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☆ The mastermind of Russia's treacherous defenses in Ukraine appears to be in a kind of faraway 'exile' as the line is being breached
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian Army Gen. Sergey Surovikin appears to be in Algeria, according to recent photos. Surovikin is the mastermind of Russia's formidable defensive lines and fortifications in Ukraine. But as Kyiv's forces break through these elaborate fortifications, the mastermind behind them is nowhere near the action. The experts cited several additional photographs of Surovikin purportedly in Algeria, which were published to Telegram by Russian sources. Insider was unable to independently verify any of the recent photographs of Surovikin shared to X and Telegram.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Surovikin, Dara Massicot, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, subsume Wagner Organizations: Russian, Wagner Group, Service, RAND Corporation, Twitter, Institute for, Commonwealth, Independent States, CIS, Kommersant, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Russian MoD Locations: Algeria, Ukraine, Africa, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Moscow, California, Washington, Yevgeny Prigozhin — Russia, North Africa, Russian, Sochi

☆ Kremlin says it has no information on Chechen leader Kadyrov's health
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov attends a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow, Russia April 27, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Astafyev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that it had no information on the health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov when it was asked about social media reports that the 46-year-old was unwell. Spokespeople for Kadyrov did not answer repeated phone calls seeking comment on the reports, which said Kadyrov had been treated at a Moscow hospital. "We have no information on this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "In any case, the presidential administration can hardly give out health certificates, so we have nothing to tell you here."

Persons: Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, Mikhail Mishustin, Alexander Astafyev, Ramzan Kadyrov, Spokespeople, Kadyrov, Dmitry Peskov, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russian, Sputnik, Rights, Thomson Locations: Chechen Republic, Moscow, Russia

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president on Monday defended the participation of a contingent of Russian soldiers in a military parade over the weekend. The presence of the Russian contingent in the Independence parade Saturday drew criticism because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador noted that a contingent from China also participated, and said that all the countries Mexico has diplomatic relations with were invited. López Obrador acknowledged the issue became “a scandal,” but attributed it to his ongoing spat with the news media, which he believes is against him. “The Chinese were also in the parade, and there wasn't so much outcry,” López Obrador said, noting a Russian contingent had participated in the past, although at times when that country was not actively invading its neighbor.

Persons: —, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, ” López Obrador, ”, Oksana Dramaretska, López Obrador's, López Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Monday, Ukraine's, Sputnik Locations: MEXICO, Ukraine, Mexico, Russia, China, Mexico City, Russian, López Obrador's Morena, United States

☆ How a North Korean cyber group impersonated a Washington D.C. analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Jenny Town is a leading expert on North Korea at the Stimson Institute and the director of Stimson's 38 North Program. She uses publicly available data points to paint a picture of North Korean dynamics. But her colleague didn't believe her, Town said, and decided to ask the doppelganger if he was a North Korean spy. The North Korean doppelganger, in the meantime, had decided to break off contact and in a bizarre turn of events, apologized for any confusion and blamed it on "Nk hackers." "I love it," joked Mandiant North Korea analyst Michael Barnhart.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Jenny Town, They're, didn't, Michael Barnhart Organizations: Sputnik, Russian, Vostochny, WASHINGTON, WASHINGTON , D.C, —, Stimson Institute, APT43, Google, D.C, U.S, Nk Locations: Amur, WASHINGTON ,, North Korea, Mandiant, Koreans, Korean, Korea, North Korean

CNN —North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received body armor and drones as parting gifts as he wrapped up a trip to Russia that has alarmed the West. North Korea is heavily sanctioned and is in need of everything from energy to food to military technology. As he left, the governor of the far eastern Russian region of Primorye gave him a bulletproof vest and a set of drones, Russian state media TASS reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, called his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un "very substantive" on Wednesday. Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik/APThe North Korean leader visited an aircraft manufacturing plant in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in eastern Russia on Friday.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Kim Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, “, ” Putin, Vladimir Smirnov, KCNA, Yuri, ” Organizations: CNN, North, Russian, TASS, Russia's, Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, RIA Novosti, RIA, Putin, Aviation, Russian Defense, Pacific Fleet, Russian Navy, Military Locations: Russia, Korea, Ukraine, North Korea, Russian, Primorye, Artyom, Khasan, Russia’s Far, Komsomolsk, Reuters North Korean, KCNA, South Korea, Japan, Europe

