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☆ Exploding drone boats aren't hard to beat, but Russia's weak defenses are letting Ukraine blow up its ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's recent waterborne drone attacks have shed light on weaknesses in Russian defenses. Prior to the hits on Olenegorsky Gornyak and Sig, previous naval drone attacks have terrorized Russian ships in the Black Sea. United 24/Ukrainian government'Too many to take out'With the drone attacks showing no sign of stopping, the questions become how Russia will respond. And if Russia does ramp up its defenses, it's likely that Ukraine will scale up the number of its drone boats. Operating a group of drone boats, Clark added, is more difficult given water conditions, weather, and the potential to ram into unintended targets.

Persons: Sutton, Gornyak, haven't, they're, Bryan Clark, Ulf Mauder, Clark, Shaposhnikov, Peter the, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV Organizations: Service, Sig, US Navy, Hudson Institute, Russia's, Getty, intel Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Russia, Novorossiysk, Ukraine, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, US, Persian, Israel, Peter the Great, Japan, Vladivostok, AFP, Crimea

☆ The girlfriend of a Ukrainian soldier fighting on the front lines is shocked Kyiv residents are partying while the war grinds on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Ukrainian soldier's girlfriend said she was shocked by Kyiv residents partying while the war goes on. Paltseva told The Washington Post her boyfriend was at the front and would be fighting near Bakhmut. Ukraine's counteroffensive has hit snags against Russia's extensive and deep defensive lines. Paltseva, 36, said her boyfriend is currently at the front line and will be fighting near the war-torn city of Bakhmut soon. Some had hoped Ukraine's counteroffensive would have led to a breakthrough, but Kyiv's troops have been held up by Russia's defenses.

Persons: Paltseva, Yulia Paltseva, they've Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Russia, Post, Bradley Locations: Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ An arms dealer says he sold 49 secondhand Leopard 1 tanks to an undisclosed EU country to send to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An arms dealer said he sold 49 Leopard 1 tanks to an unnamed EU country to send to Ukraine. German newspaper Handelsblatt, meanwhile, reported that the Leopard 1 tanks were bought by German arms maker Rheinmetall for use in Ukraine, and that the deal involved 50 tanks. Ukraine began receiving deliveries of Leopard tanks from its allies in February 2023, after months of asking for advanced armored vehicles. Older tanks, once discarded as obsolete, are now in high demand, The Guardian reported, given battlefield needs. Experts say that the West's hesitancy to send tanks to Ukraine gave Russia the time to build up its defenses.

Persons: Freddy Versluys, Versluys, Handelsblatt, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Handelsblatt, Rheinmetall, Service, OIP, Systems, Guardian, Leopard, Reuters, Ukraine, Russian, Kiel Institute Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Belgium, Germany, Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visit an exhibition of armed equipment on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 27, 2023. The fact North Korean hackers may have obtained information about the Zircon does not mean they would immediately have that same capability, said Markus Schiller, a Europe-based missile expert who has researched foreign aid to North Korea's missile programme. Last month, North Korea test-launched the Hwasong-18, the first of its ICBMs to use solid propellants. "North Korea announced that it was doing the same thing in late 2021. If NPO Mash had one useful thing for them, that would be top of my list," he added.

Persons: Kim Jong, Sergei Shoigu, ScarCruft, Lazarus, Tom Hegel, SentinelOne, Hegel, Obama, Nicholas Weaver, Matt Tait, Weaver, Vladimir Putin, Markus Schiller, Schiller, Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, James Pearson, Christopher Bing, Chris Sanders, Alistair Bell Organizations: Russia's, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, NPO Mashinostroyeniya, Pyongyang LONDON, Reuters, North Korean, United Nations, Soviet Union, NPO, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Mash, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Korea, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, WASHINGTON, Russian, Reutov, Moscow, Russia, Washington, New York, North Korea, Soviet, United States, Crimea, Korean, Europe, London

☆ In a desperate scramble for ammo, Russia's defense chief flew all the way to North Korea to beg for some of theirs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's defense chief traveled to North Korea recently to try and secure more ammunition. Shoigu went to Pyongyang "in a bid to convince North Korea to sell munitions to Russia to support Russia's war," Kirby added. Kirby said on Thursday that any arms deal between Russia and North Korea would be in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 27, 2023. Iran has outfitted Russia's military with explosive drones that Moscow has used for nearly a year to attack Ukrainian cities and the country's civil infrastructure.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kim Jong Un, John Kirby, Kirby, Li Hongzhong, Kim, Kim Jong, Putin, he's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there's Organizations: White, US, Service, Russian, North, DPRK, Ukraine, National Security, Democratic People's, Chinese Communist Party, Russia's, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, Korean, Wagner Group, US Treasury Department, Slovakian, United Nations, Russian Defense Locations: North Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, North Korean, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pyongyang, REUTERS North Korea, Korea, Iran, China, Washington, Beijing

