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☆ How Putin spent 20 years rebuilding Russia's military 'and then just simply destroyed it' in Ukraine, according to an expert who watched it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Vladimir Putin has spent his two decades in power rebuilding and reforming Russia's military. Below, Galeotti describes those reforms, what they achieved, and how, in a devastating war in Ukraine, Putin has squandered the military he built. IGOR SAREMBO/AFP via Getty ImagesWhen Putin came to power at the end of the 1990s, what was the state of the Russian military? How did the Russian military underperform in that conflict in Georgia? What did those conflicts show about the capabilities of the Russian military and about the impact of those reforms?

☆ Putin berates US and EU envoys, top official says US aid fuelling Ukraine war's 'hot phase'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ambassadors were among 17 who presented their diplomatic credentials to Putin at a televised ceremony in the Kremlin. Putin told new U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy that U.S. support for a revolution in Ukraine in 2014 had led to the current situation where Russia and Ukraine were in conflict. Putin took a similar line with the new EU ambassador, Roland Galharague, telling him "the European Union initiated a geopolitical confrontation with Russia". In his opening remarks, Putin said Russia was open to constructive partnership with every country and would not isolate itself.

☆ Brazil envoy met Putin to push Ukraine peace talks - CNN Brasil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, April 3 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent his top foreign policy adviser to speak to Russian leader Vladimir Putin about potential peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, CNN Brasil reported on Monday. "It would be an exaggeration to say the doors are open (to peace talks), but it's not true to say they are totally closed," the envoy Celso Amorim told CNN Brasil in an interview published on its website. Two government officials told Reuters that Amorim stopped in Paris on his way back to Brazil, but they provided no details of his engagements there. Lula has proposed creating a group of countries to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in a war that has raged for more than a year. Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Brad Haynes and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin ally says Russia has weapons to destroy US if its existence is threatened
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, March 27 (Reuters) - An ally of President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia has the weapons to destroy any enemy, including the United States, if its own existence is threatened, accusing Washington of underestimating Moscow's nuclear might. "American politicians trapped by their own propaganda remain confident that, in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a preventive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond. But it has modern unique weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existence", he said. On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would station tactical nuclear missiles in its close ally Belarus, which borders both Ukraine and Russia, sending a warning to NATO over its military support for Kyiv and escalating a standoff with the West.

☆ Russian jets crashed a US drone, and now Moscow wants to fish the busted aircraft out of the sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia wants to recover the remains of a downed US military drone from the Black Sea. An "out of control" Russian fighter jet clipped the drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash. US officials have said they're not sure if they'll be able to recover the aircraft from the deep water. Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets carried out an interception of the US drone above the Black Sea on Tuesday and engaged in maneuvers which US European Command described as "unsafe and unprofessional." And it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner," he said.

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. surveillance drone brought down over the Black Sea after a Russian military intercept probably broke apart and would be difficult to recover given the depth of the water in the area, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday. Russia's defense ministry blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone for the crash and said its jet did not make contact. Milley said the United States had already taken measures to guard against a loss of sensitive intelligence if the drone were to be recovered by Russia. The State Department on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, to express U.S. concerns over the encounter. Antonov after the meeting said the drone "deliberately and provocatively was moving toward Russian territory with transponders turned off."

☆ Russia says it will try to retrieve remains of U.S. drone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev attends a meeting of the collegium of the Prosecutor General's office in Moscow, Russia, March 15, 2023. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERSMarch 15 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it would try to retrieve the remains of a U.S. military surveillance drone that fell into the Black Sea after an incident involving Russian fighter planes, accusing Washington of "directly participating" in the war in Ukraine. Russia denied being responsible for the crash and said relations with the United States had reached their "lowest point". Kremlin Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told the Rossiya-1 TV channel: "I don't know whether we will be able to retrieve it or not, but that it has to be done. "Secondly, regarding the drone - the Americans keep saying they're not taking part in military operations.

[1/2] Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching surface of the Baltic Sea in the area shows a disturbance of well over one kilometre in diameter near Bornholm, Denmark, September 27, 2022. "In an attempt to cover up the true people behind the crime, pro-government Anglo-Saxon media - on orders from above - have named a culprit - a group of Ukrainian terrorists," Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper. As a former Soviet spy who has known Putin since the 1970s, Patrushev is seen by diplomats as one of the major influences on Putin, who has accused the "Anglo-Saxons" of sabotaging Nord Stream in what he has called a terrorist attack. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines have a joint annual capacity of 110 billion cubic metres - more than half of Russia's normal gas exports volumes. Sections of the 1,224-km (760-mile) long pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany, lie at a depth of around 80-110 metres.

☆ Russia has changed its plan to take over Ukraine, with the goal now to exhaust the country rather than conquer new territory, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's plan to control Ukraine has changed and now focuses on trying to exhaust it, UK intel said. It added: "The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russia's advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said in January that Russia was trying to "exhaust" it with drone strikes. The UK defense ministry said this strategy shift occurred over the last few weeks, and contrasts with Russia's earlier approach. The UK defense ministry update suggests that this strategy has now started to impact Russia's battlefield tactics.

