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☆ Iran has developed fentanyl-based chemical weapons
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

These chemical weapons affect a victim's central nervous system. AdvertisementIran has developed chemical weapons based on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, warns a US expert, powerful agents that could incapacitate soldiers or civilians when added to grenades or artillery. (The US, in contrast, completed the destruction of its chemical weapons in 2023.) Nonetheless, chemical weapons do have a frightening aura, even if fentanyl gas is nowhere near as deadly as nerve gas. "I think that many, many people would see it that way because you're talking about chemical weapons," Levitt said.

Persons: —, Iran's, Matthew Levitt, Levitt, they've, Iran —, Hossein University, Israel, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Pharmaceutical, PBA, Combatting Terrorism, The U.S, Government, Washington Institute, Convention, Iran's Chemistry Department, IHU, Department, State Department, Commandos, CTC, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Iran, West, The, Iraq, Israel, Syrian, —, Iranian, Moscow, Vietnam, Tehran, Galilee, Lebanon, Forbes

☆ France holds trial over the beheading of a teacher who showed prophet cartoons to his class
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Paty’s shocking death left an imprint on France, and several schools are now named after him. He referred to the teacher as a “thug” multiple times and sought to pressure the school administration via social media. Anzorov lived 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Paty’s school and did not know the teacher. Boudaoud also drove Anzorov to Paty’s school. On Oct. 13, 2023, another teacher in France was killed by a radical Islamist from Russia, originally from Ingushetia, a region bordering Chechnya.

Persons: Samuel Paty, Paty, Abdoullakh Anzorov, Charlie Hebdo, Prophet Muhammad, Chnina, Chnina’s, Paty snowballed, Anzorov, Sefrioui, Cheikh Yassine, ”, Naim Boudaoud, Azim Epsirkhanov, Boudaoud, Samuel Paty ., emojis, teacher’s Organizations: Islamic, Education, National Education Ministry, Police Locations: Paris, France, Conflans, Syria, Russia, Ingushetia, Chechnya

☆ Eight on trial in France over murder of teacher who showed Prophet caricature
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-04 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

They accuse Chnina of collaborating with Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a Franco-Moroccan who founded a hardline Islamist organization, the Cheikh Yassine Collective, subsequently banned in France. Chnina’s lawyer declined to comment ahead of the start of the trial. Schoolchildren pay tribute to Paty at the Anne Franck college in Plescop, France, November 2, 2020. Both are charged with complicity in a terrorist killing, and French media say they have both denied wrongdoing. Chnina’s daughter was not in Paty’s class when the caricatures were shown and the court found her guilty of making false accusations and slanderous comments.

Persons: Paris Reuters —, Prophet Mohammed, Samuel Paty, Brahim Chnina, Chnina, Abdelhakim Sefrioui, Cheikh Yassine, Paty, Anne Franck, Stephane Mahe, Ouadie Elhamamouchi, Elhamamouchi, Abdullakh Anzorov, Anzorov’s, Chnina’s Organizations: Paris Reuters, Paty, Reuters Sefrioui’s, Reuters, Prosecutors Locations: Conflans, Honorine, Paris, Franco, Moroccan, France, Plescop, Sefrioui

☆ Chechnya’s Kadyrov threatens 'blood feud,' accuses Russian MPs of plotting his murder, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Russian lawmakers from neighboring regions of attempting to commission his assassination, and threatened them with a “blood feud” unless they prove otherwise, state news agency TASS reported. TASS cited Chechen-language comments by Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to a meeting of Chechen security officials. In Chechnya, blood feuds are a traditional custom of extracting revenge by killing an enemy or his male relatives. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov visit a special forces training center in Chechnya. Putin has given Kadyrov wide latitude to run Chechnya as his personal fiefdom in return for maintaining stability in the region.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, ”, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin Organizations: Ingushetia —, Getty Locations: Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya, AFP, Chechen, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Chechen warlord Kadyrov accuses Elon Musk of ‘remotely disabling’ his Cybertruck
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Lauren Kent | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of “remotely disabling” his Cybertruck, which had been sent to the frontline of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Chechen warlord, known for his loyalty to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his active involvement in Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine, shared footage of himself in August driving a Cybertruck and claimed it was a gift from Musk. Kadyrov repeated his claim earlierthis week as he lamented that the high-tech vehicle had to be towed from the battlefield, saying: “What Elon Musk did was not nice. Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck, which is fully electric as all of the company’s vehicles, in 2019 in Los Angeles. Kadyrov, who was installed as Chechen leader by Putin, has been criticized for decades for alleged human rights violations.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Elon Musk, Kadyrov, ”, Vladimir Putin, Musk, Putin, “ Organizations: CNN, ” CNN, US State Department, European Union Locations: Ukraine, Chechen, Grozny, Chechnya, Russian, Los Angeles, United States, United Kingdom, European

