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☆ Russia strikes Ukraine grain port ahead of Putin-Erdogan talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 4 (Reuters) - Russia launched an overnight air attack on one of Ukraine's major grain exporting ports, Ukrainian officials said, hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, were due to hold talks. Ukraine's air force urged residents of Izmail port, one of Ukraine's two major grain-exporting ports on the Danube River in the Odesa region, to seek shelter after midnight on Monday. Putin and Erdogan were to meet on Monday in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi as Ankara and the United Nations seek to revive a Ukraine grain export deal that helped ease a global food crisis. After quitting the Black Sea grain deal, Moscow has launched frequent attacks on the ports of the Danube River, which has since become Ukraine's major route for exporting grain. Monday's attack - the scale of which was not immediately known - followed Russia's strikes on Sunday on the other major Danube port of Reni, in which the port's infrastructure was damaged and at least two people injured.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Putin, Erdogan, Lidia Kelly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Turkish, United Nations, United, Thomson Locations: Russia, Izmail, Odesa, Ukraine, Russian, Sochi, Ankara, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Reni, Melbourne

☆ Turkey's economic team in Russia as Erdogan meets Putin -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Turkey's Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek speaks during the 66th General Assembly of Turkish Banks Association in Istanbul, Turkey August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Turkey's top economic policymakers are visiting Russia for meetings on Monday, a source said, travelling along with President Tayyip Erdogan who will meet Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to discuss Black Sea grain exports. When the leaders meet later on Monday, Erdogan aims to convince Putin to return to a Ukraine grain-export deal that helped ease a global food crisis. It has opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine while also opposing Western sanctions on Moscow and has advanced economic cooperation with Russia since the invasion early last year. Since June, Simsek and Erkan have moved to roll back regulations, partly free up the currency and launched an aggressive rate-hiking cycle.

Persons: Mehmet Simsek, Murad Sezer, Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erdogan, Putin, Simsek, Orhan Coskun, Jonathan Spicer, Daren Butler Organizations: Turkey's, General Assembly, Turkish Banks Association, REUTERS, Rights, Kremlin, Turkish, NATO, Thomson Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Rights ANKARA, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Simsek, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, UAE, Gulf

In remarks ahead of their talks, Putin told Erdogan that Russia is “open to negotiations” on the grain deal. Shifting power balanceErdogan and Putin last met face-to-face in October on the sidelines of an Asia summit in the Kazakh capital Astana. Ahead of his re-election, Erdogan hailed his “special” relationship with Putin as Western states pressured Ankara to join sanctions against Moscow. “(Erdogan) has not really gotten in the direction of trying to please Putin,” Ulgen told CNN. The reconfigured power balance between the two leaders could yet yield positive results with the efforts to revive the Black Sea grain deal, experts say.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Erdogan, Monday’s, ” Putin, ”, Sinan Ulgen, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, “, ” Erdogan, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Asli Aydintasbas, ” Aydintasbas, ” Ulgen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ulgen, Turkey’s, “ Putin, ” “ Erdogan Organizations: CNN, TASS, Astana, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Brookings Institution, “ Locations: Russia’s, Sochi, Moscow, Black, Russia, Turkey, Qatar, Russian, Turkish, Asia, Kazakh, Ukraine, Ankara, Istanbul, Washington , DC, United States, ”, Finland, Sweden, East

☆ With grain deal in focus, Putin to meet Erdogan in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The current status (of the grain deal) will be discussed at the summit on Monday. Putin has said Russia could return to the grain deal if the West fulfils a separate memorandum agreed with the United Nations at the same time to facilitate Russian food and fertiliser exports. Ahead of the Erdogan talks, Ukrainian officials said Russia launched an overnight air attack on one of Ukraine's major grain exporting ports. In its report on the Erdogan meeting, Russian state television said promises made to Russia must be implemented. For Russia, Erdogan is a key broker - and one respected personally by Putin.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Mehmet Emin Calsikan, Erdogan, Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Russia, Dmitry Peskov, Akif Cagatay Kilic, Kilic, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Maria Zakharova, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Michelle Nichols, Robert Birsel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, UN, Kremlin, United, Haber, United Nations, Russian, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, Sochi Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine MOSCOW, Russia's Black, Sochi, United Nations, Moscow, Izmail, Ukraine's Odesa, EU, Russian, Melbourne, Ankara

