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☆ Russia's Promsvyazbank buys more branches in annexed Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Russia's state-owned Promsvyazbank (PSKBI.MM) said on Friday that it had bought two credit institutions in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, doubling its chain of branches in Ukrainian territory Russia moved to annex last year. Promsvyazbank (PSB), one of Russia's 13 "systemically important credit institutions", offers a wide range of services but has focused on state employees and the defence sector since it was bailed out by the central bank in 2017. It had already been targeted with Western sanctions last year over Russia's actions in Ukraine. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kremlin says European infighting over sending advanced tanks to Ukraine is a sign of weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pressure is mounting on Germany to send its powerful Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The Kremlin said Monday the infighting showed "anxiety" growing in the West over helping Ukraine. Germany produces the tanks, and as well as declining to send any directly, it has also blocked other European countries from sending theirs, Politico reported. Some countries, including Poland and Finland, have already promised they would send Ukraine the tanks. Poland, which neighbors Ukraine, last week threatened to ignore Germany and send its Leopards without approval, The Guardian reported.

☆ The 'carrier killer' missile Russia fired into a Ukrainian apartment building, killing dozens, is 'notoriously inaccurate' and unpredictable, intelligence and experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Britain's defense ministry said the Kh-22 missile used in the attack is "notoriously inaccurate." The Kh-22 used in the attack is a Soviet-era supersonic anti-ship missile equipped with a 2,000-pound warhead. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's air force, referred to it as an "aircraft carrier killer" and said it's designed to "destroy aircraft carrier groups at sea." "They're tough to intercept with traditional air defenses," he said, adding that "you almost need a ballistic missile defense interceptor." This method poses a challenge to air defense systems because radars focus on certain sectors of the sky, he explained.

☆ RUSADA rules figure skater Valieva did not commit doping offence - WADA
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) investigation into figure skater Kamila Valieva's failed drug test has ruled that the teenager was not guilty of any doping infraction, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Friday. WADA said in a statement that RUSADA had determined that although Valieva had committed an anti-doping rule violation, she bore "no fault or negligence" for it. In her defence, Valieva said the positive test was the result of a mix-up with her grandfather's heart medication. CAS had cleared Valieva to continue competing at the Beijing Games in the women's singles, upholding an earlier decision by RUSADA to lift a ban on the skater. CAS had cited the fact that Valieva was a "protected person" under WADA rules as one of the "exceptional circumstances" underpinning its decision.

☆ 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.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Conflicting reports on whether strategic town has been captured by Russians; Kyiv says its forces are holding out
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The best fighters from Russia's paramilitary group, known as the Wagner Group, have been deployed to fight in Soledar in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made tactical gains in recent days. Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine's eastern forces, told local TV channel 24 that Russian forces were deploying their best Wagner fighters at Soledar, which had been struck 86 times by artillery over the past 24 hours. The Wagner Group is a private military company whose forces are fighting alongside Russia's standard military units. Wagner fighters have been privately recruited and the group is estimated to be around 50,000-men strong. Some Wagner fighters have reportedly already received pardons having fulfilled their military contracts.

The proposed new legislation, which still needs to be passed by parliament, would allow new reactors to be constructed at additional locations across Sweden and was seen being in place in March next year. "We have an obvious need for more electricity production in Sweden," Kristersson told a news conference. "What we are doing today is changing legislation to allow for the construction of more nuclear reactors at more places." Any expansion of nuclear power in Sweden could take many years given the complexity of such projects while energy demand is expected to rise sharply in coming years. Sweden currently has six operational reactors, half of what it once had, and temporary closures for maintenance of some of them have contributed to push up electricity prices in the Nordic country in recent months.

☆ Russia is trying to label as extremist maps that question its territorial claims over parts of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Maps that don't respect Russia's claimed "territorial integrity" are to be labeled extremist material. Lawmakers objected to maps that don't show occupied Crimea as part of Russia. An amendment to anti-extremism legislation would include as extremist "cartographic and other documents and images that dispute the territorial integrity of Russia," according to Reuters. Russia has claimed Crimea as Russian territory since its troops seized the land from Ukraine in 2014 — a claim rejected not only by Ukraine but by almost 100 UN member states. Independent Russian outlet Meduza, in editorial remarks, said the amendment will likely apply to the regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia since its 2022 invasion.

☆ Russia says it killed more than 600 Ukrainian troops in a revenge strike after a deadly attack on its forces, but there is no evidence that happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia said it killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops in revenge for a deadly strike on its forces. The Kremlin claimed over 600 Ukrainian troops died in a strike on Sunday in Kramatorsk. "As a result of a massive missile strike on these temporary bases of Ukrainian units, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed." Kyiv used a US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to strike Russian positions in the occupied city of Makiivka. The Kremlin said the attack killed nearly 90 of Moscow's troops in a rare disclosure of battlefield losses.