☆ A Russian warlord who seemingly put a machine gun on a Cybertruck says Elon Musk 'remotely disabled' the militarized EV
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Chechen warlord raged against Elon Musk after claiming the Tesla CEO shut down his Cybertruck. The Putin ally accused Musk of "behaving badly" and not being "manly" after the EV got bricked. Ramzan Kadyrov previously suggested he could send the Cybertruck to be used in fighting in Ukraine. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe Chechen warlord who showed off a Cybertruck decked out with what appeared to be a machine gun is raging against Elon Musk, saying Tesla remotely bricked his modified pickup.

Persons: Elon Musk, Putin, Musk, Ramzan Kadyrov, —, Tesla Organizations: EV, Service, Business Locations: Ukraine

☆ Husband of Russia’s richest woman arrested on murder charge after office shootout
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Moscow — Vladislav Bakalchuk, the estranged husband of Russia’s richest woman, was arrested and charged with murder Thursday, his lawyers said, after a deadly shootout at the Moscow office of Russia’s largest online retailer. Two people were killed in a shooting Wednesday just a few blocks away from the Kremlin at the Wildberries office, as a dispute over the company’s future took a violent turn. Tatyana founded Wildberries, Russia’s answer to Amazon, in 2004, growing it from an online clothes reseller into a major marketplace for all kinds of goods. Tatyana Bakalchuk, billionaire and chief executive officer of Wildberries OOO, pictured in her office in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 16, 2021. Tatyana said Vladislav and his colleagues had tried to seize the office and that there was no meeting scheduled.

Persons: Moscow — Vladislav Bakalchuk, Russia’s, Vladislav, Tatyana Bakalchuk, Wildberries, Russ, Tatyana, Elena Chernyshova, Robert Mirzoyan, Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin’s, “ Vladislav Organizations: Kremlin, Russ Group, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Moscow, Russia, RVB, Wildberries, Soviet Union

☆ Ukraine’s Kursk offensive was seen as a success but it had a cost
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Kostya Gak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Kyiv launched its surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region last month, taking Moscow by surprise and quickly advancing some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border. A group of Ukrainian soldiers rest in a village near the Russian border after taking part in Ukraine’s operation in Kursk. Ivana Kottasova/CNNUkrainian officials said Moscow has sent some 30,000 troops into the Kursk region. But they are finding the service doesn’t work at all in certain parts of the Kursk region. (AP Photo) Efrem Lukatsky/APA group of Ukrainian soldiers rests after completing a long mission in Russia's Kursk region.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — Vasyl, Vasyl –, –, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, ” Vasyl, Ivana Kottasova, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat, Ukraine's “ Nightingale, Vasyl, Don’t, ” Dmytro, Ukrainian –, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelensky, Bill Burns, ” Burns, Fin, Chasiv Yar, “, sapper, Efrem, Kholod, ” Kholod, ’ ” Vasyl, “ I’m Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine’s, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian, Wagner, Military Company, Chechen, Ukrainian Nightingale, Institute for, Kremlin, Western, CIA, APC, Ukrainian Defense Ministry Locations: Sumy, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia’s Kursk, Moscow, Russia, ”, Kursk, Russian, West Africa, US, Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, Crimea, London, Sudzha, Russia's Kursk, Pokrovsk

