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☆ Wagner 'skull' flag flies over empty Prigozhin plane crash site in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows a flag of the Wagner private mercenary group at the site of the plane crash that killed Wagner PMC top figures, including Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, in the Tver Region, Russia September 1, 2023. The plane on which Yevgeny Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed killing all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including two other top Wagner figures, Prigozhin's four bodyguards and a crew of three. At the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia's Tver region, there was no sign of the remains of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet, footage obtained by Reuters showed on Friday. All that remained was a makeshift stone memorial of four boulders to the mercenary chief surrounded by red carnations and a Wagner flag flying on a pole made from a tree branch. The flag sports a white skull surrounded by the words "PMC Wagner Group" in both English and Russian.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Wagner PMC, REUTERS, St, Embraer, Reuters, Wagner, Thomson Locations: Tver Region, Russia, St Petersburg, Moscow, Kuzhenkino, Russia's Tver, Rostov, Vladimir Putin's Russia

CNN —A Russian military blogger who has written critically of Russia’s conduct in Ukraine was arrested in Moscow Thursday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. The blogger, Andrey Kurshin, runs the Moscow Calling Telegram channel, which has some 87,000 subscribers. “A criminal case was opened against the administrator of the Moscow Calling telegram channel Andrey Kurshin for fake news about the Russian army,” RIA Novosti said Thursday. In April, Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in an explosion at a cafe in the center of St. Petersbug, where he was appearing as a guest of a pro-war group. Russia’s pro-invasion military bloggers have filled some of the information vacuum left behind by the closure of independent media outlets in Russia.

Persons: Andrey Kurshin, RIA Novosti, “, Kurshin, ” ISW, Igor Girkin, Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Vladlen Tatarsky, Daria Trepova, Trepova, Russia’s, Wagner Organizations: CNN, RIA Novosti, RIA, The, Investigators Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, St, Petersbug, Russia

☆ Fact Check-BBC-branded report saying Prigozhin is alive is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A social media video with BBC branding that says Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is alive, having staged his death with Russian authorities, is a fake, a spokesperson for the broadcaster told Reuters. The private Embraer jet on which Prigozhin was travelling crashed on Aug. 23, killing all 10 people aboard (here). On Aug. 29, a minute-long clip mimicking a BBC News report circulated on social media and claimed the mercenary chief was still alive. Captions superimposed on footage of the crash site and a picture of Prigozhin say: “BBC source denies information about the death of the owner of PMC Wagner. In a statement sent to Reuters via email, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are aware of this fake video and our lawyers are urgently looking into it.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Read Organizations: BBC, Reuters, Embraer, PMC Wagner, Facebook

☆ Putin is planning another trip to China, report says, a further sign of his dependence on Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to China for an international summit, Bloomberg reported. The upcoming trip, which was reported by Bloomberg, would be his first diplomatic trip abroad since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yet it also exposes the stark new limitations of Putin's global power, and his new dependence on China's autocratic leader, Xi Jinping. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping make a toast at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 21, 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It'd, Putin, Xi, He's, Xi Jinping, PAVEL BYRKIN, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ukraine's, Sergei Karpukhin, Maria Shagina Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, ICC, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Getty, Xi, Sputnik, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Financial Times Locations: China, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Mariupol, South Africa, Rome, India, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine's Western

☆ Burkina Faso says leader discussed possible military cooperation with Russian delegation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Burkina Faso's interim President Ibrahim Traore during a meeting following the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 29, 2023. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via REUTERS /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOUAGADOUGOU, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A Russian delegation held talks with Burkina Faso's interim president Ibrahim Traore on Thursday at a meeting that included discussions on possible military cooperation, the Burkinabe presidency said in a statement. It said the visit, led by Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, was a follow-up to talks between Traore and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg in July. It did not say if Russian military trainers would be sent to Burkina Faso. Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga Writing by Alessandra Prentice Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Burkina Faso's, Ibrahim Traore, Alexei Danichev, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Traore, Russian Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Thiam, Alessandra Prentice, Leslie Adler, Grant McCool Organizations: Sputnik, Rights, Russian, Russian Deputy, Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Rights OUAGADOUGOU, St . Petersburg, African, Moscow, Mali, Russian, Burkina Faso

