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☆ Poland-Belarus: Tensions high on NATO's border with Belarus after Wagner troops move closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Josh Pennington Niamh Kennedy Darya Tarasova Jessie Gretener Yulia Kesaieva | Sana Noor Haq | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Belarusian soldiers and Wagner troops attend joint training exercises near the border city of Brest, in Belarus on July 20, 2023 amid increased border tensions between Warsaw and Minsk. Belarus' Defense Ministry/Handout/AP/FileMinsk had informed Warsaw about the exercise, but a border crossing took place in the eastern Bialowieza region at a “very low altitude, making detection by radar systems difficult,” the Polish defense ministry said in a statement. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak subsequently ordered that more troops and combat helicopters be deployed along the border, the ministry added. “By deploying troops from both the west (Kaliningrad) and the east (Belarus), Russia would be able to effectively cut off the Baltic States from its NATO allies in central and western Europe. Five EU countries, four of whom border Ukraine – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – lifted sanctions on the import of Ukrainian grain, which they had installed to protect their own agricultural industries.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Mariusz Blaszczak, Mateusz Morawiecki, Paweł Jabłoński, Barbara Yoxon, Putin, “, ” Yoxon, ”, Yoxon, Bulgaria –, Marcin Przydacz, Poland Organizations: CNN, NATO, EU, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Polish, Belarusian Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Lancaster University, “, Presidential, International, Ukraine, ” Locations: Poland, Belarus, Minsk, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian, Lithuania, Russian, Moscow, Brest, Polish, EU, Russia, Kaliningrad, Baltic, Grodno, England, Ukraine, Baltic States, Latvia, Estonia, Western, Ukrainian, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Kyiv, Republic of Poland

☆ Exiled Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian troops in what may signal Putin's puppet next door is cutting some of the strings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Wagner Group mercenaries cast into exile in Belarus have been training the country's soldiers. The increased military training suggests that Putin's influential grip on Belarus may be waning. "The Wagner Group's new role in Belarusian company-level training is notable," the ISW analysis said. Shortly after that, Wagner troops began training internal troops, the Belarusian Deputy Commander of the Internal Troops confirmed on July 25. Lukashenko, meanwhile, has praised the Wagner fighters and welcomed the military training with open arms.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Eager, Russian Wagner, ISW, George Barros, Wagner's, Barros, Putin, Belta, John Kirby, We're, Kirby Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Russian, Institute for, Belarusian, Sputnik, Internal Troops, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Moscow, Ukrainian, Minsk, White, National Security, NATO Locations: Belarus, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Asipovichy, Minsk, Russian, Brest, Washington, DC, wean, Moscow, Ukraine, Sochi, Kremlin, Africa, Poland, Lithuania

☆ Poland's prime minister fears over 100 Wagner mercs approaching his country's borders will try to pose as migrants and sneak into NATO territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wagner troops are poised to infiltrate NATO territory. Over 100 mercenaries have gathered near Poland's border with Belarus, he said on Saturday. Morawiecki warned that the fighters could pose as migrants or border guards to try and sneak in. The Russian fighters are near Grodno, a Belarusian city 10 miles from the Polish border, Morawiecki said at a press conference in Gliwice. Polish officials have for years accused Belarus of attempting to overwhelm Poland's border forces by sending migrants west — a charge Minsk has denied.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Wagner, Morawiecki, Arnoldas Abramavičius, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Jarosław Kaczyński Organizations: Polish, Service, European Union, BBC, Kremlin, Poland, Agence France Presse Locations: Poland's, Belarus, Wall, Silicon, Grodno, Belarusian, Polish, Gliwice, Minsk, Lithuanian, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Russia's Bolshoi, performing in China, vows to return to the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, July 26 (Reuters) - The artistic director of Moscow's state-owned Bolshoi Ballet has vowed that his company will eventually perform in the West again, having been subject to a cultural boycott since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The storied ballet company performed at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts on Tuesday in its first international tour since the pandemic. Speaking in Beijing on the eve of the performance, artistic director Makhar Vaziev insisted the troupe was "not suffering" from being unable to perform in the West. Cancellations in other Western cities soon followed, and creative collaboration with Western venues and choreographers evaporated. Several Russian and foreign leading dancers also quit the company in opposition to the Ukraine war, including former principal ballerina Olga Smirnova.

