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☆ Video captures the disarming of Wagner in the aftermath of its mutiny, showing the Russian military now has its T-90 tanks and other heavy weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's defense ministry said it has disarmed the Wagner Group, which launched a failed mutiny a few weeks ago. A video shared by Moscow shows a vast collection of weapons, tanks, artillery pieces, and more. Russia's defense ministry published a video to Telegram on Wednesday that shows a massive collection of military equipment Moscow claims to have received from Wagner Group units. Wheeled vehicles arrive on their own," Russia's defense ministry said. A Pentagon spokesperson told reporters in late June that the US had, at the time, observed "elements" of the Wagner Group in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

Persons: Wagner, Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Alexander Lukashenko, —, Vladimir Putin, Don, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Russian Armed Forces, Southern Military District, REUTERS, Kremlin, Belarusian, Don REUTERS, Pentagon, NATO, Wagner Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Belarus, Minsk, Russian

☆ Panicked Russians withdrew 100 billion rubles from banks during the Wagner revolt, central bank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russians withdrew over $1 billion worth of rubles from domestic banks during the Wagner revolt, its country's central bank said. Whereas 500 billion rubles moved out of banks throughout June, a fifth of that was pulled from June 23-25. Though the act ended after a day, the political uncertainty it set off prompted fearful Russians to withdraw $1.1 billion worth of rubles. According to the Russian central bank, that's the highest cash demanded since late 2022, when Russia introduced a military mobilization decree. Speaking on Thursday at a St. Petersburg conference, Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina indicated no plans to step in and support the ruble's exchange rate.

Persons: Wagner, That's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Elvira Nabiullina Organizations: Service, Bank of Russia Locations: Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Russia, St, Petersburg

But he said that for most of the call, lasting about an hour, "we considered and discussed what to do with Ukraine". Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022, says other countries should not negotiate its future on its behalf, and the United States has repeatedly backed this principle, described as "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine". TALKS 'SOONER OR LATER'Naryshkin told TASS that negotiations on the war would become possible at some point. Podolyak said Russia was losing the war and there could be no negotiations with people like Naryshkin. "This Russian elite perceives events completely inadequately, so there is nothing to talk about with them."

Persons: Wagner, Naryshkin, Sergei Naryshkin, William Burns, Burns, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mykhailo Podolyak, Podolyak, Anna Dabrowska, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: CIA, TASS, The New York Times, Wall Street, Moscow, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, United States, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Washington

☆ Turkey eyes recalibration with the West as Russia’s isolation grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Zeena Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

His delicate balancing act has given Turkey a unique position of being the only NATO nation whose ear Russia has. “By backing Sweden’s NATO bid…Ankara is signaling a recalibration in ties with the West, which have been strained for a while now,” said Memet Celik, editorial coordinator for the pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper. “In a larger sense, Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine reminded the West of the importance of geography, hard military power, and alliance commitments – and thus the value of Turkey,” he said. Turkey, however, is likely to continue to be relevant to both Russia and the West. “Due to proximity, power, and relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, Turkey will be a key player in conflict resolution and whatever peace deal ultimately emerges,” said Outzen.

Persons: CNN —, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, ”, Memet Celik, Joe Biden, Washington, Biden, Tuesday’s, ” Erdogan, Rich Outzen, –, “, ” Viktor Bondarev, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia’s ‘, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Putin’s, Outzen, Russia’s “, Ukraine ”, Sinan Ulgen, Erdogan’s, Russia aren’t Organizations: CNN, Nordic, European Union, NATO, …, Daily, West, White House, Atlantic Council, Ukraine, “, Ankara, Russia’s Federation, Committee, Defense, Security, Putin, Kyiv Locations: NATO, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, Turkish, … Ankara, Daily Sabah, Vilnius, Lithuania, Ankara, “, “ Ankara, Istanbul, “ Turkey, Celik

