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☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Putin in a 'heightened emotional state' and 'bordering on euphoria' following failed Wagner mutiny, Russia analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin is in a "heightened emotional state" following the Wagner mutiny, a Russia expert says. The rebellion, although ultimately a failure, was the most overt challenge Putin has ever faced and has ultimately weakened him, experts say. "Recently, his public appearances have depicted an inexplicable joy bordering on euphoria, a stark departure from his usual demeanor," said Stanovaya. Russian President Vladimir Putin kisses a participant of a meeting in a street in Derbent in the southern region of Dagestan, Russia, June 28, 2023. "His heightened emotional state makes him more susceptible to manipulation.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Tatiana Stanovaya, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Sputnik, REUTERS, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Twitter Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Dagestan, Derbent, Kremlin

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. "I want people to stop dying over this ridiculous war," Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview. As president, Trump developed friendly relations with Putin, who Biden said on Wednesday has "become a bit of pariah around the world" for invading Ukraine. Trump said Putin had been damaged by an uprising by the Russian mercenary force, the Wagner Group, and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, last weekend. As president, Trump adopted a tougher stance on China while claiming a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping that soured over the coronavirus pandemic.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Trump, they've, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Biden, Yevgeny Prigozhin, he's, you'll, Xi Jinping, they'd, They'd, Steve Holland, Nathan Layne, Kanishka Singh, Ross Colvin, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, Sputnik, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Former U.S, Reuters, Russian, NATO, Wagner Group, International, Thomson Locations: Osaka, Japan, Kremlin, Former, United States, Russia, Ukraine, China, Chinese, Cuba, U.S, Kyiv, Russian, Beijing, Taiwan

☆ Opinion: How Prigozhin’s mutiny will resonate in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Chris Good | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Chris Good: You have spent a lot of time talking to Russians and developing a deep understanding of Russian public opinion. How will Prigozhin’s rebellion resonate in the Russian public consciousness, in your view? But especially now that it’s all sort of failed in the dust, there’s certainly opinion that it’s very good that it ended. Good: In the book, you talk about public opinion in Russia as involving a set of contradictions. Do you think of Russia as having public opinion, per se, and how you would characterize that public opinion, or the state of mind of Russians, throughout this war?

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Ukraine —, Jade McGlynn Jade McGlynn, Jade McGlynn, ”, Vladimir Putin, Chris Good, there’s, Yulia Morozova, Reuters I’ve, ’, Prigozhin, McGlynn, Prigozhin’s Wagner, It’s, Putin, they’re, Putin —, ‘, Gennady, Zyuganov, ‘ Yeltsin, it’s, Stringer, Russia —, jockeying, they’ve, dismissible, Alexei Levinson, Masha Gessen, I’m, Masha, you’re, We’re, ’ Wagner, Roman Romokhov, he’s, Ramzan Kadyrov, —, you’ve, Russia wouldn’t, Bill Gates Organizations: CNN, War Studies Department, King’s College London, Reuters, Communist, Southern Military District, Getty, Telegram, Soviet Union —, Twitter, Facebook, Sputnik Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Rostov, British, Don, Putin Russia, That’s, aggrievement, Chechnya, AFP, Kyiv, Soviet Union, It’s

☆ Where are Russian generals Gerasimov and Surovikin after Wagner rebellion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Absent from view too is General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon" by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, who is deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine. Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defence ministry press officer, said a purge was underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov attend an annual meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia, December 21, 2022. Dara Massicot, an expert in the Russian military at the RAND Corporation think-tank, said that something looked odd about the video, in which Surovikin has an automatic weapon on his lap. "Surovikin (is) a brute but also one of the more capable Russian commanders," Freedman said on Twitter.