☆ The most powerful countries in the world in 2023, ranked
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's military has been grinding and has experienced some embarrassing setbacks, with the country also increasingly isolated. US News said that some of Russia's power comes from its huge size, which is "difficult to imagine," with Russia being the largest country in the world by landmass. Its standing is also boosted as it shares borders with so many countries, as well as sea borders with Japan and the US. US News pointed to Russia's big industries like oil and natural gas production, agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing, as well as the country's history as a major weapons exporter. It also pointed to Russia's contributions to culture with its many celebrated authors, and to science with its history of space exploration.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ILYA PITALEV Organizations: Russia, SPUTNIK, Getty Images Russia, US, News, World Trade Organization, United Nations Security Council Locations: Russia Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Japan

☆ Russian general in Algeria in apparent return to work after Wagner mutiny, Kommersant reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, visits the Joint Headquarters of the Russian armed forces involved in military operations in Ukraine, in an unknown location in Russia, in this picture released December 17, 2022. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 15 (Reuters) - Russian general Sergei Surovikin is in Algeria as part of a Defence Ministry delegation, in an apparent return to official duties after coming under suspicion in connection with a June mutiny by the Wagner mercenary force, Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, citing a source close to the general. The newspaper published photographs of Surovikin wearing a khaki suit without military insignia that it said had been taken in Algeria, a major buyer of Russian weapons. He became popular among hardline critics of the Russian military establishment including Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last month. Various media outlets reported that Surovikin had fallen out of favour with the Kremlin and that he was being investigated for possible complicity.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Surovikin, RIA, Viktor Afzalov, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Defence Ministry, Kommersant, New York Times, Kremlin, Commonwealth of Independent, Institute for, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Kremlin, Algeria, Moscow, Commonwealth of Independent States, Soviet

☆ With outlaws for allies, is Russia becoming another 'rogue state'?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Smirnov | Afp | Getty ImagesUnder President Vladimir Putin, Russia has occupied an often contradictory and increasingly unsettling position on the global stage in recent years. Some close followers of Russia believe Moscow, operating outside international law, is increasingly acting like a "rogue state" itself, particularly in its desire to challenge and subvert the West's dominance in global affairs. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia November 20, 2017. "Russia is increasingly a rogue state: Its core relations are with countries outside a rules-based global order: Belarus, Iran, Syria, and North Korea," Ian Bremmer, the president and founder of Eurasia Group, told CNBC Monday. Friends, with benefitsRussian political analyst Anton Barbashin rejected the label of "rogue state" for Russia, however, saying Moscow continues to hold power and influence in a more global geopolitical sphere.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Smirnov, —, Bashar al, Assad, Mikhail Klimentyev, South Korea —, Ian Bremmer, Bremmer, Kim, Kim Jong, Putin, Edward Howell, Anton Barbashin, Barbashin, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Mikhail Svetlov Organizations: North, Vostochny, Afp, Getty, . Security, Sputnik, Kremlin, Eurasia Group, CNBC, NATO, Ukraine, Russian, Oxford University, UN Security Council, UN, Democratic People's, UNSC, Indian Locations: Amur, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Belarus, Syria, Ukraine, Moscow, China, India, Black, Sochi, U.S, South Korea, United States, Pyongyang, Russian, Tsiolkovsky, Korea, Beijing, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North, Turkey, OSAKA, JAPAN, Osaka, Japan

☆ North Korea's Kim Jong Un checks out Putin's ride at Russia summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Jack Kim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin's Aurus limousine is seen on Red Square during a flower-laying ceremony at the Monument to Minin and Pozharsky on the National Unity Day in central Moscow, Russia November 4, 2019. Sputnik/Sergei Guneev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to check out his Russian-made limousine on Wednesday ahead of their summit, ceding the spacious back seat to his guest. As they strolled to the main complex engaged in casual conversation, they came to Putin's presidential Aurus limousine parked in the driveway, and the Russian president gestured to the vehicle as Kim stood seemingly curious. Putin invited Kim to climb into the back seat and walked around to slide in next to the North Korean leader, who sat beaming. North Korea's KCNA news agency said on Thursday "Putin showed his private car to Kim Jong Un before having a warm talk".

