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[1/2] Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks with servicemen during withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut, 2023. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERSSummary Prigozhin: conflict with Chechens settledPrigozhin: Kremlin factions endanger the stateSays defence ministry is in chaosWagner may go to Belgorod region - PrigozhinMOSCOW, June 3 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that Kremlin factions were destroying the state by trying to sow discord between him and Chechen fighters. Prigozhin said a dispute between him and Chechen forces who are also fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine had been resolved. But he laid the blame for the discord on unidentified Kremlin factions - which he calls "Kremlin towers". "Dangerous games have become commonplace in the Kremlin towers...they are simply destroying the Russian state."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov's Akhmat, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Niether, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Press, Staff, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Concord, Belgorod, MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Kremlin, Soviet Union

☆ Russia is caught between using its military to fight attacks within its own borders and invading Ukraine, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK MOD said it shows how Russia caught in a "dilemma" about how to use its strength. The UK Ministry of Defence said in an update on Friday that recent attacks in the Russian region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, left Russia's military with hard choices to make. The UK MOD said "partisan groups" attacked the city on Thursday, for the second time in 10 days, though it didn't name any. That shows the decision Russia's military now has about where to use its weaponry. The Liberty of Russia Legion says it cooperates with Ukraine's military, though Ukraine denied any involvement with attacks in Russia and said the group is made up entirely of dissident Russians.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, they've Organizations: MOD, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, Russia, Liberty of Russia Legion, Putin, Russian Volunteer Corps, Russia Legion Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russian, Belgorod, Russia's, Liberty, Vladivostok, Putin Russian

☆ Asia security summit kicks off amid US-China tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Joe Brock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Shangri-La Dialogue, which attracts senior military officers, diplomats, weapons makers and security analysts from around the globe, is taking place June 2-4 in Singapore. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver the keynote address on Friday evening, before U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and China's new Defence Minister Li Shangfu are expected to trade barbs in speeches over the weekend. Li, who was named China's new defence minister in March, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 over weapons purchases from Russia. The United States is Australia's biggest security ally, and Beijing has criticised a deal announced in March to buy U.S. nuclear-powered submarines. Australia’s defence chief has said that as great power competition in the region persists, his country is focused on deterring conflict and deepening engagement with partners, including Pacific island and South East Asian nations.

Persons: Dr Ng Eng Hen, Lloyd Austin, Anthony Albanese, Li Shangfu, Li, Austin . Li, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Zhu Qichao, Joe Brock, Greg Torode, Kanupriya Kapoor, Xinghui Kok, Chen Lin, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Kirsty Needham, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S . Defense, Singapore Ministry of Defence, REUTERS, Singapore . Australian, U.S, Defence, Austin, National Intelligence, China, New Zealand, Albanese Labor, ASEAN, South East, Thomson Locations: Singapore, REUTERS SINGAPORE, United States, China, Taiwan, South China, Washington, Beijing, U.S, Russia, American, ., AUSTRALIA, Australia, Britain, Canada, New, Pacific, South

☆ Russian schools are spending thousands to teach children as young as 12 how to operate drones, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian schools are teaching children how to operate drones, independent outlet iStories reported. Some of the students are as young as 12 years old, iStories said. The report comes amid a general militarization of Russian schools. The report comes amid a general militarization of Russian schools. In an intelligence update earlier this year, the British Ministry of Defence tweeted that secondary school students in Russia will be learning basic military skills from September 1 onwards.

Persons: iStories, —, Petersburg, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, British Ministry of Defence Locations: Kaliningrad, St, Russia, Soviet Union

☆ Russia deployed its feared thermobaric missile launcher on its own territory to repel an attack by insurgents, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia said it deployed at least one thermobaric missile launcher on its own territory, per the UK MOD. Russia said it was to repel attacks, as Russian rebel groups raided Belgorod. It shows Russia has a dilemma between using weapons on its own territory or in Ukraine, the MOD said. Russia has previously deployed thermobaric rocket launchers in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, who shared footage of their forces destroying one. The UK MOD said that with the equipment deployed, the "Russia military and interior forces have likely seen quicker success in containing this raid than the previous one."

