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☆ In pictures: Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's most powerful mercenary, believed killed in plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PicturesIn pictures: Wagner's Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia's most powerful mercenary, believed killed in plane crashRussia's most powerful mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board a plane that crashed north of Moscow with no survivors, the Russian authorities said, two months to the day after he led an abortive mutiny against the army top brass.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin Locations: Moscow

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russian mercenary group Wagner, listed as passenger in deadly plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Brad Howard | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailYevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russian mercenary group Wagner, listed as passenger in deadly plane crashRussian state media announced that Yevgeny Prigozhin was aboard a plane that crashed in Russia killing 10 people. Prigozhin led the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which staged an armed mutiny against Moscow in June. After Wagner's armed mutiny in Russia, the group was moved to Belarus, but continued to operate in Africa, among other locations.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin Locations: Russian, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Africa

REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 23 (Reuters) - Here are some key facts about Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force, who Russia's civil aviation authority said was on the passenger list of a plane that crashed north of Moscow on Thursday. Prigozhin used social media to trumpet Wagner's successes and wage a feud with the military establishment, accusing it of incompetence and even treason. But in late July, Prigozhin was photographed in St Petersburg while a Russia-Africa summit was taking place in the city. - Born in St Petersburg on June 1, 1961, Prigozhin spent nine years in Soviet prisons for crimes including robbery and fraud. - In 2014, Prigozhin founded Wagner, a private military company whose fighters have deployed in support of Moscow's allies in countries including Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Maxim Fomin, Vladlen Tatarsky, Yulia Morozova, Russia's Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Russia's Wagner Group, Kremlin, St, Central African, United, Internet Research Agency, Thomson Locations: St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Rostov, Belarus, Africa, St Petersburg's, Syria, Libya, Central African Republic, United States, Washington

☆ Wagner, infamous for brutality in Ukraine and a failed mutiny in Russia, is registered as an 'educational organization' in its new home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Wagner Group has reportedly registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus. The embattled organization has been training soldiers in the Belarusian military for several weeks. Now, the mercenary group is registered as an "educational organization" in Belarus — its new home — as it trains the country's military. Information published by Belarus' Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs shows that Wagner registered as a company earlier this month, with the sole purpose of educational activities, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing earlier this month, adding that "when it comes to Wagner Group, I think we all keep a close eye all of the time."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Agnė Bilotaitė Organizations: Wagner, Service, Belarus ' Unified State, Entrepreneurs, Wagner Group, Russian, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Officials, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, Belarus — Locations: Belarus, Belarusian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Asipovichy, Russian, Brest, Africa, Officials Poland, Lithuania, Warsaw, Minsk, Poland

☆ A Ukrainian soldier captured by Russian forces says they played with him 'the way a cat plays with a mouse,' torturing him for fun instead of for information
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Ukrainian soldier captured by Wagner says they tortured him "the way a cat plays with a mouse." The soldier told The Washington Post about being a prisoner of war during the battle of Bakhmut. While captive, Mykhalchuk told The Post he noticed he wasn't being interrogated for battlefield information or intelligence like higher-ranking prisoners — instead, he was being tortured psychologically. "They tried to make us believe that we couldn't trust each other, and that it was a kill-or-be-killed situation," Mykhalchuk told The Post. "They were just playing with us, the way a cat plays with a mouse — when he catches it before he kills it."

Persons: Wagner, Wagner sloppily, —, Ilia Mykhalchuk, Mykhalchuk, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Washington Post, Service, 67th Mechanized Brigade, Wagner, Russian, Russian Federation Locations: Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve about $40 billion in additional spending on Thursday, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs, $4 billion related to border security and $12 billion for disaster relief. Trump, the front-runner in the race to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024, has been sharply critical of U.S. support for Ukraine in the war. FIRST UKRAINE REQUEST SINCE REPUBLICANS TOOK HOUSERepublicans narrowly control the House, where Speaker Kevin McCarthy signaled in June that any request for more assistance for Ukraine would face an uphill path through Congress. The House and Senate last approved aid for the Kyiv government - $48 billion - in December, before Republicans took control of the House. The request includes $13.1 billion for the Department of Defense, including $9.5 billion for equipment for Ukraine and replenishment of U.S. equipment stocks already sent to Kyiv.