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Blinken urges Moscow to end Black Sea 'blackmail'; Russia says it thwarted attack on key oil export hub
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Natasha Turak Ruxandra Iordache | Natasha Turak | Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Russia's Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces attempted an overnight attack against its naval base at the Russia's key oil export hub Novorossiysk. In Google-translated comments on Telegram, the ministry said the offensive was carried out by unmanned sea boats, which were detected and destroyed. Novorossiysk Mayor Andrey Kravchenko said on Telegram that the vessels "Olenegorsky Miner" and "Suvorovets" thwarted the Ukrainian offensive, according to a Google translation. Novorossiysk is a main export outlet for Russian and Kazakh seaborne crude. Attacks against Black Sea ports have picked up since Russia withdrew from the Ukraine grain deal in July, with Moscow also attacking several key Ukraine sites that included the Odesa port in recent days.

Persons: Andrey Kravchenko, — Organizations: Russia's Defense Ministry, Google, Kazakh, CNBC Locations: Ukrainian, Novorossiysk, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Ukraine released footage of a HIMARS strike on Russians gathering out in the open on a beach, saying it took out 200 troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine on Tuesday published footage of a HIMARS strike on Russian units deployed to a sandbank. The clip appears to show soldiers stretching and exercising, as well as lining up in the open. Ukraine said it caused 200 casualties at Dzharylhach island, which is reported to be a training ground. The outlet reported that 200 Russian soldiers "were lost," though it's unclear how many died or were injured. On July 23, US-based defense think tank The Institute for Study of War wrote that Russian forces had "recently established training grounds on Dzharylhach Island."

Persons: Ukraine's Organizations: Service, Resistance Center, Facebook, EuroMaidan Press, Study, Ukrainian, Russian, HIMARS, Washington, National Resistance Center, Russia's Defense Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kherson, Russian

☆ A top Russian general's rare admission that his elite paratroopers suffered heavy casualties in Ukraine was mysteriously removed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A top Russian general admitted his elite paratroopers suffered thousands of casualties in Ukraine. It's unclear exactly how many casualties Russian forces have suffered during the Ukraine war. Favorited by Russian ultranationalists, Teplinsky oversaw successful combat operations last year but was eventually dismissed from his leadership role. This prompted some insubordination from the Russian airborne commander, who even expressed his frustration with Moscow's military brass directly to Putin. The elite paratroopers suffered heavy losses early on and continued to struggle in the months that followed.

Persons: Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Russia's, Teplinsky, Teplinksy, VDV, Vladimir Putin, Gian Marco Benedetto, —, Putin Organizations: Service, Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Moscow Times, Zvezda, Airborne Forces, Anadolu Agency, Getty, BBC Russian Service, Wagner Group, Institute for Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhya, Washington

☆ Ukrainian tanks are being wiped out by Russian minefields. The country needs its own 'Manhattan Project' to figure out how to clear them, a retired general told the NYT.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Ukrainian military might need to create its own solutions, a retired army general told the Times. Ukraine uses the US-provided M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) systems, which Zaluzhny told the Post "are also being destroyed," per the Post. "Ukraine needs a Manhattan Project for mine clearing," Ryan told the Times, referring to the US project to build the world's first atomic bomb during World War 2. Beyond the minefields, the two-month offensive to take back territories claimed by Russia has become a significant challenge for Ukrainian troops dealing with heavily fortified defenses from their opponents. At the same time, Ukrainian troops waited for weapons from the West.

Persons: Valery Zaluzhny, Mick Ryan, Zaluzhny, Ryan, George Barros, Insider's Chris Panella Organizations: Times, Service, The New York Times, Washington Post, Lowy Institute, Russian, Project, Institute for, Ukraine Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Western, Australian, Russia

