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☆ Ukraine may be cracking Russia's frontlines, but now it has to get Russian troops to crack as well
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But Russian troops have been fighting fiercely trenches behind extensive obstacles and minefields. Ukrainian troops have managed to penetrate the first of three Russian fortified belts in southern Ukraine, but for now, the Russian military hasn't cracked. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu exits a trench as he inspects troops in Ukraine in a photo released in December 2022. Russian troops are dug into elaborate trench systems shielded by millions of mines and supported by artillery and attack helicopters. Ukrainian troops work on a US-made Bradley armored vehicle at a secret workshop in the Zaporizhzhia region in July.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, George Patton —, Bradley, Ed Ram, France —, Alexey Malgavko, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Kyiv, Russian, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Royal United Services Institute, Washington, Getty, Sedan, REUTERS, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Nazi Germany, British, France, economize, Zaporizhzhia, American, Russia, Omsk, Forbes

☆ Ukrainian soldier says new Leopard tanks are better than old Soviet ones because the ammo doesn't explode, kill the crew, and blow the turret off if it takes a hit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine's armor arsenal was bolstered by Western tanks like the German-made Leopard ahead of the counteroffensive. A gunner with the 47th Mechanized Brigade says these vehicles are vastly superior to Soviet tanks. SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty ImagesWith Soviet-era tanks like the T-64 or later T-72 and T-80, crew survivability wasn't the highest priority. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesBeyond tanks, Ukrainian service members also speak very highly of Western-made protected mobility platforms, such as armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. Other Western vehicles, like the American-made Humvee, have also received praise from Ukrainian forces.

Persons: Vladyslav, it's, SERGEI SUPINSKY, Dogukan, Ukraine Ed Ram, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds Organizations: 47th Mechanized Brigade, Service, 47th Mechanized, Strategic Communications, 2A6, —, Getty, Anadolu Agency, ABC News, Bradley, Washington, Britain's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Soviet, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russian, Skybyn, Kyiv, AFP, Peremoha, Brovary, Zaporizhzhia Region

☆ A 91-year-old Ukrainian woman who fled Russians twice in her lifetime cursed 'Putin's bastards' for ruining her final years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An elderly Ukrainian woman recounted her experiences fleeing Russian invaders twice before she died. Kateryna Lihusha told The Wall Street Journal that she first fled home as a baby in 1932. Before she died, Lihusha was among the millions of Ukrainians who were displaced by the war and are now scattered throughout Europe and beyond. The first time Lihusha fled Russian invaders was as a baby in her mother's arms in 1932, the Journal reported. Lihusha died a year later of kidney disease.

Persons: Kateryna Lihusha, Lihusha, Vladimir Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, lambasting Putin, Lihusha's, Valentyna Pryshchepa Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Service, Wall Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Europe, Poland, Ukrainian, Horlivka, Soviet Union, Kyiv

☆ Some of Ukraine's Western-made vehicles are getting 'killed' on the battlefield, but it's not as much of a win for Russia's forces as it was
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has lost protected mobility vehicles in its counteroffensive, including some Western-made vehicles. Because Western vehicle design prioritizes survivability, Ukraine's crews are surviving hard hits. Western vehicles are ensuring those troops survive even the brutal front-line combat of the ongoing counteroffensive. AdvertisementAdvertisement"While Western-supplied protected mobility may be doing a good job at enabling their dismounts to survive," Watling and Reynolds wrote, "there is still a high loss rate of platforms." In their new report, Watling and Reynolds argue that "Ukraine's international partners need to ensure that the industrial support is available to make the Ukrainian military sustainable."

Persons: wasn't, Bradley, SAMEER AL, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, Watling, Reynolds, Ed Ram, Getty Images Watling Organizations: Service, Vehicles, Getty, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, West, Washington, ABC, —, Getty Images Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Wall, Silicon, AFP, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian

☆ 3 Bullets, 2 Wars, 1 Village
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | More About Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the spring of that year German forces counterattacked around Izium and the city of Kharkiv to the northwest. The Soviet and German forces arrayed against each other, on just a portion of World War II’s sprawling eastern front, involved hundreds of thousands of men more than the Ukrainian and Russian armies fighting today. The roughly two-week battle resulted in roughly 300,000 casualties on both sides and a crushing Soviet defeat. But World War II’s relevance is not just buried in the soil of Ukraine, it also serves as an undercurrent of Russia’s present-day invasion. He falsely claimed the country was overrun by the same type of adversaries millions of Soviet soldiers had died fighting during World War II, or what Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