Persons: Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gerasimov, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Dmitry Peskov, Wagner, Rybar, Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Kuravlev, Prigozhin, Michael Kofman, Viktor Zolotov, Shoigu, Dara Massicot, He’s, he’s, Alexei Venediktov, vilifying Shoigu, Lawrence Freedman, Freedman, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Lisa Shumaker, Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: New York Times, Wednesday, Staff, Reuters, Moscow Times, Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Defence Ministry Board, Sputnik, REUTERS, Carnegie Endowment, Twitter, National Guard, Moscow, Tuesday, RAND Corporation, Western, King's College London, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Surovikin, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Moscow's, Lefortovo, Chechnya, Syria

☆ Analysis: Where are Russia's top generals? Rumours swirl after mercenary mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Valery Gerasimov, Russia's top general, has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny on Saturday when mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded Gerasimov be handed over. Gerasimov, 67, is the commander of Russia's war in Ukraine, and the holder of one of Russia's three "nuclear briefcases," according to some Western military analysts. Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defence ministry press officer, said a purge was underway. Surovikin, Gerasimov's deputy, was last seen on Saturday when he appeared in a video appealing to Prigozhin to halt his mutiny. He had been spoken of by Russian war correspondents as a potential future defence minister.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Kuravlev, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gerasimov, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Rybar, Wagner, Prigozhin, Michael Kofman, Viktor Zolotov, Shoigu, Alexei Venediktov, vilifying Shoigu, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Defence Ministry Board, Sputnik, REUTERS, LONDON, New York Times, Wednesday, Moscow Times, Reuters, Russian Armed Forces, Carnegie Endowment, Twitter, National Guard, Moscow, Tuesday, Western, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow's, Chechnya, Syria

☆ Wagner's chaotic attempt at armed rebellion is starting to (kind of) make sense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wagner's aborted rebellion in Russia over the weekend was a chaotic mess that ultimately failed. That's the question anybody following the chaotic attempt by the Wagner mercenary group to stage a rebellion in Russia last weekend probably asked themselves. Prigozhin bailed on his plan, sent everyone home, and headed off to some kind of retirement in Belarus. The soldiers wouldn't need to look far for a motive: widespread hatred for defense minister Sergei Shoigu and army chief of staff Valery Gerasimov. Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov (L) and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in late 2022.

Persons: Wagner's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Associated Press Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Metzel, Sergei Surovikin —, Gerasimov —, Surovikin, Putin Organizations: Service, Prigozhin Press, Associated Press, The New York Times, Times, Russian, Staff, Russian Defence, Sputnik, The Times, Shoigu, Street Locations: Russia, Rostov, Moscow, Russian, Belarus, Ukraine

Some Russian military bloggers with substantial followings expect a serious reshuffle of the military in the light of the Wagner uprising, and perhaps within the security services for not seeing the preparations for it. Putin has sought to reassert his authority after Prigozhin's mutiny. There is no way to verify Rybar’s allegations, but their airing may demonstrate a level of apprehension in the Russian military in the light of the mutiny. At one point, according to Russian military bloggers, Surovikin interceded to try to procure ammunition for Wagner. There is still considerable respect in Russian military circles for what Wagner has contributed to the Ukraine conflict.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Sergey Shoigu, Rybar, ” Rybar, Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Teplinsky, Boris Rozhin, Sergey Surovikin, “, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Surovikin, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti, Tatiana Stayonova, Rob Lee, “ Wagner, ” Surovikin, Prigozhin, Vyacheslav Volodin, ” Volodin, Anastasia Kashevarova, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Stayonava, Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, George W Bush, Concord Company ”, we’ll, eking, Viktor Zolotov, ” Zolotov, ” Anastasia Kashevarova, Russia “, there’s Organizations: CNN, FSO, Federal Guard Service, Federal Protective Service, AP, General Staff, The New York Times, Mayak Intelligence, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Russian Aerospace Forces, Sputnik, Getty, Western Military, Concord Company, Kremlin, MoD, Defense Ministry, Russian National Guard, Ministry of Defense, Telegram Locations: Rostov, Moscow, Don, Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Bakhmut, Shoigu, Putin, St, Petersburg, Russian, Minsk, Belarus, Prigozhin

☆ Czechs call Russia a threat, China a systemic challenge in new security strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Russia acts deliberately against Czechia's political, economic and social stability," the strategy document said. "Russia and China share the interest to weaken the influence and unity of democratic countries. The country's previous security strategy, the core for policymaking, from 2015 had not mentioned Russia or China by name. The strategy said Russia was using hybrid actions to weaken democratic institutions and destabilise society. "Unless there is a fundamental and deep political and societal change in Russia, Russia will remain a threat to the European space regardless of the result of the war in Ukraine," the document said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Savostyanov, Milos Zeman, Jan Lopatka, Howard Goller Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, NATO, EU, Czech, Thomson Locations: Kala, Derbent, Dagestan, Russia, REUTERS PRAGUE, Czech, China, Europe, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Moscow, Taiwan

