DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Putin appointed his former bodyguard to take over Russia's military response to the Kursk invasion, local lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kursk State Duma deputy Nikolai Ivanov told Russian broadcaster RTVI on Tuesday that Putin had met personally with Alexei Dyumin, who was made secretary of the State Council in May. Ivanov said Putin told Dyumin to supervise military operations in Kursk, with the primary goal of ousting Ukrainian forces that invaded the Russian border region last week. Dyumin, seated second from Putin's right, attended a leading of Russia's top brass about the Kursk invasion. Related storiesWhen the now-deceased head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged a rebellion against Putin, Dyumin was rumored to have been instrumental in orchestrating negotiations. wrote state media military correspondent Alexander Sladkov on Tuesday.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Ivanov, Putin, Alexei Dyumin, Aleksey Gennadyevich Dyumin, Ivanov, RTVI, Dyumin, Valery Gerasimov, Alexander Bortnikov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, It's, Rybar, Alexander Sladkov Organizations: Service, Duma, RTVI, State Council, Business, Ukrainian, Bloomberg, Federal Security Services, Russian Presidential, Putin, Wagner Group Locations: Kursk, Russian, Crimea, Tula, Washington, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Russia orders more evacuations as Ukraine’s incursion into its territory enters its seventh day
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russian authorities were on Monday evacuating civilians from more areas along the Ukrainian border, a week into Kyiv’s surprise cross-border incursion into Russian territory. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region in southern Russia, said people living in the Krasnoyaruzhsky district were being relocated to safer places. A photo provided by the Government of Kursk region of Russia shows people from the border districts of the region boarding evacuation buses. Russian authorities imposed a sweeping counter-terror operation in the three border regions, but stopped short of declaring the incursion an act of war. The counterterrorist regime officially gives Russian authorities wider powers, including the ability to monitor telephone conversations and restrict communications and limiting the movement of people.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, ”, Rybar, “, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Telegram, Government, Government of, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Armed Forces, Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kremlin Locations: Ukrainian, Belgorod, Russia, Krasnoyaruzhsky, Kursk, Government of Kursk, Russian, Ukraine, Poroz, Moscow, US

CNN —A video that surfaced online appears to show bodies on burnt-out Russian military trucks in the country’s southwestern Kursk region, the latest sign that Ukraine’s cross-border assault is probing more deeply and inflicting significant damage on Moscow’s troops. Rybar, one of the more prominent Russian military blogs, published a roundup of developments Friday that said the front lines have “somewhat stabilized” with the arrival of Russian reinforcements. Rybar cited local residents of Vtoroye Knyazhino, a settlement on the outskirts of Sudzha, as saying Ukrainian infantry entered their village. US officials say they do not believe Ukraine intends to hold Russian territory for the long term. Russian authorities help residents during evacuation efforts at a railway station in Oryol, Kursk region, August 9, 2024.

Persons: Archangel Spetsnaza, Dnevnik Desantnika, Cherkasskoe, Russkoe, Rybar, Pilipey, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Vladimir Putin, “, Kursk –, ” Artamonov, Reuters Russia ‘, Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelensky, Podolyak, Peter Stanno, Ukraine “, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN, Russian, CNN –, Malaya Loknya, Getty, Ukraine’s, Russia’s, Ministry, Russian Emergencies Ministry, Reuters, European Union, Ukraine, US State Department Locations: Kursk, Oktyabrskoye, Rylsk, Russian, Kyiv, Korenevo, Sudzha, Malaya, Vtoroye, Ukrainian, Kostyantynivka, Donetsk, AFP, Moscow, Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, Russia, Belgorod, Ukraine’s Kharkiv, –, Lipetsk –, Lipetsk, Bryansk, Voronezh, Orel, Crimea, Oryol, Handout, Reuters Russia

