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☆ Chechen leader offers to help put down Wagner mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 24 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Saturday his forces were ready to help put down a mutiny by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and to use harsh methods if necessary. Kadyrov in a statement posted on Telegram called Prigozhin's behaviour "a knife in the back" and called on Russian soldiers not to give in to any "provocations." He said that Chechen units were moving towards the "zones of tension" and would act to "preserve Russia's units and defend its statehood". Kadyrov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin who commands extensive military forces in Chechnya, had previously been seen as a Prigozhin ally, sharing some of the Wagner boss's criticisms of the Russian military hierarchy. In recent weeks, however, Chechen commanders aligned with Kadyrov had begun criticising Prigozhin's regular outbursts against the defence ministry.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin's, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Chechnya

☆ How mercenary revolt has gathered pace in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

- In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. SATURDAY- Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. - Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - Russian's Defence Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Reuters Wagner, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Naryshkin, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Pavel Krasheninnikov, Gavin Jones, Giles Elgood, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moscow, Russian's Defence Ministry, Reuters, TASS, Kremlin, European Union, Ministry, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia's, Voronezh, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Rostov, Russia's Rostov, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Belarus

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing the greatest threat to his authority in two decades after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group and Putin’s former ally, launched an apparent insurrection. Prigozhin has been highly critical of Russia’s military leadership and their handling of the war in Ukraine, but he had always stopped short of criticizing Putin directly. Wagner group also claimed to have seized Russian facilities in a second city, Voronezh, some 600 kilometers (372 miles) to the north of Rostov-on-Don. Alexander Gusev, the governor of the Voronezh region, said the Russian military was engaging in “combat measures” in the area. Stunning escalationSaturday’s dramatic events come off the back of Prigozhin’s very public and months-long feud with Russia’s military leadership.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Putin, ” Putin, Igor Artamonov, Sergei Sobyanin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, “, ”, Don “, ” “, ” Prigozhin, Rostov, Don, Alexander Gusev, Shoigu, –, Gen, Vladimir Alekseev, Sergei Naryshkin, Naryshkin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Rogov, Rogov saif, ” Wagner, Stringer, Dmytro Kuleba, Serhii Cherevatyi Organizations: CNN, Prigozhin, Moscow, Terrorism, Security, Russian, RIA Novosti, Kremlin, Russian Southern Military Headquarters, Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Historical Society, Telegram, Southern Military District, Reuters, Russian Foreign, European Union, US State Department, Britain’s Ministry of Defense, Russian National Guard, Ukrainian, Twitter, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Russia, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Don, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, EU

☆ Prigozhin's Wagner mercenaries appear to be on the march towards Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Wagner paramilitary forces appear to be headed toward the capital, Moscow. Photos and videos now appear to show Wagner forces and their armored vehicles in the region of Lipetsk, which is a roughly eight-hour drive from Rostov-on-Don — and less than six hours from Moscow. He later confirmed that Wagner forces were moving through the area, state media reported, and urged civilians to stay in their homes. The "march" began Friday after Prigozhin accused Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, of ordering an air strike on Wagner forces in Ukraine. He has repeatedly accused Shoigu and other military leaders of undermining Wagner forces in Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Don —, Igor Artamonov, Prigozhin, Russia's, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Sergey Sobyanin, Igor Girkin Organizations: Service, New York Times, Russian, British Ministry of Defense Locations: Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Vorenezh Oblast

In the war-torn Chechnya region, Mr. Kadyrov built up a private fiefdom while professing loyalty to no official but Mr. Putin himself. A judo sparring partner from Mr. Putin’s youth became a construction billionaire and built Mr. Putin’s landmark bridge to Crimea. And then there was Mr. Prigozhin, who has said that he met Mr. Putin in 2000 as a St. Petersburg restaurateur. In Ukraine, as Mr. Prigozhin tells it, Wagner troops were only called in after Mr. Putin’s initial invasion plan failed. But Mr. Putin seemed to vacillate on his own support for Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin’s, “, ”, —, “ Putin, Tatiana Stanovaya, ” Mr, Ramzan Kadyrov, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Mr, Wagner, tycoons, Boris N, Yeltsin, Kadyrov, Prigozhin’s, K.G.B, Donald J, Trump, Weeks, ’, Putin “, Andrei Soldatov, Prigozhin “, ” Mark Galeotti, ” Neil MacFarquhar, Valerie Hopkins Organizations: Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, ., Reuters, Federal Security Service, Kremlin, Television, Defense, Defense Ministry, Center for Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Chechnya, Belarus, Russia’s, Don, Ukraine, Putin’s, Crimea, St, Petersburg, United States, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Elon Musk wants to have a cage match with his tech world nemesis, jiu-jitsu enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said he'd be up for fighting his tech world nemesis, jiu-jitsu lover Mark Zuckerberg. Elon Musk says he'd be up for settling his beef with Mark Zuckerberg in the ring. On Tuesday night, Musk took to Twitter to respond to unsubstantiated rumors that Meta might soon launch a rival to Musk's Twitter, called Threads. While we can only assume Musk's cage fight proposition is a joke, Musk and Zuckerberg have in the past traded words over their respective tech kingdoms. In the very, very slim chance that Musk and Zuckerberg were to meet in the cage, Musk would find a tough opponent in his tech world nemesis: Zuckerberg has been looking totally shredded lately.

