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☆ Putin's military command reshuffle reveals a power struggle at the heart of the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin's latest reshuffle of the top brass in charge of Ukraine operations reveals a deeper power struggle between Moscow's military command and its domestic detractors, analysts say. One of the most prominent and powerful critics of Moscow's strategy in Ukraine is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group — a private military company fighting in Ukraine. His criticism seemed to bear fruit with the October appointment of Gen. Sergei Surovikin as the overall battlefield commander for Russian troops in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Prigozhin's criticism of Russia's military commanders and frequent boasts over the Wagner Group's triumphs have raised heckles in Moscow. Sergei Surovikin, the former commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, seen here in 2021.

☆ Russia's defense manufacturing sector is using convict labor to meet war-time demands: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia announced it's using the forced labor of convicts to manufacture weaponry. The UK MOD said that manufacturers are likely under intense pressure to keep the army supplied. Russia, which reintroduced forced prison labor in 2017, has a prison population of around 400,000, as well as a system accused of perpetuating "extreme brutality and corruption," the UK MOD said. It is likely under "intense pressure" to produce more, the UK MOD said. The UK MOD report follows several signals that Russia, like Ukraine, is grappling with difficulties in keeping its front line supplied with a wide range of munitions.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, center, with soldiers in what they said was a salt mine in Soledar, Ukraine in this image released on Jan. 11. By contrast, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed that Soledar had fallen to Russian forces or mentioned the Wagner group’s involvement in attempts to take it. Russia has consistently denied the involvement of the Wagner Group in its official military operations. Prigozhin during the funeral of Wagner group fighter near St. Petersburg, on Christmas Eve. To date, the hawks have been far louder than the pragmatists, and a chorus of hard-right bloggers have excoriated Russia’s military performance, while television pundits have called for a tougher approach.

☆ Putin is fighting an 'internal power struggle' to weaken critics amid Russia's mounting military failures in Ukraine, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin is likely moving to silence critics with this move as he fights an internal power struggle, analysts say. Ukrainian intelligence has also suggested that Surovkin is a rival of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, ISW said. ISW said Gerasimov's appointment was also designed to "support an intended decisive Russian military effort in 2023, likely in the form of resumed Russian offensive operations." After failing to take Kyiv in the early months of the war, Russia turned its attention to Ukraine's east. It's unclear whether the recent change in leadership in Ukraine will drastically alter Russia's narrowing options on the battlefield.

☆ Russia is holding back on using its most advanced fighter jets over Ukraine because it's scared they will get shot down, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is using its most advanced combat jets against Ukraine, British intelligence said Monday. But the jets are only firing missiles into Ukraine from Russian territory, the brief added. Russia is keeping them back over worries about "reputational damage" if they're shot down, it said. In its latest intelligence update, the UK's Ministry of Defence said Moscow has "almost certainly" used Su-57 Felon fighter jets to conduct missions against Ukraine since at least June 2022. "These missions have likely been limited to flying over Russian territory, launching long-range air-to-surface or air-to-air missiles into Ukraine," the brief said.

☆ For 60 years, the US Navy has been training dolphins and sea lions to keep rivals away from its most sensitive hardware
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Gidget Fuentes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The US Navy has been training dolphins and sea lions to detect undersea threats since the 1960s. A US Navy trainer with a Mark 5 Marine Mammal sea lion in Key West in October 1990. The program worked with sharks, rays, and sea turtles but settled on dolphins and sea lions. US NavyThe Navy Marine Mammal Program's budget for 2023 provides $40 million for "food, medicine, veterinary care, husbandry, and facilities," Wilson said. A US Navy sea lion jumps into a riverine command boat during a mine-countermeasures exercise in Bahrain in November 2014.

☆ Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine can freeze their sperm for free says Putin's government: TASS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine will have access to free sperm-freezing services. The offer applies to "those called up for military service as part of the partial mobilization." Soldiers want to freeze their sperm that their wives can access if they are killed in action, said local reports. The number of Russian soldiers killed or wounded fighting in Ukraine, where Putin's forces have experienced a series of military setbacks in more than 300 days of fighting, remains unclear. In November, a US military chief put the number of Russian soldiers killed or wounded at up to 100,000, according to CNN.

