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☆ Russia’s political class is taking a dark and vengeful turn
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Now comes another shock to the system, with the appalling murder of at least 139 people in a terror attack at a concert hall just outside Moscow. And with its brutal official response to the attack, Russia seems to have taken an even darker turn. But after Friday’s Crocus City attack, the brutality of Russian security services appeared on naked display. It sends a message to ordinary Russians – and the world – that Russian state security forces are capable of anything. “Everyone asks me, what is to be done?” Medvedev said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, – implausibly, ”, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Putin, Tatyana Makeyeva, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Margarita Simonyan, approvingly, Simonyan, “, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s, ” Medvedev, Vladimir Vasiliev Organizations: CNN, ISIS, “ Intelligence, Kremlin, KGB, Getty, VK, Putin, “, United Russia, Novosti Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, United States, Chechnya, Crocus, Basmanny, AFP, Russian

☆ As Russia Mourns Attack Victims, State Media Intensifies Blame of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Russians grieved Monday for victims of the bloody assault on a concert hall near Moscow that killed at least 137 people, President Vladimir V. Putin was scheduled to meet with government officials to discuss the tragedy, the worst such attack in the capital in two decades. The government appears to be stepping up efforts to pin the blame on Ukraine. On Sunday, hours after a district court arraigned four men suspected of carrying out the Friday night attack, the main evening news shows on Russia’s main television channels featured reports suggesting that Ukraine was responsible. The main message was that Western countries were pushing a theory that a branch of the Islamic State was behind the attack, which took place at Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow, to shift blame away from Ukraine. “The United States and Europe understand that any connection between Ukraine and the attack against Crocus City Hall would be suicidal for Kyiv and the whole anti-Russian alliance,” said one anchor, Dmitri Melnikov, in a report on Vesti Nedeli, the flagship weekly news show on Rossiya-1, the main state-owned television network.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Dmitri Melnikov, Nedeli Organizations: Islamic, Crocus City, Kyiv Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Islamic State, United States, Europe

☆ Five Takeaways From Putin’s Orchestrated Win in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Putin said the vote represented a desire for “internal consolidation” that would allow Russia to “act effectively at the front line” as well as in other spheres, such as the economy. The government was dismissive of a protest organized by Russia’s beleaguered opposition, in which people expressed dissent by flooding polling places at noon. Mr. Putin, 71, will now be president until at least 2030, entering a fifth term in a country whose Constitution ostensibly limits presidents to two. The vote, the first since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was designed to both create a public mandate for the war and restore Mr. Putin’s image as the embodiment of stability. Still, Russians are somewhat edgy over what changes the vote might bring.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Russia’s, ” Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine drone strikes: Russia oil refineries hit as Kyiv steps up drone attacks before Putin’s election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ukraine launched overnight drone attacks on three oil refineries deep inside Russia, a Ukrainian defense source told CNN on Wednesday, as Kyiv intensifies its cross-border strikes days before President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated re-election. It marked the second consecutive day of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy sites, and the locations targeted represent a spate of attacks well within Russia’s territory. The border region of Belgorod has taken the brunt of Ukraine's cross-border attacks during the war. Russia’s Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 10 civilians were injured and six were hospitalized in the region on Tuesday. During a lengthy interview on state television channel Rossiya 1 on Wednesday, Putin said Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and Kursk are happening amid Kyiv’s “failures” on the battlefield.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Stringer, Pavel Malkov, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Putin, ” Putin, “ Organizations: CNN — Ukraine, CNN, Getty, Social Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ryazan, Moscow, Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Tyotkino, Russia’s Kursk, Belgorod, AFP, Leningrad, Finland, Oryol, Odnorobovka, Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Nekhoteevka, Spodariushino, Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk

☆ From warning on nuclear war to 'psychotropic drugs': Here are 5 things Putin told the Russian media
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin making a speech at the second Eurasian Economic Forum on May 24, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. In an interview with pro-Kremlin media published Tuesday, Putin laid out his vision for relations with the West, war and peace. 1) Russia 'technically' ready for nuclear warPutin was again keen to point out that Russia is ready for a nuclear war on a technical and military level. Nonetheless, Putin said Russia would be ready to conduct nuclear tests — if the U.S. did so. It's estimated that the war has cost Russia at least 315,000 dead and wounded troops during two years of war in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Kiselev, Mikhail Klimentyev, Ria Novosti, Rossiya, We've, Ukraine's, Joe Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ludovic Marin, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Economic Forum, Getty, Kremlin, RIA Novosti, Ukraine Rossiya, It's, Afp, Ria, Russian Federation —, NATO, AFP, Ukraine Locations: Moscow, Russia, U.S, Ukraine, Crimea, Europe, Paris

