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☆ Dagestan riot: Anti-Jewish protest in Russia’s Dagestan shows risks of Putin’s balancing act on Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Threats to exterminate the Jews are the result of the work of Russian state propaganda, which for decades cultivated feelings of hatred towards other peoples among Russians,” he noted. Kadyrov has also provided footsoldiers for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Gaza war adds one more match to the fire. Additionally, Russia’s war in Ukraine has impacted Dagestan heavily, with significant casualties. But an anti-Jewish riot in the southern region of Dagestan shows how quickly that model can backfire, particularly for those trapped inside the echo of Russian state propaganda.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, –, Matthew Miller, Israel, ”, Putin, ” Putin, “, Bashar al, Assad, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Communications John Kirby, “ we’ve, ” Kirby, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleh Nikolenko, Ramzan Kadyrov, – Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Harold Chambers, Riddle, Yevgenia Albats Organizations: CNN, multiconfessional, Ukraine –, Kremlin, Red Wings Airlines, Tel Aviv –, Jewish, Authorities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamas, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sunday, Saudi, Israeli, National Security, Strategic Communications, ” Observers, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian National Guard, AFP, Getty, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Global Locations: Russia, Dagestan, Makhachkala Uytash, Ukraine, Gaza, Tel Aviv, ”, Russian, Makhachkala, Palestine, Beijing, China, Israel, Jerusalem, Moscow, Iran, United States, Chechnya, Chechen, Russia’s, Kremlin, East

☆ China's Belt and Road Forum: What to know following Beijing's 'grand gathering'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here are the main takeaways from China’s Belt and Road Forum. No doubt over Putin’s prominenceThe gathering left no question over who was the most important world leader in attendance in the eyes of China’s Xi. In his meeting with Putin, Xi hailed the China-Russia partnership as “a long-term commitment,” stressing “ever-lasting good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation,” and alluding to their shared 4,300-kilometer border and mutual aims. Since then, skepticism about China’s global ambitions has risen in Europe, in particular over Beijing’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow. “Obviously, competition should not mean working against each other but mutually improving each other,” he said, while touting the quantity of China’s global development projects.

Persons: Beijing CNN —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, –, Putin striding, Putin, ” Putin, Joe Biden’s, ”, Giuseppe Conte, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Kassym, Joko, General António Guterres, ” Guterres, Zhai Jun, Wang Yi, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN, Initiative, of, Italian, Beijing, United Nations, Hamas Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Russia, China’s, East, Gaza, Israel, Europe, US, Greece, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Moscow, Italy, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Egypt

☆ Putin and Orban reaffirm Russian-Hungarian ties amid international strains
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 17, 2023. Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest ally among European Union leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral ties amid international tensions over the war in Ukraine. The men met in the government guest house where Putin was staying before the start of an international forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative. One of these countries is Hungary,” Putin told Orban. In an emailed response to Reuters, Orban's press chief Bertalan Havasi said Orban and Putin had discussed gas and oil shipments and nuclear energy issues.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Grigory Sysoyev, Orban, Putin, ” Putin, Bertalan Havasi, Havasi, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Hungarian, Forum, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, European Union, Initiative, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Hungarian, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Brussels, Russian, Europe, Moscow, Budapest

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet this week with Chinese leaders in Beijing on a visit that underscores China’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine. China has sought to balance its ties with Israel with its economic relations with Iran and Syria, which are strongly backed by Russia. Putin’s visit is also a show of support for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road drive to build infrastructure and expand China’s overseas influence. “I don’t expect that Russia and China will create a military alliance,” Gabuev said. China and the former Soviet Union were Cold War rivals for influence among left-leaning states, but have since partnered in the economic, military and diplomatic spheres.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin’s, Xi, Putin, ”, ” Putin, ” Alexander Gabuev, that’s, ” Gabuev, “, Beijing's, hasn't Organizations: Moscow, Soviet Union, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Ukraine, Associated Press, International Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Beijing, Ukraine, United States, Israel, China, Iran, Syria, Russia, Russian, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Moscow, Central Asia, “, Asia, Europe, Cold

