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CNN —Belarus would be willing to use the nuclear weapons given by close ally Russia in the face of foreign “aggression,” President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday, as tensions rise around the country’s borders with NATO nations. In June, Russian nuclear warheads were reportedly delivered to Belarus for “deterrence,” according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. We will use the entire arsenal of our weapons for deterrence.”“We didn’t bring nuclear weapons here in order to scare someone,” he added. “Yes, nuclear weapons represent a strong deterring factor. But these are tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic ones.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Belta, Lukashenko, “, ”, Wagner, Putin, ” “ Putin, ” Lukashenko, Ukraine Lukashenko, –, Viktor Yanukovych – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Latvia –, US Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, European Union Locations: Belarus, Russia, Minsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, NATO, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Latvia – Belarus, Europe, “, Polish, Crimea, Crimean

The study found more than 110 pro-Wagner accounts operating in more than a dozen languages across Meta’s platforms. Even if the accounts are not directly affiliated with the Wagner group, ISD said, the content they created still likely violates Meta’s terms. The ISD report, meanwhile, highlights how there may be additional violating content that Meta has not detected and removed. Of these pages, ISD wrote, “the most viewed post, a video with over 712,000 views, shows Wagner mercenary forces testing tank traps set up at a defensive line in Ukraine. These pages were also found to be luring Facebook users to Telegram with links to graphic content showing dead bodies.”

Persons: Russia’s Wagner, Meta, Wagner, Biden, ISD, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, —, “, Prigozhin, dehumanizing, ” Wagner, ” Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Strategic, ISD, Internet Research Agency, Washington, Meta, Meta’s Locations: London, Ukraine

☆ Darfur: Hundreds of people fleeing El Geneina were killed in a day-long massacre, body collectors and survivors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi Allegra Goodwin Nima Elbagir Celine Alkhaldi | Tamara Qiblawi | Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

A picture taken on June 16, 2023, shows bodies strewn outdoors near houses in the West Darfur capital El Geneina. A video shared on Twitter on June 14, 2023, showing hundreds of refugees from El Geneina walking towards Chad. “The fighters had DShK’s (Soviet-era heavy machine guns) and other heavy weaponry,” said Khamiss, the lawyer from El Geneina. Zahra Adam, a women’s rights activist from El Geneina, told CNN she had saved two young boys from drowning. When asked whether the ICRC had alerted third parties to evidence of a mass atrocity in El Geneina, Synenko said they had not.

Persons: El Geneina, ”, “, Masalit, Jamal Khamiss, Khamiss, ” Jamal Khamiss Khamiss, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo —, Gen, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Wagner, Zohra Bensemra, Dr, Papi Maloba, Maloba, Mohammad Ghannam, RSF, West, Khamis Abbakar, ” Khamiss, Zahra Adam, Adam, General Abdelrahman Juma —, General Abdelrahman Juma, YouTube Juma, Mujeeb Rahman Muhammad Rezk, Alyona Synenko, Synenko, Chad The, ” Zahwi Idriss, Zahwi Idriss Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, West Darfur, Getty, Sudanese, International Organization for Migration, Twitter, Hemedti, United Nations, Reuters, Sans, MSF, Chadian, El, Teaching, Crescent, YouTube, Support Forces, Sudanese Red Crescent Society, SRC, International Committee, ICRC, Darfur, UN, Geneina Teaching Locations: West Darfur, El, West, El Geneina, AFP, Chad, Sudan, “, Geneina, Darfur, Chadian, Shukri, Khartoum, Adre, Ardmata, Wadi Kaja, RSF, tarpaulins, Africa, ”