Persons: ” Mr, Glantz, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Soviet, denazify Locations: Izium, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Germany

Col. Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine’s air force spokesman, believes that two squadrons, each of 12 planes, would begin to turn the tables. Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/ReutersBut the F-16 has never gone up against Russian air defenses in the real world. “Russian air defenses are very formidable.”Rapid trainingTraining programs are getting underway for the first batches of Ukrainian pilots – in Denmark, Romania and the United States. Ihnat says about 30 Ukrainian air force pilots have adequate English, the absolute minimum required to stand up two squadrons. The Ukrainian Air Force has long been working on improving and protecting airfields that would accommodate the F-16s.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Piroschka van de Wouw, Yurii, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mette Frederiksen, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix, ”, Mark Cancian, ” Ihnat, Oleksii Reznikov, Ihnat, Cancian, ” Cancian, James B, Hecker, ” Hecker, Frank Kendall, it’s, Mykola Oleshchuk, Su, Kendall, Biden Organizations: CNN, Air Force, Reuters, Denmark's, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Rapid, Reuters Ukrainian Defense, Ukrainian, Air Missiles, Radiation, CSIS, NATO, US, Accounting, US Air Force, US Air Forces Europe, SA, Ukrainian Air Force Locations: Danish, Russian, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Ukraine, Romania, United States, Greece, Israeli, Russia

☆ Opinion: India’s moon landing shines an uncomfortable light on Russia’s failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Opinion Leroy Chiao | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The milestone marks a huge accomplishment for its nascent space program, which has made steady progress over the years. China also boasts a human spaceflight program with an operational space station, including crew and cargo transport spacecraft. Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty ImagesIn the International Space Station (ISS) partnership, the US, Europe, Japan and Canada also continue to move forward with space exploration. Instead of expanding, its space program has been in decline for several years. The lamentable state of Moscow’s space program is just the latest confirmation of that.

Persons: Leroy Chiao, Yuri Gagarin, John F, Vladimir Putin, Putin, —, Luna, Indranil Mukherjee, Artemis, Jeff Bezos, Sergei Krikalev, Dmitry Rogozin, Nick Hague, ” Organizations: NASA, Russian Soyuz, International, CNN, Leroy Chiao CNN, Sputnik, Republicans, Russian Luna, Getty, Space, SpaceX, Soviet Union, ISS, Expedition, Space Shuttle, Twitter, Facebook, Progress, Soyuz, Luna Locations: Russian, what’s, India, Delhi, Soviet Union, United States, Moscow, Russia, America, Ukraine, Asia, China, Mumbai, US, Europe, Japan, Canada, West, Soviet, Columbia

☆ Opinion: Russia’s uneasy neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“All of Russia’s neighbors are under threat,” he said, “if Ukraine does not prevail.” He will find few who disagree among those neighbors. It’s why Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of the most eloquent proponents of the need to support Ukraine, says Ukraine is Estonia’s own front line. Here, the exterior of Russia’s embassy has become a showcase for the contempt Estonians feel for their former master. As in Estonia, Russia’s 21st century assault on Ukraine brought echoes of Russia’s 20th century subjugation of Latvia. Genuine normalcy, a permanent sense of safety, Russia’s neighbors have discovered, will have to wait until peace returns to a secure Ukraine.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Latvia CNN —, it’s, Lithuania —, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Vladimir, Putin, Raivis, “, It’s, Kaja Kallas, Michal Fludra, Ukraine —, ” Janis Melnikovs, Radio Maria, Melnikovs, there’s, Russia —, Toomas, Margit Raud, Margit, —, Galina Domenikovska, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Russia’s Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Latvia CNN, Frida Ghitis CNN, Estonian, Russian Embassy, Ukraine Independence, NATO, Catholic, Radio, Ukraine, Kremlin, People Fleeing, Authorities, Soviet Army, Twitter Locations: Riga, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, Netherlands, Soviet Union, Tallinn, Estonian, Finland, Helsinki, People Fleeing Ukraine, Viru, Baltics, Russia’s, Baltic, Republic of Georgia, Crimean

☆ Paris 2024: The war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending. That leaves a dark cloud over the Olympic Games
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Kharlan’s disqualification threw into sharp relief the political and organizational jeopardy that France and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing ahead of the Games. So far, no decision has been taken on Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The opening ceremony is already uniquely French in nature with the Games set to be centered around the Seine, the river running through the city. Organizers also say that the Paris Games “finance themselves,” claiming that 96% of the budget comes from private investment. Next year’s Olympic Games are set to start on July 26 and run until August 11.

