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☆ Belarus President Lukashenko says by arming Ukraine, US is "pushing" Russia "towards using" nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that by arming Ukraine, the United States is pushing Russia toward using nuclear weapons. “I am getting the impression – I say again that it is my opinion – that Americans are pushing Russians toward using the most terrifying weapon. Lukashenko added that if such a missile struck Russian territory, Moscow would have to respond. Otherwise, why do we need these (nuclear) weapons for?,” Lukashenko said. He claimed US President Joe Biden could use a Ukrainian victory on the battlefield to boost his approval rating.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, “, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky, ” Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Russia “, Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Volodin, Ukraine “, Zelensky, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: CNN, Belarusian, Russian, State Duma, Comprehensive Locations: Ukraine, United States, Russia, Brest, Moscow, State

Putin on Thursday said Russia's nuclear doctrine did not need updating but that he was not yet ready to say whether or not Russia needed to resume nuclear tests. The Kremlin chief said that Russia should look at revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as the United States had signed it but not ratified. Just hours after Putin's words, Russia's top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, said the legislature's bosses would swiftly consider the need to revoke Russia's ratification for the treaty. "At the next meeting of the State Duma Council, we will definitely discuss the issue of revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," Volodin said. Putin's words, followed by Volodin's, indicate that Russia is almost certain to revoke ratification of the treaty, which bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere.

Persons: Vyacheslav Volodin, Maxim Shemetov, Putin, Vladimir Putin, peaker Volodin, Volodin, Volodin's, Guy Faulconbridge, Sonali Paul, Stephen Coates Organizations: Nazi, REUTERS, Soviet Union, Comprehensive, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kremlin, State Duma Council, Soviet, United Nations, United, United States Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Thomson Locations: Russia's, Nazi Germany, Red, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, United States, Washington, Brussels, State, Ban, Soviet Union, India, Pakistan, North Korea

☆ Putin Holds Out Possibility That Russia Could Resume Nuclear Testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Guy FaulconbridgeMOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin on Thursday held out the possibility that Russia could resume nuclear testing for the first time in more than three decades and might withdraw its ratification of a landmark nuclear test ban treaty. The Kremlin chief said there was no need to change Russia's nuclear doctrine however, as any attack on Russia would provoke a split-second response with hundreds of nuclear missiles that no enemy could survive. "I think no person of sound mind and clear memory would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia," Putin told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. He noted that the United States had signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty but not ratified it while Russia had signed and ratified it. In February, Putin suspended Russia's participation in the New START treaty that limits the number of nuclear weapons each side can deploy.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Karaganov, Karaganov, Margarita Simonyan, UKRAINE Putin, Russia's, Guy FaulconbridgeEditing, Andrew Osborn, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Kremlin, State Duma, Inside, RT, United Nations, Soviet Union, United, Cuban Missile, West Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Black, Sochi, West, United States, Inside Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Ban, Soviet Union, UKRAINE, Afghanistan, Ukrainian

☆ A Kremlin propagandist faced backlash from Siberian officials after saying Russia should detonate a nuke in its own territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Kremlin propagandist suggested Moscow should drop a nuclear bomb over Siberia, reports said. A nuclear bombing over Siberia would send a "painful" message to the West, Simonyan reportedly said. A nuclear bombing over Siberia would send a "painful" message to the West, Simonyan said, according to a translation by The Moscow Times. Nikolai Korolev, an aide to Moscow City Duma deputy Evgeniy Stupin, petitioned Russia's Interior Ministry and Investigative Committee to probe Simonyan's comments, according to the news outlet. AdvertisementAdvertisementSimonyan wrote in a message on Telegram that she did not call for a nuclear strike on Siberia, Russian news outlet Meduza reported.

Persons: Margarita Simonyan, Simonyan, —, Vladimir Putin's, …, Julia Davis, Maria Prusakova, Anatoly Lokot, Simonyan's, Nikolai Korolev, Evgeniy Stupin, Dmitry Peskov, Davis Organizations: Service, US State Department, Moscow Times, Russian Media Monitor, Communist Party, State Duma, Moscow, Duma, Russia's Interior Ministry, Committee Locations: Moscow, Siberia, Ukraine, Russian, State, Siberia's Altai, Siberian, Novosibirsk

☆ Russia's Putin sends the West a warning over nuclear testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Everything can be changed but I just don't see the need for it," Putin said of the nuclear doctrine, saying the existence of the Russian state was not under threat. "I think no person of sound mind and clear memory would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia," he said. "I hear calls to start testing nuclear weapons, to return to testing," Putin added, referring to suggestions from hardline political scientists and commentators who say such a move could send a powerful message to Moscow's enemies in the West. In February, Putin suspended Russia's participation in the New START treaty that limits the number of nuclear weapons each side can deploy. Putin accused the West of losing touch with reality over the Ukraine war.