☆ Top Russian general not seen since mutiny is 'resting', lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 12 (Reuters) - General Sergei Surovikin, a deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine who has not been seen in public since last month's armed mutiny by mercenary fighters, is "resting", a lawmaker from the ruling party said on Wednesday. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defence Committee, is heard saying in a video posted on social media: "Surovikin is currently resting. Surovikin, dubbed "General Armageddon" by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syria conflict, was last seen publicly when he issued a video appeal urging a halt to the June 23-24 mutiny by fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group while it was still underway. A New York Times report based on a U.S. intelligence briefing said last month that Surovikin had advance knowledge of the mutiny and that Russian authorities were checking whether he was complicit. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Surovikin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: State Duma Defence Committee, Staff, New York Times, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Syria

☆ Opinion: As NATO shows unity, Putin has himself to thank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

One was taking control of Ukraine, which he claimed has no right to exist; the other was weakening NATO. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor strengthened Ukrainians’ sense of nationhood and led to the expansion of NATO on Russia’s border. Putin can still take some solace in the intense disagreements inside NATO prior to the summit over whether or not Ukraine should be granted membership. There’s a strong case to be made that if Ukraine joins while Russia’s invasion continues, NATO allies could be required to enter the war. The argument that Ukraine should not be allowed into NATO because it would provoke Putin holds little sway.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Ukraine “, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, “ We’re, Joe Biden, ”, Zelensky, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Biden, That’s, outlast Putin, “ Putin, Erdogan’s, Erdogan, Turkey’s, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, NATO, Frida Ghitis CNN, Nordic, European, Kremlin, Kyiv, US, Zelensky, Twitter, Azov Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkish, Sweden, Ukraine, Finland, Russia, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, Moscow, Central Europe, Kremlin, Istanbul, Turkey, Mariupol

CNN —A senior Russian general in command of forces in occupied southern Ukraine says he was suddenly dismissed from his post after accusing Moscow’s Defense Ministry leadership of betraying his troops by not providing sufficient support. Gen. Ivan Popov was the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, which has been engaged in heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region. He is one of the most senior officers to have taken part in the bloody Russian campaign in Ukraine. The recording was posted on the messaging app by Andrey Gurulev, a member of the Russian Parliament and former deputy commander of the Southern Military District. Another Russian commander, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since the failed Wagner-led rebellion last month, is “resting,” a Russian lawmaker said Wednesday.

Persons: CNN —, Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulev, ” Popov, “, Sergei Shoigu “, vilely, –, Voyenniy Osvedomitel, Oleg Tsokov, ”, Valery Gerasimov, ISW, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin Organizations: CNN, Moscow’s Defense Ministry, Arms Army, Telegram, Southern Military District, ”, Kremlin, Combined, Army, British Storm, 58th Combined Army, Ukrainian, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, “, Berdyansk, Washington, Zaporizhia –

☆ Ukraine, Russia report heavy fighting in east, south
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fluid situation near Bakhmut has been the focus of much attention, with Ukraine noting gains on the city's southern fringe, particularly the strategic village of Klishchiivka. Liberating the village, which lies on higher ground, would give Ukrainian forces operational advantage in potentially encircling Russian forces in Bakhmut, analysts say. Ukraine said on Monday it controlled heights ringing the village, enabling it to fire on targets in Bakhmut itself. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had repelled nine attempted Ukrainian advances in eastern Donetsk region, including one drive near Kliishchivka. Ukrainian military analyst Serhiy Hrabskyi said Ukraine's drive towards the coast was proceeding well, taking account of Russian defence preparations and extensive mining.

