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☆ Construction progresses at Russian plant for Iranian drones - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The White House, the Russian embassy and Iran's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The report said a mid-September satellite image showed that new construction at the plant "directly" correlated with a leaked building floor plan that the Washington Post shared with the institute earlier this year. The satellite image also showed the construction of other structures and new security perimeters with checkpoints, the report said. Alabuga JSC is 66 percent owned by the federal government and 34 percent by the republic, the report said. The White House in June said Russia and Iran appeared to be deepening their defense cooperation and that in addition to supplying drones, Tehran was working with Moscow to produce Iranian drones in Alabuga.

Persons: Nuzhnenko, Iran's, Volodymr Zelenskiy, Jonathan Landay, Sandra Maler Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, REUTERS, Rights, JSC Alabuga, Institute for Science, International Security, Washington Post, Sunday, Alabuga JSC, House, Thomson Locations: Avdiivka, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Radio Free Europe, Russia, Moscow, United States, Russian, ., Washington, Tartarstan Republic, Iran, Tehran

☆ Billionaire FBI informant Peter Thiel dished about two Kremlin invites to private Putin meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Hans-Martin Tillack | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

It was Angermayer who introduced Bisslinger to Thiel at the party, Thiel would later tell the FBI. After some small talk, Bisslinger made a pitch to Thiel: Thiel should travel to Russia to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. If Thiel chose to attend, Bisslinger said, Bisslinger would arrange for him to meet privately with Putin. "Even if Mr. Angermayer did introduce Mr. Thiel and Mr. Bisslinger," the lawyers wrote in another letter, "Mr. Angermayer is not—and cannot be—responsible for whatever Mr. Bisslinger and Mr. Thiel may or may not have discussed." At his 40th birthday, he connected Peter Thiel with a Russian diplomat, Thiel later told the FBI.

Persons: Peter Thiel, Christian Angermayer, Thiel, Daniil Bisslinger, Bisslinger, Vladimir Putin's, Angermayer, Putin, Maksim Konstantinov, —, Frank Figliuzzi, Vladimir Putin, — Charles Johnson —, Johnathan Buma, Johnson, Welt, Dmitry Peskov, John Lamparski, Donald Trump, — Thiel, Der Spiegel, he'd, Elon Musk, Musk, Thiel —, he's, Palantir, He's, Uma Thurman, Robbie Williams, Queen Latifah, Paul Kagame, Dan McCrum, John Kerry, Richard Grenell, Kerry, Sensei Biotherapeutics, Trump, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Maureen Dowd, Alexander Schütz, Eva Schütz, Schütz, — Heinz, Christian Strache, Markus Braun, Jan Marsalek, Marsalek, Caroline Haskins, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Mattathias Schwartz, Hans, Martin Tillack Organizations: Kremlin, Tech, Pentagon, CIA, Facebook, SpaceX, Kremlin's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Embassy, Thiel, St ., Economic, Getty, FBI, Atlantic, Bisslinger, Germany, Elon, Russia, NSA, US Special Operations Command, National Health Service, Apeiron Investment, Munich Security, intel, Trump, State Department, Angermayer's, PayPal, Nasdaq, Sciences, The New York Times, Deutsche Bank, Welt Locations: Silicon Valley, Schloss Neuwaldegg, Vienna, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Berlin, Russia, St, St . Petersburg, Petersburg, Ukraine, Europe, Germany, NATO, Crimea, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Palantir, Washington, Rwanda, Baltic, Belarus, Iran, Angermayer's Malta, Munich, China, China's, Austrian, Austria, Exxpress, Wirecard, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ France Accuses Russia of 'Online Meddling' Over Stars of David Graffiti in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - France on Thursday blamed a Russian disinformation campaign for amplifying on social media graffiti of Stars of David that appeared in Paris earlier this week. The Foreign Ministry said Recent Reliable News/Doppelganger is a Russian propaganda network that "artificially inflated" and published on social media pictures of the graffiti. "This new operation of Russian online meddling against France reflects a persisting opportunistic and irresponsible strategy of using international crises to create confusion and tensions in the public debate in France and in Europe," the ministry said a statement. Some 60 Stars of David were discovered daubed on walls in Paris on Oct. 31. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris; additional reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