☆ Wagner, infamous for brutality in Ukraine and a failed mutiny in Russia, is registered as an 'educational organization' in its new home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Wagner Group has reportedly registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus. The embattled organization has been training soldiers in the Belarusian military for several weeks. Now, the mercenary group is registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus — its new home — as it trains the country's military. Information published by Belarus' Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs shows that Wagner registered as a company earlier this month, with the sole purpose of educational activities, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing earlier this month, adding that "when it comes to Wagner Group, I think we all keep a close eye all of the time."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Agnė Bilotaitė Organizations: Wagner, Service, Belarus ' Unified State, Entrepreneurs, Wagner Group, Russian, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Officials, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, Belarus — Locations: Belarus, Belarusian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Asipovichy, Russian, Brest, Africa, Officials Poland, Lithuania, Warsaw, Minsk, Poland

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon poses for a photograph in front of a building in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Raphael Satter/File PhotoLaw Firms Dechert LLP FollowWASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Former Wall Street Journal reporter Jay Solomon has ended his lawsuit against Dechert LLP and two of its former partners, saying in a filing made public late on Monday that he was voluntarily dismissing his claims against the law firm. Dechert and its lawyers didn't return messages. Representatives for the other defendants in the suit, which is still active, didn't return messages. Dechert still faces other claims connected to the hiring of Indian hackers to win cases, including a lawsuit filed in New York last year by Solomon's former source, the aviation tycoon Farhad Azima.

Persons: Jay Solomon, Raphael Satter, Dechert, Solomon, Neil Gerrard, Farhad Azima, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Wall Street, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Thomson Locations: Bethesda , Maryland, U.S, Philadelphia, India, Dechert, New York

☆ Poland to hold biggest military parade in decades, as its clout in Europe grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Kacper Pempel/ReutersPolish military vehicles are seen during a Saturday rehearsal for this week's parade in Warsaw. “Nobody is going to say that military security is not an important issue and that we shouldn’t be strengthening the military. With the UK out of the European Union and Germany still hesitant to take on a leadership role on Ukraine, Poland has sensed its opportunity. In November, two people were killed in eastern Poland, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ukrainian border, by a Ukrainian missile defending against incoming Russian fire. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked the group to help train his country’s military, and earlier this month the two forces held joint training exercises near the Polish border.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Kacper Pempel, Pawel Supernak, ” Edward Arnold, Arnold, Aleks, ”, Jamie Shea, Putin, ” Arnold, ” Shea, Abrams, “, Dominika, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Mariusz Blaszczak, Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, NATO, Poland’s Defense Ministry, Polish, Russia’s, Abrams, University of Sussex, University of Exeter, Chatham House, Eastern Europe …, European Union, Ukraine, United Nations, “, Polish Army, Getty, Kremlin . Locations: Poland, Belarus, Korean, Crimea, Ukraine, Russian, Kaliningrad, Warsaw, Russia, Polish, Soviet, North Korea, Iran, Communist Poland, England, East, Afghanistan, Central, Eastern Europe, Germany, France, Washington, Ukraine Poland, South Korea, Italy, Polanka Wielka, Ukrainian, Minsk

Putin emphasized that an “exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means,” was important in resolving the ongoing situation, the statement said. Putin also mentioned the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region while speaking in a pre-recorded message at Tuesday’s Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS). Mali’s interim president Goita also reiterated Putin’s call for “a peaceful resolution” in Niger. “He (Putin) stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel,” Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Mali hosted a large delegation of officials from the Niger junta in early August, signaling a potential partnership between the Niger junta and Wagner mercenary group.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Assimi, Republic of Mali Assimi, ”, Putin, Mohamed Bazoum’s, ” Putin, Goita, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, West, Tuesday’s Moscow Conference, International Security, Central African, Twitter, UN, African, Niger Locations: Niger, West, “, Malian, Republic of Mali, Sahara, Russian, Russia, Africa, St Petersburg, Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Libyan, African Union, Burkina Faso