CNN —Ukrainian forces are pushing further into the Kursk region of Russia, in a cross-border incursion that surprised even American officials, multiple US and Ukrainian officials tell CNN. Ukrainian forces are comprised of a mix of Ukrainian regular and special operations units, unlike previous Ukrainian operations inside Russia that often involved undercover units and local sympathizers. Russia claimed on Thursday to have halted a Ukrainian incursion into its territory, but later said that some battles are ongoing in the Kursk region. Neither the Ukrainian military nor the government in Kyiv has publicly commented on the operation. A Russian military blogger Rybar reported on Wednesday that the Ukrainian military had established control over a gas transit station near the border.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, “ Sudzha, wasn’t, Alexei Smirnov, ”, Hochu, “, Kozak, Mick Ryan, Peter Stano, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden, ” Jean, …, Niu York, HUR, Rybar, CNN’s Mariya Knight, Olga Voitovych Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian Defense, Telegram, Russian Ministry of Health, ., Federal Medical, Biological Agency, TASS, Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Futura, Institute for, Kyiv, Suspilne, Kyiv “, Ukraine Military Intelligence, LB, European Union, EU Locations: Kursk, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Korenevsky, Ukrainian, Sudzhansky, Sudzha, Malaya Loknya, Kyiv, ”, Russia’s Kursk, Moscow, Pokrovsk, Niu, Toretsk, Europe

☆ Ukraine's big strike on Crimea shows how its older missiles can take out Russia's most advanced air defenses
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewUkraine's latest claimed strike on Crimea is likely another example of how its older, Western-supplied missiles can foil even Russia's most advanced air-defense systems. Rybar, an influential Russian military blogger, said on Monday that Ukraine had attacked Crimea with at least 12 ATACMS missiles. AdvertisementThe S-400 is Russia's most advanced air defense system. Ukraine said none of its missiles were downed in the attack, while mocking Russia's descriptions of its own air defenses. "None of our missiles fired were intercepted by the enemy's 'highly effective' air defense," Ukraine's General Staff said.

Persons: —, Rajan Menon, DIMITAR DILKOFF, Ian Williams, Fredrik Mertens, Maxim Shemetov, George Barros, Philip Karber Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Staff, Business, Washington, for, Defense, Getty, US, UK Ministry of Defence, Russian Telegram, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Storm, Hague, Strategic Studies, REUTERS, Institute for Locations: Crimea, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, AFP, France, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russian Kerch

☆ Russia's hardliners are furious over its latest loss at sea, saying commanders would rather cover up mistakes than learn
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine has achieved a series of astonishing victories over Russia in the Black Sea. Ukrainian military intelligence said on Tuesday that it had scored another success in its campaign against Russia's much bigger Russian Black Sea fleet. The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said Russian military bloggers, who are often ultranationalists with close military links, are "decrying the Russian military command's lack of response to the incident and mounting a wider critique against the bureaucratic inertia of the Russian military apparatus." Military blogger Two majors said that commanders often try to place the blame elsewhere to cover up their mistakes. Ukraine has used ingenuity and improvisation to offset its disadvantages in the Black Sea, which Russia's navy has historically dominated.

Persons: —, Sergei Kotov, Dva Maiyora Organizations: Service, Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, Telegram, Foreign Policy Research Institute Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Kerch, US, Rybar, Sevastopol, Crimea

☆ How Ukraine seized the upper hand against Russia in the battle for the Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Tim Lister | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine has virtually no navy of its own, but technological innovation, audacity and Russian incompetence have given it the upper hand in much of the Black Sea. Rather than fold, the Ukrainians declared a unilateral “Black Sea Humanitarian Corridor” for merchant shipping and stepped up its use of maritime drones and missile attacks against Russia’s Black Sea fleet. One-third of the Black Sea fleet has been disabled or destroyed, and the remaining ships rarely venture into the western half of the sea. In August, Russia withdrew some of the Black Sea fleet from its headquarters in Sevastopol to relatively safer ports on the Russian coast. Russia is unlikely to be able to tilt the balance in the Black Sea back in its favor.

Persons: Caesar Kunikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Yoruk Isik, Russia’s, Zelensky, Dmytro Pletenchuk, ” Pletenchuk, ’ Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Reuters, Agriculture, UN, Initiative, NATO, Economy Ministry, Black Sea Initiative, Ukrainian, Russia, Maritime Autonomous Guard, Defense Intelligence, Drones, Both Defense Intelligence, Security Service, ’ AK, Black, Russian, Odesa, Montreux Convention – Locations: Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Washington, Novorossiysk, Sochi, ”, MAGURA, Krasnodar, Kerch, France, Snake, Odesa, Turkey, Black, Montreux, Moscow

☆ Russians Ease Attacks in Eastern Ukraine, Shattered Town May Still Be Held by Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Russian forces eased attacks on the beleaguered eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on Saturday and unofficial reports from the region suggested they had failed to capture the devastated town of Maryinka to the southwest. Russia's military has focused on eastern Ukraine since abandoning an advance on Kyiv in the first days after the February 2022 invasion. "We acknowledge that there was an advance there of the Russian military," Zhdanov said in an online presentation. "But the southwestern and northwestern parts of the town are under the control of Ukrainian forces." The town, also shattered by months of fighting, was captured by Russian forces in May, but Ukrainian troops have since taken back nearby villages.

