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☆ Putin wanted his own version of NATO. Instead he has a failing alliance that has only made him look weaker since the invasion of Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Putin wanted his own version of NATOPutin has long viewed NATO as a threat to Russia, even citing it as an excuse for his invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that CSTO members states' desires for closer ties with the US weren't new. Russian President Vladimir Putin in Armenia in November 2022. Graham also said the invasion of Ukraine meant Putin is less and less able to deal with CSTO members' complaints.

Persons: it's, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Thomas Graham, NATO Putin, Alexander Cooley, Cooley, Armenia's, Nikol Pashinyan, KAREN MINASYAN, Putin's, isn't Putin, Ilya PITALEV, ILYA PITALEV, Getty Images Graham, Russia's, ANATOLII STEPANOV, you've, Graham, CSTO, Sadyr Japarov, Stanislav Zas, Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym, Tokayev, AP Cooley, – Putin, Vladimir Voronin, Nikol, They've, Hayk Organizations: NATO, Service, Soviet Union, Security, Organization, Yale, Columbia University, REUTERS, Getty Images, SPUTNIK, AFP, CSTO, Kazakh, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, AP, Collective Security, Vladimir Voronin NATO, Putin, Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, UN, US, EU, Armenian Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Soviet, East, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, The Hague, Netherlands, Yerevan, AFP, Soviet Union, Moscow, Asia, Ukrainian, Oskol, Ukraine's Kharkiv, NATO, USSR, Dushanbe, tatters, Photolure, China, Turkey, United States

☆ Video captures the disarming of Wagner in the aftermath of its mutiny, showing the Russian military now has its T-90 tanks and other heavy weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's defense ministry said it has disarmed the Wagner Group, which launched a failed mutiny a few weeks ago. A video shared by Moscow shows a vast collection of weapons, tanks, artillery pieces, and more. Russia's defense ministry published a video to Telegram on Wednesday that shows a massive collection of military equipment Moscow claims to have received from Wagner Group units. Wheeled vehicles arrive on their own," Russia's defense ministry said. A Pentagon spokesperson told reporters in late June that the US had, at the time, observed "elements" of the Wagner Group in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

Persons: Wagner, Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Alexander Lukashenko, —, Vladimir Putin, Don, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Russian Armed Forces, Southern Military District, REUTERS, Kremlin, Belarusian, Don REUTERS, Pentagon, NATO, Wagner Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Belarus, Minsk, Russian

☆ Russia is handing out leaflets trying to recruit more women to join its army: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Leaflets in Russia's Siberia are calling on women to join the army, per independent media. Women would potentially serve in occupied Ukraine "in the same ranks as men," The Moscow Times reported. 39,000 women currently serve in Russia's army, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. That same month, Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, said that 39,000 women were currently serving in Russia's armed forces, including 5,000 officers.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Moscow Times, Service, Russian Defense Ministry, Omsk Civil Association Locations: Siberia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Omsk, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson

CNN —A senior Russian general in command of forces in occupied southern Ukraine says he was suddenly dismissed from his post after accusing Moscow’s Defense Ministry leadership of betraying his troops by not providing sufficient support. Gen. Ivan Popov was the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, which has been engaged in heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region. He is one of the most senior officers to have taken part in the bloody Russian campaign in Ukraine. The recording was posted on the messaging app by Andrey Gurulev, a member of the Russian Parliament and former deputy commander of the Southern Military District. Another Russian commander, Gen. Sergey Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since the failed Wagner-led rebellion last month, is “resting,” a Russian lawmaker said Wednesday.