☆ Putin Blames U.S. for Middle East Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed regret over the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas and described it as an example of the failure of U.S. policy in the Middle East. The Russian leader blamed Washington for what he called attempts to “monopolize the [peace] settlement,” without “looking for compromises acceptable to both sides.” Putin was meeting in Moscow with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani on Tuesday. He said the U.S. had neglected to take into account “the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people, bearing in mind, first of all, the need to implement the decision of the U.N. Security Council on the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state.”

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Washington, ” Putin, Mohammed al, ” Organizations: Iraqi, . Security Locations: Israel, Moscow, U.S, Palestinian

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia has successfully carried out a test of a new generation of nuclear-powered cruise missile. State news agency RIA Novosti quoted Putin as saying the “last successful test of the Burevestnik, a global-range cruise missile with a nuclear installation, a nuclear propulsion system, has been conducted.”Putin was speaking at the Valdai Forum in Sochi. The program to develop the Burevestnik was announced by Putin in March 2018 as part of a broader initiative to develop a new generation of intercontinental and hypersonic missiles. Among them were the Kinzhal ballistic missile and the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle. “It is a low-flying stealth missile carrying a nuclear warhead, with almost unlimited range, unpredictable trajectory and ability to bypass interception boundaries,” Putin said then.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Novosti, Putin, ” Putin, Alexei Leonkov Organizations: CNN, Federal Assembly, Nuclear Threat Initiative, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles Locations: Russia, Sochi, U.S

☆ The message behind Putin’s Wagner meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In a televised meeting Friday, Putin met with Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and former Wagner commander Andrey Troshev, according to a partial transcript published by the Kremlin. But unpack the language, and Putin’s Friday meeting appeared to put a reassuring gloss on the Russian government’s attempt to bring the mercenary group to heel. “I would like to talk to you about issues of a social nature,” Putin told Troshev, without naming Wagner. Wagner has supported the Libyan National Army for several years, reportedly backing Haftar’s 2019-2020 military campaign against the Tripoli-based government. If Friday’s meeting is any guide, Yevkurov appears to be a point man for future Wagner activity while Troshev takes on a different brief: overseeing Wagner 2.0 for the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, –, Wagner, group’s, Putin, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Andrey Troshev, Troshev –, ‘, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, “, ” Putin, Troshev, ”, Fatherland ’, ” –, Dmitry Peskov –, Yevkurov, Khalifa Haftar Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Fatherland, Prigozhin’s, “, RIA Novosti, Wagner, Central African, Libyan National Army, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Moscow, Russian, Russia’s Tver, Ukraine, Belarus, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic, Libya, Libyan, Benghazi, Tripoli

CNN —North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received body armor and drones as parting gifts as he wrapped up a trip to Russia that has alarmed the West. North Korea is heavily sanctioned and is in need of everything from energy to food to military technology. As he left, the governor of the far eastern Russian region of Primorye gave him a bulletproof vest and a set of drones, Russian state media TASS reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, called his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un "very substantive" on Wednesday. Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik/APThe North Korean leader visited an aircraft manufacturing plant in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in eastern Russia on Friday.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Kim Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, “, ” Putin, Vladimir Smirnov, KCNA, Yuri, ” Organizations: CNN, North, Russian, TASS, Russia's, Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, RIA Novosti, RIA, Putin, Aviation, Russian Defense, Pacific Fleet, Russian Navy, Military Locations: Russia, Korea, Ukraine, North Korea, Russian, Primorye, Artyom, Khasan, Russia’s Far, Komsomolsk, Reuters North Korean, KCNA, South Korea, Japan, Europe