Persons: Vladimir Putin's Aurus, Sergei Guneev, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, Kim, gestured, Kim Jong Un, NAMI, Royce Phantom, Donald Trump, Jack Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Unity, Sputnik, REUTERS, Rights, North, Wednesday, North Korean, Maybach, Lexus, Daimler, Pyeonghwa Motors, South Korean, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Rights SEOUL, Cosmodrome, Russian, Pyongyang, North Korea, Singapore

☆ North Korean leader heads for aviation plant in Russian Far East town
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un arrives at the Vostochny Сosmodrome for a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023. TASS said Kim was met by the regional governor and other officials on a red carpet at the town's railway station. He was whisked off to the Komsomolsk aviation plant, named after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space. The plant produces Russia's most modern fighter jets, with TASS singling out the Su-35 and Su-57. Kim, accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Thursday visited Vostochny cosmodrome, Russia's most modern space launch facility, in the Amur region.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Kim, Yuri Gagarin, Park Jin, Yonhap, Putin, Ron Popeski, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, TASS, South Korean Foreign, Vostochny, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, Kremlin, Komsomolsk, Russia's Far, town's, Soviet, North Korea, Russian, Vostochny cosmodrome

☆ Vostochny Cosmodrome: What is Russia’s space launch facility in Amur?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows flags of Russia and North Korea ahead of the meeting of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsVLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 13 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin met North Korea's Kim Jong Un, possibly at Russia's most modern space rocket launch site, on Wednesday amid the forests of the eastern Russia. What is the Vostochny Cosmodrome? * Putin ordered the construction of the cosmodrome to reduce reliance on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which gained independence after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. * Meeting Kim, cast by former U.S. President Donald Trump as the "rocket man", at Vostochny puts a spotlight on Western concerns about the development of North Korea's missile capabilities.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Smirnov, Putin, Kim, Donald Trump, Luna, Guy Faulconbridge, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, North, Baikonur, U.S, Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Russia, North Korea, Amur, Rights VLADIVOSTOK, Russia's, Russian, China, Vladivostok, Kazakhstan, Soviet Union, Soviet

☆ Kim and Putin Meet in Russia: Ukraine War Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin, the Russian president, are both pariahs, isolated from the West, but the war in Ukraine has elevated the North Korean leader’s significance to the Kremlin. Mr. Putin told reporters before the start of the summit that the meeting was being held at the cosmodrome because Mr. Kim “shows great interest in rocket technology,” RIA journalists reported on Telegram. Mr. Kim arrived in Russia on Tuesday from North Korea, having traveled to the meeting on his armored train, a trip that took days. North Korea also has one of the largest fleets of tanks in the world, though most are Soviet-era models. Earlier Wednesday, South Korea reported that North Korea had launched two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Kim, Kim “, Kim’s, Dmitri S, Peskov Organizations: Vostochny Cosmodrome, Sputnik, North, Vostochny, Kremlin, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, North Korea, Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s, Amur, Pyongyang, Khasan, Korea, Soviet, Moscow, South Korea, North Koreans

☆ Putin meets Kim, says Russia will help North Korea build satellites
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

When reporters asked whether Russia would help Kim build satellites, Putin replied: "That's why we came here. Putin also congratulated Kim North Korean anniversaries, including 75 years since the establishment of North Korea in 1948. Russian media said Putin showed Kim around the building where Russia's new space booster, the Angara, is assembled. The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, but it is unclear whether any deliveries have been made. Both Russia and North Korea have denied those claims, but promised to deepen defence cooperation.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, North, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Smirnov, Kim, Putin, Kim Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Kim North, Dmitry Peskov, Guy Faulconbridge, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Putin, Vostochny, DPRK, Russian, United, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, Russian, Putin VLADIVOSTOK, North Korea, United States

☆ How could Russia help North Korea build a satellite?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The unprecedented visit comes as North Korea seeks to put its first spy satellite into orbit, an effort that has seen two failed attempts this year. Here's what we know about North Korea's race for space, why it's so controversial, and how Russia might help:WHY DOES NORTH KOREA WANT A SATELLITE? Seoul said the satellite had little military value, though analysts said any working satellite in space would provide North Korea with better intelligence on its enemies. At the time of the 2016 space launch, North Korea had yet to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). "Any form of satellite technology transfers or coordination between Russia and North Korea could be against international sanctions," he said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Mikhail Metzel, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Pyongyang’s, Brian Weeden, Putin's, Lee Choon Geun, Lee, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, North Korean, TASS, Secure, Foundation, United Nations, North, Vostochny, Korea's Science, Technology Policy Institute, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, Kremlin, Rights SEOUL, Pyongyang, Korea, North, North Korea, South Korea, Seoul, U.S, United States