Persons: Moscow's, Oleksandr Shtupun, Avdiivka, Shtupun, Rybar, Vitaliy Barabash, Oleh Zhdanov, Zhdanov, Volodymyr Fitio, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Maria Starkova, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Reuters, Channel, Russia's Defence Ministry, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv Locations: Avdiivka, Maryinka, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Winnipeg, Canada

☆ Control over devastated eastern Ukrainian town uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Most accounts of Maryinka, southwest of the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk, describe it as a ghost town amid daily reports of Ukrainian forces defending different districts. Ukrainian forces, it said, remained in control of other districts. Ukrainian social media accounts noted Russian advances, but quoted soldiers as rejecting the notion that Moscow's troops controlled the entire town. Russian forces, focused on eastern Ukraine, have been attacking the town of Avdiivka, 40 km (25 miles) north of Maryinka, since mid-October. Ukrainian forces, he said, had repelled attacks near Kupiansk, a northeastern area seized by Russia after invading in February 2022, but retaken by Ukrainian troops a year ago.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Rybar, Maryinka, Volodymyr Fitio, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Leslie Adler Organizations: Ukraine's, Staff, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Maryinka, Ukraine, Donetsk Region, Russian, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Kupiansk, Russia

☆ Russians ease attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv still may hold Maryinka
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's military has focused on eastern Ukraine since abandoning an advance on Kyiv in the first days after the February 2022 invasion. But unofficial Ukrainian reports on Saturday said its forces were holding some districts. There were no official Ukrainian reports on Maryinka, but military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said reports of its capture by Russian troops were untrue. "We acknowledge that there was an advance there of the Russian military," Zhdanov said in an online presentation. Ukrainian forces have focused on recapturing occupied villages in the east and south in a counteroffensive launched in June, though President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has acknowledged that advances have been slower than Kyiv wanted.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Moscow's, Oleksandr Shtupun, Avdiivka, Shtupun, Rybar, Vitaliy Barabash, Oleh Zhdanov, Zhdanov, Volodymyr Fitio, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ron Popeski, Maria Starkova, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Acquire, Reuters, Channel, Russia's Defence Ministry, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Maryinka, Ukraine, Donetsk Region, Avdiivka, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Winnipeg, Canada

☆ Ukraine is taking advantage of a storm grounding Russia's air power to fortify a vital bridgehead, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A cyclone is dropping heavy rain and snow around the Dnipro River in Ukraine, a think tank reported. The storm is weakening Russian air power in the area, a military analyst said. Ukrainian forces are using the time to strengthen their positions on the eastern bank, per the ISW. However, it added that winter conditions have also helped Russian troops advance to the center of Krynky, pushing Ukrainian forces out of the south of the village. AdvertisementUkraine can't bring in new troops because of high waves and wind on the right bank of the Dnipro River, it said.

Persons: —, Rybar Organizations: Service, Washington DC, Ukrainian, 36th Marine Brigades, Estonian Defense Forces ' Intelligence Center Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, Russian, Krynky, Estonian, Russia

☆ Ukrainian strike kills Russian actress performing in Ukraine, theatre says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Nov 23 (Reuters) - A Russian actress has been killed in a Ukrainian attack while performing to Russian troops in a Russian-controlled area of eastern Ukraine, according to her theatre. The Russian theatre where actress Polina Menshikh, 40, worked said she had been killed while performing on stage in the Donbas region. Reuters could not verify details of the incident but military officials on both sides confirmed there had been a Ukrainian attack in the area on Nov. 19. Ukrainian commanders said their forces had struck what they said was a Russian military award ceremony, targeting Russia's 810th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade. Robert Brovdi, a Ukrainian military commander, said in a post on social media that 25 people had been killed in the strike and more than 100 wounded.