☆ Putin and Kim meet in Russia, but what are the main takeaways?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Video Ad Feedback See moment Putin greets Kim at Russian space port 00:46 - Source: CNNAnd there’s potential of something in return for Pyongyang. Kim’s regime is heavily isolated: Multiple rounds of sanctions have targeted North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Even Russia has signed on to North Korean sanctions in the past. So we are still dealing with a major unknown when it comes to a potential technology exchange between North Korea and Russia. The US believes Pyongyang has already been a player in the Ukraine war, providing the Russian mercenary group Wagner with arms.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, Kim, ” –, Sergei Shoigu, Russia –, It’s, “, ” Putin, Mort Sahl, Wernher von Braun, Reuters Von, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, North, Vostochny, North Korean, Ukraine, Russian, NATO, North Korea “, Nazi, Reuters Locations: Amur, Russia, Russia’s Far, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Korea, North Korea, England, ”, Russian, Europe

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted Tuesday that the criminal cases against former U.S. President Donald Trump are political revenge that show the fundamental corruption of the United States. “Everything that is happening with Trump is the persecution of a political rival for political reasons. And this is being done in front of the public of the United States and the whole world," he said. This is good,” Putin said. However, the Russian leader said his country's poor relations with the United States were unlikely to change significantly regardless of who becomes president.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Trump, ” Putin, Putin, Biden, “, ___ Jim Heintz Organizations: U.S, Eastern Economic, Republican, Russia Locations: VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, United States, Pacific Coast, Vladivostok, “, Ukraine, Tallinn, Estonia

☆ Putin signals potential willingness to assist Kim as two leaders meet for expected weapons talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Helen Regan Gawon Bae Larry Register Simone Mccarthy Anna Chernova | Helen Regan | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin shake hands as they begin their talks at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur region, Russia, on September 13. Providing this technology to North Korea would be in violation of international sanctions, aimed at hampering Pyongyang’s ability to build a fully functioning nuclear weapons and ballistic missile force. After the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said “North Korea is our close neighbor,” according to state media. The two ballistic missiles fired by North Korea Wednesday morning each traveled about 650 kilometers (400 miles) before falling into the sea, according to the JCS. North Korea may be intending “to show that the military maintains readiness with uninterrupted command and control,” Easley said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, “, ” Putin, ”, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Jong Un's, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Leif, Eric Easley, John Bolton, ” Bolton, Peskov, Kim Yo Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu “, ” Kim Jong Un's, ” Easley, Ankit, ” Panda, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Vostochny, Kremlin, Ewha Womans University, North, Russian, US National Security, of, Munitions Industry, Russian Defense, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, North Korea Wednesday, Kremlin Analysts, Security, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Korea, Russia, North Korea, Russia’s, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur, Kremlin North Korea, North Korean, Moscow, Seoul, Cosmodrome, Soviet Union, “ North Korea, South

☆ Kim Jong Un and his daughter celebrate North Korea's 75th. Xi and Putin send their regards
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Kim Jong Un attended a “paramilitary parade” with his daughter to mark the 75th anniversary of North Korea’s founding on Saturday, the country’s state media have reported. Paramilitary forces and industrial workers marched down Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang as part of the parade, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim attended the parade with his daughter, who is believed to be called Kim Ju Ae, and received congratulatory letters from China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, according to KCNA. Kim Jong Un attends the parade marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea on September 9, 2023. In Xi’s letter, according to KCNA, the Chinese leader said his country was “ready to strengthen the strategic communication, deepen the working-level cooperation and promote the China-DPRK relations” with Pyongyang.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Kim Jong Un, Kim Il, Kim, Kim Ju, China’s Xi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Liu Guozhong, Alexandrov, KCNA, Kim Jong Un, ”, ” Putin Organizations: South Korea CNN, Paramilitary, Korean Central News Agency, Russian Army, North, REUTERS Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Pyongyang, North Korea, Northeast Asia, China

CNN —The United States has decided to send controversial depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine for the first time, as part of a new aid package worth more than $1 billion announced Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know about depleted uranium munitions – and why their use has sparked questions. What is depleted uranium? But depleted uranium is extremely dense, making it a highly effective projectile. When depleted uranium munitions strike a tank’s armor, it can ignite and produce uranium dusts or aerosol particles, which, if inhaled, can enter the bloodstream and may cause kidney damage.