☆ Russia is considering plans to expand its military by around 30%, to 1.5 million troops, says British intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin was given a plan to boost Russia's military by 30%, to 1.5 million personnel, the UK MOD said. It is not clear when Russia would have these new troops and how it would get them, the UK MOD added. Sweden and Russian neighbor Finland applied to join NATO in May, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and are close to the end of the process. Russia's army has struggled since its invasion of Ukraine, with widespread reports and intelligence updates highlighting poor training and low morale among its troops. In September, Russia announced a partial mobilization of an additional 300,000 troops, which it said was completed in October.

☆ Ukraine's Ministry of Defense reassures kids that Santa and his reindeer won't be shot down by Russian missiles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian defenses will keep Santa safe from Russian missiles, Ukraine's MOD tweeted. He may be listening: the US is set to transfer its Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine. "But [Ukraine's] air defense guarantees a safe flight for him and his reindeer over our land." Air defense remains one of Ukraine's gravest concerns as Russia's invasion continues with no end in sight. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is set to send Ukraine the Patriot missile system, its most advanced air defense system, a senior administration official told The Washington Post on Tuesday.

☆ UK to hold inquiry into allegations special forces killed Afghan civilians
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Britain's defence ministry announced on Thursday an inquiry into allegations that its special forces carried out dozens of extrajudicial killings during night raids in Afghanistan. The announcement follows a report by BBC television's Panorama programme in July that alleged soldiers from the elite Special Air Service (SAS) had killed 54 people in suspicious circumstances. The inquiry, which will be led by senior judge Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, would also look at the adequacy of the response to the allegations, the MoD said. "The UK's armed forces rightly hold themselves to the highest possible operational standards," Murrison said. "Operations must be conducted within the clear boundaries of the law and credible allegations against our forces must always be investigated thoroughly."

☆ Russia’s army is so ineffective it will probably not be able to take much territory in Ukraine for ‘the next several months’, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK MOD said Russia looked unlikely to make any big gains in Ukraine for months. It's highly unlikely that Russia can generate an effective striking force in the coming months, it said. Ukraine, meanwhile, predicted an increase in its offensive moves once the ground freezes. The British defense ministry said in an intelligence update on Monday that "Russian ground forces are unlikely to make operationally significant advances within the next several months." On December 3, Avril Haines, the US National Intelligence Director, said that winter conditions are expected to slow the war, and that there was already a "reduced tempo."

☆ Russia is drafting soldiers with 'serious, chronic health conditions' to fight in Ukraine: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is drafting fighters with chronic health problems to fight in Ukraine, UK intelligence said. "Mobilized reservists have highly likely experienced particularly heavy casualties," it concluded. In an intelligence update Thursday, the ministry addressed the mobilization of reservists by the Russian military in its invasion of Ukraine. Russia ordered the mobilization of around 300,000 reservists in September, after its military suffered heavy casualties in its invasion of Ukraine. Both sides though have sustained heavy casualties.

☆ Russian university officials pressured African students to join the war, threatening them with axed scholarships and tuition hikes: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

African students in Russia told The Daily Beast that they were pressured to fight in Ukraine. Students said they were told they could lose their scholarships or see fee hikes, per the Beast. This pressure included warnings that the government could cancel their scholarships and raise tuition fees, the students told the outlet. Students have also been approached by police and the military, a second Nigerian student told the Beast. Even so, students with financial difficulties are considering the offer to sign up, the students told the Beast.

☆ Russian soldiers are surrendering to Ukrainian drones, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Footage shared by Ukraine's MOD appears to show a Russian soldier surrendering to a drone. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have claimed to have used drones to advise combatants to surrender. Ukraine has claimed other successes in getting Russian soldiers to surrender, most prominently through its "I Want to Live" hotline, which it says has received more than 3,500 calls. Russia's defense ministry also says it is using drones to ask Ukrainians to surrender, state-controlled news agency TASS reported in early November. Russia's primary use of drones in the fall has been aggressive, deploying Iran-made drones to attack Ukrainian forces — and infrastructure — in swarms, as Insider's Michael Peck reported.

☆ Russia raised a record $13.6 billion in one day as the cost of Vladimir Putin's war with Ukraine keeps mounting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia raised more than $13 billion in a day as the cost of Putin's war in Ukraine keeps mounting. Britain's Defence Intelligence said it was the largest amount Moscow had raised in a single day. Russia's defence spending for 2023 is estimated to be 40% higher than previously forecast. The true cost of Russia's invasion of Ukraine remains unclear. The government estimated in the summer that it needed $5 billion a month to maintain essential services, and some $750 billion for reconstruction.