☆ Putin says he’s ready to use nuclear weapons if Russian state at stake, but ‘there has never been such a need’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Helen Regan | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to the existence of the Russian state but “there has never been such a need,” President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state media published Wednesday. Putin said that from a military and technical standpoint, Russia is ready for a nuclear war, though he didn’t say one was imminent. He warned that if US troops were deployed to Ukraine, Russia would treat them as interventionists. So I don’t think that everything is going to go head-on here, but we are ready for it,” Putin said. In his interview with state media, Putin said Russia would be willing to negotiate on Ukraine, but only if based on reality.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joe, Biden, ” Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, It’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN —, RIA Novosti, “, CNN, US, Russian, Russia’s, NATO, Kremlin Locations: CNN — Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Belarus, Europe

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia is ready for nuclear war, Putin warns, and Moscow will conduct nuclear tests if the U.S. does
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a meeting with participants of the International Youth Festival, March 6, 2024 in Sirius territory, Sochi, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is technically ready for a nuclear war but cautioned that such an eventuality is not a near-term prospect. "Therefore, I don't think everything is rushing to it [toward a nuclear war]," Putin said in comments translated by Google. Putin said Russia could resort to using nuclear weapons if the state was in danger, noting that "Weapons exist in order to be used. He said Russia would be ready to conduct nuclear tests if the U.S. did so, stating, "If they conduct such tests ...

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine's, Joe Biden, Biden, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Festival, RIA Novosti, NATO, Google Locations: Sirius, Sochi, Russia, Stavropolsky Krai, Krasnodar Krai, Ukraine, U.S

☆ Putin Says Russia Ready for Nuclear War, but 'Not Everything Rushing to It'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia remains in a state of combat readiness and is fully ready for a nuclear war, but not "everything is rushing to it" at present, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Wednesday. "From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," Putin told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA in response to a question whether the country was really ready for a nuclear war. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 96 Images"Therefore, I don’t think that here everything is rushing to it (nuclear confrontation), but we are ready for this." If the United States conducted nuclear tests, Russia might do the same, he added in the wide-ranging interview. However, Putin said Russia had never faced a need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, where the conflict has raged since February 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Rossiya, Lidia Kelly, Christopher Cushing, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine war latest updates: Russia's punishing strikes on Ukraine leave dead and injured, cars ablaze and buildings destroyed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

DONETSK, UKRAINE - JANUARY 21: A view of the damage after the shelling in the market place in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is currently under Russian control, ongoing Russian and Ukrainian war on January 21, 2024. At least 25 people were killed and 20 others injured on Sunday due to shelling in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is currently under Russian control. (Photo by Leon Klein/Anadolu via Getty Images)The number of people killed or injured in a missile strike on a market in Donetsk city on Sunday has risen, a Russian-installed official said Monday. Pushilin blamed the attack on Ukraine, saying it had resorted to targeting civilians as a result of failures on the battlefield. Pushilin also claimed Ukraine had used cluster munitions in the strike, which the Kremlin described as a terrorist attack.

Persons: Leon Klein, Denis Pushilin, Pushilin, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Donetsk, RIA Novosti, Russian Locations: DONETSK, UKRAINE, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russian, Donetsk People's Republic, Ukraine

☆ Russia has managed to divert most oil exports from Europe to India and China, getting around sanctions, says a top official
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-28 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia has diverted most of its oil exports from Europe to India and China, a top official said. The EU was the largest buyer of Russian crude oil and oil products, accounting for nearly half of the exports. The bloc has banned the import of Russian crude oil and products over the war in Ukraine. AdvertisementRussia has overcome Western sanctions against its oil exports by diverting all the shipments east, a top Russian official said on Wednesday. By comparison, China's share of Russian oil and oil products accounted for up to 50% of such exports last year, he added.