Persons: Polina Menshikh, Robert Brovdi, Ukraine's Brovdi, Vladimir Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Timothy Organizations: Reuters, HIMARS, Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, Assault Brigade, Telegram, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Donbas, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Ukraine's

☆ Russia will pay heavy price for Avdiivka, says Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Moscow's forces have focused on eastern Ukraine since failing to advance on Kyiv in the first days of the February 2022 invasion. Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said Russian assaults in the eastern Donetsk region including Avdiivka had been "very intense". "Russia is already losing men and equipment near Avdiivka faster and on a larger scale than, for example, near Bakhmut," he said, referring to months of heavy fighting that culminated in Russian forces capturing the eastern town of Bakhmut in May. The more Russian forces that are destroyed near Avdiivka, the worse the overall situation will be for the enemy and the overall course of this war." Ukrainian forces, he said, had repelled 18 Russian attacks over the past 24 hours.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Moscow's, Avdiivka, Rybar, Oleksandr Shtupun, Shtupun, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Leslie Adler, Stephen Coates Organizations: Russia's Defence Ministry, Reuters, Ukraine's Defense Forces, Hudson Institute, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Kherson, Dnipro, Crimea, Ukraine, Kyiv, Donetsk, Russia, Bakhmut, Russian, Ukrainian, United States, Moscow

CNN —Ukraine claimed it hit two Russian landing craft in occupied Crimea with sea drones in an overnight operation, the latest in a series of escalating strikes on the peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. “Two Russian assault boats have been hit with Ukrainian sea drones near Chernomorske, Crimea,” Andriy Yusov, a representative of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR), told CNN. The video appears to show two sea drones approaching targets that appear to be landing craft at a dock. The second drone appears to film the first one as it hits the landing craft. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted three Ukrainian drones over Crimea in the early hours on Friday.

Persons: ” Andriy Yusov, GUR, ” GUR, Rybar, ” Rybar, “ Organizations: CNN, Defense Intelligence, Kremlin, Black, Fleet, Federal Security Service, Russian Defense Ministry, Security and Defense Forces of, Initiative Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, Chernomorske, ”, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Zmiinyi, Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Ukraine appears to be gunning for a top Russian battlefield commander who has had an unusual run as a military leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine appears to be gunning for him as Kyiv's military makes pushes in his area of control. According to several prominent Russian military bloggers and independent Russian media reporting, the Ukrainian military fired long-range missiles last week at the Dnepr battlegroup's headquarters. Astra, the independent Russian publication, reported that Ukrainian missiles hit command posts belonging to the Dnepr group in Strilkove that same day. As the Russian military bloggers noted, the timing of the strikes fall in line with an uptick in Ukrainian assaults around the Dnipro. "Teplinsky's appointment is likely an indication of increased pressure on Russian forces defending the area," Britain's defense ministry said in late October.

Persons: Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, gunning, —, Moscow's, Rybar, ROMAN PILIPEY, Teplinsky —, Russia's ultranationalists, Vladimir Putin, Teplinsky, Oleg Makarevich Organizations: Service, Moscow's VDV Airborne Forces, Dnepr, Ukraine, Storm, Russian, Neptune, Telegram, Astra, Getty, Wagner Group, Kremlin ., Institute for, Ukrainian, Command, Special Operations Forces of, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Dnipro, Kyiv Locations: Russian, Col, Ukraine, Kherson, that's, Azov, Dnipro, Ukrainian, AFP, Teplinsky, Russia, Kremlin . Russian, Washington, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kherson Oblast

☆ Ukraine claims it hit a Russian ship with a 'Sea Baby' drone. Russia is fast running out of space to repair them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine doubled down on claims on Friday that it had damaged a Russian patrol ship near Sevastopol with "Sea Baby" drones. If confirmed, the strike could add to long-term pressure on Russia's ability to maintain and repair its Black Sea Fleet, experts say. Russia is already barred from bringing reinforcements to its Black Sea Fleet. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Consequently, the Black Sea Fleet will have to be increasingly prudent with its remaining assets," he added. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis squeeze on the Black Sea Fleet ultimately hampers some of its ability to project power over those waters, Germond said.

Persons: —, Basil Germond, Pavel Derzhavin, Pavel, Sutton, rove, ake Organizations: Service, Fleet, Lancaster University, Crimean Telegram, Crimean, Russian Telegram, Black, Russia's Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Sevastopol, Russia, Russia's, Ukrainian

☆ Russia has 'clearly lost its control' over the Black Sea with its navy moving to safer ports, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's move of its Black Sea Fleet to safer waters signals its waning power there, experts told Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia's withdrawal of ships from a key Crimean base to safer ports shows it has "clearly lost its control" over the Black Sea in naval and geopolitical terms, a top naval expert told Insider. Pointing to those attacks, James Heappey, a UK defense minister, said during a defense event in Warsaw last Tuesday that the move signaled the "functional defeat" of the Black Sea Fleet. As of Sunday, multiple ships carrying grain, sunflower oil, and metals had sailed out of Ukraine's ports in the northwestern Black Sea, The Guardian reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementHardline pro-Kremlin Telegram account Rybar wrote on Friday that it's "difficult to accept" that "the Black Sea Fleet cannot fully ensure its security now."