☆ Ukraine’s march into Russia exposes Putin’s crisis management problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But his track record of handling recent crises in Russia reveals a different side of his presidential persona: one of paralysis and indecision. Despite a claim of responsibility from ISIS-K, he continued to insist that Ukraine, and the West had played a role. Dmytro Kholod, commander of Ukraine’s “Nightingale” battalion, currently in Kursk, told CNN by phone on Wednesday that he has noticed a shift in the behavior of Russian troops. It is just a strategy for perpetuating war and allowing Russia to wait us all out,” said Ryan. “Now we see that when he’s really presented with a crisis, he’s not a cornered rat, he’s just like an imposter.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Evgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, ” Putin, Prigozhin, Yan Dobronosov, ”, Boris Bondarev, “, Mick Ryan, Ramzan Kadyrov, don’t, Andrei Belousov, Dmytro Kholod, Ukraine’s “ Nightingale, ” Ryan, he’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Efrem, Ryan, Bondarev Organizations: CNN, Crocus, Russia’s, ISIS, US, Kyiv, Getty, of Human Rights, ”, Kremlin, Naval, Black, Institute for, Russian MoD, Russia, AP, NATO, Putin Locations: Russia, Russian, Kursk, Ukraine, Crocus City, Moscow, Ukrainian, Sudzha, AFP, Beslan, Kharkiv, Crimea, Kursk Oblast, ”

☆ Ukraine’s Russia gambit punctures Putin’s veneer of invincibility once again
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —It is another coin-flip in a conflict punctuated with at least annual reminders of how frail Vladimir Putin’s Russia truly is. It is purposefully unclear exactly where Ukraine’s forces are. It is also unclear where Ukrainian forces are digging in and where they are just racing through. This time it is Putin’s own FSB, who couldn’t keep control of the borders, in Putin’s war of choice. Residents of an apartment building damaged after shelling by the Ukrainian side stand near the building in Kursk, Russia, on Sunday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Kyiv’s, Wagner, Oleksandr Syrskyi, “, ”, Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Putin, Andrew Kravchenko, Alexei Smirnov, it’s, he’s, Valery Gerasimov, Joseph Stalin, insurgencies, Putin’s, egotistically, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia’s Putin, –, Zelensky, Ukraine’s Organizations: CNN, Kyiv, Kremlin, Armed Forces of, Bloomberg, Getty, Manpower, Residents, AP Locations: Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Rostov, Moscow, Lgov, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Donbas, Pokrovsk, Ukrainian

☆ Germany Grapples With ‘Difficult Decision’ in Prisoner Swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The convicted Russian killer bounded off a plane in Moscow on Thursday, hours after Germany freed him in a wide-ranging prison exchange with Russia. Zurab Khangoshvili, the brother of the Chechen exile shot by the assassin, repeatedly scrolled through the video of the scene, watching from his home in Germany with profound sadness, he said. “That man killed someone here, and then he went back to Russia to a welcoming ceremony with this huge red carpet. It was unfair.”Germany played a critical role in the complicated trade that on Thursday secured the release of 16 prisoners to the West in exchange for eight prisoners to Russia. No part of that deal was more fraught than agreeing to release Vadim Krasikov, sentenced to life in prison in 2021 for killing Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Chechen separatist commander who had sought asylum in Germany.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Zurab Khangoshvili, ”, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili Locations: Moscow, Russia, Germany, ” Germany, Chechen

☆ Convicted Assassin Is a Russian Security Agent, Kremlin Acknowledges
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The convicted assassin who was the linchpin of the biggest prisoner swap in decades is a member of the most powerful security agency in Russia, the Kremlin acknowledged on Friday, and had served in a special unit with some agents who now guard President Vladimir V. Putin. The ties help explain Mr. Putin’s determination to free the assassin, Vadim Krasikov, from the German prison where he was serving time for murder. The effort culminated on Thursday when Mr. Krasikov and seven other former prisoners returned to Moscow after an exchange with Western nations that involved 24 adults and seven countries. Mr. Putin has not hid his admiration for Mr. Krasikov, who had been jailed in Germany since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen former separatist fighter in Berlin. In an interview in February, Mr. Putin referred to Mr. Krasikov as “a patriot” who was doing his duty by eliminating an enemy of the Russian state.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Dmitri S, Mr, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Federal Security Service, Mr Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Soviet, Germany, Chechen, Berlin

