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☆ The 'taboo' of criticizing Putin has been 'significantly weakened,' which is why an influential pro-war blogger trashed him, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pro-war Russian ultra-nationalist was arrested for criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The UK MoD said he made the comments as the "taboo" around criticizing Putin is weakened. Ivor Girkin, a Russian ultra-nationalist, was arrested on extremism charges on Friday after he called Putin a "cowardly mediocrity." Girkin, like many other Russian war bloggers, has been critical of Russia's military performance in Ukraine. The UK MoD noted that Girkin had "long been a critic" of Russia's military performance but that, in recent days, his comments had turned to criticizing Putin himself.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Ivor Girkin, Girkin's, Russian Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Igor Girkin, ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Insider's Erin Snodgrass, Girkin Organizations: MoD, Service, Wagner Group, Getty, MOD, Guardian Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian Donetsk

☆ Prigozhin's uprising failed, but it triggered China's 'psychology about warlords,' top White House official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A brief, failed revolt by Russian mercenaries in June raised doubts about Putin's hold on power. It also worried officials in China, which has its own history with "warlords," a US official said. They were unnerved by what happened two weekends ago in Moscow," Campbell said in an interview with The Wire China published on July 16, after several senior US officials visited China. China presented a peace plan in April — shortly after President Xi Jinping visited Moscow — that was widely seen as vague and self-interested. Putin and Xi have been a driving force behind the strengthening of Sino-Russian relations over the past 15 years.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Prigozhin, Kurt Campbell, Campbell, Xi Jinping, Wagner, We've, Putin Putin, SERGEI GUNEYEV, Yu Sui, Joseph Torigian, China's, Torigian, Xi, Ryan Haas, PAVEL BYRKIN, Haas, Obama, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti Organizations: Service, Pacific Affairs, White House National Security Council, China, Wagner Group, REUTERS, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Getty, Chinese Communist Party tabloid Global Times, Communist, Central Propaganda Department, China Center, Contemporary World, American University, Brookings Institution, The New York Times, Getty Images, National Security Locations: Russian, China, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, —, Rostov, Beijing, lockstep, Getty Images Beijing

☆ Wagner suffered staggering losses in Ukraine, official says: 28% dead, a further 51% wounded, totaling 62K casualties in just over a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

28% of the Wagner Group's force sent to Ukraine was killed, according to a group official. A Wagner Group official identified as Marx said that 78,000 fighters went to Ukraine with the mercenary group, and 22,000 were killed, according to Telegram channel Razgruzka Vagnera. That means the Wagner Group had 62,000 casualties in total, according to the official's figures. The UK defense ministry on Friday also pointed to huge losses of Russian prisoners fighting in Ukraine. While the Wagner Group is not the only group that recruited prisoners for Ukraine, it was the most prolific group to do so.

Persons: Wagner, Marx, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Razgruzka Vagnrea, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Group, Moscow Times, Wagner Group, Wagner Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Bakhmut, Russian, Moscow, Africa

☆ MI6 leader says Putin is likely feeling the pressure because Prigozhin — a 'creature' he 'utterly created' — turned on him
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

MI6 leader said Vladimir Putin is likely feeling the "pressure" of Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion. "Prigozhin was his creature, utterly created by Putin, and yet he turned on him," Richard Moore told Politico. Last month, Prigozhin's Wagner Group staged a brief mutiny against Putin's military leaders before backing down. "Prigozhin was his creature, utterly created by Putin, and yet he turned on him," Richard Moore told Politico. On Wednesday, Prigozhin took another oblique shot at Putin by criticizing his ongoing war in Ukraine, even as the Kremlin tries to keep the rogue leader quiet.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Putin, Richard Moore, Prigozhin's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin's Organizations: Politico, Service, Prigozhin, Kremlin Locations: Wall, Silicon, Belarus, Moscow, Belarusian, Russia's, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russia has launched its own version of Wikipedia, called Ruwiki, which is notably more sympathetic to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Kremlin-compliant version of Wikipedia, Ruwiki, has launched in Russia. Its founder, a former longtime editor at Russian Wikipedia, says it will follow strict Russian media laws. Russia has launched its own version of Wikipedia that is markedly more friendly towards President Vladimir Putin and his government. Insider compared Ruwiki with Russian Wikipedia using Google Translate as of July 13 to get a sense of their key differences. Russian Wikipedia has a dedicated article on the episode, during which Wagner forces marched on Moscow and came within 125 miles of the Russian capital before turning back.