☆ Poland detains two Russians for distributing Wagner Group propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Two Russians accused of disseminating propaganda on behalf of the Wagner mercenary group in two Polish cities have been arrested and charged with espionage, Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Monday. They fly-posted around 300 leaflets in Krakow and Warsaw, which were among around 3,000 pro-Wagner items of propaganda in their possession, the press office of the minister responsible for coordinating special services said in a statement. "Both were charged with espionage, among other things," Kaminski wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Mercenaries of the Wagner Group have served as shock troops in Ukraine and are expanding their presence in West Africa. ($1 = 101.3925 roubles)Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Toby Chopra and John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Mariusz Kaminski, Kaminski, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Pawel Florkiewicz, Toby Chopra, John Stonestreet Organizations: WARSAW, Wagner Group, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Krakow, Warsaw, Ukraine, West Africa, Russian, Belarus, Poland

☆ UK defence ministry: Kremlin may no longer fund Wagner Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A staff removes a logo on a window of the "PMC Wagner Centre", associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 1, 2023. REUTERS/Anton VaganovAug 13 (Reuters) - Britain's defence ministry said on Sunday there was a realistic possibility that Russia no longer funds the activities of the mercenary Wagner Group. loadingThe defence ministry said in a daily bulletin the Russian state has acted against some other business interests of Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin after he led a failed mutiny against the Russian army's top brass in June. "If the Russian state no longer pays Wagner, the second most plausible paymasters are the Belarusian authorities," it said, adding that this would be a drain on Belarus' resources. The ministry said the Wagner Group was moving towards downsizing and reconfiguring to save on staff salary expenses at a time of financial pressure.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gokul, William Mallard Organizations: PMC, Wagner, REUTERS, Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Russian, Belarusian, Belarus, Bengaluru

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin: Where in the world is the Wagner warlord?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It was a stark contrast to the fate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner. Back in June, Prigozhin led the abortive mutiny that presented the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in over two decades of rule. Speaking after Wagner fighters relocated to Belarus, Prigozhin suggested he remained focused on this core African market. In a recent Telegram message, Prigozhin hinted that Wagner might be ready to offer its services there. “And this is the (the reason for the) love for PMC Wagner, this is the high efficiency of PMC Wagner.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Prigozhin hasn’t, –, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Andrei Kelin, Kelin, “, ” Kelin, Vladimir, Kara, Murza, … Prigozhin, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Candace Rondeaux, Rondeaux, it’s, ” Rondeaux, Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, ” Prigozhin, Sudan –, PMC Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Tatiana Stanovaya Organizations: CNN, Central African Republic, Kremlin, Amanpour, Putin’s, NATO, Polish, Wagner Group, PMC Wagner, PMC, Russian Foreign Ministry, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Putin Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Africa, St . Petersburg, Orchestra_W, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, America, Prigozhin, Putin’s Russia, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Sudan, Libya, Niger, Putin Russia

☆ Opinion: Russia capitalizes on Niger coup while US stands idly by
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Two weeks ago, a military junta suddenly deposed Niger’s pro-American, democratically elected president. Already at least one leader of the Niger junta has met with Wagner representatives in neighboring Mali, where Wagner has developed a firm presence. Given the stakes, the initial responses by those who support Niger’s ousted president have been ill-considered and anemic. But the Wagner-supported ruling juntas in two of Niger’s neighbors immediately pledged to join with Niger’s military in fending off any such invasion, calling it a “declaration of war” against them. All have been grounded since Niger’s junta declared the entire country a no-fly zone.

Persons: David A, Niger’s, David Andelman, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, ECOWAS’s, didn’t, Bazoum, Germany —, Putin, Antony Blinken’s, Victoria Nuland Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, American, David Andelman CNN, Central African, West African States, ECOWAS, Wall Street, US, African Union, NATO, Russian, Wagner Group, Faustin, Twitter, Niger’s Locations: United States, Africa, Russia, Niger, Mali, Central African Republic, Sudan, Burkina Faso, African, Niamey, Sahel, South Asia, Afghanistan, East, North Africa, France, Italy, Germany

