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☆ Wagner 'skull' flag flies over empty Prigozhin plane crash site in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows a flag of the Wagner private mercenary group at the site of the plane crash that killed Wagner PMC top figures, including Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, in the Tver Region, Russia September 1, 2023. The plane on which Yevgeny Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed killing all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including two other top Wagner figures, Prigozhin's four bodyguards and a crew of three. At the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia's Tver region, there was no sign of the remains of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet, footage obtained by Reuters showed on Friday. All that remained was a makeshift stone memorial of four boulders to the mercenary chief surrounded by red carnations and a Wagner flag flying on a pole made from a tree branch. The flag sports a white skull surrounded by the words "PMC Wagner Group" in both English and Russian.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Wagner PMC, REUTERS, St, Embraer, Reuters, Wagner, Thomson Locations: Tver Region, Russia, St Petersburg, Moscow, Kuzhenkino, Russia's Tver, Rostov, Vladimir Putin's Russia

☆ Kremlin says Prigozhin plane may have been downed on purpose
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A view shows a framed photo of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at his grave at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia, August 30, 2023. "It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version - you know what we are talking about – let's say, a deliberate atrocity," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the investigation. The Kremlin has rejected as an "absolute lie" the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators - for which they have not provided evidence - that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge. Followers of Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior. In life, Prigozhin liked to brag that he was one of the world's most feared mercenaries with the best fighting force.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, –, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Joe Biden, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, International Civil Aviation Organization, Embraer, St, Reuters, EMBR3, United State, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, MOSCOW, St Petersburg, Moscow, Rostov, Vladimir Putin's Russia, SA, Russian, Ukraine

☆ After Wagner's Prigozhin, who will stick their head above the parapet in Putin's Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Kremlin has vehemently denied speculation that the Russian state might have been involved in the crash. It’s worth remembering that Prigozhin never had particularly high name recognition in Russia, at least certainly not before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That changed in late June after Wagner’s march on Moscow raised the unsettling possibility of civil war in Russia. Alexey Navalny, who succeeded Nemtsov as Russia’s most galvanizing opposition leader, is currently in a Russian prison colony, along with many others who have peacefully opposed Putin’s war on Ukraine. Killed the leaders.”No evidence has surfaced that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash.

Persons: Yevgeny, Wagner, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, “, ” Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Joe Biden, I’d, Biden, Prigozhins —, Prigozhin, Prigozhin —, —, Igor Girkin, ultranationalist, Matthew Chance, bouquets —, Boris Nemtsov, Alexander Ermochenko, Alexey Navalny, Nemtsov, Navalny, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Embraer, Kremlin, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Russia’s

☆ Putin's old spy agency is a prime suspect for taking out Prigozhin's plane
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's FSB appears the most likely party in the apparent death of Prigozhin. UK sources told the BBC the agency probably targeted the plane Prigozhin was apparently on. Putin once ran the FSB himself, and had a long career in its Soviet precursor, the KGB. Germany's foreign minister said the crash seemed to fit "this pattern in Putin's Russia: deaths, dubious suicides, falls from windows, all which remain unclarified – that underlines a dictatorial power system that is built on violence." AdvertisementAdvertisementWhite House National Security Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that if Prigozhin's death is confirmed "no one should be surprised."

Persons: Prigozhin, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexei Navalny, Alexander Litvinenko, it's, Adrienne Watson, Flightradar24 Organizations: FSB, BBC, KGB, Service, Wednesday, Soviet Union's KGB, Kremlin, CIA, Guardian, National, Reuters Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia's Tver, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

