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☆ Ukrainian frontline commander 'Witch' explains why they're so determined to hold on to Bakhmut: 'We are exhausting them morally and psychologically'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has faced questions about why it will not retreat from Bakhmut, now mostly held by Russia. With Russian forces now holding the majority of the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has faced questions over whether Ukraine can — or even should — try to hold on to the city. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. But with "even a few units" of precise, modern weapons Ukraine has "a tangible advantage" over Russian forces, she said.

In 2012, Maslov and Shiplyuk presented the results of an experiment on hypersonic missile design at a seminar in Tours, France. In 2016, all three were among the authors of a book chapter entitled "Hypersonic Short-Duration Facilities for Aerodynamic Research at ITAM, Russia". The cases showed that "any article or report can lead to accusations of high treason", the open letter said. It said such cases were having a chilling effect on young Russian scientists. Asked about the letter, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said: "We have indeed seen this appeal, but Russian special services are working on this.

☆ 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.

May 16 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday its agencies were tracking Western spy activity after the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency published a video encouraging Russians to make contact via a secure internet channel. Published nearly 15 months into Moscow's war with Ukraine, the video invites Russians to take a colossal risk. Asked about the video, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had not paid attention to it, but added: "I am convinced that our special services are monitoring this space in the necessary way." Some Russians reacted sceptically to the video on social media, saying it looked like a "provocation" by Russia's FSB security service. "The CIA wants to know the truth about #Russia, and we are looking for reliable people who know and can tell us this truth," it said.

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner boss denies Washington Post report that he offered intelligence to Kyiv in exchange for territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Kostan Nechyporenko Victoria Butenko Anna Chernova Sana Noor Haq | Kostan Nechyporenko | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian soldiers, pictured in Bakhmut on Friday, fire a cannon near the eastern city, where a fierce battle for control against Russian forces rages. Prigozhin made the offer to Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, known as HUR, in January, the Post alleged. It quoted one leaked document as stating that Prigozhin met HUR officers in an unspecified country in Africa. “Therefore, I simply could not meet with anyone there physically.”In his message, Prigozhin asked rhetorically, “Who is behind this? Kyiv also said it was operating “effective counterattacks” in the Bakhmut area, matching remarks by Prigozhin that Kyiv had recaptured some territory.

☆ Belarus state media publish photo of Lukashenko following health speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 15 (Reuters) - A Belarusian state news channel on Monday published a photo of President Alexander Lukashenko at what it said was a military command centre in what would be his first public appearance in almost a week, following speculation over the health of the 68-year-old leader. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 6, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERSThe Pul Pervovo Telegram channel, a state outlet that reports on Lukashenko's activities, said the president was working at a central air force command base. Lukashenko was last seen in public on May 9 at Victory Day events in both Moscow and the Belarusian capital Minsk. His failure to appear in public since then had prompted reports, not confirmed officially, that he had been taken to a medical facility.

☆ Putin's Victory Day speech was as extreme as ever, claiming a 'real war' was being waged against Russia, even as his military had a measly showing at the celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin said the West was waging a "real war" against Russia in his Victory Day speech. Victory Day is celebrated on May 9 every year in Russia to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in World War II. Leading up to Victory Day, officials in several Russian cities canceled their parades. "He almost acts as if the world is no different than it was in World War II," Norris explained. He also said Ukraine would replace Russia's Victory Day with a new holiday to be celebrated annually on May 9 — Europe Day.

☆ Someone in Russia broke into a military airfield to set fire to a bomber jet, and Russian cops only found out it was happening on social media: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian authorities found out through social media that someone set fire to a military jet. Footage of the burning aircraft emerged on Monday on the Telegram channel for the Freedom of Russia Legion, a Ukrainian organization that consists of military defectors from Russia and Belarus. Local police then discovered the video online, reported the independent Russian media outlet Baza. But it reported that despite the Freedom of Russia Legion's claims that the Su-24 was "completely destroyed," the aircraft was "not particularly damaged." Russian authorities categorized the Freedom of Russia Legion as a terrorist group on March 16.

☆ The Ukraine war is driving a wedge between Moscow and its mercenaries — and the Kremlin knows it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The war in Ukraine looks to have created deep and lasting tensions between Russia's leadership in Moscow and its mercenary fighters on the ground, with acrimony between the two descending into openly hostile criticism and accusations of treachery this week. Prigozhin said his mercenary forces, making up the bulk of Russians fighting to seize Bakhmut, would remain there for a "few more days" to see if the situation would change. Prigozhin's very public criticism of Russia's military leadership this week has made it impossible for the Kremlin to ignore, despite its de-facto position being to remain tight-lipped about internal matters. "Emotions are boiling over there," Peskov told a Bosnian Serb television channel ATV on Wednesday, in comments translated by Google. We have no doubt that Artyomovsk [Russia's name for Bakhmut] will be brought under control, that it will be determined later," he said.