☆ How the Russian prisoner swap that freed Evan Gershkovich unfolded over two years
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The effort took on extra urgency in March 2023, when the Russians arrested Gershkovich, a senior administration official said. Days later, NBC News reported that a deal that could have sprung Navalny, Gershkovich and Whelan had been in the works. After Biden and Scholz met on Feb. 9, Scholz told Biden he was on board. Vice President Kamala Harris also discussed the prisoner swap with Scholz, telling him that Krasikov was a critical component of getting a prisoner swap with Russia, a White House official said. That was when he called the Slovenian prime minister to make sure his country was ready to release the Russian in their custody.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Brittney Griner, Biden, Viktor Bout, Paul Whelan ’, Whelan, Paul Whelan, Antony Blinken, “, ” Blinken, Sergei Lavrov, Gershkovich, Blinken, Lavrov, ” Lavrov, ”, ” Gershkovich, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Olaf Scholz, Krasikov, Griner, Whalen, Joe Biden, Scholz, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Elizabeth Whelan, Sullivan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, ” Biden Organizations: Wall Street, Marine, AP, NBC News, Berlin, White, Biden Locations: Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Berlin, Moscow, Germany, Chechen, Russian, U.S, Nevada, Slovenian

☆ WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, ex-Marine Whelan released in U.S., Russia prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were released Thursday by Russia as part of a major, multi-nation swap of two dozen prisoners. "All four have been imprisoned unjustly in Russia," President Joe Biden said in a televised address from the White House, where he was flanked by their family members. Eight Russians, including the spy and convicted hitman Vadim Krasikov, are being returned to Russia from the United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland and Germany. "The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy," Biden said in a statement released by the White House, where Biden planned to meet family members of the released Americans. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the release of Americans detained in Russia during brief remarks from the White House in Washington, U.S., August 1, 2024.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Krasikov, Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva, Kara, Biden, we've, Jake Sullivan, " Sullivan, Nathan Howard, Reuters Gershkovich, Dieter Voronin, Kevin Lick, Rico Krieger, Patrick Schoebel, Herman Moyzhes, Ilya Yashin, Liliya, Kseniya Fadeyeva, Vadim Ostanin, Andrey Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Sasha Skochilenko, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev, Anna Valerevna Dultseva, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin, Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov, Roman Seleznev, Vladislav Klyushin, Vadim Konoshchenock Organizations: Wall Street, U.S . Marine, White, Biden, National, Reuters Locations: Russia, American, Russian, Turkey, United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Washington , U.S, Moscow

☆ Russia Freed Evan Gershkovich in a Major Prisoner Swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A prisoner swap involving seven countries freed the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, two other Americans and several Russian opposition figures. It was the most far-reaching exchange between Russia and the West in decades. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are planning to greet the released Americans tonight at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The exchange was also a triumph of sorts for Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, who had long sought Krasikov’s release. “So, in the eyes of the Kremlin, Krasikov’s assassination in Berlin of a Chechen separatist leader whom Russia labeled a terrorist was legitimate,” he said.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, Biden, Kamala Harris, “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Neil MacFarquhar Organizations: Wall Street, Base Andrews, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Ankara, Turkey’s, U.S, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Maryland

In addition to Mr. Gershkovich, the prisoners freed by Russia included Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in 2018, and the Russian dissident Ilya Yashin, the official said. The prisoners freed by the West included Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian assassin, the Turkish official said. The deal seemed sure to prompt jubilation among Western nations that had condemned the charges against Mr. Gershkovich and others as baseless and politically motivated. And it represented a political leap for Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, whose government agreed to release Mr. Krasikov as part of the deal. Mr. Putin has referred to Mr. Krasikov as a patriot for his killing of a Chechen former separatist fighter in Berlin in 2019.