☆ So many mobilized Russian reservists had buy their own military gear that thermal underwear now costs up to $340 and a hiking backpack costs as much as $600
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian reservists forced to buy their own gear are finding sky-high prices in stores, reports say. Some items like body armor vests cost up to 10 times than normal, one Russian news site wrote. Putin last month announced a mobilization of 300,000 Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine. Russian reservists have to buy their own suppliesThe buying frenzy started after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in September that 300,000 reservists would be drafted to fight in the Ukraine war. The MOD added that the quality of the average Russian reservist's equipment now is far worse than what was provided to earlier Russian deployments.

☆ China's military is trying to recruit ex-British Air Force pilots for training and intel, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

China's military is headhunting ex-British Air Force pilots for their training skills and expertise — and the U.K. government is working to stop it, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said Tuesday. Recruitment is said to be ramping up, with former pilots being offered large paychecks to work for the Chinese. While training and recruiting pilots is not illegal under U.K. law, the practice presents an intelligence risk as U.K. officials suspect China's military aims to learn about tactics and operations employed by Western pilots. One former Australian Air Force pilot, speaking to CNBC anonymously due to professional restrictions, said he was offered nearly $1 million a year to work for the Chinese military. And President Joe Biden, as part of the U.S.'s national security strategy, named China as America's "most consequential geopolitical challenge."

☆ Austin Stoker, star of ‘Assault on Precinct 13’ and ‘Sheba, Baby,’ dies at 92
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Austin Stoker, a veteran actor who most notably starred in John Carpenter’s sophomore feature “Assault on Precinct 13” and co-starred with Pam Grier in the 1975 blaxploitation feature “Sheba, Baby,” died Friday of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Details regarding Stoker’s death were shared by his wife of 43 years, Robin Stoker, on her personal Facebook Monday evening. In the landmark independent thriller “Assault on Precinct 13,” Stoker starred as Lt. Ethan Bishop, a Black cop who must lead a group of criminals, civilians and office workers as a police station is besieged by a relentless army of street gang members. In addition to “Precinct 13,” Stoker also played a key role in 1973’s “Battle for the Planet of the Apes,” in which he played Macdonald, the right hand human to Roddy McDowall’s primate leader Caesar. His first TV role came in 1969 with an episode of “The Mod Squad.”Stoker is survived by his wife, Robin; children, Tiffany and Origen; and grandsons, Marcus and Austin.

☆ Putin is making strategic mistakes because nobody in the Kremlin can tell him he's wrong, UK intelligence chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin's strategy is failing because he has "little effective internal challenge," per a UK intel chief. The remarks come after Putin launched a major bombardment of Ukrainian cities and facilities. The Russian leader has surrounded himself primarily with people who share his mindset, making internal challenges to his thinking exceedingly rare. Putin framed this as retaliation for an attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge over the weekend, state media reported. On Saturday, Putin named a notoriously brutal commander, Sergei Surovikin, to lead Russia's assault on Ukraine.

☆ The number of Russians fleeing the country to evade Putin's draft is bigger than the original invasion force, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK's MOD said the number of fleeing Russians likely exceeds Putin's original invasion force. "Whilst exact numbers are unclear, it likely exceeds the size of the total invasion force Russia fielded in February 2022." According to the Associated Press, as of Wednesday at least 194,000 Russians have fled to Georgia, Kazakhstan and Finland alone. Those conservative estimates already exceed what the US had estimated to be the 190,000-strong invasion force that massed at Ukraine's border just prior to the invasion. The UK's MOD noted on Thursday that "the better off and well educated are over-represented amongst those attempting to leave Russia."

☆ Putin pushed off meetings with top military officials as the Kremlin tries to deflect blame for Russia's disastrous retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin put off meetings with his top military officials as Russia suffers defeats in Ukraine. The Kremlin has been working to deflect blame for Putin's recent defeats in Moscow's war with Ukraine, a US think tank said. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have recaptured large swaths of territory from Russian control. The move to put off the meetings came as Ukrainian forces reclaimed territory from Russian occupation in a stunning counteroffensive in the nearly seven-month-long war. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have recaptured large swaths of territory from Russian control in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine's second-largest city.