Persons: Makhar Vaziev, Empress Catherine the Great, Don Quixote, Vladimir Putin's, Olga Smirnova, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Laurie Chen, John Geddie, Raju gopalakrishnan Organizations: Bolshoi Ballet, National, Performing Arts, Reuters, London's Royal Opera House, Western, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Ukraine, Beijing, Russia, Minsk, Oman, Moscow

☆ The Gatsby of Silicon Alley: Meet the 27-year-old Google employee who's throwing tech's hottest parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Despite throwing events attended by thousands, Andrew Yeung has never made a cent off his parties. They've all gathered at the personal invitation of a 27-year-old Google product lead named Andrew Yeung. The terms of his visa stipulate that he can only derive income from his day job at Google. And there was nothing bigger in his father's mind than a tech job in the United States. It was the first Andrew Yeung party.

Persons: Andrew Yeung, techies, who's, Yeung, revelers, He's, hasn't, he's, Connor Roach, Benjamin Franklin, Yeung doesn't, Cliff Lerner, it's, Melissa Glazar, Lior Cole, I've, Cole, Glazar, Lerner, Keyser, didn't, Connor Roach Yeung, Monica, Sunny Yeung, Andrew, Sunny, he'd, Andrew doesn't, It's Organizations: Junto, Google, Cornell, CCP, Yeung's, Party, SXSW, The University of Toronto, Facebook, Art Basel, of Homeland Security Locations: Brooklyn, Belarusian, cabanas, Gowanus, New York, Austin, Miami, LA, phoniness, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Hong Kong, United States, Central Park, Basel, Canada, Toronto

☆ Opinion | What I Learned in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

I learned that every member of the American Embassy staff in Kyiv, led by our courageous and cleareyed ambassador, Bridget Brink, volunteered for the duty. I learned what it was like to sit in conference rooms and walk along corridors that would soon be shattered by Russian ordnance. I learned that Ukrainians have no interest in turning their victimization into an identity. I learned that, for all the aid we’ve given Ukraine, we are the true beneficiaries in the relationship, and they the true benefactors. NATO countries are paying for their long-term security in money, which is cheap, and munitions, which are replaceable.

Persons: Bridget Brink, general’s, Samantha Power, Power, Anatoliy Fedoruk, ”, aren’t, Ben Wallace, Britain’s Organizations: American Embassy, Marshall, United States Agency for International Development, Port Authority, Serbian, NATO Locations: Kyiv, Odesa, Belgrade, Kosovo, Bucha, Moscow, Budapest, Russia, Minsk, Ukraine

☆ Putin hosts Belarus leader, calls Ukraine's counteroffensive a failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) at the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 25, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St. Petersburg on Sunday. "There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Poland is moving extra troops toward the border with Belarus in response to the arrival of the Wagner forces who relocated there after staging a short-lived mutiny in Russia last month. Putin, in response, warned Poland on Friday that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Milley, Russia's Wagner, Wagner Organizations: U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Telegram, NATO Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Poland, Warsaw, Rzeszow, Belarusian, Polish, Belarus, Minsk

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meet people outside the Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Kronstadt near Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Demyanchuk/Pool via REUTERSJuly 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St Petersburg on Sunday. "There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Ukraine began its long-anticipated counter-offensive last month but has so far made only small gains against well entrenched Russian forces who control more than a sixth of its territory after nearly 17 months of war. Putin, in response, warned Poland on Friday that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Nicholas, Alexander Demyanchuk, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Milley, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Mark Trevelyan, Felix Light, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Belarusian, Naval, Sputnik, REUTERS, U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Telegram, NATO, Thomson Locations: St, Kronstadt, Saint Petersburg, Russia, St Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Poland, Warsaw, Rzeszow, Belarusian, Polish, Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, West

☆ Putin, Lukashenko to meet after Russia warns about aggression against Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko will meet on Sunday, the Kremlin said, two days after Moscow warned that any aggression against the its neighbour and staunchest ally would be considered an attack on Russia. After Poland decided earlier this week to move military units closer to its border with Belarus in response to the arrival in Belarus of forces from Russia's Wagner Group, Putin said Moscow would use all means it has to react to any hostility towards Minsk. The Kremlin said Lukashenko is paying a working visit to Russia and will talk to Putin about further development of the countries' "strategic partnership." While not sending his own troops to Ukraine, Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to launch its full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022 and has since met with Putin frequently. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's, Putin, Lukashenko, Wagner, Poland, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lidia Kelly, Paul Simao Organizations: Kremlin, Russia's Wagner Group, West, Wagner Group, NATO, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Poland, Belarus, Minsk, Kremlin, Ukraine, Kyiv, Belarusian, Africa, Melbourne