Moscow has conducted long-range air strikes on targets in Ukraine since the start of its invasion last year. The Romanian Defence Ministry said Romania was not hit. "The ministry of defence categorically denies information from the public space regarding a so-called overnight situation during which Russian drones would have fallen in Romania's national territory," it said. "We heard the drones, the booms and the air defence systems across the river," she told Reuters by telephone. Ukraine has reported suspected Russian weapons flying over or crashing into neighbours, including NATO members, several times during the war.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Oleg Nikolenko, Nikolenko, Daniela Tanase, Oksana Savchuk, Erdogan, Putin, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Pavel Polityuk, Olena Harmash, Tom Balmforth, Luiza Ilie, Timothy Heritage, Peter Graff Organizations: Russia, NATO, Reuters, Facebook, Romanian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Romania, Bucharest, KYIV, BUCHAREST, Moscow, Ukraine's, Izmail, Romanian, Plauru, Russia, Poland, Ukrainian, Russia's Black, Sochi, Turkey, Kyiv

☆ Russian and Turkish Leaders to Meet Amid Push to Revive Grain Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Image Grain stored in a warehouse in the village of Moloha, in Ukraine’s Odesa region, in July. The meeting was announced after talks on Thursday between the countries’ top diplomats in Moscow ended with no apparent progress in resurrecting the deal, which Russia withdrew from in July. Moscow complained that the deal was being carried out unfairly, and has since repeatedly bombarded Ukrainian grain facilities and threatened civilian ships heading to Ukrainian ports. On Monday, the two leaders also are expected to discuss a proposal to build a gas distribution hub in Turkey that Russia could use to reroute its gas exports. Establishing a gas hub in Turkey could make Ankara a powerful player in international gas markets and give Russia an intermediary through which to reach European buyers.

Persons: Emile Ducke, Vladimir V, Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia’s, António Guterres, Guterres, Erdogan, Mr Organizations: The New York Times, Turkish, Initiative, United Nations, NATO Locations: Moloha, Ukraine’s Odesa, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s, Turkey, Kyiv, New York, Sochi, Russian, Turkish, Ankara

☆ Two more ships pass through Black Sea corridor, Zelenskiy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A grain ship carrying Ukrainian grain is seen in the Black Sea, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Ukrainian port of Odesa, Ukraine November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Serhii Smolientsev/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 2 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that two more ships had passed through a "temporary" Black Sea shipping corridor established since Russia withdrew from a U.N.-backed grain export deal in July. "Two ships have successfully passed through our temporary 'grain corridor'," Zelenskiy posted on X, previously known as Twitter. Zelenskiy said Ukraine was "restoring true freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. In response, Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" hugging the western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria.

Persons: Serhii, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Ron Popeski, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Twitter, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Odesa, Russia, Pivdenny, Liberia, Marshall, Romania, Bulgaria, Russian, Black, Sochi, Ankara

CNN —Russian forces attacked Ukrainian port facilities on the Danube River used for food exports on Sunday, a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to discuss reviving a grain export deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ukraine’s Air Force said 25 drones were used in overnight attacks on the Odesa region, 22 of which were shot down. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it was targeting fuel storage facilities in the Ukrainian port of Reni used to supply Ukraine’s military. An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Kremlin of trying to create a “food crisis” with the attacks. He will likely to discuss reviving the deal while meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Monday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Reni, “, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, Erdogan, Putin, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, NATO, Romania’s Ministry of Defense, Russian, UN Locations: Ukrainian, Port, Romania, Romania’s, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Black, Sochi, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Russia says it thwarted attacks on Crimea bridge. Shelling and strikes leave at least 2 dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A general view of the Crimea bridge as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Crimea on July 25, 2023. A key supply route for Kremlin forces in the war with Ukraine, the Kerch bridge has come under repeated attack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. On Saturday afternoon, one civilian was killed and two wounded during shelling of Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Belgorod Gov. Meanwhile, four people were wounded in the Ukrainian shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Moscow-installed mayor Aleksei Kulemzin said Saturday. One person was killed and two were wounded during shelling of Ukraine's southern Kherson region on Saturday, according to Gov.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Roman Starovoit, Aleksei Kulemzin, Oleh, Oleksandr Vilkul, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Hanna Maliar, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Erdogan Organizations: Saturday, Russia's Defense Ministry, Kremlin, Belgorod Gov, Russian, Gov, Donetsk, Moscow Locations: Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kerch, Russia's Belgorod, Belgorod, Valuysky, Grayvoronsky, Kursk, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Ukraine's, Kherson, Kryvyi, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Ankara, Russia's Black, Sochi

