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WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House voiced concern Tuesday that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine, a development that likely would be disastrous for the Ukrainian people, a U.S. national security official said. “We are therefore concerned that Iran is considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles now for use in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters during a conference call. “In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia to strengthen its military capabilities," Kirby said. The White House has said Russia has turned to North Korea for artillery. U.S. officials say Iran has also provided Russia with artillery and tank rounds for its invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: John Kirby, ” Kirby, Sergei Shoigu, Joe Biden's, Kirby, Wagner Organizations: WASHINGTON, National Security, Russia, Russian Defense, Democratic, Republican Party, “, ”, Iranian Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Tehran, Israel, Taiwan, Mexico, North Korea, The U.S, Tehran ., Moscow

☆ A Russian general who was critical of the army's operation was found dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A decorated Russian general and his wife were found dead at his home. The general, Vladimir Sviridov, was critical of soldier training in the Russian military. Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 68, and his wife Tatyana, 72, were found dead Wednesday in their bedroom, per the Kyiv Post. During Sviridov's time as a commander in the 2000s, he complained about the Russian army, saying Russian pilots were not trained well enough. However, this is not yet the case," he said in one interview, per the Kyiv Post.

Persons: Vladimir Sviridov, —, Tatyana, Sviridov, Vladimir, Tatyana Sviridov, Ivan Pechorin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Popov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Army of, Air Force, Air Defense, Russian Telegram, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Madagascar Votes Amid Violence and Calls for Boycott
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( John Eligon | More About John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After weeks of political violence, voters on the island nation of Madagascar went to the polls on Thursday to elect a president, even though 10 of the 13 candidates called for a boycott, accusing the man they are vying to replace of unfairly tilting the process in his favor. Most of the 30 million residents of this nation off the southeastern coast of Africa live in poverty. A series of weather-related catastrophes in recent years have damaged the country’s agricultural production, its economic mainstay, increasing the humanitarian crisis. Political instability has been a defining feature of Madagascar’s elections over the years, and the 2018 race saw efforts by Russia to influence the outcome through the paramilitary organization the Wagner Group. It is unclear whether Russia has any involvement in this year’s election, or how much.

Persons: “, ”, Andoniaina Ratsimamanga Organizations: Wagner Locations: Madagascar, Africa, Russia

Four former Russian inmates who fought with Wagner in eastern Ukraine said they had received calls and messages offering new military contracts in recent weeks, confirming recent reports by Russian military bloggers. Three former fighters said they were specifically urged to join Rosgvardia, Russia’s militarized national guard. Originally envisioned as a rear-guard force, Rosgvardia has gained prominence since the invasion of Ukraine under the leadership of Victor Zolotov, a former bodyguard of President Vladimir V. Putin. “Wagner is officially becoming a unit of Rosgvardia,” read a recruitment text received by a former Wagner fighter last week and seen by The New York Times. “The entire structure, methods of work and commanders remain the same.”

Persons: Wagner, Rosgvardia, Victor Zolotov, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, “ Wagner, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Rosgvardia, The New York Times Locations: Ukraine

☆ Ukraine appears to be gunning for a top Russian battlefield commander who has had an unusual run as a military leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine appears to be gunning for him as Kyiv's military makes pushes in his area of control. According to several prominent Russian military bloggers and independent Russian media reporting, the Ukrainian military fired long-range missiles last week at the Dnepr battlegroup's headquarters. Astra, the independent Russian publication, reported that Ukrainian missiles hit command posts belonging to the Dnepr group in Strilkove that same day. As the Russian military bloggers noted, the timing of the strikes fall in line with an uptick in Ukrainian assaults around the Dnipro. "Teplinsky's appointment is likely an indication of increased pressure on Russian forces defending the area," Britain's defense ministry said in late October.

Persons: Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, gunning, —, Moscow's, Rybar, ROMAN PILIPEY, Teplinsky —, Russia's ultranationalists, Vladimir Putin, Teplinsky, Oleg Makarevich Organizations: Service, Moscow's VDV Airborne Forces, Dnepr, Ukraine, Storm, Russian, Neptune, Telegram, Astra, Getty, Wagner Group, Kremlin ., Institute for, Ukrainian, Command, Special Operations Forces of, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Dnipro, Kyiv Locations: Russian, Col, Ukraine, Kherson, that's, Azov, Dnipro, Ukrainian, AFP, Teplinsky, Russia, Kremlin . Russian, Washington, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kherson Oblast