Persons: Anton TroianovskiMark Mazzetti, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Ilya Yashin, Vadim Krasikov, Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Krasikov, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: Street Journal, U.S . Marine, West, Turkish Locations: Turkey, Russia, Russian, Ankara, U.S, Chechen, Berlin

☆ Who was freed in major prisoner swap between Russia and the West?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The German court that convicted Krasikov in 2021 said he acted on behalf of the Russian state, shooting Khangoshvili “execution style” in broad daylight. Vadim Konoshchenok, 48An undated photo of Vadim Konoshchenok included in a 2022 court document. He was arrested in February 2022, according to the Polish state news agency PAP. Lilia Chanysheva, 42Lilia Chanysheva stands is seen during a hearing at the Kirovskiy District Court in Ufa, Russia, on June 14, 2023. He was sentenced to four years in a penal colony in July 2022, according to Amnesty International.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Vadim Krasikov, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police Krasikov, Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Khangoshvili, Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin, Viktor Bout, Whelan, Brittney, Biden, Alexey Navalny, Vadim Konoshchenok, Konoshchenok, Vladislav Klyushin, Klyushin, Roman Seleznev, US Department of Justice Roman Seleznev, Seleznev, Artem Dultsev, Ludvig Gish, Anna Dultseva, Dultsev, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Mikhail Mikushin, Pavel Rubtsov, Pablo Gonzalez, Oihana Goiriena, Vincent West, Pablo Gonzales, Natalia Kolesnikova, Kirill Kudryavtsev, US Marine Whelan, Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva, Alexey Nasyrov, Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kara, Vladimir Putin’s “, ”, Rico Krieger, Krieger, Alexander Lukashenko, Kevin Lik, Lick, Dieter, Voronin, Ivan Safronov, Roscosmos, Demuri Voronin, Safronov, Herman Moyzhes, Moyzhes, Patrick Schoebel, Schoebel, Ilya Yashin, Yuri Kochetkov, ” Alexandra Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Anton Vaganov, Skochilenko, “, ” Oleg Orlov, Oleg Orlov, Lilia Chanysheva, Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Maxim Shemetov, Fadeeva, Vadim Ostanin, Alexei Navalny’s, Ostanin, Andrei Pivovarov, Pivovarov Organizations: CNN, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police, Chechen, Russian, Krasikov, US Department of Justice, US, Office, Eastern, of, Attorney's, University of Tromsø, Reuters, Court, Getty, Street, US Marine, US State Department, Radio Free, Liberty, AP, Belarusian TV, Belteleradio, Human Rights, German Red Cross, TASS, German Federal Intelligence Service, Pulkovo, Ukraine, Amnesty International Locations: American, Russia, Moscow, Berlin’s Kleiner, Russian, Georgia, Estonia, of New York, Boston, Sion , Switzerland, United States, Maldives, Slovenia, Ljubljana, Norway, Brazilian, Nabarniz, Spain, Poland, Spanish, Sverdlovsk, AFP, Irish, Radio Free Europe, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Belarusian, German, Belarus, Berlin, Germany, Europe, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Meshansky, Bucha, Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, Kirovskiy, Ufa, Bashkortostan, Tomsk, Krasnodar

The Russian officials took the proposal back to Moscow. It was a remarkably swift conclusion to years of painstaking negotiations between the US and more than half a dozen countries. Key to the deal was President Biden’s ability to persuade German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to release Krasikov, the Russian prisoner most keenly sought by Putin. Officials worked quietly throughout this year to get the German government to agree to release Krasikov — including entreaties from both Biden and Harris. President Biden sent a letter to Scholz in April, and the Germans at last agreed to release Krasikov in early June.

