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☆ State-owned VTB bank to control Russia's biggest shipbuilding firm for five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with CEO of VTB bank Andrei Kostin in Moscow, Russia, August 10, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERSSummaryCompanies VTB to control United Shipbuilding Corporation for five yearsVTB boss Kostin says the news is unexpectedPutin says there are problems at USCMOSCOW, Aug 10 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the state-owned VTB (VTBR.MM) bank would be given control of the state's 100% stake in United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), the largest shipbuilding company in Russia. Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov specified that VTB would manage the stake in trust for five years. United Shipbuilding Corporation builds vessels for both the civilian and military sectors, operating about 40 shipyards, design offices and repair yards across Russia and employing 95,000 staff. Putin told VTB CEO Andrei Kostin at a televised Kremlin meeting that he supported a government proposal to transfer the stake.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Andrei Kostin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Kostin, Putin, Denis Manturov, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Manturov, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Sputnik, United Shipbuilding Corporation, USC MOSCOW, USC, Trade, Industry, Kremlin, USC JSC, VTB Bank, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin

☆ Elon Musk's change in label policy on X, prompts 'dramatic rise in the Kremlin's visibility,' NATO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk ended Twitter, now X's, policy of labeling and de-amplifying state-affiliated accounts. A NATO analysis says the Kremlin has since seen a "dramatic rise" in its visibility as a result. The Russian Embassy in the US, which often posts propaganda, has since seen a 150% surge in views, NATO said. Elon Musk has prompted a "dramatic rise in the Kremlin's visibility on Twitter," according to an analysis from the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence. NATO's analysis of 11 Russian accounts, which were previously labeled by X, showed an average 60% increase in views since Musk's change in policy.

Persons: Elon Musk Organizations: Russian Embassy, Morning, NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence, Twitter, Sputnik, China's Global, BBC, NPR Locations: NATO, Russian, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Ukraine calls Jeddah talks productive, Russia calls them doomed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia August 4, 2023. More than 40 countries, including China, India, the United States, and European countries, but not Russia, are taking part in the Jeddah talks that are expected to end on Sunday without any written concluding statement. President Volodymir Zelenskiy has said he wants a global summit to take place based on those principles later this year. Eighteen months after Russia invaded Ukraine, any prospect of direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appears remote. Yermak said different viewpoints emerged during the talks in Saudi Arabia, calling them "an extremely honest, open conversation".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Aleksey Babushkin, Volodymir Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy's, Andriy Yermak, Sergei Ryabkov, Yermak, Pavel Polityuk, Angus McDowall, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Security, Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Global, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Saudi Arabia, Kyiv, China, India, United States, Jeddah, Ukraine, Copenhagen, Saudi, Beijing

☆ Moscow mayor says hostile drone destroyed by air defences
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin attends a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, February 7, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File PhotoAug 6 (Reuters) - Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said a hostile drone was destroyed by air defences as it approached the city on Sunday, while one of the capital's airports suspended flights. Russia's Defence Ministry said separately that the Ukrainian drone had been downed over the Podolsk district of the Moscow region south of the capital. Sobyanin wrote on messaging app Telegram that the drone approached Moscow around 11 a.m. (0800 GMT). Russia accused Ukraine of two drone attacks on its capital last week which damaged a skyscraper in the Moskva Citi district.

Persons: Sergei Sobyanin, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Sobyanin, Alex Richardson, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Russia's Defence Ministry, Moskva Citi, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Podolsk, Ukraine, Moskva

Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoSummary Medvedev pledges revenge for Black Sea attacksSuggests Russia will hit Ukrainian ports againThreatens ecological disasterMOSCOW, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday suggested Moscow would launch more strikes against Ukrainian ports in response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea, and threatened to hand Ukraine "an ecological catastrophe". Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, a body chaired by President Vladimir Putin, spoke after Ukrainian sea drone attacks on a Russian warship in the port of Novorossiysk, and against a tanker near Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Apparently, the strikes on Odesa, Izmail, and other places were not enough for them," Medvedev said in a post on his official social media accounts. Russia has in recent weeks targeted the Black Sea port of Odesa, where the Ukrainian Navy is headquartered, and Izmail, Ukraine's main inland port across the Danube River from Romania, damaging port infrastructure and grain facilities. Medvedev suggested retaliatory Russian strikes against Ukraine for its sea drone attacks could end any chances of reviving the grain deal.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Andrew Osborn, David Holmes Organizations: Russia's, Scientific, Machine, Sputnik, Saturday, Russia's Security, Security, Russian Navy, Ukrainian Navy, United Nations, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Reutov, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Novorossiysk, Crimea, Odesa, Romania, Poland