☆ China's top diplomat says Russia ties 'rock solid'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary China's top diplomat in MoscowPutin ally: we stick together versus the WestXi could visit Moscow soon - WSJMOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) - China's top diplomat told one of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies on Tuesday that Beijing's relationship with Moscow was "rock solid" and would withstand any test in a changing international situation. At a meeting in Moscow, Wang Yi told Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council, that he looked forward to discussions about security. "Chinese-Russian relations are mature in character: they are rock solid and will withstand any test in a changing international situation," Wang told "Comrade" Patrushev through a Russian interpreter in remarks aired on state television. Wang said Russia and China should work out new joint steps to ensure the security of both countries, without elaborating. The United States casts China and Russia as the two biggest nation-state threats to its security.

☆ Russia's Putin issues new nuclear warnings to West over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Signed by then-U.S. president Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, the treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the countries can deploy. "... if the United States conducts tests, then we will. Putin said Ukraine had sought to strike a facility deep inside Russia where it keeps nuclear bombers, a reference to the Engels air base. NUCLEAR ARSENAL[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia February 21, 2023. 1 2 3Russia and the United States together hold 90% of the world's nuclear warheads.

☆ Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Man Challenging Putin for Power - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Mikhail Zygar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

According to my sources close to the Russian administration, Mr. Putin then perceived Mr. Prigozhin solely as a counterweight to the generals. The Russian president saw Mr. Prigozhin as his man, an obedient tool and easy to use. Those achievements alone guaranteed Mr. Prigozhin responsibility for Mr. Putin’s most delicate assignments. But this year, Mr. Prigozhin moved into another league, surpassing all of Mr. Putin’s other friends in power. Mr. Prigozhin bypassed all of them and appears to be the most important player in Russia.

Persons: Putin, Alexander Lapin, Prigozhin, Robert Mueller’s, Wagner, Putin’s, Sergei Shoigu, Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Chemezov, Yury Kovalchuk Organizations: Internet Research Agency, Defense, Russian Security Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Africa, Syria, Russia’s, Russia

REUTERS/David MdzinarishviliSummary US, Germany promise to send dozens of tanks to UkraineKremlin: this shows West's 'direct involvement' in conflictWar bloggers say Leopard tanks pose challenge for RussiaJan 26 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it saw the promised delivery of Western tanks to Ukraine as evidence of direct and growing U.S. and European involvement in the conflict. "We categorically disagree with this, and in Moscow, everything that the alliance and the capitals I mentioned are doing is seen as direct involvement in the conflict. Until now, both Ukraine and Russia have been relying primarily on Soviet-era T-72 tanks. CONFRONTATIONRussia, which launched the war by invading Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, has increasingly portrayed it as a confrontation with NATO. Another war blogger, Yuri Kotenok, said Western tanks were no "wonder weapon" but would require a change of Russian tactics.

☆ Putin ally Patrushev says Russia is now fighting NATO in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev (L) looks at President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with the BRICS countries' senior officials in charge of security matters at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 26, 2015. "The Westerners' plans are to continue to pull Russia apart, and eventually just erase it from the political map of the world," Patrushev said. The United States has denied Russian claims that it wants to destroy Russia, the world's biggest producer of natural resources, while President Joe Biden has cautioned that a conflict between Russia and NATO could trigger World War Three. "The American state is just a shell for a conglomerate of huge corporations that rule the country and try to dominate the world," Patrushev said. The United States, Patrushev said, had sown chaos in Afghanistan, Vietnam and the Middle East, and had been trying for years to undermine Russia's "unique" culture and language.

Since the early days of the invasion, Mr. Putin has conceded, privately, that the war has not gone as planned. “I think he is sincerely willing” to compromise with Russia, Mr. Putin said of Mr. Zelensky in 2019. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. “I think this war is Putin’s grave.” Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, a Russian prisoner of war held by Ukraine, in October.

☆ Winter could be diplomatic opportunity in Ukraine-Russia war, U.S. and Western officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Some U.S. and Western officials increasingly believe that neither side can achieve all of their goals in the Ukraine war and are eyeing the expected winter slowdown in fighting as an opportunity for diplomacy to begin between Russia and Ukraine, say officials familiar with the matter. “In the winter everything slows down,” said a Western official with direct knowledge of military operations. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan made a surprise visit to Kyiv last week, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top Ukrainian officials. Kherson is the last major front line that could shift before winter, officials said, after which neither side is likely to make large advances. If Ukraine wins in Kherson it could put the Zelenskyy government in a better position to negotiate, U.S. and Western officials said.

☆ Russia, Iran Pledge to Deepen Ties Amid Ukraine War
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian security council, shook hands with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, in a photo released by Mr. Raisi’s office. Russia and Iran’s security chiefs pledged Wednesday to deepen the military cooperation between the two countries, further cementing ties that have seen Tehran supply drones to bolster Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. During a meeting in Tehran, Russian security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev and his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani said they would jointly fight what they called Western interference in their countries, and expand economic ties in a mutual effort to evade sanctions.

☆ Iran calls for deeper energy, trade ties with Russia -Nournews
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Iran's top security official Ali Shamkhani called on Wednesday for deeper ties in energy, transportation, agriculture, trade and banking with Russia, according to NourNews, affiliated with the country's top security body. Shamkhani spoke after a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in Tehran. The two also discussed the situation in Ukraine and measures to combat "Western interference" in their internal affairs, Russian state media reported. Patrushev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jon Boyle and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. confirms it held talks with Kremlin over nuclear threat; Russians being pushed back in parts of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jake Sullivan, White House national security advisor, in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 2022. Sullivan met with Oscar Stenstrom, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister of Sweden, to discuss the security situation in Europe in view of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed Monday that lines of communication between the U.S. and Russia remain open, confirming a report that the U.S. has held talks with the Kremlin recently in a bid to dial down tensions around the potential use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The comment came after the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Sullivan had held undisclosed talks with top Russian officials in a bid to de-escalate tensions over the possible use of nuclear weapons. The WSJ newspaper cited U.S. and other Western officials as saying that Sullivan held confidential conversations recently with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov and Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev that were not disclosed publicly.

☆ Biden's national security advisor held secret talks with Russia warning against using nukes in Ukraine: WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biden's National Security Advisor held talks with Kremlin officials, per The Wall Street Journal. Jake Sullivan warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, its report said. Concerns are growing that Russia could use nuclear weapons as it struggles on the battlefield. The talks came amid concerns that Russia could resort to the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, following a series of setbacks on the battlefield. The New York Times reported last week that Russian military leaders had discussed using them.

☆ Senior White House Official Involved in Undisclosed Talks With Top Putin Aides
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Vivian Salama | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—President Biden’s top national-security adviser has engaged in recent months in confidential conversations with top aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to reduce the risk of a broader conflict over Ukraine and warn Moscow against using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, U.S. and allied officials said. The officials said that U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has been in contact with Yuri Ushakov , a foreign-policy adviser to Mr. Putin. Mr. Sullivan also has spoken with his direct counterpart in the Russian government, Nikolai Patrushev , the officials added. The aim has been to guard against the risk of escalation and keep communications channels open, and not to discuss a settlement of the war in Ukraine, the officials said.

☆ Biden aide held talks with Russian officials amid nuclear tensions, the Wall Street Journal reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has held undisclosed talks with top Russian officials in hopes of reducing the risk the war in Ukraine spills over or escalates into a nuclear conflict, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The newspaper cited U.S. and allied officials as saying that Sullivan, President Joe Biden's top aide on national security, held confidential conversations in recent months with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov and Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Sullivan's counterpart, that were not disclosed publicly. The White House declined to comment on the report, responding to questions about the story only with a statement attributed to National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson: "People claim a lot of things." The Wall Street Journal said the officials did not provide the dates or the number of calls. Few high-level contacts between U.S. and Russian officials have been made public in recent months as Washington has insisted that any talks on ending the war in Ukraine be held between Moscow and Kyiv.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Russia seeks sanctions exemptions for state bank in Ukraine grain deal talks-sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

This would allow the bank, which has not had a major role in the international grain trade so far, to process payments for Russian grain and other foodstuffs, two of the sources added. Before the latest sanctions, such payments were handled by international banks and subsidiaries of other Russian banks in Switzerland. The U.N. has said it "remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer". BANK'S ROLE MAY EXPANDMoscow has said its consent to extend the Black Sea grain deal depends on support for its own grain and fertiliser exports. Should Russia's request be granted, Rosselkhozbank's role in Russia's grain trade could expand significantly.

☆ Factbox: Russian martial law in parts of Ukraine - what will it mean?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday declared martial law in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine that Russia claims as its own. Although Russia has unilaterally annexed and does not fully control any of the four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - it is imposing martial law there as if they were Russian territories. However, a partial mobilisation has already taken place in Russia and been extended to the occupied regions, so it is unclear if more men will be called up. The decree says that under martial law, authorities will have the power to enact measures to "meet the needs of Russia's armed forces", and that "territorial defence" will be carried out. Saldo announced on Wednesday that 50,000-60,000 people would be evacuated from part of the Kherson region over the next six days as a Ukrainian counteroffensive gathers pace.

☆ Russian ex-president Medvedev on Kyiv wanted list
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been on a list of wanted persons compiled by Ukrainian security officials for more than half a year, Ukraine's SBU security service said on Monday. The statement said Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security, was wanted under a section of the criminal code dealing with attempts to undermine Ukraine's territorial integrity and the inviolability of its borders. Most of the Russian Security Council's members are on the list. It was not immediately clear why the Ukrainian authorities have not released the information sooner or why they made it public now. "The Security Service of Ukraine confirms that Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council and former president of the aggressor state, is declared a wanted person," the SBU said in a statement.

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