DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A Russian warlord posed over the body of a US Army vet killed in Ukraine — then bizarrely said he'd send him back to America draped in a flag as a sign of respect
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner mercengary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin posed over the dead body of a US Army veteran in Ukraine. Prigozhin bizarrely said the mercenary group would send the body back to the States covered in an American flag. The video appeared to show American documents that identified the fallen soldier as retired Army Staff Sgt. In the video, Prigozhin oddly said the group will send the body back to the US covered in an American flag as an act of respect. In a June 2022 interview with the Idaho Statesman, Maimer said he felt a calling to go and help when the war broke out.

☆ Journalist Resigns From Board After PEN America Cancels Russian Writers Panel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boycotts of Russian artists and culture have been a topic of debate across the cultural world since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. But Nossel, who has spoken out against such boycotts, said the question had yet to fully reach PEN until now. But there were no Russian writers in the festival, which was smaller than usual due to Covid concerns. Ukrainian writers’ concerns about appearing with Russians had been raised earlier this year, Nossel said, when discussions about the festival began. Reached by email, Chapeye said he believed that “a Ukrainian soldier cannot be seen under the same ‘umbrella’ with Russian participants for political / public image reasons.”

☆ As Ukraine Makes Inroads in Bakhmut, Devastation Still Reigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Marc Santora | Tyler Hicks | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With the furious battle for the city of Bakhmut raging at their backs, a squad of Ukrainian soldiers tore through an open field, racing to get out of range of falling Russian artillery. The three soldiers — known by the call signs Omar, Chip and Bandit — had spent the day on Friday taking part in Ukrainian offensive operations on the edge of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, blasting Russian tanks and armored vehicles. But after surviving another brutal day of battle, they worried that the punctured tire might doom them. The men, who recounted their story on Saturday just outside the nearby town of Chasiv Yar, were among the hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers ordered on the offensive around Bakhmut in recent days. The fighting has often been hard, they said, with many Russians willing to die rather than surrender even when surrounded.

☆ ‘Death Is Everywhere’ in a Once-Jubilant Ukrainian City
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jeffrey Gettleman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The road to Kherson is long, straight and empty. Entering town from the west, you pass the ATB supermarket, one of the mainstays of the city’s shopping. It was blown up a few weeks ago, in the middle of the day, with shoppers inside. “Death is everywhere,” said Halyna Luhova, Kherson’s deputy mayor. People have been killed waiting for the bus, waiting for the train, walking to work and in their sleep.

☆ Ukrainians with cellphones and machine guns are forcing Russia to change how it launches its drone attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine's flexible and adaptive air defenses have forced Russia to change its drone tactics. STR/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThis marks yet another turn in the drone war between Russia and Ukraine. In the days after Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukrainian drones armed with anti-tank missiles or even homemade bombs wreaked havoc on Russian armored columns. "Drip-feeding lots and lots of Shaheds for several months" also depleted Ukraine's stockpile of air-defense missiles and shells, Bronk said. STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images"The Orlan is one of the biggest problems because it can fly above the range of" portable air-defense missiles and anti-aircraft guns, Bronk said.

☆ Russian theatre director accused of 'justifying terrorism' remanded in custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Russian playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, detained on suspicion of justifying terrorism, attends a court hearing in Moscow, Russia May 5, 2023. REUTERS/StringerSummary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in UkraineMOSCOW, May 5 (Reuters) - A prominent Russian theatre director was remanded in custody for two months on Friday after being accused of justifying terrorism with an award-winning play about Russian women who married Islamic State fighters, the state news agency TASS reported. Investigators opened a case this week against Yevgenia (Zhenya) Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, alleging that Petriychuk's "Finist, the Brave Falcon", which premiered in 2020 under Berkovich's direction, had broken the law. "Finist, the Brave Falcon" won two "Golden Mask" national theatre awards last year, and Berkovich also received a nomination for best director. The detention of the two women has drawn condemnation from several prominent Russian artists and cultural figures.

☆ Victory Elusive for Russians in Grinding Battle in Ukraine’s East
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Ian Lovett | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A VILLAGE OUTSIDE AVDIIVKA, Ukraine—The Russian assaults begin at 5 a.m. and last all day, according to Ukrainian troops in and around the eastern city of Avdiivka. Inside the city, airstrikes level buildings and drones drop grenades. On the outskirts, Russian artillery pummels Ukrainian trenches, then infantry try to advance. Then they send two more groups of five, who climb over the corpses of the others,” said Yuriy, a 22-year-old Ukrainian soldier in the area. “They’ve gained some territory, but it’s not strategically significant.”

☆ Ukrainian forces reportedly cross a key river, raising hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern side of the Dnieper River, according to a new analysis, giving rise to speculation Sunday that the advances could be an early sign of Kyiv's long-awaited spring counteroffensive. In the south, the Dnieper has for months marked the contact line in the Kherson region, where its namesake capital is regularly pummeled by shelling from Russian forces stationed across the river. The think tank cited comments from financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group — a private Russian military company whose fighters have spearheaded the offensive on Bakhmut. Russian forces on Saturday and overnight also dropped five guided aerial bombs over the Kherson region, Ukraine's Operational Command South said in a Facebook post Sunday. In the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, Russian shelling wounded a 56-year-old man in Stepnohirsk, a town on the banks of the Dnieper river, local Gov.