Persons: David, Paris, Dominique Vidalon, Ron Popeski, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: PARIS, Foreign Ministry, daubing Locations: France, Paris, Russian, Europe, Russia, Israel

☆ France accuses Russia of 'online meddling' over Stars of David graffiti in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 9 (Reuters) - France on Thursday blamed a Russian disinformation campaign for amplifying on social media graffiti of Stars of David that appeared in Paris earlier this week. The Foreign Ministry said Recent Reliable News/Doppelganger is a Russian propaganda network that "artificially inflated" and published on social media pictures of the graffiti. "This new operation of Russian online meddling against France reflects a persisting opportunistic and irresponsible strategy of using international crises to create confusion and tensions in the public debate in France and in Europe," the ministry said a statement. Some 60 Stars of David were discovered daubed on walls in Paris on Oct. 31. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris; additional reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David, Paris, Dominique Vidalon, Ron Popeski, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Foreign Ministry, daubing, Thomson Locations: France, Paris, Russian, Europe, Russia, Israel

REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The United States has information that the Russian military is executing soldiers who do not follow orders related to the war with Ukraine, the White House said on Thursday. "We have information that the Russian military has been actually executing soldiers who refuse to follow orders," White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. Russia's ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, in a comment on the Telegram messaging app, made no reference to the White House allegations. The United States has strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has been providing significant aid to Kyiv. "I think it's a symptom of ... how poorly Russia's military leaders know they're doing and how bad they have handled this from a military perspective," he said.

Persons: Alexey Pavlishak, John Kirby, Kirby, Anatoly Antonov, Antonov, Russia's, Steve Holland, Jeff Mason, Ronald Popeski, Arshad Mohammed, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, Kremlin, Antonov, Thomson Locations: Simferopol, Crimea, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Washington, U.S, Ukrainian, Avdiivka

[1/4] Vehicles of Russian state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today (RT) are seen near the Red Square in central Moscow, Russia June 15, 2018. Russia "utilizes both overt and covert mechanisms, including influence networks and proxies managed" by Russian spy services, the report said. As an example, it continued, Russia's FSB security service secretly worked to intimidate election workers, organize election day protests and "sabotage overseas voting" in an unnamed European country's 2020 election. Russia also used social media platforms and "proxy websites" to sow doubts about the integrity of elections, it said. The report recommended that countries work to mitigate Russian election interference through sanctions, information sharing, expulsions of Russian spies and travel bans.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Washington, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Jonathan Landay, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Russia, REUTERS, Rights, State Department, Ukraine, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, U.S, Russian, Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Washington, East, South America, China

TOKYO (AP) — Japan criticized Russia's announcement that it's joining China in banning the imports of Japanese seafood in response to the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant. China immediately banned all imports of Japanese seafood the day the release began in August, badly hurting Japanese seafood producers and exporters. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said its senior officials notified the Russian Embassy in Tokyo that Japan has been providing transparent and scientific explanations about safety of the treated water release from the Fukushima plant and Japanese seafood. “Japan continues to seek actions based on science.”The plant’s first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. During that release, TEPCO said it discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks.

Persons: —, ”, “ Organizations: TOKYO, Japanese Foreign Ministry, Russian Embassy, TEPCO, International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: — Japan, China, Russia, South Korea, Russian, Tokyo, Japan, “ Japan, Canada

☆ Russia is using bags of cash and diamonds to avoid sanctions and fund its weapons program, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia is using illicit cash channels to fund covert activities, analysts say. Kremlin is exploiting gaps in sanctions laws, but also using older methods like cash and diamonds. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia is using covert financial networks to fund its purchases of banned weapons technology, getting round Western sanctions in the process, analysts told Insider. That money, he said, is then placed in accounts in countries such as Turkey and the UAE, where western sanctions are not closely enforced. Under Western sanctions, banks must investigate suspicious transactions to make sure they're not being used to circumvent sanctions.

Persons: —, Pavlo Verkhniatskyi, Verkhniatskyi, Banks, David Lewis, Russia Verkhniatskyi, FATF Organizations: Service, International, University of Exeter, Force Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Turkey, UAE, Kazakhstan, Armenia, North Korea, Iran, Myanmar

☆ US expels two Russian embassy officials -State Dept
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The United States has expelled two Russian embassy officials after Russia earlier expelled two U.S. diplomats from the American embassy in Moscow, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. "In response to the Russian Federation's specious expulsion of two U.S. Embassy Moscow diplomats, the State Department reciprocated by declaring persona non grata two Russian Embassy officials operating in the United States," a State Department spokesman said. "The Department will not tolerate the Russian government's pattern of harassment of our diplomats," the spokesman said, adding that "unacceptable actions against our Embassy personnel in Moscow will have consequences." Russia said on Sept. 14 that it was expelling two U.S. diplomats whom it accused of working with a Russian national charged with collaborating with a foreign state. Relations between Moscow and Washington have plunged to their worst point in more than 60 years because of the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Washington, Simon Lewis, Ismail Shakil, Elaine Monaghan, Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson, Sandra Maler Organizations: United, U.S . State Department, Embassy, State Department, Relations, Thomson Locations: United States, Russia, Moscow, U.S, Embassy Moscow, Russian, Washington, Ukraine, The U.S

☆ Bangladesh gets first uranium shipment from Russia for nuclear power plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The south Asian country is building the first of two nuclear power plants in collaboration with Russian state-owned atomic company Rosatom. Ninety percent of the project is financed through a Russian loan repayable within 28 years with a 10-year grace period. "Today is a day of pride and joy for the people of Bangladesh," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said during a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Russian Embassy in Bangladesh called a "nuclear fuel delivery ceremony" in a Facebook post. Due to U.S. sanctions on Moscow, Bangladesh in December denied entry to a Russian ship carrying equipment for the plant. Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sheikh Hasina, Rafael Grossi, Sergei Lavrov, Ruma Paul, Richard Chang Organizations: Bangladeshi, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Russian Embassy, Thomson Locations: DHAKA, Bangladesh, Russian, U.S, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ The scandal over a standing ovation for a Nazi veteran is now raising questions about a cemetery monument in Canada that honors his Waffen SS unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The gaffe rekindled calls for a monument honoring his unit to be removed from a Canadian cemetery. Yaroslav Hunka served in the 14th Waffen SS Division, a voluntary unit of mostly Ukrainians. Now a monument honoring Hunka's unit in Oakville's St Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery is under fire again after his appearance made headlines. It was vandalized with graffiti in 2020, when someone spray-painted the words "Nazi war monument" on its face, reported The Ottawa Citizen. "The bottom line is that this unit, the 14th SS unit, were Nazis," B'nai Brith Canada leader Michael Mostyn told the outlet.

Persons: Yaroslav Hunka, —, Justin Trudeau, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dan Panneton, Simon Wiesenthal, David Marples, Michael Mostyn, Marples, Hunka Organizations: Waffen SS Division, Service, Grenadier Division, Waffen SS, Oakville's St Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Holocaust Studies, Canadian, Global, 14th SS Division, Ottawa Citizen, Russian Embassy, B'nai, Galicia Division, University of Alberta, BBC, 14th SS Locations: Nazi Germany, Nazi, Oakville's St Volodymyr, Toronto, Galicia, Russian, Ottawa, Canada, Russia, Eastern, Ukraine, Polish, Poland

☆ The Nagorno-Karabakh crisis raises serious questions for Russia — and the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The contested mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it has been under de-facto Armenian control since the early 1990s. It follows an abrupt 24-hour offensive by Azerbaijani forces on Tuesday that swiftly broke through ethnic Armenian lines, seized strategic positions and resulted in the surrender of separatist forces. Armenia, which has typically looked to Russia as a security guarantor, said Azerbaijan's military operation was an attempt to ethnically cleanse Nagorno-Karabakh, a charge Baku has denied. Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh accused Azerbaijan of violating a cease-fire agreement, with Reuters reporting gunfire could be heard in the region's capital on Thursday. Armenians attend a rally in Yerevan on September 21, 2023, following Azerbaijani military operations against Armenian separatist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Persons: Karen Minasyan, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Japaridze, Pashinyan, Karabakh, Kusa, Pashynian's Organizations: Government, Armenian, Afp, Getty, CNBC, Eurasia Group, Kremlin, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Ukrainian Institute, Russian Embassy Locations: Yerevan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus, South Caucasus, Russia, Baku, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, London