☆ Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner Group leader, will be killed by Putin or lead another coup within 6 months, journalist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An investigative journalist predicted that the Wagner Group boss would either be killed or lead another coup. After an aborted mutiny, Yevgeny Prigozhin and many Wagner troops agreed to move to Belarus. A think tank said that Wagner troops were planning to return to Russia, suggesting the deal was collapsing. In six months, Prigozhin will either be dead, or there will be a second coup. The think tank said that Putin has "failed to decisively resolve" issues brought up by Prigozhin and Wagner following the rebellion.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Christo Grozev, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Vladimir, Putin, Grozev, Alexander Lukashenko, ISW, Lukashenko Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Financial Times, Bellingcat, for Locations: Belarus, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ Russia’s Moves to Shore Up Ruble Reflect War’s Toll on Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The Russian currency fell nearly 25 percent since the beginning of the year. “The ruble exchange rate is only an indicator,” said Alexandra Prokopenko, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and a former Russian central bank official. The ruble plummeted to as low as 135 per dollar and the central bank took a series of dramatic measures, including capital controls, to stave off a full-blown meltdown. The most immediate concern for Russian financial policymakers is the possibility of significant inflation. The country’s central bank reacted to that risk late last month with a higher-than-expected rise in interest rates, to 8.5 percent.

Persons: ”, Alexandra Prokopenko, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V Organizations: Bank of Russia, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Soviet Union

"Our drone base in Niger is extremely important in countering terrorism in the region," one of the U.S. officials said. FOREIGN ASSISTANCEThe Biden administration has not formally labeled the military takeover in Niger a coup, a designation that would limit what security assistance Washington can provide the country. The U.S. drone base has grown in importance due to a lack of Western security partners in the region. The drone base, known as airbase 201, was built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the coup in Niger and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's Wagner, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nusrat al, Cameron Hudson, Hudson, Terence McCulley, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Idrees Ali, Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Nigerien, Islamic State, Al, West African, Center for Strategic, International Studies, United States Institute of Peace, Wagner Group, ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, United States, Sahel, Al Qaeda, France, Africa, insurgencies, Russia, China, Washington, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, Agadez, State, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Niger's, Nigerien

CNN —Poland is planning to move around 10,000 troops to its eastern border with Belarus amid mounting concerns over Wagner forces in the region. Wagner troops have been stationed within Belarus – a close ally of Russia – in the wake of a short-lived rebellion carried out by the group. The Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, told public radio that while 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, 4,000 will directly support the border guard and the remaining 6,000 will be in reserve. Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty ImagesThe border wall at the Polish Belarusian border on July 09, 2023. Poland has been sounding the alarm about Wagner forces in Belarus in recent weeks.

Persons: Wagner, Russia –, Mariusz Blaszczak, Blaszczak, ” Blaszczak, ”, Geoffroy van der, Omar Marques, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Mateusz Morawiecki Organizations: CNN, Belarus –, Polish Defense, Polish, European Air Defence Conference, Les Invalides, Getty, Russian, Defense Ministry, NATO, EU Locations: Poland, Belarus, Russia, Belarusian, Paris, Geoffroy van der Hasselt, AFP, Polish Belarusian, Lithuania, Russian

☆ Ukraine says it busted an all-female spy ring who fed crucial military intelligence to Russia and the Wagner Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine says it's uncovered an all-female spy ring that passed military information to Russia. Ukraine's intelligence service said they were feeding Russia info on troop and vehicle movements. The group, based in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, passed information on to both the FSB — Russia's main spy agency — and the pro-Russian mercenary Wagner Group, according to the announcement. The purported plan was foiled due to the SBU gaining advanced knowledge and putting on extra security measures, the agency said. It is unclear if the woman arrested was part of this alleged spy ring.

Persons: it's, —, Wagner, unmasking, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Counterintelligence, Ukraine's Security Service, Wagner Group Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's Donetsk, Ukrainian, Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Russian, Mykolaiv

Ukraine’s National Resistance Center — an official body — claimed Tuesday that the construction of another camp to host Wagner Group fighters has begun in the Zyabrovka Air Base in Belarus. “On the border with Ukraine, in the village of Zyabrovka in the Republic of Belarus, a new camp for 'Wagner' PMC mercenaries is being built,” the center said on its website. Zyabrovka is located near Gomel in southeastern Belarus, about 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine's Chernihiv region. The camp can house around 1,000 personnel, the center said, and it looks like a tent city. Moscow used Belarusian territory to facilitate its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, strengthening ties between President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko.

