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☆ Who is in Putin's delegation to China - and who stayed in Moscow?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 18, 2023. Sputnik/Dmitry Azarov/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently on a visit to China, his second only trip outside the former Soviet Union since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Who is in the Russian delegation with Putin - and who stayed in Russia? Before Putin left for China, he was shown at a meeting with defence and spy chiefs at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow. The following top officials are thought to be in Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Azarov, Alexander Novak, Sergei Lavrov, Yuri Ushakov, Maxim Oreshkin, Dmitry Peskov, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Anton Siluanov, Maxim Reshetnikov, Dmitry Shugaev, Yuri Chikhanchin, Dmitry Chernyshenko, Igor Morgulov, Igor Sechin, Alexei Miller, Alexei Likhachev, Andrei Kostin, Igor Shuvalov, Leonid Mikhelson, Oleg Belozyorov, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Nikolai Patrushev, Alexander Bortnikov, Dmitry Medvedev, Anton Vaino, Sergei Kiriyenko, Mikhail Mishustin, Viktor Zolotov, Sergei Naryshkin, Guy Faulconbridge, Muralikumar Organizations: Forum, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Soviet Union, Putin, Kremlin, Central Bank Governor, Federal Service for Military, Gazprom, VEB, Russian, Russian Direct Investment, Russia Security, Federal Security Service, Russia's Foreign Intelligence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Ukraine, Russia, CHINA, North Korea, China BUSINESSPERSONS, Moscow, Russian

☆ Putin filmed in China accompanied by officers with Russian nuclear briefcase
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Rare footage was shown on Wednesday of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing accompanied by officers carrying the so-called nuclear briefcase which can be used to order a nuclear strike. Putin, after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, was filmed walking to another meeting surrounded by security and followed by two Russian naval officers in uniform each carrying a briefcase. Russia's nuclear briefcase is traditionally carried by a naval officer. The Russian defence minister, currently Sergei Shoigu, also has a nuclear briefcase. One of the nuclear briefcases used by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin is displayed in the Yeltsin Museum in Yekaterinburg.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Xi Jinping, Mount Cheget, RIA, satchel, RUPTLY, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Boris Yeltsin, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: Kremlin, U.S, White, Cuban Missile, Russian, Forum, REUTERS, Acquire, Comprehensive, Russia's Zvezda, Zvezda, Yeltsin, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Beijing, Putin's, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, China, United States, Yekaterinburg

☆ Russia says it's talking to both Israel and Palestinians as Putin blames failure of US policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I think that many people will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of United States policy in the Middle East," Putin told visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. The United States, Putin said, had ignored the interests of Palestinians, including their need for their own independent Palestinian state. He did not mention Russia's own role in the Middle East peace process over the years. Along with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, it has since 2002 formed part of a "Quartet" of powers charged with helping to mediate. Moscow has said it is worried that the violence could escalate into a broader conflict in the Middle East.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Putin, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Washington, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mark Trevelyan, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Financial Security, Sirius, of Science, Art, Sputnik, Rights, Iraqi, United States, United Nations, European Union, Kremlin, stoke, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Krasnodar region, Russia, Israel, Moscow, States, United, United States, Gaza, Russian, Palestinian

☆ The Kremlin's propaganda machine will likely use the conflict in Israel to undermine the West's support for Ukraine: ISW
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian propagandists are capitalizing on the Israel conflict, per the Institute for the Study of War. The ISW says Kremlin narratives are now targeting "western audiences" to undermine aid to Ukraine. These "information operations" aim to reduce Western support for the Ukraine war, per the ISW. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Institute for the Study of War says Russia's propaganda machine will likely use the conflict in Israel to erode the West's support for Ukraine. The ISW wrote in its report that after the Hamas attacks on Saturday, the Kremlin amplified information campaigns that accused the West of ignoring Middle East conflicts to support Ukraine.

Persons: ISW, —, Sergey Mardan, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: for, Service, Ukraine, —, Security, of, Palestinian, Congress, Capitol Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Washington, Russian, of Russia, West

In that case, Britain accused Russia of an assassination attempt on its soil and expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the country. For its part, the U.S. expelled 60 Russian diplomats and ordered the closure of Russia's consulate in Seattle in solidarity with its British ally. If asked by Canada to expel a large number of Indian diplomats, these officials said, the U.S. would have little choice but to comply. This week, India told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country, ramping up the confrontation. Trudeau and other Canadian officials, including Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, have hinted that Canada won't take reciprocal measures.