Persons: Sofiia, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andriy Kovaliov, Oleksander Tarnavskyi, Serhiy Hrabskyi, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, General Staff, Russian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Russian, Klishchiivka, Donetsk, Kliishchivka, Azov, Crimea, Ukrainian, Winnipeg, Kyiv

☆ A former Wagner fighter described Prigozhin as a 'cocky idiot' who pitted soldiers against each other for personal gain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Wagner fighters have condemned Yevgeny Prigozhin for leading the armed revolt against Russia. One fighter, identified only as Roman, told the Moscow Times that Prigozhin is a "cocky idiot." He blamed the mercenary leader for pitting soldiers against each other for personal reasons. "My comrades and I fought for the country, not for some cocky idiot and his personal ambitions," Roman told the Moscow Times, referring to the infighting between Prigozhin and Russian military leaders that preceded the attempted rebellion. Another former Wagner fighter, identified only as Vlad, told the Moscow Times that he signed up for Wagner to "defend his country" and not "out of sympathy for Prigozhin."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Roman, Vlad, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov Organizations: Russia, Moscow Times, Service, Wagner PMC, Prigozhin, Russian Defence, Russian, Staff Locations: Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Rostov, Belarus, Prigozhin, Bakhmut, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, St . Petersburg

☆ Putin 'can't afford to lose' Wagner boss Prigozhin because he's so crucial to Russia's global power, says retired US general
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin didn't punish Wagner boss for his uprising as he needs his fighters, a retired US general told CNN. Hertling also said the meeting between Putin and Prigozhin was likely "an attempt to get [Prigozhin] back on board." But he noted that there is "confusion," with the Wagner Group "being dispersed and, in fact, sort of broken up." The Wagner uprising came after months of public feuding between Prigozhin and Russian military officials, including Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov. After the group's mini mutiny, Wagner fighters in Russia were given the choice of going into exile in neighboring Belarus, joining Russia's traditional army, or going home.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Hertling, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Hertling, that's, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, It's, Wagner fighters Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Service, Wagner, Russian Defence, Russian, Staff, Moscow Times Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Belarus, Syria, Africa, Russia

Mr. Putin invited 35 people to the three-hour meeting on June 29, including Mr. Prigozhin and all of Wagner’s top commanders, the Kremlin spokesman said. “The only thing we can say is that the president gave his assessment of the company’s actions” during both the war in Ukraine and the uprising, Mr. Peskov said. Mr. Putin promised the harshest punishment for those who had “consciously chosen the path of betrayal.”But the harsh punishments didn’t come. The following week, on July 6, Mr. Peskov said the Kremlin had neither the “ability nor the desire” to track Mr. Prigozhin’s movements. The Kremlin spokesman added, “The details of it are unknown.”

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Dmitri S, Peskov, Prigozhin hasn’t, “ Putin, Mr, “, —, Roman, Sergei K, Shoigu, Staff Valery V, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Libération, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Mr, Defense Ministry, Agence France, Defense, Staff Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Belarusian, Belarus

MOSCOW, July 10 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has held Kremlin talks with Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and his commanders to discuss the armed mutiny Wagner attempted to mount against the army's top brass, Putin's spokesman said on Monday. The meeting was first reported by French newspaper Liberation, which said Prigozhin had met Putin and the head of the National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, and SVR Foreign Intelligence boss Sergei Naryshkin. Peskov told reporters that Putin had invited 35 people to the meeting, including Prigozhin and Wagner unit commanders, and that the meeting had lasted three hours. The brief mutiny led by Prigozhin, in which Wagner fighters took control of the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and a military headquarters building, was defused in a deal brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Prigozhin was meant to leave for Belarus under the terms of the deal that ended the mutiny.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin, Viktor Zolotov, Sergei Naryshkin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Lukashenko, Andrew Osborn, Mark Trevelyan, Caleb Davis Organizations: French, Liberation, National Guard, SVR Foreign Intelligence, Staff, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Rostov, Russia, Belarus, Moscow, London, Gdansk

Summary Gerasimov shown in public on state TVHad not been seen in public since early JunePutin keeps Gerasimov in his jobGerasimov shown giving ordersWhereabouts of Surovikin still unclearMOSCOW, July 10 (Reuters) - Russia's most senior general, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, was shown ordering subordinates to destroy Ukrainian missile sites in a video released on Monday, his first appearance in public since a failed June 24 mercenary mutiny. It described him as chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces and commander of Moscow's forces in Ukraine, the positions he held before the mutiny. In the video, Gerasimov was shown asking for and listening to a report by Viktor Afzalov, deputy to General Sergei Surovikin in the aerospace forces, who has not been since in public since the mutiny. It was unclear where Surovikin, who before the rebellion was deputy commander of Russia's forces in Ukraine and who was repeatedly praised by Prigozhin, was. "We note that the aerospace forces have coped with the task," Gerasimov was shown as saying.