☆ Exclusive: Russia doubles 2023 defence spending plan as war costs soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They show that in the first half of 2023 alone, Russia spent 12%, or 600 billion roubles, more on defence than the 4.98 trillion roubles ($54 billion) it had originally targeted for 2023. Defence spending in the first six months of 2023 amounted to 5.59 trillion roubles, 37.3% of a total 14.97 trillion roubles spent in the period, the document showed. Between 2011 and 2022, Russia spent a minimum of 13.9% and a maximum 23% of its budget on defence. Russia has already spent 57.4% of its new annual defence budget, the document showed. Funding for schools, hospitals and roads was already being squeezed this year in favour of defence and security, but as the share of defence spending grows, other areas could face cuts.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ilya Pitalyov, Denis Manturov, Dmitry Polevoy, Yevgeny Suvorov, Suvorov, Mike Collett, White, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Sputnik, Reuters, Defence, MMI Telegram, Bank of Russia, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Russian, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Locko

☆ Exiled Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian troops in what may signal Putin's puppet next door is cutting some of the strings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Wagner Group mercenaries cast into exile in Belarus have been training the country's soldiers. The increased military training suggests that Putin's influential grip on Belarus may be waning. "The Wagner Group's new role in Belarusian company-level training is notable," the ISW analysis said. Shortly after that, Wagner troops began training internal troops, the Belarusian Deputy Commander of the Internal Troops confirmed on July 25. Lukashenko, meanwhile, has praised the Wagner fighters and welcomed the military training with open arms.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Eager, Russian Wagner, ISW, George Barros, Wagner's, Barros, Putin, Belta, John Kirby, We're, Kirby Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Russian, Institute for, Belarusian, Sputnik, Internal Troops, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Special Operations Forces, AP, Moscow, Ukrainian, Minsk, White, National Security, NATO Locations: Belarus, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Asipovichy, Minsk, Russian, Brest, Washington, DC, wean, Moscow, Ukraine, Sochi, Kremlin, Africa, Poland, Lithuania

☆ Lukashenko taunts Poland again over Wagner troops near border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo License this content on Reuters ConnectAug 1 (Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near the NATO country's border, saying Warsaw should thank him for keeping them in check. State news agency Belta quoted him on Tuesday as saying that the Poles "should pray that we're holding onto (the Wagner fighters) and providing for them. Rzeszow is a city in southeast Poland near the Ukrainian border. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said a group of 100 Wagner fighters had moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, describing the situation as "increasingly dangerous".

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Danichev, Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belta, Mateusz Morawiecki, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Reuters, Tuesday, NATO, Polish, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Poland, Warsaw, Belarus, Lukashenko, Rzeszow, State, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Grodno, Brest, Ukraine

☆ How a US government program advocated using nuclear explosions for construction, farming radioactive crops, and blasting holes in the moon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Most focused on the potential for nuclear explosions to quickly excavate areas for construction projects at lower costs than conventional explosives. (Hamblin is the author of the book "The Wretched Atom: America's Global Gamble with Peaceful Nuclear Technology.") Fly the radioactive skiesUS officials also hoped nuclear energy could be used for transportation. Nicknamed the "pan-atomic canal," nuclear explosions would have carved a sea-level waterway through Nicaragua, Panama, or Colombia, per Forbes. Corbis via Getty ImagesFor Hamblin, the concept of "peaceful nuclear explosions" fell out of favor in the mid-70s.