MOSCOW, Aug 10 (Reuters) - In Vladimir Putin's Russia, the Kremlin even writes the history textbooks. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky has published four history textbooks for 16- to 18-year-old schoolchildren giving a completely revised interpretation of the fall of the Soviet Union, the Putin era and the causes of the Ukraine war. The final chapter of the 447-page "History of Russia 1945 - the start of 21st Century" focuses on the causes of the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two - the Ukraine war that has left several hundred thousand soldiers injured or dead. "This is propaganda - it’s not a textbook," Mikhail Kopitsa, a Russian history teacher who left Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, told Reuters of the book. It ends with small biographies of some of the Russians who have fallen in the Ukraine war - which it does not call a war.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Medinsky, Putin, Josef Stalin, Mikhail Kopitsa, Anatoly Torkunov, Napoleon Bonaparte, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: KGB, Reuters, Kremlin, NATO, West, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Continental, Britain, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Vladimir Putin's Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Soviet, Russia, Europe, United States, Russian, Moscow, The, Georgia, Montenegro, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Crimea

This is how Komsomolskaya School Number 1 is marking the opening of a new school desk, a so-called “hero desk” emblazoned with the face and biography of one of Russia’s war dead, once a pupil at this very school. The desks are part of a pan-Russian initiative called the “New School Project” and are funded by “United Russia,” a staunchly pro-Putin party. As of early May, United Russia said there were more than 14,000 desks in 9,000 schools across the country. Local news reports suggest some schools use the desks to reward good behavior or good grades. The desks across the country are standardized: green, with military photographs, a biography, medals awarded (often posthumously) and the soldier’s date of death.

Persons: It’s, ”, Gennady Alexandrovich Pavlov, Chuvashia, Gennady Pavlov, Russia’s, Daniil Ken, ” Ken, Sergei Shoigu, Ken, Alena Arshinova, Olga, Sergey Kravtsov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, there’s, “, ‘, Tatyana Chervenko, Chervenko, Mikhail Stepanov, ’, Stepanov, Wagner, “ Artyomovsk Organizations: CNN, New, “ United, Putin, Teachers ’ Alliance, Russian Ministry of Defense, State Duma, United, Kyiv, Russian, Russia’s Security, Novosti, Ministry Locations: Russian, Chuvashia, Russia, “ United Russia, United Russia, Ukraine, Hostomel, Kyiv, United States, State, St . Petersburg, Simferopol, Crimea, “, Leningrad, ”, Moscow, Virginia, Khabarovsk, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Xi faces being humiliated by his 'no limits' friendship with Putin. But he can't back out of it now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's Xi Jinping has formed close ties with Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia. But the Wagner rebellion exposed that Putin's authority is shakier than Xi realised, an analyst told Insider. If Russia loses against Ukraine, Xi would face global humiliation. If there are further signs Putin's grip on power is weakening, and chaos could engulf Russia, Xi faces a tough choice. "It's unlikely that Xi will go out of his way to support Putin's regime if that entails significant risks to China itself.

Persons: China's, Jinping, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Wagner, Xi, —, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Graeme Thompson, Moscow —, Thompson, Jonathan Ward, Ward Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Ukraine, Eurasia Group, Reuters, Atlas Group, Russia, West, Beijing Locations: Russia, Ukraine, China, Moscow, Taiwan, Beijing

REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoSummary Fears of civil war rose in world's biggest nuclear powerMercenaries posed biggest threat to Putin in 23-year rule'Anyone with anything to lose was extremely tense' -sourceThe elite wonder: What's next for Russia? One fear was that Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group, if he entered Moscow, would try to take over the economy, triggering yet another redistribution of ownership in Russia, the world's biggest supplier of natural resources. The source spoke on condition of anonymity due to the danger of speaking publicly in contemporary Russia. Russians started to withdraw significant amounts of roubles and seek foreign currency in 15 regions across Russia. But within the elite, there is now a fear that Putin will seek to assert his position and remove those he felt did not profess their loyalty with enough ardour.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Putin, What's, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin's, Mikhail Gorbachev, Andrei Belousov, Dmitry Gusev, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Russia's, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Viktor Zolotov, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters, Kremlin, KGB, Bolshevik, Air, Jets, General Staff, National Guard, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Soviet, Ukraine, Belgrade, Istanbul, Dubai, Sochi, Belarus, Belarusian, Zolotov