☆ Putin strives to reassert control after Wagner mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —For two days after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin called off his abortive mutiny, Russian President Vladimir Putin said nothing in public. Putin thanked security forces at the Kremlin Tuesday, for helping Russia to avoid "civil war." “Putin values loyalty above all else,” Dmitri Alperovitch, a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, told CNN. Lukashenko claimed he told Prigozhin that he would be “crushed like a bug” if he continued his advance towards Moscow, and persuaded him to call of the mutiny. Now that the dust has settled after a chaotic weekend, Putin is attempting to project an image of control.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, ”, Putin, clement, Sergei Guneev, Dmitri Alperovitch, Kirill Shamiev, ” Shamiev, Shamiev, Roman Romokhov, they’ve, ’, Alexander Lukashenko, ” Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Alexander Ermochenko, “ Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Sputnik, Homeland Security Advisory, European Council, Foreign Relations, Don, Getty, Federal Security Service, Novosti, Reuters Locations: Russian, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, AFP, Kremlin

☆ Russia's near-mutiny just cratered its currency against the dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The near-mutiny in Russia this weekend had some unexpected consequences for currencies — more on that below. And yet — the Russian ruble still plunged 3% to a 15-month low on Monday, trading at one point near 87 per dollar. The Kremlin said there was a huge uptick in foreign currency demand across 15 regions in Russia, per Reuters. During the mutiny, Russian banks had cut their ruble exchange rates to over 100 per dollar, though they've since eased prices. What's your outlook for the Russian ruble by year-end?

Persons: Phil Rosen, You'll, Vladimir Putin, GAVRIIL, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Wagner, Prigozhin, Andrei Belousov, Putin hasn't, Spencer Platt, Morgan Stanley, Billionaire Ron Baron, Warren, there's, Goldman Sachs, Elon, Max Adams, Hallam Bullock Organizations: SPUTNIK, Getty, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Manchester United, Walgreens, Alliance Inc, Billionaire, Dow, Harvard, Bank of America, Elon Musk's Locations: New York, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, —, Voronezh, Rostov, Lipetsk, London

☆ Analysis: Belarus leader, long the supplicant, feted in Russia after mutiny role
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending a mutiny that threatened to destabilise the world's largest nuclear power. "Without Putin's support, the Lukashenko regime will not be able to survive," exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter. High-profile Russian state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov said Lukashenko deserved to be made a Hero of Russia and Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, on Tuesday lavished praise on the Belarusian leader. Independent Belarusian media outlet Zerkalo (the Mirror), which monitored Belarusian state TV coverage of Lukashenko's role, cited presenter Yevgeny Pustovoi as saying that Minsk was becoming "the peacemaker of Slavic civilisation".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, you'll, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Vladimir Solovyov, Russia, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Pustovoi, Zerkalo, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, REUTERS LONDON, Twitter, Russia's, Duma, NATO, Independent, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, defusing, Belarusian, Moscow, Soviet, Belarus, Independent Belarusian, Minsk

☆ 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

☆ Here’s a list of people Putin is suspected of having killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jeremy Wilson | Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Putin, a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB and ex-head of the FSB, has been suspected of assassinating critics. Here's a list of people who have been critical of Putin and the Russian president is suspected of assassinating:Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia BaburovaHuman-rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov represented Politkovskaya and other journalists who had been critical of Putin. Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesAnna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who was critical of Putin. He was killed in 2004 in a drive-by shooting in an apparent contract killing, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Persons: Putin, Here's, —, Pavel Antov, Vyacheslav Kartukhin, Vladimir Putin, Ravil, MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Dan Rapoport, Mikhail Lesin, Lesin, Boris Nemtsov, Alex Wong, Boris Nemtsov Boris Nemtsov, Boris Yeltsin, Putin —, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Berezovsky, Natalia Estemirova Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, Anastasia Baburova, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, Dmitry Kovtun, Mr Patrushev, Anna Politkovskaya, Mark Wilson, Paul Klebnikov Paul Klebnikov, Sergei Yushenkov Sergei Yushenkov Organizations: Service, BBC, Regional, United Russia, of Oil Company, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Getty Images, CNBC, Daily, Police, Russia, FBI, Berkshire, British, Politkovskaya, Russian Embassy, Forbes, Protect Journalists, Liberal, Justice Ministry Locations: Russian, Rayagada, India, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Washington ,, Florida, Washington, DC, Sochi, Britain, Chechnya, Politkovskaya, London, Liberal Russia

