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WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's president on Monday called on other members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to 3% of their gross domestic product as Russia puts its economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine. President Andrzej Duda made his call both in remarks in Warsaw and in a piece published by The Washington Post. His appeal came on the eve of a visit to the White House, where U.S. President Joe Biden will receive both him and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday. NATO increased its spending to 2% of GDP for its members after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, but most members, including Germany, still fall short of that benchmark. It is allocating close to 30 percent of its annual budget to arm itself," Duda argued.

Persons: —, Andrzej Duda, Joe Biden, Donald Tusk, “ Russia’s, ” Duda, Duda, Vladimir Putin’s, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: NATO, The Washington Post, White, Polish, United, Russian Federation, Brussels Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Warsaw, Moscow, Ukraine's Crimean, Germany, U.S, United States

☆ Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can 'do whatever the hell they want'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance's defense spending targets. But this time, Trump went further, saying had told the member that he would, in fact, "encourage" Russia to do as it wishes in that case. As of 2022, NATO reported that seven of what are now 31 NATO member countries were meeting that obligation — up from three in 2014. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has spurred additional military spending by some NATO members. Trump has often tried to take credit for that increase and bragged again Saturday that, as a result of his threats, "hundreds of billions of dollars came into NATO"— even though countries do not pay NATO directly.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, NATO's Organizations: Coastal Carolina University, South Carolina Republican, Republican, NATO, Congress, SENATE, AS, WE, US, UNITED STATES, Trump, . Locations: Conway , South Carolina, U.S, Russia, Ukraine's Crimean, Ukraine, United States

☆ A Ukrainian woman had to become a Russian citizen to get her broken arm treated in occupied Ukraine, her friend says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainians in occupied areas have to get Russian passports for medical treatment, per an investigation. One woman had to get a Russian passport in order to get her broken arm treated, her friend said. AdvertisementA Ukrainian woman in an area occupied by Russia had to become a Russian citizen in order to get her broken arm treated, her friend said. She also said that "pensions are not provided without Russian passports, food is not provided without Russian passports, and medical services are out of the question." Their claims come after widespread reports that Russia is forcing schools in occupied Ukraine to teach Russia's curriculum and history.

Persons: —, Larysa, Nathaniel Raymond, Oksana Organizations: Service, European Broadcasting Union, Kremlin, BBC, EBU, Yale School of Public Health, CNN, Lyudmyla Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine's Crimea

☆ A night inside a strip club near Ukraine’s front lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Anna Conkling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

By mid-afternoon, nine women have gathered around the dance pole at Flash Dancers, the only women-owned exotic dance club in Kharkiv. Valerii Kseniya, Flash Dancers' co-owner, in an undated photograph from her career as a professional dancer (left), and in July 2023. Iva Sidash for InsiderWhen Dana first joined Flash Dancers, Valeriya said, she was shy, silent, and not open to speaking with the team. Iva Sidash for InsiderOver the past year, several soldiers who were regulars at Flash Dancers have been killed in the fighting. Iva Sidash for InsiderThe evening at Flash Dancers could serve as a microcosm of Ukraine's tentative but determined return to normality.

Persons: Valeriya Zavadskaya, Christina Aguilera's, bam, Iva Sidash, Valeriya, Cher, proprietorship, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Valeriya's, Valeriia Kseniya, Kseniya, Valerii Kseniya, —, Valeriya's lapdogs, Sara, Lady —, grimly, Dana, hasn't, they're, Gyrating, doesn't, they've, Yurii Tryfan, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Tryfan, Lyuda, Maksyum, Pavlo, trundle, We've, Anna Conkling, Elle Organizations: showtime, Boys, Komsomol, league, Communist Party, Hustler, National University of Kharkiv, Valeriya, Flash Dancers, Monetary Fund Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Russian, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, bam, Soviet, South Korea, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Asia, Russia, Ukraine's Crimean, Moulin Rouge, Drohobych, Polish, USSR, Bakhmut, Kupyansk, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Berlin