Persons: —, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, ” Organizations: Resistance Center, Wagner Group, Zyabrovka, Base, PMC, “, CNN, Ukraine, NATO Locations: Belarus, “, Ukraine, Zyabrovka, Republic of Belarus, Chernihiv, Gomel, Ukraine's Chernihiv, Russia, Moscow, Poland, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian

☆ The wartime economy is making Russians hoard cold hard cash more than ever — the money in circulation reached a record $187 billion in June
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In June, the amount of cash in circulation in Russia hit a record $187 billion, per its central bank. Russians are hoarding cold, hard cash amid economic uncertainty, an economist told Novaya Gazeta. Compensation to families of dead fighters and increased demand in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions also add to the cash in circulation. In June, the amount of cash in circulation in Russia hit a record 17.9 trillion rubles, or $187 billion, data from the Russian central bank shows. To tame inflation, the Russian central bank its central bank raised interest rates by one percentage point on July 21 — double the 0.5 percentage point analysts polled by Reuters had expected.

Persons: Igor Lipsits, there's, Alexey Zabotkin, Wagner, Nikolay Korzhenevsky Organizations: Novaya Gazeta, Service, HSE University, RBC, Wagner Group, Bloomberg, Reuters Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine, —, Kazakhstan, Russia's

[1/2] A sign indicates the direction to the offices of Progress Software in Burlington, Massachusetts, U.S., July 26, 2023. But more than two months after the breach was first disclosed by Massachusetts-based Progress Software, the parade of victims has scarcely slowed. The tallies show that nearly 40 million people have been affected so far by the hack of Progress' MOVEit Transfer file management program. Now the digital extortionists involved, a group named "cl0p", have become increasingly aggressive about thrusting their data into the public domain. MOVEit is used by organizations to ship large amounts of often sensitive data: pension information, social security numbers, medical records, billing data and the like.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Marc Bleicher, cl0p, Huntress Security's John Hammond, Christopher Budd, Sophos, Eric Goldstein, Nathan Little, Emsisoft, Bert Kondruss, Rowe Price, Maximus, Alexander Urbelis, Crowell, Goldstein, didn't, Surefire's, Raphael Satter, Zeba Siddiqui, Chris Sanders, Grant McCool Organizations: Progress Software, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Reuters, Software, Insurance, of America, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, Tetra Defense, WHO, Pension, California Public Employees, Moring, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Burlington , Massachusetts, U.S, WASHINGTON, American, Massachusetts, York, New York, Louisiana, California, New York City, Oregon

And his fellow veterans of the Ukraine conflict are bound to play a role in the fight for their own country. With nearly all the opposition now in jail or exile, that is no small feat. Six weeks ago, there was a brief jolt of hope for the Belarus opposition, when Russia's Wagner mercenary group launched a mutiny inside Russia. But within hours, Lukashenko himself helped bring an end to the Russian mutiny, negotiating for Wagner fighters to move to Belarus. Exactly what role the Wagner fighters will play in Belarus is anyone's guess, but for the opposition, nothing good can come of it, said Kedyshko.

Persons: Pavel Maryeuski, Alexander Lukashenko's, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's, Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko, Stanislava Glinnik, Belarus's, Pavel Kuhta, Tsikhanouskaya's, Sergey Kedyshko, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Weeks, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Mike Collett, White, Peter Graff Organizations: WARSAW, Reuters, Coordination, United Operational, Lukashenko's Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Minsk, Soviet, Karma, Warsaw, Belarusian, Moscow