☆ Russia's military is copying the Wagner playbook of recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, with up to 10,000 signing up in April alone, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's military is recruiting fighters for Ukraine directly from prisons, UK intelligence said. The method was previously used by the pro-Kremlin Wagner Group, but it lost access earlier this year. Other investigations have also found Russia is recruiting prisoners to fight. Getting prisoners to fight in Ukraine was a tactic widely used by the Wagner Group, a private mercenary force that has sent tens of thousands of prisoners to Ukraine. It is not clear exactly how many prisoners Wagner sent to Ukraine before it lost access to prisons earlier this year.

☆ Putin's 'one-tank' military parade was an embarrassment for Russia, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Soviet T-34 tank, the only tank on display in Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9, 2023, rolls through Red Square. Russia's scaled-down Victory Day military parade showed not only Moscow's insecurities over possible Ukrainian attacks but also highlighted the country's depleted military resources due to the conflict, political analysts said. May 9 is a public holiday in Russia when it commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The fact that only one Stalin-era tank was on display in the military parade through Red Square was particularly eye-catching, analysts noted. This year, however, the only tank on display was a T-34 model dating back to World War II."

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: EU to discuss sanctions on Chinese and Iranian firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

May 10 (Reuters) - European Union states hold a first discussion on Wednesday on proposed new sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine that would target Chinese and Iranian firms and allow export curbs on third countries for busting existing trade restrictions. GRAIN EXPORTS* The United Nations said inspections resumed on Tuesday of outbound vessels under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, which Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18 over obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports. CONFLICT* The governor of Russia's Voronezh region said on Wednesday that two drones attempted to attack a military facility in his region, but failed. * Russia's air defence forces shot down an "enemy" drone in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, its governor said, adding that falling debris damaged a gas pipeline and a house. * Arman Soldin, a 32-year-old video journalist for Agence France Presse (AFP) in Ukraine, was killed on Tuesday by Grad rocket fire near Chasiv Yar, in eastern Ukraine, AFP said on Twitter, citing AFP colleagues who witnessed the incident.

☆ The thousands of 'soldiers' marching in Russia's Victory parade weren't actual combat troops, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The "soldiers" that marched in Russia's Victory Day Parade weren't combat soldiers, UK intel said. UK intel said that the majority were auxiliary, paramilitary, and cadets from training camps. The parade featured only one old tank, no aircraft, and a few reluctant world leaders. But UK intelligence says the majority of them likely weren't actual, deployable soldiers fighting in combat. The annual Victory Day Parade — which commemorates the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 — typically shows off Russia's military might and equipment.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin's 'one-tank' parade prompts questions; more calls for Wagner Group to be labeled terrorist group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian soldiers march during a rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2023. The Covid-19 pandemic and now the ongoing war with Ukraine have sorely affected annual commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Despite being one of the most important dates in Russia's calendar, Victory Day in Russia has not been what it was for a number of years now. Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers parade through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2022. "The potential for protests and discontent over the Ukraine war are also likely to have influenced the calculus of the Russian leadership."

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin took a rare and not-so-subtle swing at Putin, profanely hinting he could be a problem for Russia's war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin profanely mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin in a new video. profanely mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin in a new video. The military group's leader hinted Putin was a "grandfather" who could turn out to be a "complete asshole." Prigozhin has been stepping up his feud with Russian leadership as Wagner troops are dying in Ukraine. Prigozhin releasing the video during Russia's Victory Day Parade is also significant.

☆ Putin Condemns Western Support for Ukraine as Russia’s Battlefield Losses Mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/APRussian President Vladimir Putin fired a rhetorical broadside at Washington and the West on Tuesday, condemning allied military support for Ukraine as Moscow faces mounting battlefield losses more than a year after invading its smaller neighbor. Speaking to a crowd on Moscow’s Red Square at the country’s annual Victory Day parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Mr. Putin declared: “An actual war has once again been unleashed against our Motherland,” saying the West sought Russia’s “disintegration and destruction.”

☆ Russia marks Victory Day with scaled-down parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Protesters, dressed in yellow t-shirts to make themselves stand out, were demanding an elected head of state and say the royal family has no place in a modern constitutional democracy.