Persons: Joe Biden, George E, Jonathan Ernst, Donald Trump, pare, Chuck Schumer, Biden, America’s, Vladimir Putin, Schumer, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Shalanda Young, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrea Shalal, Patricia Zengerle, David Shepardson, Doina Chiacu, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: George, Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical, REUTERS, White, Washington, Trump, Republican, Ukraine, Democratic, FIRST, HOUSE, Kyiv, Republicans, World Bank, Department of Defense, Department of State, U.S . Agency for International Development, Department of Homeland Security, DHS, Thomson Locations: Salt Lake City , Utah, U.S, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, United States, Russia, China, FIRST UKRAINE, Niger

☆ Russia says it will halt foreign currency purchases and launch a digital ruble to keep the currency from spiraling further
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The nation's central bank announced it would stop foreign currency purchases through the end of 2023. It has also begun to pilot program for a digital ruble in an attempt to prop up its currency. The digital ruble will be tested with a limited number of clients across 13 banks, though the Russian central bank aims to launch the currency for public use by 2025. Russia's currency slipped further on Thursday, trading at 97 to the US dollar. That's about a 30% decline from what the ruble was worth in January, making it one of the worst-performing currencies this year.

Organizations: Service, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian

"Our drone base in Niger is extremely important in countering terrorism in the region," one of the U.S. officials said. FOREIGN ASSISTANCEThe Biden administration has not formally labeled the military takeover in Niger a coup, a designation that would limit what security assistance Washington can provide the country. The U.S. drone base has grown in importance due to a lack of Western security partners in the region. The drone base, known as airbase 201, was built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the coup in Niger and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's Wagner, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nusrat al, Cameron Hudson, Hudson, Terence McCulley, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Idrees Ali, Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Nigerien, Islamic State, Al, West African, Center for Strategic, International Studies, United States Institute of Peace, Wagner Group, ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, United States, Sahel, Al Qaeda, France, Africa, insurgencies, Russia, China, Washington, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, Agadez, State, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Niger's, Nigerien

☆ Russia is playing risky games with its exploding drones, attacking Ukrainian ports only a couple hundred meters from NATO territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian forces have been routinely attacking Ukraine's southern cities and ports in recent weeks. Western intelligence says Russia has "evolved its risk appetite for conducting strikes near" NATO. But these attacks have also crept toward NATO territory, something Western officials have warned of since the 17-month-long war began. It added that the Iranian-made drones have landed as close as 650 feet from the Romania border, "suggesting that Russia has evolved its risk appetite for conducting strikes near NATO territory." Meanwhile, the bombardment near Romania comes as some NATO countries worry that Russian allies are encroaching on NATO territory to the northwest of Ukraine.

Persons: Nina Liashenko, Reni, Ukraine Bridget Brink, Wagner, John Kirby, We're Organizations: NATO, Service, Russian, Twitter, AS, REUTERS, White, National Security Locations: Romania, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's, Moscow, Ukraine, Romanian, Izmail, China, Israel, russia, Russian, Odesa, Belarus, Minsk, Poland, Lithuania

☆ 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

☆ Niger coup draws condemnation from Russia and the West as regional body threatens force
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NIAMEY, Niger - July 30, 2023: Coup supporters take to the streets carrying Nigerien and Russian flags after the army seized power in Niger. LONDON — West African leaders on Sunday threatened military action against the junta that seized power last week in a coup in Niger, as protesters carrying Russian flags stormed the French embassy in capital city Niamey. The U.S. and France, which have troops stationed in Niger, called for calm, but strongly condemned the coup, along with much of the international community. Thousands of Nigeriens took to the streets on Sunday in support of the coup, with many carrying Russian flags and chanting pro-Putin messages. Images purporting to be from the scene, which CNBC could not independently verify, showed fires outside the French embassy in Niamey, along with French flags being burned and projectiles thrown at the former colonial power's mission.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, Bazoum's, Mahamadou, Bazoum, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, Nigeriens, Dmitry Peskov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: West, Sunday, National Council, Fatherland, CNBC, Reuters, Wagner Group, Kremlin Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Russian, LONDON, Niamey, U.S, France, Moscow, Africa