☆ Putin looks set to run for president in 2024 — and there's no one who can oppose him right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images) Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly decided to run in the March 2024 presidential election and he's likely to win another six-year term in office, essentially because there's no one that can oppose him. Analysts say that the bitter truth in modern Russia is that there is no one who can oppose Putin, for now. In this pool image distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the regional head of Inigushetia in Moscow's Kremlin, on August 15, 2023. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sobyanin, he's, —, Vladimir Milov, Alexander Kazakov, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Morozova, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Medvedev, Mikhail Svetlov, Medvedev, deigning, Prigozhin's Wagner, Wagner, Kirill Shamiev, Milov Organizations: Moscow's, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, CNBC, Sputnik, AFP, Kremlin's, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Russia, IK, Wagner Group, Analysts, Saint Petersburg, Economic, Prigozhin's Wagner Group, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations, Putin Locations: MOSCOW, RUSSIA, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Moscow's Kremlin, Ukraine, Vladimir, Iran, North Korea, SAINT PETERSBURG, Concord, Saint Petersburg, Belarus, Prigozhin, Russia's, Tver

☆ Russia's paying for a new assault in wrecked vehicles, losing in just a few weeks what Ukraine lost over months, war analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia has lost as many vehicles in just three weeks of assaults as Ukraine lost over several months of fighting in the south. In vehicle losses, the Russian assault force has lost in just three weeks what Ukrainian troops lost over several months of intense fighting in the south. "GeoConfirmed characterized the Russian effort near Avdiivka as the costliest Russian effort thus far in the war in Ukraine," ISW wrote. It took Russia roughly three weeks fighting for Avdiivka to do the same. Avdiivka has been largely ruined by constant fighting, but the devastated area may not be entirely pointless to Russian forces, or Russian leadership.

Persons: It's, —, ISW, George Barros, Barros, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Avdiivka, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin Organizations: Service, Wednesday Institute, Washington DC, Getty, Reuters, Russia, ISW Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Washington, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, Ukrainian

An armored vehicle escorting a MINUSMA logistic convoy from Gao to Kidal, is parked as trucks pass by, Mali February 16, 2017. Shortly after the last U.N. convoy rolled out, the ethnic Tuareg rebels announced they had taken over the base. The Tuareg rebels signed a 2015 peace agreement brokered by MINUSMA but maintained control of much of the north from Kidal. The first sign of trouble came in early August, when fighting broke out between Mali's army and Tuareg rebels around the U.N.'s camp in Ber in the north. As in Kidal, peacekeepers destroyed equipment before leaving that could have been transported in trucks earlier, if the government had allowed.

Persons: MINUSMA, Sylvain Liechti, jeopardising U.N, couldn't, Fatoumata Sinkoun Kaba, Yvan Guichaoua, Edward McAllister, David Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Mahamat, Alexandra Zavis, Daniel Flynn Organizations: UN, DAKAR, United Nations, U.N, Reuters, Authorities, Security, Islamic State, Department of Peace Operations, Department of Operational, Wagner Group, MINUSMA, University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies, Thomson Locations: Gao, Mali, Kidal, West Africa, Malian, al Qaeda, Algeria, Mauritania, Ber, Tessalit, Algerian, Bamako, Dakar, Nairobi, New York, N'Djamena

☆ Russia’s Wagner Group May Provide Air Defense Weapon to Hezbollah, U.S. Intel Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin is putting a new power structure in place that will take over the group’s sprawling operations in Africa, which have advanced Russian influence on the continent for almost a decade. Photo illustration: JJ LinThe U.S. has intelligence that the Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary group, may provide an air defense system to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials say. The system in question is the SA-22, which uses antiaircraft missiles and air defense guns, to intercept aircraft.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, JJ Lin The Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, Lebanese, SA Locations: Africa, JJ Lin The U.S, U.S

☆ The Wagner Group is back, and led by a new Prigozhin, Russian regional media says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian regional media reported this week that the Wagner Group is hiring again in two oblasts. The reports follow months of speculation that Pavel Prigozhin would lead Wagner under the Russian Guard. And the fighters are led by the young son of Prigozhin himself, Pavel Prigozhin, reported 59.RU, a regional news outlet based in Perm. A Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner, Prigozhin 2023, has also been touting Pavel Prigozhin as the organization's future leader. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Russian news site Military Review also reported on Sunday that Wagner would continue operations as a division of the Russian Guard.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Pavel, Pavel Prigozhin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Russian Guard, Service, Group, Kremlin, Getty, Wagner, Telegram, Russian Defense Ministry, New York Times, The Defense Ministry, Institute for, RU, Russian National Guard, Defense Ministry Locations: Perm ., Perm . Novosibirsk, Perm, VKontakte, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, AFP, Africa, US, Wagner Perm