☆ Actele cu care poți vota la parlamentarele din 11 iulie
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-10 | by ( Aliona Ciurca | ) www.zdg.md time to read: +1 min

La alegerile parlamentare anticipate din 11 iulie 2021, alegătorii vor putea vota pentru unul dintre cei 23 de concurenți electorali înscriși în liste, pe teritoriul R. Moldova cu următoarele acte de identitate:buletinul de identitate valabil cu fişa de însoţire, care confirmă domiciliul sau reşedinţa titularului pe teritoriul secţiei de votare;buletinul de identitate provizoriu;legitimaţia de serviciu pentru militarii în termen și livretul eliberat de Centrul Serviciului Civil. Cetăţenii care nu deţin un act de identitate valabil necesar pentru a vota pe teritoriul ţării, pot solicita un butetin de identitate provizoriu, eliberat în mod gratuit şi conform principiului teritorial, la centrele multifuncţionale ale Agenţiei Servicii Publice, care vor fi deschise între orele 7.00-21.00 în ziua votării. Solicitanţii nu vor fi obligaţi să prezinte documente de stare civilă dacă nu au intervenit schimbări în datele personale de la eliberarea ultimului act de identitate sau în cazul în care modificările se atestă în Registrul de stat al populaţiei. Cetăţenii Republicii Moldova care au depus cererea pentru eliberarea buletinului de identitate în perioada 11 iunie – 08 iulie 2021, vot putea să-şi ridice actul de identitate până la data de 11 iulie, inclusiv, indiferent de termenul-limită şi tariful achitat pentru perfectarea documentului. Informaţii suplimentare pot fi solicitate la Call – centrul Agenţiei Servicii Publice (14 909), afişat pe pagina web a aAgenţiei www.asp.gov.md .

Locations: Moldova

☆ O adolescentă din Israel a câștigat în instanță dreptul de a se vaccina anti-COVID-19, împotriva dorinţei mamei
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-10 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +1 min

Sursa foto: AFPO adolescentă din Israel a câștigat în instanță dreptul de a se vaccina anti-COVID-19, împotriva dorinţei mameiO adolescentă de 16 ani din Israel a câștigat în istanță dreptul de a fi vaccinată anti-COVID-19 împotriva dorinţei mamei ei. Adolescenta a depus o plângere în justiţie împotriva mamei ei în martie, pentru că voia să fie vaccinată ca tatăl ei şi ca alte rude. Pe lângă faptul că va trebui să-i permită fiicei sale să se vaccineze, mama trebuie să plătească acum şi cheltuielile de judecată, care reprezintă echivalentul a circa 1.540 de dolari. Numărul infecţiilor de coronavirus din Israel a crescut recent în mod semnificativ. Ministerul Sănătăţii a anunţat joi că în ultimele 24 de ore au fost raportate 518 de cazuri noi.

Persons: . Adolescenta, Instanţa, Naftali Bennett Locations: Israel, justiţie, Haifa

☆ Iarmarocul de flori din Capitală, fără vânzători. La târg au venit cu marfă doar zece comercianți
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-09 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

A suflat vântul astăzi în iarmarocul de flori şi răsad amenajat special pentru producătorii autohtoni în Piaţa Centrală din Capitală. Deși au solicitat în mod repetat deschiderea târgului pentru a-şi putea vinde marfa, am surprins doar 10 vânzători. "Băiatul meu a stat o săptămână şi a vândut într-o săptămână de 75 de lei, dar locul e 75 pe zi. Administrația Pieţei Centrale spune că iarmarocul a fost deschis la insistenţa vânzătorilor. Iarmarocul de flori şi răsad va fi deschis până în 31 iulie.

Persons: Veronica Ion, Ion Pîntea Organizations: Centrale Locations: Piaţa, Capitală

☆ Cum a reușit KIDDO să îmbunătățească peste 3.500 de ore din viața părinților — Moldova.org
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-09 | by ( ) www.moldova.org time to read: +3 min

Asta a reușit start-up-ul KIDDO în primele 6 luni de la lansare. Serviciul, care este unul nou pe piața Republicii Moldova, a fost lansat în luna ianuarie curent și are drept scop de a conecta părinții cu babysitteri pentru servicii ocazionale, de scurtă durată. Accesând platforma kiddo.md, părinții cu ușurință pot alege un babysitter în funcție de zona în care se află. Preluarea textelor de pe Moldova.org se realizează doar în limita maximă de 2000 de semne, cu 2 link-uri directe spre articolul citat în prima și ultima propoziție a fragmentului preluat. Fotografiile/infograficele de pe platforma moldova.org pot fi preluate în număr de maxim 2 bucăți per material și doar cu menționarea Moldova.org și numele autorului/autoarei.

Persons: Maria, Diana Ivanov Organizations: Statistică Locations: Republicii Moldova, Moldova

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