Persons: Putin, Surovikin, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Viktor Afzalov, Sergei Surovikin, Prigozhin, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Toby Chopra, Alex Richardson Organizations: Staff, Defence, Kremlin, Afzalov, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Crimea, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Kaluga, Russia, Russian

☆ Factbox: General Gerasimov, Russia's top soldier, appears for first time since Wagner mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some facts about Gerasimov:AS CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF* Gerasimov, now 67, is the third most powerful man in the Russian military after President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. UKRAINE* Gerasimov played key roles in Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and in Russia's game-changing military support for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War. * In January, Putin appointed Gerasimov to lead the Ukraine campaign, and made Army General Sergei Surovikin, appointed to the role three months earlier, one of his three deputies. read more* Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary Wagner Group, fiercely criticised Gerasimov and Shoigu and staged a short-lived mutiny on June 23-24 to demand their dismissal. He graduated from the Kazan Higher Tank Command in 1977, from the Malinovsky Military Armoured Forces Academy in 1987, and from the Military Academy of the General Staff another decade later.

Persons: Valery Gerasimov, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, Shoigu, Gerasimov, Bashar al, Assad, Sergei Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Aemy, AS, Defence, Zvezda, Wagner Group, Kazan Higher Tank Command, Malinovsky Military Armoured Forces Academy, Military Academy of, General Staff, Leningrad Military District, Moscow Military District, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, UKRAINE, Crimea, Ukraine, Syrian, Russia, Kazan, Leningrad, Moscow

☆ Putin Met With Mercenary Leaders He Had Called Traitors During Mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia held a lengthy meeting with Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and commanders of his Wagner private military company just days after they had launched a mutiny that put the nation on the brink of a civil conflict, the Kremlin disclosed on Monday. Mr. Putin had denounced the leaders of the June 23-24 rebellion as traitors, so the startling revelation that he played host to them on June 29 suggests that for all his bluster, he saw a continued use for the mercenary group and its boss. The meeting is the first known contact between the two men since the uprising, which posed the most dramatic challenge to Mr. Putin’s authority in his 23 years in power. News of the meeting added to the mystery of what will become of Mr. Prigozhin and his force after the insurrection. Mr. Putin invited 35 people to the three-hour meeting, including Mr. Prigozhin and all of Wagner’s top commanders, and gave his assessment of the company’s efforts on the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as its actions in the mutiny, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, Dmitri S, Peskov Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, St, Petersburg, Ukraine

☆ Russia's top general appears for the first time since Wagner's mutiny as Putin tries to squash rumours he's caved into Prigozhin demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It's an apparent show that Vladimir Putin isn't giving in to demands he be replaced. Prigozhin agreed to call off the mutiny when he brokered a deal with the Kremlin and went into exile in Belarus. But the video released Monday appears to be a public show of support by the Kremlin for Gerasimov. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exposed deep rifts between key figures close to Putin. Before the mutiny, Prigozhin had accused military chiefs of failing to support his fighters, and of launching the invasion on false pretexts.

Persons: Vasily Gerasimov, It's, Wagner, Vladimir Putin isn't, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin, Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Reuters, Moscow Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Belarus

☆ A paranoid Putin still has no idea what to do with Prigozhin, and his indecision is putting him in a dangerous place, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin appears uncertain what to do about Yevgeny Prigozhin, experts say. In June, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a rebellion against Russian military leaders he blamed for failings in the Ukraine invasion. London writes that "paranoid" Putin in not dealing decisively with Prigozhin has sent signals to other would-be challengers of his authority. It was an uncharacteristically lenient response from Putin, who has in the past ruthlessly persecuted critics and political opponents. According to a former Kremlin security official who defected to the West, Putin has long lived in fear of challenges to his power and assassination attempts, and is surrounded by layers of security.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, he's, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, Douglas London, Wagner Group – Organizations: Russian, Service, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Prigozhin, CIA, Washington Post, St, Institute for Locations: Belarus, St . Petersburg, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, St Petersburg, London, Washington, DC, Bakhmut