Persons: —, Biden, Justin Trudeau's, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Sergei Skripal, Trudeau, “ I’m, we're, ”, Danny Russel, Barack Obama’s, Modi, Melanie Joly Organizations: WASHINGTON, Publicly, Canadian, U.S, NATO, Asia Society Policy Locations: Canada, India, U.S, Vancouver, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Pacific, United States, Ukraine, China, Australia, Japan, Salisbury, England, Britain, Seattle, St . Petersburg, Indian, British, New York, New Zealand, New Delhi, Washington

☆ Kazakh fintech Freedom Holding is being investigated by DOJ, SEC, documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The SEC's Boston regional office has been probing Freedom for months, according to documents seen by CNBC and people familiar with the matter. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts is also making preliminary inquiries into Freedom, documents seen by CNBC show. Nearly 115,000 Freedom shares changed hands in the first half hour of trading, 1.25 times the stock's 10-day average. Turlov and Freedom are aware of the SEC probe, which has been going on for months, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. An SEC spokesperson told CNBC that it doesn't comment on the existence or nonexistence of an investigation.

Persons: that's, Timur Turlov, Turlov, Hindenburg, Citron Organizations: Nasdaq, Securities, Exchange, CNBC, Boston, Attorney's, Massachusetts, SEC, DOJ, Justice, Hindenburg, Citron Research, Las, Trump, Financial, Financial Industry, Authority, Freedom Locations: Almaty, Kazakhstan, Russian, U.S, Kazakh, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, New York, Las Vegas, New

☆ Russia wields ‘silent weapon’ of grain exports to weaken Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This will amount to 22.5% of global wheat exports, a market-leading share. In the same period, Ukraine’s share of global wheat exports has shrunk from 9% to an expected level of a little over 6% for this season. “Ukraine’s [grain] exports are vital to its economy and to feed the world,” Bridget A. S&P Global expects its wheat exports to fall by 3.7 million tons to 13.4 million in 2023-24, the lowest in nine years. And a significant reduction in the global wheat supply could yet lift prices, suggests Welsh.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, ” Caitlin Welsh, Bridget A, Putin, Andrey Sizov, Stringer, ” Welsh, Sizov, Vladimir Nikolayev, Paul Hughes, ”, Olesya, Svitlana Vlasova Organizations: London CNN —, Russia’s Security, Global, CNN, Initiative, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Moscow, Twitter, Getty, Union, European Commission, EU, US Department of Agriculture, Reuters, Romania, P Global, “ Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Nedvigovka, AFP, Ukraine’s, Poland, mudslinging, Egypt, Siberian Novosibirsk, “ Ukraine

☆ Russian journalist who staged TV war protest handed 8 1/2 year jail term in absentia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Former Russian state TV employee Marina Ovsyannikova, who staged an anti-war protest on live state television and was later charged with public activity aimed at discrediting the Russian army amid Ukraine-Russia conflict, attends a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 4 (Reuters) - A Russian court sentenced former state TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who burst into a news broadcast with a placard that read "Stop the war" and "They're lying to you", to eight and half years in jail in absentia on Wednesday. Ovsyannikova was found guilty of "spreading knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces", according to a statement posted by the court on Telegram. She had staged her original protest less than three weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, in what it called a "special military operation". Writing by Maxim Rodionov; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marina Ovsyannikova, Evgenia, Ovsyannikova, Maxim Rodionov, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Russian Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ovsyannikova

☆ Russia's Medvedev says British training troops in Ukraine could be legitimate targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, and has become an increasingly hawkish and anti-Western figure in Russian politics, said such steps by the West were bringing World War Three closer. "(This will) turn their instructors into a legal target for our armed forces," Medvedev wrote on Telegram. Medvedev then turned his focus to Germany, vilifying those who want Berlin to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles that could strike Russian territory and try to limit Moscow's supply to its army. Well, in that case, strikes on German factories where these missiles are made would also be in full compliance with international law," Medvedev said. "These morons are actively pushing us towards World War Three," Medvedev said.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Grant Shapps, Alexander Marrow, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Russia's, Scientific, Machine, Sunday, Russia's Security, British Defence, NATO, Taurus, Thomson Locations: Reutov, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Britain, Germany, Berlin