Persons: It's, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Wikipedia's, Vladimir Medeyko, Medeyko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Ruwiki Organizations: The Telegraph, Bloomberg, Google, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Wired Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow

☆ 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

☆ Ukraine's counteroffensive is facing off against Wagner's successor group, Storm Z, on the outskirts of Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's counteroffensive is running into Wagner's successor group, Storm Z, in Bakhmut. The group is mostly conscripts, reservists, and convicts, The Washington Post said. Storm Z, however, doesn't consist of mercenaries like Wagner, which defined itself with a culture of extreme violence. Ukraine has said that Storm Z shows extremely low combat capability, according to a press release translated by Pravada. Wagner troops declared victory in Bakhmut — a once-bustling city now a ghost town left in ruins — in May.

Persons: Storm Z, Wagner, Pravada, Bakhmut —, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Ukraine, Storm, Wagner Group, Main Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, Russian Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, —, Russia

☆ Video appears to show Wagner Group troops preparing to leave Africa, suggesting a purge by Moscow, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video appears to show dozens of Wagner Group soldiers preparing to leave Africa. The video follows a report by Jeune Afrique that said 500 to 600 mercenaries had left Bangui on Thursday. But Wagner's relationship with the Kremlin has fractured in recent weeks after the group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his soldiers to march on Moscow in June. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of committing atrocitiesIn this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of committing atrocities in CAR, according to reports.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Putin, Alia Brahimi, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Aleksander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Faustin, Fidele Gouandjika Organizations: Wagner Group, Jeune Afrique, Service, Wagner, NBC News, Central African Republic, Council, Foreign Relations, Prigozhin Press Service, Prigozhin Press, Associated Press, Central African, NBC, Sky News, CAR's Department of Defense, Sky Locations: Africa, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Bangui, CAR, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia, CAR's, Washington

☆ Wagner fighters preparing to move to Belarus, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of a tent camp site that, according to Belarusian Defence Ministry officials, could be offered as one of the spots to house Wagner fighters, in the military settlement of Tsel in the Asipovichy District of the Mogilev Region in Belarus on July 7, 2023. Mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group are preparing to move to Belarus under the terms of a deal that defused their mutiny against Russia's military leadership, a senior commander of the group was quoted as saying. Since the June 23-24 mutiny, which saw Wagner fighters briefly seize a southern Russian city and march towards Moscow, the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin and his mercenaries have been unclear. However, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that Prigozhin and thousands of his fighters were still in Russia, raising questions about the deal's implementation. He has not posted on his previously preferred Telegram channel — Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Service — since June 26, when he defended his fighters' mutinous actions.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Anton Yelizarov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny Organizations: Belarusian Defence Ministry, Mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Locations: Tsel, Asipovichy District, Mogilev Region, Belarus, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Poland moves troops to eastern border amid Wagner fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Polish army troops stand guard, as part of the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country, in Poland, July 8, 2023. "This is a demonstration of our readiness to respond to attempts at destabilisation near the border of our country." Last Sunday Poland said it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus. Poland has seen an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross the Belarus border in recent weeks. A senior Wagner commander was quoted as saying on Saturday that mercenaries from the group were preparing to move to Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Mariusz Blaszczak, Alan Charlish, Ros Russell Organizations: 17th Mechanized, REUTERS, NATO, Wagner Group, Twitter, Border Guard, Thomson Locations: Polish, Poland, Handout, REUTERS WARSAW, Belarus, Russian, destabilisation, Morocco, India, Ethiopia, East, Africa

☆ Wagner fighters preparing to move to Belarus, senior commander quoted as saying
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File PhotoJuly 8 (Reuters) - Mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group are preparing to move to Belarus under the terms of a deal that defused their mutiny against Russia's military leadership, a senior commander of the group was quoted as saying. Since the June 23-24 mutiny, which saw Wagner fighters briefly seize a southern Russian city and march towards Moscow, the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin and his mercenaries have been unclear. He has not posted on his previously preferred Telegram channel - Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Service - since June 26, when he defended his fighters' mutinous actions. Yelizarov said there had been no attempt by Russia's security forces to "hit" Wagner fighters since the mutiny. The attempt would fail, he said, because Prigozhin himself had created and moulded the Wagner fighters "when the state did not need us".