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a reception at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. After securing an unprecedented third term as president earlier this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first overseas trip to Moscow to meet his "dear friend" Putin. China "will be more cautious with its words and actions about Russia", said Shanghai-based international relations expert Shen Dingli. It was unclear if Yang's article was written before the Wagner rebellion and he did not respond to requests for an interview from Reuters. Other China-based academics, however, said Beijing would not change its stance on Russia as a result of the incident.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Shen Muhui, Alexander Neill, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Qin Gang, Putin, Shen Dingli, Yang Jun, Michal Meidan, Martin Quin Pollard, Yew, Tian, John Geddie, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Moscow, U.S, Foreign, NATO, Beijing's China University of Political Science, Law, Reuters, The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, European Union, Putin's, Australian National University, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, China, Ukraine, Beijing, BEIJING, China's, Fujian, Singapore, United States, Shanghai, Japan, Putin's Russia

☆ Kremlin releases first video statement by Putin since Wagner mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin gives an emergency televised address in Moscow, Russia, June 24, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS/File photoMOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday issued via the Kremlin website his first statement since an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group, congratulating participants of an industrial forum. It was not immediately clear when or where Putin's statement was recorded. Putin made a national address to the Russian people on Saturday condemning the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries as a "stab in the back" and vowing to crush it. Reporting by Reuters Editing by Andrew Osborn and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, MOSCOW, Belarus

But certainly, we have all sorts of new questions that Putin is going to have to address in the weeks and months ahead," Blinken told NBC's "Meet the Press" program. Blinken described the turmoil as an "internal matter" for Putin. "It may be that Putin didn't want to debase himself to the level of negotiating directly with Prigozhin," Blinken said. "To the extent that the Russians are distracted and divided it may make their prosecution of aggression against Ukraine more difficult," Blinken told ABC. Senator Ben Cardin said the weekend turmoil in Russia does not ease Washington's need to continue aiding Ukraine as it launches its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, NBC's, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, debase, Mikhail Klimentyev, Mike Turner, Turner, Philip Breedlove, Breedlove, Ben Cardin, Cardin, Don Bacon, he's, Bacon, David Morgan, Hannah Lang, Tyler Clifford, Scott Malone, Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Porter, Chris Reese Organizations: U.S . Congress, Russian, Press, REUTERS Forces, ABC, of, CBS, U.S . Air Force, . European Command, U.S, Democrat, Senate Foreign Relations, Fox News, Republican, House Armed Services Committee, NBC, Thomson Locations: U.S, Russia, Poland, Baltic, Ukraine, Russian, Kremlin, Russia's, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ Russia has avoided an armed Wagner insurrection — for now. Here's what we know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The crisis in Russia erupted Friday when Prigozhin accused Russia’s military of attacking a Wagner camp and killing his men – and vowed to retaliate by force. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation after an insurrection led by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, on June 24. The Wagner group is “an independent fighting company” with different conditions than the Russian military, said retired US Army Maj. Mike Lyons on Saturday. Whatever it is, it’s really bad news for Putin.”Video shows Prigozhin leaving Russian military headquarters 01:46 - Source: CNNWho is Prigozhin? Wagner was thrust into the spotlight during the Ukraine war, with the fighters appearing to win tangible progress where regular Russian troops failed.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, –, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters Wagner, It’s, Russia’s, Pavel Bednyakov, ”, Tsar Nicholas II, What’s, Mike Lyons, we’ve, “ Putin, ‘, Jill Dougherty, CNN’s, “, Dougherty, ” Dougherty, it’s, Steve Hall, Hall, ” Hall Organizations: CNN, Belarusian, Kremlin, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Reuters, Sputnik, AP Russia’s Defense Ministry, Putin, Russia, Saturday, US Army, ”, Russian Ministry of Defense, CIA Locations: Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Voronezh, Russian, ’

☆ State Dinners: Who Gets Them, Who Doesn’t and Why They Matter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Zolan Kanno-Youngs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As President Biden welcomes India’s prime minister to the White House, the two leaders will be looking for more than a fine vegetarian meal and a night of glitzy entertainment. Under the guise of pomp and pageantry, state visits are a chance for presidents to push foreign dignitaries to align with American interests. “These are not just dinners,” said Matthew Costello, a senior historian for the White House Historical Association. Before President Barack Obama hosted President Xi Jinping of China, the two countries negotiated for weeks over an arms control accord for cyberspace. President Ulysses S. Grant held the first state dinner for King David Kalakaua of Hawaii to strengthen trade.