Persons: Olga Kharlan, Anna Smirnova, Kharlan’s, Thomas Bach, Russia’s, Smirnova, Russian Anna Smirnova, Ukraine's Olga Kharlan, Tibor Illyes, ” Bach, “, ” Edwin Moses, Nawal El Moutawakel, CNN’s Amanda Davies, Jimmy Carter, ”, Moses, AP El, Emmanuel Macron, Geoffroy Van Der, Tony Estanguet, CNN’s Melissa Bell, “ It’s, Denis the, aren’t, Jimmy Gressier, Tullio M, Estanguet, Shelly, Ann Fraser, Pryce, ” Fraser, Fabrice Coffrini, Katie Ledecky, Ariarne Titmus, Summer McIntosh Organizations: CNN, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Belarusian Olympic, Olympic, US Olympic, USA, US State Department, United, AP, AP El Moutawakel, Games, Eastern Bloc, Getty, Paris, FIFA, Stade de France, UEFA, League, Stade de France –, de Police, BFMTV, RMC Sport, CNN Sport, Paris Games, Paralympic, Paralympic Games Locations: Paris, Ukrainian, France, Ukraine, Belarusian, Russia, Milan, Russian, Soviet, Afghanistan, Morocco, United States, Soviet Union, Los Angeles , California, –, Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt, AFP, Saint, Puglia, Lausanne, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Seine

☆ China is showing up big for Russia but a Cold War historian says Putin is making a 'potentially grave error' and shouldn't expect the lifeline to last
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China has been a key ally and crucial trade partner to Russia during the war in Ukraine. Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko argued in a New York Times op-ed that it's unwise for Putin to rely on China. Radchenko said history shows China will flip on allies as needed if it's to their benefit. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have boasted about their "no limits" friendship, driven in part by a desire to curb US power. Some have argued that, at least for now, China may need Russia too.

Persons: Sergey Radchenko, Putin, Radchenko, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mao Zedong, Jonathan Ward, Insider's Tom Porter Organizations: New York Times, Service, Kremlin, Politico, Johns Hopkins University, The New York Times, Communist, USSR, Communist Party, Atlas Group Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, Cold, Wall, Silicon, West . China, Soviet Union, United States

CNN —One fighter was shot twice, sent from the hospital back to the front, where he drank melted snow to live. Forced to assault Ukrainian positions repeatedly, until a grenade blinded him. CNN also spoke to a rare survivor of the Storm-Z units, Sergei – who was first interviewed by phone in a military hospital months earlier and last week recounted the savage and deteriorating life in the Russian trenches. While the appalling fighting conditions are well known, much Russian testimony is from prisoners of war, and provided through Ukrainian facilitators. Sergei recalls the quotidian horrors of the Russian trenches.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Andrei, Sergei –, Sergei, CNN Sergei, amputees, ” Sergei, ”, “, Don’t, Yulia, ” Andrei, CNN Yulia, Andrei messaged, Putin, ‘, ‘ we’re, ’, ” Yulia sobbed Organizations: CNN, Nazis, Russian Ministry of Defense, Kremlin, Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Red Square, Ukraine, Russia

☆ A storied cathedral protected by the UN in Ukraine's key port city of Odesa has now been bombed twice — once by Putin and once by Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian missile strike clobbered a Ukrainian cathedral in Odesa, killing one and injuring 19. The strike in the port city of Odesa early Sunday morning left one dead and injured 19 others. Photos from Reuters showed the devastation in the Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral — also known as the Transfiguration Cathedral — which is Odesa's largest church building. An interior view shows the Transfiguration Cathedral damaged during a Russian missile strike on Odesa, Ukraine. The destruction of the key port city is a tactic, according to Oleksiy Honcharenko, a Ukrainian MP from Odesa.