☆ Kim Jong Un meets Putin in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[3/16]Members of the North Korean delegation board a train as they leave the Vostochny ?osmodrome after a meeting of Russia's President Vladimir Putin with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13. Sputnik/Mikhail MetzelAMUR REGION, RUSSIA

Persons: Vladimir Putin, North, Kim Jong Un, Mikhail Metzel Organizations: North Korean, Sputnik Locations: Amur, Russia, Mikhail Metzel AMUR, RUSSIA

Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during a meeting at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name. At the opening of the meeting with Putin, Kim said it was an unwavering position of the North to further develop its traditional friendship and ties with Russia. Russian media said Putin showed Kim around the building where Russia's new space launch rocket, the Angara, is assembled. Humanitarian aid to North Korea and U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed on Pyongyang may also be discussed, Russian officials have said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, North, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Smirnov, Kim, Putin, Kim Jong, Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, KCNA, Jo Chun Ryong, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Soo, hyang Choi, Lidia Kelly, Guy Faulconbridge, Jack Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, North, DPRK, Democratic People's, Russia, Kremlin, Vostochny, Munitions Industry, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, MOSCOW, SEOUL, Washington, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North, Moscow, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's, South, United States, Korea, Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Kim and Putin in talks after meeting at spaceport in Russia's far east
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian media showed the leaders greeting each other outside the space rocket launch venue around 1,000 miles from Vladivostok, where Kim initially arrived on Tuesday. The Kremlin also released a video showing the leaders touring the cosmodrome ahead of talks. In this pool photo distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur region on September 13, 2023. Western officials believe Russia wants to acquire weaponry for use in its war in Ukraine with North Korea wanting financial assistance and food, and potentially military technology, in return. North Korea reportedly fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast just hours before leader Kim was expected to meet Putin.

Persons: Kim, Vladimir Putin, North, Kim Jong, Putin Organizations: Sputnik, Vostochny Locations: Vladivostok, Amur, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Korea

☆ Putin signals he expects long war in Ukraine, is not betting on Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia April 7, 2022. For there to be any chance of talks, said Putin, Ukraine would first have to cancel its self-imposed legal ban on peace talks and explain what it wanted. "The will be no fundamental changes in the Russian direction in U.S. foreign policy, no matter who is elected president," Putin said. The West's decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs and depleted uranium munitions was a crime, he said. He also criticised the West's decision to supply Ukraine with F-16 jets and any possible U.S. supply of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin Putin, Putin, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Biden, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Security, Sputnik, REUTERS, rearm, Russian, Kremlin, U.S, North, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Kyiv, China, VLADIVOSTOK, Ukraine, rearm, Washington, Pacific, Vladivostok, Russian, Ukrainian, Crimea, United States, U.S, Asia, Beijing

☆ Putin: sending Soviet tanks into Hungary and Czechoslovakia was a mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a report presentation on the development of Russia's far eastern regions held via a video link in Vladivostok, Russia, September 11, 2023. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the Soviet Union's decision to send tanks into Hungary and Czechoslovakia to crush mass protests during the Cold War was a mistake. "It was a mistake," Putin said when asked about perceptions of Russia as a colonial power due to Moscow's decision to send tanks into Budapest in 1956 and into Prague in 1968. The 1956 Hungarian Uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks and troops. At least 2,600 Hungarians and 600 Soviet troops were killed in the fighting.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin, Washington, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Rights, Soviet, Czechoslovak, Thomson Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, Rights VLADIVOSTOK, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Budapest, Prague, Ukraine, Europe, United States, Soviet Union, Soviet, Warsaw, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Czech

☆ Putin says IOC is distorting Olympic ideal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, September 12, 2023. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 12 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday of politicising sport, as it weighs a decision on Russian athletes' participation in next year's Games in Paris. The IOC has taken no final decision but said athletes should not be punished for the acts of their governments. French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that no Russian flag should fly at the Games. I think that today's leadership of international federations, the International Olympic Committee itself, they distort the original idea of Pierre de Coubertin - sport should be outside of politics," he said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Pavel Bednyakov, Emmanuel Macron, Putin, Frenchman, , Pierre de Coubertin, Thomas Bach, Mark Trevelyan, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Eastern Economic, Sputnik, International Olympic, IOC, Games, International Olympic Committee, Paris Games, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, Paris, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Belarus