Persons: ” Edward Geist, Antony Blinken's, –, Sabrina Singh, ”, Singh, “, Joe Biden’s, Vladimir Putin, …, ” Putin, Putin, Sergei Ryabkov Organizations: CNN, Abrams, RAND Corporation, RAND, Associated Press, US, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, United Nations, Pentagon, United, British Army Locations: United States, Ukraine, Washington, Kyiv, Moscow, Here’s, United Kingdom, “, West, Russia

In remarks ahead of their talks, Putin told Erdogan that Russia is “open to negotiations” on the grain deal. Shifting power balanceErdogan and Putin last met face-to-face in October on the sidelines of an Asia summit in the Kazakh capital Astana. Ahead of his re-election, Erdogan hailed his “special” relationship with Putin as Western states pressured Ankara to join sanctions against Moscow. “(Erdogan) has not really gotten in the direction of trying to please Putin,” Ulgen told CNN. The reconfigured power balance between the two leaders could yet yield positive results with the efforts to revive the Black Sea grain deal, experts say.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Erdogan, Monday’s, ” Putin, ”, Sinan Ulgen, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, “, ” Erdogan, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Asli Aydintasbas, ” Aydintasbas, ” Ulgen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ulgen, Turkey’s, “ Putin, ” “ Erdogan Organizations: CNN, TASS, Astana, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Brookings Institution, “ Locations: Russia’s, Sochi, Moscow, Black, Russia, Turkey, Qatar, Russian, Turkish, Asia, Kazakh, Ukraine, Ankara, Istanbul, Washington , DC, United States, ”, Finland, Sweden, East

CNN —Ukrainian officials have criticized Pope Francis’ recent address to Russian youth, calling his remarks “imperialist propaganda.”The pontiff made a video address to the 10th All-Russian Catholic Youth Assembly in St. Petersburg on Friday, during which he urged them to view themselves as descendants of the Russian empire. You are the descendants of great Russia: the great Russia of saints, rulers, the great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire – educated, great culture and great humanity. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared himself to Peter the Great during an exhibition dedicated to the first Russian emperor, using the comparison to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Peter the Great waged the Great Northern War for 21 years,” Putin said at the time. The pope has previously been criticized for some of his comments about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Persons: Pope Francis ’, Peter I, Catherine II, Russia, ”, Oleh Nikolenko, ‘, Russia ’, ” Nikolenko, Vladimir Putin, Peter the Great, “ Peter the Great, ” Putin, “, Peter, –, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Catherine the Great, ” Shevchuk, Pope, Francis, Darya Dugina, Visvaldas Kulbokas, Francis ’, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Catholic Youth Assembly, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kremlin, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Vatican, La Stampa, NATO, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Sweden, Ukrainian, Italian, Moscow, Rome

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

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

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

CNN —Oil powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to become members of the BRICS group of developing nations in its first expansion in over a decade. Total bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and BRICS nations exceeded $160 billion in 2022, the Saudi foreign minister said. It also means Russia and Saudi Arabia — both members of OPEC+, a group of major oil producers — will join each other in a new economic bloc. The BRICS countries have also been talking about a common currency, an idea analysts have described as unworkable and “unlikely” in the near future. Existing BRICS members have “had enough difficulty trying to agree just between the five of them,” he added.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, ” Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin, ” Putin, Xi Jinping, ” Jinping, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Narendra Modi, Saudi Arabia —, —, Putin, Goldman Sachs, Jim O’Neill, ” O’Neill, “, ”, I’m, ” BRICS, Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, — Manveena Suri, Mostafa Salem, Lizzy Yee, Mengchen Zhang, Nadeen Ebrahim Organizations: CNN, Oil, United Arab, Saudi Foreign, Indian, OPEC, West, Western, Bloomberg, New Development Bank, United Arab Emirates, BRICS Locations: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Argentina, South, Johannesburg, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Russian, BRICS, Saudi, United States, UAE