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Friday to discuss grain ahead of the Erdogan meeting. "It turned out that it is more difficult to do this than to build new corridors, new ground routes," said Shoigu, who attended the signing ceremony for the Black Sea deal in Istanbul in 2022. Turkey's foreign minister said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday that reviving the deal was important for the world. U.S. wheat prices rose on Friday, though Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia saw no sign that it would receive the guarantees needed to revive the grain deal. Lavrov said he had discussed Putin's initiative to supply up to 1 million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at reduced prices for subsequent processing at Turkish plants and shipping to countries most in need.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin, Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, it's, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Conor Humphries, Alison Williams Organizations: Sputnik, Erdogan, UN, United Nations, United, Kremlin, Turkish, Russian, Central African, Initiative, Qatar, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Sochi Turkey, Russia, MOSCOW, Black, Sochi, Ankara, Ukraine, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Istanbul, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, EU, Odesa

☆ Russian tourism in Crimea is down, but many still shrug off risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary This content was produced in Russian-annexed Crimea, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. They said it was all calm here with no problems on the Crimea Bridge. Fewer visitors to Crimea have meant more for Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea and Dagestan in Russia's north Caucasus region, he said. FATAL CROSSINGFor one Russian couple, the choice of Crimea as a holiday destination proved fatal. "The goal of our trip is, of course, to have a rest, and support Russian tour operators, hoteliers, and Russian tourism, no doubt."

Persons: Siberian Viktor Motorin, Olga Morskova, Alexei Volkov, Volkov, Vasyl Maliuk, Alexander Semashko, Sergei Lenkov, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: National Union of Hospitality Industries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, YALTA, Siberian, Moscow, Russia, Khanty, Siberia, Turkey, Thailand, Rybinsk, Sochi, Novorossiysk, Kaliningrad, Dagestan, Russia's, Caucasus, Stavropol, Vologda

☆ Turkey's Erdogan to visit Russia 'soon' to discuss grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meet on the sidelines of the 6th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA), in Astana, Kazakhstan October 13, 2022. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsISTANBUL, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will visit Russia soon to discuss the collapsed United Nations deal that had allowed Black Sea exports of Ukrainian grain, a spokesperson for Turkey's ruling AK Party said on Monday. Ankara is seeking to persuade Russia to return to the agreement, under which Odesa's seaports shipped tens of millions of tons of grain. Omer Celik, the AK Party spokesperson, said Erdogan would visit Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi "soon" but did not specify whether he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. "After this visit there may be developments and new stages may be reached regarding" the grain deal, he told reporters.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Moscow, Omer Celik, Erdogan, Putin, Ali Kucukgocmen, Jonathan Spicer, Conor Humphries Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United Nations, AK, UN, AK Party, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Rights ISTANBUL, Russia, Turkey, Ankara, Sochi, India

☆ Alexandra Paul, Olympic Figure Skater From Canada, Is Killed in Car Crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Michael Levenson | More About Michael Levenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Alexandra Paul, a figure skater from Canada who competed in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, was killed in a car crash last week in which her infant son was injured, officials said. Ms. Paul, 31, was traveling with her son on a county road in Melancthon Township in rural Ontario on Tuesday, when a tractor-trailer crashed into a line of cars that had stopped in a construction zone, according to the police and a statement from the Olympic Games. The Ontario Provincial Police said in a statement that officers responded at 3:10 p.m. to a report of a serious crash involving seven vehicles in Melancthon, about 65 miles northwest of Toronto. Several passenger vehicles had stopped in a construction zone when a tractor-trailer entered the zone and crashed into the rear of the line of vehicles, the police said.

Persons: Alexandra Paul, Paul Organizations: Olympic Games, Ontario Provincial Police Locations: Canada, Sochi, Russia, Melancthon Township, Ontario, Melancthon, Toronto

The attacks are forcing Russian tourists to reconsider their plans. Popular destinationCrimea has always been popular with Russian tourists, many of whom remember vacationing there during Soviet times. After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, a number of countries closed their doors to Russian tourists. Crimea suddenly became one of the few sunny beach destinations Russian tourists could still visit without having to spend a lot of money. The attack was frightening enough to scare away many of the Russian tourists who had still been planning to come.

Persons: Oleksii Reznikov, Svitlana, “, ”, Olga Maltseva, hasn’t, Iryna Vereshchuk, Putin, ” Svitlana, Vladimir Konstantinov, ATOR, ” Reznikov, Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, –, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Kyiv’s, “, Getty, Crimean Ministry of Resorts, Tourism, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Ukraine’s, Moscow, European Union, Association of Russian, Kyiv, Security Service of Ukraine, State Council of, Russian, Fleet, Crimean Human Rights Group Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, AFP, Yalta, Kerch, EU, Europe, Turkey, Sochi, Republic of Crimea, Crimean, Sevastopol, Kyiv

☆ Canadian Olympian Paul dies in car crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam perform in the senior dance free program at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Ottawa January 11, 2014. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 27 (Reuters) - Former Olympic figure skater Alexandra Paul has died at the age of 31, Skate Canada said in a statement. Paul, who represented Canada at the Sochi 2014 Games and finished 18th in the ice dance competition, died in a car crash on Tuesday, Canadian media reported. "It is with a heavy heart that Skate Canada announces the sudden passing of a cherished member of our skating community, Alexandra Paul," Skate Canada said in a statement earlier this week. Paul won a silver medal at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2010 and retired from competitive skating in 2016.