Persons: Joseph Stalin, Oleh Kiper, —, Nina Liashonok, Andriy Palchuk, Palchuk, Oleksiy, Odesa, Honcharenko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Russian, UNESCO, Service, Ukrainian, Reuters, Guardian, Twitter, Odesa Locations: Ukrainian, Odesa, Soviet, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Preobrazhenskyi, Ukraine

☆ Russia and Iran's 'unprecedented' military ties worried the US, but it's starting to look like Russia can't hold up its end of the deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iran has supported Russia by providing it with arms to use in Ukraine. Kirby said "support is flowing both ways," with Moscow providing Tehran "an unprecedented level of military and technical support." As part of this burgeoning partnership, Iran expected to receive an unspecified number of Russian Su-35 jets, along with helicopters and even advanced S-400 air-defense systems. REUTERS/FARS NEWS/Ali ShayeganWhile Iran has never armed Russia to the extent it has in recent months, Moscow has sold Tehran considerable military hardware in the past. Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history.

Persons: John Kirby, Kirby, Russian Su, Saeed Azimi, Hassan Rouhani, Azimi, Putin, Alexei Nikolsky, Abu, Russia's, Richard Moore, Ali Shayegan, haven't, Tehran weren't, Iranian Su, ATTA KENARE, Moore, William Burns, Burns, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, National Security, Iranian MiG, Army Day, REUTERS, Sputnik, Gulf Cooperation Council, United Arab, GCC, Intelligence Service, Tehran, Soviet Union, Getty, UN, CIA Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Tehran, Wall, Silicon, Iranian, Egypt, Aktau, Kazakhstan, Kremlin, United Arab Emirates, Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, Persian, Hormuz, British, UAE, FARS, Iraq, Soviet, Islamic Republic, AFP

☆ After Ukraine's success with US-made HIMARS, European militaries are looking for their own rocket artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Other European countries are pursuing their own rocket artillery, buying HIMARS or building new systems. Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesMultiple launch rocket systems have been around since World War II, when the legendary Soviet Katyusha battered Nazi forces. But Russia adapted and moved its command and supply centers out of HIMARS range, though at the price of compromising some efficiency. Rocket artillery can't replace howitzers, which offer some advantages, such as the ability to fire barrages continuously for hours. Still, rocket artillery is certain to join howitzers as the backbone of Western artillery.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, HIMARS, PATRIK STOLLARZ, Biden, ATACMS, salvoes, Jakub Porzycki Organizations: Russia, Service, Rheinmetall, Defense News, Lockheed, Getty, US State Department, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Ukraine, Storm, Nazi, Anadolu Agency, Russian, GPS Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Germany, Munster, AFP, Poland, France, Soviet, Warsaw, Russia

☆ Opinion: In tough times, Russia turns to a Cold War comrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Opinion Jeremi Suri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —After decades of somewhat distant relations, Russia and Cuba are working closely together again — this time, as part of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez, and Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, meet in Havana on April 20, in a show of deepening ties between the countries. In addition to deepened connections with Russia, Cuba has allowed China to build a secret espionage facility on the island. Washington will respond to Russian military escalation in Cuba with its own escalating force, as it already has done with the recent deployment of a nuclear submarine. Military escalation around Cuba is a dangerous temptation for Russia and a difficult trap for the US.

Persons: Jeremi Suri, Mack Brown, America’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Jeremi Suri Korey Howell, Nikolai Patrushev, Igor Sechin, Rosneft, Sergey Lavrov, —, Manuel Marrero Cruz, Putin, Alvaro Lopéz Miera, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, ” Shoigu, ”, Gerardo Peñalver, Bruno Rodriguez, Ramon Espinosa, Miguel Diaz, Canel, Obama, White, Nikita Khrushchev, John F, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Biden, — Khrushchev Organizations: Leadership, Global Affairs, University of Texas, History Department, LBJ School, Democracy, CNN, Russian Security Council, Cuban, Russian, Cuba's, Foreign Affairs, Russian Foreign, Getty Images, year’s, Russian Navy, Caribbean Military, Trump, Biden, Soviets, Pentagon, US, USS, Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, US Navy, West, Washington, Hulton, Getty, White, Republican, Russia, Ukraine, Twitter, Cuban Missile Locations: Austin, Russia, Cuba, Ukraine, Russian, Havana ., — Venezuela, Nicaragua, Moscow, Caribbean, Washington, Havana, Getty Images Cuba, America, China, Lourdes, USS Pasadena, Guantanamo, American, Soviet, West Berlin, Europe, Putin, Florida, Afghanistan, Turkey

☆ Ukraine may be close to surpassing Russia in active tank numbers, but Russia has a near endless supply of Soviet tanks in storage, military experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But Russia has a near indefinite supply of older tanks to replace its losses, military experts said. Ukraine's tanks, however, give the country a qualitative edge. The most recent estimates from Bloomberg put Ukraine's tank count at 1,500 active tanks compared to approximately 1,400 for Russia. It's unclear how many tanks Russia has already pulled from storage, as well as how many vehicles it has in storage to keep drawing upon. "Ukraine's tank fleet probably has as much combat power as the Russians," Cancian said.