Persons: —, Alexander Novak, Novak, Russia's Organizations: EU, Service, European, Rossiya, TASS, Russian Locations: Russia, Europe, India, China, Ukraine, America, Africa

☆ Nine Killed in Ukraine Attack in Russian-Controlled Part of Kherson, Local Governor Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - A Ukrainian missile attack on Friday on an employment centre in a Russian-occupied town in the southern region of Kherson killed nine people and injured nine, the region's Russia-appointed governor was quoted as saying. Russian news agencies quoted Governor Vladimir Saldo as telling Rossiya-24 Television: "As of now, nine dead have been pulled out from under the rubble as well as nine who are badly injured." Earlier reports had put the death toll in the town of Chaplynka at seven. Russia captured Kherson region in the early days of the February 2022 invasion, but have since abandoned the region's main town, Kherson, and other centres on the west bank of the Dnipro River. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alison Williams, Ron Popeski and Leslie Adler)

Persons: Vladimir Saldo, Alison Williams, Ron Popeski, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Kherson, Russia, Chaplynka, Dnipro

☆ Tucker Carlson says he's got nothing to do with ads for a Russian state TV show bearing his name
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Video of an apparent ad for a Russian state TV show bearing Tucker Carlson's name has popped up online. But Carlson told Insider that it's not true, and he had never even heard of the channel before. Carlson told Insider over a text message when asked if he had partnered with Russian state TV. "I'd never ever heard of the TV channel before some reporter texted me about it this morning," he added. When asked if he would ever consider partnering with Russian state TV, Carlson replied, "Of course not.

Persons: Tucker, Carlson, Francis Scarr, Scarr, Tucker Carlson, he's, I'd, texted, I'm Organizations: Service, Fox News, Russian, BBC, Twitter Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon

☆ The CEO of Russia's biggest bank says the ruble is 'unjustifiably undervalued,' but Putin has downplayed the ruble's weakness — and it shows even Russia's elite don't see eye to eye about the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sberbank CEO Herman Gref said the Russian currency should be trading at 80 to 85 rubles to the US dollar. Gref's comments came just as Putin sought to project an image of calm in the country's economy at an economic forum on Tuesday. Russia's economy has been deeply impacted by Western sanctions ever since it invaded Ukraine, even if there's some support from the Kremlin's wartime spending. The impact of the sanctions on Russia's economy and currency has fuelled inflation. Russian inflation accelerated 5.15% year-over-year in August, well above the central bank's 4% annual inflation target.

Persons: Herman Gref, Putin, Gref Organizations: Service, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine

“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

☆ Lessor AerCap agrees settlement over Aeroflot jets stranded in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Before last year's invasion of Ukraine, Russia was a major market for aircraft lessors, which bought jets from Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) and leased them to Russian airlines. Aeroflot said in a statement that ownership of 18 aircraft and five engines had transferred to NSK following settlement with AerCap. AerCap filed a $3.5 billion London lawsuit last year against AIG and Lloyd's over 141 aircraft and 29 aircraft engines it owned that were on lease to Russian airlines. AerCap said settlement discussions were ongoing with respect to claims under the insurance policies of several other Russian airlines. AerCap in March said it had been approached by Russian airlines and their insurance companies about possible settlements for the stranded planes.

Persons: BOE, Denis Balibouse, AerCap, lessors, Conor Humphries, Gleb Stolyarov, Kirstin Ridley, Jason Neely, David Evans, Peter Graff Organizations: Airbus, Russian, Aeroflot, REUTERS, DUBLIN, NSK, Rossiya, Boeing, U.S . Treasury, Commerce, AIG, SMBC Aviation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, Moscow, NSK, AerCap, EU

☆ Apparent death of Wagner boss Prigozhin might pay dividends for the Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Ukrainians and their allies, Solovyov insinuated, were “spreading a fake message about the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin” based on a report from Rossiya-24, a Russian state television channel. After all, Russian investigative outlets have reported that the Wagner head apparently employed at least one body double. Awaiting an impartial report from the Investigative Committee is like expecting a Russian state TV host to stop taking talking points from the Kremlin. The crash of Prigozhin’s plane happened just about two months after Prigozhin and Wagner staged their insurrection, the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule in over two decades. Russian investigative journalist Artem Borovik died in 2000 shortly after his plane to Kyiv crashed after take-off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Solovyov, Solovyov, Yevgeny Prigozhin ”, Prigozhin –, Batya, –, Vladimir Putin’s, Alexey Navalny, Putin, “, Russia, That’s, Alexander Lukashenko, defenestration, Artem Borovik, Alexander Lebed –, cui bono –, Vanda Felbab, Brown, liquidating Wagner, ”, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Embraer, Kremlin, Russian Federation, Brookings Institution Locations: Kuzhenkinskoe, Russia’s Tver, Russian, Rossiya, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Africa, St . Petersburg, Niger, Kyiv, Moscow’s Sheremetyevo, East