☆ Russia's 200,000-strong national guard is getting armed with heavy weaponry, in a sign of its growing importance to Putin, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is granting its 200,000-strong national guard force heavy weaponry, the UK MOD said. This shows how the Kremlin sees the force as key to ensuring "regime security," per the MOD. While its leader bragged of its response to the Wagner mutiny, there's no sign it did much, the MOD said. Reports have suggested that Putin has become increasingly isolated and paranoid since he launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Reports of a paranoid Putin have only intensified since the Wagner Group's mini-mutiny, which could lead to a bigger role for the national guard.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Rosgvardia, Viktor Zolotov Organizations: MOD, Kremlin, Service, UK Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

Niamey, Niger CNN —Niger’s armed forces have been bringing in reinforcements to the capital to prepare for a potential invasion, a military source told CNN, just hours after the military junta running the country refused to abide by an influential regional bloc’s deadline to cede power. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responded days later by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention. A junta leader said Sunday that Niger’s armed forces would be closing the country’s airspace due to the threat of military intervention. Wagner forces have been contracted to help local defense forces against rebellions and insurgencies, and suppress opposition. Both countries are sending delegations to Niger’s capital Niamey, “in solidarity with the people of Niger,” according to the Malian Armed Forces.

Persons: Niger CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, Bazoum, insurgencies, Wagner, “, ”, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Niger CNN, CNN, West African States, National Council for, French Foreign Ministry, Nigerien, Malian Armed Forces, Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Niamey, Niger, France, United States, Russia, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, “, ”, Burkina

☆ Ukraine says Russia planning 'false flag' attack at Belarus refinery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Joint stock company "Mozyr oil refinery" is seen near the town of Mozyr, Belarus January 4, 2020. REUTERS/Vasily FedosenkoKYIV, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Security Service of Ukraine accused Russia on Friday of preparing to stage a "false flag" attack at the Mozyr oil refinery in Belarus in order to blame Ukrainian saboteurs as part of an effort to draw Minsk into the war in Ukraine. Fighters from Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, launched a mutiny against the Russian defence establishment in June and some of its fighters have since moved to Belarus under a deal. There was no immediate comment on the Ukrainian statement from Russia or Belarus. Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Olena Harmash; Editing by Toby Chopra and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vasily Fedosenko KYIV, Wagner, Tom Balmforth, Toby Chopra, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Security Service, Russia, Minsk, Thomson Locations: Mozyr, Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Kyiv

“I write this as a hostage,” Bazoum wrote in the Washington Post. Bazoum also cautioned that foreign aid makes up 40% of the national budget – and it would not be delivered if the coup succeeds. ‘Determined, optimistic’CNN has not been able to independently confirm the conditions under which Bazoum is being detained in his residence. Bazoum also warned of growing Russian influence in the Sahel region. “With an open invitation from the coup plotters and their regional allies, the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group,” Bazoum wrote.

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ” Bazoum, ”, –, Bazoum, “, ‘, Idrissa Waziri, he’s, ” Waziri, Waziri, Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiani, he’d, Wagner, Russia’s Wagner, Salifou Mody, Joe Biden, Patrick Ryder, evacuates Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Burkina, junta, Nigerien, Wagner, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Washington, Niamey, United States, West, “ Niger, Niger, Europe, France, Mali, Burkina Faso, Sahel

☆ Russian defence minister Shoigu visits troops in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspects a Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle, that was abandoned by Ukrainian soldiers after being hit by a hand-held anti-tank grenade, at the frontline headquarters of the "Centre" army group involved in Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unknown... Read moreAug 4 (Reuters) - Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has visited the frontline headquarters of the "Centre" army group involved in the Ukrainian conflict, Russian news agencies cited the defence ministry as saying on Friday. Shoigu was briefed by a group commander and thanked officers and troops for "conducting successful operations" near Lyman, Interfax reported. The report was in line with Russian efforts to play down the effectiveness of weapons and equipment that NATO members and other Western countries have supplied to Ukraine. Shoigu's trip came days after a visit to the front line by General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff and overall commander of Russia's war effort in Ukraine. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Read, Shoigu, General Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Robert Birsel Organizations: Russian Defence, NATO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Swedish, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Lyman, Shoigu's

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