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Is Russian President Vladimir Putin stepping back from the nuclear ledge? Concerns over Russia’s possible use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine had lessened recently, the sources said. Putin himself has given mixed signals over the question of Russia’s threshold for nuclear use. Russian President Vladimir Putin. “While Putin is unlikely to use nuclear weapons, that is because he is deterred by the fear of escalation, including nuclear escalation.

☆ Russia agrees to rejoin Ukraine grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Russia’s defense minister has told his Turkish counterpart that Moscow has agreed to return to a Turkish and U.N. brokered deal that allowed the shipment of millions of tons Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, Turkey’s president says. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar that the deal for a humanitarian grain corridor would “continue in the same way as before” as of noon Wednesday. The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that ship traffic from ports in southern Ukraine was halted, calling the movement “unacceptable." Ships loaded with grain departed Ukraine on Tuesday despite Russia suspending its participation in the U.N.-brokered deal, which aimed to ensure safe passage of critical food supplies meant for parts of the world struggling with hunger. The United Nations and Turkey brokered separate deals with Russia and Ukraine in July to ensure Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia would receive grain and other food from the Black Sea region during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

☆ Russia says it will suspend UN-brokered Ukraine export deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Ukraine — The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that Moscow has moved to suspend its implementation of a U.N.-brokered grain export deal which has seen more than 9 million tons of grain exported from Ukraine and brought down global food prices. Ukraine has denied the attack. The Russian declaration came one day after U.N. chief Antonio Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the deal. Guterres also urged other countries, mainly in the West, to expedite the removal of obstacles blocking Russian grain and fertilizer exports. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said before Moscow discusses a renewal “Russia needs to see the export of its grain and fertilizers in the world market, which has never happened since the beginning of the deal.”This is a developing story.

☆ Russia isn't backing off its 'dirty bomb' talk, with even Putin himself now peddling baseless claims Ukraine is going to set one off
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Putin himself baselessly accused Ukraine of preparing to detonate a dirty bomb. Putin joined Kremlin leadership in accusing Ukraine of preparing to detonate a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory, a claim Ukraine and the West have called "absurd." "There are also plans to use the so-called dirty bomb for provocations," Putin said during the conference, according to a Kremlin translation of the meeting. A dirty bomb is a radiological dispersal device that uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material. Putin's remarks appear to be his first related to the dirty bomb claims, which other Russian officials have made — without citing any evidence — in recent days.

☆ Ukraine alleges Russian operatives are doing 'secret' work at a captured nuclear power plant and could make a dirty bomb
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine alleged Russian forces are doing "secret" work at a captured nuclear power plant. The country's state nuclear operator said the unauthorized activity could yield a dirty bomb. Energoatom, Ukraine's state energy operator, alleged Russian operatives have been carrying out "unauthorized construction works" over the last few days at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant's Dry Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility, where spent nuclear fuel is kept. "Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a 'dirty bomb' are as absurd as they are dangerous. "Russia's statements about the creation of a [dirty nuclear bomb] may indicate that [Russia] is preparing an act of nuclear terrorism," Energoatom said.

☆ Russian billionaire behind mercenary army in Ukraine confronted Putin about botching the war, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian tycoon Yevgeniy Prigozhin met with Putin in private this month, The Washington Post said. It said Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, criticized the handling of the Ukraine war. In a statement to The Post, Prigozhin denied that he spoke to Putin and said he has no right to criticize Russia's army. "I did not criticize the management of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the conflict in Ukraine. Prighozin is not the only Putin loyalist to voice criticism of the Russian military amid the ongoing conflict.