Persons: Christopher Nolan's, Oppenheimer, Jacob Hamblin, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Alex Wellerstein, Hamblin, you've, Dr Leonard Reiffel, Alaska's Cape Thompson, Edward Teller, detonations, Rio, Iran —, —, Corbis, Wellerstein, Marshall, we're Organizations: Service, White, Nevada . U.S . Department of Energy Office, Scientific, Atomic Energy, UN, United Nations, IAEA Imagebank, United, US Atomic Energy Commission, Technology, Institute of Radiation, Google, NASA, Sputnik, Air Force, U.S . Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, AEC, of Energy, Popular Mechanics, New York Times, Carryall, US Department of Energy, Forbes, Atomic Energy Commission, Getty, IAEA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Suez, Nevada ., United Nations, New York, Hitachiomiya, Japan, Soviet Union, Nevada, Alaska's Cape, inconveniently, Israel, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, Pacific, Farmington , New Mexico, Rulison , Colorado, Rio Blanco, , Colorado, Iran, Mercury , Nevada, USA, Cuba, Vietnam, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada —, Marshall

And it can only end on the basis of justice and reason," African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told Putin and African leaders in St Petersburg. Putin gave it a polite but cool reception when African leaders presented it to him last month. Putin responded by arguing, as he has in the past, that rising world food prices were a consequence of Western policy mistakes long predating the Ukraine war. On Thursday, he promised to deliver free Russian grain in the next several months to six of the countries attending the summit. Mali's Assimi Goita told Putin: "You have shown pragmatism and realism in efforts to reach agreement with Ukraine."

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Macky Sall, Cyril Ramaphosa, Pavel Bednyakov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Russia's Wagner, Faustin Archange Touadera, Assimi Goita, Kevin Liffey, Joe Bavier, Alexander Winning, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Kremlin, Union, Reuters, South, Sputnik, Central African, CAR, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, St Petersburg, Russian, Belarus, Congo, Europe, Kyiv, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Ukrainian, Western, Mali, Central, Central African Republic

☆ Putin says Ukrainian attacks intensify as Kyiv touts steady gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 27 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Ukraine had intensified its frontline attacks over the last few days while a Ukrainian official said Kyiv was making slow but steady progress in liberating its territory. Meanwhile, Putin told Russian television that every Ukrainian assault had been beaten back, and that Moscow's forces had inflicted significant losses on their opponents. However, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian forces were "gradually moving forward" near Bakhmut, and that fighting was ongoing near Klischiivka, Kudriumivka and Andriivka. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a session of Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 27, 2023. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed "very good results" on the battlefield in an address on Tuesday evening, promising to give details later.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yuriy Sak, Putin, Hanna Maliar, Alexei Danichev, Maliar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Aleksandr Khodakovsky, Sak, Max Hunder, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kyiv, Reuters, Russian, Sputnik, Lyman, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Klishchiivka, Bakhmut, Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, Klischiivka, Russian, Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Kupiansk, Kyiv, Staromaiorske, Moscow

☆ Russia and Iran's 'unprecedented' military ties worried the US, but it's starting to look like Russia can't hold up its end of the deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iran has supported Russia by providing it with arms to use in Ukraine. Kirby said "support is flowing both ways," with Moscow providing Tehran "an unprecedented level of military and technical support." As part of this burgeoning partnership, Iran expected to receive an unspecified number of Russian Su-35 jets, along with helicopters and even advanced S-400 air-defense systems. REUTERS/FARS NEWS/Ali ShayeganWhile Iran has never armed Russia to the extent it has in recent months, Moscow has sold Tehran considerable military hardware in the past. Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history.

Persons: John Kirby, Kirby, Russian Su, Saeed Azimi, Hassan Rouhani, Azimi, Putin, Alexei Nikolsky, Abu, Russia's, Richard Moore, Ali Shayegan, haven't, Tehran weren't, Iranian Su, ATTA KENARE, Moore, William Burns, Burns, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, National Security, Iranian MiG, Army Day, REUTERS, Sputnik, Gulf Cooperation Council, United Arab, GCC, Intelligence Service, Tehran, Soviet Union, Getty, UN, CIA Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Tehran, Wall, Silicon, Iranian, Egypt, Aktau, Kazakhstan, Kremlin, United Arab Emirates, Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, Persian, Hormuz, British, UAE, FARS, Iraq, Soviet, Islamic Republic, AFP