☆ Why Russia's defenses are so effective: Deep minefields, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are proving formidable in Ukraine, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's defenses are proving effective in frustrating the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Its use of mines, adaptable drones, and electronic warfare are particularly formidable, experts said. He said there were often more than four rows of minefields in front of the Russian defensive lines. A retired Australian general Mick Ryan appears to agree with Lewis, telling The Economist on Monday that Russia's defensive lines are "much more complex and deadly than anything experienced by any military in nearly 80 years." Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow with RUSI, told Newsweek that Ukraine's "Beaver" drones appear to be vulnerable to Russia's electronic defense systems.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Maxar David Lewis, Mick Ryan, Lewis, it's, Steve Wright, Wright, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Justin Bronk, RUSI, Russia doesn't, Mark Milley, Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri Organizations: Service, BBC, Royal United Services Institute, Storm, Ukrainian, Police, Moscow International Business, Getty Images, Newsweek, Moscow Sunday, Reuters, Associated Press, University, Birmingham's, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Kherson, Dnipro, Russia's, Australian, RUSI, AFP, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Russia is getting hit at home, and Ukraine's spies say there's only one way to make it stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow was hit by another suspected Ukrainian drone attack this week. A man checks the debris next to a damaged office building in the Moscow City following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, August 1, 2023. After a May attack on Moscow, experts speculated that Ukraine aims to give Russia "a taste of its own medicine." Firefighters and a police officer stand next to a damaged building in the "Moscow City" business district after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, early Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. "We have made clear we don't encourage or enable such attacks," a US State Department spokesperson told Insider on Tuesday after the most recent drone attacks.

Persons: Mykhailo Podolyak, Vladimir Putin, Russia —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it's Organizations: Moscow, Service, Russia, REUTERS, Presidential, Twitter, Firefighters, Ukraine, New York Times, US State Department Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russia, Evgenia, Kyiv, Russia's

☆ Kim Jong Un has plastered his walls with bizarre, giant portraits of Putin, images from North Korean state media reveal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Photos released by North Korean state media show Kim Jong Un's huge portraits of Vladimir Putin. The images show the leader giving Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu a personal tour. The portraits were visible as the North Korean leader gave a personal tour to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. In the bizarre images, Kim and Shoigu can be seen walking down a corridor while huge portraits of Putin and Kim loom over them from either side. Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a reception for the Russian military delegation hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on July 27, 2023.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Putin, Simon Miles, Miles, Biden Organizations: North, Russian, Service, North Korean, Russian Defense, Central Committee of, Workers ' Party, Daily, Russia's, Reuters, Mail, Korean Central News Agency, Associated Press, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, AP Locations: North Korean, Wall, Silicon, Pyongyang, Vladivostok, Russia, North Korea, Soviet, North Koreans, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea’s “firm support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine emboldens the two countries’ determination to cope with Western nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to North Korean officials on Thursday, according to a report in North Korean state media. The 1950-1953 Korean War was one of the first international conflicts of the Cold War era. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 28, 2023. A missile displayed during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, on July 27, 2023. KCNA/ReutersAs the parade went on below, North Korea flew versions of a new “strategic reconnaissance drone and the multi-purpose attack drone” overhead, according to KCNA.

Persons: ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ” Putin, “, ” KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Sergei Shoigu, Kim Il, Kang Sun Nam, KCNA, Li Hongzhong, Kim Jong, Kim, Shoigu, Kim Song Nam, North Korea “, Leif, Eric Easley, Easley Organizations: South Korea CNN, Ukraine emboldens, “, Korean Central News Agency, North Korean, Russia's, KCNA, Reuters, Analysts, North Korean Defense, North Korean Army Forces, Russian, Communist Party Politburo, North, Chinese Communist Party, Reuters Analysts, Ewha Womans University Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Ukraine, Western, Russian, North Korean, Korea, Russia, “ Solidarity, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, KCNA, China, Beijing

☆ North Korea's Kim Jong Un meets Russian defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu, July 26, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. Shoigu handed Kim a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report said. The Russian delegation and a Chinese delegation including Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhongas arrived in North Korea this week for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War celebrated in North Korea as "Victory Day." The groups are the first such prominent public visitors to North Korea since the start of the pandemic. Shoigu made the remarks while meeting his North Korean counterpart Kang Sun Nam, the report said.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Li Hongzhongas, Yonhap, Kang Sun Nam, Hyunsu Yim, Ed Davies Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, DPRK, Russian, Chinese Communist Party, Korean, Korean Central Broadcasting Station, North Korean, Thomson Locations: REUTERS SEOUL, North Korea, Russia, Pyongyang

☆ North Korea's Kim Jong Un shows off banned missiles to Russian minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's defense minister accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to a defense exhibition that featured the North's banned ballistic missiles as the neighbors pledged to boost ties, North Korean state media reported on Thursday. Shoigu is making the first visit by a Russian defense minister to North Korea since the fall of the Soviet Union. For North Korea, the arrival of the Russian and Chinese delegations marks its first major opening up to the world since the Covid-19 pandemic. Shoigu gave Kim a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean media reported. Kim thanked Putin for sending the military delegation led by Shoigu, saying the visit had deepened the "strategic and traditional" relations between North Korea and Russia.