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin Organizations: MOD, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, Russian, Forbes, Russia, Liberty of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia Legion, Russia Legion Locations: Russia, Belgorod, Ukraine, Russia's, Belgorod —, Liberty, Russians, Russian

☆ Russia's reaction to the drone attacks on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

He received direct information both via the Defence Ministry and via the relevant departments." He also received "information from the Mayor of Moscow, the governor of the Moscow region, the Ministry of Emergency Situations". RUSSIA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY:"This morning, the Kyiv regime launched a terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles on premises in the city of Moscow. Five more unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon complex in the Moscow region." RUSSIAN LAWMAKER ANDREI GURULYOV (UNITED RUSSIA)"I would not give in to panic about the drone attack on Moscow and the Moscow region.

Tensions have risen in the past week after ethnically Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo, a majority Kosovo Serb area, following April elections that Kosovo Serbs had boycotted. NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) said the recent developments prompted them to increase their presence in northern Kosovo on Monday morning, which they later said turned violent. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her sympathy for the Italian KFOR soldiers injured in the clashes, adding in a statement, “What is happening is absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible. But Serbia still considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory as do the Serbs living in northern Kosovo. NATO has troops stationed in Kosovo to maintain peace, with tensions often flaring between Serbia and Kosovo.

☆ Russian state media calling for unpaid 6th day of work to fund Ukraine invasion, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian state media and businesses are petitioning for a 6-day work week to fund war in Ukraine. The extra work day would likely come without additional pay, according to UK intelligence. Multiple 4-day work week trials in the UK and Spain have reported positive results for employees. The additional work day is marking a shift towards "mandating citizens to actively make sacrifices in support of the war effort." "I recommend that the elite of the Russian Federation gathers up, bitch, its youth and send them to war."

☆ Ukraine has squeezed out of the US-Patriot missile system a capability that the Pentagon did not think possible, military analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine claims it has used US-made Patriot missile systems to down Russian hypersonic missiles. The weapons are among the most advanced surface-to-air missiles sent to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have claimed they have used the weapon to shoot down several Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, which Moscow previously boasted were unstoppable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had long been requesting the US to send defensive surface-to-air missile systems, which can strike aircraft, cruise missiles, and shorter-range ballistic missiles. It is unclear how many Patriot missile systems Ukraine has, but they are among the most advanced surface-to-air missiles sent to Ukraine.

SummarySummary Companies Drones attack Druzhba pipeline infrastructure, Russian media sayDrones strike far inside RussiaOne killed in shelling near Ukraine borderRussian forces intercept British Storm Shadow missilesMOSCOW, May 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine struck oil pipeline installations deep inside Russia on Saturday with a series of drone attacks including on a station serving the Druzhba pipeline, while shelling from Ukraine killed at least two, Russian officials and media said. Ukraine has not publicly acknowledged launching attacks against targets inside Russia. The Telegram channel Baza, which has good sources among Russia's security services, said the drones attacked a station serving the Druzhba pipeline. Russia's oil pipeline operator Transneft (TRNF_p.MM) said earlier this month that a filling point on Druzhba in a Russian region bordering Ukraine had been attacked. Kyiv officials have previously said that Western-supplied weapons would be used exclusively against Russian forces inside Ukraine.

☆ Russian forces intercept two British Storm Shadow missiles, defence ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, May 27 (Reuters) - Russian forces intercepted two long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied to Ukraine by Britain, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday. The ministry also said it had intercepted shorter-range U.S.-built HIMARS-launched and HARM missiles, and shot down 12 drones in the last 24 hours. Kyiv officials have previously said that Western-supplied weapons would be used exclusively against Russian forces inside Ukraine. Drone attacks were recorded deep inside Russian territory on Saturday, hitting oil pipeline installations. Russia has tended to blame such attacks on Kyiv, although Ukraine has not publicly acknowledged launching attacks against targets inside Russia.

☆ Russia is fortifying its 600-mile front line with anti-tank ditches, mazes of trenches, 'dragon's teeth' barricades, and minefields, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Satellite images show the scale of Russia's new defenses as Ukraine preps for a counteroffensive. Russia has constructed miles of trenches, rows of concrete "dragon's teeth," and minefields. Much of the defense focuses on Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, which Ukraine wants back. Military analysts told the Financial Times that Russia's defenses won't be enough to stop Ukraine moving forward, but will likely slow down its efforts. And it has also done so along the northern border of Luhansk province in eastern Ukraine, the Financial Times said.