☆ A Ukrainian sniper called the Ghost of Bakhmut says he's personally killed 113 Russians. He explains how his elite unit hunts the enemy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

An elite Ukrainian sniper unit called the Ghosts of Bakhmut is hunting high-value Russian targets. AdvertisementAdvertisementOn the outskirts of Bakhmut, a deadly team of snipers move stealthily through the forests and fields to take out Russian targets. The Ukrainian sniper's primary weapon is the US-made Barrett M107A1The team of elite snipers take out high-value Russian targets. Insider made contact with Ghost via the Separate Presidential Brigade, which his sniper unit is a part of. AdvertisementAdvertisementHe used to be known as Casper, and said he got the call sign Ghost when Russia invaded the country in February 2022.

Persons: Ghost, —, he's, Bakhmut —, Barrett M107A1, American Barrett M107A1, Barrett, Wagner, Lola, Casper, Casper — Organizations: Service, BBC, Presidential Brigade, Wagner Group Locations: Ukrainian, Bakhmut, US, Burj Khalifa, Dubai, American, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's Crimean, Canada, Lithuania

☆ Exclusive: Kosovo's president blames Serbia for shootout, says Kosovo 'under attack'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The (armed) group simply exercised the intentions and the motives of Serbia as a country and Vucic as the leader." Serbia, which has not recognized its former province's independence, blames Kosovo for precipitating violence by mistreating ethnic Serb residents, a charge Kosovo denies. "What I would say to President Vucic is stop messing with Kosovo. [1/4]Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani talks to Reuters after a deadly shootout in the northern part of the country, in Pristina, Kosovo September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Laura Hasani Acquire Licensing RightsRussia seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014, and Kosovo authorities fear Serbia could carve away the northern part of Kosovo.

Persons: Vjosa Osmani, Aleksandar Vucic, Osmani, Vucic, Laura Hasani, We've, Albin Kurti, Fatos, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Kosovar, Reuters, Kosovo, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, EU, Sunday, Yugoslav, Kosovo's, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Serbia, Kosovo, Banjska, Serbian, NATO, Crimea, Kosovo's, Belgrade, Pristina, Republic of Kosovo, Rights Russia, Ukraine's Crimea

☆ Russian Black Sea Fleet commander was killed in Crimea missile strike, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Alexander Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov attends a ceremony marking 240th anniversary of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea May 13, 2023. Ukraine said Monday it has killed the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in a missile strike on the naval headquarters in occupied Crimea. Ukraine's intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told Voice of America on Saturday that at least nine people were killed and 16 others wounded as a result of Kyiv's attack on the Black Sea Fleet on Friday. Its port is the main base of the Black Sea Fleet, which has been used to launch attacks deep into Ukraine. From 2020 he headed a prestigious military academy, before taking command of the Black Sea Fleet last year.

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, Sokolov, James Stavridis, Kyrylo Budanov, Alexander Romanchuk, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Daryna Mayer Organizations: Sea Fleet, NBC, Special Operations Forces, Black, NBC News, NATO, Twitter, America, Fleet, Tactical Missile Systems, Crimea, Northern, Associated Press Locations: Russian, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, Kyiv, Crimean, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine's Crimea, U.S, Moskva, Pacific

☆ Ukraine says it hit Russian military base in annexed Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said on Friday a Ukrainian drone attack had hit a Russian military base deep inside annexed Crimea, while residents reported casualties, explosions and a road closure. Ukrainian intelligence officials said the attack struck Russia's 126th Coastal Defence Brigade based in Perevalnoye, a town more than 200 km (120 miles) from Ukraine-controlled territory. Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014, declaring it Russian territory. The United States says it supports Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets on the Black Sea peninsula of because it should be demilitarised. "Why was a gate to the military town closed?"

