DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ There's a thriving Russian black market for Elon Musk's Starlink terminals, with the tech being sent far beyond Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Starlink terminals are being widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported. AdvertisementThe Journal also reported that a similar black market is also thriving in Sudan, even though the terminals' use is not authorized there. AdvertisementIn early February, Musk pushed back on claims from Ukrainian military intelligence that the terminals were being systematically used by Russian forces in Ukraine. House Democrats have also pressured Musk to take action, saying Russian military use of the tech is "potentially in violation of US sanctions and export controls." Musk has long sought to limit Starlink's military use, stipulating in the technology's terms of service that it is intended for civilians only.

Persons: Elon Musk's, —, Vladimir Putin's, Musk, Mikhailo Fedorov, Starlink, Musk's Organizations: Street Journal, Service, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Rapid Support Forces, SpaceX, eBay, Democrats Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Crimea, Russia's, Dubai, Chad, South Sudan, Russian, Starlink

☆ Hungary’s Orban, a long-time Trump ally, rocked by major scandals ahead of European elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives to attend a European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 21, 2024. Sameer Al-doumy | Afp | Getty ImagesHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has run into political trouble ahead of European parliamentary elections in June, with his ruling party shaken by two political scandals within six weeks. Orban is a long-time ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump and widely seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest supporter in the European Union. The right-wing leader has led the central European country since 2010, making him the EU's longest-serving head of state. Yet two major scandals have recently rocked his dominance of Budapest's political landscape at a sensitive time when Hungary is poised to hold both local and European elections in early June.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Sameer Al, Orban, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin's, Peter Magyar, Janos Kummer, Zsuzsanna Vegh, Vegh, Magyar, Judit Varga —, Katalin Novak, Novak, Varga, William Shakespeare Organizations: Hungary's, EU, Afp, Getty, Hungarian, European Union, Eurasia Group, Fidesz, German Marshall Fund of, CNBC, Facebook, YouTube, Reuters, Lawyer Locations: Brussels, doumy, Hungary, Budapest, United States, Hungarian

☆ Meet the woman who engineered Russia's wartime economy and helped secure another term for Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russian central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina has played a key role in stabilizing Russia's sanctions-hit economy. It's also aimed at the woman behind him: Elvira Nabiullina, the country's central bank governor, who plays a chief role in keeping Russia's wartime economy ticking. At the time, she was the first woman to lead a Group of Eight, or G8, central bank. In 2015, Euromoney, a finance trade publication, named Nabiullina Central Bank Governor of the Year. In December, she issued a warning that Russia's economy was at risk of overheating.

Persons: Elvira Nabiullina, —, Putin, It's, Nabiullina, Daniel McDowell, McDowell, wined, Christine Lagarde, Nabiullina —, Richard Portes, Portes —, Portes, Anders Åslund, Åslund, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Yaroslav Kuzminov, Kuzminov, Nabiullina's, Alan Harvey, Herman Gref —, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Maxim Shemetov, Michel Camdessus, she's, isn't, Sergei Aleksashenko, Alexei Makarkin, Vladimir Pesnya, Nabiulina, let's Organizations: Ukraine, Service, Russian, KGB, Syracuse University, Kremlin, International Monetary Fund, US, London Business School, Moscow Times, Bloomberg, Higher School of Economics, —, Moscow State University, SNS, USSR, Industrial Union Board, Gref, Central Bank Governor, Nabiullina Central Bank Governor, Banker, Central Banker, IMF, Monetary Fund, Financial Times, Government, Political Technologies, Wall Street Journal, RBC, Politico Europe Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Brussels, Nabiullina, Swedish, Moscow, Ufa, Central Russia, Tatars, Crimea, Euromoney, Europe, steadying

☆ Pro-Navalny hackers accessed a database on Russian convicts, and lowered the price of prison shop food while they were there: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Anti-Putin hackers say they accessed a Russian prison network and stole data, CNN reported. The hackers told the outlet they sought information that could help them find out what happened to Navalny. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Navalny, Putin's only serious political rival, was serving a 19-year sentence at an Arctic penal colony when he died in harsh conditions at the prison on February 16. Hackers have been active on both sides of Putin's war with Ukraine, including multiple attacks by Russian hackers.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, —, Putin, Vladimir Putin's, Navalny, Joe Biden, Yulia Navalnaya Organizations: Putin, CNN, Service, Business Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian

☆ Russia could turn on Putin as the nation's economic strength wanes and sanctions keep tightening, economists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's economic strength is likely to wane this year, economists say. Putin's economic fantasyThe tailspin Sonnenfeld, Tian, and Guriev are predicting seems contradictory to what Russia is presenting on the surface. Russian inflation is also high, clocking in at 7.58%, according to data from Russia's economic ministry. Guriev doesn't believe Russia's economy will completely unravel, as central bankers will work hard to limit the damage. Advertisement"It's unlikely the Russian economy will spiral into a macroeconomic meltdown, and that the Russian political system will," he said.

Persons: Putin, Joe Biden, —, Vladimir Putin, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian, Tian, Trump's, Sergei Guriev, Sonnenfeld, he's, Guriev, Putin's Organizations: Service, Yale, London Business School, Russia Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Soviet

☆ Why Russian separatists called an exorcist when they discovered a Ukrainian POW was an evangelical Christian
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Viktor Cherniiavskyi said he was targeted because he was an evangelical Christian. AdvertisementA Ukrainian soldier said he was tortured by Russian separatists and forced to undergo an exorcism , partly because of his evangelical Christian faith. While serving as a volunteer in the city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, Cherniiavskyi said he was captured by Russian-aligned forces. Second, because I'm an evangelical Christian. "In reality, Russian society, and the Kremlin, to be more precise, hates any type of Christian denomination, bar the Orthodox Church," Cherniiavskyi said.

Persons: Viktor Cherniiavskyi, —, Cherniiavskyi, Vladimir Putin's, Putin's, NICHOLAS KAMM, Russia's, Pat Buchanan, Buchanan, Putin, Dmytro Smolienko, Pastor Dmitry Bodyu, Bodyu, Mykhailo Brytsyn, Evangelical Christians Melitopol, Pastor Brytsyn Organizations: Russia, Service, Putin's Russia, Getty, Russian Orthodox Church, Boston, Kremlin, Publishing, Atlantic Council, Reuters, Tavriski Christian Institute, Life, Russian, NBC, Dallas, Fort, Grace, Evangelical Christians, Freedom, Washington DC, Religious, Orthodox Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Luhansk, Ukraine, Moscow, South Carolina, Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Melitopol, Fort Worth, Washington, Kyiv

☆ Western air bases that host Ukraine's F-16s are 'legitimate' targets for Russia, says Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin said Western air bases hosting F-16 fighter jets will be "legitimate" targets. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin warned that Western air bases hosting F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine will be "legitimate" targets for the Kremlin's forces, according to The Associated Press. The AP noted that Western air bases may be used by Ukraine when it gets the jets, because they require high-standard runways and also protective hangars. Russia has a far superior air force to Ukraine, but Ukraine has been able to deny Russia from entering its air space through its use of air defense systems. But Ukraine is warning that its air defense munitions are running out, particularly with further aid from the US blocked by House Republicans.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Lockheed Martin, it's, Joakim Paasikivi Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Lockheed, US Air Force's, AP, NATO, House Republicans, Air Locations: Swedish, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Europe

☆ Foreign companies have lost over $100 billion in the process of leaving Russia since it started the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Foreign companies exiting Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have amassed losses of $107 billion. Despite thousands pledging to leave, only 372 companies have exited Russia since the war started. At that time, foreign companies leaving Russia had lost over $80 billion in the departure process. Thousands of foreign companies pledged to leave Russia after it started the war in Ukraine. Other than writedowns and lost revenue, departing foreign companies have also been paying huge fees to the Russian government.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Ian Massey Organizations: Service, Reuters, Washington, Moscow . Companies, Kyiv School of Economics, Companies, HSBC, Polymetal International, Kremlin, RBC Daily, Ikea Locations: Russia, Ukraine, writedowns, Moscow