☆ Here’s a list of people Putin is suspected of having killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jeremy Wilson | Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Putin, a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB and ex-head of the FSB, has been suspected of assassinating critics. Here's a list of people who have been critical of Putin and the Russian president is suspected of assassinating:Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia BaburovaHuman-rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov represented Politkovskaya and other journalists who had been critical of Putin. Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesAnna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who was critical of Putin. He was killed in 2004 in a drive-by shooting in an apparent contract killing, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Persons: Putin, Here's, —, Pavel Antov, Vyacheslav Kartukhin, Vladimir Putin, Ravil, MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Dan Rapoport, Mikhail Lesin, Lesin, Boris Nemtsov, Alex Wong, Boris Nemtsov Boris Nemtsov, Boris Yeltsin, Putin —, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Berezovsky, Natalia Estemirova Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, Anastasia Baburova, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, Dmitry Kovtun, Mr Patrushev, Anna Politkovskaya, Mark Wilson, Paul Klebnikov Paul Klebnikov, Sergei Yushenkov Sergei Yushenkov Organizations: Service, BBC, Regional, United Russia, of Oil Company, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Getty Images, CNBC, Daily, Police, Russia, FBI, Berkshire, British, Politkovskaya, Russian Embassy, Forbes, Protect Journalists, Liberal, Justice Ministry Locations: Russian, Rayagada, India, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Washington ,, Florida, Washington, DC, Sochi, Britain, Chechnya, Politkovskaya, London, Liberal Russia

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a reception at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. After securing an unprecedented third term as president earlier this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first overseas trip to Moscow to meet his "dear friend" Putin. China "will be more cautious with its words and actions about Russia", said Shanghai-based international relations expert Shen Dingli. It was unclear if Yang's article was written before the Wagner rebellion and he did not respond to requests for an interview from Reuters. Other China-based academics, however, said Beijing would not change its stance on Russia as a result of the incident.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Shen Muhui, Alexander Neill, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Qin Gang, Putin, Shen Dingli, Yang Jun, Michal Meidan, Martin Quin Pollard, Yew, Tian, John Geddie, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Moscow, U.S, Foreign, NATO, Beijing's China University of Political Science, Law, Reuters, The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, European Union, Putin's, Australian National University, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, China, Ukraine, Beijing, BEIJING, China's, Fujian, Singapore, United States, Shanghai, Japan, Putin's Russia

☆ Russia seeks calm after aborted mutiny, West sees cracks in Putin's power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"We've seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade," Blinken told NBC's "Meet the Press" programme on Sunday. It was unclear if his visit to Russia's strongest ally was precipitated by the Wagner mutiny. It vouched support for Russia's efforts to maintain national stability, referring to the tension as Russia's "internal affairs". Biden and Trudeau both expressed support of Ukraine as it pursues a counteroffensive to recover territory seized by Russia, according to official statements. Giving its daily morning roundup on Monday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Russian forces had conducted unsuccessful operations around Bakhmut.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, groping, Antony Blinken, Blinken, NBC's, Andrei Rudenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Biden, Trudeau, Zelenskiy, Lukashenko, Antonio Tajani, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Nayev, ” Nayev, Simon Cameron, Moore, Lincoln Organizations: Wagner Group, Defence, Press, Russia's, Russian Federation, U.S, Canadian, Twitter, Russia's Security, Defence Ministry, Russia's TASS, RIA, Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russian, Ukraine's Joint Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Belarus, Beijing, China, Bolshevik, Lyman, Donetsk, Bakhmut

☆ Mercenaries return to bases after challenge to Putin's authority
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday in return for guarantees for their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Putin's approval, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. She said the swift ending of the turmoil indicated that Putin's rule would not be undermined by it alone. Russia's ministry of digital affairs recommended that IT, telecoms and media companies give employees the day off on Monday.

