’s, Peach, Kluge, “, ”, —, Maksim Konstantinov, Alexandra Suslina, Suslina, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, — Anna Cooban, Tim Lister, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Reuters, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Royal United Services Institute for Defence, Security Studies, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Capital Economics, CNN, “, ZUMA, International Monetary Fund, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, International Energy Agency, West Locations: “, Ukraine, Russia, Stockholm, Moscow, “ Russia, Russian, Saint Petersburg, Soviet, Berlin

☆ Russia’s Luna 25 lunar lander has ‘emergency situation’ during moon approach
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Luna 25 spacecraft reported an “emergency situation on board,” Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, said on Saturday. Russia’s Luna 25 lander mission marked the country’s first attempt at landing a spacecraft on the moon since the Soviet era. The last lunar lander, Luna 24, landed on the lunar surface on August 18, 1976. 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. Safely landing a spacecraft on the lunar surface would mark a huge step for Russia’s space program.

Persons: ” Roscosmos, It’s, Russia’s, India’s, Jonathan McDowell, ”, Victoria Samson Organizations: CNN, Vostochny, Soyuz, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Roscosmos, Luna, Secure World Foundation Locations: “, Soviet, Russia’s, Oblast, India, Russia, Washington

☆ Saudi Arabia Will Host Talks About Ukraine’s Peace Plan, Diplomats Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Vivian Nereim | More About Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Saudi Arabia will host talks on Ukraine’s peace plan with several other countries this weekend in the coastal city of Jeddah, three foreign diplomats in the kingdom have said. The diplomats, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks, said that several countries, including the United States and European nations, along with Brazil, China and India, had been invited, though it was not immediately clear who would attend. Russia did not appear to be among those invited. The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said that “Russia will keep an eye on this meeting” but would need “to fully understand what goals are being set,” Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported on Monday. Many of the invited countries, and Saudi Arabia, have resisted American and European pressure to isolate Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

Persons: Dmitri S, Peskov Locations: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, United States, Brazil, China, India, Russia, Russia’s, Ukraine

☆ Moscow Says It Shot Down Two Ukrainian Missiles Over Russian Cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Gaya Gupta | Paulo Motoryn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Video Russian officials said a Ukrainian missile was shot down over the port city of Taganrog and exploded, injuring several people. The Russian Defense Ministry said the explosion was caused by one of two Soviet-era missiles fired into Russian territory by Ukraine and shot down by Russian air defenses. A top Ukrainian security official, Oleksiy Danilov, cast blame for the blast in Taganrog on the Russian air defense system. Earlier Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down a drone aimed at the Moscow region; several recent strikes in Moscow were orchestrated by Ukraine using Ukrainian-made drones, according to senior Ukrainian officials. Shortly afterward, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a high-rise and a security service building had been hit in the city of Dnipro, blaming “Russian missile terror.”Show more

Persons: Vasily Golubev, Golubev, Oleksiy Danilov, Mr, Danilov, ”, Dmitri S, Vladimir V, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Organizations: Credit, Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, ” Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russia’s Defense Ministry Locations: Ukrainian, Taganrog, Reuters Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Azov, Russian, Odesa, Soviet, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Dnipro

☆ Kim Kardashian's Skims may be the hero the IPO market needs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This latest round was led by Wellington Management, a firm known for taking companies public. Jens Grede, Skim’s CEO, recently told Dealbook that stock investors have shown an increased interest in consumer-oriented businesses like Skims and that an IPO is something the company wants. “At some point in the future, Skims deserves to be a public company,” he said. If a Skims IPO were to succeed, “companies, CFOs and investors in general will see this as a very positive sign,” said Sokhi. Netflix posted nearly $8.19 billion in revenue for the quarter, compared to the $8.3 billion Wall Street had projected.

Persons: Kim Kardashian, Goldman Sachs, ”, David Solomon, Ro Sokhi, Cava, “ There’s, Skims, Andy Muir, Jens Grede, Megan Penick, Robinson, Kardashian, we’re, “, ” Adam Hodge, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia “, Tesla, Chris Isidore, Refinitiv, Clare Duffy, Samantha Delouya Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Wellington Management, Nike, US National Security Council, Russian Defense Ministry, Wednesday, Netflix Locations: New York, Cava, Skims, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Odesa’s

Moscow’s withdrawal from the wartime deal on Monday threatens to push up food prices for consumers worldwide and could tip millions of people into hunger. The White House said the deal had been “critical” to bringing down food prices around the globe, which spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Tensions between the two countries heightened on Wednesday, limiting the possibility that the deal to export critical commodities across the Black Sea will be restarted. Wheat prices are still down more than 50% from their all-time high in March 2022. The Black Sea deal — originally brokered by Turkey and the United Nations a year ago — has ensured the safe passage of ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports.

Persons: “, ” Adam Hodge, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia “, —, Vladimir Putin, — CNN’s Katharina Krebs Organizations: New, New York CNN, US National Security Council, Russian Defense Ministry, Wednesday, United Nations, Organization for Economic Co Locations: New York, Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Odesa’s, Turkey, Istanbul, Kyiv, Moscow

☆ Putin strives to reassert control after Wagner mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —For two days after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called off his abortive mutiny, Russian President Vladimir Putin said nothing in public. Putin thanked security forces at the Kremlin Tuesday, for helping Russia to avoid "civil war." “Putin values loyalty above all else,” Dmitri Alperovitch, a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, told CNN. Lukashenko claimed he told Prigozhin that he would be “crushed like a bug” if he continued his advance towards Moscow, and persuaded him to call of the mutiny. Now that the dust has settled after a chaotic weekend, Putin is attempting to project an image of control.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, ”, Putin, clement, Sergei Guneev, Dmitri Alperovitch, Kirill Shamiev, ” Shamiev, Shamiev, Roman Romokhov, they’ve, ’, Alexander Lukashenko, ” Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Alexander Ermochenko, “ Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Sputnik, Homeland Security Advisory, European Council, Foreign Relations, Don, Getty, Federal Security Service, Novosti, Reuters Locations: Russian, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, AFP, Kremlin

☆ Analysis: From 'brain death' to innovator, the Ukraine war has transformed NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Even before the invasion, NATO officials noted a rise in non-conventional warfare aimed at Ukraine and other Western targets. “Russia claims that NATO promised never to expand to the east after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (left) and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 20, 2023. Without engaging Russia, NATO has enabled Ukraine to try some of the things NATO would like to do but politically cannot do. But the alliance’s unity has been one of the least expected and most welcome aspects of the West’s response to the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, ”, hasn’t, ” David van Weel, ” van Weel, Anatolii Stepanov, van Weel, Keir Giles, ” Giles, Peter Caddick, Adams, Jens Stoltenberg, Volodymyr Zelensky, DIANA, Emmanuel Dunand, Giles, “, ” Caddick, Macron Organizations: CNN, NATO, Kremlin, Emerging, Mechanized Brigade, Getty, NATO’s Brussels, Chatham, Presidential Press Service, Reuters, NATO Innovation Fund, Limited Partners, GPS, France's, White House Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union, Bakhmut, Donetsk, AFP, London, China, Kyiv, Sweden, Paris, Macron, Europe

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