Persons: —, Basil Germond, Germond, James Heappey, Heappey, Armed Forces @JSHeappey Organizations: Fleet, Service, Lancaster University, Montreux Convention, UK's Ministry of Defence, Black, Armed Forces, Warsaw Security, — Ministry of Defence Locations: Sevastopol, Russia, Ukraine, Turkish, Novorossiysk, Crimea, Warsaw, Ukrainian

☆ 'Difficult to accept': Prominent Russian hardliner admits its navy couldn't defend itself from Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia recently relocated much of its Black Sea Fleet after it got battered by Ukrainian attacks. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementA Russian hardline pro-war account conceded that the Black Sea Fleet couldn't defend itself from Ukraine and had to pull back. "Even though it's difficult to accept, the Black Sea Fleet cannot fully ensure its security now," Rybar wrote. In an intelligence briefing on Monday, the UK's Ministry of Defence said the threats of further Ukrainian attacks likely caused Russia to relocate its operations.

Persons: —, Rybar, Makarov, Admiral Essen Organizations: Service, Fleet, NATO, Telegram, UK's Ministry of Defence, Russia's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Sevastopol, Crimea, Novorossiysk, Feodosia

☆ Explainer: Wagner group - Is it back? Who controls it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Is Wagner back, who controls it and are its fighters returning to the Ukraine war? After the fall of Bakhmut, Wagner fighters were withdrawn from the front. While Prigozhin criticised Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Yelizarov said Shoigu was "out of control" and seeking to destroy Wagner. Russian, Ukrainian and Western sources have indicated that Wagner fighters are returning to the front. Russian war blog Rybar, which has over 1.2 million subscribers, said that Wagner fighters would return to Bakhmut.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Andrei Troshev, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Mikhail Metzel, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Putin, Anton Yelizarov, Yelizarov, Utkin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Wagner's Troshev, Troshev, Rybar, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, deniability, United States, . Police, Reuters, Russian, Russian Ministry of Defence, PMC, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, dabble, Syria, Libya, Mali, Bakhmut, Rostov, Russian, St Petersburg, Central African Republic, redeploy

☆ Kremlin Won't Comment on Beating of Prisoner by Kadyrov's Teenage Son
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's spokesman refused to comment on Tuesday on the beating of a prisoner by the teenaged son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an incident that drew condemnation even from some pro-Kremlin hardliners. Kadyrov said on Monday he was proud of his son Adam, 15, for the attack on Nikita Zhuravel, a Russian man accused of burning the Koran, and posted a video of the beating. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at the start of his daily briefing that he would not be commenting on the incident. "Without exaggeration, yes, I am proud of Adam's action," wrote Kadyrov, who styles himself as a ruthless Putin ally. But the beating of a defenceless ethnic Russian prisoner in custody by Kadyrov's own son - and the fact that Kadyrov saw it as a source of pride - are potentially embarrassing for the Kremlin.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Adam, Nikita Zhuravel, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kadyrov's, Zhuravel, Abbas Gallyamov, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Chechnya, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Ukraine, Volgograd, Russian

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh crisis lays bare deteriorating Armenian relationship with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Clare Sebastian Anna Chernova Katharina Krebs Tim Lister Christian Edwards | Clare Sebastian | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has come amid a sharp deterioration in the relationship between historic allies Armenia and Russia, and has been amplified by sometimes incendiary commentary from prominent individuals in Moscow. Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani aggression, according to state media Armenpress. The prominent Russian military blogger Rybar said Armenia was over reliant on Russia to provide security for Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia purports to provide security to Armenia through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of post-Soviet states that includes Armenia but excludes Azerbaijan. The Armenian authorities handed over the Armenian shrine with their own hands… The fate of Judas is unenviable.”Simonyan also wrote on Telegram about protests in Yerevan.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Armen Grigoryan, Dmitry Peskov, Pashinyan’s, Anna Hakobyan, ” Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, “, ”, ” Medvedev, Rybar, –, ” Rybar, Margarita Simonyan, Judas, ” Simonyan, ’ They’ve, Vladimir Solovyov, Lavrov, Putin, Ivan, ” Solovyov, Meduza Organizations: CNN, Armenian, Armenia’s Security, Kremlin, CNN Prima News, Russia, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Twitter Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, “, Azerbaijan, Russian, Soviet