☆ Much of Putin's inner circle thinks Ukraine had nothing to do with the Moscow terror attack, badly undermining him, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewMany Kremlin insiders disagree with President Vladimir Putin's claims that Ukraine may be connected to last Friday's terror attack in Moscow, Bloomberg reported. Ukraine has denied any connection to the attack, and no credible evidence has emerged for its involvement. Addressing the nation the day after the attack, Putin said that Ukraine had provided the attackers with an escape route at its border. Related storiesOn Monday, Putin switched to blaming ISIS-K for the attack, but continued to allude to a Ukrainian connection. AdvertisementAsked whether ISIS or Ukraine was responsible, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's security council, said it was Ukraine, adding later that there were "many" indications of Kyiv's involvement, per Reuters.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Alexandr Lukashenko, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Andrei Soldatov, Putin's Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Business, Crocus, Hall, ISIS, NPR, CNBC, Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Reuters, Islamic Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Moscow's, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, United States, Belarus, Russia, Russian, Islamic State

☆ Russia claimed the West, Kyiv ordered the Moscow terror attack. Now it has the problem of proving it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded Prosecutor General's Office meeting on March 26, 2024, in Moscow. An investigation into the attack is ongoing, but the latest, outlandish accusations give Moscow a problem: It now has to find the evidence to back up its unsubstantiated claims. What's particularly awkward for the Kremlin is that the Islamic State militant group has already claimed responsibility for the attack. Ukraine denies any involvement in the attack, saying it was "absolutely predictable" that Moscow would look to blame it. The White House said Ukraine had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack and that any claim to the contrary was "Kremlin propaganda."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It's, Andrius, Putin, David Cameron, concertgoers, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Karpukhin, Nikolai Patrushev —, —, Patrushev, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, Putin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Rachabalizoda, Barotovich, Muhammadsobir, Shamsidin Fariduni, Tatyana Makeyevaolga Maltseva, Max Hess Organizations: General's, Getty, Ukraine, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State, West, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian Security, AFP, Security, Islamic, RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign, U.S, Kremlin's, CNBC Wednesday, Institute for, Afp, Analysts, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, CIA Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Crocus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, Europe, Russian, U.S, Kyiv, Belarusian, Belarus, Basmanny, Soviet Union

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia says U.S. defended Kyiv too quickly after terror attack; Ukraine reshuffles security chiefs
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"As for whether it is possible to say 'one way or another': you can say it any way you want. But (...) while the investigation is underway, the official authorities cannot afford to do any statements on this matter," Peskov told reporters, news agency Interfax reported. "Although I recommend that you very carefully reread President Putin's statements that he made over the last two days. Russia has presented no evidence that there was any involvement by Ukraine and Kyiv itself vehemently denies any role in the deadly attack on concertgoers. Eight suspects, nationals of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, have been remanded in custody and charged with terrorism offenses ahead of trial.

Persons: Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Putin, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Getty, Kremlin, concertgoers Locations: Zaryadye, Basil's, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

☆ Ukraine is in a race to stop Russia's mounting glide-bomb attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Short flight times, small radar signatures, and non-ballistic trajectories make glide bombs particularly difficult to intercept as well. "When the Ukrainian air-defense bandwidth is all tied up, they then move in with the fixed-wing aircraft to conduct these glide-bomb attacks," he said. This includes the 1,100-pound FAB-500, 3,300-pound FAB-1500, and 6,600-pound FAB-3000 bombs — all of which can be modified and turned into glide bombs. "That makes the mission planning for attacks with standoff weapons that can hit fixed targets, like the glide bombs, quite practical," he explained. And it won't be entirely the fault of glide bombs — Kyiv needs all the tools its forces can get right now.