Persons: CNN —, Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulev, ” Popov, “, Sergei Shoigu “, vilely, –, Voyenniy Osvedomitel, Oleg Tsokov, ”, Valery Gerasimov, ISW, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin Organizations: CNN, Moscow’s Defense Ministry, Arms Army, Telegram, Southern Military District, ”, Kremlin, Combined, Army, British Storm, 58th Combined Army, Ukrainian, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, “, Berdyansk, Washington, Zaporizhia –

Lukashenko put a gulf of distance between himself and Prigozhin the Wagner boss when he said that neither Prigozhin nor his mercenaries were in Belarus, and it was unclear if they would ever move here. One of the final straws for Prigozhin’s longstanding tensions with the Russian Defense Ministry was the insistence that Wagner mercenaries sign contracts with the Russian government; Prigozhin refused. But on Thursday, Lukashenko insisted that were Wagner to come to Belarus, its mercenaries would have to sign documents with Belarus’ government. Just as we were learning that Prigozhin was in Russia, not Belarus, Russian state media released images from a reported police raid on Prigozhin’s office and residence in St. Petersburg. Yevgeny Prigozhin was last seen in public leaving Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don on June 24.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, it’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, ” Lukashenko, ”, Prigozhin’s, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Vladimir Putin, “ Organizations: Belarus CNN, CNN, Russian Defense Ministry, Belarus ’, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: Minsk, Belarus, St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, Rostov

☆ Moscow attacked by drones, Russia says, forcing authorities to temporarily close international airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An apparent drone attack on Moscow led to flights being delayed at one of the city's international airports. The defense ministry said all the drones were disabled, and no injuries were reported. But in May, after a previous drone attack on Moscow, one expert told Insider it looked to be a case of the Ukrainian government giving Russia "a taste of its own medicine." Ukraine has acknowledged carrying out drone strikes against military targets in its own internationally recognized territory. Earlier this year, a Ukrainian military intelligence official said one of his government's drone strikes had targeted a Russia oil facility in occupied Crimea.

Persons: —, Sergei Sobyanin, Maria Zakharova, Russia's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Moscow, Vnukovo Airport, TASS, Kyiv Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Kubinka, Russia, Ukrainian, Crimea

☆ Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Experts break down Putin's motivations and excuses for launching his war.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Insider spoke to three experts about why it happened, and the motives behind President Putin's move. AP Photo/Evgeniy MaloletkaPutin blamed the WestTaylor said the invasion of Ukraine reflects Putin's "grievances that have been brewing for a long time." For Putin, "Russia has a right to rule Ukraine. At the start of the invasion, Putin blamed NATO's expansion into eastern Europe for forcing his hand, echoing a criticism he has made for years. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with war correspondents in Moscow, June 13, 2023.

Persons: Putin's, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Felipe Dana, it's, George W, Bush, Stephen Hall, Hall, Alexander Ermochenko, Brian Taylor, Thomas Graham, Graham, Evgeniy Maloletka Putin, West Taylor, Taylor, Lithuania — Taylor, NATO didn't, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Omar Marques, They've, Russia's, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Stalin, Zelenskyy, Viktor Medvedchuk, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, GAVRIIL Organizations: Service, AP, University of Bath, Kyiv, REUTERS, Slavic, of, West, Syracuse University, Yale, NATO, NATO doesn't, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Getty, Nazis, Nazism, Putin, SPUTNIK Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bucha, Kyiv, Russian Ukraine, Soviet Union, USSR, Russian, Moscow, Luhansk, Belarus, Asia, of Russia, East, Avdiivka, Europe, Ryazan, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Zelenskyy, Afghanistan, Germany

☆ Russia's electronic warriors are intercepting Ukrainian troops' communications and jamming their GPS-guided bombs, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russian jamming seems to be affecting Ukraine's communications and US-provided weapons, experts say. "The problem may well be the sheer power of the jamming signal that can be brought to bear," Withington said. "Moreover, the closer the GPS receiver is to the R-330Zh's jamming antenna, the stronger the jamming signal becomes." Russia's counter-GPS efforts are part of a massive electronic-warfare campaign that has also disrupted Ukrainian radio communications and drone operations. John Moore/Getty ImagesAccording to the RUSI report, Russian EW troops are also "highly capable" at intercepting and decrypting Ukrainian radio communications.