Persons: Mark Cancian, Cancian, it's, Mick Ryan, —, Ryan, aren't Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Bloomberg, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Soviets, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, Studies, Australian Army, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian

☆ If Biden Wanted to Ease U.S.-China Tensions, Would Americans Let Him?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Ian Prasad Philbrick | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Americans still worry more about terrorism and other foreign policy issues than about China. “That’s percolated into the general public,” said Richard Herrmann, an Ohio State University professor who studies international relations and public opinion. A feedback loopSouring public opinion, in turn, may worsen U.S.-China relations. That might seem surprising; most Americans don’t pay that much attention to foreign policy, which is typically far removed from their daily lives. And once public opinion on a foreign policy issue calcifies, as it increasingly has on China, political leaders often pay attention to it.

Persons: ” —, Biden, ”, Richard Herrmann, Dina Smeltz, ” Joshua Kertzer Organizations: Soviets, Ohio State University, Chicago Council, Global Affairs, Democrats Locations: China, U.S, Taiwan, Washington, Harvard

☆ China is looking all over the world for help building and flying its fighter jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet at RAF Coningsby in May. Daniel Duggan, a former US Marine Corps pilot, has been accused of violating the Arms Export Control Act by training Chinese military pilots. "Currently, Chinese jet engines can at best achieve one-fourth the life span of Western engines," the report says. To manufacture engines, China still needs to import complex machine tools, including equipment made in Germany, Japan, Italy, and South Korea. A J-20 stealth fighter jet at Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai in November.

Persons: —, Der Spiegel, Christopher Furlong, Daniel Duggan, Duggan, Chen Jimin, Deng Hua, John Paul Jones, walling, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Privacy, China, NATO, Taiwan, British Royal Air Force Eurofighter, Coningsby, US, Chinese headhunters, US Marine Corps, Western, China News Service, Getty, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Nations, Soviets, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: China, May, Australian, Zhuhai, US, Germany, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Xinhua, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire, Hungarian, Russia, Russian, Nazi, Forbes

☆ During the last attempted coup in Russia, ballet dancers alerted citizens of the turmoil. As the Wagner mercenary boss turns on the Russian military, Tchaikovsky's swans may dance again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On Friday a new attack on the Russian military began, led by Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. But instead of Yanayev taking control, one of Gorbachev's political rivals, Boris Yeltsin, urged the Soviets to resist the attempted coup and fight back. Three protesters died in a tense, three-day standoff against the army, but Yanayev and the others behind the attempted coup eventually relented. On Friday, Prigozhin appeared to openly declare taking up arms against the Russian military. The infighting between the mercenary leader and the Russian military comes after months of Prigozhin feuding with Putin over the treatment of his for-hire army.

Persons: Swan, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Leonid Brezhnev, Gennady Yanayev, Mikhail Gorbachev, Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, Putin, Prigozhin, Russia's, Prigozhin's, GeoConfirmed Organizations: Swan Lake, Russian, Service, NPR, Soviet Union's Communist Party, Treaty, Wagner Group, Wagner Locations: Russia, Soviet, Moscow, Russian, Swan, USSR

☆ Opinion: What Putin must be dreading
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a speech Saturday condemning the mutiny by the Wagner group, comparing the uprising to the events sparked by Russia’s 1917 revolution. Putin claimed that the Russians were stabbed “in the back” by nameless enemies towards the end of World War I, which he said is why the Russians lost that war and that in turn led to “a civil war” in Russia, Putin said. The Russians were not stabbed in the back during World War I, as Putin suggested during his remarks on Saturday. During the 1917 revolution, a Marxist party known as the Bolsheviks seized power. A year later, Nicholas II and other members of the ruling Romanov family ended up on the wrong end of a firing squad.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Peter Bergen ”, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, “, Nicholas II, Romanov, Josef Stalin’s, Mark Twain, Putin doesn’t Organizations: CNN, New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Peter Bergen CNN, Communist, Russo, Marxist, Communist Party, KGB, Soviet, Twitter, Facebook Military, Romanovs Locations: New America, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Soviet Union, Dresden, East Germany, Afghanistan, Japanese, Soviet

☆ Russian troops still build battlefield defenses like they did in World War II, and it's one of their rare successes in Ukraine, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russian troops have spent the past several months constructing intricate fortifications in Ukraine. Ukrainian troops now have the tough task of fighting their way through those trenches and barriers. Current Russian fortification doctrine has seen "little methodological change" since the Cold War, according to the RUSI report. BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty ImagesClearing minefields is difficult because Russian mines have multiple triggers and anti-tampering devices. In addition, Russia did not sign the 1997 Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, which has allowed its forces to "freely utilize victim-initiated" anti-personnel mines, RUSI said.