[1/2] Vehicles of Russian peacekeepers leaving Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region for Armenia pass an Armenian checkpoint on a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia September 22, 2023. Images of fleeing Armenians at Russia's own peacekeeping base at an airport in Nagorno-Karabakh have been harder for them to watch. But its handling of the Karabakh crisis has forced it into a blame game with Armenia and obliged it to defend its foreign policy in the region. It now accuses him of triggering the crisis by saying - after Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Karabakh in 2020 following Armenia's defeat in a 44-day war - that he recognised Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Baku has long argued that Karabakh falls within its own borders, but Karabakh Armenians wanted Pashinyan to recognise their independence and unify them with Armenia.

Persons: Irakli, Alexander Baunov, Russia's, Sergei Markov, Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Margarita Simonyan, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Armenian, Soviet, Carnegie, Karabakh, Protesters, Kremlin, Russian, Security Council, NATO, Thomson Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Kornidzor, Russia, Azerbaijan Moscow, Kabul, U.S, Afghanistan, Nagorno, Turkish, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Russian, America, Baku ., Yerevan, Baku, Pashinyan

The Russian flag flying outside la Maison Russe, or the Russian House, a cultural center in Bangui. As the Kremlin tries to get its arms around Wagner’s sprawling commercial network, what’s next for the group remains unclear. Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova (right) appears in the background of a photo of Prigozhin outside the Russian House last month. In three tents outside the center, Russian language classes were taking place, while Russian movies were being screened in a cinema room. “He was my friend, he was my best friend in front of all central African people,” he said of the late mercenary boss.

Persons: Central African Republic CNN —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin’s, ” Nathalia, –, ” Dukhan, Faustin, Masked Wagner, Maison, Dmitry Syty, ”, Syty, Prigozhin, Nafisa, Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova, Kiryanova, begrudgingly, Touadera, Vitali Perfilev, CNN’s, Fidèle, Gouandjika, “, Sebastian Shukla, ” Gouandjika, Putin, ’ Organizations: Central African, Central African Republic CNN, Central African Republic, Russe, Russian, Bangui . CNN, Kremlin, CNN, Wagner, European, European Union, United, Local, Sorbonne, Linguistic University, US, Russia’s Ministry of Defence, Ilyushin IL Locations: Bangui, Central, Central African Republic, la, Russian, Bangui ., Moscow, Russia, United States, Paris, Prigozhin

☆ Mexico president defends Russia participation in military parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador waves as he travels from Oaxaca to Veracruz on board the "Tren Transistmico" passenger train during its first test trip, in southern Mexico September 17, 2023. Ukraine's ambassador to Mexico, opposition politicians and critical media blasted the decision to allow a Russian unit to participate on Saturday, but Lopez Obrador said Mexico had allowed any country to join in. Lopez Obrador, a leftist, has sought to keep Mexico neutral in the war between Russia and Ukraine, at one point proposing peace talks. Ukraine's ambassador to Mexico, Oksana Dramaretska, said on X that the parade had been "sullied" by the participation of a Russian unit which she said was "stained with blood." "Long live the friendship between Mexico and Russia!," the Russian embassy said on X.

Persons: Andres Manuel Lopez, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Russia's, Oksana Dramaretska, Mr, Dramaretska, Daniel Ortega, Ortega, Xochitl Galvez, Valentine Hilaire, Raul Cortes Fernandez, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: Oaxaca, Veracruz, Mexico, MEXICO, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, Chile, China, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cuba, Nicaragua

☆ Ukraine war live updates: U.S. slams Russia’s ‘sham elections’ in occupied areas; Kyiv hits out at Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The West has sharply criticized elections taking place in occupied areas of Ukraine over the weekend, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken describing them as "nothing more than a propaganda exercise." Russian-installed authorities are holding elections in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The Kremlin is thought to be seeking to tighten its grip on the partly controlled territories it illegally annexed a year ago. The Russian embassy in the U.S. has reportedly defended the regional elections in occupied areas of Ukraine and accused Washington of meddling in its internal affairs. A Ukrainian official, meanwhile, slammed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for ordering his Starlink satellite communications network to be turned off near Crimea last year to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Tesla, Elon Musk Organizations: U.S, SpaceX Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, U.S, Washington, Crimea

