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Since the early days of the invasion, Mr. Putin has conceded, privately, that the war has not gone as planned. “I think he is sincerely willing” to compromise with Russia, Mr. Putin said of Mr. Zelensky in 2019. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. “I think this war is Putin’s grave.” Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, a Russian prisoner of war held by Ukraine, in October.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence children were rescued from Joe Biden-owned property in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

There is no evidence that a Biden-owned property exists above a bioweapon lab in Ukraine, but social media users are sharing the claim, adding that thousands of children were rescued from the alleged bioweapon lab underneath the property. An Instagram user shared an image of a headline that reads, “BREAKING NEWS: Thousands of Children Rescued, Mutilated Bodies Recovered, From Biden-Owned Ukraine Property” (here). NO EVIDENCE OF CHILDREN RESCUED IN CAGESReuters has not found any evidence to support the claim in the articles of Russian soldiers having rescued thousands of children or recovered mutilated bodies in the alleged bioweapon lab in Ukraine from reputable news reports or the Russian government’s website (government.ru/en/news/). Similar narratives of a raid to rescue thousands of children from “Underground Tunnels” in the U.S. date to at least October 2019 (here), (here). There is no evidence children were rescued from a tunnel operating a biowarfare lab underneath a Biden-owned property in Ukraine.

CNN —Moscow’s accusation that Ukrainian drones struck two airbases deep inside Russia has once again raised the febrile question of escalation nine months into the war. Footage on Russian media shows the aftermath of an alleged drone strike Tuesday at an airfield in Kursk, Russia. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the blasts, in keeping with Kyiv’s policy of official silence around attacks inside Russia or in Russian-occupied Crimea. But it is hard to know what else Russia could do to Ukraine that it has not already done. Let us first quickly discuss why a Russian nuclear strike seems off the table, at least for now.

☆ As Ukrainian forces recaptured a key town, another elite Russian unit appears to have gone through 'the meat grinder'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russian troops in Lyman and those who retreated took heavy losses, including an elite GRU unit. In just a few days, Ukrainian forces liberated hundreds of square miles of territory and scores of villages. Its cadre of Spetsnaz commandos is among the best in the Russian military. Competent special operators require years of basic and advanced military training, as well as training tailored to their mission sets. The Russian military as a whole is taking a battering in Ukraine, though casualty estimates vary widely.

☆ Russian agents killed 3 men they said were saboteurs sent by Ukraine. A report says they were just gamers in costume.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian state media reported on an FSB operation targeting "pro-Ukrainian saboteurs." Per independent media, the men killed were roleplayers of the video game "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." The state media report appeared to misidentify videogame imagery as genuine militant symbols. A still from a Russian state media Russia-1 report, showing what it claims is a flag showing affiliation with a far-right Ukrainian party Russia-1/Smotrim.ruThe obscured wolf insignia above was attributed by Russia-1 to a fringe political party in Ukraine called Volya. A still from a Russian state media Russia-1 report, showing what it claims is military paraphernalia owned by the men killed.

☆ Rouble pares early losses to hover around 61 to the dollar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble hovered around 61 to the dollar after touching its lowest in nearly two weeks early on Tuesday, with pressure from oil market jitters countered by rouble buying to cover month-end tax payments. At 0714 GMT the rouble was down 0.1% against the dollar at 60.90 , having slid to 61.1950 earlier in the session for its weakest since Nov. 10. The rouble could strengthen towards the 60 mark during the session, said Bogdan Zvarich, chief analyst at Banki.ru. The rouble is supported by a month-end tax period in which exporters usually convert foreign exchange revenue into roubles to pay domestic liabilities. For Russian equities guide seeFor Russian treasury bonds seeReporting by Alexander Marrow Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine's over-the-top response to a fatal missile explosion in Poland could hurt its credibility at a crucial moment in the war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine rushed to claim the incident was a deliberate Russian attack, while the US and others urged caution. On Tuesday, Zelenskky called the strike in Poland a Russian "attack on collective security." And in a Wednesday morning speech, he called the incident a Russian "missile attack" and said separately that Polish citizens were killed because of "Russian missile terror." "Ukrainian forces, countering a massive Russian attack, launched their missiles yesterday to shoot down Russian missiles. Kyiv's forces have executed successful counteroffensives in the northeast and south, and they recently captured Kherson — an early Russian war win which had been under Russian occupation for most of the war.