☆ 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

☆ More Wagner fighters move closer to Polish border, Poland PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, July 29 (Reuters) - A group of a hundred soldiers from the Russian Wagner group have moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday. Earlier this month, Poland began moving more than 1,000 troops to the east of the country amid rising concerns that the presence of Wagner fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border. Most likely they (the Wagner personnel) will be disguised as the Belarusian border guard and help illegal migrants get to the Polish territory (and) destabilise Poland," Morawiecki said at a press conference in Gliwice, western Poland. "They will most likely try to enter Poland pretending to be illegal migrants and this poses additional threats," Morawiecki said. The following day, some Wagner fighters arrived at the training ground of the 38th airborne assault brigade outside the city of Brest, just a few miles from the Polish border.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Mateusz Morawiecki, Wagner, Morawiecki, Anton Motolko, Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Agnieszka Pikulicka, David Holmes Organizations: WARSAW, Warsaw Pact, NATO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Belarusian, Grodno, Polish, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Ukraine, Belarus, Gliwice, Lithuanian, Kaliningrad, Africa, Brest, Moscow, Russia

"What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers. It was unclear who was in charge of Niger after soldiers on Wednesday evening declared a military coup and held President Mohamed Bazoum in the presidential palace. Prigozhin, in his voice message, boasted of Wagner's alleged efficiency in helping African nations stabilise and develop in what sounded like a sales pitch. "...Thousands of Wagner fighters are capable of bringing order and of destroying terrorists and of not allowing them to harm the local populations of these states," he said. Reporting by Andrew Osborn Additional reporting by Milan Pavicic Editing by Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, colonisers, Mohamed Bazoum, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, it's, Andrew Osborn, Milan, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Wednesday, Central African Republic, Kremlin, Analysts, PMC, U.S, CSIS, Thomson Locations: Niger, St Petersburg, MOSCOW, Russian, Western, Africa, France, Central African, Belarus, Russia, Moscow

☆ Russia's fighter jets have gone from harassing US aircraft to actually breaking them as Moscow flexes its muscles where it still can
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russian fighter jets have harassed US military drones on numerous occasions throughout July. That incident is just one of several demonstrations of Russian aggression around US military drones this month. Russian military Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft employ flares in the flight path of a US MQ-9 aircraft on July 6, 2023 over Syria. A press officer who goes by callsign Damian looks at a destroyed Russian military vehicle in Novodarivka village, Zaporizhzhia Region, southeastern Ukraine. "These maneuvers, they are to some extent intended to demonstrate Russian military strength," which could appease the country's domestic audience.

Persons: Nicholas Lokker, Alexus Grynkewich, Sabrina Singh, Su, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Damian, Putin, Lokker, Assad, Äzzeddin Kasim, Paul Lushenko, Lushenko, Christopher Sommers, AFCENT Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Center, New, New American Security, Islamic, US Air Force, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Command, Pentagon, Donetsk Regions, US, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Army, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, U.S . Central Command Locations: Wall, Silicon, Syria, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, New American, Moscow, Syria . Washington, Islamic State, Washington, CNAS, Belarus, Novodarivka, Zaporizhzhia Region, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Iran, Idlib, United States, Western

☆ Prigozhin was spotted at an international summit in Russia, hundreds of miles from where he was last seen in his underwear in a Belarus field tent
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has been spotted at an international summit in Russia. The images come after he was supposedly exiled following the mutiny he staged against Russian military brass. Prigozhin was last seen in his underwear inside a field tent at a military camp in Belarus. Prigozhin's whereabouts have largely been shrouded in mystery ever since he mobilized the Wagner mercenary group against Russian military brass. An image of Prigozhin in his underwear in a tent Belarus was recently circulated on social media.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin schmoozing, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Freddy Mapouka, Faustin, Dmitry Syty Organizations: Service, Russian, Central African, Financial Times, Mister Locations: Russia, Belarus, Wall, Silicon, Africa, St . Petersburg, Central African Republic

☆ Putin is trying to flex his influence in Africa, but countries are giving him the cold shoulder
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin is hosting a critical summit with African leaders this week in St. Petersburg, Russia. But only a handful of attending nations are sending their heads of state or leaders. Isolated by the war in Ukraine, Putin seeks to grow influence and support on the African continent. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. On Thursday, Putin will meet with 49 representatives from African nations at the second Russia-Africa summit.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin's, Yuri Ushakov, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Service, Moscow Times, Reuters, Ukraine, Wagner Group, Central African, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Relations Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Africa, Egypt, South Africa, Uganda, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic

☆ The mother of a Russian prisoner recruited to fight in Ukraine said she got a government letter saying her son died the day he left jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian mother spoke to CNN about her convict son's death on the frontlines in Ukraine. One such recruit, Andrei, went to prison when he was 20 years old on minor drug charges, his mother, Yulia, told CNN. It is horrible to say, but I already thought of him like he was dead," Yulia told CNN. Yulia told the outlet that she still hasn't received her son's body or any of his belongings. "The hardest part was that I was afraid, he would kill someone," Yulia told CNN.