Persons: Alexandra Paul, Mitchell Islam, Chris Wattie, Paul, Aadi Nair, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Skate, Canada, Thomson Locations: Ottawa, Skate Canada, Canada, Sochi, Bengaluru

☆ Russian tech billionaire wants sanctions lifted after he criticized Ukraine invasion, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian oligarch called on the EU to lift sanctions against him after condemning Putin's war. Arkady Volozh made the call days after calling the war "barbaric," the Financial Times reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussian oligarch Arkady Volozh will be the first to formally ask for sanctions to be lifted after condemning Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, a report says. It is regarded as the first test as to how the West will treat previously sanctioned oligarchs who have gone on to publicly denounce Putin's war. AdvertisementAdvertisementBillionaire industrialist Oleg Deripraska had his $1 billion Sochi complex seized after criticizing the invasion, the FT reported in December.

Persons: Arkady Volozh, Volozh's, Vladimir Putin's, Volozh, Putin's, Oleg Deripraska, Volozh didn't Organizations: EU, Financial Times, Union, BBC, Google, Kremlin Locations: EU, Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Amsterdam, Israel, Sochi

☆ A sushi crunch is capturing Russia's worsening economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's currency and inflation woes are well captured by something economists don't usually focus on: sushi. Local prices of the Japanese delicacy are surging due to the ruble's plunge and Russia's rift with the West, a report said. The Russian currency hit a 16-month low last week, as the country's current account reels from the impact of Western sanctions. Russia's exchange-rate turmoil and spiraling inflation are now being captured in something that rarely crosses economists' radar: the price of sushi. Restaurateurs in the Eurasian nation are already grappling with surging prices of sushi ingredients, according to the report.

Persons: Steve Hanke, Maxim Tagin, Ilya Zakharov, cy, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: West, Service, Russia, Metro, Financial Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Restaurateurs, Odintsovo, Sochi, Russian, Russia

☆ Twenty-two Russian diplomats leave Moldova as relations slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHISINAU, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Twenty-two Russian diplomats flew out of the Moldovan capital of Chisinau on Monday, leaving behind a skeleton staff as relations between the two countries deteriorated after Moldova last month ordered Moscow withdraw most of its delegation. Moldovan officials have said the reduction of staff at the Russian embassy to 25 from 80 will establish parity with Moldova's embassy in Moscow. Moldovan media outlets published a video of two buses being escorted out of the Russian embassy by police and driving in the direction of the airport. According to Moldova's foreign ministry, no more than 10 Russian diplomats and 15 support staff can remain in Chisinau from Tuesday. Russia's foreign ministry said on Monday evening that employees of Russian institutions - the embassy, trade mission and Russian centre for science and culture - and their family members who were forced to leave Moldova had already returned to Moscow.

Persons: Maia Sandu, Sandu, Alexander Tanas, Maxim Rodionov, Max Hunder, Nick Macfie, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Moldovan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: CHISINAU, Chisinau, Moldova, Moscow, Russian, Moscow ., Soviet, Ukraine, Moldovan, Sochi, Russia, Romania

☆ 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

☆ Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic torch unveiled by designer Mathieu Lehanneur
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Smooth, sleek and chic is the look for the next Olympic torch. “For Paris 2024, and for the first time in its history, (the torch) plays on perfect symmetry, speaking to us more clearly about equality,” he said in a statement. As simple as a hyphen and as fluid as a flame.”Chair of the Paris 2024 organizing committee Tony Estanguet (left) and designer Mathieu Lehanneur (right) pose with the latter's Olympic and Paralympic Torch. This is part of the organizing committee’s strategy to “build bridges between the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Paris 2024’s president Tony Estanguet said in a statement. Mathieu Lehanneur holds aloft his design for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Torch.