Persons: —, Thomas Withington, Withington, Serhii, HIMARS, Worthington, Denis Abramov, Mil.ru Worthington, Russia's, John Moore, hasn't, countermove, Michael Peck Organizations: Ukrainian, Service, Ukraine —, NATO, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Pentagon, Getty, U.S, GPS, Russian Defense Ministry, Mil.ru, Russian, Russian GPS, Russian Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Ukrainian, Kharkiv Oblast, Withington, Forbes

☆ Russian 'troll factory' accused of interfering in US elections shuts down after exile of Wagner boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's "troll factory," accused of interfering in US elections, has been shut down. The factory was created by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the now-exiled leader of the Wagner mercenary group. The Moscow Times reported last week that — with Prigozhin gone — the Internet Research Agency was looking for new management. "I was never just a financier of the Internet Research Agency," he said. Nevskiye Novosti, a Patriot Media Group newspaper located in St. Petersburg, announced it shut down on Friday.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, —, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Zubarev —, Patriot Media Group —, Aleksandr Beglov, Andrei Krasnobayev, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Service, Internet Research Agency, Moscow Times, Reuters, US Treasury Department, RIA, Patriot Media Group, Kremlin, Petersburg Gov, Radio Free, Novosti, Putin, Catering, Concord Catering, Time Locations: Russia, Moscow, Belarus, United States, St, Petersburg, Nevskiye Novosti, St . Petersburg, Russian, Concord, Prague

☆ The Wagner revolt made everyday Russians start to question Putin's mission in Ukraine, Russian blogger says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ordinary Russians are starting to question the war in Ukraine, a Russian blogger told Insider. For the majority of typical Russian citizens, the Wagner uprising came as a "huge shock," Konstantinova told Insider. "You say we go to denazify Ukraine; you say they are our enemies," she said of Russia's leaders. On the surface, life has changed very little for most Russians since their country went to war, Konstantinova said. Konstantinova traveled to Mariupol with several other Russian citizens in December of last year, delivering electric heaters to Ukrainian citizens still living in the decimated and frozen city.

Persons: Wagner, Natalia Konstantinova, —, Vladimir Putin, Konstantinova, Chaos, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin, she's, festering, aren't, Natasha, it's Organizations: Service, Kyiv, Group, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Rostov

Colonel General Sergei Surovikin attends a briefing in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, on June 9, 2017. Rumors about his whereabouts — and his potential role in the short-lived insurrection — have been swirling in recent days. CNN has reached out to the Kremlin and Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on Surovikin’s whereabouts. Surovikin first served in Afghanistan in the 1980s before commanding a unit in the Second Chechen War in 2004. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces during Russia’s operations in Syria, which saw Russian combat aircraft causing widespread devastation in rebel-held areas.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Pavel Golovkin, Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Surovikin, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Peskov, Putin, “ Surovikin, Alexey Venediktov –, –, Sergey Markov, ”, Surovikin “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Mikhail Gorbachev, Organizations: Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow Times, CNN, Kremlin, Russian Ministry of Defense, General Staff, Defense, Ministry, Echo, New York Times, Russian Aerospace Forces, Washington DC, Jamestown Foundation, Human Rights Watch Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Surovikin, Echo Moscow, Rostov, Afghanistan, Syria, Idlib

The 56-year-old officer, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian media because of his reputation for ruthlessness, has not been seen publicly since early Saturday. Fighters from Mr. Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group were on the ground in Syria at the time, and reports indicate that both Wagner and General Surovikin used the civil war for financial gain. Besides leading Russian forces in Syria, General Surovikin was in Chechnya in the early 2000s, according to state news media and his biography on the Russian Defense Ministry’s website. Human Rights Watch said in 2020 that he was among military leaders who might bear “command responsibility” for human rights violations in Syria. He was placed on a European Union sanctions list on Feb. 23, 2022, a day before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Surovikin, Bashar al, Assad, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Wagner, General Surovikin, General Surovikin’s, Aleksei Navalny, Russia’s, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin’s, ” Samuel Ramani, “, ”, Ramani, Mikhail Gorbachev Organizations: New York Times, Fighters, Islamic State militants, Russian Army, Russian Defense Ministry, Royal United Services Institute, Russian Defense, Human Rights Watch, Jamestown Foundation, Union Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Syria, Russia, Ukrainian, Kherson, British, Rostov, Chechnya, Washington