Persons: —, Doce, BEN STANSALL, Ukraine isn't, Dominika Zarzycka, RUSI, Obama, Trump, Biden, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Red Army, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Technologies, Russian, REUTERS, Bradley, Getty, US, Pentagon, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Stalingrad, Velyka Blahovischenka, Kherson Oblast, Russia, Luhansk, Crimea, Posad, Kherson, Ukrainian, England, AFP, Russian, Finland, Nemishaieve, Bucha, Ottawa, North, South Korea, Forbes

☆ Canada just seized one of Russia's dwindling supply of massive heavy-lift cargo planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The aircraft was an Antonov An-124, one of the biggest transport aircraft in the world. It was one of the few heavy-lift transport aircraft that Russia's military still has in operation. This month, Canada confiscated an Antonov An-124, one of the biggest transport aircraft in the world. Soon afterward, Canada closed its airspace to Russian aircraft in response to Moscow's attack on Ukraine on February 24. A Volga Dnepr Airlines Antonov An-124 grounded at Canada's Pearson International Airport in May 2022.

Persons: Antonov, —, Canada's, Steve Russell, Putin's, Ruslan Kaniuka, Jan Woitas, Antonov —, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Pearson Airport, Volga Dnepr, Volga Dnepr Airlines Antonov, Canada's Pearson International Airport, Toronto Star, Getty, Wall Street, Dnepr Airlines LLC, Dnepr Group, Canada, Crown, Government, Kyiv, Antonov, Publishing, Soviet, Royal United Services Institute, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russian Air Force, NASA, SpaceX, NATO, Soviets, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Canada, Russian, Toronto, Ukraine, Volga Dnepr Airlines, Volga, Hostomel, Soviet, British, Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukrainian, Crimea, Forbes

☆ US sends stealth F-22 Raptors to deter 'unsafe' Russian pilots stirring up trouble in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military has deployed F-22 stealth fighters to positions in the Middle East. US Central Command indicated the move is to deter aggressive actions by Russian aircraft. Officials have noted several instances in recent months where Russian jets made "unsafe" maneuvers. In recent months, US officials have called attention to several instances in which Russian aircraft appear to have executed aggressive maneuvers around American assets and interests across the Middle East. While the jets send a message, an AFCENT spokesperson told Insider that the "primary purpose" of the fighter jets is to contribute to the ongoing defeat-ISIS mission.

Persons: —, CENTCOM, Alexus Grynkewich, Chris Drzazgowsk, Michael Kurilla Organizations: Command, Russian, Service, Raptors, Central, Air Forces Central, ISIS, . Air Force, REUTERS, Russian Forces, Soviets, Islamic, Air Force, US Locations: East, Europe, North Africa, Central, South Asia, Syria, China

☆ Draining reservoir from Ukraine's destroyed dam is revealing World War II weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The draining reservoir is revealing weapons that date back to World War II. The lurking dangers are also a reminder of the heavy fighting Ukraine saw in World War II. "The water area of the reservoir is contaminated with ammunition. S-300s are Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, and Smerch rockets are heavy rockets fired from mobile launchers. The older dangers lurking in the area are a reminder of the heavy fighting Ukraine saw in World War II.

Persons: —, Oleksandr Chechko, Julian Borger Organizations: Authorities, Service, Soviet, Nazi, Ministry, Internal Affairs, Ukrainian, Nazi Wehrmacht, Red Army Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ Cuba’s Spy Deal With China Has Echoes of Cold War Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( José De Córdoba | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Soviets for years operated an eavesdropping facility at Lourdes near Havana. Photo: Getty ImagesCuba’s deal to allow China to set up an electronic surveillance facility on the island in exchange for cash is the latest high-stakes twist in decades of strained relations with the U.S. as Havana struggles with its worst economic crisis since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Locations: Lourdes, Havana, China, Soviet Union

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