Persons: Putin, West, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Karaganov, Russia's, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Putin, Kremlin, State Duma, Military, West, Thomson Locations: Russia, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, United States, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Ukrainian

Discovery, was among the Western studios to pull out of Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. A “Barbie House” photo zone was set to open in Moscow last week and Russian clothing brands have launched pink Barbie-themed collections. “Hi Barbie!” one Moscow-based influencer said to her fans, asking them which of her Barbie looks they like the most. Commentaries in state media have linked the movie and the doll to the United States’ “downhill” culture and geopolitical aims. Now they have somewhat different ideals,” said Moscow State Pedagogical University Associate Professor Tatyana Semenova according to Russia’s privately owned National News Service outlet.

Persons: Barbie ”, Barbiemania, “ Barbie, hasn’t, ”, Barbie, Bulkin Sergey, “, influencer, Specialnaya, doesn’t, Dmitry Kosyrev, –, Maria Butina, Butina, Tatyana Butskaya, Barbie don’t, Tatyana Semenova Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Russia Russia’s Ministry of Culture, Warner Bros Discovery, RIA Novosti, Press, Moscow, Mattel, Hollywood, Duma, International Affairs, State, State Duma, Moscow State Pedagogical University, National News Service Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russia Russia’s, Siberian, Tyumen, Moscow, Russian, EU, United States, Asia, South, Vietnam, United Russia

☆ Russia says it shot down Ukrainian missile over southern city with 14 injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russia said it shot down a Ukrainian missile over the southern Russian city of Taganrog and that fragments from the blast injured several civilians. Vasily Golubev also said on Friday in a Telegram post that there was a rocket explosion in the middle of the city. The Russian Ministry of Health later said 14 people had been injured. Russian air defense systems intercepted the missile, fragments of which fell on the city and damaged buildings, the defense ministry said. There were no victims or severe damage reported at the site, Khinshtein said.

Persons: It’s, Ukraine —, Vasily Golubev, ”, Maria Zakharova, “, ” Zakharova, Alexander Khinshtein, Khinshtein Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Defense, Regional Gov, Russian Ministry of Health, Russian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Duma Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Taganrog, Ukraine, Rostov Region, Rostov, Moscow, Kiev, Samara

☆ Russia is trying to keep its army going by raising the age for military call-ups by 5 years, with some reservists able to be mobilized at 70
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia increased its military call-up age for men who completed compulsory service by five years. It also increased the age limit for its mobilized reserves, with some 70-year-olds able to be called up. It also introduced a higher age limit for those in Russia's mobilized reserve. These are men who signed up to receive occasional military training and a stipend when their military service ends, according to Reuters. Some reservists called up to fight in September's mobilization were trained, sent to Ukraine, and killed in the span of just a month.

Persons: Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia's

☆ Russia extends eligibility for military call-up by at least five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Russian service members take part in a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 78th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 9, 2023. It is already raising the upper age limit for men to be called up for compulsory military service to 30 from 27, and has made it much harder for young men to avoid the draft by dodging recruiters handing out call-up papers. Russia also maintains a "mobilised reserve" of men who have signed up to receive periodic military training and a stipend after their compulsory or professional service ends. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said he plans to increase the basic number of combat personnel in service - professional contract soldiers and conscripts - to 1.5 million from 1.15 million. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pelagiya Tikhonova, Sergei Shoigu, Kevin Liffey, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Nazi, Moscow News Agency, Handout, REUTERS, State Duma, Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nazi Germany, Red, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

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

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

☆ Wagner ‘does not exist’: Why Putin claims a rift in the mercenary group
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Weeks after an armed uprising by the Russian mercenary group Wagner revealed cracks in Russia’s system of one-man rule, the Kremlin has been on a PR offensive. “Wagner PMC does not exist,” Putin said when asked if Wagner would be kept on as a fighting unit. Roman Romokhov/AFP/Getty ImagesTensions between Wagner and the Kremlin boiled over in recent weeks, with Putin alleging that the paramilitary group "does not exist." So what is Putin’s aim in floating this account of a meeting with Prigozhin and Wagner commanders? “No, the guys do not agree with this decision,” the Wagner leader said, according to Putin.