☆ Pentagon chief tells Russia's Shoigu he rejects any Russian pretext for escalation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a phone call on Sunday that he "rejected any pretext for Russian escalation" in Ukraine, the Pentagon said. Shoigu told his French, Turkish and British counterparts of Moscow's concern that Ukraine could detonate a "dirty bomb," according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia sent people to Iran to learn how to use the suicide drones it's now using to terrorize Ukrainian cities far from the front, US says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian officials previously traveled to Iran to learn how to use suicide drones, the US said this week. This was before Iranian military personnel came to Crimea to train Russian troops, an official said. Russian forces have used Iranian-made suicide drones to terrorize Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. "We assess that Iranian personnel, Iranian military personnel, were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations." Both Moscow and Tehran have denied the use of Iranian-made suicide drones in Ukraine, despite mounting evidence and accusations from Western governments and intelligence agencies.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine faced widespread power outages Thursday as the country’s energy system struggled to cope with the damage from a wave of Russian attacks. Ukraine’s energy minister, Herman Halushchenko, said Thursday the government was seeking a 20% reduction in energy use and that Ukrainians had responded to the appeal to ease pressure on the country’s grid. She also has a sleeping bag designed for below freezing temperatures, a thermal blanket and even skiing clothes in case temperatures continue dropping and the strikes on energy targets continue. Current restrictions are worth it.”For months, the Kremlin said it was only after military targets — not civilian or critical infrastructure in Ukraine. The British Defense Ministry also said in an assessment this week that causing widespread damage to Ukraine’s energy network is likely the “key objective” of the Kremlin’s strike campaign.

☆ Russian fighter jet 'released a missile' near unarmed British surveillance plane, U.K. defense secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Henry Austin | Henry Austin Is A London-Based Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — A Russian fighter jet “released a missile” in the vicinity of an unarmed British surveillance plane, the U.K.’s defense minister said Thursday. He added that Russia’s Ministry of Defense had replied “that they had conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and stated it was a technical malfunction of the SU-27 fighter.”NBC News has reached out the Russian defense ministry for comment. Wallace also urged Iran to “desist” from supplying Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles dubbed “kamikaze” drones, which Moscow has been using to attack Ukraine. Iran has denied supplying Russia with drones. Both Washington and Kyiv have accused Tehran of supplying the drones to Moscow to be used in Ukraine, accusations Iran has denied.

☆ Russia and Ukraine just completed one of the war's biggest prisoner swaps, with Russia freeing 108 Ukrainian women in exchange for 110 Russians
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian officials said it was the biggest all-female prisoner exchange between both nations. "We managed to return 108 Ukrainian women: officers, sergeants, privates, army, navy, territorial defense, national guards, border guards," he said. Ukrainian women pose for a photo after re-uniting with their relatives as part of all-female prisoner swap with Russia on October 17, 2022 in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed two Ukrainian women marked for the swap voluntarily declined to return to Ukraine before the exchange. Ukrainian women reunite with relatives during all-female prisoner swap deal with Russia since the war began in Ukraine on October 17, 2022.

☆ 2 Russian soldiers turned their guns on fellow recruits, killing 11 and injuring 15 at a training base, say reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian authorities said that 11 people were killed and 15 injured in a shooting at a military training site. The incident took place during a firearms training class for volunteer soldiers. News reports state that 11 people were killed and 15 injured during a firearms training class involving volunteer soldiers. Governor of Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said, "A terrible event happened on our territory, on the territory of one of the military units. The training camp incident came as the Russian president indicated the mobilization of 300,000 soldiers was a success on Friday.

☆ Two volunteer soldiers fire on troops at Russian military firing range , killing 11 and wounding 15 others
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW — Two volunteer soldiers on Saturday fired at other troops at a Russian military firing range near Ukraine, killing 11 and wounding 15 others, before getting killed, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The ministry said in a statement that the shooting took place in the Belgorod region in southwestern Russia that borders Ukraine. It said that the two volunteers from an unnamed ex-Soviet nation fired on other soldiers during target practice and were killed by return fire. Putin said on Friday that over 220,000 reservists already had been called up as part of an effort to recruit 300,000. Authorities have acknowledged that the mobilization was often poorly organized and promised to improve the situation.

☆ A shooting at a Russian military firing range killed 11 troops and wounded 15
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that 11 troops were killed at a military firing range. The ministry called Saturday's incident a terrorist attack, and said the two perpetrators were killed by return fire. Russia said the two men were from an unnamed former Soviet republic, and fired upon soldiers during target practice. The ministry called the incident a terrorist attack. Russian media reports said some of those who were mobilized were sent to combat without receiving proper training and were quickly killed.