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Ermochenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Anton Yelizarov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny, Lukashenko, Yelizarov, King Arthur, Gareth Jones, Alison Williams Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Service, General Staff, Knights, Prigozhin's St, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Belarus, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Prigozhin's, Prigozhin's St Petersburg

☆ Exclusive: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's secret calendar reveals a decade of deep Kremlin ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A copy of Prigozhin's calendar obtained by Die Welt and shared with Insider shows just how deeply enmeshed he was with the Putin regime. Putin's name appears in Prigozhin's calendar only twice, and neither entry records a one-on-one meeting. Wagner employees typically identify themselves and sign documents using three or four-digit employee numbers, and most Prigozhin's meetings with Wagner Group employees are presented this way. These rows of data extracted from Yevgeny Prigozhin's private calendar show Wagner Group personnel identified solely by their employee numbers. In the end, his demands for a slot on Putin's calendar went unanswered.

Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's, —, Vladimir Putin, It's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner — Sergei Surovikin, Ukraine —, Wagner, Dmitry Peskov, Sergei Shoigu, Ruslan Tsalikov, Anton Vaino, Valery Gerasimov, Shoigu, Sergei Surovikin, Matveev, Dmitry Medvedev, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Walt Hickey, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Die Welt, Service, Russian Federation, Wagner Group, Insider, Putin, Politico, Defense, Prigozhin, Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNN, Welt, Kremlin Locations: Tula, Moscow, Ukraine, West, Africa, St . Petersburg, New, Dyumin, Russia, Belarus, Prigozhin, Russian, Rostov, Germany, Korea

☆ Russian state TV attacks mutiny leader Prigozhin, says investigation still live
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 5 (Reuters) - Russian state TV on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on Yevgeny Prigozhin, the exiled mercenary leader of an aborted armed mutiny last month, and said an investigation into what had happened was still being vigorously pursued. Under the agreement which ended the mutiny, Prigozhin, whose aim had been to topple the defence minister and chief of the General Staff for what he cast as their incompetent prosecution of the war, was meant to relocate to neighbouring Belarus. Images of armed Russian law enforcement agents entering Prigozhin's office were shown. "I consider that the creation of Yevgeny Prigozhin's image as a people's hero was all done by media fed by Yevgeny Prigozhin," said Petrov, referring to media outlets financed by Prigozhin. The programme showed what it said were multiple passports which Prigozhin had used and which carried different names.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Popov, Eduard Petrov, Petrov, Yevgeny, Putin, Andrew Osborn, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Wednesday, Kremlin, General Staff, Prigozhin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Rostov, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, St Petersburg

☆ Prigozhin-controlled Russian media group shuts amid mutiny fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 2 (Reuters) - Yevgeny Prigozhin's media holding group is to shut down, the director of one of its outlets said, highlighting the mercenary chief's worsening fortunes a week after the collapse of a brief mutiny staged by his Wagner Group fighters. Patriot Media, whose most prominent outlet was the RIA FAN news site, had taken a strongly nationalist, pro-Kremlin editorial line, while also providing positive coverage of Prigozhin and his Wagner Group. Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Friday that the country's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor had blocked media outlets linked to Prigozhin, without elaborating. Despite the abortive mutiny, Russian authorities have not officially outlawed the Wagner Group, but Putin said on Tuesday the finances of Prigozhin's catering firm would be investigated. Under Prigozhin's leadership, the group has grown into a sprawling international business with mining interests and fighters in Africa and the Middle East.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Zubarev, Zubarev, Roskomnadzor, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexei Navalny, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: Wagner Group, Patriot Media, Kremlin, Russian, Kommersant, Patriot, Wagner, Russia, Thomson Locations: Belarus, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Africa, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas

☆ 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

By 1156 GMT, the rouble was 1.8% weaker against the dollar at 89.15 after earlier hitting 89.3275, its weakest point since March 29, 2022. It lost 1.8% to trade at 96.74 versus the euro , also a 15-month low. It shed 1.4% against the yuan to 12.23 <CNYRUBTOM=MCX>, a more than 14-month low. The rouble lost a key support factor on Wednesday as a month-end tax period that typically sees exporters convert foreign currency revenues to meet local liabilities passed. Brent crude oil , a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was up 0.1% at $74.41 a barrel.