Persons: Wagner, Weeks, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, “ Wagner, ” Putin, ”, State Duma —, —, “ It’s, ” Wagner, Romokhov, Putin winkingly, “ We’ve, “, Prigozhin, Internet Research Agency —, Russia —, “ I’ve, ” Prigozhin, Prigozhin’s, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Kommersant, “ Wagner PMC, State Duma, PMCs, Getty, Kremlin, TV, Internet Research Agency, “ Locations: Russian, Moscow, Rostov, Russia, AFP, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donbas, St . Petersburg, Prigozhin

CNN —The Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, has voted in favor of a new law banning nearly all medical help for transgender people including gender reassignment surgery, in a raft of new anti-LGBTQ laws in Russia. These recent legal developments in Russia expand the constraints on the LGBTQ community and reflect a tightening of regulations and control over transgender rights in the country. Russia’s first transgender politician, Yulia Alyoshina, has warned of the severe consequences of the proposed transgender bill. The latest restrictions seem to be closely intertwined with the ongoing dissent on the political and human rights activity in Russia. The Russian state labeled OVD-Info a foreign agent in 2021 under a law that critics say suppresses dissent.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia’s, Yulia Alyoshina, “, ” Alyoshina, Alyoshina Organizations: CNN, Russian State Duma, Federation Council, Putin, State Duma, Civic Initiative, Federal Security Service, FSB, Armed Forces Locations: Russia, Ukraine, State, Russian, Oryol

☆ One of Russia's most senior generals in Ukraine said he was fired for questioning the Kremlin's war management, and accused his bosses of backstabbing his men and 'decapitating' the army
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top Russian general in Ukraine is accusing the Kremlin of "decapitating" the war effort. Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov said he was giving honest feedback to his bosses, and was immediately fired. In his voice note, Popov said he was faced with the choice of either telling his bosses what they wanted to hear or to "call a spade a spade." As of Wednesday evening, neither the Russian state media nor the Defense Ministry has commented on Popov's remarks, whether he has been fired, or on the circumstances of such a dismissal. Gurulyov, the state duma member who published Popov's voice note, confirmed to Russian state TV on Wednesday that Tsokov was killed.

Persons: Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulev, Valery Gerasimov, vilely, Popov's, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, Gerasimov, Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Defense, Arms Army, Telegram, duma, CNN, Defense Ministry, Russia's Defense Ministry, Reuters, Kyiv's, Russia's, Army, The New York Times, Times Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Balakliya, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Berdiansk

Early Tuesday, a Ukrainian missile slammed into a hotel in the coastal town of Berdyansk that had been taken over by the Russian military. ‘Colossal support’Russian military bloggers have suggested that both Tsokov and Popov were capable soldiers who inspired loyalty among their men. Tsokov, 51, appears to have been a rising star in the Russian military. Senior Russian general, Ivan Popov, raised questions about the mass deaths and injuries of Russian military personnel. The loss of more capable commanders is another sign that Russia’s “special military operation” is looking less special by the week.

Persons: CNN —, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Ivan Popov, Popov, Valery Gerasimov, vilely, Sergei Shoigu, ”, Vladimir Putin, Rybar, “ Popov, General Popov, “, Wagner, Oleg Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Surovikin, Prigozhin, Defense Andrei Kartapolov, Kartapolov, specter, OGPU –, Gerasimov, “ alarmism, Shoigu, George Hall, Russia Dara Massicot, Tweeting, Massicot, ” Rybar, upbraided, viscerally, Putin Organizations: CNN, Ukraine –, Southern Military District, Arms Army, Kremlin Press, Major, Institute for, Ukrainian, of Defense, Kremlin, Russia’s Aerospace Forces, State, Defense, Defense Ministry, Senior, Ministry of Defense, Surovik, George Hall of, RAND Corporation, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Berdyansk, Russian, Svatove, frontlines, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Senior Russian, St, Russia, Vuhledar

☆ Top Russian general not seen since mutiny is 'resting', lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 12 (Reuters) - General Sergei Surovikin, a deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine who has not been seen in public since last month's armed mutiny by mercenary fighters, is "resting", a lawmaker from the ruling party said on Wednesday. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defence Committee, is heard saying in a video posted on social media: "Surovikin is currently resting. Surovikin, dubbed "General Armageddon" by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syria conflict, was last seen publicly when he issued a video appeal urging a halt to the June 23-24 mutiny by fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group while it was still underway. A New York Times report based on a U.S. intelligence briefing said last month that Surovikin had advance knowledge of the mutiny and that Russian authorities were checking whether he was complicit. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Surovikin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: State Duma Defence Committee, Staff, New York Times, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Syria