☆ The Wagner Group is back, Russian regional media says — and led by Prigozhin's son
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Russia is promising prisoners a $31,000 payout if they get injured, soldier says. It's likelier than they realize.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia is paying convicts as much as $2,000 a month if they fight in Ukraine, with a promise $31,000 if they are injured, a soldier said. The remarks were made by a Russian "Storm Z" soldier — the unofficial designation for units often made of formerly incarcerated fighters. But, it said, in reality they are staffed by Russia's worst soldiers — convicts and regular soldiers marked for punishment. The BBC also reported that the units are formed mostly of convict soldiers, or soldiers re-assigned there as a punishment.

Persons: —, dory, Vsevolod Vukolov, Olga Romanova Organizations: Wagner, Service, Sever, UK's Ministry of Defence, BBC, Storm, Team, Reuters, Wagner Group, Washington Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday said Russia is executing soldiers who have failed to follow orders and threatening entire units with death if they retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire. It's a development that U.S. national security officials believe reflects Russia's morale problems 20 months into its grinding invasion of Ukraine, said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Putin ”basically said that if Western weapons to Ukraine stop, Ukraine would have a week to live. The contract soldiers were pulled out of Ukraine after their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, mounted an armed rebellion in June. There also have been reports, including from the British Defense Ministry, that the regular Russian military has deployed “barrier troops” that threaten to shoot any deserters.

Persons: John Kirby, “, Kirby, Joe Biden, Biden, Putin, ” Kirby, Putin ”, Yevgeny Prigozhin, haven’t Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, National Security, Republican, Ukraine, “, Wagner Group, British Defense Ministry, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk

☆ Ukraine can still badly bleed the Russian army through the winter even if its forces can't break through enemy lines, land warfare expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A land warfare expert said even if Kyiv can't break enemy lines, it can still cause pain for Russian forces. But even if Kyiv's forces aren't necessarily able to break through the enemy lines, they could still inflict significant damage on Moscow's army throughout the winter, a land warfare expert says. The key could be drawing out Russian forces into the cold by pushing into opportunities rather than attempting to batter their defenses. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Kyiv must balance reconstitution with a need to keep up pressure on Russian forces," he said. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne area where Ukrainian forces have found recent success is with long-range strikes.

Persons: —, aren't, Jack Watling, there's, Libkos, Watling, Getty Images Watling, Wagner Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Kyiv, Storm, EG, MGM, Tactical Missile Systems, SPG, Getty Images, Dnipro, Wagner Group Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Ukrainian, North Korea, Britain, France, Crimean, Russian

☆ Russia has likely suffered up to 480,000 soldiers killed or wounded in the war against Ukraine, says UK Ministry of Defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has suffered up to to 480,000 casualties in the war against Ukraine, per UK intelligence. In a desperate bid to replenish its manpower, Moscow is sending injured soldiers back into battle. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia has likely suffered up to 480,000 soldiers killed or wounded in the war against Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence reported in an intelligence update. Recent fighting in Avdiivka, a city in southeastern Ukraine, has contributed to a 90% increase in Russian soldiers killed or wounded. The move to reinstate injured soldiers amid manpower and equipment shortages had one soldier's mother describe their treatment "like cows at a slaughterhouse."

Persons: —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Alia Shoaib, Ruslana Danylkina Organizations: Ukraine, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Wagner Group, New York Times, AP, The New York Times, BBC, Armed Forces Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Kherson, Odesa, Donetsk

☆ Analysis: Putin banks on wavering support for Ukraine, amid a race against time
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Last week, President Joe Biden signed into law a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown, but funding for Ukraine was a casualty of the brinksmanship on Capitol Hill. The Biden administration emphasizes that that the American public’s support for Ukraine remains strong. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walks down the White House colonnade to the Oval Office with President Joe Biden during a visit to the White House in Washington, DC, on September 21. In his remarks at Valdai, he clearly implied that Russia intends to outlast the West over Ukraine. Paraphrasing Putin, Mylovanov said that the Kremlin believes that “Ukraine will have one week left to LIVE once Western supplies are over.