☆ One of Putin's guards who denounced the war and fled Russia says he's being pursued even in South America
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He's one of the extremely rare FSO officers to do so — and says he's still being pursued for it. AdvertisementAdvertisementA former member of President Vladimir Putin's Federal Protective Service said that he has been pursued since he fled Russia and denounced the invasion of Ukraine. They appear to be the brutal consequences of his decision to publicly reject Putin's politics and the war in Ukraine. But much of his family was there, and an FSO job would be the peak of his career, offering a comfortable 68,000 rubles ($700) a month. Speaking outEven in Ecuador, Brizhaty doesn't feel safe from the Kremlin.

Persons: Vitaly Brizaty, Putin, he's, —, Vladimir Putin's, Vitaly Brizhaty, Brizhaty, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, didn't, nodded, — Putin, Thibault Spirlet Organizations: FSO, Service, Vladimir Putin's Federal Protective Service, Protection Service, Russian Locations: Russian, Russia, Ecuador, Ukraine, Crimea, Olivye, Ukrainian, Kremlin

☆ A small New York hedge fund has secretly managed $7 billion for a Russian oligarch for over a decade, the SEC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The SEC this week charged a small New York hedge fund with acting as an unregistered investment advisor. Concord Management earned tens of millions of dollars advising a Russian tycoon, the SEC said. The New York Times said the businessman in question was the former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich. The regulator added that since 1999, Concord had made over $80 million managing the client's assets, which, as of January 2022, were worth $7.2 billion. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Concord had managed money for the oligarch Roman Abramovich, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Persons: Roman Abramovich, Michael Matlin, Matlin, Abramovich, Vladimir Putin Organizations: SEC, Concord Management, The New York Times, Chelsea FC, Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, Russian, Russian Federation, New York Times, Concord, European Union, English Locations: York, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Westchester County, Concord, United Kingdom, Chukotka, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine

[1/2] Vehicles of Russian peacekeepers leaving Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region for Armenia pass an Armenian checkpoint on a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia September 22, 2023. Images of fleeing Armenians at Russia's own peacekeeping base at an airport in Nagorno-Karabakh have been harder for them to watch. But its handling of the Karabakh crisis has forced it into a blame game with Armenia and obliged it to defend its foreign policy in the region. It now accuses him of triggering the crisis by saying - after Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Karabakh in 2020 following Armenia's defeat in a 44-day war - that he recognised Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Baku has long argued that Karabakh falls within its own borders, but Karabakh Armenians wanted Pashinyan to recognise their independence and unify them with Armenia.

Persons: Irakli, Alexander Baunov, Russia's, Sergei Markov, Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Margarita Simonyan, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Armenian, Soviet, Carnegie, Karabakh, Protesters, Kremlin, Russian, Security Council, NATO, Thomson Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Kornidzor, Russia, Azerbaijan Moscow, Kabul, U.S, Afghanistan, Nagorno, Turkish, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Russian, America, Baku ., Yerevan, Baku, Pashinyan

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh crisis lays bare deteriorating Armenian relationship with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Clare Sebastian Anna Chernova Katharina Krebs Tim Lister Christian Edwards | Clare Sebastian | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has come amid a sharp deterioration in the relationship between historic allies Armenia and Russia, and has been amplified by sometimes incendiary commentary from prominent individuals in Moscow. Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani aggression, according to state media Armenpress. The prominent Russian military blogger Rybar said Armenia was over reliant on Russia to provide security for Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia purports to provide security to Armenia through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of post-Soviet states that includes Armenia but excludes Azerbaijan. The Armenian authorities handed over the Armenian shrine with their own hands… The fate of Judas is unenviable.”Simonyan also wrote on Telegram about protests in Yerevan.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Armen Grigoryan, Dmitry Peskov, Pashinyan’s, Anna Hakobyan, ” Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, “, ”, ” Medvedev, Rybar, –, ” Rybar, Margarita Simonyan, Judas, ” Simonyan, ’ They’ve, Vladimir Solovyov, Lavrov, Putin, Ivan, ” Solovyov, Meduza Organizations: CNN, Armenian, Armenia’s Security, Kremlin, CNN Prima News, Russia, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Twitter Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, “, Azerbaijan, Russian, Soviet

