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☆ 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

☆ U.S. to Stop Buying Russian Uranium, Cutting Cash to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Max Bearak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden signed a bill into law on Monday night banning the import of uranium enriched in Russia. Russia controls nearly half the world’s enrichment capacity, and American electric utilities have been spending around $1 billion per year on the fuel to run their reactors. It provides waivers for utilities that would be forced to shut down nuclear reactors, allowing them to continue imports until 2028. Russia’s government has threatened in the past to unilaterally halt exports to the United States if a ban were put into effect. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, did not reiterate the threat but called the bill “unfair.”

Persons: Biden, Ted Cruz, Dmitri S, Peskov, ” Organizations: Texas Republican, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Texas, United States

☆ Floods Batter Russia and Kazakhstan, Forcing Tens of Thousands to Evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

More than 100,000 people were forced to evacuate on Wednesday after devastating spring floods engulfed cities and villages across vast sections of Russia and Kazakhstan. The floods affected multiple settlements across Russia in the South Urals region east of Moscow, in Western Siberia and near the Volga River, as well as at least five regions of Kazakhstan, which shares a long border with Russia. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said on Wednesday that the situation was “quite tense” and the forecast was “unfavorable” as “large amounts of water are coming to new regions.”

Persons: Dmitri S Locations: Russia, Kazakhstan, South Urals, Moscow, Western Siberia

☆ Kremlin Warns Against NATO Ground Intervention in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Kremlin warned on Tuesday that the intervention of NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine would inevitably lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and the Western military alliance, describing the discussion of such a possibility as “a very important new element.”The warning comes a day after President Emmanuel Macron of France said “nothing should be ruled out,” when he was asked about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine to help the nation defend against Russia. “Anything is possible if it is useful to reach our goal,” Mr. Macron said, speaking after a meeting with European leaders in Paris about future support for Ukraine. He said the goal was to ensure “Russia cannot win this war.”The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said such an intervention would lead to a direct clash between NATO troops and Russian forces.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, ” Mr, Macron, ”, Dmitri S, Peskov Organizations: NATO, Russia, Ukraine, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, France, Paris, Russian

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, has interviewed President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, a sign that the Russian leader is seeking to make a direct appeal to American conservatives as U.S. aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said Mr. Carlson had conducted the interview on Tuesday. Mr. Carlson has been in Moscow for several days, according to Russian state media, which has delivered a blow-by-blow account of his visit, raising anticipation of a potential interview by Mr. Carlson of Mr. Putin. On Tuesday night, he revealed that he was interviewing the Russian leader. “We’re here to interview the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin,” Mr. Carlson said in a video apparently shot from a high-rise building in central Moscow and posted to the social media network X.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Vladimir V, Putin, Dmitri S, Carlson, Mr, “, Vladimir Putin, ” Mr, We’ll, ” Organizations: Fox News, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

How the Russian Government Silences Wartime DissentJust days after invading Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia signed a censorship law that made it illegal to “discredit” the army. The indignities of the crackdown, and the long arm of the Russia law, is being lost in the numbers. Nanna Heitmann for The New York TimesIn dry legalese, the court documents recount the Russian state’s case against these statements and protests. People’s “negative assessment” of the Russian military could adversely affect its performance, the court said, presenting a national security risk. And I very much don’t want this.”Sergei Platonov at district court in Moscow listening to his guilty verdict in November.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, ”, — schoolteachers, —, That’s, Ukraine —, pollsters, Andrei Kolesnikov, Demyan, Aleksandr T, Olga V, ” Maksim L, Omsk Diana I, Denis V, Russia ”, “, Maksim P, Anna S, Maria V, people’s “, Russia’s, Zaynulla Gadzhiyev, Mr, Bespokoyev, Marina Tsurmast, scrawled, Nanna Heitmann, Tsurmast, Gadzhiyev, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Aleksandra Y, Skochilenko, Selimat, Vladimir A, Rustam I, ” Yelena L, Aleksandr K, Olga P, Dmitri D, Sergei V, Eve, Daria Ivanova, Ms, Ivanova, “ you’ll, Anton Redikultsev, Redikultsev, Jan, Marina, Sergei P, ” Yuldash, ” Dmitri S, Peskov, Putin’s, Sergei Platonov, Platonov, Russian Gestapo ”, Polina, Kolesnikov, Anna Sliva, Sliva Organizations: New York Times, Times, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, OVD, Penza Yuriy V, Russia, ”, Ukraine ” “, YouTube, Bucha, