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Dnipro, Ukraine CNN —The much-anticipated and controversial American-made cluster munitions that the United States agreed to supply to Kyiv are now in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon. On Thursday afternoon the Pentagon confirmed the presence of the munitions in country, saying “There are cluster munitions in Ukraine at this time.”Tarnavsky is commander of the “Tavria” Joint Forces Operation, which is operating on a large section of the southern Ukraine front. But they are very worried.”Eyebrows were raised at the US delivery of these cluster munitions, which are banned in over 100 countries. The general says Ukraine is carrying out “large scale offensives,” while also admitting Ukrainian troops have made modest gains, especially in the south. Russian lossesA rising star in the Russian military, Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov, was injured and killed in the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk, on the Azov Sea.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavsky, Tarnavsky, Defense Lloyd Austin, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “, ”, ” ‘, ” Tarnavsky, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Tarnavskiy, He’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Pentagon, CNN, ”, Forces, Russian, Defense, ” Kyiv, Russian Telegram, Military Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, United States, Kyiv, Ukrainian, ” Brig, Austin, Russian, Berdyansk, Azov

CNN —Elena Milashina, a prominent Russian journalist who uncovered the horrific crackdown on gay men in Chechnya, was severely beaten alongside a lawyer in an attack in the southern Russian republic, according to her employer Novaya Gazeta. Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, “agreed to intervene in the situation on the request of the editorial office,” Novaya Gazeta said. Moskalkova also said she asked the Commissioner for Human Rights in Chechnya to ensure the safety of the journalist. Following her reporting on a crackdown on gay men in Chechnya in 2017, Muslim clerics in Chechnya called for “retribution” against her and other journalists. The country has a checkered record on gay rights, breaking up gay pride marches and passing anti-gay propaganda laws.

Persons: CNN — Elena Milashina, Alexander Nemov, Elena, Alexander, ” “ Elena Milashina, “, Nemov, Milashina, Musaeva, Ramzan Kadyrov, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Tatyana Moskalkova, Moskalkova, ‘, Sergey Babinets, ”, Marie Struthers, Kadyrov Organizations: CNN, Novaya Gazeta, Milashina, Human, Novosti, Human Rights, Amnesty Locations: Russian, Chechnya, Grozny, Novaya, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Russia

LONDON/NEW YORK/HONG KONG (Reuters) -For hedge funds, the second half of 2023 is all about pouncing on the ways in which inflation, aggressive rate hikes and decarbonisation are shaping the economy. Five prominent funds shared their ideas using five different asset classes to trade on this uncertainty. The ideas do not represent recommendations or trading positions, which hedge funds cannot reveal for regulatory reasons. 1/ UBS O’CONNOR* Alternatives platform, with both hedge funds and credit* Size: $9.5 billion* Established in 2000* Key trade: Long so-called “busted” convertible bonds, or hybrid securities where the stock trades below its option conversion price. Seminara favored long positions in investment grade bonds and shorting high yield ones via the iTraxx Europe and iTraxx crossover indices.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Casey Talbot, Alpha, ” Talbot, Byron Gill, Howard Smith, Anastasia Tarasova, Tarasova, Andrea Seminara, ”, Seminara, CRAWFORD, ERIC STURDZA, Eric Sturdza, Chris Crawford, Biden, “ They’re, Crawford Organizations: Reuters, Traders, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, UBS, UBS O’Connor, Companies, Indus Capital Partners, Capital, Federal, Redhedge, Asset Management, European Central Bank, ECB, Eric Sturdza Investments, Fund Management, Crawford Fund Management Locations: HONG KONG, New York City, U.S, Asia, Ukraine, Europe

“We’re looking for any kind of enemies everywhere, air, on land and on the river as well,” Captain Anton, his surname withheld for security reasons, says of his mission. It cuts through Ukraine, connecting some of its major cities — such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — providing water, electricity and a natural barrier against advancing armies. “The river is a strategic object,” Captain Anton says. “Our mission is to patrol the Dnipro River, since it’s prohibited to use any kind of navigation since 24th of February 2022,” Captain Anton explains. “In cases where Russia is using Shaheds, we can use (these boats) to try and strike them,” Captain Anton explains.

Persons: Captain Anton, Vasco Cotovio, Anton, “, “ We’re, ”, Anton’s Organizations: CNN, Vasco, Dnipro, NATO, US Department of Defense, Moscow, Snake, United Locations: Dnipro, Europe, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, United States, Washington, Russian, “, Moscow, Moskva, Ukrainian

“The main purpose of this aircraft is to support our ground forces at the front,” he explains. “I think we increase the morale of our ground forces too.”One of the main issues Kyiv’s ground forces have faced as the counteroffensive gets underway is Russian air power holding them back. "Juice" says the Ukrainian air force would be much more capable of protecting advancing ground forces if it had better aircraft. But the US now says it will train Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft, and the UK and Denmark have been pressing for more. But while Russia maintains technological superiority in the air, it’ll be very difficult for Ukrainian pilots to push Moscow’s pilots out of their skies.