☆ Tumbling rouble claws back ground as central bank to meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Putin's economic adviser Maxim Oreshkin earlier said the central bank could ensure that the pace of lending drops to sustainable levels with higher rates. "The central bank has all the tools to normalise the situation in the near future." Asked earlier whether it might make an emergency hike from the current 8.5%, the central bank declined to comment. "The central bank is not fully in control," independent Moscow-based economist Ian Melkumov told Reuters. "The central bank doesn't want to kill the economy and businesses in the same way it had to last year," he said.

Persons: Rouble, Vladimir Putin's, rouble, Putin, Maxim Oreshkin, Oreshkin, Denis Popov, Popov, Matt Vogel, REUTERS Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Vladimir Solovyev, Ivan, Timothy Ash, Ian Melkumov, Alexander Marrow, Marc Jones, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Christina Fincher Organizations: TASS, of Russia's, FIM, Moscow News Agency, Handout, REUTERS Central Bank Governor, Popular, Kremlin, Reuters, BlueBay Asset Management, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, London

☆ Cluster bombs could turn the war in Ukraine's favor — but Russia says it's ready to use them too
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"But of course, if they [cluster munitions] are used against us, we reserve the right to tit-for-tat actions," the president said. Though not banned by the United States, Russia or Ukraine, cluster bombs are outlawed in over 100 countries under a global pact, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, because of the danger they pose to civilians. The United Nations called on the warring parties to immediately cease all use of cluster munitions. Up to 40% of cluster munitions fail to explode on impact, the U.N. said, which allows for "decades of intermittent detonations." They add that cluster munitions could be a critical factor in determining the outcome of the conflict.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, they're, Jack Watling, Justin Bronk, Anatolii Stepanov, Bronk Organizations: Getty Images, U.S, Tass, Ukrainian, Cluster Munitions, Washington Post, The Washington Post, Getty, United Nations, Defense, NATO, Royal United Services Institute, Armed Forces, Afp, Kyiv Locations: Russia, Moscow, Kremlin, Ukraine, U.S, Kyiv, Europe, United States, Russian, Lysychansk

☆ Russia has 'sufficient stockpile' of cluster bombs, says Putin, as Ukraine gets U.S. cluster bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin tours an exhibition of promising Russian companies during the forum "Strong ideas for the new time" in Moscow, Russia June 29, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published Sunday that Russia has a "sufficient stockpile" of cluster munitions, and warned that Russia "reserves the right to take reciprocal action" if Ukraine uses the controversial weapons. In his first comments on the delivery of cluster munitions to Ukraine from the U.S., Putin said that Russia has not used cluster bombs in its war in Ukraine so far. The Pentagon said Thursday that cluster munitions provided by the United States had arrived in Ukraine. Proponents argue that Russia has already been using cluster munitions in Ukraine and that the weapons the U.S. is providing have been improved to leave behind far fewer unexploded rounds.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Joe Biden, Pavlo Kyrylenko, Oleksandr Prokudin, Yurii Malashko, Mikhail Razvozhaev, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: The Associated Press, Telegram, Pentagon, United, U.S, Ukrainian, Staff, Gov, Russian, General's, Regional Gov Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, United States, Donetsk, Kherson, Kherson region, Yurii, Zaporizhzhia, Stepnohirsk, Russian, Crimea, Sevastopol, Russia's Belgorod, Shebekino