Persons: Yulia, Andrei, Wagner, Andrei messaged, hasn't Organizations: CNN, Defense Ministry, Service, Wagner Group, Russian Defense Ministry, Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia

Chicago wheat futures , a benchmark of global prices, have risen around 20% since Russia ended the deal on July 17. It's absolutely an important national security issue for a lot of these African countries," he said. Putin says Russia is expecting a record harvest this year and is ready to fill the gap for African countries by supplying grain both commercially and for free. Dizolele said, noting that Russia backed African countries at the U.N., had defence and security agreements with some of them and gave scholarships to their students. But Putin's response, when Ramaphosa and other African leaders presented the proposal to him last month, was to repeat a familiar list of accusations against Ukraine and the West.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mvemba Dizolele, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Dizolele, WAGNER, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramani, Mark Trevelyan, Joe Bavier, Carien du, Tom Balmforth, Michelle Nichols, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Saint, REUTERS, Putin, Kremlin, U.S, Africa, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, International Criminal Court, Treasury, Central African, Ukraine, South, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Isaac's, central Saint Petersburg, Black, Russian, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Chicago, Washington, Turkey, Qatar, Moscow, United States, Kenya, Somalia, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, West, London, Johannesburg, Carien du Plessis

☆ Russia's economy is being propped up by Wagner Group's gold-smuggling operations, UK government report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's economy is being sustained by the Wagner Group's gold smuggling operations, the UK government says. A report says the mercenary group has been sneaking "significant" amounts of gold out of Sudan. That gold is then used in trade that's boosting Russia's economy, it added, despite the nation being targeted by western sanctions amid Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. "Wagner's gold-smuggling operations from Sudan are significant, with one calling them 'critical to Russia's ability to withstand significant sanctions deployed against it for its illegal invasion in Ukraine,'" the report said. And though Putin has downplayed the effect of sanctions, non-government statistics show that Russia's economy is spiraling and in a far worse state than it appears, two Yale researchers said.

Persons: Wagner, Brian Nelson, Putin Organizations: Service, US Treasury, United Arab, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial, Wagner Groups, EU, Yale Locations: Sudan, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, Mali, United States, Africa

☆ Putin 'just hid' during Wagner's mutiny, proving he can't guarantee 'security' for Russia, a former Russian colonel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin "just hid" during Wagner's mutiny, a former Russian colonel told The Washington Post. Chaos in Russian leadership left local authorities without direction during Prigozhin's rebellion. Gudkov told the Post that Putin's inaction during Yevgeny Prigozhin's 24-hour rebellion severely damaged his reputation with top Russian officials. That's left Putin appearing weak. One senior Moscow financier connected to Russian intel told the Post: "Russia is a country of mafia rules.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Gennady Gudkov, Gudkov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko, standdown, unsparingly, Prigozhin —, That's Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Russian Defense, Ukraine, Kremlin, Russian intel Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Belarus, Moscow, Russia

☆ 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

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin was just winging it with his armed revolt and making things up as he went along, CIA director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin shocked the world when he called on his Wagner Group fighters to invade Russia. CIA Director Bill Burns said this week that Prigozhin was likely improvising during the armed rebellion. Prigozhin was "making some of this up as he went along," Burns told the Aspen Security Forum. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Within hours, the Wagner Group had captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don without meeting any resistance.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bill Burns, Prigozhin, Burns, Wagner, Joe Biden, I'm, William Burns, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, he'd, Alexander Lukashenko, Reuters Prigozhin, he'll, Russia —, Vladimir Putin, they've, Putin's misjudgment, Russian Wagner, Mark Milley, Milley Organizations: Wagner Group, CIA, Aspen Security, Service, Russian Defense, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus —, Wagner, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Joint Chiefs, Staff, NATO Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Russian, Voronezh, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Osipovichi, Kyiv

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

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

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

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

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