☆ Most Americans support US arming Ukraine, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey. The two-day poll that was concluded on Tuesday charted a sharp rise in backing for arming Ukraine, with 65% of the respondents approving of the shipments compared with 46% in a May poll. Eighty-one percent of Democrats, 56% of Republicans and 57% of independents favor supplying U.S. weapons to Ukraine, according to the latest poll. Some right-wing Republican lawmakers have opposed continuing U.S. military support for Ukraine. The online Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted nationwide, collecting responses from 1,004 adults, including 400 Democrats and 383 Republicans.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Joe Biden's, William Taylor, Taylor, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Jonathan Landay, Jason Lange, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, U.S, U.S . Institute of Peace, Republican, Ukraine, NATO, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, China, U.S, Russian, United States

☆ Putin didn't kill Prigozhin after his revolt, but that doesn't mean he isn't trying to destroy the Wagner boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an armed revolt against Russian military leadership and survived. Members of Wagner group looks from a military vehicle in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, 2023. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. And it could make Prigozhin into a martyr," English said, arguing that Putin is likely to seek out other ways to destroy Prigozhin. For individuals higher up in the mercenary organization considered responsible for the rebellion, people like Prigozhin, Russian leadership has hinted at unspecified consequences.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, It's, ROMAN ROMOKHOV, ISW, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Robert English, burnish, Prigozhin's Organizations: Russian, Service, Wagner Group, Getty, Institute for, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, University of Southern, Wagner, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Belarus, Bakhmut, Rostov, AFP, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Don, University of Southern California, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Prigozhin

☆ Putin Moves to Punish Prigozhin Allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As President Vladimir V. Putin seeks to assert control in Russia, he is moving to punish people who enabled the mercenary boss Yevgeny V. Prigozhin’s rebellion over the weekend, but Mr. Prigozhin’s deep connections with the ruling elite are complicating those efforts. The question of who gets punished for the mutiny carries high stakes for the Russian leadership, especially because some of Mr. Prigozhin’s key allies and sympathizers are believed to be inside the military and the government. Several pro-war Russian blogs reported that the authorities were investigating military service members with ties to Mr. Prigozhin, but those reports could not be independently confirmed. Mr. Putin fed speculation about a broader crackdown on Tuesday evening in a closed-door meeting with Russian media figures at the Kremlin. In the meeting, he presented himself as a leader in total control, and said he was delving into Mr. Prigozhin’s business contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin’s, Sergei Surovikin, Prigozhin, Mr Organizations: Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian

☆ Belarus' dictator says he talked Putin out of assassinating Prigozhin: 'Yes, we could take him out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Belarus' president said that he talked Vladimir Putin out of assassinating Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin attempted to march on Moscow in an armed revolt against the Russian defense ministry. "I said to Putin, 'Yes we could take him out, it wouldn't be a problem, if it doesn't work the first time then the second,'" Lukashenko said in a speech Tuesday. Had Putin decided to follow through with this plan there wouldn't be any negotiations, Lukashenko said, according to state-run media agency BelTA. After Prigozhin's attempted mutiny, Putin announced an agreement in which Prigozhin could live in exile in neighboring Belarus, but Putin has since said traitors would be "brought to justice," suggesting that the Wagner leader could face consequences.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, —, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Putin, Shaun Walker ., Prigozhin's, Wagner Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Twitter Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Russia