☆ Russian generals can just 'withdraw their tanks' if they're worried about Ukraine's new depleted-uranium ammo, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A US official said: "If Russia has an issue with that, they can withdraw their tanks from Ukraine." The official was responding to Russia's complaints over the US announcement that it would send Ukraine tank rounds with depleted uranium. "If Russia has an issue with that, they can withdraw their tanks from Ukraine," they added. The Biden administration announced plans on Wednesday to give Ukraine 120 mm ammunition made from depleted uranium, alongside other weaponry. The UK has already sent Ukraine some of the ammunition for use in UK-supplied Challenger tanks, angering Russia.

Persons: it's, Biden, Jake Epstein, Al, John Kirby Organizations: US, Service, Politico, Abrams, UN, Street Journal, Challenger, National Security Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Washington

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Moscow slams U.S. supply of depleted uranium weapons to Kyiv; drones target more Russian cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Russian officials slammed the U.S.' decision to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium weapons, with one describing the move as a "criminal act." The Pentagon announced $175 million in additional security assistance for Kyiv on Wednesday that included depleted uranium ammunition for U.S.-made Abrams tanks. Top Russian officials lambasted the move, with the Russian Embassy to the U.S. saying it was "an indicator of inhumanity." Depleted uranium munitions are used by a number of countries, including the U.S. and U.K. — as well as Russia — as it's known for its high density and ability to penetrate heavy armored vehicles, making it highly effective against tanks. Despite Russia's protestations, military experts agree that Russia possesses and uses depleted uranium ammunition too although it's not known for sure whether they have used the weapons in Ukraine.

Persons: Abrams, it's Organizations: Pentagon, Kyiv, U.S, Russian Embassy, — Locations: U.S, Ukraine, Russian, Russia

A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. "North Korean threat actors may be capitalizing on the opportunity to conduct intelligence collection on Russian entities due to the country's focus on its war in Ukraine," the report said. North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment. North Korea has repeatedly been accused of deploying hackers against defense and diplomacy-related targets in South Korea, the United States and elsewhere. But allegations that Pyongyang is spying on its Russian allies are potentially more awkward as the countries draw closer amid the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Raphael Satter, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, Microsoft Corp, Microsoft, United Nations, Reuters, SentinelOne Inc, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Ukraine, Russian, Washington, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Pyongyang, East Asia, Beijing

☆ US to send controversial depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cezary Aszkielowicz/ Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Wednesday announced a new security assistance package worth up to $175 million for Ukraine, including depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks, the first time the U.S. is sending the controversial armor-piercing munitions to Kyiv. Reuters was first to report last week that the rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, would form part of a new military aid package for Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded in February 2022. Although Britain sent depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine earlier this year, this would be the first U.S. shipment of the ammunition and will likely stir controversy. Washington previously announced it would send cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite concerns over the dangers such weapons pose to civilians. The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.

Persons: Cezary, Wyborcza.pl, Antony Blinken's, Blinken, Washington, Costas Pitas, Mike Stone, Kanishka Singh, Ronald Popeski, Rami Ayyub, Eric Beech, Grant McCool Organizations: Abrams, REUTERS Acquire, Pentagon, Reuters, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, International Coalition, Thomson Locations: U.S, Szczecin, Poland, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Washington, United States

☆ US warns North Korea would ‘pay a price’ for any arms deal with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —US officials have warned North Korea it will “pay a price” if it strikes an arms deal with Russia, after saying that negotiations were “advancing” between the two nations. Sullivan did not elaborate on the potential repercussions for North Korea, which is already under United Nations and US sanctions imposed over Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction program. Kirby added that any potential new deals could include “multiple types of munitions” and raw materials from North Korea. The US and its allies are also concerned about the technology North Korea is seeking from Russia in return for weaponry, according to two US officials. North Korea is seeking technology that could advance its satellite and nuclear-powered submarine capabilities, officials said, which could significantly advance Pyongyang’s capabilities in areas the rogue regime has not fully developed.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, North Koreans –, they’re, ” Sullivan, Sergei Shoigu, Adrienne Watson, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, Jacquelyn Martin, ”, ’, Wagner, John Kirby, Kirby Organizations: CNN, House, United Nations, North Koreans, National Security Council, ”, North, New York Times, White House, AP, National Security, Korean Locations: North Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, Moscow, Ukraine, North Korean, Russian, Washington, Korea, ”, Iran, South Korea, Japan