CNN —The US has not seen indications that a missile downed the airplane Russian authorities say was carrying Wagner founder Yevgheny Prigozhin, according to four US officials. Another source familiar with the western intelligence echoed the US officials, saying there was no indication a missile was launched. Ryder also said that the Pentagon “doesn’t have any information to indicate right now” that the plane Prigozhin was on was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Some US officials were not altogether surprised when the news broke on Russian state media about the plane crash. The officials did not say that US had confirmation that Prigozhin was on the plane.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgheny Prigozhin, it’s, Patrick Ryder, Defense Department’s, Prigozhin, “ I’m, ” Ryder, Ryder, Vladimir Putin, I’m, Joe Biden, “, Putin, ”, ” Putin, Bill Burns, Antony Blinken, ” Burns, ” Blinken Organizations: CNN, Officials, Embraer, Pentagon, Defense, Russia’s, Wednesday, Donetsk People’s, ”, Biden, Kremlin, CIA, “, NATO Locations: Moscow, Russian, Russia, FlightRadar24, St . Petersburg, Tver, Donetsk, Donetsk People’s Republic, Kremlin

CNN —Belarus would be willing to use the nuclear weapons given by close ally Russia in the face of foreign “aggression,” President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday, as tensions rise around the country’s borders with NATO nations. In June, Russian nuclear warheads were reportedly delivered to Belarus for “deterrence,” according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. We will use the entire arsenal of our weapons for deterrence.”“We didn’t bring nuclear weapons here in order to scare someone,” he added. “Yes, nuclear weapons represent a strong deterring factor. But these are tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic ones.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Belta, Lukashenko, “, ”, Wagner, Putin, ” “ Putin, ” Lukashenko, Ukraine Lukashenko, –, Viktor Yanukovych – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Latvia –, US Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, European Union Locations: Belarus, Russia, Minsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, NATO, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Latvia – Belarus, Europe, “, Polish, Crimea, Crimean

Putin emphasized that an “exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means,” was important in resolving the ongoing situation, the statement said. Putin also mentioned the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region while speaking in a pre-recorded message at Tuesday’s Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS). Mali’s interim president Goita also reiterated Putin’s call for “a peaceful resolution” in Niger. “He (Putin) stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution of the situation for a more stable Sahel,” Goita said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Mali hosted a large delegation of officials from the Niger junta in early August, signaling a potential partnership between the Niger junta and Wagner mercenary group.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Assimi, Republic of Mali Assimi, ”, Putin, Mohamed Bazoum’s, ” Putin, Goita, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, West, Tuesday’s Moscow Conference, International Security, Central African, Twitter, UN, African, Niger Locations: Niger, West, “, Malian, Republic of Mali, Sahara, Russian, Russia, Africa, St Petersburg, Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Libyan, African Union, Burkina Faso

In September, Medvedev said strategic nuclear weapons could be used to defend territories incorporated into Russia from Ukraine. And in January, as NATO member states debated new weapons shipments to Ukraine, Medvedev said defeat for Russia in the war could lead to nuclear conflict. “The loss of a nuclear power in a conventional war can provoke the outbreak of a nuclear war,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram in January. Nuclear rhetoricThe United States has previously warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, both through private direct communications, as well as public channels, including at last year’s UN General Assembly. Russia has about 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, ”, Medvedev, ” Medvedev, ” Medvedev’s, Putin, Matthew Miller, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, NATO, Russia’s Security, Helsinki, Russia, “, Russia’s Defense, UN, Assembly, St ., Economic Forum, US Defense Intelligence Agency, US State Department, Federation of American Scientists Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Western, Moscow, United States, Belarus, St, St . Petersburg

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea’s “firm support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine emboldens the two countries’ determination to cope with Western nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to North Korean officials on Thursday, according to a report in North Korean state media. The 1950-1953 Korean War was one of the first international conflicts of the Cold War era. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 28, 2023. A missile displayed during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, on July 27, 2023. KCNA/ReutersAs the parade went on below, North Korea flew versions of a new “strategic reconnaissance drone and the multi-purpose attack drone” overhead, according to KCNA.