☆ US SEC charges investment firm linked to Russian billionaire
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The headquarters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are seen in Washington, July 6, 2009. REUTERS/Jim Bourg/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Concord Management, Ltd FollowWASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday charged Concord Management and its owner with failing to register with regulators while operating as an investment adviser to an unidentified billionaire former Russian official. Concord Management LLC of Tarrytown, New York, and owner Michael Matlin were operating as unregistered investment advisers to a single client, a former Russian official with apparent connections to the Russian Federation, the SEC said in a statement. Matlin founded Concord in 1999 to provide investment advice and supervise investments in U.S. private funds, the SEC said. The firm monitored investments for the Russian individual until March 2022, when the United Kingdom and European Union sanctioned the unidentified client, it said.

Persons: Jim Bourg, Michael Matlin, Matlin, Abramovich, Chris Prentice, Rami Ayyub, Katharine Jackson, Josie Kao, Mark Potter, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, REUTERS, Concord Management, WASHINGTON, Russian, Russian Federation, Concord, New York Times, Reuters, European Union, Thomson Locations: Washington, Tarrytown , New York, United Kingdom, New York

☆ Explainer-Inside North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un's Armoured Train
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

It is unclear how many trains North Korean leaders have used over the years, but Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transportation, said multiple trains were needed for security reasons. "Even if it is slow, train is safer and more comfortable than anything else for a North Korean leader," Ahn said. In the 2002 book "Orient Express", Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky described a three-week journey to Moscow by Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's father and predecessor. The wheels of Kim Jong Un's train must be changed in Russia or a North Korean station bordering Russia, because the two countries use different rail gauges, Ahn said. The train was "a sweet home and an office," for Kim Jong Il, state television has said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Putin, Ahn Byung, Ahn, " Ahn, Konstantin Pulikovsky, Kim Jong Il, Georgy Toloraya, Toloraya, Kim Il Sung, Kim's, Kim family's, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, NK News, WHO, THE Locations: SEOUL, Russia, China, Vietnam, Korean, North Korean, Moscow, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Paris, Russian, North Korea, Koreans

☆ Putin Hails Elon Musk as an 'Outstanding Person' and Businessman
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday hailed South African-born businessman Elon Musk as an "outstanding person" and businessman whose SpaceX company had become a major player in the space transportation industry. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev took to X earlier this month to laud Musk over that decision - which has been sharply criticised by Ukrainian politicians - as "the last adequate mind in North America". Putin, speaking at an economic forum in Russia's far east, did not refer to the Starlink incident. But when asked about the success of Musk's SpaceX company in launching rockets into space, he said:"As far as private business and Elon Musk is concerned... he is undoubtedly an outstanding person. "He (Musk) is an active and talented businessman and he is succeeding a lot, including with the support of the American state," added Putin.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, Musk, Dmitry Medvedev, laud Musk, Putin, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: Tuesday, SpaceX, Elon, Reuters Locations: VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, U.S, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, North America, Moscow

☆ Inside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's armoured train
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves from a private train as he departs Pyongyang, North Korea, to visit Russia, September 10, 2023, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on September 12, 2023. It is unclear how many trains North Korean leaders have used over the years, but Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transportation, said multiple trains were needed for security reasons. "Even if it is slow, train is safer and more comfortable than anything else for a North Korean leader," Ahn said. In the 2002 book "Orient Express", Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky described a three-week journey to Moscow by Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's father and predecessor. The wheels of Kim Jong Un's train must be changed in Russia or a North Korean station bordering Russia, because the two countries use different rail gauges, Ahn said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Putin, Ahn Byung, Ahn, " Ahn, Konstantin Pulikovsky, Kim Jong Il, Georgy Toloraya, Toloraya, Kim Il Sung, Kim's, Kim family's, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NK News, WHO, THE, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, Russia, Rights SEOUL, China, Vietnam, Korean, North Korean, Moscow, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Paris, Russian, Koreans