Persons: —, George Barros, Scott Peterson, they've, Alexander Ermochenko, Barros, Assad, Ivan Gavrylyuk, Justin Bronk, Su, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Bronk, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Alina Smutko, Ukraine doesn't Organizations: Service, Business, Institute for, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff, Handout, Royal United Services Institute, Victory Day, Getty, Archer Artillery, Roman, Getty Images, Patriot, Infantry Brigade, Armed Forces Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Petropavlivka, Avdiivka, Ukraine's Donetsk, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, AFP, Donetsk

☆ As Trump blasts NATO allies for not paying for defense, these front-line countries are readying for war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But as Russia's bloody war in Ukraine enters its third year, and the threat to NATO countries, particularly those on Russia's borders, grows, the Baltic states are investing in their defense more than ever. Shawn CooverThe talk came just on the heels of Trump's most recent attack on NATO members who he deems aren't paying their 'fair share." Last week, the former president said that he would keep the US in NATO should European countries pay and "play fair." He said the US "was paying 90% of NATO," and that without the US, NATO "literally doesn't even exist." "We've reinstated conscription, so we're building up our armed forces," an unpopular move that Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs is pushing other NATO members to do, too.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Margus Tsahkna, Vladimir Putin, Tsahkna, Shawn Coover, Trump, ALAIN JOCARD, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, isn't, Macron, Krišjānis Kariņš, Kariņš, Thomas Wiegold, We've, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Rinkēvičs Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Hudson Institute, Washington DC, Estonian, US Marine Corps, Staff, Getty, Latvian, Financial Times Locations: Ukraine, Baltic, Washington, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Russian, China, Europe, NATO, Poland, estonian, Rakvere, AFP, Baltics, France, Germany, Russia's, Greece, Belarus, Finland, Romania, Hungary

☆ In its latest terror response, Russia is no longer attempting to disguise the brutality of its state security
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Their state appeared designed to create an impression of aggression and brutality, showing the consequences of crossing the Russian authorities. Though the brutality of Russia's security services has long been known, never has it been so brazenly paraded, say analysts. "It was no secret that Russian security agencies torture people, mutilate suspected terrorists and generally practice all known ways of extracting information. AdvertisementThe abuse of terror suspects in Russia has been documented before. But the treatment of the Moscow terror suspects seems to mark a new milestone in the normalization of brutality by officials in Putin's Russia.

Persons: —, Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Dalerdzhon, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin, Vladimir Putin, Mirzoyev, Rajabalizoda, Fariduni, mutilate, Anton Barbashin, Akram Azimov, Abror, lionized, Andrei Soldatov, Russia's Wagner, Kenneth Roth Organizations: Service, Business, CNN, Nazi, RFE, Human Rights Watch, St, New York Times, UN, Moscow ISIS, Kremlin, Human Rights Locations: Moscow, Tajikistan, Russia, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Putin's Russia

☆ Russia's Black Sea Fleet is 'functionally inactive' after being pummeled hard by Ukraine, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The UK said Russia's Black Sea Fleet is 'functionally inactive' after Ukraine hit two of its ships. Ukraine claims to have taken out a third of Russia's navy in the waters through a series of attacks. AdvertisementThe UK's defense ministry declared Russia's Black Sea Fleet "functionally inactive" after Ukraine claimed to have struck another two of its ships. UK Defence Minister Grant Shapps wrote on Sunday that Ukrainian attacks are taking a "massive" toll on the Russian fleet, in a post that appeared to confirm a pair of strikes Ukraine announced on Sunday. "Russia has sailed the Black Sea since 1783 but is now forced to constrain its fleet to port," Shapps wrote.

Persons: Grant Shapps, —, Shapps Organizations: Ukraine, UK Defence, Service Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ Putin expected to use deadly Moscow attack to Russia's advantage, whoever's to blame
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

U.S. officials and defense experts agreed that it's highly likely that IS was responsible for the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that "what happened yesterday in Moscow is obviously just Putin and the other scum trying to blame it on someone else." Moscow openly rebuffed and ignored a warning from the U.S. earlier in March that "extremists" had "imminent plants" to attack large gatherings in Moscow. Law enforcement officers stand guard near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia. Just days before the attack, Putin instructed Russia's security services to focus their efforts on supporting Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Vladimir Putin's, Olga Maltseva, hasn't, Ukraine —, Putin, Ali Cura, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Maksim Blinov, Maximilian Hess, Hess, Putin's, Tatyana Makeyeva Organizations: Sputnik, Afp, Getty, Hall, Islamic State, Ukraine, West, Crocus City Hall, Anadolu, Russia's Security, NBC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Islamic Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Crocus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Basmanny, U.S, Chechen, Islamic State, Syria, Afghanistan