☆ Ukraine says Russia hits power site near Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"Putin knew he would not be able to sustain high-intensity missiles strikes for a long time due to a dwindling arsenal of high-precision missiles," the think tank said. Vorontsov explained the move by citing Moscow's concern about the possibility of the deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons in Poland near the borders of Belarus and Russia. He emphasized that in compliance with the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Russia had no intention for now of fitting nuclear warheads to Belarusian weapons systems or transferring nuclear warheads to the territory of Belarus. He said the shelling of the city of Nikopol, which is located across the Dnieper from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, damaged a dozen residential buildings, several stores and a transportation facility. "Working in very challenging conditions, operating staff at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are doing everything they can to bolster its fragile offsite power situation," Grossi said.

☆ Upcoming Russian nuclear exercises a challenge for the West
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Phil Stewart | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Russia typically holds major annual nuclear exercises around this time of year, and U.S. and Western officials expect them perhaps in just days. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg assured a news conference in Brussels that the alliance would monitor Russia's annual nuclear drills very closely, as it has for decades. "We believe that Russian nuclear rhetoric and its decision to proceed with this exercise while at war with Ukraine is irresponsible," the official told Reuters. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. "While we will continue routine activities to sustain our (nuclear) deterrent, there will be no special messaging around our exercises," the U.S. defense official said.

☆ Is this a drill? Upcoming Russian nuclear exercises a challenge for the West
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Phil Stewart | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ Russian envoy to U.S. says he visited convicted arms dealer Bout in prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks during a news briefing on the situation in Syria, at the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, October 7, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim ZmeyevOct 13 (Reuters) - Russia's ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said early on Thursday he had visited Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States and linked to a possible swap for two U.S. citizens imprisoned by Moscow. On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said the United States had consular access to Griner since early August. He said that he even began to forget some Russian words a bit, because there is no one to talk to," RIA cited Antonov as saying. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India’s words are anti-war, but New Delhi’s actions are propping up Putin’s regime
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-03 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New Delhi has repeatedly abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations – providing Moscow with a veneer of international legitimacy. And in August, India participated in Russia’s large-scale Vostok military exercises alongside China, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan – where Moscow paraded its vast arsenal. “There’s a feeling that Putin is pushing India’s limits because in some ways, it’s put itself out on a limb. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesSuperficially at least, India and China also appear to have similar positions on the Ukraine war. But despite India’s increasing closeness with the West, it is prioritizing the dangers in its own backyard, analysts say.

Putin knew a war would be unpopular and had kept all of his previous military interventions limited before the current invasion of Ukraine. Right now, the Russian military is in no condition to fight NATO, and it is unclear to what extent the partial mobilization will solve Russia’s military problems. Moreover, the finger on the nuclear button is still that of Vladimir Putin rather than Patrushev or other hardliners. At the same time, the Ukrainians, the most likely victims of any tactical Russian nuclear strike, remain committed to fighting despite the risk. The fight is not only about Ukraine alone: For Putin and the hardliners alike, it’s about the West.

Friday was the first day of a five-day period of voting in regions after their Russian-installed officials rushed to announce the referendums to join Russia earlier this week. The questions on the ballots will ask voters if their regions should join Russia, the news agency said. If the regions vote to join Russia, Moscow is likely to claim them as part of its territory. With few details laid out in the order, men of fighting age were left with more questions than answers about who exactly could be recruited to serve in Ukraine. Putin’s order seeks to recruit some 300,000 additional troops.

☆ Putin pushed off meetings with top military officials as the Kremlin tries to deflect blame for Russia's disastrous retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin put off meetings with his top military officials as Russia suffers defeats in Ukraine. The Kremlin has been working to deflect blame for Putin's recent defeats in Moscow's war with Ukraine, a US think tank said. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have recaptured large swaths of territory from Russian control. The move to put off the meetings came as Ukrainian forces reclaimed territory from Russian occupation in a stunning counteroffensive in the nearly seven-month-long war. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have recaptured large swaths of territory from Russian control in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine's second-largest city.

☆ Putin's insistence that the war is going great is shooting Russia in the foot as it desperately tries to find new soldiers, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia is suffering from a lack of soldiers as Ukraine racks up a series of victories in the war. Reports from the front lines indicated that Russian troops fled as the country's military buckled under Ukraine's powerful performance. The strategy worked well enough at the start of the war, Miles said. To conscript soldiers, Russia would have to formally declare a state of war — an escalation that would highlight and confirm Russia's troubled performance in the conflict. "Continuing to refuse to mobilize is denying the Russian military the resource it needs most, which is personnel," Miles said.

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