Persons: Russia’s Su, Su, Oleksyi, ”, “, ” Pumba, “ They’re, it’s, Vasco Cotovio, ” Juice, Juice, they’re, Pumba, Oleksyi Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ It’ll Organizations: Southern, Southern Ukraine CNN —, ”, Territorial Defense Brigade, NATO, CNN, Defense Locations: Southern Ukraine, Soviet, Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Europe, Ukrainian, Moscow, “, United States, Denmark

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine CNN —In a deserted shell of a building, a Ukrainian drone pilot blocks off his surroundings and focuses solely on the controller in his hands. During the day, the drone unit spent hours scoping out possible night-time launch sites for their mission, as well as figuring out the exact coordinates of their target. Frederik Pleitgen/CNNThey hide their vehicles and proceed a few hundreds of meters on foot, while Ukrainian and Russian forces trade artillery salvos. A successful hitAs the Ukrainian drone approaches its Russian target, the mission enters its most critical phase. Still, the men say, their job is not done just yet, not while Russian forces continue to occupy Ukraine.

Persons: ‘, ’ ”, –, ” Bankir, “, Marat, Frederik Pleitgen, they’re, ”, Vladimir Sladkov, Vladimir Rogov, they’ll, Ukraine’s SBU, ” Marat, “ It’s, it’s Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Security Service, country’s Patrol Police, CNN, Patrol Police, coy, Bradley, Russian, “ Team Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kherson, Russian, United States

Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine CNN —Under clear and sunny skies, a Ukrainian soldier speeds down a long, straight road toward forward positions close to the front line. Combat medic "Winnie" says he and his fellow physicians try to provide first aid to advancing Ukrainian forces as soon as possible and reduce the amount of casualties. Vasco Cotovio/CNNUkrainian forces have been working to stabilize some of the liberated villages but when CNN visited Velyka Novosilka, the situation remained very fluid. But I think we will win.”The frontline town of Velyka Novosilka bears the scars of a year and a half of shelling. That superiority was on full display during the CNN team’s visit when the Ukrainian forces came under repeated attack by Russian Su-25 ground attack fighter jets.

Persons: Velyka Novosilka, swerves, ”, Vasco Cotovio, “, Winnie, “ There’s, ” Velyka, Jaeger, Mara, ” Skrypal, Novosilka, Jaeger Brigade’s, Vasyl Matyiev, ” Matyiev, Ukraine's, Russian Su, Velyka, “ I’ve, Tatiana, – Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, CNN Ukrainian, Vasco, intel, 68th Jaeger, Ukrainian, “ Volunteers Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Velyka, Neskuchne, Russia, Western, Moscow, Russian, Bakhmut, Velyka Novosilka

☆ 'What is there to be afraid of?' Ukrainians in frontline town hopeful about counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Vasco Cotovio Frederik Pleitgen William Bonnett Darya Tarasova | Vasco Cotovio | Frederik Pleitgen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The town in the Zaporizhzhia region sits just five kilometers away from a frontline where Ukrainian forces have been making a recent push. “The town is shelled every 24 hours.”And with the Zaporizhzhia frontline becoming more active because of an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive, aid deliveries may become more rare. CNN has been able to geolocate the videos to the Zaporizhzhia region but is unable to verify when they were shot. And nothing happens around town without them being well aware of it, even if that is a top-secret Ukrainian counteroffensive. She straps the food box to the back of her bike and – just before she cycles away – Ukrainian forces somewhere outside of town are heard firing a shell towards Russian positions.

Persons: “, Olga Shumska, unfazed, I’m, ” Shumska, Vasco Cotovio, CNN “, Nina Sokol, we’ll, they’re, Vitaliy Kubushka, you’d, ” Sokol, ” Organizations: Southern, Southern Ukraine CNN, CNN, Sokol, Global Empowerment, Howard Buffet Foundation, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Journalists, Ministry of Defense Locations: Southern Ukraine, Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zapoprizhzhia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Kyiv, Shumska, Ukraine

Kherson, Ukraine CNN —Nadejda Chernishova breathes a sigh of relief as she steps off a rubber dinghy, moments after being rescued from her flooded home in Kherson. Nadejda Chernishova, 65, said water levels rose too fast for her to leave her home on her own. Planet Labs PBC/ReutersIn a frontline city like Kherson — where the shelling is constant — the rising water brings an added danger. The large presence of soldiers and first responders contrasts with the very few number of Kherson residents out on the streets. Both sides have been severely impacted by the collapse — even more so on the Russian side — leaving the terrain in very difficult condition.