☆ Chief of Russia’s Yandex faces court case for ‘LGBT propaganda'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Lucy Papachristou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File PhotoJuly 5 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Nasdaq-listed internet company Yandex faces prosecution in a Russian court for alleged offences under the country’s so-called “LGBT propaganda” law, a notice on the court's website said on Wednesday. When contacted by Reuters, Yandex said it would appeal any court finding against its CEO. The court website gave no specific details of what alleged offences Savinovsky was being prosecuted for beyond that they relate to "LGBT propaganda". Last month a court fined the company 2 million roubles ($24,242) for repeatedly refusing to provide Russia’s security services with information about its users.

Persons: Evgenia, Artem Savinovsky, Yandex, Savinovsky, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Yandex's, Bridget Jones ’, ” Kinopoisk, Russia’s, Elena Bunina, Lucy Papachristou, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Nasdaq, Yandex, Reuters, State Duma, Novaya Gazeta, Kommersant, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, British, Ukraine

☆ Russia launches first drone strike on Kyiv in 12 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

After a relative lull, Russia launched a drone attack early Sunday on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, officials said. All of the Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones were detected and shot down, according to Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv city administration. Further south, a 13-year-old boy was wounded in overnight shelling of Ukraine's partially occupied southern Kherson province, said Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, spokesman for the Ukrainian administration of the province. Shelling of the Kherson province continued Sunday morning, wounding four people in the regional capital, also called Kherson. The regional prosecutor's office said that a residential area of the city was targeted by Russian troops operating in the Russia-occupied part of the Kherson province. "

Persons: Serhii Popko, Ruslan Kravchenko, Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, Tolokonnikov, Lyman, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vyacheslav Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Volodin, Sergei Surovikin, Putin, wouldn't, Prigozhin Organizations: Kyiv, Gov, didn't, Staff, State Duma, USSR Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Kherson, Russian, Mylove, Beryslav, Kherson province, country's Donetsk, Belgorod, Ukraine, Kursk, Belarus

Some Russian military bloggers with substantial followings expect a serious reshuffle of the military in the light of the Wagner uprising, and perhaps within the security services for not seeing the preparations for it. Putin has sought to reassert his authority after Prigozhin's mutiny. There is no way to verify Rybar’s allegations, but their airing may demonstrate a level of apprehension in the Russian military in the light of the mutiny. At one point, according to Russian military bloggers, Surovikin interceded to try to procure ammunition for Wagner. There is still considerable respect in Russian military circles for what Wagner has contributed to the Ukraine conflict.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Sergey Shoigu, Rybar, ” Rybar, Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Teplinsky, Boris Rozhin, Sergey Surovikin, “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Surovikin, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti, Tatiana Stayonova, Rob Lee, “ Wagner, ” Surovikin, Prigozhin, Vyacheslav Volodin, ” Volodin, Anastasia Kashevarova, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Stayonava, Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, George W Bush, Concord Company ”, we’ll, eking, Viktor Zolotov, ” Zolotov, ” Anastasia Kashevarova, Russia “, there’s Organizations: CNN, FSO, Federal Guard Service, Federal Protective Service, AP, General Staff, The New York Times, Mayak Intelligence, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Russian Aerospace Forces, Sputnik, Getty, Western Military, Concord Company, Kremlin, MoD, Defense Ministry, Russian National Guard, Ministry of Defense, Telegram Locations: Rostov, Moscow, Don, Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Bakhmut, Shoigu, Putin, St, Petersburg, Russian, Minsk, Belarus, Prigozhin

☆ Senior Russian lawmaker calls for professional army of seven million
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, who early in the 16-month war took part in peace negotiations with Ukraine, said that Russia needs a contract army of at least seven million military and civilian personnel, on top of the current conscript army. He said Wagner fighters can continue fighting with Russian army, go home or go to Belarus. At the end of 2022, Putin backed beefing up the army to 1.5 million combat personnel - including 695,000 contract soldiers - from 1.15 million. Creating a contract army of seven million would require a huge budget allowance. The Russian economy, crippled by the war and subsequent Western sanctions contracted 2.2% percent last year and is expected to rebound only marginally this year.