☆ Russian state TV attacks mutiny leader Prigozhin, says investigation still live
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 5 (Reuters) - Russian state TV on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on Yevgeny Prigozhin, the exiled mercenary leader of an aborted armed mutiny last month, and said an investigation into what had happened was still being vigorously pursued. Under the agreement which ended the mutiny, Prigozhin, whose aim had been to topple the defence minister and chief of the General Staff for what he cast as their incompetent prosecution of the war, was meant to relocate to neighbouring Belarus. Images of armed Russian law enforcement agents entering Prigozhin's office were shown. "I consider that the creation of Yevgeny Prigozhin's image as a people's hero was all done by media fed by Yevgeny Prigozhin," said Petrov, referring to media outlets financed by Prigozhin. The programme showed what it said were multiple passports which Prigozhin had used and which carried different names.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Popov, Eduard Petrov, Petrov, Yevgeny, Putin, Andrew Osborn, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Wednesday, Kremlin, General Staff, Prigozhin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Rostov, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, St Petersburg

☆ Russia's Aeroflot resumes regular flights to Cuba, suspended since Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 1 (Reuters) - Rossiya Airlines, part of Russia's Aeroflot (AFLT.MM) group, on Saturday resumed scheduled flights to Cuba, which had been suspended since Western countries shut Russia out of their airspace in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The first flight of what will begin as a twice-weekly service took off for the Cuban resort of Varadero from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Saturday, Aeroflot said. Russian airlines suspended flights to Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic on Feb. 28 last year, four days after the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation". The deputy prime minister for tourism, sport, culture and communications, Dmitry Chernyshenko, announced in May that regular flights to Cuba skirting the airspace of "unfriendly" countries would resume by July. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dmitry Chernyshenko, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Rossiya Airlines, Aeroflot, Saturday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, Cuban, Varadero, Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Mexico, Dominican Republic

☆ Putin expresses confidence on Ukraine in interview recorded before revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 25 (Reuters) - Russian state television on Sunday showed Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing confidence in plans for Ukraine in an interview that appeared to have been recorded before Saturday's aborted revolt by the Wagner group of mercenaries. "This also applies to the country's defence, it applies to the special military operation, it applies to the economy as a whole and its individual areas." The comments in an interview with Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin were broadcast by Rossiya state television. The short report did not mention Saturday's revolt, in which Wagner mercenaries took a southern city before heading toward Moscow. Asked in the interview how much time he dedicates to what Russia calls its special military operation, Putin said: "Of course, this is paramount, every day starts and ends with this."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Saturday's, Wagner, Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Zarubin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Marrow, Maxim Rodionov, Conor Humphries, David Goodman, Frances Kerry Organizations: Kremlin, Defence Ministry, Russia, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow

The deployment is Moscow's first move of such warheads - shorter-range less powerful nuclear weapons that could potentially be used on the battlefield - outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready. The Russian leader announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. Earlier on Tuesday, he had said separately that the Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days" and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons."

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, didn't, Lidia Kelly, Andrew Osborn, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: United, Press Service, REUTERS, WE, NATO, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russia, Soviet Union, Belarusian, Russian, Belarus, United States, China, Ukraine, Minsk Region, Republic of Belarus, Handout, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Soviet, Melbourne, London

Summary Lukashenko says he already has Russian tactical nuclear weaponsIndicates delivery process is ongoingSays their use can be swiftly agreed with MoscowJune 14 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said his country has started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready. The Russian leader announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. Earlier on Tuesday, he had said separately that the Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days" and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons."

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, didn't, Lidia Kelly, Andrew Osborn, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: United, NATO, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russia, Soviet Union, Belarusian, Russian, Belarus, United States, China, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Soviet, Melbourne, London

☆ Russia arrests U.S. citizen on drug dealing charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, June 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. musician and former paratrooper has been arrested in Moscow on drug dealing charges and his court appearance, locked in a metal cage, has been shown on state television. "The former paratrooper and a musician, who is accused of running a drug dealing business involving young people, will remain in custody until Aug. 6, 2023." The spokesperson did not say if U.S. officials had yet had consular access to Leake. When Leake initially came to Moscow, he worked as an English teacher and helped translate songs for Russian bands. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in March on espionage charges that he, the Journal and Washington deny.

Persons: Michael Travis Leake, REN, Leake, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Washington, Evan Gershkovich, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Edmund Klamann, Frances Kerry Organizations: Moscow's, Reuters, REN TV, State Department, U.S ., Street, Washington, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, U.S, Moscow, Russian, Moscow's Khamovniki, Leake, Russia's, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Washington, Melbourne

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