Persons: Ukraine's, Andriy Yusov, Kyrylo Budanov, Abdul Has, Vlad, Julia Julia, Lis, Maria Tsvetkova, William Mallard Organizations: Coastal Defence Brigade, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Russia's, Perevalnoye, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine's Crimea, United States, New York

☆ Serbia joins Ukraine's Crimea platform, vows friendship with Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BELGRADE, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Serbia on Wednesday joined a Ukraine-led platform on the reintegration of Crimea, signalling a swing away from Russia, a historical ally and its sole supplier of natural gas. In an online address to the forum, Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Serbia "sincerely regrets the suffering of Ukraine and Ukrainian people." The Crimea Platform was launched by Zelenskiy in 2021 with the aim of reintegrating the Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. In April, leaked Pentagon documents showed Serbia had agreed to supply arms and ammunition to Kyiv, or sent them to Ukraine. Vucic said Serbia had never sold weapons or ammunition to Ukraine or Russia although Serbian arms might have reached the battlefield via third countries.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Aleksandar Vucic, Ana Brnabic, Vucic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Wednesday, Serbian, Serbia's, Zelenskiy, NATO, European Union, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, Athens, Ukrainian, United States, Great Britain, Moscow, Kosovo, Belgrade, Serbian

☆ Ukraine's spymaster comes out of the shadows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

For an intelligence chief running Ukraine's spy operations during war with Russia, Kyrylo Budanov, 37, has built up an unusually public profile that he has used to get his message out and to menace Russia from afar. These days, a spy boss cannot stay in the shadows, he says. "It's not possible without this, not anymore," the head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) told Reuters in an interview at his heavily defended headquarters in the capital. The prospect of a spy agency sending assassins to hunt down Ukraine's enemies has drawn comparisons with Israel's Mossad. Budanov began his military career as a special forces operative and served in the east after Russia illegally annexed Crimea and its proxies took over Ukraine's eastern fringes.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kyrylo Budanov, GUR, Budanov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, haven't, Tom Balmforth, Sergiy, Mike Collett, White, Peter Graff Organizations: Kyiv, Ukraine's Main Intelligence, Reuters, Russian Interior Ministry, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, RUSSIA, Russian, Crimea, Rybalskyi

☆ Prigozhin-controlled Russian media group shuts amid mutiny fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 2 (Reuters) - Yevgeny Prigozhin's media holding group is to shut down, the director of one of its outlets said, highlighting the mercenary chief's worsening fortunes a week after the collapse of a brief mutiny staged by his Wagner Group fighters. Patriot Media, whose most prominent outlet was the RIA FAN news site, had taken a strongly nationalist, pro-Kremlin editorial line, while also providing positive coverage of Prigozhin and his Wagner Group. Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Friday that the country's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor had blocked media outlets linked to Prigozhin, without elaborating. Despite the abortive mutiny, Russian authorities have not officially outlawed the Wagner Group, but Putin said on Tuesday the finances of Prigozhin's catering firm would be investigated. Under Prigozhin's leadership, the group has grown into a sprawling international business with mining interests and fighters in Africa and the Middle East.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Zubarev, Zubarev, Roskomnadzor, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexei Navalny, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: Wagner Group, Patriot Media, Kremlin, Russian, Kommersant, Patriot, Wagner, Russia, Thomson Locations: Belarus, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Africa, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on companies in the United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic and Russia, accusing them of illicit gold dealings to fund Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force. "The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali. The Wagner Group did not immediately respond to the U.S. allegations. The U.S. State Department ahead of the announcement said that the action against Wagner was unrelated to an aborted mutiny last weekend. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk and Costas Pitas; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Brian Nelson, Vladimir Putin, Diamville, Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, Midas Ressources, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Costas Pitas, Jonathan Oatis, Grant McCool Organizations: United Arab, Russia's Wagner Group, U.S . Treasury Department, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, U.S . State Department, Russia, Industrial, Trading, United, Wagner, Treasury, Industrial Resources, Thomson Locations: United States, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, U.S, Ukraine, Africa, Mali, Libya, Syria, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas, African Republic, Dubai, Saharan Africa, Washington, Russian

☆ The inside man who shook the Kremlin: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, and what's next for him?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Richard Engel | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. A St. Petersburg native like Putin, Prigozhin, 62, has one of the most varied biographies among the Kremlin elite. With the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Prigozhin was able and eager to again prove his value to Putin. As the Russian army came up against surprisingly strong resistance, Wagner's mercenaries came in handy in the bloodiest of battles. The standoff then exploded and Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion on Friday after alleging that the Russian army fired at his mercenaries.