☆ Kyiv rebuffs Putin's claims that gunmen who killed 133 Russian concertgoers had links to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin linked Moscow concert hall attackers to Ukraine. At least 133 people were killed by gunmen, and 11 have suspects been detained, say Russian sources. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin claimed the gunmen who attacked a Moscow concert hall and killed 133 people had links to Ukraine, an allegation Kyiv completely rejected. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had earlier claimed a link between Ukraine and the gunmen in a statement, said Russian news agency TASS.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Putin, STRINGER, Hamid Karzai Organizations: Service, Crocus City, Russia's Federal Security Service, Putin, Main Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, Getty, Russia's, Islamic, Politico Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Crocus, Krasnogorsk, Russia's, Russian, Kyiv, Islamic State, Kabul

Theater CrisisAbout 40 Chechen militants on Oct. 23, 2002 stormed a Moscow theater where a popular musical was underway, taking some 850 people hostage and planting explosives in the auditorium. They demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya. Two days later, a severe explosion shook the building and Russian forces rushed in. A suicide bomber killed 41 people on a Moscow subway train in February 2004. Suicide bombings of two Moscow subway trains about 40 minutes apart in March 2010 killed about 40 people.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Friday's, Putin, Shamil Basayev Organizations: Crocus City Hall, Islamic, Officials, Federal Security Service, Public Transport, Air Transport, Moscow's Domodedovo, Islamic State Locations: Moscow, Crocus, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Ryazan, Russian, Chechen, Beslan, Volgograd, St, Petersburg, Moscow's

☆ A Russian district called an election recount after someone else got more votes than Putin, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A recount is underway in one Russian district after a Putin rival was recorded as having won more votes, per reports. AdvertisementAn election recount is underway in one Russian district after President Vladimir Putin failed to win the vote there, according to local reports. In fact, one of Putin's political rivals in the recent presidential election was recorded as gaining 10 times as many votes, reports said. Asked by the BBC ahead of the elections why he would be a better candidate than Putin, Kharitonov said: "It's not for me to say," adding: "That wouldn't be right." The reported vote recount wasn't the only reason Barnaul made the news.

Persons: Putin, Nikolai Kharitonov, —, Vladimir Putin, Meduza, effusively, ultranationalist Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Kharitonov, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Barnaul Organizations: Service, Communist Party, Kharitonov, Business, Russia's Central, BBC Locations: Barnaul, Altai, Ukraine, Russia's

☆ How Putin and Xi both bent their nations to their will to become presidents for life
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In the past decade, Putin and Xi have crushed what little remained of domestic opposition on their paths to absolute power. Advertisement"Both Putin and Xi's careers were forged as highly effective backroom operators forging relationships of dependency and patronage," he said. GREG BAKER via Getty ImagesDover said it would be a mistake to see Putin and Xi simply as dictators operating by arbitrary fiat. Both, he said, had built effective networks of loyalists capable of responding to crises and enacting their ambitious strategies to seize more global power. Xi and Putin bond over hatred of Western powerIt's on the global stage that the synergy between the leaders is of growing significance and growing alarm to Western leaders.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Putin, It's, Xi, Graeme Thompson, Robert Dover, Li, notionally, Korea's, GREG BAKER, Getty Images Dover, Xi's, Thompson Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, Eurasia Group, Hollywood, Getty, University of Hull, Communist Party, US, National People's, of, People, Getty Images, Central, Putin, Beijing Locations: China, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Hong Kong, Beijing, Dover, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Taiwan, Putin Russia, East Asia

☆ ‘Alarm bells are ringing’: Poland’s president says NATO must urgently ramp up defense spending
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks to members of the media following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesPolish President Andrzej Duda said Monday that NATO must urgently increase its defense spending to ensure it does not become the next target of a Russian attack. Duda said it was therefore more critical than ever to ramp up the alliance's military investment, describing his increased spending targets as "common sense." The Polish president, whose country shares a land border with Ukraine, has spearheaded calls to supply weapons to Kyiv since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion. During a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden last week, Duda called for NATO to raise its minimum military spending target to 3% of GDP to further strengthen the alliance's defenses.