☆ Russia's Bolshoi, shunned in West, heads to Beijing for first tour since COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Principal dancers of the Bolshoi Theatre Elizaveta Kokoreva and Dmitry Smilevsky take part in a rehearsal in Moscow, Russia July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File PhotoMOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, grounded by COVID-19 and then shunned in the West since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, returns to international touring next week for the first time since the pandemic with a trip to Beijing. "I believe that we will perform again (in the West), and others will come to (Russia) to perform. Vladimir Urin, the Bolshoi's director, said in April that he was saddened by the loss of what had been regular creative cooperation with Western theatre companies and artists. Reporting by Reuters Writing by Lucy Papachristou Editing by Andrew Osborn and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bolshoi Theatre Elizaveta Kokoreva, Dmitry Smilevsky, Evgenia, Makhar Vaziev, Empress Catherine the Great, Don Quixote, we'll, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Vladimir Urin, Lucy Papachristou, Andrew Osborn, Peter Graff Organizations: Bolshoi Theatre, REUTERS, Bolshoi Ballet, Reuters, London's Royal Opera House, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Beijing, China, Western, Italian, Minsk, Oman

More than two weeks later, the Kremlin disclosed that Mr. Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders had met with Mr. Putin for three hours in the days after the rebellion ended. “I think he probably feels under some pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin, speaking at the British ambassador’s residence in the Czech capital. Mr. Prigozhin is known to have spent several days in Russia afterward, and video posted on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday appears to show him in Belarus. “He is clearly under pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin. Mr. Cleverly said the rebellion underscored the falsity of Mr. Putin’s assertions that Russia would be more committed to a long war in Ukraine than the West would be.

Persons: Richard Moore, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, “, Mr, Moore, “ Prigozhin, ” Mr, ’, James, ”, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Politico, Kremlin, Mr, Prigozhin, The New York Times, ”, Russian Army, British, Aspen Security Locations: London, Prague, Russia, British, Czech, “, Belarus, Moscow, Belarusian, Minsk, Ukraine, Rostov, Afghanistan, Russian

CNN —Belarusian forces will hold joint military exercises with Wagner fighters near its border with NATO-member Poland, Belarus’ Defence Ministry said. Wagner fighters arrived in Belarus following a short-lived mutiny by the private military group last month. “The Armed Forces of Belarus continue joint training with the fighters of PMC ‘Wagner,’” the defence ministry said in a statement. At the beginning of July, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko invited Wagner forces into Belarus to help train his country’s military. The invite came shortly after the failed armed insurrection by Wagner forces against Moscow, which Lukashenko was credited with helping diffuse.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, PMC ‘ Wagner, ’, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: CNN, NATO, Belarus ’ Defence Ministry, Armed Forces, PMC, Reuters Locations: Belarusian, Poland, Belarus, Moscow, Russia, Asipovichy, Minsk, “

KOLPIN-OGRODNIKI, Poland, July 20 (Reuters) - People living near Poland's border with Belarus said on Thursday they could hear shooting and helicopters after Russia's Wagner Group arrived to train Belarusian special forces just a few miles from the frontier, compounding their fears the Ukraine war would reach them. Minsk posted pictures of masked Wagner instructors, their faces covered in accordance with the mercenary group's rules, training Belarusian soldiers with armoured vehicles and what appear to be drone controls. It is unclear how many fighters of the Russian mercenary group are currently training at the training ground of the 38th airborne assault brigade outside the city of Brest. In December last year, Russia and Belarus signed an agreement legalizing the permanent presence of Russian military formations on Belarus territory. Earlier this week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a law establishing combat centres for joint training for military personnel of both countries.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Agata Moroz, He's, I'm, Moroz, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Adam Ligor, Anton Motolko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Warsaw Pact, NATO, Reuters, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: OGRODNIKI, Poland, Poland's, Belarus, Belarusian, Ukraine, Kolpin, Russia, Africa, Minsk, Russian, Brest, Warsaw, U.S, Moscow

Summary Prigozhin welcomes mercenaries to BelarusPrigozhin says the front is 'a disgrace'Mercenaries should prepare for AfricaIt's only just begun, top Wagner commander says'Welcome to hell!' The footage, reposted by his press service on Telegram, is the first video evidence of Prigozhin's whereabouts since the night of the mutiny. In the video, the authenticity of which Reuters could not immediately verify, a man whose voice and Russian sounded like Prigozhin's, is heard welcoming his men. It is also unclear what Wagner, which Prigozhin said had 25,000 men, would do next. The video posted on Wednesday showed Prigozhin receiving a Wagner black flag, decorated with the motto "Blood, honour, Motherland, Courage", from their camp in southern Russia.

Persons: Belarus Prigozhin, Wagner, Utkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, honourably, Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Jon Boyle Organizations: West, Kremlin, Reuters, Islamic, Central African, Putin, Staff, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Africa, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Belarusian, Russia, Rostov, Dagestan, Minsk, Syria, Libya, Mali, Crimea, Central African Republic, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Ukraine, Poland say Wagner fighters arrive in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group conducts training for Belarusian soldiers on a range near the town of Osipovichi, Belarus July 14, 2023 in this still image taken from handout video. "Wagner is in Belarus," Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian border agency, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Some Wagner fighters have been in Belarus since at least Tuesday, two sources close to the fighters told Reuters. The Belarusian defence ministry released a video on Friday, showing what it said were Wagner fighters instructing Belarusian soldiers at a military range near the town of Osipovichi. Poland's deputy minister coordinator of special services, Stanislaw Zaryn, said Warsaw also has confirmation of Wagner fighters' presence in Belarus.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Wagner, Andriy Demchenko, Wagner's, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stanislaw Zaryn, Zaryn, Alexander Lukashenko, Hajun, Lidia Kelly, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Fighters, Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Russian, Osipovichi, Belarus, Russia, Minsk, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Moscow, Rostov, Warsaw, Poland, Ukraine, Donetsk, Luhansk, Tsel, Melbourne, London

☆ Satellite Images of Belarusian Base Suggest Wagner’s Possible Arrival
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Christoph Koettl | More About Christoph Koettl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Satellite images, analyzed by The New York Times, showed increased activity this weekend at a military field camp in Belarus, including the arrival of vehicles that resemble those used by the Russian mercenary group Wagner. The vehicles are the same types as those recently seen driving in large convoys, some flying Wagner flags. To end the short-lived revolt, President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus brokered a deal in which the mercenaries would be given sanctuary in Belarus. The satellite images do not conclusively prove that Wagner forces are at the camp, but bolster statements by Ukraine’s allies that some Wagner troops have reached Belarus. On Saturday, a Polish official said some Wagner fighters had arrived in Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Ukraine’s Organizations: The New York Times, British Ministry of Defense Locations: Belarus, Russian, Asipovichy, Minsk, Ukraine, Russia, ”

☆ Wagner mercenaries entering Belarus as Minsk announces 'road map' for joint military drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group conducts training for Belarusian soldiers on a range near the town of Osipovichi, Belarus July 14, 2023 in this still image taken from handout video. Separately, a spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said Saturday that the force also had observed "some groups" of Wagner fighters crossing from Russia into Belarus. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said in an online statement late Friday that it had developed a "road map" with Wagner's management for joint training exercises drills by the nation's military personnel and the private mercenaries. Earlier Friday, the Defense Ministry said that Wagner fighters had begun training Belarusian soldiers. Prigozhin had accused the senior Russian military leadership for months of bungling the war in Ukraine and starving his troops of ammunition.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belaruski Hajun, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, couldn't, Andriy Demchenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Putin, denigrate Prigozhin Organizations: country's Defense Ministry, Russian, The Associated Press, Lukashenko, AP, Ukraine's, for National Resistance, State Border Guard Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Belarusian Defense Ministry, Defense Ministry, General Staff, Russia's Kommersant Locations: Russian, Osipovichi, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Minsk, Moscow, Rostov, Prigozhin