☆ Rouble edges lower after clipping over 2-week high vs dollar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At 0805 GMT, the rouble was 0.2% weaker against the dollar at 61.13 , falling away from 60.8625, its strongest point since Oct. 21. "A correction on the energy market and a lower supply of foreign currency from exporters could put pressure on the rouble." The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.6% lower at 2,195.0 points, earlier clipping 2,221.13 points, its strongest point since Sept. 20. The dollar-denominated RTS index (.IRTS) was down 0.9% to 1,130.9 points, down from an over five-week high. For Russian equities guide seeFor Russian treasury bonds seeReporting by Alexander Marrow Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rouble rebounds vs dollar as Russian market reopens after long weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At 0741 GMT, the rouble was 0.9% stronger against the dollar at 61.53 and had gained 0.1% to trade at 60.95 versus the euro . Better-than-expected U.S. jobs data saw the dollar fall on Friday, when the Russian market was closed. "The Russian market is set for a neutral opening, though crude has every chance to drive the market higher," said BCS Global Markets in a note. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.9% lower at 2,176.2 points. For Russian equities guide seeFor Russian treasury bonds seeReporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Heavily criticised Russian commander takes three-week holiday, agency says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The commander of one of Russia's five military districts, heavily criticised for the performance of his troops in Ukraine, is taking a three-week holiday, according to the regional news agency Ura.ru. The Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Russia has made sweeping changes to its military leadership in the last two months as Ukrainian forces have reclaimed thousands of square kilometres in the northeast, east and south from Russian occupation. On Oct. 8 it named Air Force General Sergei Surovikin as the overall commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, shortly after the reported sacking of the commanders of the Eastern and Western military districts. Lapin's stand-in as commander of the Central District is Major-General Alexander Linkov, head of its organisational and mobilisation department, Kommersant said.

☆ Russia's Yandex posts 46% jump in revenues in Q3
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SummarySummary Companies This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in UkraineMOSCOW, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Russian internet giant Yandex (YNDX.O) on Thursday reported a 46% year-on-year increase in total revenues in the third quarter to 133.2 billion roubles ($2.14 billion) and expanded its dominant share in the domestic search market. Yandex in August sold its news aggregator, content platform Zen and homepage yandex.ru to state-controlled VK in a move that is expected to tighten the government's grip on the internet, but maintains Yandex's stranglehold on online searches, which account for a little under half of its revenues. ($1 = 62.1000 roubles)Reporting by Alexander Marrow and Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rouble drifts lower, Russian stocks retreat from over 5-week high
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At 0738 GMT, the rouble was 0.4% weaker against the dollar at 61.50 and had gained 0.1% to trade at 60.69 versus the euro . The rouble has now lost the support of month-end tax payments, that usually see exporters convert foreign currency revenues to pay local liabilities. "Today in the course of trading we expect attempts by the rouble to recover its morning losses," said Banki.ru chief analyst Bogdan Zvarich. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.5% lower at 2,163.3 points, after hitting a near more than five-week high of 2,185.60 points on Tuesday. For Russian equities guide seeFor Russian treasury bonds seeReporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian rouble edges lower as month-end tax support passes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At 0723 GMT, the rouble was 0.1% weaker against the dollar at 61.53 and had lost 0.3% to trade at 61.05 versus the euro . The rouble has now lost the support of month-end tax payments, that usually see export-focused firms convert foreign currency revenues to pay local liabilities. The rouble may attempt to weaken past 62 against the greenback, Banki.ru chief analyst Bogdan Zvarich said. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.7% higher at 2,182.8 points, earlier reaching its highest mark since Sept. 23. For Russian equities guide seeFor Russian treasury bonds seeReporting by Alexander Marrow; Editinjg by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ FDA expresses concern about providers who offer abortion medications before pregnancy, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Medication abortion, also known as medical abortion, is a method by which someone ends their pregnancy by taking two pills, rather than having a surgical procedure. Medication abortion now accounts for more than half of all US abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health. “We’re also proud to offer ongoing, supportive abortion care from our providers as part of our advance provision service to support patients throughout the process,” she said. “Providers are fully able to prescribe medications off-label, and in fact, some prescribe mifepristone up to 12 weeks” into a pregnancy, Upadhyay said. To prescribe the abortion medication, providers have to be certified, and the patient must sign paperwork that says they understand that there is a risk of complications.

More than three-quarters of the deliveries list the supplier as Gap Europe Ltd, a London-based unit of Gap Inc. The Russian customs records are drawn from several commercial providers of trade data and go through Sept. 30. The Gap shipments included everything from "knitted children’s socks" and "children’s pajamas" to "textile blouses for women" and "textile shorts for men." Some items are missing.”Russian customs records show more than 1,200 shipments of Gap clothing to Russia between March 11 – the day after Gap Inc’s announcement that it was halting shipments – and June 21. After July 16, the customs records show no shipments to Gap Retail in Moscow, indicating that the apparel flow to Russia had stopped.

☆ 12 queer icons to channel this Halloween
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Ellie Rudy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Without further ado, here is a selection of queer icons and pop culture favorites — in no particular order — whom you can channel for Halloween (a.k.a. For a relatively stress-free Halloween ensemble, throw on a tux, top hat, a pocket square and some fierce red lipstick. To channel Ms. Kahlo this Halloween, you’ll need her signature unibrow (eyeliner or an eyebrow pencil should do the trick), a flower crown, red lipstick, a colorful blouse and a floor-length skirt. For this costume, you’ll need a fedora, a (preferably pastel) dress shirt, a tie matching the hat and, if you’re really feeling the fantasy, a color-coordinated sweater vest. If you dress up as any of these queer icons and pop culture favorites for Halloween, tag @NBCOut on Twitter or Instagram in a costume photo!