Persons: Elon Musk, he'd, Mark Zuckerberg, Musk, Vladimir Putin, Musk's, Zuckerberg, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Dmitry Rogozin . Organizations: Morning, Twitter, SpaceX, Facebook, Boring, Meta Locations: Ukraine, Redwood City , California, Russian

☆ Chechen fighters sent to Russian border with Ukraine, leader Kadyrov says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 15 (Reuters) - Chechen fighters have been deployed in Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine to prevent attacks from "Ukrainian sabotage groups", Chechnya ruler Ramzan Kadyrov said on Thursday. Belgorod region has in the past month reported a series of cross-border incursions from pro-Ukraine Russian partisan groups calling themselves opponents of President Vladimir Putin. Kadyrov, a Putin ally who leads the Russian region of Chechnya, said that fighters from the "Zapad-Akhmat" battalion had been deployed near the border village of Nekhoteevka and a checkpoint in Graivoron district, the site of a cross-border attack in May. "Residents of the territories adjacent to the border with Ukraine can rest easy ... Whoever encroaches on our borders will receive a lightning response," Kadyrov said in a post on Telegram messaging app. Ukraine denies involvement in the cross-border attacks, casting them as a direct consequence of Russia's February 2022 invasion.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov, Putin, Grant McCool Organizations: Chechen, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia's Belgorod, Ukraine, Chechnya, Belgorod, Ukraine Russian, Russian, Nekhoteevka, Graivoron district

☆ Chechen commander 'alive and well', Russia's Duma speaker says after report he was wounded
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - The speaker of Russia's parliament said a senior Chechen commander was alive and well on Wednesday, following reports he had been killed or wounded in Ukraine. The commander, Adam Delimkhanov, is a member of parliament as well as heading the Chechen division of the Russian national guard. He is widely seen as the Caucasian region's second most senior official after its leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Not only that, but he wishes you all good health," Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, told lawmakers. Russia's TASS news agency quoted another Chechen commander as saying Delimkhanov was in Chechnya, not Ukraine, and media reports he had come under fire in Ukraine were all "fakes".

Persons: Adam Delimkhanov, Ramzan Kadyrov, He's, Vyacheslav Volodin, Delimkhanov, Gareth Jones, Peter Graff Organizations: Chechen, Russian, Caucasian, Duma, TASS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Chechen, Ukraine, Chechnya, Moscow, Mariupol

☆ Chechen leader says top commander 'alive and well' after reports he was wounded in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Wednesday one of his senior commanders was alive and well, dismissing reports that he had been killed or wounded in Ukraine. The commander, Adam Delimkhanov, heads the Chechen division of the Russian national guard and is also a member of Russia's parliament. In a later posting on Telegram, Kadyrov mocked the Ukrainian media reports about Delimkhanov for "brazen lies about his elimination". Earlier on Wednesday, Russia's Zvezda television channel cited the parliamentary press service as saying Delimkhanov had been wounded in Ukraine. It followed rumours on Ukrainian social media channels that the Chechen commander had been killed in an artillery strike in southern Ukraine.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Adam Delimkhanov, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Delimkhanov, Gareth Jones, Peter Graff Angus MacSwan, Ron Popeski Organizations: Russian, Caucasian, Russia's Zvezda, Chechen, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Chechnya, Ukrainian, Chechen, Moscow, Mariupol

☆ Putin backs push for mercenary groups to sign contracts despite Wagner's refusal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But Putin on Tuesday made it clear he wanted to see all so-called private military companies sign up and that he also wanted to the law changed to legalise their activities. "This is the only way to ensure social guarantees (for mercenary fighters) because there is (currently) no contract with the state and no contract with the Defence Ministry," Putin told a group of war correspondents. "This has to be done and it has to be done as quickly as possible," Putin said. The ministry has not responded to a request for comment on Prigozhin's refusal to sign up with it. Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev said after the signing ceremony that he was sure other volunteer groups would sign the same contract in the course of the next week.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin, Putin, Vladimir Alekseyev, Ramzan Kadyrov, Andrew Osborn, William Maclean Organizations: Defence, Defence Ministry, The Defence, Defence Ministry's Zvezda, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Chechen, Chechnya