Persons: Kim Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: North, Communist Party politburo, Korean, ., U.S Locations: North Korean, Russian, North Korea, Soviet Union, Russia

☆ Ukraine had to execute its offensive 'flawlessly' to break Russia's defenses, but mistakes cost it in the opening round, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine's opening move in the counteroffensive was unsuccessful, experts just back from a trip there assert. Part of the problem is that it relied on newer, less experienced units that made mistakes at a critical moment. That does not "mean that the offensive has failed," he said, adding important context to his assessment of the first round. And that assessment is supported by Lee's account of Ukrainian assault forces advancing against Russian defenses without suppressing artillery fire. Combined arms warfare is not something most countries do effectively, and Ukraine lacks both equipment and experience with this kind of fighting.

Persons: Rob Lee, Lee, Dmytro Smolienko, Michael Kofman, Franz, Stefan Gady Organizations: Service, Foreign Policy Research Institute, NATO, Publishing, Getty, Artillery, Center for Naval, Center for New American Security Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia

WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) - The White House said it did not support Ukraine launching attacks inside Russia after two drones from Ukraine damaged buildings in Moscow earlier on Monday. "As a general matter we do not support attacks inside of Russia," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in a press briefing. Russia vowed to take harsh retaliatory measures against Ukraine, calling the two drone strikes, including one close to the Defence Ministry's headquarters, a brazen act of terror. "And they can end it at any time by withdrawing forces from Ukraine instead of launching brutal attacks on civilians." A swarm of 17 drones also launched attacks overnight on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

Persons: Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean, Pierre said, Jeff Mason, Kanishka Singh, Chris Reese, Susan Heavey Organizations: Ukraine, Defence, Russian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Russian, Crimea, Washington

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine has apparently come home again, this time with drones striking skyscrapers in the capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The attack was reportedly carried out by Kyiv and came after unrelenting Russian attacks on southern Ukraine with drones and missiles increasingly targeting the country's grain infrastructure. Russia's Ministry of Defense said it "foiled" the early Monday morning attack on Moscow, which it blamed it on Ukraine. Photographs of the scene show damage to the roof of an unidentified building, which is located just a few hundred meters from the Russian defense ministry's headquarters in the capital. A view of a building after two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attack in Moscow, Russia on July 24, 2023. Ukraine's defense ministry said on Monday that Russian drones attacked grain infrastructure along the Danube River, injuring several people and destroying food storage facilities.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Sefa Karacan, Mykhailo Podolyak, Putin, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Biden, Vedant Patel, Patel, EKATERINA ANISIMOVA, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Russia's Ministry of Defense, TASS, Windows, CNN, Kyiv, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Presidential, Twitter, Police, Wagner, White, US State Department Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia's, Ukraine isn't, AFP, Crimean, Odesa

☆ The 'taboo' of criticizing Putin has been 'significantly weakened,' which is why an influential pro-war blogger trashed him, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pro-war Russian ultra-nationalist was arrested for criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The UK MoD said he made the comments as the "taboo" around criticizing Putin is weakened. Ivor Girkin, a Russian ultra-nationalist, was arrested on extremism charges on Friday after he called Putin a "cowardly mediocrity." Girkin, like many other Russian war bloggers, has been critical of Russia's military performance in Ukraine. The UK MoD noted that Girkin had "long been a critic" of Russia's military performance but that, in recent days, his comments had turned to criticizing Putin himself.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Ivor Girkin, Girkin's, Russian Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Igor Girkin, ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Insider's Erin Snodgrass, Girkin Organizations: MoD, Service, Wagner Group, Getty, MOD, Guardian Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian Donetsk

☆ Ukraine's allies are shifting focus from donating weapons to fixing them as Western-supplied armor proves resilient to Russian fire, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine's allies are shifting focus from donating weapons to repairing what is already there, a report says. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. The US-made mine-resistant armored fighting vehicles have also been hailed by Ukrainian troops as being "almost indestructible." The group coordinates repair facilities and has helped Ukraine set up a supply support effort to help track high-demand spare parts. Since the beginning of the war, scores of countries have committed to sending billions of dollars worth of equipment to Ukraine.