☆ Putin warns of economic strife should inflation rise uncontrollably
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with representatives of business, officials and other participants of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum via a video link in Vladivostok, Russia, September 12, 2023. "In conditions of high inflation, it's practically impossible to form business plans," Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Putin said he saw no problems with rouble volatility, and the authorities had a cache of tools to keep the currency and markets under control. Putin said the central bank had acted in a timely manner last month, but noted that high rates restrain lending and economic growth. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Putin, Alexander Marrow, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Eastern Economic, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, Rights VLADIVOSTOK

☆ Putin discusses Niger crisis with Malian leader Assimi Goita
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the Pobeda (Victory) organizing committee via a video link in Sochi, Russia September 5, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday held a phone call with the interim leader of Mali, Assimi Goita, and discussed topics including anti-terrorism efforts and the crisis in Mali's neighbour Niger, the Kremlin said in a statement. According to the statement, the two leaders agreed that the crisis in Niger, where a July coup ousted President Mohammed Bazoum, could only be resolved by diplomatic means. West Africa's main regional bloc, The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has previously threatened military intervention to restore Bazoum to power. Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Assimi Goita, Mohammed Bazoum, Moscow's Wagner, Felix Light, Hugh Lawson, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Sunday, Kremlin, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Moscow's Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, Mali, Mali's, Niger, Africa's

☆ Russia sticks to demands on Black Sea grain deal, rejects UN bank proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO-Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks during the annual end-of-year news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia December 19, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 9 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it was sticking to its conditions for a return to the Black Sea grain deal which it quit in July. In particular, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia needed its state agricultural bank - and not a subsidiary of the bank, as proposed by the United Nations - to be reconnected to the international SWIFT bank payments system. The Black Sea deal was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 to enable Ukraine to export grain by sea despite the war and help ease a global food crisis. Since quitting the grain deal, Russia has repeatedly bombed Ukrainian ports and grain stores, prompting Kyiv and the West to accuse it of using food as a weapon.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Nikolsky, Peskov, Tayyip Erdogan, SWIFT, Mark Trevelyan, Ros Russell Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Kremlin, United Nations, SWIFT, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Turkey, Ukraine, Africa, Europe, SWIFT, Luxembourg

☆ China is eroding Russia's influence over old allies as the alliance it leads crumbles over Ukraine, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian influence is waning despite formal alliances and the old ties of the Soviet Union. It is also home to most members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO): Russian President Vladimir Putin's equivalent of NATO. Russia's influence on them is also being weakened by more countries competing for their attention, Graham said. AdvertisementAdvertisementHe said that "Russia's operation in Ukraine is undermining, eroding its ability to maintain its influence across the former Soviet space." "You're seeing the slow erosion of Russian influence."

Persons: Thomas Graham, Vladimir Putin's, Graham, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Stanislav Zas, Nikol Pashinyan, Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym, Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rakhmon, Anton Novoderezhkin Organizations: Service, Yale, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Moscow REUTERS, Russia, Armenian, Kazakh, Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Central, AFPTV, Getty Locations: Central Asia, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, China, Turkey, East, Caucasus, Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Central, Europe, Iran, Russian, Belarusian, Bakhmut, AFP, Azerbaijan, Soviet

☆ Turkey hikes inflation view on path to policy orthodoxy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Huseyin Hayatsever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Presenting the new forecasts, Erdogan said that tight monetary policy would lower inflation to single digits, adding Turkey will not compromise on economic expansion as policies are adjusted. It trimmed GDP growth forecasts to 4.4% this year and 4% next year, which is still higher than most economists expect, from 5% and 5.5% previously. The economy is expected to slow through year-end - and ahead of nationwide municipal elections set for March next year - as stimulus tied to the May elections fades and as the policy rate hikes, to 25% from 8.5%, start to weigh. A Reuters poll last month showed expectations of 2.9% full-year growth, lower than trend in the emerging market economy that seeks to reverse a years-long exodus of foreign investors. Inflation will "be very high for an extended period of time, which will trigger second-round effects such as wage settlements."

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Erdogan, Tatha Ghose, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Peter Graff, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, AK, Ece Toksabay, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, ANKARA, Turkey, Istanbul, Ankara

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