Persons: Belarus Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Antony Blinken, Putin, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Biden, Trudeau, Zelenskiy, State Anthony Blinken, NBC's, Anton Vaganov, Dmitry, Oleg, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Marina Miron, Antonio Tajani, Messaggero, Brian Taylor, Russia's, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Frank Jack Daniel, Jane Merriman, Chris Reese Organizations: Kremlin, U.S, Russia's Security, Canadian, Twitter, State, Press, Rostov, Reuters, Sunday, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Defence Ministry, King's College London's Defense Studies Department, Syracuse University, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Rostov, ROSTOV, VORONEZH, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, China, Bolshevik, Africa

MOSCOW, May 28 (Reuters) - Russia's most powerful mercenary said on Sunday he was convinced that senior Kremlin officials had banned reporting about him on state media, cautioning that such a misleading approach would lead to a backlash from the Russian people within months. Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, is the most striking member of President Vladimir Putin's circle to gain widespread notoriety in the 15-month war in Ukraine. In a sign of just how far Prigozhin is perceived to have breached the taboos of Putin's Russia, state television ignored the fall of Bakhmut for 20 hours, and did not air Prigozhin's victory speech. Asked about what appeared to be a ban on coverage of him on state media, Prigozhin used a series of Russian proverbs to poke fun at those responsible: "What is forbidden is always sweeter." After Prigozhin claimed victory on Bakhmut, it took the Kremlin 10 hours to release a 36-word statement congratulating Wagner and armed forces units for "liberating" Artyomovsk, the Soviet-era name for Bakhmut used by Russia.

☆ UK, Netherlands plan cross-border power link to boost energy security
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, April 24 (Reuters) - The Netherlands and Britain plan to build what would be Europe's biggest cross-border electricity link connected to an offshore wind farm, their energy ministers said on Monday, part of efforts to boost energy security. "This new connection further boosts energy security and energy independence in Europe," Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten said in a statement. Britain and the Netherlands currently have one power interconnector, the 1GW BritNed link. The countries' leaders will commit to rapidly building wind farms and developing energy "islands", or connected offshore green power generation sites, according to a draft of their summit declaration seen by Reuters. The countries, which also include Germany, France and Norway, aim to develop a combined 120 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, the draft said.

☆ Russia risks becoming an 'economic colony of China' following its invasion of Ukraine, says CIA director
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CIA director William Burns said Russia is becoming "more and more dependent on China." And it "runs the risk of becoming an economic colony of China over time." Putin recently dismissed "jealous people" who say Russia is becoming too dependent on China. China initially appeared unhappy with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Putin saying in September that China had "questions and concerns" about it. But the war appears to have strengthened economic ties, which includes China buying more Russian oil now than it did before the invasion began.

☆ At a high-stakes meeting in Moscow, China has to decide whether Putin's failure in Ukraine means it's time to cross a red line
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some analysts believe China is poised to escalate its support for Russian in Ukraine. China's Xi Jinping at a welcoming ceremony at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on March 20, 2023. China has sought to portray the war in Ukraine as a result of Western meddling, citing the massive influx of Western weaponry to Ukraine's armed forces. But China may now be preparing so cross the same line and offer weapons of its own to Putin's Russia. If that dynamic continues, Ward said China may decide to risk the wrath of the West and openly provide lethal aid.

☆ How Putin's Russian goon squad used Mexican gig workers to troll an American election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Posting to social media sounded like an easy work-from-home gig, so he applied. This post from the Prigozhin-backed Social CMS network in Mexico referred to America as "we." He verified his account by providing chat transcripts, screenshots, contracts, and internal company documents. But just because Social CMS didn't yield an immediate, large-scale impact doesn't mean it should be ignored. "I didn't know who are you," wrote the person who is listed in the corporate directory as Prigozhin's media liaison.

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine backfired by uniting NATO, even as cracks emerged over nearly a year of fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

When Putin invaded Ukraine, he miscalculated the response from Western countries. NATO has been largely united in its response to Russia's war, consistently providing Kyiv with military aid. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively succeeded in remaking the Western bloc, Araud said, adding that "the Western alliance is back." After the Soviet Union collapsed, both Finland and Sweden became NATO partner countries but stopped short of pursuing full membership. Even under the intense pressure of war, the alliance is "holding the way that they have in the past," he said.