Persons: William LaPlante, Bradley, Serhii Ivanov, Leon Neal, Carl Court, Ukraine's, LaPlante Organizations: Service, Pentagon, Politico, sustainment, German, The, Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Europe, Ukraine, Russia, London, British, Poland, Nyzhche Solone, Kharkiv oblast

☆ Wagner suffered staggering losses in Ukraine, official says: 28% dead, a further 51% wounded, totaling 62K casualties in just over a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

28% of the Wagner Group's force sent to Ukraine was killed, according to a group official. A Wagner Group official identified as Marx said that 78,000 fighters went to Ukraine with the mercenary group, and 22,000 were killed, according to Telegram channel Razgruzka Vagnera. That means the Wagner Group had 62,000 casualties in total, according to the official's figures. The UK defense ministry on Friday also pointed to huge losses of Russian prisoners fighting in Ukraine. While the Wagner Group is not the only group that recruited prisoners for Ukraine, it was the most prolific group to do so.

Persons: Wagner, Marx, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Razgruzka Vagnrea, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Group, Moscow Times, Wagner Group, Wagner Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Bakhmut, Russian, Moscow, Africa

☆ Putin is trying to buy time with Prigozhin but will get revenge since he is the 'ultimate apostle of payback,' CIA director William Burns says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The director of the CIA believes that Putin has yet to play all of his cards against Yevgeny Prigozhin. Right now, Putin is buying time and seeing how he can still benefit from Prigozhin and Wagner Group. But Putin is the 'ultimate apostle of payback' CIA director William Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum. CIA Director William Burns, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum 2023 on Thursday, discussed Prigozhin's failed mutiny and the potential blowback to come. For now, Burns said, Putin is buying time, but when the time is right, Prigozhin may have a target on his back.

Persons: Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, William Burns, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Prigozhin's, Burns, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, Prigozhin, Russia's, Alexander Lukashenko, Kelly Organizations: CIA, Wagner, Aspen Security, Service, Wagner Group, Belarusian Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Moscow, Belarus, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Syria, Africa

☆ Is Ukraine's counteroffensive failing? Defense experts say the risks facing Kyiv are growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFor Michael Clarke, a defense analyst and former director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, there's a risk that the first phase of the counteroffensive, designed to probe Russia's defenses, takes too long. Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesKonrad Muzyka, a military intelligence specialist and president of Rochan Consulting, said "the weather has always been the factor" for Kyiv. But Kyiv says its forces are conducting counteroffensive actions in at least three areas and are operating against a backdrop of increased Russian offensive operations. Ukraine's defense ministry claims that its forces have liberated around 210 square kilometers (81 square miles) of occupied territory since June. Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images

Persons: —, Michael Clarke, Clarke, Konrad Muzyka, Muzyka, Yuriy Sak, Sak, Anatolii Stepanov Organizations: 110th Brigade, Territorial Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Military, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Rochan Consulting, Kyiv, Afp Locations: Novodarivka, Luhansk, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kherson, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donetsk, Russian, Russia, Vuhledar, Yuriy, Siversk

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Zelenskyy sacks UK ambassador after media comments; U.S. says Ukraine now using cluster bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Zelenskyy said nearly 70 missiles were fired at Odesa, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr and Kharkiv this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday announced the dismissal of ambassador to the U.K. Vadym Prystaiko after he called comments Zelenskyy made about the U.K. defense minister unhealthy. In his daily address, Zelenskyy said nearly 70 missiles were fired at Odesa, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr and Kharkiv this week. And on Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said it was carrying out a "mass retaliatory strike" for an attack on the Crimean bridge early Monday which it blamed on Ukraine. Tensions are also mounting in the Black Sea after Russia said it would consider all vessels sailing toward Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea as military cargo carriers.

Persons: Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vadym Prystaiko, John Kirby Organizations: Friday, Russian, White House, ., U.S, Initiative, Russia's Defense Ministry, Ukraine's Defense Ministry Locations: Odesa, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin was just winging it with his armed revolt and making things up as he went along, CIA director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin shocked the world when he called on his Wagner Group fighters to invade Russia. CIA Director Bill Burns said this week that Prigozhin was likely improvising during the armed rebellion. Prigozhin was "making some of this up as he went along," Burns told the Aspen Security Forum. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Within hours, the Wagner Group had captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don without meeting any resistance.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bill Burns, Prigozhin, Burns, Wagner, Joe Biden, I'm, William Burns, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, he'd, Alexander Lukashenko, Reuters Prigozhin, he'll, Russia —, Vladimir Putin, they've, Putin's misjudgment, Russian Wagner, Mark Milley, Milley Organizations: Wagner Group, CIA, Aspen Security, Service, Russian Defense, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus —, Wagner, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Joint Chiefs, Staff, NATO Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Russian, Voronezh, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Osipovichi, Kyiv

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