☆ Late Russian mercenary Prigozhin spoke about his security in newly surfaced video
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 31 (Reuters) - A newly released video of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin purports to show him in Africa only days before his death, addressing speculation about his wellbeing and possible threats to his security. Reuters was not able to verify the location or the date of the video, which was filmed in a moving vehicle. [1/3]Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of Russian private mercenary group Wagner, gives an address in camouflage inside a vehicle at an unknown location, in this still image taken from video possibly shot in Africa and published August 31, 2023. His comments in the video reflected Prigozhin's awareness of risks to his life. Prigozhin was buried at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in his home town of St Petersburg on Tuesday.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Alex Richardson Organizations: Grey Zone, Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: Africa, I'm, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, St Petersburg

☆ Ukraine tells critics of slow counteroffensive to 'shut up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen put out burning grass near their positions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 31, 2023. Nearly three months since launching a much vaunted counteroffensive using hundreds of billions of dollars of Western military equipment, Ukraine has recaptured more than a dozen villages but has yet to penetrate Russia's main defences. "I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimetre by themselves," he said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Spain. DRONE ATTACKS WITHIN RUSSIAUkraine has also stepped up attacks using drones on targets deep within Russia itself and in Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. While Ukraine rarely comments directly on specific attacks inside Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeared to boast of the Pskov attack on Thursday.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Dmitro Kuleba, Jens Stoltenberg, Hanna Maliar, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Peter Graff, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Russia KYIV, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Ukrainian, Reuters, Russia, Kremlin, Nazi, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Spain, Russian, Robotyne, Western Zaporizhzhia, Novopokropivka, Kyiv, Bakhmut, RUSSIA Ukraine, Bryansk, Crimea, Pskov, St Petersburg

☆ Newly surfaced video of Wagner boss Prigozhin shows him joking about his own death days before his fatal plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new video has surfaced of Yevgeny Prigozhin, where he claims to be in Africa in mid-August. In it, the Wagner Group leader says he's doing "fine" amid speculation over his wellbeing. The footage appears to be from just days before Prigozhin died in a plash crash near Moscow. Prigozhin's reference to a weekend in the second half of August indicates that the newly surfaced video was likely filmed around August 19 or 20, just days before he died in a plane crash. After initial reports of the plane crash surfaced, US officials said it wasn't surprising.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, he's, Prigozhin, Wagner, Anton Gerashchenko, Dmitry Utkin, Valery Chekalov, Vladimir Putin, Moscow —, Putin, Bill Burns, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre Organizations: Group, Service, Wagner Group, Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, Pentagon, Ostorozhno, CIA, House Press Locations: Africa, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Ostorozhno Novosti

☆ Prigozhin's right-hand man in Wagner buried quietly near Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The co-founder and military commander of the Russian mercenary group Wagner was buried near Moscow on Thursday, after dying in an unexplained plane crash that also killed his boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Before helping to found Wagner as Prigozhin's shadowy right-hand man, Utkin was a special forces lieutenant colonel in the GRU military intelligence service. He fought for Wagner to support Moscow's military campaigns in Syria and Ukraine, and was photographed in 2016 at the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin. Utkin, Prigozhin and Wagner's head of logistics, Valery Chekalov, were among 10 people who died when Prigozhin's Embraer Legacy 600 private jet plunged from the sky north of Moscow on Aug. 23. After a deal ended the mutiny, Utkin said in a speech to Wagner fighters: "This is not the end.

Persons: Wagner, Dmitry Utkin, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Valery Chekalov, Putin, Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Russian, St, Kremlin, Reuters, Embraer, Thomson Locations: Mytishchi, Moscow, Russia, Russian, St Petersburg, Syria, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia comes under further drone attacks; Turkey could persuade Moscow to revive grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A woman crosses herself as she visits the grave of Wagner private mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a private jet crash in the Tver region last week, at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg on August 30, 2023. Followers of mutinous Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior after he was killed along with his inner circle in a yet-to-be-explained plane crash. One tribute beside flowers read: "To be a warrior is to live forever." The private jet on which Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed north of Moscow with the loss of all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including Prigozhin, top Wagner commanders, his bodyguards and a crew of three. The Kremlin has rejected as an "absolute lie" the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators - for which they have not provided evidence - that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich, Putin, — Organizations: St, Reuters Locations: Tver, Saint Petersburg, St Petersburg, Moscow

☆ Putin and Kim Jong Un have been trading letters as secret talks on getting North Korean weapons into Russia's hands are 'actively advancing,' White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are "advancing," a White House official said. Several months later, the White House disclosed that Russia had gone as far as to offer food to impoverished North Korea in exchange for military aid. He asserted that the US will take action by sanctioning individuals and entities "working to facilitate arms deals between these two countries." The Biden administration's new warning about Russia's quest for military support on Wednesday comes as Ukrainian forces continue to make slow and steady territorial gains amid their grueling counteroffensive in the eastern and southern regions. Despite criticism and concerns from some in the West about Ukraine's progress, Washington and its NATO allies have asserted their commitment to providing Kyiv with military support.