Others, like China, have criticized the war without meaningfully reducing ties with Russia. The war prompted condemnation in the United Nations and saw Russia booted from the UN Human Rights Council. Beijing has walked a careful line since the invasion began, at times exhibiting impatience with Russia's war in Ukraine. Putin in September acknowledged that China had "questions and concerns" about the war while meeting with Xi in Uzbekistan. "Putin's allies are not 'turning on him,' only expressing dissatisfaction at the difficulties his war in Ukraine is causing them," he added.

☆ Here’s a list of Putin critics who've ended up dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Jeremy Wilson | Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here's a list of people who have been critical of Putin and the Russian president is suspected of assassinating:Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Anna PolitkovskayaAnna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who was critical of Putin. In her book "Putin's Russia," she accused Putin of turning his country into a police state. She specialised in uncovering human-rights abuses carried out by the Russian state in Chechnya. Sergei YushenkovSergei Yushenkov was a Russian politician who was attempting to prove the Russian state was behind the bombing of an apartment block.

☆ 2 major Russia businessmen renounced their citizenship, condemning Putin's invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Revolut CEO Nikolay Storonsky and tycoon Oleg Tinkov renounced their Russian citizenship. "I hate Putin's Russia, but love all Russians, who are clearly against this crazy war!" In the later post, Tinkov blamed "Kremlin trolls" for that first post having "mysteriously disappeared." Storonsky also criticized the conflict in a company blog post earlier this year, highlighting his Ukrainian family connections. "I hope more prominent Russian businessmen will follow me, so it weakens Putin's regime and his economy," he wrote.

☆ Putin's Russia 'has become a fascist state' and must be stopped in Ukraine, says ex-diplomat who defected after the invasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia "has become a fascist state," argues an ex-diplomat who resigned over the war in Ukraine. "The invasion of Ukraine made it impossible to deny just how brutal and repressive Russia had become," Bondarev wrote. "The war," he continued, "shows that Russia is no longer just dictatorial and aggressive; it has become a fascist state." "The sanctions suddenly cut off our access to these products and left our military weaker than the West understood," Bondarev wrote. "There's only one thing that can really stop Putin," Bondarev wrote, "and that is a comprehensive rout."

☆ Russia faces turmoil, says former diplomat who resigned over war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In a 6,500 word critique of Putin's Russia, Bondarev said the state was infested by sycophantic "yes men" who repeated the Kremlin's line, allowing Putin to make crucial decisions in an echo chamber of his own propaganda. "It’s entirely possible his successor will try to carry on the war, especially given that Putin’s main advisers hail from the security services. But no one in Russia commands his stature, so the country would likely enter a period of political turbulence. The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Bondarev's article. "Russians might unify behind an even more belligerent leader than Putin, provoking a civil war, more outside aggression, or both," he said.

☆ Thomas Pickering discusses domestic opposition in Putin's Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDomestic opposition to Putin is the result of 'a lot of poor performance': Former U.S. ambassadorThomas Pickering, vice-chair at Hills & Company and former U.S. ambassador, says it appears "there's enough domestic opposition to register some real uncertainty about his continued … omnipotent dominance of the Russian scene," but that doesn't forecast "immediate change."

☆ The wild life of Ksenia Sobchak, Putin's rumored god-daughter and former presidential candidate who dramatically fled Russia
▼ + stars: | 2018-03-18 | by ( Michal Kranz | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

TV host, actress, socialite , and former presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak — who is rumored to be the goddaughter of President Vladimir Putin — has fled Russia for Lithuania. Her family ties with Putin go back to before she was born, when her father helped him enter national politics. And when she transformed herself from glamorous socialite and TV star to progressive politician, Putin made no attempt to stop her. "She has always got away with stuff, and it's always been understood that Putin's presidential administration made sure she didn't get into too much trouble," Dr Jade McGlynn, a Russia-focused researcher at the University of Oxford told Insider. Here's how Sobchak went from pop culture darling, to liberal opposition figure, to a fugitive of Putin's Russia.

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