Watson did not say when and where a potential meeting between Kim and Putin in Russia might take place. North Korea does not currently have any nuclear-powered submarines, according to an assessment from Nuclear Threat Initiative, a think-tank focused on reducing nuclear threats. Earlier this month, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia. Apart from North Korea, Russia has also received drones and artillery from Iran. These are our neighbors,” Shoigu told reporters, referring to North Korea by its official name.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, “, Kim Jong Un, Adrienne Watson, Watson, Kim, Putin, ”, Dmitry Peskov, John Kirby, Wagner, Kirby, ” Kirby, Biden, ” Shoigu, Xi Jinping, Li Zhanshu, China’s, Xi Organizations: CNN, North, National Security, ”, Russian, National Intelligence Service, ” CNN, Korean Central News Agency, Nuclear Threat Initiative, New York Times, Eastern Economic, US, Russian Defense, Democratic People’s, Economic, Communist Party, Group Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, North Korea, Pyongyang, Russian, Washington, Korea, North, Vladivostok, “, Iran, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, East, Beijing, India

☆ Russian military hackers take aim at Ukrainian soldiers’ battle plans, US and allies say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russian military hackers have been targeting Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices in a bid to steal sensitive battlefield information that could aid the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine, the US and its allies warned Thursday. The news shows how the struggle to control sensitive military data in cyberspace has been a key front in Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has encouraged a loose band of thousands of volunteer hackers to launch attacks on Russian assets in Ukraine and on Russian soil. Some analysts and US officials have attributed the relatively limited impact of Russian hacking – at least compared with the outsize expectation of Russian cyber prowess – during the war to the same disorganization that has plagued Russian kinetic operations. But the true scope and impacts of Russian cyber operations in Ukraine is very difficult to pin down in the fog of war, where both sides have incentive to exaggerate their successes.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, “, ”, John Hultquist, Hultquist, ” Paul Chichester, idly, Paul Nakasone Organizations: CNN, Google, Russian Embassy, Cyber Security, Pentagon, Command Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Russia’s, Washington ,, Russia, Ukrainian

☆ US accuses Russia of intimidation after ex-consulate worker charged with spying
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman uses her mobile phone in front of the Federal Security Service (FSB) building on Lubyanka Square in Moscow, Russia, June 24, 2023. The FSB said it planned to question U.S. embassy employees who were in contact with Shonov, who has been under arrest since May. "We strongly protest the Russian security services' attempts - furthered by Russia's state-controlled media - to intimidate and harass our employees," said Miller. The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Reuters; additional reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington; editing Mark Heinrich and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Moscow, Robert Shonov, Shonov, Matthew Miller, Washington, Miller, Simon Lewis, Mark Heinrich, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Federal Security Service, REUTERS, Washington, U.S . Consulate, State, U.S, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, U.S, Ukraine, Russian, Vladivostok, Washington

☆ Wagner channels say Russian arrested in Finland is top fighter with neo-Nazi background
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HELSINKI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Social media channels linked to Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries said on Friday a top fighter in one of the group's subunits had been detained in Finland at Ukraine's request. It is unclear how Petrovsky was able to enter Finland while under European Union sanctions. On Telegram, Rusich published part of what it said was the Ukrainian request for Petrovsky's arrest. Earlier on Friday, Russian state news agency RIA cited the Russian embassy in Helsinki as saying it was aware of the detention of a Russian citizen in Finland on Ukraine's request and was taking steps to offer consular assistance. Reporting by Felix Light in Tbilisi, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and Anne Kauranen in Helsinki; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yan Petrovsky, Petrovsky, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Rusich, Felix Light, Pavel Polityuk, Anne Kauranen, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: European Union, United, Nazi, European, Kremlin, Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, Thomson Locations: HELSINKI, Finland, United States, Ukraine, Norway, Russia, Vantaa, Helsinki, Russian, Tbilisi, Kyiv

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