Persons: CNN —, Vadim Krasikov, who’d, who’s, Vladimir Putin, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Bill Burns, Gershkovich, Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Biden, Kamala Harris, Serdar Ozsoy, Biden’s, Olaf Scholz, Putin, Krasikov, Brittney Griner, Burns, –, Viktor Bout, Alexey Navalny, Brendan Smialowski, Antony Blinken, James Rubin, Blinken, Annalena Baerbock, Jake Sullivan, Harris, Scholz, “ Chancellor Scholz, “, Jake, ‘, ’, Sullivan, Navalny, Paul, Evan, ”, Ronald Wittek, Kara, Robert Golob, Kurmasheva’s, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Carstens, Jeff Flake, ” Flake, Flake, ” Sullivan Organizations: CNN, CIA, Wall Street, White, Base Andrews, Aircraft, Ankara Esenboga Airport, US Marine, WNBA, State Department, National Security Council, Krasikov, Getty, German, National, Biden, Munich, Conference, US, Munich Security, Aspen Security, Street, Hostage Affairs Locations: Eastern, Russia, Russian, Berlin, Moscow, American, Turkey, Ankara, Chechen, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Washington , DC, AFP, Germany, ”, Munich, Washington, Slovenian, Mordovia, “

☆ Who Is the Russian Assassin Freed as Part of a Sweeping Prisoner Swap?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The assassination took place in broad daylight in a downtown Berlin park. The Russian gunman pedalled up on a bicycle before shooting a former Chechen separatist fighter in the head as children and their parents looked on. On Thursday, he was freed as part of the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. The deal also included numerous Russian political dissidents that the Kremlin released from jail, while Western nations traded eight Russian prisoners. Mr. Krasikov, in his late 50s, appeared to be the linchpin of the multifaceted deal, since Mr. Putin himself indicated that was whom he wanted.

Persons: pedalled, Vadim Krasikov, Vladimir V, Putin, — Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Paul Whelan, —, Krasikov Organizations: Street, U.S . Marine, Kremlin, Western Locations: Berlin, Chechen, Germany, Russia, U.S

☆ What a historic prisoner swap means for Vladimir Putin’s Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Among those headed back to Russia are convicted hackers and several Russian nationals detained in the West for spying. And the biggest prize for Russia was the return of Vadim Krasikov, a convicted hitman whose release had been publicly sought by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Anna Chapman, one of 10 Russian sleeper agents deported from the US in a 2010 prisoner swap, was also feted on her return to Russia. Britain blamed the poisoning on Russia; Russia has consistently denied involvement, although Putin referred to Skripal as a “scumbag” and a “traitor,” his contempt suggesting that Skripal had gotten his just desserts. The release of Russians in the swap means that Russia’s political climate is no less repressive.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, John le, Vadim Krasikov, Vladimir Putin, Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Tucker Carlson, Putin, Khangoshvili, ” Krasikov, Viktor Bout, Brittney, US Department of Justice –, Bout, Anna Chapman, Chapman, ”, Sergei Skripal, Skripal, Yulia, Novichok, Frank Augstein, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, Dmitri Kovtun –, Lugovoi, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Roman Abramovich, Hillary Clinton, Murza –, –, Alexandra Skochilenko Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Russia, Berlin Police, US Department of Justice, Hollywood, St ., Economic, Russian, Kremlin, European, of Human Rights Locations: American, Ukraine, Russia, Chechen, Berlin, Russian, St, St . Petersburg, United Kingdom, English, Salisbury, Britain, England, British, Moscow, Washington, United States

☆ Russia is using Chechen 'TikTok soldiers' on the front lines and to train its troops, highlighting the 'desperation' in its military: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pro-Russian Chechens are back on Ukraine's front lines, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said. Chechen units, once mocked as "TikTok" troops, are now filling gaps left by the Wagner Group. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementPro-Russian Chechens, famed for their social media appearances, have been "pressed back into frontline service" in Ukraine, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said. The MoD estimated in May that there were around 9,000 troops fighting in pro-Russian Chechen units in Ukraine.

Persons: —, Ramzan Kadyrov Organizations: UK's Ministry of Defence, Wagner Group, Service, MoD, Business Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Chechen Republic

☆ Precautions Failed to Halt Rail Sabotage
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Catherine Porter | More About Catherine Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The coordinated rail attacks that disrupted train travel in France on three high-speed lines Friday morning occurred despite intensive security precautions put into effect leading up to the Olympics, which officially begin Friday night. The dragnet yielded some results. In central France, a man of Chechen origin was charged in May with the planning of an attack outside an Olympic soccer match in Saint-Étienne. Another man, a neo-Nazi sympathizer living in the Alsace region, was sentenced to two years in prison for publishing an explosives recipe online and for making threats. This week, a 40-year-old Russian man was charged with working at the behest of a foreign power to “provoke hostilities” in France intending to destabilize the Olympic Games.