Persons: Donald Trump, he’d, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, “, Joe Biden, Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Volodymyr Zelensky, Kevin Lamarque, —, Robert Fico, Fico, Ukraine —, Wolfgang Schwan, Rob Bauer, brazenly, Tymofiy Mylovanov, Putin’s Valdai, Mylovanov, Wagner Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Ukraine, Capitol, White, Pentagon, of, Republican, Trump, European Union, NATO, Russia, Anadolu Agency, Warsaw Security, Royal Netherlands Navy, Committee, Kyiv School of Economics Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Washington, Washington ,, United States, Europe, Slovakia, EU, Russian, Bakhmut, Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Valdai, West, Brussels, Hroza, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s

Wagner communications channels were silent, but some supporters and patriotic bloggers expressed disbelief. 'LAUGHABLE' EXPLANATIONWestern diplomats say Putin ordered the killing of Prigozhin after the humiliation of the mutiny. "Two heroes of great Russia died in this plane crash, just in case someone forgot, and not druggies," said the Southern Front Telegram channel. And that is why Prigozhin himself did not just die, but became a 'downed pilot'," Pastukhov wrote on Telegram. (But) he needs society to understand the hint unambiguously: this is how everyone (who betrays us) will be dealt with."

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Anton Vaganov, Putin, Vladimir Putin's intimation, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, CHVK, Vladimir Pastukhov, Pastukhov, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Embraer, Federal Security Service, Wagner, KGB, Southern Front Telegram, Zone, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Said, MOSCOW, St Petersburg, Moscow

☆ Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin tried to overthrow Ukraine's neighbor Moldova before his death, the nation's president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin was behind a coup attempt in Moldova, the country's president said. Wagner intended to turn protests "violent" to justify its allies seizing power, Maia Sandu claimed. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Thousands of Russian troops are stationed in Transnistria, the breakaway region of Moldova bordering Ukraine, and they are bolstered by thousands more troops loyal to Transnistria's pro-Russia leadership.

Persons: Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Maia Sandu, —, Sandu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Transnistria's Organizations: Service, Russian, NATO, European Union, Financial Times Locations: Moldova, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Romania, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Transnistria

☆ Investors roll more than $600 billion a year to IRAs. Anticipated Labor Department rules could raise their protections
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

This is what the Labor Department will likely tweak, attorneys said. Now, the Labor Department is trying again, though its rule likely won't be as far-reaching, experts said. The OMB has 90 days to review the rule, Borzi said, after which the Labor Department would issue its proposal publicly. watch nowBased on recent legal clues, attorneys expect the Labor Department will seek to raise the bar on all rollover advice provided by the financial ecosystem. That generally means investment advice must be given solely in investors' best interests.

Persons: IRAs IRAs, Phyllis Borzi, Obama, Reish, —, Borzi, Andrew Oringer, Sen, Bill Cassidy, Virginia Foxx, There's, They're, Fred Reish, Drinker Biddle Organizations: U.S . Department of Labor, Washington , D.C, Washington Post, The Washington Post, Getty, Investment Company Institute, ICI, Labor, Pew Research Center, Labor Department, Management, Budget, OMB, Wagner Law, Critics, Rep Locations: Washington ,, IRAs

☆ Putin's plan to wear down support for Ukraine in a war of attrition seems to be working, though it's not risk-free
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Putin is seeking to wear down Western support for Ukraine with a war of attrition. AdvertisementAdvertisementAt the Valdai Club conference Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gloated over the potential impact of Western support for Ukraine ebbing. Meanwhile, Ukraine's economy is struggling under the weight of the conflict and it is heavily dependent on Western aid. Wagner fighters deployed in Rostov-on-Don REUTERS/StringerPutin faces threats of his ownBut there are also risks for Putin in an attrition strategy. AdvertisementAdvertisementA notable series of successes could lead to a new wave of public support for Ukraine, and damage Putin's internal credibility.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin gloated, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden's, George Beebe, Beebe, Wagner, Don, Stringer Putin, –, Lawrence Freedman, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Ukraine, Putin, Service, Valdai, Republicans, Don REUTERS, King's College London, New Statesman Locations: Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany, Russia, Kyiv, Europe, Rostov, Russian, —, Moscow, Lviv

A specialist works at the site of a crash of the private jet linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin in the Tver region, Russia, on August 24. "There was no external influence on the plane; it is an established fact," the Russian leader claimed. The mutiny was suddenly called off in a deal that required the Wagner chief and his fighters to relocate to Belarus. There is no concrete evidence that points to Kremlin involvement and, officially, the cause of the crash is unknown. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials and US President Joe Biden have suggested Putin may have been behind the crash.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Vaganov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Prigozhin, Joe Biden, Jessie Yeung, Lauren Said, Moorhouse Organizations: Reuters Investigators, Wagner Locations: Tver, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Belarus