☆ Ukrainian troops have established a bridgehead on the east bank of the Dnipro river, implying Russia's defensive positions are weakening, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops have established positions on the east bank of the Dnipro river, the ISW reported. The Ukrainian positions have been established north of Oleshky, a town across the river from Kherson. The Ukrainian positions have been established north of Oleshky, a town across the river from Kherson. The institute could not confirm the extent or the intentions of the Ukrainian positions. A video posted online appears to show Ukrainian amphibious vehicles landing on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river and establishing a bridgehead.

☆ A Ukrainian drone commander said Russian troops would sit around and get shot at the start of the war, but have learned from their mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian troops often made themselves easy targets at the war's start, a Ukrainian soldier said. But Petro told Weichert he noticed Russian forces — tanks in particular — moving more often as the war continued. They learn from their problems and mistakes," said the corporal, whose primary role is to spot Russian artillery or tanks. Their combat formations and targeting systems meant Russian troops were often vulnerable to friendly fire, the think tank added. Petro's unit spotted an anti-tank gun, but the responding Ukrainian artillery unit only fired one shot when six are usually needed to dispatch a target, Weichert wrote.

☆ Ukraine forces pull back as Russia mounts 're-energised' Bakhmut assault, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ukrainian artillery fires towards the frontline during heavy fighting amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 13, 2023. "Russia has re-energised its assault on the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut as forces of the Russian MoD and Wagner Group have improved co-operation," it said, referring to Russia's defence ministry and its main mercenary force. "Ukrainian forces face significant resupply issues but have made orderly withdrawals from the positions they have been forced to concede," Britain's military said in a daily intelligence update. It said Wagner units were now focusing on advancing in the centre of Bakhmut, while Russian paratroopers were relieving them in attacks on the city's flanks. Moscow says it would open a route to capturing more territory in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, a major war aim.

[1/2] Ukrainian artillery fires towards the frontline during heavy fighting amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 13, 2023. Western countries have in the past pointed to acrimony between the Russian defence ministry (MoD) and the country's main mercenary force Wagner as a major Russian weakness. Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Russian commanders had redirected troops to Bakhmut from other areas. The British update said the Ukrainians still held western districts of the town but had been subjected to particularly intense Russian artillery fire over the previous 48 hours. Moscow says it would open a route to capturing more territory in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, a major war aim.

☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

☆ Wagner Group mercenaries are getting a lot more help from Russia's military than Prigozhin would like you to think
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia's Wagner Group, has been highly visible during the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin frequently casts his mercenary group as fighting on its own, without Russian military support. Indeed, Prigozhin has claimed over the past few months that Russia's military — the real military — is sabotaging Wagner's efforts. But Wagner is actually working closely with Russia's regular forces, which are supporting Wagner's fighters, according to a US expert on the Russian military. Misha Japaridze/Pool/ReutersThe dispute between Prigozhin and Russian military leaders was widely cast as a struggle between power centers seeking influence with the Kremlin.

☆ I'm a 60-year-old Cirque du Soleil performer. The circus provides chefs and special schools for our families — it feels like I'm always on vacation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Ryan S. Gladwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He's been performing his art for 40 years and joined Cirque du Soleil in 2007. We were the first high-wire artists to ever win it, and our prize was to join Cirque du Soleil. In Cirque du Soleil, we always have a backup artist to cover us when we're not fit to perform. The company also takes care of usThe best example of this is in 2007, shortly after we joined Cirque du Soleil. I don't have to cook for myself anymore, as Cirque du Soleil has an amazing kitchen.

☆ Explainer: Bakhmut: Why Russia and Ukraine are battling so hard for one small city
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Yet Russia and Ukraine are still battling for the small city of Bakhmut. After nearly eight months of trench warfare Ukrainian forces are surrounded on three sides, Kyiv's supply lines are fraying, and Moscow is in control of just under half of Bakhmut. Volodymr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, has portrayed "Fortress Bakhmut" as a symbol of defiance which is bleeding the Russian military dry. It also claims to be decimating Ukrainian forces. A regional transport and logistics hub, Bakhmut would be useful for Russian forces although that depends on how much of its infrastructure is intact.

☆ Ukraine scorns Russian missile strikes on civilians, defence of Bakhmut holds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/7] Ukrainian servicemen walk along a muddy road near the frontline town of Bakhmut amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Donetsk region, Ukraine March 8, 2023. Kyiv says the air strikes have no military purpose and aim to harm and intimidate civilians, a war crime. Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said that the failure of Russian intelligence to identify military targets and led to a "Plan B - demoralising the population". HYPERSONIC MISSILESThe White House said that the barrage was "devastating" to see and Washington would continue to provide Ukraine with air defence capabilities. Moscow says Bakhmut is important as a step to securing the surrounding Donbas region, a major war aim.