Persons: Putin, Kim Jong Un, Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, John Kirby, Shoigu's, Kirby, Biden, Washington, We're, Bram Janssen, Janet Yellen Organizations: White, Service, Russia, Defense, Artillery, North, National Security, DPRK, Democratic People's, Russia's, Russian, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, US, Wagner Group, Kremlin, White House, United Nations, AP, US Treasury Department, Slovakian, NATO, Pentagon Locations: Russia, North Korea, Wall, Silicon, Russia North Korea, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Pyongyang, North Korean, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, DPRK, Washington

☆ An elite team of Ukrainian snipers dubbed 'Devils and Angels' is taking out top Russian commanders to demoralize troops: 'We work quietly, we are invisible'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian snipers are focused on taking out high-profile Russain targets and demoralizing troops. A sniper unit training near Bakhmut calls itself "Devils and Angels," The Wall Street Journal reported. The team of snipers has dubbed itself the "Devils and Angels," according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The snipers training near Bakhmut told the outlet that in addition to their marksmanship, they're training to be even more elusive in the field. AdvertisementAdvertisementAlso in June a Ukrainian sniper picked off Vladimir Andonov, a Wagner Group member known at "The Executioner" and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most notorious mercenary fighters.

Persons: Robert Scales, Bakhmut, Fisher, Mark Cancian, Insider's Ryan Pickrell, Vladimir Andonov, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Street Journal, Military, Service, Devils, Street, Ukraine Ukrainian, CNN, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Wagner Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Kremlin says Prigozhin plane may have been downed on purpose
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A view shows a framed photo of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at his grave at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia, August 30, 2023. "It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version - you know what we are talking about – let's say, a deliberate atrocity," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the investigation. The Kremlin has rejected as an "absolute lie" the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators - for which they have not provided evidence - that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge. Followers of Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior. In life, Prigozhin liked to brag that he was one of the world's most feared mercenaries with the best fighting force.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, –, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Joe Biden, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, International Civil Aviation Organization, Embraer, St, Reuters, EMBR3, United State, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, MOSCOW, St Petersburg, Moscow, Rostov, Vladimir Putin's Russia, SA, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Ukrainian advisor says Prigozhin's death in a plane crash is a warning that there's no negotiating with Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian presidential advisor warned that Prigozhin's death shows Putin won't negotiate. Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash last week, confirmed by Russia. Podolyak added: "So, as long as Putin remains president, the war will continue. The disparaging comments come just a week after Prigozhin's death, confirmed by Russian officials, in a plane crash outside Moscow. After Prigozhin's death, multiple officials and critics, including US President Joe Biden and the White House itself, suggested Putin was involved in assassinating Prigozhin and that "no one should be surprised" by his death.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mykhailo Podolyak, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, there's, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Podolyak, Prigozhin, Wagner's Prigozhin, Putin Prigozhin's, Sergei Shoigu, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Ukraine —, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russian, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Kremlin, Al Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Al Jazeera

☆ Russia Reports Widespread Drone Attacks on Country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The police presence was heavy on Tuesday at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the press service of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin said he had been buried. “Those wishing to say goodbye can visit the Porokhovskoye cemetery” in St. Petersburg. The secrecy reflected the sensitivities surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin who launched a failed mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership in June. Video People paid tribute to Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary chief, and Dmitri Utkin, a longtime lieutenant. That left room for days of speculation about whether Mr. Prigozhin was really on the plane.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, “, ”, Porokhovskoye, Mr, Wagner, Dmitri Utkin, Nanna Heitmann, Valery Chekalov, ” Farida Rustamova, Safronova, Jesus Jiménez Organizations: Russian, Video, Credit, The New York Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Northern