Persons: Mathieu Lehanneur, ”, “, Tony Estanguet, ’, Lehanneur, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Moët Hennessy Organizations: CNN, Games, Olympic, Paralympic Games, ”, Sydney Opera House, Museum of Modern Art, Pompidou Centre Paris, LVMH, Louis Locations: Paris, French, Russia, New York, Olympia, Greece, France

☆ 'Chaos' is fueling fights among Putin's top commanders. These are the players battling for power.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

More than three weeks after the historic challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's authority, there's still internal power plays and high-level purges in motion. "We are seeing a lot of military formations and military figures that are pushing for their own objectives." For example, in Kadyrov's case, he may be pushing for control to shield his fighters from the battlefield in Ukraine and send conventional Russian forces instead. Consequences for disobedienceInsubordination against Moscow's military leadership, such as Teplinsky's criticisms or the Wagner's rebellion, has undermined Russian military leaders but has also come with consequences for members of the anti-Gerasimov camp. The instability increasingly endemic to the Russian military comes as the Ukrainians try to break through their defensive lines.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, doesn't, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexander Ermochenko, he's, Stepanenko, Valery Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, there's, Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Alexei Nikolsky, Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Russia's, Teplinsky, Sergei Surovikin, There's, Friedemann Kohler, hasn't, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Popov, Vladimir Seliverstov, Popov, vilely, Viktor Zolotov, it's, ISW, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: Service, Institute for, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Southern Military, REUTERS, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense, Russian, Staff, AP, Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Getty, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Arms Army, 106th Guards Airborne, Russian MoD, National Guard, Russian National Guard Service, PMC Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Prigozhin, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia's Belgorod, Sputnik, Washington, Chechnya, Sochi, REUTERS Maj, Belgorod

☆ 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, “

☆ Belarus' dictator says he told Prigozhin he was ready to send special forces to defend Moscow against the Wagner rebellion and hoped he wouldn't be offended
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belarus' Lukashenko said he was ready to help defend Moscow from the Wagner Group's mutiny. The dictator told Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin he hoped he wouldn't be offended by the decision. A special forces brigade from Belarus' military was ready to deploy to Moscow immediately after Prigozhin and Wagner launched their short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leadership, Lukashenko told foreign and domestic reporters in Minsk. The dictator just hoped Prigozhin wouldn't mind that he was preparing to have his forces act against him. We will defend Moscow together with Putin," Lukashenko recalled, according to a translation of his remarks by state-run news agency BelTA.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny, Putin, BelTA, Russia's, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Privacy, Belarusian, Army, Sputnik, Kremlin, Institute for, Putin, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Rostov, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Kremlin, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine

☆ Mercedes' Toto Wolff shares his tips on leading a superstar team and 2 key values for long-term success
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

For me, the notion of control freak is: know everything that's going on, but not interfering in everything that's going on. Toto Wolff Team Principal of Mercedes F1"And when you win, have no sense of entitlement... Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell currently stand in fourth and seventh in the drivers' rankings, respectively. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton (R) and George Russell (L) currently take the fourth and seventh placing in the 2023 Driver Standing respectively. "So for me, the notion of control freak is: know everything that's going on, but not interfering in everything that's going on... and getting that balance right."

Persons: Toto Wolff, Eric Alonso, Wolff, Mercedes, Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Red, Max Verstappen, It's, Peter Fox, Williams Organizations: Jeddah Corniche, Getty, Mercedes, Petronas F1 Team, Energy Asia, Petronas, Abu, Grand Prix, Anadolu Agency, Prix, of Russia, Sochi Autodrom, Hamilton Locations: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Malaysia's, Kuala Lumpur, Grand, Sochi, Russia

☆ Here's what could happen to the Wagner Group after the armed rebellion against Russia failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Wagner paramilitary group attempted an armed rebellion in Russia but failed. Around 1,000 Wagner fighters have already decided to go to Belarus, the independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported, citing a source in Russia's Ministry of Defense. Putin admitted earlier this week that from May last year to May 2023, the Russian state paid more than 86 billion rubles ($940 million) to the Wagner Group. De Deus Pereira told Insider that this is where many fighters will return. Lukashenko told reporters earlier this week that he convinced Putin not to "wipe out" the Wagner chief after the failed rebellion, though some experts have disagreed.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, group's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Joana de Deus Pereira, Belarussian, Mikhail Svetlov, De Deus Pereira, Julia Stanyard, Lukashenko Organizations: Service, The Times, Prighozin, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Guardian, Prigozhin, Press, REUTERS Russia's Ministry of Defense, Marshall Fund, Wagner, Royal United Services Institute, Ministry of Defense, Russian, Central African, Global Initiative, Transnational, BBC Locations: Russia, Belarus, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Africa, Prigozhin, British, Russian, Luhansk, Donbas, Krasnodar, North Caucasus, Concord, Europe, Sochi, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali

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