☆ Fact Check-Videos of actor dressed as Ukrainian soldier were captured during a music video shoot
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Two videos of a man dressed as a Ukrainian soldier being filmed in a forest have been shared widely on social media suggesting he is a reservist being used to stage or exaggerate the country’s crisis. Everything is fake, their claims are fake, fake narratives etc,” the user writes. But the videos are not evidence of a real-world crisis being faked; they were captured as part of a shoot for a music video. She also said the clips were from a music video shoot for her new single. The videos show an actor dressed as a soldier being filmed for a music video.

☆ So many mobilized Russian reservists had buy their own military gear that thermal underwear now costs up to $340 and a hiking backpack costs as much as $600
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian reservists forced to buy their own gear are finding sky-high prices in stores, reports say. Some items like body armor vests cost up to 10 times than normal, one Russian news site wrote. Putin last month announced a mobilization of 300,000 Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine. Russian reservists have to buy their own suppliesThe buying frenzy started after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in September that 300,000 reservists would be drafted to fight in the Ukraine war. The MOD added that the quality of the average Russian reservist's equipment now is far worse than what was provided to earlier Russian deployments.

JPMorgan & Chase (JPM.N), Citigroup, Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and BNY Mellon act as depositary banks for most Russian depositary receipt programs, according to Clearstream. In statements to clients, some banks cited difficulties verifying there are enough shares to execute cancellations of depositary receipts. For example, BNY Mellon cited such a difficulty with Global Depositary Receipts in Russian gas company Novatek. While depositary receipts are under custody of global banks, the shares they represent are parked in Russia. Investors are meanwhile discussing ways online to meet the Russian requirements and how to pay fees to Russian banks.

Ukraine has accused Russia of deploying missiles made by MMZ Avangard against ground targets since Russia launched what it terms its "special operation" on Feb. 24. "Extreme equipment is used on Russian warships," the complaint said, "in communications systems." "It was necessary to use a cover because the Russian company is blacklisted in the U.S.," one of the people familiar with the shipments said. The executive said he had never heard of Extreme or of DEMZ buying Extreme equipment for itself or on behalf of others. Like MMZ Avangard, United Shipbuilding has been listed as a "blocked" entity by the U.S. Treasury since July 2014.

☆ Rouble hits multi-month low past 64 vs dollar on Ukraine escalation fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

By 1409 GMT the rouble was down 2.1% against the dollar at 64.03 , its weakest since July 7. The rouble has been supported by capital controls and a collapse in imports since Western sanctions were imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine and companies left the market in droves. Already blighted by Western sanctions, Russia's economy now faces a more self-inflicted blow, with President Vladimir Putin's military mobilisation drive threatening to undermine productivity, demand and recovery. Promsvyazbank analyst Yevgeny Loktyukhov pointed to escalation in Ukraine and a pullback in oil prices as a reason for the rouble's slide. Brent crude oil , a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 2.3% at $94.0 a barrel at 1410 GMT.

☆ Rouble hits multi-month low on Ukraine escalation fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

By 1201 GMT the rouble was down 1.2% against the dollar at 63.44 after touching 63.9975 for its weakest since July 7. The rouble has been supported by capital controls and a collapse in imports since Western sanctions were imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine and companies left the market in droves. Promsvyazbank analyst Yevgeny Loktyukhov pointed to escalation in Ukraine and a pullback in oil prices as a reason for the rouble's slide. Brent crude oil , a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 1.7% at $94.58 a barrel at 1200 GMT. Russian stock indexes, which were dragged sharply lower by Gazprom (GAZP.MM) in the previous session, were regaining some ground.

☆ Russia demands Apple explain VK removal from App Store
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Alexander Marrow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Russia's communications regulator on Wednesday demanded an explanation from Apple (AAPL.O) after applications operated by the Russian state-controlled tech firm VK (VKCOq.L) were removed from the U.S. firm's App Store. VK runs Vkontakte, which with over 75 million monthly users is Russia's largest social network, often compared to Facebook. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterRoskomnadzor said Apple's actions had deprived millions of Russians of access to VK apps and demanded that it explain its decision. Regardless of location, the apps cannot be downloaded from any App store, said Apple, which terminated the developer accounts associated with the apps to comply with UK sanctions.

☆ Apple removes Russian social media giant VK from app store
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington CNN Business —Apple has removed VKontakte, a top Russian social media platform, from its app store, according to the app’s developer. “Now some VK applications are blocked by Apple, so they are not available for download and update in the App Store,” VK wrote in the blog post. VK apps provide a range of services including email, food delivery and digital payments. The company’s social network has 97 million monthly users worldwide, while its email service, Mail.ru, has 46 million users within Russia. Earlier this year in response to the war in Ukraine, Apple stopped selling new products in Russia, clamped down on Apple Pay and removed state-backed media outlets RT and Sputnik from its app stores outside of Russia.

Starting in 2012, the year Mr. Putin retook the presidency, Roskomnadzor built a blacklist of websites that the companies were required to block. In 2021, authorities throttled access to the social media service to a crawl. It gathered information about government critics and identified shifting political opinions on social media. watch opponents and identify new threats to Mr. Putin, Mr. Voronin said. In the records, censors flagged ProUfu.ru for the critical Ukraine editorial written about Mr. Putin in February.

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