Persons: C.bank, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin's, Alexei Zabotkin, Zabotkin, Alexander Marrow, Jamie Freed, Robert Birsel, Jane Merriman, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Alor Broker, Bank of Russia, Brent, Gazprom, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Alor, Russia, Ukraine

June 30 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble slumped to a more than 15-month low against the dollar and euro on Friday, weighed down by domestic political risk concerns after an aborted armed mutiny over the weekend and lacking support drivers. By 0734 GMT, the rouble was 0.8% weaker against the dollar at 88.26 after earlier hitting 88.6775, its weakest point since March 29, 2022. It lost 0.9% to trade at 95.97 versus the euro after also hitting a 15-month low of 96.3225. The rouble lost a key support factor on Wednesday as a month-end tax period that typically sees exporters convert foreign currency revenues to meet local liabilities passed. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.4% lower at 2,785.8 points.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin's, Alexander Marrow, Jamie Freed, Robert Birsel Organizations: Alor Broker, Gazprom, Thomson Locations: Russian, Alor, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Brent

☆ Russian flyers who disobeyed orders to attack Wagner forces may be caught up in Putin's dragnet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Suspicions of disloyalty seemingly extend far beyond senior officials and generals who had direct ties to Prigozhin. Some pilots and airmen are said to face questions for refusing orders to fire on the Wagner columns during their coup. Some Russian bloggers felt it was hypocritical to punish the aviators when the mutineers were let off. Russian warplanes fired on Wagner Group mercenaries to try to stop their advance over the weekend, but some pilots and airmen face questions for refusing orders to fire. Putin is said to have discussed assassinating Prigozhin and has indicated the Wagner founder is under investigation for stealing from the Russian government.

Persons: Wagner, —, Romanov, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Sergei Surovikin, Putin, Prigozhin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Prigozhin Locations: Prigozhin, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Belarus

☆ Rouble hits 15-month low past 87 vs dollar on political risk concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 29 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble weakened past 87 against the dollar to a 15-month low on Thursday, hampered by domestic political risk concerns after an aborted mutiny over the weekend, with market uncertainty fuelling demand for safe-haven assets. By 0823 GMT, the rouble was 0.7% weaker against the dollar at 86.96 <RUBUTSTN=MCX> having hit 87.47, its weakest point since March 29, 2022. The rouble lost a key support factor on Wednesday as a month-end tax period that typically sees exporters convert foreign currency revenues to meet local liabilities passed. "As we expected, the rouble fell at the end of the tax period, quite sharply, by around 1.5%," said Alor Broker in a note. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.8% higher at 2,804.0 points.

Persons: Russian rouble, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin's, Brent, Alexander Marrow, Christina Fincher, Jason Neely Organizations: Capital, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Alor, Magnit

☆ Russian general Surovikin was sympathetic towards Wagner rebellion, US officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine, was sympathetic to mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's weekend rebellion, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, though it was unclear if he actively supported it. As the rebellion began, Surovikin publicly urged fighters of the Wagner private militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Surovikin had advance knowledge that Prigozhin was planning a rebellion. U.S. officials and Western officials said Prigozhin had been stockpiling weaponry ahead of the mutiny attempt. The U.S. officials suggested he must have believed he had enough firepower and sympathy within the Russian military to carry out his uprising.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Wagner, Surovikin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Joel Schectman, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: Wagner Group, New York Times, U.S, Kremlin, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russian, Chechnya, Syria, Western, Belarus

☆ A top Russian general knew Wagner was planning an uprising, NYT reports, suggesting an even deeper threat to Putin's power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian general knew of Wagner was planning a rebellion against Putin, the NYT reported. Sergey Surovikin is a top commander in Russia's military, who led the invasion until he was demoted. Per the NYT, US officials want to know if others in the military considered joining the uprising. US officials are trying to find out whether General Sergey Surovikin — dubbed "General Armageddon" by Russian media — also helped plan the rebellion, according to The Times. Gerasimov and defense minister Sergei Shoigu are wildly unpopular among Russia's military.