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meet people outside the Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Kronstadt near Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Demyanchuk/Pool via REUTERSJuly 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St Petersburg on Sunday. "There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Ukraine began its long-anticipated counter-offensive last month but has so far made only small gains against well entrenched Russian forces who control more than a sixth of its territory after nearly 17 months of war. Putin, in response, warned Poland on Friday that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Nicholas, Alexander Demyanchuk, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Milley, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Mark Trevelyan, Felix Light, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Belarusian, Naval, Sputnik, REUTERS, U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Telegram, NATO, Thomson Locations: St, Kronstadt, Saint Petersburg, Russia, St Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Poland, Warsaw, Rzeszow, Belarusian, Polish, Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, West

☆ Prigozhin's uprising failed, but it triggered China's 'psychology about warlords,' top White House official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A brief, failed revolt by Russian mercenaries in June raised doubts about Putin's hold on power. It also worried officials in China, which has its own history with "warlords," a US official said. They were unnerved by what happened two weekends ago in Moscow," Campbell said in an interview with The Wire China published on July 16, after several senior US officials visited China. China presented a peace plan in April — shortly after President Xi Jinping visited Moscow — that was widely seen as vague and self-interested. Putin and Xi have been a driving force behind the strengthening of Sino-Russian relations over the past 15 years.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Prigozhin, Kurt Campbell, Campbell, Xi Jinping, Wagner, We've, Putin Putin, SERGEI GUNEYEV, Yu Sui, Joseph Torigian, China's, Torigian, Xi, Ryan Haas, PAVEL BYRKIN, Haas, Obama, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti Organizations: Service, Pacific Affairs, White House National Security Council, China, Wagner Group, REUTERS, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Getty, Chinese Communist Party tabloid Global Times, Communist, Central Propaganda Department, China Center, Contemporary World, American University, Brookings Institution, The New York Times, Getty Images, National Security Locations: Russian, China, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, —, Rostov, Beijing, lockstep, Getty Images Beijing

☆ Putin Warns That Ukraine Could Be Invaded and Occupied by Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Friday that Poland wants to seize Western Ukraine. Russia has often deflected from its own invasion by claiming Poland has its own imperial ambitions. "Emboldened by the current circumstances, Poland has decided that the chance to absorb the remnants of Ukraine is to be taken now, or never," he wrote on Twitter. Speaking Friday, Putin — who launched the 2022 invasion with the hope of overthrowing Kyiv's government — claimed he would not "interfere" in internal Ukrainian affairs. But he accused Poland of also desiring parts of Belarus, a close Russian ally.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Kevin Rothrock, Dmitry Medvedev, Putin —, Kyiv's, — Organizations: Security Council, Service, Sputnik, Russia's Security, Twitter Locations: Western Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Crimea, —, Lithuania, Warsaw, Ukrainian, Lviv, Russian, Belarus

☆ 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

☆ 'Chaos' is fueling fights among Putin's top commanders. These are the players battling for power.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

More than three weeks after the historic challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's authority, there's still internal power plays and high-level purges in motion. "We are seeing a lot of military formations and military figures that are pushing for their own objectives." For example, in Kadyrov's case, he may be pushing for control to shield his fighters from the battlefield in Ukraine and send conventional Russian forces instead. Consequences for disobedienceInsubordination against Moscow's military leadership, such as Teplinsky's criticisms or the Wagner's rebellion, has undermined Russian military leaders but has also come with consequences for members of the anti-Gerasimov camp. The instability increasingly endemic to the Russian military comes as the Ukrainians try to break through their defensive lines.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, doesn't, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexander Ermochenko, he's, Stepanenko, Valery Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, there's, Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Alexei Nikolsky, Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Russia's, Teplinsky, Sergei Surovikin, There's, Friedemann Kohler, hasn't, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Popov, Vladimir Seliverstov, Popov, vilely, Viktor Zolotov, it's, ISW, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: Service, Institute for, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Southern Military, REUTERS, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense, Russian, Staff, AP, Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Getty, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Arms Army, 106th Guards Airborne, Russian MoD, National Guard, Russian National Guard Service, PMC Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Prigozhin, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia's Belgorod, Sputnik, Washington, Chechnya, Sochi, REUTERS Maj, Belgorod