☆ A newly surfaced image of Prigozhin hints at where the Wagner boss may have finally ended up after his failed mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But a new photo of the mercenary boss offers a hint that he may be at a military camp in Belarus. A Skyfi satellite image of the training base at Tsel outside Asipovichy in Belarus where Wagner forces are training Belarusian troops. But the new image of Prigozhin suggests that he may be at the same military camp where his Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian soldiers. The windows in the photo appear to match those on tents at the military camp being used by Wagner and Belarusian soldiers. Although the rebellion left questions about where Wagner fighters would end up, US officials have since said that they aren't fighting in Ukraine anymore.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Jens Stoltenberg, Adam Berry, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Belta, Wagner's, Alexander Lukashenko, — Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozin, —, Prigozhin, It's Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Belarussian, NATO, Belarusian Defence Ministry, Getty, PMC Wagner, Kremlin, Twitter, Ukrainian, Pentagon, Bakhmut, Russian Armed Forces Locations: Belarus, Minsk, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Moscow, Tsel, Asipovichy district, Asipovichy, Asipovichy District, Mogilev Region, AFP, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine

☆ Video captures the disarming of Wagner in the aftermath of its mutiny, showing the Russian military now has its T-90 tanks and other heavy weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's defense ministry said it has disarmed the Wagner Group, which launched a failed mutiny a few weeks ago. A video shared by Moscow shows a vast collection of weapons, tanks, artillery pieces, and more. Russia's defense ministry published a video to Telegram on Wednesday that shows a massive collection of military equipment Moscow claims to have received from Wagner Group units. Wheeled vehicles arrive on their own," Russia's defense ministry said. A Pentagon spokesperson told reporters in late June that the US had, at the time, observed "elements" of the Wagner Group in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

Persons: Wagner, Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Alexander Lukashenko, —, Vladimir Putin, Don, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Russian Armed Forces, Southern Military District, REUTERS, Kremlin, Belarusian, Don REUTERS, Pentagon, NATO, Wagner Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Belarus, Minsk, Russian

☆ Exclusive: Wagner fighters neared Russian nuclear base during revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Reuters GraphicsOnce the Wagner fighters reach more rural regions, the surveillance trail goes cold – about 100 km from the nuclear base, Voronezh-45. But in an exclusive interview, Ukraine's head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Wagner fighters went far further. The only barrier between the Wagner fighters and nuclear weapons, Budanov said, were the doors to the nuclear storage facility. It is one of Russia's 12 "national-level storage facilities" for nuclear weapons, according to a report by U.N. scientists. Another female resident also said Wagner had widespread support in the town, and that many Wagner fighters are from Boguchar.

Persons: Wagner, Ukraine's, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Lukashenko, Adam Hodge, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Matt Korda, Vladimir Putin's, Hans Kristensen, David Jonas, Amy Woolf, Jonas, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Shoigu, Oleksiy Danilov, Don, Anna Sandrakova, Maxim Yantsov, Mikhail Vedernikov, Talovaya, Alexei Yablokov, Kristensen, Alexsandr Lukashenko, Dmitry Peskov, Lukashenko, he's, Mari Saito, Tom Balmforth, John Shiffman, Phil Stewart, Polina, Maria Tsvetkova, Anton Zverev, Christian Lowe, David Gauthier, Stephen Grey, Reade Levinson, Eleanor Whalley, Milan Pavicic, Daria Shamonova, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Belarusian, U.S, White, National Security, Nuclear, Federation of American, Federation of American Scientists, U.S . National Nuclear Security Administration, Library, Congress, Wagner, State, Staff, Russian, Defence Ministry, Defence Council, Main, Russian Defence, U.S . Congress, Telegram, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Voronezh, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Rostov, Talovaya, Soviet, Washington, dabble, Syria, Libya, Mali, ., Pavlovsk, Elizavetovka, Vorontsovka, Buturlinovka, Talovaya district, Pskov, Soviet Union, Belarus, Minsk, he's, St Petersburg, Kyiv, London, New York, Paris, Villars, Istanbul, Gdansk

☆ Opinion: Welcome to the ‘looking-glass’ world of Putin’s Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Welcome to the weird, through-the-looking-glass world of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, where everything is its opposite and almost nothing is what it seems. That may hold as well for the still-murky fate of last month’s mutineer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner group. Daniel TreismanWorse yet for the Kremlin, Prigozhin’s claim — coming from a diehard nationalist — will seem quite believable to many Russians. In this looking-glass world, the president has no time for politics. After the war started, Navalny offered a 15-point program for ending it and rebuilding a democratic Russia.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, “, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, mutineer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Orwell, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Emmanuel Macron, Navalny, Angela Merkel Organizations: University of California, CNN, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, Russian, Putin, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Moscow, Belarus, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Belarusian, Minsk, St . Petersburg, Kremlin, Russian, Melekhovo, Vladimir, Russia, Kara, Rostov, Sochi, Ukraine, Dagestan, Crimea, “