Persons: Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, —, Wagner, Michael A, Horowitz, what's, Prigohzin, Prigozhin, Putin, Read, Bashar al, Assad, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Wagner Group, Southern Military, Stringer, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Le Beck, NBC News, Putin, Kremlin, Prigozhin, NBC, U.S, Internet Research Agency, Central African, Defense Ministry Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, St, Petersburg, Europe, East, Africa, Crimean, Kyiv, Russian, Ukraine, Syria, Central African Republic, Bakhmut, U.S

☆ US says it is a new thing to see Putin's leadership directly challenged
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It is a certainly a new thing to see President Putin's leadership directly challenged. Prigozhin's Wagner has fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoThe United States had communications with the Russian government on Saturday, both through U.S. Tracy told Russian officials that the United States expects Russia to uphold its obligations to protect embassy and diplomatic personnel. It was founded in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and started supporting pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin's, Matthew Miller, Prigozhin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Maxim, Lynne Tracy, Tracy, Miller, Wagner, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Jasper Ward, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . State Department, Department, REUTERS, U.S, Central African, Russia, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, States, United States, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas, Washington, Africa, Jasper

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskyy denies that Bakhmut is occupied by Russian forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Her comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the Group of Seven summit in Japan, appeared to suggest that Bakhmut had fallen. And the spokesman for Ukraine's Eastern Group of Forces, Serhii Cherevaty, said that the Ukrainian military is managing to hold positions in the vicinity of Bakhmut. Russian forces still seek to seize the remaining part of the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control, including several heavily fortified areas. Prigozhin tried to use the battle for the city to expand his clout amid the tensions with the top Russian military leaders whom he harshly criticized. "We fought not only with the Ukrainian armed forces in Bakhmut.

☆ Ukraine downs Russian hypersonic missile with U.S. Patriot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It was also the first time Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defense systems. Oleshchuk said the Kh-47 missile was launched by a MiG-31K aircraft from Russian territory and was shot down with a Patriot missile. The Ukrainian military has previously admitted to lacking assets to intercept the Kinzhals. At such a cost, it was widely thought that Ukraine would only use the Patriots against Russian aircraft or hypersonic missiles. Russian forces have not commented on the claim but have rejected previous accusations from Ukraine that they had used phosphorus.

☆ 'It was heartbreaking': Ukraine children back home after alleged deportation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Anna Dabrowska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But once in Crimea, Russian officials said the children would be staying for longer. Dasha's mother Natalia said she had travelled from Ukraine to Crimea via Poland, Belarus and Moscow to get her daughters. "It was heartbreaking to look at children left behind who were crying behind the fence," she said. The children were taken to what Russians called stays in summer camps from occupied parts of Ukraine's Kharkiv and Kherson regions, Kuleba said. Save Ukraine said they came home on a previous mission last month that returned 18 children in total.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kyiv potentially willing to negotiate on Crimea; Swedish investigators still stumped on Nord Stream sabotage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Kyiv has disclosed a rare willingness to negotiate with Russia — depending on the outcome of its spring offensive, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview. The discussions would focus on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, and would take place if Ukrainian forces reach Crimea's "administrative border," the official said. Swedish investigators examining last year's Nord Stream pipeline blast say it remains unclear who was behind the sabotage, but that work on the case is continuing "unconditionally." Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is in China for a three-day state visit, during which he hopes to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia in its war in Ukraine, among other things.