☆ 'Loyalty alone is not enough': Kremlin reveals the qualities Russia's Vladimir Putin values the most
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via a video link in Saint Petersburg on October 10, 2022. "But for Vladimir Putin, loyalty alone is not enough. Russia's president Vladimir Putin (R) and his spokesman Dmitry Peskov (L) attend the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting at the Congress Hall in Bishkek on December 9, 2022. Contributor | Getty ImagesDuring Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine, as it calls its invasion, questions have been raised about the strategy and competency of Russia's military leadership. FILE - Businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, left, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin, around his factory which produces school meals, outside St. Petersburg, Russia on Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Gavriil Grigorov, Putin, Andrei Kondrashov, it's, Dmitry Peskov, Vyacheslav Oseledko, —, Sergey Lavrov, Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Lavrov, Nikolay Patrushev, Mikhail Mishustin, Sergei Sobyanin, There's, Vladimir Solovyov, Nikolai Patrushev, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Sergei Medvedev, Dmitry, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Alexander Ermochenko, Sergey Shoigu, Shoigu, Prigozhin, Wagner, Kirill Shamiev, Prigozhin Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexei Druzhinin Organizations: Afp, Getty, CNBC, Economic, Kremlin, Security, Moscow, SVR, Russian Security Council, Ukraine, West ., Kyiv, Russian, Luhansk People's, Reuters, Wagner Group, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Saint Petersburg, Bishkek, Russian, Yerevan, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Luhansk, Luhansk People's Republic, Crimea, Moscow, Belarus, Prigozhin, St . Petersburg

☆ Russian soldiers who drink and break rules get sent to punishment battalions where they are likely to die fighting, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

These "Storm Z" units have been sent to where the heaviest fighting is. AdvertisementAdvertisementReuters interviewed 13 people as part of the investigation, five of whom were Storm Z fighters. Reuters found that soldiers are sent to Storm Z for being drunk on duty, for using drugs, or for refusing to carry out orders. Relatives of a missing Storm soldier fighting in Ukraine told Reuters that Russia's Defense Ministry never responded when they asked where he was. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the summer, some Storm fighters said in a video that they refused to carry out combat missions due to their treatment.

Persons: —, Storm, Storm Z, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Serhii, we've Organizations: Reuters, Service, Storm, Wagner Group, Russian Ministry of Defence, The, Pravda, Russia's Defense, Russia's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ 'They're just meat': Russia deploys punishment battalions in echo of Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

"Storm fighters, they're just meat," said one regular soldier from army unit no. He said he didn't know why the commander gave the order, but claimed that it typified how Storm-Z fighters were considered of lesser value than ordinary troops by officers. Three of the five Storm-Z fighters interviewed by Reuters, and the relatives of three other Storm-Z fighters, described nightmarish engagements that saw much of their squads wiped out. At a televised meeting with a small group of regular Russian servicemen, he said he was aware that two of their comrades, former prison inmates, had been killed in action. Three Storm-Z fighters said they were offered wages of about 200,000 roubles ($2,000) per month, though said they had been paid roughly half that amount, on average.

Persons: Polina Nikolskaya, Maria Tsvetkova, who've, Wagner, Reuters wasn't, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Josef Stalin, Artyom, Shchikin, Vladimir Rogov, Rogov, Shchikin's, Z, Igor, they'd, we've, Christian Lowe, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, REUTERS Acquire, Maria Tsvetkova LONDON, Convicts, Storm, Reuters, Kremlin, 237th, Intelligence Team, Institute for, Red Army, 291st Guards, Rifle Regiment, 291st, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russia, Russian, Ukrainian, U.S, Soviet, Mordovia, Zaporizhzhia, Geneva, France, Siberia

Russia has been bolstering its armed forces and ramping up weapons production in the expectation of a long war in Ukraine, where front lines have barely shifted for a year. "There are no plans for an additional mobilisation," Shoigu was shown telling top generals on state television. "The armed forces have the necessary number of military personnel to conduct the special military operation." Putin ordered a "partial mobilisation" of 300,000 reservists in September last year, prompting hundreds of thousands of young men to flee Russia to avoid being sent to fight. While Ukraine was able to win back territory last year from Russia in attacks which humiliated the Russian armed forces, this year has been different.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Shoigu, Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, Mark Milley, Milley, Dmitry Peskov, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Defence, West, Belfer, Harvard Kennedy School, CNN, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Leningrad Region, MOSCOW, Russian, That's, United States

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