Persons: Biden, ”, Matthew Costello, “, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Nikita Khrushchev, Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, Ulysses S, Grant, King David Kalakaua of Organizations: White, Historical Association, White House, Sputnik Locations: Washington, Soviet Union, China, King David Kalakaua of Hawaii

☆ Putin appeared to literally turn his back on his loyal defense minister on Russian state TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Paul Squire | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Vladimir Putin literally turned his back on his defense minister during a publicity stunt. In the clip from Russian state TV, Putin appears to avoid facing Sergei Shoigu, his loyal minister of defense. During a visit to a Moscow military hospital to give Russian soldiers medals, Putin appeared to turn away from Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with Russian President in Moscow on February 27, 2022. It is, however, unclear whether there is a rift between Putin and his defense minister or, if there is, whether or not recent events are the cause of any potential tension between them.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, —, Volodymyr Omelyan, Valery Gerasimov, ALEXEY NIKOLSKY, Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Service, TV, Russian, Russian Defence, SPUTNIK, Getty, Wagner Group Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Shoigu, Ukrainian, Russia

[1/3] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. Putin announced in March he had agreed to deploy such weapons in Belarus, pointing to U.S deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. It is still unclear where the Russian nuclear warheads - which will remain under Russian control - will be kept in Belarus. RANGEPutin, who is the ultimate decision maker on any nuclear launch, said Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missiles, which can deliver nuclear warheads, had already been handed over to Belarus. Putin has repeatedly raised the issue of U.S. B61 tactical nuclear warheads deployed at bases in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Moscow's, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Su, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Osborn, Frances Kerry Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, NATO, United, Sukhoi, B61, Cuban Missile Crisis, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, Belarus, Europe, Putin MOSCOW, Soviet Union, Russian, Black, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, China, Washington, Minsk, Berlin, Stockholm, Soviet, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Nevada

☆ China and Xi are making a backup plan in case Putin dies or gets deposed, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Xi Jinping may be "contingency planning" in case Putin is deposed, an analyst told Insider. According to one analyst, Xi is likely already seeking to form closer relations with potential successors to the Russian president. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin meets with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 24, 2023. ALEXANDER ASTAFYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty ImagesAnders Åslund, an economist and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Xi appears to be cultivating closer ties to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. At the April summit where the Chinese president visited Putin in Moscow, Xi held a rare one-on-one meeting with Mistushin, noted Åslund.

Persons: Xi, Putin, —, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Mishustin, ALEXANDER ASTAFYEV, Anders Åslund, Mistushin, Li Qiang, Mishustin, Ali Wyne, it's Organizations: Service, Russian, SPUTNIK, Getty, Atlantic Council, China's, of, Russian Security, Eurasia Group Locations: Russia, Russian, Beijing, Moscow, China, Ukraine, Siberia, Washington ,, United States

☆ Putin is terrified of being assassinated and is refusing to travel abroad after a drone attack near his luxury home: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The report said Putin was so scared of being assassinated that he was refusing to travel abroad. Dmitry Medvedev, a Kremlin official and former Russian president, said a drone attack on the Kremlin in May was a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Putin, which Ukraine denied. Ingram's comments echo those of a former Kremlin security official, Gleb Karakulov, who fled Russia in April in opposition to the war in Ukraine. Ingram said Putin's isolation meant he was only being presented with distorted information by a group of close aides, warping his decision-making. Ingram said Putin would like to portray himself as an "international statesman" who asserts himself on the global stage.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Verstka, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Medvedev, Philip Ingram, Ingram, MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV, Gleb Karakulov, RFERL, wouldn't Organizations: Service, International Criminal Court, Moscow Times, Kremlin, British Military, SPUTNIK, Getty, ICC, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Hague, Novo, Ukrainian, Russia, Saint Petersburg, London, COVID, India, South Africa, China

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