☆ Putin is facing a new threat at home while Russia's military is making itself 'vulnerable globally,' experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It comes as Russia's military is tied down in Ukraine and less able to respond to crises elsewhere. Those questions come as a Ukrainian offensive bears down on Russia's military, which since late last year has been replenishing its forces in Ukraine with aging equipment and under-trained personnel. These efforts have bolstered Russian units in Ukraine but left the Russian military more vulnerable elsewhere and undermined its ability to respond to other crises, experts say. Russia's military has tried to show it still has muscles to flex, mostly with air and naval forces that are largely undamaged by the war. Russian troops board a military aircraft on their way to Kazakhstan in January 2022.

Persons: Wagner, it's, Putin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Russia's, Dara Massicot, Maxym, I've, there's, Massicot, Gorshkov, Kassym, Tokayev, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti, It's, Prigozhin, SERGEI GUNEYEV, Angela, John Kirby, Kirby Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Rand Corporation, Georgetown University, Getty, Russia's, Fleet, Northern Fleet, Iranian Army, Anadolu Agency, Moscow, Russian Defense Ministry Press, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Center for, East European Studies, Brookings Institution, National Security Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Siberia, Norway, Georgia, Central Asia, Russia, Syria, Kazakhstan, Russia's, Armenia, Tajikistan

☆ The fragile truce that halted Prigozhin's armed revolt against the Kremlin seems to be falling apart already
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wagner forces halted their revolt on Saturday after striking a deal with the Kremlin. The president praised Wagner troops for turning back and pledged to uphold his promise that those who did so can join the Russian military or seek amnesty in Belarus. But Putin also railed against the "organizers" of the revolt — never naming Prigozhin directly — as traitors who will be "brought to justice." Prigozhin's whereabouts remain unknown, and neither Telegram post nor televised speech have offered any clarity on the future of Wagner's 25,000 troops who remain armed. Prigozhin still has thriving Wagner activities in Africa that are likely more appealing than a life of exile in Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Antony Blinken, Biden, Blinken Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Washington Post Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Belarus, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Africa, Ukraine

☆ Prigozhin might want to 'steer clear of any upper floor windows' for now, says military expert: 'When you strike at a king, you must kill him'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A military expert says Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin "may want to steer clear" of windows. Wechsler added that Prigozhin should remember: "When you strike at a king, you must kill him." Two critics of Putin's war in Ukraine have died in the last year after falling from building windows. He came to an agreement because Putin has long been his patron, not his adversary — the Russian military elite is his adversary," Wechsler told Insider. "In the end, Putin and Prigozhin avoided the kind of conflict that would have risked each or both of them losing everything, but the resulting agreement has diminished them both.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wechsler, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Ralph Waldo Emerson's, William F, Prigozhin, Obama, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Antov, Antov, Ravil Maganov, Maganov's, Putin, " Wechsler Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Rafik Hariri Center and Middle, Atlantic Council, Associated Press, Russian Defense Ministry, BBC, Russian Locations: Rafik, Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, India, Russia

And they clearly had little interest in helping Mr. Putin avoid a major, embarrassing fracturing of his support. While it is not clear exactly when the United States first learned of the plot, intelligence officials conducted briefings on Wednesday with administration and defense officials. Placing Wagner forces under the control of Mr. Shoigu was “out of the question” for Mr. Prigozhin, Ms. Stanovaya said. But it was only in recent days that intelligence officials got the initial warnings that Mr. Prigozhin might take action. President Biden, speaking in October, talked of the dangers that Mr. Putin would pose if he felt cornered and said the United States was looking for “off ramps” for Mr. Putin.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Prigozhin’s, “, ”, Sergei K, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner ., Tatiana Stanovaya, Shoigu, Stanovaya, Gerasimov, Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Wagner Group, United, CNN, United States, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Associated Press, Intelligence, Russian, Ukrainian, Mr, Ministry of Defense, Defense Ministry, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, United States, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Belarus, United, U.S, Russian, Bakhmut, Wagner . Russia