☆ Ukraine destroyed a prized $1.2B Russian air-defense system with cruise missiles, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine destroyed a Russian air-defense system worth $1.2 billion, reports said Thursday. The S-400 "Triumf" was taken down using a combination of Neptune missiles and drones, reports said. The advanced S-400 "Triumf" air-defense system was destroyed in a joint operation by Kyiv's security service (SBU) and navy, the BBC and Reuters reported, citing Ukrainian intelligence sources. It wrote that before its attack, Ukraine sent out drones to strike a Russian ship in the Black Sea. The air-defense system fired its rounds to shoot the drones down, thus revealing its location, Rybar reported.

Persons: Anton Gerashchenko, Jake Epstein Organizations: Service, BBC, Reuters, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Ministry of Defense, US's Patriot Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Yevpatoriya, Crimea, Russia, Kremlin Russian

☆ Why has Ukraine stepped up its strikes on occupied Crimea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Ukraine has ramped up missile and drone strikes on occupied Crimea in recent weeks, as it attempts to land both strategic and symbolic blows against Russian forces that annexed the peninsula in 2014. The next night, Russian air defenses shot down 11 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The shift in focus to Crimea occurred after Russia allowed the Black Sea Grain Initiative to lapse in July. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has since resumed its blockade of Ukraine’s ports, preventing vital grain exports and threatening global food security. Symbolic valueYet the strikes on Crimea also have huge symbolic value and are intended to damage Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prestige.

Persons: Russia –, Russia’s, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Putin, Marilyn Monroe, Vasyl Maliuk, ”, Stringer, Rybar Organizations: CNN, Russian, Kyiv, Russian Ministry of Defense, Fleet, Kremlin, Russia, Security Service, Reuters, Ukraine’s Air Force Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russian, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, Kerch, Russia, Odesa, ” Russia, Europe, Novorossiysk, United Kingdom, France

CNN —Two Russian warships were damaged after Ukraine launched an extensive assault on a Russian ship repair base in Crimea early Wednesday morning, officials said, in what appears to be Kyiv’s most ambitious strike on the port since the war began. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukrainian armed forces attacked the Sergo Ordzhonikidze shipyard in Sevastopol, which Russia uses as a repair base for its Black Sea Fleet, with 10 cruise missiles and three unmanned boats. But Russian officials confirmed that the attack had damaged two Russian warships and left 24 people injured. An ambulance leaves the area next to the shipyard in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 13, 2023. Stringer/ReutersAnother prominent Russian military blogger said the attack on the Sevastopol shipyard was carried out by the Ukrainian Air Force, which launched 10 Storm Shadow cruise missiles at the facility.

Persons: Vasily Bykov, Mikhail Razvozhaev, Razvozhaev, Don ”, Stringer, Rybar, ” Rybar, Andriy Yermak, ” Yermak, Mykola Oleshchuk, Volodymyr Zelensky, Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson’s Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Reuters, Ukrainian Air Force, Su, Storm, Ukrainian, Russian, SpaceX Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Crimea, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Russia, Rostov, Minsk, ”, United Kingdom, France, Novorossiysk, Kerch, Crimean

☆ Russian hardliners are fuming that the Kremlin wasn't able to top a string of embarrassing attacks on home soil
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's military bloggers are mad over escalating drone attacks on home soil. They have often highlighted problems within Russia's military which were not acknowledged by officials or Russia's closely-controlled mass media. Their anger was prompted by an increasing number of drone attacks, likely organized by Ukraine or Ukraine-affiliated groups. And some of these strikes have destroyed and damaged Russian military aircraft sitting on home soil. Military analysts told The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine has probably disabled more Russian aircraft sitting in Russian bases than it has aircraft involved in combat.

Persons: Russia's, milbloggers, Rybar, Alexander Kots Organizations: Service, Ministry of Defense, Wall Street Journal Locations: Western Russia, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia's Pskov, Crimea, Russian, Europe

Search resuls for: "Rybar"

25 mentions found