☆ Supposedly exiled Wagner boss Prigozhin pledged his loyalty to Putin in a face-to-face meeting just days after he ignited an armed revolt, Kremlin says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin met with Prigozhin and Wagner commanders days after their failed mutiny, the Kremlin said. Wagner commanders, including Prigozhin, pledged their loyalty to Putin. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin met face-to-face for a lengthy talk just days after the mercenary group's failed mutiny last month. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said Putin, Prigozhin, and other Wagner commanders met for three hours in the Kremlin on June 29, according to TASS. Then, Putin offered Wagner commanders "further options for employment and further use in combat," Peskov said, while Wagner — including Prigozhin — pledged their loyalty to Putin.

Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, group's, Dmitri S, Peskov, Prigozhin — Organizations: Service, TASS, Prigozhin, Russian, Fatherland Locations: Wall, Silicon, Kremlin, Belarus, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Pardoned Wagner convicts are once again committing crimes, and Russian authorities are trying to cover it up, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former prisoners pardoned after fighting with the Wagner Group in Ukraine have returned to Russia. Some, including those convicted of murder, are committing violent crimes again, per Russia's Verstka. And Russian authorities are trying to hide the cases, including in court documents, it reported. Independent Russian outlet Verstka said it discovered recent cases against former Wagner fighters when it looked at court documents. UK intelligence said in March that half of all Russian prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine had likely been killed or wounded.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Verstka, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Independent, Internal Affairs, CBS News, UK Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Independent Russian, Russian, Moscow, Belarus

☆ Opinion: Welcome to the ‘looking-glass’ world of Putin’s Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Welcome to the weird, through-the-looking-glass world of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, where everything is its opposite and almost nothing is what it seems. That may hold as well for the still-murky fate of last month’s mutineer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner group. Daniel TreismanWorse yet for the Kremlin, Prigozhin’s claim — coming from a diehard nationalist — will seem quite believable to many Russians. In this looking-glass world, the president has no time for politics. After the war started, Navalny offered a 15-point program for ending it and rebuilding a democratic Russia.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, “, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, mutineer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Orwell, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Emmanuel Macron, Navalny, Angela Merkel Organizations: University of California, CNN, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, Russian, Putin, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Moscow, Belarus, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Belarusian, Minsk, St . Petersburg, Kremlin, Russian, Melekhovo, Vladimir, Russia, Kara, Rostov, Sochi, Ukraine, Dagestan, Crimea, “

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin, the warlord who railed against the Russian military and led a failed mutiny, has all but disappeared
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin has retreated into the shadows since his failed rebellion against Russian military leaders. The Kremlin said Prigozhin and Putin met on June 29, and that Prigozhin pledged his loyalty to the Russian leader. June 29: Prigozhin had a face-to-face meeting with Putin, according to the Kremlin, raising questions about whether Prigozhin went to Belarus in the first place. Prigozhin is still in Russia, according to Belarusian officials and Russian media reports, but the Wagner boss has retreated into the shadows since his failed rebellion. The Russian leader — who has long been accused of ordering the imprisonment and assassinations of those he deemed disloyal — shocked former US intelligence officials by allowing Prigozhin to live, and stay in Russia.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Flightradar24, Lukashenko, —, Russia's, Glenn Carle Organizations: Russian, Service, Kremlin, PMC Wagner, Putin, CIA Locations: St . Petersburg, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus, St, Petersburg, Russia, Russian