☆ A top Ukrainian commander fighting around Bakhmut says military experts who portray Russian soldiers as 'stupid and miserable' are wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Andriy Biletsky, of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, said Russian soldiers were not "stupid." Zelenskyy's office later made it clear that he had not meant that the city had fallen to Russian troops, the BBC reported. Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade in actionHelmet camera footage of Ukrainian fighters on the frontlines. @11Knuk123 Twitter screenshotMeanwhile, Ukraine said it had made advances on the flanks around Bakhmut, where Biletsky's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade has seen action. The British Ministry of Defence announced additional Russian troops had likely been deployed to Bakhmut to fight against Kyiv's advances.

☆ Russia's position has 'never looked weaker' after Ukraine said it downed Putin's 'unstoppable' missiles, defense expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has 'never looked weaker,' a researcher at the Oslo Nuclear Project told Sky News. This comes after Ukraine said it repelled multiple of Russia's 'undefeatable' Kinzhal missiles. Furthermore, Hoffmann believes Russia's military position will only get worse because it has used all of the equipment in its arsenal, he told Sky. Russian missiles are intercepted en masse, while Ukraine has finally started to receive its own long-range strike capabilities with the British Storm Shadow." After writing, "If I was a Russian nuclear strategist today, I would be very worried," on Twitter on Tuesday, Hoffman later addressed and outlined some of the contentions surrounding the Russian missiles and Ukraine's defense systems.

☆ Kremlin-funded university that trains Russia’s future leaders is firing all staff living outside Russia, in another sign of Putin crackdown: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's top university for public officials is firing all its employees living abroad, per a report. RANEPA is known as Russia's breeding ground for future ministers, civil servants, and governors. The move comes amid Russia's ongoing crackdown on public dissent, which has ramped up since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. RANEPA is known as one of the top destinations for Russia's public servants and administrative class, churning out future regional governors, civil servants, and ministers. The UK Ministry of Defence also commented on a likely ban on senior Russian officials quitting their posts on Thursday.

☆ India says defence production exceeds $12 billion for first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] India's "Akash" missiles, mounted on a truck, are displayed during Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, January 26, 2020. India, the world's largest arms importer in the past decade, depends on Russia for nearly half of its military supplies. The value of India's local defence production jumped to 1.07 trillion rupees in the year that ended on March 31 and was expected to rise further once data from some private defence companies came in, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. "The government is continuously working with defence industries and their associations to remove the challenges faced by them and promote defence production in the country," the ministry said. India's defence exports have risen too, jumping 24% to about 160 billion rupees last fiscal year, according to government data.

☆ Fact Check-No proof Ukraine’s defence ministry tweeted Zelenskiy was ‘naked clown’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A fake screenshot of a Ukrainian Ministry of Defence tweet that criticises Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is being shared online. However, an advanced Twitter search produced no evidence that such a tweet exists on the verified account of Ukraine’s defence ministry (bit.ly/42EgDFv). Media outlets would likely cover the country’s defence ministry posting such strong wording about a prospective president. Reuters also found no evidence of the tweet existing within archived versions of the ministry’s verified Twitter profile (here). Search engines and social media searches produce no proof that Ukraine’s ministry of defence posted the tweet on its verified Twitter account.

☆ Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two. Ukraine's gains have been accompanied by a deepening public split within Russia's forces between Wagner, which has led the Bakhmut campaign, and the regular Russian military. The Russian defence ministry has acknowledged some withdrawals from positions near Bakhmut over the past week but denies Prigozhin's assertions that flanks are crumbling, or that it has withheld ammunition from Wagner. "Using the principle of active defence, we resort to counteroffensive actions in some directions near Bakhmut. Russia has also been experiencing attacks and explosions both in Ukrainian territory it controls and in Russian territory near the border.