☆ 4 major fighter-jet deals could reshape the Middle East's biggest militaries for decades to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Middle Eastern countries have for decades been major buyers of advanced fighter jets. Four potential deals involving Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt show that the trend will continue. Four looming acquisitions by Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt show that this trend will not change any time soon. Egypt's EaglesEgyptian Air Force MiG-29s during an exercise in Sudan in May 2021. While the Russian jets couldn't exchange data with Egypt's US-made aircraft, Cairo hoped they could operate as an "air force within an air force" and partially redress its limited air-to-air capabilities.

Persons: Cuneyt, MURAD, Erdogan, Mehmet Kaman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's, Biden, Sen, Bob Menendez, hasn't, Iran's, Vladimir Putin, Ebrahim Raisi, ALEXANDR DEMYANCHUK, it's, —, Iran hasn't, ATTA KENARE, Mohammed Reza Ashtiani, Iraq's, KARIM SAHIB, Saddam Hussein's, Ali Mohammed, KARI, ASHRAF SHAZLY, Derek Seifert, Frank McKenzie, Israel, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, Dassault Rafales, Dassault, Vipers, NATO Air Policing, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Getty Images, NATO, Senate Foreign Relations, SPUTNIK, Army Day, Iranian Parliament's National Security, Foreign, Iranian Defense, Rafale, ISIS, Getty Images Iraq, Thales Ground, AIM, Meteor, Egypt's Eagles Egyptian Air Force, Eagles, US Air Force, US Central Command Locations: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Wall, Silicon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Poland, Ankara, Syria, Greece, Samarkand, Getty Images Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet, US, Tehran, AFP, Iranian, Persian, Baghdad, France, South Korea, Czech, Iraqi, Balad, Sudan, Qatar, Cairo, Derek Seifert Egypt

☆ Analysis: NATO's crucial summit in Vilnius nearly came off the rails and gave Russia a PR victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for a clear path to join NATO for some time. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty ImagesWestern officials and diplomats, however, hoped that the issue would not be the focus of this week’s summit. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, and Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda, second right, address the public during an event on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. All of which created room for speculation about NATO’s unity, and allowed its adversaries to call the summit a failure. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (C) poses for an official family photo with the participants of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11, 2023.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Zelensky, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Gitanas Nauseda, Pavel Golovkin, Ben Wallace, ”, ” Brett Bruen, Obama, “, Jens Stoltenberg, Odd Andersen, There’s, David van Weel, – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Ukraine, Getty, Ukraine's, British, USA, ”, NATO “ Locations: Lithuanian, Vilnius, Sweden, Turkey, Brussels, Ukraine, AFP, Russia, Lithuania, Russian, America, Vilnius –, Washington

☆ Russia's Medvedev: NATO's military aid to Ukraine brings World War Three closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoJuly 12 (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said late on Tuesday that the increase in military assistance to Ukraine by the NATO alliance brings World War Three closer. World War Three is getting closer," Medvedev wrote on the Telegram messaging app. He also advocated on Tuesday for using the "inhuman weapon" that is cluster munitions after what he said were reports of Ukraine already using it. The U.S. announced it would supply Kyiv with cluster munitions that typically release large numbers of small bomblets over a wide area and are banned by many countries. Russia and Ukraine have previously accused each other of already using cluster munitions in the 500-day war.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Nikolay Pankov, Vladimir Putin, Medvedev, it's, Sergei Shoigu, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Deputy, Sputnik, NATO, Ukraine, Kremlin, U.S, Russian, Thomson Locations: Volgograd region, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Lithuania, Kyiv, Moscow, United States, Melbourne