☆ Fall of Bakhmut would not mean Russia has turned tide of war - Pentagon chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMMAN, March 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday that the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was of more symbolic than operational importance, and its fall would not necessarily mean that Moscow had regained the initiative in the war. "I think it is more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value," Austin told reporters while visiting Jordan. "The fall of Bakhmut won't necessarily mean that the Russians have changed the tide of this fight," he said, adding that he would not predict whether or when Bakhmut might fall. Austin said that if Ukrainian forces decided to reposition west of Bakhmut, he would not view that as a strategic setback. Austin alluded to differences between Wagner and the military, saying: "I think the fissures are there ..."I would say the Wagner forces have been a bit more effective than the Russian forces ... Having said that, we have not seen exemplary performance from Russian forces."

☆ Russia close to encircling Ukraine's Bakhmut after months of fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This video grab taken from a shooting by AFPTV shows an aerial view of destructions in the city of Bakhmut on February 27, 2023. - Ukraine said on February 28, 2023 its forces were under pressure in Bakhmut, a nearly-destroyed city in the eastern Donetsk region that Russia has been trying to seize for months. One fighter is heard saying Ukraine's army is destroying infrastructure in settlements near Bakhmut to prevent the Russian encirclement. The commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, visited Bakhmut on Friday for briefings with local commanders on how to boost the defense capacity of frontline forces. Ukraine says the city has little strategic value and the huge casualties Russia has suffered trying to take Bakhmut could shape the course of the conflict.

☆ UK says Ukraine forces under increasingly severe pressure defending Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, March 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces defending Bakhmut are facing increasingly strong pressure from Russian forces, British military intelligence said on Saturday, with intense fighting taking place in and around the eastern city. loadingTwo key bridges in Bakhmut have been destroyed within the last 36 hours, it said, adding that Ukrainian-held resupply routes out of the city are increasingly limited. Ukraine's military command said Russia was still trying to surround Bakhmut but added that over the past day Ukrainian forces had beaten back Russian attacks in the city. "The enemy does not cease attempts to surround Bakhmut," it said in its morning briefing note on Saturday, adding that over the past day Ukrainian forces had beaten back Russian attacks in Bakhmut. We consider Bakhmut our fortress," he told a news conference in Kyiv on Feb. 3.

☆ A Ukrainian drone operator being followed by a film crew feared his life could end at 'any moment.' He was killed the day before the documentary aired.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An Israeli documentary followed Evgeniy "Dodge" Markarov, a Ukrainian drone operator in the Donbas. One day before it broadcast, the team received a call saying Markarov had been killed. Evgeniy "Dodge" Markarov in the trenches in Ukraine. "This life may be finished at any moment, everything may be finished at any moment," Markarov said in the film. Evgeniy "Dodge" Markarov holding a Ukrainian military award.

☆ Russia has been able to keep its most effective drone flying over Ukraine thanks to Western-made parts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine and Russia have employed an array of drones since Moscow attacked in February 2022. Despite sanctions imposed by the US and its allies, Russia has been able to keep its most effective drone flying over Ukraine thanks to Western-made parts. The Orlan-10's specifications and characteristics in a graphic published by the Royal United Services Institute in December 2022. Russian intelligence services are likely involved in sourcing this technology through contacts and front companies around the world. Western-made components found in the Orlan-10, according to the Royal United Services Institute.

☆ Threatened by war, Ukrainian paintings find safe haven in Switzerland
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Visitors look at paintings from the collection of the National Art Gallery of Kyiv during the "From Dusk To Dawn" exhibition at the Rath Museum in Geneva, Switzerland February 22, 2023. The museum in Geneva, which took in paintings from Madrid's Prado Museum during the Spanish civil war in the 1930s, sent packing materials to ensure safe transport. The Musee Rath, which hosts the Musee d'Art et d'Histoire's temporary exhibitions, is now showing "From Dusk to Dawn", showcasing works by Ukrainian painters from the Kyiv gallery. Vakulenko said it was impossible to insure the paintings crossing Ukraine, so the shipment was accompanied by security on its two-day journey to the Polish border. "The most important thing was keeping secrecy of the cargo's movement on the territory of Ukraine," Vakulenko said.

☆ Zelenskiy urges speedy help from allies as Russia pounds Ukraine's east
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Much of Russia's artillery fire was focused on Bakhmut, a bombed-out city in Donetsk province and a principal target for President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy said Russia was in a hurry to achieve as much as it could with its latest push before Ukraine and its allies could gather strength. Speed saves people's lives, speed brings back security, and I thank all our partners who realize that speed is important." Russian forces had made incremental progress in their assault on Bahkmut, White House spokesperson John Kirby said. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russian forces would not be able to capture the town anytime soon.

For much of the winter, the war in Ukraine settled into a slow-moving but exceedingly violent fight along a jagged 600-mile-long frontline in the southeast. Now, both Ukraine and Russia are poised to go on the offensive. They are looking for vulnerabilities, hoping to exploit gaps, and setting the stage for what Ukraine warns could be Moscow’s most ambitious campaign since the start of the war. Ukraine must now defend against the Russian assault without exhausting the resources it needs to mount an offensive of its own. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has given an order to take all of the Donbas region by March, Ukrainian intelligence says.

Search resuls for: "Russian Art"

25 mentions found