☆ Russian mercenary chief says unsure if his men will continue fighting in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Regarding the further work of the Wagner private military company in Ukraine, I am not sure that we will work specifically in Ukraine," Prigozhin said in reply to a Danish media query. Wagner fighters have also fought in Africa and the Middle East, where they still have some contracts. Prigozhin has long been at odds with the Defence Ministry over what he says is everything from its poor leadership and tactics to ammunition shortages. The ministry has not responded to a request for comment on Prigozhin's refusal to sign up with it. Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev said after the signing ceremony that he was sure other volunteer groups would sign the same contract in the course of the next week.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Alekseyev, Ramzan Kadyrov, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: Defence Ministry, Ukraine Defence Ministry, Wagner Group, Defence Ministry's Zvezda, Defence, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Danish, Africa, Chechen, Chechnya

☆ Ukraine reports small gains in early stages of counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It does not provide similar detail about fighting on the southern front where the main counteroffensive is expected. However, some prominent Russian military bloggers indicated that Ukrainian forces had taken Blahodatne and Neskuchne, although they said fighting for Makarivka was continuing. It is almost certainly far too early to draw conclusions about the fate of the counteroffensive from early skirmishes that may be more about testing Russian defences than pursuing a major advance. "When we see large, armoured formations join the assault, then I think we’ll know the main attack has really begun." But Yevgeny Prigozhin, the increasing recalcitrant and voluble leader of the Wagner militia, which captured Bakhmut from Ukrainian forces after almost a year of attritional fighting, said on Sunday he would refuse to sign.

Persons: Read, Makarivka, Ben Hodges, Vladimir Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Bakhmut, Sergei Shoigu, Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth, Anna Pruchnicka, Lidia Kelly, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Organizations: Ukrainian, Reuters, Brigade, Marines, Washington -, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, KYIV, Kyiv, Storozheve, Azov, Crimea, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Bilohorivka, Moscow, U.S, Europe, Washington, Russia, Chechnya, Caucasus, Maryinka, Gdansk, Melbourne

☆ Chechen force signs contract with Russia's defence ministry that Prigozhin refused
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday it has signed a contract with the Akhmat group of Chechen special forces, a day after Russia's powerful mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin refused to do so. The contract the defence ministry signed on Monday was with the Akhmat paramilitary group that has often been called the private army of Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's Chechnya region. Unlike Prigozhin, Kadyrov has recently refrained from criticising the defence ministry. "I think this is a very good thing," Alaudinov was quoted as saying by the defence ministry's website after signing the deal. Russia's deputy chief of the general staff, Colonel General Alexei Kim, said after signing the agreement with the Chechens that he hoped other volunteer units would follow suit.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin, Wagner, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Kadyrov's, Apty Alaudinov, Alaudinov, Alexei Kim, Lidia Kelly, Mark Trevelyan, Peter Graff Organizations: Russia's Defence, Prigozhin, Thomson Locations: Chechen, Moscow, Ukraine, Chechnya, Maryinka, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Melbourne

Shevtsova is one of thousands of Russians who have abandoned their homes and taken shelter in Belgorod, the nearest big Russian city to the border with Ukraine. Russia said it killed more than 70 of them and pushed the rest back across the border. Ukraine said it had nothing to do with the attack, which it cast as internal Russian strife. Alexandra Bespalova, another uprooted resident of Shebekino, said she still supported Moscow's actions in Ukraine, but that Russia needed to do something to protect its own territories. "I always believed that we were right, that our government is right taking Luhansk, the Donbas region, our Russian people under its wing," she said.

Persons: Irina Shevtsova, we’ve, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Lyudmila Rumyantseva, Ramzan Kadyrov, We’ll, Sergei, Shebekino, Prigozhin's Wagner, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Alexandra Bespalova, Mark Trevelyan, Grant McCool Organizations: Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shebekinsky, Russia's Belgorod, Russia, Ukraine, Belgorod, BELGOROD, Russian, Shebekino, Prigozhin, Russia's, Chechnya, Luhansk