Persons: Ukraine CNN —, Chernishova, “ I’m, ”, ” Chernishova, Nadejda Chernishova, I'm, Vasco Cotovio, Oleksandr Prokudin, Prokudin, Nova Kakhovka, ” Prokudin, “, haven’t, ” Produkin, – Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, Planet Labs PBC, Reuters, Artillery, ” Locations: Kherson, Ukraine, “, Dnipro, Russian, ”, Karobel, Nova, Kyiv, Moscow, Kherson —, Russia, ” Kyiv

“We call this one Vidsyich (Ukrainian word for ‘repel’).”The Vidsyich is what Borovyk calls a combat drone, designed to attack Russian positions. Valeriy Borovyk as his Vidsyich drone -- one of several he's developed -- is catapulted into the sky. Fedorov and Shchyhol observe a drone competition with the view of procuring more equipment for the Ukrainian military. Valeriy Borovyk's Vidsyich (Ukrainian for 'repel') drone can fly 40 km and carry a warhead with up to three kilograms. Vasco Cotovio/CNNOne longer-range Ukrainian drone is the UJ-22, made by Ukrjet and with a reported range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles).

Persons: Borovyk, Vasco Cotovio, CNN Borovyk, “, ” Borovyk, Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, ” Fedorov, Fedorov, ”, ” Denis Sega, Yuriy Shchyhol, ” Shchyhol, Serhiy Prytula, Borovyk's Vidsyich, Anton Gerashchenko, Putin Organizations: CNN, Moscow, Ministry of Digital, Digital Transformation, “ Army, Drones, Sega, country’s, Service of Special Communications, Kremlin, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Brig, Moscow, Ilysk, Kuban

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared the damage in Bakhmut to the destruction wrought on Hiroshima after it was hit by an atomic bomb, as he denied Russia had captured the frontline city. Zelensky – who traveled to Japan for a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) – said pictures of Hiroshima “really remind” him of Bakhmut and other Ukrainian towns. “Just the same, nothing alive left, all of the buildings have been ruined,” Zelensky told a news conference. Zelensky rallies alliesIf confirmed, the capture of Bakhmut would mark Russia’s first gain in months, but the city’s symbolism always outweighed its strategic importance. At the G7 Ukraine’s allies reiterated their support, with British Prime Minister RIshi Sunak saying “Ukraine must not only win the war but win a just and lasting peace.”

☆ Russia's Wagner group claims to have captured Bakhmut but Ukraine says it still controls a part of it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Darya Tarasova Sugam Pokharel Thom Poole Rob Picheta | Darya Tarasova | Sugam Pokharel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied claims Bakhmut has fallen to Russia after the chief of the mercenary Wagner group said his forces had taken complete control of the eastern Ukrainian city following months of brutal fighting. In a later update the Armed Forces of Ukraine said: “The battles for the city of Bakhmut continue”. Wagner received a message of praise from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian forces, bolstered by members of the Wagner mercenary group, have taken heavy losses trying to capture the city. Before the war, around 70,000 people lived in Bakhmut, a city once famous for its sparkling wine.

☆ Russia warns West of 'enormous risks' if Ukraine supplied with F-16 jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russia’s deputy foreign minister has warned Western countries of “enormous risks” if Ukraine is provided with F-16 fighter jets, Russian state media TASS reported Saturday. The comments come after US President Joe Biden gave his backing for Ukrainian pilots to be trained to fly F-16s, reversing his previous position. Responding to the move, Alexander Grushko said: “We see that the Western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the set goals.”Earlier this week, the UK and the Netherlands were reportedly building an “international coalition” to help Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets. After saying Kyiv did not need the fighter jets earlier this year, US President Joe Biden reversed his objections by signaling to European allies that they would allow F-16 exports to Ukraine.

CNN —An acclaimed theater director and playwright have been arrested in Russia and accused of “justifying terrorism” for their play about Russian women being recruited online to marry Islamic State fighters in Syria. Yevgenia Berkovich was arrested on Friday alongside the play’s author, Svetlana Petriychuk, after investigators alleged that their award-winning play “Finist, the Brave Falcon” was in violation of the law. Prosecutors argue the work “romanticizes, justifies and glorifies terrorists” as well as promoting the “ideology of radical feminism”, Russian state media TASS reported. It was staged in 2021 by Berkovich’s own company, with the support of the Union of Theater Workers of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, according to independent news website Meduza. Russia’s cultural scene has faced increased repression since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

CNN —A Russian military blogger has been injured and his driver killed after their car was blown up, Russian state media reported, the latest attack on a pro-war figure. Zakhar Prilepin was hospitalized with a leg injury in the blast in the Nizhny Novgorod region, about 250 miles east of Moscow, TASS said. There is a war going on.”Last month another military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg. Nationalist writers are a key part of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine, strongly supporting the war in Ukraine but given unusual freedom to criticize its conduct. Unlike Russian state media, many of the most influential military bloggers have not shied away from criticizing Moscow for its battlefield defeats including the withdrawal from Kherson in November or, most recently, the stalling of the drawn-out fight for Bakhmut.