Persons: Leonid Slutsky, Sergei Lavrov, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Evgenia, weekend's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Russia's, Russian, Qatari Deputy, Foreign, REUTERS, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Thani, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, aborting, Belarus, Melbourne

☆ Analysis: Belarus leader, long the supplicant, feted in Russia after mutiny role
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending a mutiny that threatened to destabilise the world's largest nuclear power. "Without Putin's support, the Lukashenko regime will not be able to survive," exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter. High-profile Russian state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov said Lukashenko deserved to be made a Hero of Russia and Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, on Tuesday lavished praise on the Belarusian leader. Independent Belarusian media outlet Zerkalo (the Mirror), which monitored Belarusian state TV coverage of Lukashenko's role, cited presenter Yevgeny Pustovoi as saying that Minsk was becoming "the peacemaker of Slavic civilisation".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, you'll, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Vladimir Solovyov, Russia, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Pustovoi, Zerkalo, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, REUTERS LONDON, Twitter, Russia's, Duma, NATO, Independent, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, defusing, Belarusian, Moscow, Soviet, Belarus, Independent Belarusian, Minsk

☆ How a coup to force Putin from power could go down if he loses in Ukraine, according to former intel officers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's defeat to Ukraine would be a tipping point, former intelligence officers told Insider. During his two decades in power, the Russian president has surrounded himself with an inner circle of hardline loyalists known as "the Siloviki." But in the chaotic fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin's grasp on power appears much less secure, former intelligence officers told Insider. The faltering invasion has prompted criticism of the Russian president that would have previously been unthinkable. Ingram cautioned that Russian defeat could provoke even broader global instability.

Persons: Russia's Vladimir Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, he's, George Beebe, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Abbas Gallyamov, Dmitry Medvedev, Nikolai Patrushev, Vyacheslav Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Russia's, Mikhail Svetlov, Philip Ingram, Beebe, RIA Novosti Ingram, Ingram, Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Ben Noble Organizations: Service, CIA, Wagner Group, Kremlin, CNN, Russian Security Council's, Security, RIA, NATO, University College London Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Kremlin, Crimea, Soledar

☆ 'Stop yelling': Top Chechen fighter scolds Russia's Wagner chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Chingis KondarovMOSCOW, June 1 (Reuters) - One of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's close allies on Thursday publicly criticised Russia's most prominent mercenary, casting Yevgeny Prigozhin as a blogger who yells all the time about problems, drawing a stern rebuke from a top Wagner fighter. "You have become a blogger who screams and shouts off to the whole world about all the problems," Delimkhanov said. "Where did such familiarity come from: who gave you the right to use the address 'ty' and 'Zhenya'?" Utkin said in a message which Prigozhin reposted on Telegram. Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Felix Light; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adam Delimkhanov, Ramzan Kadyrov's, Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Kadyrov, Prigozhin, Delimkhanov, Dmitry Utkin, Utkin, Akhmad Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Fighters, Russia's, Duma, Steel Works, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Mariupol, Chingis, MOSCOW, Grozny

☆ 'Stop yelling': Top Chechen fighter scolds Russia's Wagner mercenary chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Russian parliament chief proposes Polish truck ban, says Warsaw owes Moscow billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, May 21 (Reuters) - Russia's top lawmaker on Sunday called for a ban on Polish trucks transiting Russian territory and for Poland to compensate Moscow financially for what he said was the Soviet rebuilding of the east European country after World War Two. He said Poland should also hand back territory it received after the war. Volodin said a parliamentary committee would begin considering a ban on Polish trucks entering Russian territory as soon as Monday. Strained Russian-Polish relations have deteriorated further since the war in Ukraine - something Moscow calls "a special military operation" with Warsaw positioning itself as one of Kyiv's key allies. In March 2022, Poland said it was expelling 45 Russian diplomats suspected of working for Moscow's intelligence services.

☆ The widow of Putin's political mentor and mother of his rumored goddaughter is increasingly voicing concerns about Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A prominent Russian senator with close ties to Putin is increasingly criticizing the war in Ukraine. Sen. Lyudmila Narusova, whose late husband was a mentor to Putin, has been a skeptic of the war since the start. "Nobody has explained how victory is supposed to look," Narusova told an interviewer with Forbes Russia in an April video, according to a translation in The Washington Post. "I think they themselves do not know what they are doing," Narusova told the independent Dozhd channel in February 2022, per The Times. His widow's public defiance is a sign of the worry growing among top Russian officials ahead of Ukraine's much-anticipated counteroffensive.

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