☆ At the grave of Russia's Prigozhin, followers hail a warrior
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A view shows the grave of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia, August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsST PETERSBURG, Russia, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Followers of mutinous Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior after he was killed along with his inner circle in a yet-to-be-explained plane crash. A man wearing the shirt of his Wagner mercenaries and a cap bearing the Russian flag was among those paying respects at the grave, where red roses and carnations graced a wooden Orthodox cross lablled "Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich 1961 - 2023". But after fighting for President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, he challenged the Russian state openly. A picture of Prigozhin frowning and the text of Joseph Brodsky's "Nature Morte" lay on the freshly dug ground of his grave.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Viktorovich, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Joe Biden, frowning, Joseph Brodsky's, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, St, Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, PETERSBURG, St Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov

It is also the most detailed evidence provided in recent months of Russia’s outreach to North Korea to help fuel its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, the US Treasury sanctioned a sanctions evasion network aimed at supporting arms deals between Russia and North Korea. Kirby also said Russia’s attempts to source weapons from places like Iran and North Korea was a clear signal of Moscow’s distress. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, also accused Russia and North Korea of negotiating an arms deal during a Security Council Stakeout on Wednesday. Iran and North Korea have both denied these claims.

Persons: Biden, Sergei Shoigu’s, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, John Kirby, “, ” Kirby, Kirby, Russia’s, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Wagner Organizations: CNN, Russian, North, National Security Council, DPRK, “, US Treasury, United Nations Locations: Russia, North Korea, Ukraine, Pyongyang, Russian, DPRK, Iran, Greenfield , US

☆ Russia says it foiled major Ukrainian drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - Russia said it foiled one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks to date on western Russia on Wednesday, shooting down unmanned aircraft over at least six regions, and destroyed a Ukrainian naval attack on the annexed Crimean peninsula. Russian military aircraft were damaged and civilian aviation was disrupted in the drone attacks, said Russian officials, citing Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions as targeted. Ukraine, which has yet to achieve a major success in its summer ground counteroffensive, has struck deep into Russia in recent months, including an attack on the Kremlin in May and numerous drone attacks on civilian targets in Moscow. Russia said Ukrainian drones tried to attack a TV tower over the Bryansk region. A Russian aircraft also destroyed four Ukrainian fast-attack boats carrying up to 50 paratroopers in an operation on the Black Sea, the military said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Vitali Klitschko, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Karine Jean, Pierre, Putin, Stephen Coates, Guy Faulconbridge, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Pskov's, Tass, Civilian, TASS, Reuters, Russia, Embraer, Washington White House, Brazil's, EMBR3, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimean, Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan, Moscow, Ukrainian, Estonia, Latvia, Estonian, Moscow's Vnukovo, Russian, Kyiv, St Petersburg, Prigozhin, SA

☆ Fact Check-Travel alert for US citizens to depart Belarus active since February 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A travel advisory to U.S citizens in Belarus to leave the country was first issued in February 2022, at the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and has remained active, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. A travel advisory also published in February 2022 by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs placed Belarus in the “Do Not Travel” advisory category. U.S. citizens in Belarus should depart immediately via commercial or private means” (here). A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters via email: “The Department has advised U.S. citizens to depart Belarus since February 2022.”VERDICTFalse. The U.S did not issue a first alert for its citizens to depart Belarus in August 2023.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Read Organizations: U.S . State Department, Facebook, U.S, Embassy, U.S . Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, Reuters Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, U.S, Minsk, COVID, Lithuania, Lithuanian, Latvian

☆ Fact Check-Video does not show Wagner mercenaries landing in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A years-old video of a plane landing is being shared on social media to falsely claim it’s proof of Wagner mercenary fighters arriving in Niger in 2023. Authorities in Niger have officially confirmed the presence of Wagner fighters in the country” (here). Reuters did not independently verify the location of the 2006 video, though the deserted area around the runway coupled with buildings close by is markedly similar to the topography around Khartoum International Airport. Reuters’ reporting on the coup in Niger can be found (here). The video dates to at least 2006, thus is unrelated to Wagner and the 2023 coup in Niger.