Persons: ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ” Putin, “, ” KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Sergei Shoigu, Kim Il, Kang Sun Nam, KCNA, Li Hongzhong, Kim Jong, Kim, Shoigu, Kim Song Nam, North Korea “, Leif, Eric Easley, Easley Organizations: South Korea CNN, Ukraine emboldens, “, Korean Central News Agency, North Korean, Russia's, KCNA, Reuters, Analysts, North Korean Defense, North Korean Army Forces, Russian, Communist Party Politburo, North, Chinese Communist Party, Reuters Analysts, Ewha Womans University Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Ukraine, Western, Russian, North Korean, Korea, Russia, “ Solidarity, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, KCNA, China, Beijing

CNN —A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders began in St. Petersburg on Thursday, with a far lower turnout than previous years. Just 17 heads of African states are attending this year, the Kremlin has confirmed, less than half of the 43 heads of state that attended the 2019 conference. And some African politicians – further than simply not attending the summit – have expressed grave concerns about Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. Putin makes free grain pledgeThe African states being represented at the St. Petersburg summit will be keen to sway Russia into rejoining the grain deal, and Putin has courted African leaders for years in a deliberate effort to broaden Moscow’s global influence. Russia’s Wagner mercenaries have also been deployed in some African states.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, William Ruto, –, “, ”, Raila Odinga, ” Odinga, Putin, Russia’s Wagner, ” Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, Maria Lvova Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Kenyan, Putin, Russian, ”, Criminal Court, ICC Locations: St . Petersburg, United States, Moscow, Africa, Russia, Ukraine, St, Petersburg, Russian, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rome, Hague

☆ US intel officials: ‘No reason to doubt’ Putin claims Russia has moved nuclear weapons to Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has “no reason to doubt” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russia has moved a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, senior DIA officials said on Friday. It is not clear how much of that arsenal Putin intends to move, and US and Western officials have not publicly confirmed that any weapons have been transferred to Belarus. But the senior DIA officials told a small group of reporters Friday that analysts have “no reason to doubt” Putin’s claims, and no reason to doubt “that they have had some success” in transferring the weapons. But the senior DIA officials said they do not believe Lukashenko would have any control over the arsenal. It would most likely be entirely controlled by Russia, the officials said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, ” Putin’s, Ben Wallace, ”, Putin “, Wallace, Matthew Miller, “, Aleksander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Miller Organizations: CNN, The Defense Intelligence Agency, St ., Economic, Federation of American Scientists, British, State Department, Nuclear Weapons, ”, Russian Locations: Russian, Russia, Belarus, St, St . Petersburg, Soviet

☆ MI6 chief makes open plea to Russians to spy for UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Prague CNN —The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service used a rare speech Wednesday to issue a plea to disaffected Russians to spy for the UK. They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent,” he added. The MI6 chief told CNN that Prighozin is alive and at liberty following the group’s 24-hour mutiny against the Kremlin, and that Putin is clearly under pressure. Over the years they have developed a particularly gruesome reputation and have been linked to various human rights abuses. A CNN investigation in April found that Wagner has been supplying Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces with missiles to aid their fight against the country’s army.

Persons: Richard Moore, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, ” Moore, Moore, “, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prighozin, Belarus –, Prighozin, Putin “ didn’t, –, ” Putin Organizations: Prague CNN, Kyiv, Russian, CNN, Kremlin, Prighozhin, Wagner Group, Central African, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Prague, Ukraine, Russian, Odesa, Belarus, Moscow, Denmark, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Syria

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