[1/5] German Patriot air defence system units are seen at the Vilnius airport in Vilnius, Lithuania July 7, 2023. Many are also providing advanced air defence systems which the Baltic states lack. But for the region with total population of about 6 million people, this is not enough to sustain large militaries, invest in their own fighter jets or advanced air defence. NATO is NATO, and we feel ourselves safe because we are in NATO. He added that he feared waves of migrants at the border, or border violations, or military vehicles appearing at the border without explanation.

Persons: Janis Laizans, Joe Biden, Biden, Gitanas Nauseda, Caesar, Wagner, Edvard Rynkun, Elena Tarasevic, Col Steffen Lieb, Rustamas Liubajevas, Sabine Siebold, John Irish, William Maclean Organizations: Patriot, REUTERS, NATO, Belarus Allies, Baltic, European Union, Reuters, Wagner, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Belarus, KANIUKAI, Russia, Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Spain, France, Finland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Poland, Kaniukai, Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Russian, Minsk

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is not even in Belarus, Lukashenko told CNN – he is in Russia, Lukashenko claimed. Available satellite imagery has also not shown any signs of the kind of preparations and security that would be standard at a Russian nuclear facility. Russia has the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, with 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists. “Putin does not need tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to use those weapons,” Bergmann added. “But it is concerning to the US that tactical nuclear weapons could potentially be co-located in Belarus with Wagner fighters.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, CNN –, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Max Bergmann, “ Putin, ” Bergmann, Lukashenko’s, Alexander Nemenov, Angela, Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, ” Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, Wagner Group, Wagner PMC, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Directorate of, Ministry of Defense, Soviet Union, Experts, NATO, European Union, Lithuanian President’s Communication, Georgetown University, Kremlin, Wagner, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Europe, Belarus, Russian, Minsk, Belarusian, Tsel, Soviet, Vilnius, Lithuania, AFP, Poland, Belarus US, St . Petersburg

We like to call it the occupation of the Museum of Modern Art and the director is happy with the occupation," Krivich, 34, joked. "Many of my friends from Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Belarus feel at home here, also mentally, culturally and ideologically… We have a common past," Krivich told Reuters. The New Theatre not only gave the refugee actors a chance to perform but also helped them with accommodation and visas. "Poland is the only country where Belarusians can easily legalise their stay... All independent art initiatives that used to be in Minsk are now in Warsaw," said Dashuk. In May, a Moscow District Court arrested Vyrypaev in absentia for spreading "fake news" about the Russian army.

Persons: Yulia Krivich, Krivich, Marina Dashuk, Ivan Vyrypaev, Dashuk, Vyrypaev, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Gareth Jones Organizations: WARSAW, Soviet, Warsaw's Museum of Modern, Museum of Modern Art, Reuters, THEATRE Warsaw, New Theatre, Theatre, Teal, Ukrainian, Court, Thomson Locations: Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Russian, Moscow, Belarus, Central, Kyrgyzstan, Dashuk, Belarusian, Minsk, Warsaw, Europe

NUCLEAR WEAPONS? Amid today's Ukraine war, the biggest land war in Europe since 1945, the town is again being enclosed by the tentacles of distant tumult. "No one is ever going to tell you where the tactical nuclear weapons are stationed - you should understand that," Kasinsky said. He repeatedly refused to confirm or deny whether the nuclear weapons were outside Osipovichi. "You should not try to make some sort of horror story out of the tactical nuclear weapons," said Kasinsky.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, Kasinsky, Osipovichi, Hans Kristensen, Vladimir Lenin, Ilya Petrov, Lukashenko, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Putin, Town, Bolshevik, Foreign, Belarus OSIPOVICHI, Red Army, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Federation of American Scientists, CIA, Communist, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Belarusian, Russia, Osipovichi, Tsel, Russian, Minsk, Ukrainian, Grand Duchy, Lithuania, Nazi Germany, Ukraine, Europe, Moscow, West

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