Persons: Wagner, Putin, Sergey Surovikin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Sergey Surovikin —, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin's, Surovikin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, New York Times, The Times, Times, General Staff, Russia's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Belarus, Russia's

REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoSummary Fears of civil war rose in world's biggest nuclear powerMercenaries posed biggest threat to Putin in 23-year rule'Anyone with anything to lose was extremely tense' -sourceThe elite wonder: What's next for Russia? One fear was that Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group, if he entered Moscow, would try to take over the economy, triggering yet another redistribution of ownership in Russia, the world's biggest supplier of natural resources. The source spoke on condition of anonymity due to the danger of speaking publicly in contemporary Russia. Russians started to withdraw significant amounts of roubles and seek foreign currency in 15 regions across Russia. But within the elite, there is now a fear that Putin will seek to assert his position and remove those he felt did not profess their loyalty with enough ardour.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Putin, What's, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin's, Mikhail Gorbachev, Andrei Belousov, Dmitry Gusev, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Russia's, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Viktor Zolotov, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters, Kremlin, KGB, Bolshevik, Air, Jets, General Staff, National Guard, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Soviet, Ukraine, Belgrade, Istanbul, Dubai, Sochi, Belarus, Belarusian, Zolotov

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin's future — what could be next for Russia’s mutinous mercenary chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Yulia Morozova | ReutersOnce a close ally and caterer to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin now finds himself exiled to Belarus after leading his private mercenary group in an armed mutiny against the Russian military. Despite the apparent amnesty granted in exchange for halting the offensive, Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer told CNBC on Monday that Prigozhin is a "dead man walking." watch nowIn the absence of further details on the deal struck between Prigozhin and the Kremlin, analysts are broadly uncertain as to what the future holds for the Wagner Group and its leader. Atlantic Council CEO Fred Kempe told CNBC's "The Exchange" that this would not be a "one-act play" for either the Russian president or his former friend. Kempe mused, adding that the unknowns at this stage are the most important aspect of Prigozhin's banishment.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Maxim Fomin, Vladlen Tatarsky, Yulia Morozova, caterer, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Ian Bremmer, Putin, Fred Kempe, CNBC's, Will Prigozhin, Kempe, Christopher Granville, Granville, Russia Michael McFaul, I'm, who's Organizations: Reuters, Wagner Group, Eurasia Group, CNBC, Kremlin, Atlantic, EMEA, TS Lombard, Former U.S Locations: St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Belarus, Rostov, Prigozhin, Africa, Syria, Ukraine

☆ Prigozhin to be investigated after being paid $2 billion in a year - Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 27 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the finances of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's catering firm would be investigated after his mutiny, saying Wagner and its founder had received almost $2 billion from Russia in the past year. He said it had received 86 billion roubles ($1 billion) from the defence ministry between May 2022 and May 2023. In addition, Prigozhin's Concord catering company made 80 billion roubles from state contracts to supply food to the Russian army, Putin said. Prigozhin, whom Putin did not mention by name, could not be reached for immediate comment on Putin's remarks. He said on Monday that he had not been trying to overthrow the Russian state and that he remained a patriot who was trying to settle scores with the defence ministry.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Putin, Prigozhin, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Belarus, Kremlin, Concord, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russia's near-mutiny just cratered its currency against the dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The near-mutiny in Russia this weekend had some unexpected consequences for currencies — more on that below. And yet — the Russian ruble still plunged 3% to a 15-month low on Monday, trading at one point near 87 per dollar. The Kremlin said there was a huge uptick in foreign currency demand across 15 regions in Russia, per Reuters. During the mutiny, Russian banks had cut their ruble exchange rates to over 100 per dollar, though they've since eased prices. What's your outlook for the Russian ruble by year-end?

Persons: Phil Rosen, You'll, Vladimir Putin, GAVRIIL, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Wagner, Prigozhin, Andrei Belousov, Putin hasn't, Spencer Platt, Morgan Stanley, Billionaire Ron Baron, Warren, there's, Goldman Sachs, Elon, Max Adams, Hallam Bullock Organizations: SPUTNIK, Getty, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Manchester United, Walgreens, Alliance Inc, Billionaire, Dow, Harvard, Bank of America, Elon Musk's Locations: New York, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, —, Voronezh, Rostov, Lipetsk, London

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