Persons: Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Read Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Wagner PMC, Authorities, Facebook, Reuters, YouTube, Khartoum International, Google, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Niger, Khartoum, Sudan

☆ Russia's Prigozhin buried privately in St Petersburg
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] A view shows the grave of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last week, at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 29, 2023. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery," his press service said in a short post on Telegram. In recent days admirers had heaped flowers on makeshift shrines to Prigozhin in Moscow, St Petersburg and elsewhere. Two other top Wagner figures, four Prigozhin bodyguards and three crew members were also killed when his Embraer Legacy 600 private jet crashed north of Moscow. Earlier on Tuesday, Valery Chekalov, the head of Wagner logistics, was buried at another St Petersburg cemetery.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Putin, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Chekalov, Mark Trevelyan, Jon Boyle, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Embraer, Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, PETERSBURG, St Petersburg, Porokhovskoye, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Moscow, Rostov, Russian

☆ Wagner Says Its Chief Has Been Buried, Ending Days of Speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | More About Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Details about Mr. Prigozhin’s funeral, including the date and whether members of the public would be allowed to attend, were unclear for days. The secrecy reflected the sensitivities surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin who launched a failed mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership in June. Its cause remains unclear, but U.S. and Western officials believe it was prompted by an explosion on board. Many Western officials have said they think it is likely that Mr. Putin may have played a role in having Mr. Prigozhin killed as retribution for the mercenary chief’s short-lived mutiny in June. That left room for days of speculation about whether Mr. Prigozhin was really on the plane.

Persons: Pokhorovsky, Prigozhin, Mr, Putin, Wagner Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian

Brazil's Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA), in the interests of improving aviation safety, had said it would join a Russian-led investigation if it were invited and the probe held under international rules. U.S. aviation safety consultant and former investigator John Cox said an internal Russian investigation would always be questioned without the participation of Brazil, the country where the plane was manufactured. "I think it hurts the transparency of the Russian investigation." In air crash investigations, experts work to improve aviation safety without assigning blame, but probes are often tainted by political interests. Jeff Guzzetti, a former U.S. air crash investigator, said Russia should accept assistance from Brazil, even if CENIPA can only participate remotely.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Vaganov, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Marcelo Moreno, John Cox, Cox, CENIPA, Jeff Guzzetti, Allison Lampert, Gabriel Araujo, Valerie Insinna, Denny Thomas, Grant McCool Organizations: Police, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Embraer, EMBR3, Reuters, Wagner Group, Brazil's Center for Research, Aeronautical, United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, Interstate Aviation Committee, Accident Investigation, U.S ., Convention, International Civil Aviation, Thomson Locations: Tver, Russia, MONTREAL, SA, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Montreal, St Petersburg, Brazil, U.S, Sao Paulo, Washington

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - British officials are warning organisations about integrating artificial intelligence-driven chatbots into their businesses, saying that research has increasingly shown that they can be tricked into performing harmful tasks. The NCSC said that could carry risks, particularly if such models were plugged into other elements organisation's business processes. "They might not let that product be involved in making transactions on the customer's behalf, and hopefully wouldn't fully trust it. The security implications of AI are also still coming into focus, with authorities in the U.S. and Canada saying they have seen hackers embrace the technology.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Raphael Satter, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Cyber Security, Authorities, Thomson Locations: guardrails, U.S, Canada

☆ Wagner Group may be absorbed by the Russian Defense Ministry, which Prigozhin rallied against before his death. The mercenary group's current arrangement could 'disappear rather soon,' former GRU capt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The fate of the Wagner Group is in the hands of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. The New York Times reported the Russian Defense Ministry was considering absorbing the group. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The Wagner Group will disappear rather soon," Boris Volodarsky, a former captain in Russia's Spetsnaz GRU special forces and a fellow with the Royal Historical Society in London, told Insider. As tensions mounted between Wagner and Putin this summer, the Kremlin mandated that Wagner recruits sign contracts with the Russian army — which Prigozhin resisted. In his tirade, Prigozhin said the ministry "must be stopped" and the people responsible for the death of Wagner fighters must be punished.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Boris Volodarsky, Russia's, Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Valery Chekalov, Volodarsky, —, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Wagner, Kremlin, The New York Times, Russian Defense Ministry, Service, Wagner Group, New York Times, Institute for, Royal Historical Society, Defense Ministry, Times, Central African, Associated Press, Russia's Defense Ministry, Belarusian Locations: Wall, Silicon, East, Africa, Russian, London, Tver, Moscow, Belarus, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Mali, Russia, Rostov

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