Victory Day, celebrating the Soviet Union’s vanquishing of Nazi Germany in 1945, is Russia’s most important secular holiday, although it is toned down this year as the war in Ukraine drags on. More than 20 cities, some thousands of miles from the battle lines, said they would forgo military parades, and organizers canceled a popular nationwide march honoring veterans. Here’s a look at the significance the holiday has taken on during President Vladimir V. Putin’s two decades in power. Why does Victory Day matter so much? Mr. Putin has helped transform Victory Day — meant to honor the 27 million Soviets who died in World War II — into one of the most important holidays on the Russian calendar, a nostalgic ritual that buttresses national pride and unifies a sometimes divided society.

☆ Belarus leader Lukashenko avoids stroll, skips lunch after Moscow parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lukashenko, a close Putin ally, looked tired and a little unsteady on his feet, and a bandage was visible on his right hand. His appearance sparked speculation online about his health, though he otherwise showed no obvious sign of being unwell. In a rare departure from custom, the Belarusian president then missed the state lunch hosted by Putin in the Kremlin and attended by the other leaders. Lukashenko later on Tuesday resurfaced for the Victory Day wreath-laying ceremony in Minsk but in another departure from tradition he wore civilian clothes - not a military uniform - and made no speech. At Tuesday's Victory Day parade Putin said Russia was engaged in a "sacred" fight with the West over Ukraine.

☆ Russia’s Victory Day in pictures: Putin watches on during scaled-back parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's annual Victory Day parade is underway in Moscow with thousands of military personnel and weaponry filing past Russia's President Vladimir Putin, his top military officials and allies. The sun has been shining in Moscow today for the high-profile event marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The Victory Day parade sees Putin and other heads of state of allied countries, as well as military personnel and war veterans, watch on as massive missile launchers, battle tanks and troops parade through Red Square in the capital. Victory Day parades have been canceled in a number of regions and cities in Russia due to those security concerns, and the traditional air display did not take place in Moscow today. Nonetheless, more than 10,000 people and 125 units of weapons and military equipment were reportedly involved in the parade.

☆ Russia launches new attack on Ukraine on Moscow's 'sacred' day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The attack - the fifth in May - came a day after Russia launched its biggest drone swarm yet in a renewed air campaign unleashed 10 days ago after a lull since early March. "Overnight into the 'sacred' May 9, (they) launched an attack on the territory of Ukraine," Ukraine's air force said on its Telegram messaging app. But Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he did not want to "spoil" Russia's Victory Day parade and would reveal more details later. Victory Day this year is even more emotionally charged as Russia mourns thousands of soldiers killed in the nearly 15-month war in Ukraine that shows no sign of ending. Putin has repeatedly likened the Ukraine war - which he casts as a battle against "Nazi"-inspired nationalists - to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Hitler invaded in 1941.

☆ Factbox: Why does Russia celebrate Victory Day on May 9, and what does it mean for Putin?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Victory Day is one of Russia's most important public holidays. WHEN WAS THE FIRST VICTORY DAY? In Moscow it was already May 9, which became the Soviet Union's "Victory Day". The Soviet Union celebrated the 20th and 40th anniversaries of Victory Day with Red Square parades in 1965 and 1985. Under Putin, Victory Day increasingly became a muscular display not only of marching battalions but also of Russia's latest weaponry, including warplanes, tanks, and nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia's Victory Day military parade overshadowed by security fears; Kyiv targeted again overnight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian soldiers march during a rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2023. All eyes are on Russia's Victory Day parade on Tuesday, an annual event marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. This year is expected to be a smaller affair, however, with the ongoing war in Ukraine involving much of Russia's military personnel and hardware. Victory Day parades have been canceled in a number of places in Russia. Russia has launched a wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities Kyiv, Odesa and Kherson in the last few days.

☆ Moscow holds Victory Day military parade as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kate Sammer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMoscow holds Victory Day military parade as Russia intensifies attacks on UkraineRussia's annual Victory Day parade was scaled back this year due to "security concerns" after an alleged drone strike targeted the Kremlin last week. At the event, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech praising Russian soldiers for fighting in Ukraine and condemned the West for unleashing "a real war" against Russia. Putin's remarks came just hours after Russia fired the latest missile barrage at Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine's envoy to Japan urges G7 to condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations must condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons and vow "decisive action" against such a move when they hold a summit next week in the city of Hiroshima, Ukraine's envoy to Japan said. read more"It should be a very clear statement from specifically those nuclear powers among the G7 that the use of nuclear weapons or nuclear terrorism will not be tolerated and will be met with almost decisive actions from major powers," he said. "It's most important that the summit when we have a real threat of nuclear terrorism, that summit will be in Hiroshima," Korsunsky added. He called for G7 talks on nuclear security and the global architecture, as both the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council lacked power. Last week, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his government was examining how Russian assets could be used to help Ukraine's war effort.

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