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

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

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

[1/2] Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks with servicemen during withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut, 2023. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERSSummary Prigozhin: conflict with Chechens settledPrigozhin: Kremlin factions endanger the stateSays defence ministry is in chaosWagner may go to Belgorod region - PrigozhinMOSCOW, June 3 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that Kremlin factions were destroying the state by trying to sow discord between him and Chechen fighters. Prigozhin said a dispute between him and Chechen forces who are also fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine had been resolved. But he laid the blame for the discord on unidentified Kremlin factions - which he calls "Kremlin towers". "Dangerous games have become commonplace in the Kremlin towers...they are simply destroying the Russian state."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov's Akhmat, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Niether, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Press, Staff, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Concord, Belgorod, MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Kremlin, Soviet Union

☆ Russia: Chechen special forces waging offensive in east Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 2 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that the "Akhmat" group of Chechen special forces were waging an offensive near the town of Mariinka, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. Together with the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, troops from Russia's Chechen Republic have been one of the main driving forces behind Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. Unlike Prigozhin, who has repeatedly lambasted Russia's military leadership, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has recently refrained from echoing criticism of the defence ministry. Members of the two groups have since openly sparred, with one of Kadyrov's close allies on Thursday casting Prigozhin as a blogger who yells all the time about problems. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Apti Alaudinov, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov's, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Russia's Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Chechen, Mariinka, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Chechen Republic, Ukraine

☆ The Kremlin wants everyone to chill out after firebrand nationalists and military honchos called for martial law in response to drone attacks on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian firebrand leaders called for martial law after drone attacks reportedly struck Moscow. Imposing martial law is a "prerogative of the highest federal power," a spokesperson reminded the press. Kadyrov, known for issuing blistering, aggressive statements, decried Kyiv's leadership as "Nazis" and "Satanists," blaming them for the drone attacks. "The country must be put on martial law," Prigozhin said in a visit to Novosibirsk, per Sibkray News. On Tuesday, Russia's defense ministry said at least eight drone attacks had been launched at Moscow, resulting in minor damage to some residential neighborhoods.

Persons: hasn't, —, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's, Peskov, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Kyiv's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin Organizations: firebrand, Service, RIA Novosti, Kremlin, Kyiv, of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps, State Department Locations: Moscow, Russia, Chechen, Ukraine, Russian, Siberian, Novosibirsk, Belgorod, Novo

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

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

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

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

☆ UFC maintains links with Russian fighters and fighters connected to sanctioned Chechen warlord despite Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We have been saying for some time that these sports organizations need to prohibit Kadyrov’s fighters to perform,” he said. There’s also its decision to allow Russian fighters in general to compete in the world’s premium mixed martial arts organization. Some critics have suggested Russian fighters in general should be suspended, like has happened in some other sports, for the country’s involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty ImagesUFC’s primary focusThere are 20 active Russian fighters currently competing in their organized events, according to the UFC website. CNN approached all 20 of those Russian fighters, only two responded initially and ultimately none of them agreed to an interview.

☆ Leaked details of Wagner boss Prigozhin's dealings suggest he was ready to throw Russia's war 'under the bus' just to win a battle, Russia expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sinéad Baker | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Wagner Group has frequently feuded with Russia's military leadership over its war in Ukraine. A new report suggests the group leader took it farther than previously known, offering to give Ukraine Russian troop locations. The report indicates that Yevgeny Prigozhin was ready to derail Russia's war for his own aims, an expert told Insider. And according to a new report, amid these tensions, Prigozhin attempted derail Russia's battlefield operations in a major way. Ukrainian soldiers walk in the position close to Bakhmut, Ukraine, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.

☆ Russia's irregular commanders, like the Wagner boss, are trying to force a top general's hand and risking throwing operations into chaos, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Irregular commanders, like Prigozhin, appear to be calling more of the shots in Ukraine, war experts say. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group's founder, and his fighters have routinely criticized Russia's top military officials over their handling of Russia's faltering war in Ukraine. In threatening to do so, the two "likely effectively blackmailed" Russia's military command into giving resources to Wagner, the ISW said in a Monday assessment. Graves of Russian Wagner mercenary group fighters are seen in a cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar region, Russia, on January 22, 2023. Meanwhile, Prigozhin marked the occasion by feuding with Russia's military leadership, attacking their ability to defend the country.

But a new audio message posted Sunday on Telegram suggests he has changed his mind after concessions from the Russian government. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not immediately comment on Prigozhin’s latest claim. Yulia Morozova/ReutersBakhmut has been the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated. Prigozhin’s blunt and brutal tactics in Bakhmut have long been likened to a “meat grinder.” But, in his repeated threats to withdraw from Bakhmut, Prigozhin claimed this approach was no longer viable. The Wagner boss had said Wagner positions in and around Bakhmut would be transferred to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s forces from May 10.

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