☆ Russia is confiscating its officials' passports to stop them fleeing the country or defecting, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Russian officials have had their passports taken away, UK intelligence said. Thousands have fled Russia, including some officials who offer secrets to try and get asylum. Some European countries have banned Russian tourists, and many nations closed their airspace to Russian planes. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of young Russians fled the country when Russia announced a partial mobilization of reservists in September. Some officials have fled Russia and are offering to hand over secrets in exchange for being granted asylum.

☆ Russian plane that took out US drone was 'out of control' and flying like it's 'amateur hour,' US official tells PBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US says a Russian jet clipped a US drone over the Black Sea, forcing it to crash. A US official told PBS the Russian pilot seemed out of control, calling their actions "amateur hour." Schifrin further described what the official told him on "PBS NewsHour," saying "this was not a controlled tap. The Russian pilot was barreling toward the drone, out of control, tried to pull away from the from the drone, and that's when the Russian jet actually hit the back of it." Russia also denied that any contact was made between the jet and the drone, saying the drone crashed after "sharp maneuvering".

☆ Putin gives U.S. actor Seagal top state award for 'humanitarian work'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has bestowed a top state award on Hollywood actor Steven Seagal to reward him for his international humanitarian and cultural work, a state decree published on Monday showed. The decree said the 70-year-old star of action films such as "Under Siege" had been given Russia's Order of Friendship. The decree mentioned Seagal's work as a special representative of Russia's Foreign Ministry for humanitarian ties with the United States and Japan. The U.S.-born actor and martial arts practitioner has worked in Japan and has long admired Putin, from whom he received a Russian passport in 2016. Ukraine in 2017 banned Seagal from entering for five years on national security grounds.

☆ Ukraine withdraws 19 mln Russian, Soviet-era books from libraries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yevheniya Kravchuk, deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament's committee on humanitarian and information policy, said that of the 19 million books, 11 million were in Russian. It was not immediately clear what happened to the withdrawn books. After Russia moved to annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Kyiv increasingly restricted the use of Russian books. "In general, the ratio of books in Russian and Ukrainian languages in our libraries is just very regretful," Kravchuk said. She added that about 44% of books in Ukraine's libraries are in Russian, the rest in Ukrainian or languages of the European Union countries.

☆ A top investment chief explains why bonds offer an attractive hedge for a mild and brief recession in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I'm senior reporter Phil Rosen, and below I'm sharing my conversation with Northwestern Mutual's chief investment officer, Brent Schutte. He sees the bond market as this year's best recession hedge. Phil Rosen: You said you're expecting a mild and brief recession this year. Brent Schutte: The good news is that the bond market has repriced, and the bond market is a hedge against that recession. BC: I do think earnings will come down this year, and cheaper equities give a margin of safety against that.

☆ Russia backs banning of maps disputing official 'territorial integrity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A woman walks past a building with Russian flags placed on its wall in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 24, 2022. REUTERS/Anton VaganovJan 8 (Reuters) - Russia's government extended support to a legislative amendment that would classify maps that dispute the country's official "territorial integrity" as punishable extremist materials, the state-owned TASS news agency reported on Sunday. The amendment to Russia's anti-extremism legislation stipulates that "cartographic and other documents and images that dispute the territorial integrity of Russia" will be classified as extremist materials, the agency reported. The new amendment, TASS reports without citing sources, emerged after its authors pointed out that some maps distributed in Russia dispute the "territorial affiliation" of the Crimean Peninsula and the Kuril Islands. Ukrainians and their government have since often objected to world maps showing Crimea as part of Russia's territory.

REUTERS/Igor RussakWASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled new curbs on technology exports to Russia's Wagner military group, in a bid to further choke off supplies to the contractor over its role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Wagner group, which was added to a trade blacklist in 2017 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region, will now be labeled a military end user and face tough new curbs on access to technology made anywhere in the world with U.S. equipment. “The Wagner Group is one of the most notorious mercenary organizations in the world and is actively committing atrocities and human rights abuses across Ukraine,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez. The Wagner group, a private military contractor with close ties to the Kremlin, was founded in 2014 after Russia seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and sparked a separatist insurgency in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Reporting by Alexandra Alper and David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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