☆ This green armored train has carried the Kim family for decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In the background, women in dresses and traditional clothing can be seen cheering and waving the North Korean flag. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves before departing Pyongyang for Russia on September 11, 2023. Armored train of luxuryThe train has long been the subject of intrigue, carrying generations of the Kim family across the country and on rare overseas trips. The same train – green with yellow striping – was seen in footage from Russian state media when Kim Jong Il visited Russia in 2002. Information from inside the country slowed to a trickle, even more so in recent years under Kim Jong Un’s rule.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Choe Sun Hui, Chol, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, Konstantin Pulikovsky, Kim Jong Il’s, Pulikovsky, ” Pulikovsky, Xi Jinping, KCNA, KCNA Kim, Donald Trump, Putin Organizations: CNN, North, KCNA, Central Military Commission, Workers ’ Party, Reuters, Russian, Ministry, New York Times, Times, South, South Korean, Chosun Ilbo, Nuclear, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, North Korean, Yonhap Locations: North Korean, Russia, United States, Russia’s, Pyongyang, Korean, Switzerland, North Korea, Bordeaux, Burgundy, South, Korea, China, Beijing, Vietnam, Hanoi, Vladivostok, South Korean

☆ The former Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death" who the US exchanged for Brittney Griner is back in Russia and now learning to use a smartphone
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US swapped Viktor Bout, a once notorious Russian arms dealer, for WNBA star Britney Griner, last year. Known as the "Merchant of Death," Bout spent 15 years in a US prison. Bout is now back in Russia, adjusting to modern life, and running for local office. Advertisement Advertisement Watch:The career pivot isn't the only challenge facing Bout, who was first arrested by police in Thailand in 2008 before his extradition to the United States. Since his release, Bout has been a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

Persons: Viktor Bout, Britney Griner, Brittney Griner, Griner, it's, Bout, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: WNBA, Service, New York Times, Times, Kremlin Liberal Democratic Party Locations: Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, United States, Ulyanovsk, Moscow, Thailand, Ukraine, He's

☆ FBI Director Christopher Wray issues warning about number of Russian spies in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Thursday that the number of Russian spies operating inside the United States is “still way too big,” despite efforts to kick them out. “The Russian traditional counterintelligence threat continues to loom large,” Wray said during public remarks at the Spy Museum in Washington. “The Russian intelligence footprint, and by that I mean intelligence officers, is still way too big in the United States and something we are constantly bumping up against and trying to block and prevent and disrupt in every way we can.”The threat of Russian spies operating on US soil is nothing new. Russia employs not only “traditional intelligence officers” but also cut-outs, Wray said on Thursday, citing a Mexican national arrested by US authorities in 2020 and accused of assisting Russian intelligence. “I will say that, over the last several years, the US has made positive significant strides in reducing the size of the Russian intelligence officer footprint in the United States, kicking them out, in effect,” Wray said.

Persons: Christopher Wray, ” Wray, “, Vladimir Putin, Russia –, Wray, Johns Organizations: Washington CNN —, Spy Museum, Mexican, Johns Hopkins ’ School, International Studies Locations: United States, Russian, Washington, Russia, Seattle, United Kingdom, Dutch

Aziz Umerov looks at a portrait of his sister Leniye Umerova, a Ukrainian from Russian-annexed Crimea arrested in Russia, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 11, 2023. A Reuters review of Rudenko's social media account on Telegram didn't find any messages critical of the war. Russia's top investigative body, the Investigative Committee, the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office didn't respond to requests for comment on the phenomenon of carousel arrests or individual cases. A Reuters review of Russian court records identified seven cases of carousel arrests this year, with the suspects involved arrested and jailed between two and five times in succession. Not all "carousel" arrests lead to more serious criminal charges, and for some detainees, time spent behind bars is frightening enough.

Persons: Aziz Umerov, Leniye Umerova, Gleb Garanich, Rudenko's, Yulia Kiselyova, he'd, Kiselyova, Ivan Vtorushin, Valeriya, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Alexei Navalny, Lauren McCarthy, McCarthy, Gevorg, Dmitry Golovlyov, Aleksanyan, Rudenko, Mike Collett, White Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Russian, Investigative, Interior Ministry, First Department, PUTIN, WHO, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Federal Security Service, of Russia Legion, Russia Legion, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Bucha, Rudenko, Crimean Tatars, Ukrainian

☆ Ukrainian mortar squads say they meet fierce Russian resistance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A Ukrainian serviceman sits next to mortar shells inside a dugout at a position near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 4, 2023. It's a routine they repeat frequently as Ukraine's army tries to battle through vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified trenches in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. "The Russians resist fiercely there (on the front line), they are trying to get back their positions," the mortar squad's commander, who uses the call-sign Hrai, told Reuters. Our soldiers are in their (former Russian) positions, prepared by them (the Russians). The mortar position is part of a maze of trenches and dugouts with wooden walls and underground living quarters.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Hrai, Timothy Heritage, Tom Balmforth Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, tarpaulin, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv

☆ Ukrainian snipers hunting top enemy commanders are exploiting one of the Russian military's biggest vulnerabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian snipers told The Wall Street Journal they are hunting down high-profile Russian targets. Over the course of the war, Russia has lost a number of senior Russian commanders and generals who directed operations from the front line. John Moore/Getty ImagesAlthough they have a common enemy, not all Ukrainian sniper teams are engaged in the same mission. Russian snipers, likewise, carry out similar missions and are considered quite formidable. Other activities like reconnaissance fall within the traditional sniper mission set and can also take priority.

Persons: Carl Court, Mark Milley, Andrei Sukhovetsky, Russia's, John Moore Organizations: Wall Street, Service, Devils, Wall Street Journal, Pentagon, Department of Defense, Ukraine, US, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Russia's 7th Airborne, 28th Brigade, Ukrainian, CNN Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Kyiv

☆ See inside President Vladimir Putin's opulent $100 million superyacht
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin spent $32 million refitting a superyacht, a new report suggests. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile his troops flooded into Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin was spending millions of dollars on an opulent refit of one of his superyachts, according to an investigation from opposition leader Alexei Navalny's team. Advertisement Advertisement Watch: Inside Putin's secret bunker and billion-dollar palaceThe total cost of the works came to $32 million, according to the investigation. AdvertisementAdvertisement"OFAC is identifying Russia-flagged Graceful and Cayman Islands-flagged Olympia, as blocked property in which President Vladimir Putin has an interest," the US Treasury website said in a June 2022 press release. The Russian president is reportedly also the owner of the 450-foot, $700 million Scheherazade, one of the largest yachts in the world.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny's, Pyotr Stolypin, Putin, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich Organizations: Morning, Russian, Blohm, Russian Federation, US Department of, Foreign, Control, US Treasury, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Saint Petersburg, Hamburg, Germany, Voss, Kaliningrad, Russia, Islands, Belarus, Cayman Islands, Olympia

☆ The US is making 'irreversible' progress with a former Russian partner in a tense corner of Europe, but not everyone in NATO will be happy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

For Cyprus, it's a move away from its longtime partner in Russia, but Turkey isn't happy about it. Cyprus has made "important strides" in its military and security cooperation with the US, Michalis Giorgallas, Cyprus' minister of defense, told Insider in response to written questions. Giorgallas told Insider. "This trajectory will continue," Giorgallas told Insider, adding that after the National Guard partnership, "our defense cooperation with the US has become irreversible and we look forward to what's to come." Giorgallas told Insider that the area is historically an unstable one and that the instability has become more visible in more domains, such as at sea and in the air over the region.

Persons: it's, Michalis Giorgallas, aren't, ROY ISSA, Panteleyev, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Giorgallas, John Yountz, —, IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU, Christopher Cavoli, BIROL BEBEK, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, NATO, UN, Getty, Cypriot, Russian Navy, Airbus, US Army, Staff, Military Education, Training, Cypriot National Guard, New Jersey National Guard, National Guard, US European Command, Turkish, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus, Russia, Turkey, Wall, Silicon, Europe, East, North Africa, Moscow, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ankara, Washington, Crimea, Ukraine, Limassol, AFP, US, Nicosia, Larnaca, John Yountz Cypriot, Cypriot, Greece, Tartus, Northern Cyprus

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