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Joe Biden, Kevin Dietsch, Duda, Vladimir Putin, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Putin, it's Organizations: U.S, White, Getty, NATO, CNBC, Polish, U.S . House Locations: Washington , DC, Moscow, Ukraine, Poland, U.S, Sweden, Congress, Russia

☆ War, reforms and a possible successor? Here's what we could see from 6 more years of Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Analysts share their views on what we can expect now that Putin has strengthened his grip on power, with the Ukraine war, domestic economic reforms and a possible government reshuffle key factors to watch. Having cleared more of a procedural hurdle than a real test of his policies and popularity in the election, Putin will have more freedom to advance contentious reforms at home, analysts note. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivering an annual address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, at Moscow's Gostiny Dvor, in Moscow on Feb. 29, 2024. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JANUARY 8: (RUSSIA OUT) A woman eats hot corn while walking along the Red Square near the Kremlin, as air temperatures dropped to -18 degrees Celcius, January,8 2024, in Moscow, Russia. However, with the dynamics of the war now shifting in Russia's favor, Putin might feel more confident with the reshuffle.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, embolden Putin, Liam Peach, Jose Colon, Anton Siluanov, Tursa, Adeline Van Houtte, Donald Trump, Dmitry Peskov, Peach, he's, Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Lavrov, Mikhail Mishustin, Dmitry Medvedev, Gavriil Organizations: Afp, Getty, Kremlin, Commission, Analysts, U.S, Capital Economics, Anadolu, Anadolu Agency, Economist Intelligence Unit, Federal Assembly, Russian Federation, New, Putin, Security Council, Sputnik Locations: Crimea, Red, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Central, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Eastern Europe, Europe, U.S, Russia's, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

☆ Ukraine war updates: Western leaders slam Putin's election win as 'illegitimate'; Ukraine hit with new wave of drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the media at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on March 18, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin swept through the country's election over the weekend to secure a fifth term in power, claiming 87.97% of the vote in a contest with no real opposition. Western leaders condemned the poll as "illegitimate" and neither free nor fair, while Putin hailed the result and turnout as proof of his country's democracy. Ukraine's Air Force said it downed 17 out of 22 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones sent from Russia over a number of Ukrainian cities overnight. It reported that six people were injured and warned of further danger from ballistic missiles in the northeastern region of Kharkiv.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Putin, Ukraine's Air Force Locations: Moscow, Russian, Russia, Kharkiv

☆ Why the scale of Putin's landslide win matters so much
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As of 7 a.m. Moscow time on Monday, Putin has secured around 87% of the vote in the presidential election. This marks a record win for Putin, who took home 77% of the votes in 2018. His opponents — who are far from Putin's level of clout and influence — were pre-approved by Russia's election commission and posed no serious challenges to the incumbent leader. David Szakonyi, a political science professor at George Washington University, told Business Insider last week that voter turnout is an extremely important metric for Putin. AdvertisementTo be sure, there are other factors at play in Putin's victory besides Russia's strong economy.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, David Szakonyi, Szakonyi, Denis Volkov, Volkov, Alexei Navalny, Josef Stalin Organizations: Service, Business, George Washington University, Putin, Monetary Fund, Levada, New York Times, Times Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Basking in his Russian election win, Putin talks about political nemesis Alexei Navalny's 'sad' death for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin was upbeat after winning a fifth term in power in Russia's presidential election over the weekend. He chose the moment to make his first public remarks on the death of his political nemesis, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, mentioning his name for the first time in years. Navalny's family and supporters accused Putin of ordering Navalny's death. He also used the moment to make his first public comments on Navalny's death, and mentioning his most vocal critic's name for the first time in public in years. Putin won Russian presidential election with 87.97% of the vote, first official results showed Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, —, Laudator Ursula von der Leyen, Bambi, NBC's Keir Simmons, Navalny, Mr Navalny, Navalny's, Maria Pevchikh, airbrushing Organizations: Afp, Getty, Navalny, European Commission, Bavaria Film Studios, NBC, Russian, Moscow Times, Putin's, Ukraine, Reuters, Commission, Anadolu Locations: Russia, Moscow, U.S

Search resuls for: "Putin's"

25 mentions found