☆ Embarrassed by Ukraine downing its 'unstoppable' missiles, Russia is now scrambling to attack its air defenses, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This comes after Ukraine shot down Kinzhal missiles that Russia bragged were unstoppable. Russia claimed it destroyed one Patriot air defense system, but US officials said it was still operational. KILLJOY is NATO's term for Russia's advanced Kinzhal missiles, which Russia has previously described as unstoppable. Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that a Russian missile destroyed one Patriot air defense system in Kyiv. The US decided to give Ukraine the Patriot defense system last year, after Ukraine asked allies for air defense help to repel Russian attacks.

☆ Russia's military is copying the Wagner playbook of recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, with up to 10,000 signing up in April alone, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's military is recruiting fighters for Ukraine directly from prisons, UK intelligence said. The method was previously used by the pro-Kremlin Wagner Group, but it lost access earlier this year. Other investigations have also found Russia is recruiting prisoners to fight. Getting prisoners to fight in Ukraine was a tactic widely used by the Wagner Group, a private mercenary force that has sent tens of thousands of prisoners to Ukraine. It is not clear exactly how many prisoners Wagner sent to Ukraine before it lost access to prisons earlier this year.

☆ Mitsubishi Heavy expects record defence orders as Japan pours money into military
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 10 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) on Wednesday said it expects to book record defence equipment orders this business year as Japan embarks on its biggest military expansion since World War Two. His company said it expects defence orders to jump by around a half to as much as 850 billion yen ($6.29 billion) in the first year of Japan's five-year $318 billion military build up which began in April. The maker of missiles, tanks, submarines and other defence equipment is Japan's biggest defence contractor, with military work accounting for around a tenth of overall revenue. Many other military contractors in Japan, however, have been hesitant to invest in defence businesses as they often represent a much smaller share of sales. Mitsubishi Heavy, which makes products ranging from air conditioners to nuclear reactors expects overall operating profit for the business year to increase by a half to 300 billion yen.

☆ Russia's army took just 6.8 square miles of Ukrainian territory in April, less than a 0.02% increase, US think tank says, as military losses mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia increased its Ukraine territory by 0.016% in April, the Institute for the Study of War told Insider. That's just 6.76 square miles, as its troop losses continue and Ukraine readies for a counterattack. Washington DC-based think tank Institute for the Study of War told Insider that Russia held just 6.76 square miles more Ukrainian territory on April 31 than it did in April 1, according to its mapping data. Russia saw territorial gains of 0.039% in February, the think tank previously told Insider, followed by 0.28% in March, the equivalent of 115.9 square miles. Ukraine's prime minister told Sky News last week that the offensive will start at the "proper time, when it will be absolutely ready."

☆ Ukraine unit says Russian brigade flees Bakhmut outskirts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Moscow has not commented on the reports from either side that its 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut. A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men," Prigozhin said. Early on Wednesday the unit, formed from Ukraine's nationalist Azov Battalion, reposted a video of one of Azov's founders, Andriy Biletsky, who said his forces had "defeated" the Russian brigade. "In fact, the 6th and 7th squadrons of this brigade were almost entirely destroyed, brigade intelligence was destroyed, large number of fighting vehicles were destroyed, a considerable number of prisoners were taken," he said.

A British official said no final decision had been made to send missiles with these capabilities to Ukraine. Britain and other Western countries have scaled up their pledges of military aid for Ukraine this year. Britain said in January it would send 14 of its main Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, told Reuters that Kyiv had no concrete information about the UK-led effort to supply long-range missiles, but that Ukraine had for months been consistently appealing to Western governments to provide long-range weapons. "We would welcome it if the UK takes on a leadership role with the long-range missiles, in the same way they did with the Challenger 2 main battle tanks," he said.

☆ Photos show how Putin massively scaled back his Victory Day celebrations compared to the ostentatious military displays of previous years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Photos from this year compared to previous years show how much the Victory Day parade has changed:A Soviet T-34 tank during the Victory Day Red Square Parade on May 9, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. Russian tanks in Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, May 9, 2021. Armored vehicles drive past the Kremlin after a military parade on Victory Day, with an empty sky, on May 9, 2023. Russian soldiers march toward Red Square to attend a Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. A Russian service member walks across a street before a military parade on Victory Day in Moscow, Russia, on May 9 2023.

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