And they clearly had little interest in helping Mr. Putin avoid a major, embarrassing fracturing of his support. While it is not clear exactly when the United States first learned of the plot, intelligence officials conducted briefings on Wednesday with administration and defense officials. Still, American officials concluded that Mr. Prigozhin’s public statements were not controlled by Mr. Putin. But it was only in recent days that intelligence officials got the initial warnings that Mr. Prigozhin might take action. President Biden, speaking in October, talked of the dangers that Mr. Putin would pose if he felt cornered and said the United States was looking for “off ramps” for Mr. Putin.

☆ Live updates: Russia accuses Wagner chief of urging "armed rebellion"
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Helen Regan | Andy Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Yulia Morozova/Reuters/FILEThe chief of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, on Friday accused Russian military leadership of striking a Wagner military camp and killing a "huge amount" of his mercenary forces. Prigozhin claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defense tricked Wagner and he vowed to "respond to these atrocities." Prigozhin claimed that the "evil that is being carried out" by Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" following the alleged attack. "The details started to appear; Minister of Defense arrived to Rostov especially to conduct an operation to destroy Wagner PMC. And earlier this month, the Wagner boss said he won't sign contracts with Russia’s defense ministry, rejecting an attempt to bring his force in line.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yulia Morozova, Wagner, Prigozhin, The Wagner, “, ”, CNN's Katharina Krebs, Lindsay Isaac, Uliana Pavlova, Radina Gigova, Josh Pennington Organizations: Russian Ministry of Defense, Wagner PMC, Ministry of Defense, Russia's Ministry of Defense, of Defense, Russia, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Moscow, Rostov, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Bakhmut

☆ What is the Wagner Group? A look at the mercenary group led by man accused of 'armed mutiny' in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Called by Russia a "private military company" the Wagner Group is called a proxy force by U.S. officials and others, while others label it a mercenary group. Worldwide effortsThe Wagner Group has also been involved in other parts of the world, including Africa. Senior Western diplomats have said that the Wagner Group took control of a gold mine there. Human Rights Watch said in a report that suspected Wagner Group forces have committed atrocities, including executing unarmed men. watch nowThe U.S. in January designated the Wagner Group a transnational criminal organization.

Persons: Maksim Konstantinov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, general's, Vladimir Alekseev, RBK, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, John Kirby, U.N, Kirby, Prigozhin Organizations: PMC, Private Military Company, PMC Wagner Center, Lightrocket, Wagner Group, Telegram, NBC, Wagner, Prigozhin, U.S . National Security, Strategic, International Studies, U.S . Department of Defense, Central African, Rights Watch, U.S . Treasury Department, U.S . National Security Council, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Washington, Russian, Africa, Libya, Central African Republic, Senior

Image Mr. Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin at one of Mr. Prigozhin’s factories in St. Petersburg in 2010. Mr. Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his forces, vowed to retaliate, on Friday. In an earlier videotaped speech, Mr. Prigozhin did not explicitly impugn Mr. Putin, instead casting him as a leader being misled by his officials. But, during the battle for Bakhmut, Mr. Prigozhin also emerged as a populist political figure, excoriating Russia’s military leadership for corruption. Others theorized that the Kremlin had orchestrated Mr. Prigozhin’s tirades against Mr. Shoigu, the defense minister, to deflect blame from Mr. Putin himself.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, ” Gen, Vladimir Alekseyev, ” Mr, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Russia’s, ’, “, ”, GOH, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adam Hodge, Vladimir Putin, —, Sergei K, Shoigu, Dmitri S, diatribes, excoriating, Prigozhin’s, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ” Julian E, Barnes, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: Russian, ., Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Russia’s, Defense Ministry, Telegram, Twitter, National Security, Associated Press, Bakhmut, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, Don, Russia, White, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Russian, Ukraine’s, “

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