☆ Ukrainian forces advance in south, hold 'initiative,' says Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian accounts said heavy fighting gripped areas outside the eastern city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian mercenary Wagner forces in May after months of battles. Russian troops, she said, were defending Bakhmut, while Ukrainian forces had registered "a certain advance" on the city's southern flank. There were no changes in position to the north of Bakhmut, and Ukrainian forces remained engaged in heavy fighting west of Bakhmut and near Lyman, further north in Donetsk region. Zelenskiy acknowledged that advances were slower than what he and his generals wanted, but said Ukrainian forces held the initiative. Ukrainian military analyst Denys Popovych said Ukrainian forces had taken "important positions near Klishchiivka.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Wagner, Ramzan Kadyrov, Hanna Maliar, Zelenskiy, Kadyrov, Denys Popovych, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Leslie Adler Organizations: ABC, NATO, Ukrainian, Reuters, Russia's Defence Ministry, Ukraine's NV, Thomson Locations: Russian, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Lyman, Donetsk region, Lithuania, Klishchiivka

☆ Video appears to show Wagner Group troops preparing to leave Africa, suggesting a purge by Moscow, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video appears to show dozens of Wagner Group soldiers preparing to leave Africa. The video follows a report by Jeune Afrique that said 500 to 600 mercenaries had left Bangui on Thursday. But Wagner's relationship with the Kremlin has fractured in recent weeks after the group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his soldiers to march on Moscow in June. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of committing atrocitiesIn this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of committing atrocities in CAR, according to reports.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Putin, Alia Brahimi, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Aleksander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Faustin, Fidele Gouandjika Organizations: Wagner Group, Jeune Afrique, Service, Wagner, NBC News, Central African Republic, Council, Foreign Relations, Prigozhin Press Service, Prigozhin Press, Associated Press, Central African, NBC, Sky News, CAR's Department of Defense, Sky Locations: Africa, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Bangui, CAR, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia, CAR's, Washington

☆ NATO unity will be tested at upcoming summit. Ukraine's possible entry may be the biggest challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Patriot long-range air defence systems of the German Bundeswehr armed forces are deployed at Vilnius Airport ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 7, 2023. "I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO," President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview airing Sunday. More than two-thirds of alliance members have banned the weapon because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. As for Ukraine's possible entry into NATO, the alliance said in 2008 that Kyiv eventually would become a member. "That's an issue that will cause tension and dissent, and that's not what the Vilnius summit is all about," he said.

Persons: NATO's, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Douglas Lute, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lute, Mitch McConnell, Putin, Daniel Fried, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland, Erdogan, It's, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Max Bergmann, They've, Bergmann, Viktor Orban, Idaho Sen, Jim Risch, aren't, Risch, I'm, we've, Jens Stoltenberg, who's, Mette Frederiksen, Stoltenberg, Rasmussen, Skip Davis, that's Organizations: German Bundeswehr, Vilnius Airport, NATO Summit, NATO, CNN, Republican, Kentucky, Associated Press, Putin, Atlantic Council, Ukraine, State Department, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Senate Foreign Relations, Danish, Center for Locations: German, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russian, Ukraine, Sweden, Eastern Europe, United States, Israel, Moscow, Finland, U.S, Russia, Kyiv, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Stockholm, Idaho, Hungary, Baltic, Norwegian, Danish

☆ A series of leaked photos appearing to show Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in bizarre disguises could be a Kremlin attempt to ridicule him
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leaked images appear to show Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in bizarre disguises. Prigozhin launched a short-lived mutiny against Russian leadership last month. The photos, shared by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, could be an attempt to humiliate the Wagner chief. The mercenary Wagner Group, which Prigozhin founded, is known for being active in Middle Eastern countries and Africa. However, relations between their hot-headed leader and Russian military leadership soured as the former repeatedly accused the latter of not sending his fighters much-needed weapons and accused them of incompetence.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, URA, Muhammad, Sacha Baron Cohen's, Aladeen, Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Russian, pro, Kremlin, Service, Guardian, Ministry of Defense, Wagner Group, Reuters Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Sudan, Abu Dhabi, Benghazi, Tripoli, Syria, Africa, Moscow, Belarus, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Bakhmut

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