☆ Fact Check-Video of frozen deer on highway dates back to March 2021
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Contrary to claims on social media, a video showing deer partially frozen onto a highway was not filmed during the arctic blast that affected the United States in Dec. 2022. This crazy footage shows two walkers who spotted a Deer with its mouth, eyes & ears completely frozen over rescuing it. !”Through a reverse image search, Reuters found that the video has been circulating since at least March 2021. Russia's state-run RT shared the clip on March 4 that year, saying it was filmed in Kazakhstan by "Nurjan Makaev" (here). A video showing deer partially frozen onto a highway dates to March 2021.

☆ Russian rouble up vs dollar, euro in light trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble showed positive dynamics against the dollar and the euro amid a rebound in oil prices in thin holiday trading on Thursday. At 0711 GMT the rouble gained 1.3% against the dollar to trade at 71.06 on the Moscow Exchange. Against the euro, the rouble was up 0.85% to 75.50 . The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) gained 0.04% to 2,169 points. Oil prices rebounded on Thursday amid dollar weakness and as investors emerged to buy dips after two sessions of steep losses, though economic concerns capped recovery read more .

☆ Ukraine is getting Western armored vehicles as US, Germany, and France agree to send more firepower its way
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US, Germany, and France are sending Ukraine Western-made armored vehicles for the first time. The White House announced in a joint press statement on Thursday that the US intends to provide Kyiv with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, while Germany plans to send Marder infantry fighting vehicles. Earlier, both countries had hinted that Western armored vehicles could be included among future military aid. Zelenskyy did not specify which light vehicles he was referring to, though French politician Benjamin Haddad later confirmed that they are AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles. Ukraine has repeatedly requested heavy tanks and armored vehicles from Western countries.

☆ Russian rouble down with oil prices, trade remains thin
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in UkraineMOSCOW, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The rouble opened weaker on Wednesday amid lower oil prices and thin trading volumes during public holidays in Russia. At 0714 GMT, the rouble was 0.6% weaker against the dollar at 71.54 and had lost 1.1% to trade at 75.64 versus the euro . Brent crude oil , a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.4% at $81.8 a barrel. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) was 0.2% higher at 2,176.77 points. For Russian equities guide seeFor Russian treasury bonds seeReporting by Polina Devitt; editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian rouble slides in first trade of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Russian rouble weakened on Tuesday against the dollar and euro in the first session of the year in Moscow amid light trading volumes during public holidays in Russia. At 0705 GMT the rouble slid by 0.4% to the dollar to trade at 70.18 on the Moscow Exchange. Russian stock indexes were on the rise in early trade on Tuesday. The rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) gained 0.58% to 2,167 points. For Russian equities guide seeFor Russian treasury bonds seeReporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Ukraine war rages on without a clear end in sight. Here are 6 ways the conflict with Russia could play out
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

As Russia's war in Ukraine continues, there does not appear to be a clear end in sight. Russian victoryWhen it began its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia's goal was to take over the country completely. Rather than taking more territory, Russia's objectives in the current stage of war seem to be to weaken Ukraine's resources, economy, and army. Nuclear war and/or NATO interventionPutin has repeatedly made nuclear threats since he began the invasion of Ukraine and, in September, claimed that it was "not a bluff." One senior official previously said that a Russian nuclear strike could trigger a "physical response" from NATO itself.

☆ Aeroflot boss cals for 'state protectionism' to defend Russian aviation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's state-controlled airline Aeroflot called on the Russian government to "balance the interests" of Russian and foreign airlines in order to support the domestic aviation sector, in an interview with Russian news site RBC published on Wednesday. In the interview, Aeroflot CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky said it is "important that the state balances the interests of Russian and international carriers. Because it is obvious that foreign carriers now have much more opportunities and advantages in these conditions". Russian airlines stopped flying to most overseas destinations after Western countries imposed unprecedented sanctions, including bans on Russian carriers, after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Alexandrovsky said that competitors, including Turkish Airlines (THYAO.IS) and Emirates (EMIRA.UL) had benefitted most from the situation, and called for a degree of what he called "state protectionism" to safeguard domestic aviation.

☆ Board of Russia's AvtoVAZ approves $585 mln in 2023 investment programme - RIA agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The board of directors of Russian top carmaker AvtoVAZ approved the firm's 2023 investment programme for just under 40 billion roubles ($585 million), Russia's state news agency RIA reported late on Monday. "Yes, it has been approved," RIA quoted AvtoVAZ president Maxim Sokolov as saying. Renault (RENA.PA) sold its majority stake in Avtovaz (AVAZI_p.MM) to the Russian state for reportedly just one rouble ($0.0165) earlier this year, but with a six-year option to buy it back. Earlier in December, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation reported that the board of directors of AvtoVAZ approved the company's production plan for 2023 at the level of 401,000 vehicles, RIA said. ($1 = 68.3500 roubles)Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's Rosatom sees 2022 exports growth at 15% - report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Rosatom GK FollowDec 26 (Reuters) - Russia's Rosatom expects its 2022 exports growth at 15%, while its foreign order portfolio has remained stable at $200 billion, the state nuclear energy company's Chief Executive Officer Alexei Likhachev told the Russian Izvestia newspaper. The growth comes, among others, from contracts already being implemented, supplies of fuel, enriched uranium products, as well as conversion services, Likhachev said. It also includes the construction of 23 nuclear power units at projects in a dozen countries, he added. Rosatom has been in talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency about a safe zone around Ukraine's Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which Russian troops captured in March. In August, Rosatom and its Finnish partner Fennovoima have filed claims for billions of dollars in damages from each other over Fennovoima's decision to cancel a planned nuclear power plant in Finland.