Organizations: Olympic, Nazi, Olympic Games Locations: France, Paris, Saint, Alsace

Neumann noted the latest Europol data showed “the number of attacks and planned attacks has more than quadrupled” since 2022. The apparent uptick in the recruitment of young radicals to carry out acts of terror comes as European security officials express worries at a potential resurgence of organized – or “directed” - terror attacks. The group has built a remarkable presence in Turkey over the past three years, according to court documents and analysts. Swiss police in March arrested a 15-year-old Swiss boy and a 16-year-old Italian boy for ISIS support and plotting bomb attacks, according to a police statement. Yulia Morozova/ReutersThe extent of ISIS-K’s use of Turkey as a transit hub is acknowledged by officials in the Turkish indictment.

Persons: Peter Neumann, Neumann, ”, ” Neumann, “, Lise Jaulin, Dilara Senkaya, “ Rustam, Rustam, Yulia Morozova Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Paris Olympics, King’s College London, MIT, Swiss, Analysts, Soviet Union, Turkish, Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church, Foreign Operations, Hall, Foreign Locations: Europe, West, Paris, Islamic, Khorasan, Central Asia, Turkey, Saint, French, France, Haute, Savoie, Dusseldorf, Heidelberg, Montenegro, Austria, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Moscow, Italian, Istanbul, Swedish, Pakistan, Tajik, Iran, Russia, Crocus, Syria, Iraq

☆ Evan Gershkovich: Russia begins espionage trial of US reporter behind closed doors
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The trial of Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, began Wednesday morning in a closed door hearing that has been condemned by his newspaper and the United States. While many newsrooms subsequently pulled their reporters out of Russia, Gershkovich remained, covering the war and how it was changing life in Russia. Footage on Wednesday morning showed Gershkovich inside a glass court cage, his head shaved, ahead of the trial due to start imminently behind closed doors. The trial of Gershkovich, the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the US, has highlighted the extent to which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has harmed relations between Moscow and Washington. Gershkovich seen inside an enclosure for defendants in Yekaterinburg, Russia on June 26, 2024.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Gershkovich “, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Ella Milman, Mikhail Gershkovich, “ He’s, ” Milman, He’s, Evan, Evgenia Novozhenina, Natalia Kolesnikova, Emma Tucker, “, ” Tucker, Joe Biden, Evan ”, Paul Whelan, Whelan, ”, Biden, Brittney Griner, –, Griner, Viktor Bout, Bout, Putin, Tucker Carlson, Andrei Soldatov, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, ” Putin, Gershkovich’s, Mikhail Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Russia, CIA, WSJ, US State Department, State, Reuters, Getty, Journalism, “, Kremlin, Tucker Carlson Network Locations: American, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Washington, Sverdlovsk Regional, Russian, Moscow’s, AFP, Soviet, Ukrainian, Chechen, Berlin

☆ Putin pledged decades ago to conquer the horrors of Islamic extremism. Deadly Dagestan attack again proves he failed
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Only a fraction of the violence that raged across Dagestan on Sunday is visible at the moment, and it is already horrific. But it is particularly bad in Dagestan, where protests broke out in the earlier months of the war, as their sons had been disproportionately mobilized. Putin came to power in 1999 graphically pledging to wipe out “in the toilet” the extremists apparently behind apartment bombings in Moscow. But it is still the same problem Putin faced when he sneaked into Beslan in 2004. A raging sore for the Kremlin, and a reminder of both how Putin came to power and his limits on it.

Persons: Putin, Shamil Basayev, Vladimir Putin, –, Lenin, jihadists, ISIS’s Organizations: CNN, Hall, Kremlin, National Antiterrorism, Antiterrorism, Police, ISIS Locations: Dagestan, Moscow, North Caucasus, Moscow’s Crocus, Ukraine, Russia, Chechnya, Chechen, Chechnya’s, Beslan, Ingushetia, Boston, Makhachkala, South, Central Asia

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