CNN —Russia says it will retaliate after Polish authorities seized the Russian Embassy school in Warsaw, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Polish police and staff from the Warsaw city hall entered the campus Saturday morning, asking employees to leave the premises, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. But a Polish foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters that while Russia had a right to protest, they were acting within the law. “Our opinion, which has been confirmed by the courts, is that this property belongs to the Polish state and was taken by Russia illegally,” Lukasz Jasina said. The school will continue to operate from a different part of the Russian embassy, RIA added, quoting Russia’s ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev.

CNN —The son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Nikolai Peskov, claimed in an interview with Russian media that he decided to serve in Ukraine with Russia’s Wagner mercenary force. Children of government figures and Russia’s elite have received criticism in the past for failing to fight in Ukraine. Nikolai Peskov’s interview comes after the Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Friday that the Kremlin spokesperson’s son had served as a gunner with his mercenary force. According to Prigozhin, Nikolai Peskov served in PMC Wagner for six months under false documents with a different last name, working as a loader of an ammunition supply vehicle. The Wagner chief said Peskov attended a three-week training at their base in Molkino and later “left for Luhansk.”

☆ Belgorod: Bomb found in Russian city accidentally struck by own air force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —More than 3,000 people were evacuated on Saturday from residential buildings in the Russian city of Belgorod after a bomb was found close to the area accidentally bombed by Russia’s air force earlier this week, Russian state media reported. Explosives specialists assessed the device and said there was no danger of explosion, according to TASS. Late on Thursday, a Russian warplane dropped a bomb on Belgorod – a city of more than 400,000 people close to the border with Ukraine – leaving a large crater, blowing a car onto a roof and damaging nearby buildings. The Belgorod region has been the scene of several explosions and bombings since Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. The city was one of Russian troops’ staging areas in the run up to the invasion.

CNN —Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has been experiencing severe stomach issues in prison, and members of his team fear that he may have been poisoned again. Navalny lost eight kilograms over the past 15 days in his isolated prison cell, his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said in a Twitter post on Tuesday. “The lawyer says that an ambulance was called for Alexey Navalny on the night of Friday to Saturday because of an acute stomach pain. “This may sound like nonsense and paranoia to someone else, but not to Navalny after Novichok,” Kobzev tweeted on Tuesday. Investigative journalist Christo Grozev, who worked on CNN’s “Navalny” documentary, said he believes Putin has “motivation” to poison Navalny.

☆ An electric scooter company just pulled off Russia’s only IPO of the year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London CNN Business —An electric scooter service just became the only company to pull off an initial public offering in Russia this year. Whoosh, which made its debut on Wednesday, said that it had raised 2.1 billion rubles ($32.6 million) through the listing, giving it a valuation of 20.6 billion rubles ($320 million). “In four years, we have gone from a startup to the leader of the Russian [scooter sharing] market, making electric scooter travel a familiar mode of transport,” Whoosh CEO Dmitry Chuiko said in a statement. It raised less than half of what it had been aiming for earlier in the month. As of the end of September, Whoosh had about 82,000 scooters in 40 cities across Russia and former Soviet states and 11.2 million registered users.

He was interviewed by Maria Butina, a Russian gun-rights enthusiast-turned TV personality who now works for the network. Viktor Bout arrives at Westchester County Airport November 16, 2010 in White Plains, New York. When asked if he had a portrait of President Vladimir Putin in his prison cell, Bout said: “Yes, always. Griner, 32, returned to the United States early Friday after being released from custody in an exchange for an international arms dealer. The families of Griner and Whelan had urged the White House to secure their release, including via prisoner exchange if necessary.

☆ UN warns 'time is running out' as greenhouse gases surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Hikes in the atmospheric concentration of all three greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide - outstripped the average increase over the past decade, it showed, meaning they are now all at new record levels. Concentrations of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide rose by 2.5 parts per million to 415.7 - a level not seen since at least 3 million years ago when the Earth was much warmer. The jump in the potent, heat-trapping gas methane was the highest since records began in 1983, the report said. Greenhouse gases are responsible for warming the planet and triggering extreme weather events like heatwaves and intense rainfall. The WMO said scientists are investigating the reason for the exceptional hike in methane levels of 18 parts per billion to 1,908 last year following a similar increase in 2020.

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