☆ Putin oversees launch of Siberian gas field feeding pipeline to China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a ceremony launching production at the Kovykta gas field, which will feed into the Power of Siberia pipeline carrying Russian gas to China, via a video link with head of Gazprom Alexei Miller in Moscow, Russia, December 21, 2022. Dec 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over the launch of a major new Siberian gas field on Wednesday to help drive a planned surge in supply to China. The Kovykta gas field will feed into the Power of Siberia pipeline carrying Russian gas to China. In February, Putin reached an agreement to sell an additional 10 bcm of gas to China from Russia's Far East through a new, smaller pipeline to China's northeast. Putin said last week the projects would allow Russia to boost its gas sales to China to 48 bcm annually by 2025 and to 88 bcm by 2030.

☆ Zelenskiy may visit Washington to meet Biden, congressional leaders- sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Punchbowl News first reported the possible trip, which would be Zelenskiy's first known visit outside Ukraine since Russia launched its assault on the country on Feb. 24. Zelenskiy is expected to meet congressional leadership and national-security committee chiefs from the Republican and Democratic parties and could address a joint session of Congress, Punchbowl reported earlier. Zelenskiy made a surprise trip to troops in the battered eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, underlining Russia's stuttering but persistent attempts to capture it. Zelenskiy last left Ukraine for the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 19, according to his official schedule. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported visit by Zelenskiy.

☆ Russian military releases propaganda pop song fantasizing about its nukes wiping out NATO and the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A branch of Russia's defense ministry released a pop song celebrating its vast nuclear arsenal. The song celebrates the power of the "Sarmat" missile, also known as the "Son of Satan." The music video for the song was published by ParkPatriot.media, an arm of the Russian defense ministry focused on propaganda. It shows images of the Sarmat missile being test-fired and, at one point, showed Maidanov watching Putin speak on TV. The Russian Sarmat is ready/ To strike our enemy," Maidanov sings in the video, translated by Insider.

☆ Putin orders border strengthening, demands greater control of society by special services
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders and instructed special services to keep greater control of society and to ensure the safety of people in regions in Ukraine that Moscow claims as its own, news agencies reported. "Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service (FSB)," Russia's state-owned RIA news agency cited Putin as saying. Speaking on Security Services Day, widely celebrated in Russia, Putin instructed the services to increase control of the society and maximise their "use of the operational, technical and personnel potential" to prevent risks coming from abroad and internal traitors. "Maximum composure, concentration of forces is now required from counterintelligence agencies, including military intelligence," TASS state agency citied Putin as saying. "It is necessary to severely suppress the actions of foreign special services, quickly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs."

☆ Robotic arm to inspect leaky Soyuz spacecraft, Russia says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Dec 18 (Reuters) - A 17-metre-long Canadian-made robotic arm on the International Space Station will inspect a docked Soyuz spacecraft after a leak was noticed just before a spacewalk last week, Russia's state space corporation said on Sunday. After the spacewalk was called off on Dec. 15, Roscosmos said there had been damage to the outer skin of an instrument assembly compartment of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule. Roscosmos said cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Anna Kikina were enjoying a day of rest on the Space Station and would then watch the final of the World Cup. "The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft will be inspected with cameras of the SSRMS, the Space Station Remote Manipulator System," Roskosmos said in a statement. Preparations are underway for the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, and Russia's space agency said that launch could be accelerated if needed.

☆ Explainer: When are attacks on civilian infrastructure war crimes?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Gleb GaranichTHE HAGUE, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Russia's attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, have been described as possible war crimes by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Amnesty International. The Geneva conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say that parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between "civilian objects and military objectives" and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden. IS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN? "Simply put, Russian forces are almost certainly striking many targets that do not qualify as military objectives," Schmitt argues. Russia says it attacks military targets including energy infrastructure.

☆ A Patriot missile battery from the US could create new headaches for Russia in Ukraine and throw a wrench into its terror campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine is reportedly slated to receive a US-made Patriot missile defense battery. The US is poised to send Ukraine a Patriot missile defense battery that is already stationed overseas. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, it is the primary air and missile defense system that the US has in its arsenal. Patriot missile defense system at Schwesing military airport in Germany on March 17, 2022. A NATO Patriot air defense missile system stands at Slovakia's Sliac air base on April 27, 2022.

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