☆ Kremlin says Turkey should have no illusions over its EU bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Gareth Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan September 16, 2022. He has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over the invasion and has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Turkey in August. Turkey had held up Sweden's accession, accusing the Nordic country of not doing enough to crack down on people Ankara sees as terrorists. He was alluding to long-standing EU resistance to admitting Turkey, a large, relatively poor Muslim country adjoining the Middle East. Turkey also helped last year to broker prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, and the Kremlin says Putin highly appreciates Erdogan's efforts to mediate in the war.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Alexander Demyanchuk, Ukraine Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Erdogan, Peskov, Putin, Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Sputnik, NATO Russia, EU, European Union, Kremlin, NATO, Russia, Russian, Nordic, Ankara, NATO's, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Moscow, Ankara, Lithuania, Kyiv, Republic of Turkey, Europe

A Meta spokesperson did not specify, when asked, how many staffers had been cut from its teams working on elections. Instead, Meta said the social media giant had invested $16 billion in technology and teams since 2016 to protect its users. For years, the social media giant has invested heavily in teams of personnel to root out sophisticated and coordinated networks of fake accounts. In addition to its in-house team, Meta and other social media companies rely on tips from academics and other researchers who specialize in monitoring covert disinformation networks. The launch of Threads even as Meta trims its disinformation-focused personnel comes at a turbulent and transformative time for those tasked with writing and implementing rules on social media platforms.

Persons: Meta, “, –, ”, Darren Linvill, Elon Musk, Katie Harbath, Nick Clegg, ’ ” Harbath Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Meta, Clemson University’s, Sputnik, Elon, Twitter, YouTube, Republican, Biden, GOP, Meta Global Locations: United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, India, Myanmar, Africa, Louisiana

☆ Belarus' dictator says he told Prigozhin he was ready to send special forces to defend Moscow against the Wagner rebellion and hoped he wouldn't be offended
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belarus' Lukashenko said he was ready to help defend Moscow from the Wagner Group's mutiny. The dictator told Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin he hoped he wouldn't be offended by the decision. A special forces brigade from Belarus' military was ready to deploy to Moscow immediately after Prigozhin and Wagner launched their short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leadership, Lukashenko told foreign and domestic reporters in Minsk. The dictator just hoped Prigozhin wouldn't mind that he was preparing to have his forces act against him. We will defend Moscow together with Putin," Lukashenko recalled, according to a translation of his remarks by state-run news agency BelTA.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny, Putin, BelTA, Russia's, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Privacy, Belarusian, Army, Sputnik, Kremlin, Institute for, Putin, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Rostov, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Kremlin, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine

☆ In Kremlin stunt, Putin and girl, 8, lobby minister for budget funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sputnik/Alexander... Read moreJuly 4 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted an eight-year-old girl in the Kremlin on Tuesday and got her to join him in a bizarre phone call to his finance minister to ask for a budget grant for her home region. The Kremlin released video of Putin welcoming the girl, Raisat Akipova, in the latest of a series of appearances since a brief armed mutiny last month that seem designed to show him as caring, concerned and in control. Putin responded, before telling the girl: "We've got 5 billion roubles for Dagestan" - a sum equivalent to $55.6 million. Putin chuckled with amusement during the conversation and a similar call that he made with Raisat to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The visit was a sequel to a visit by Putin to Dagestan last week when, unusually, he mingled with a large crowd of people.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Raisat Akipova, Alexander, Read, Putin, Anton Siluanov, We've, Raisat, Mikhail Mishustin, Siluanov, Wagner, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kremlin, Sputnik, Finance, Thomson Locations: Derbent, Republic of Dagestan, Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Dagestan

☆ Putin reassures Asian allies of Russia's stability after mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a summit of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) via a video conference call at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 4, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Kremlin via REUTERSMOSCOW, July 4 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin reassured Asian leaders of Russia's stability and unity on Tuesday in his first appearance at an international forum since the country was rocked by a brief armed mutiny last month. "The Russian people are consolidated as never before," Putin told a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a group that also includes China and India. Putin told the group there was a growing risk of a new global economic and financial crisis fuelled by developed countries' debts and worsening food and environmental security. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Andrew Osborn and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Kazakov, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Fatherland, Moscow, Belarus, SCO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, REUTERS MOSCOW, China, India, Russian, Ukraine, Iran, United States

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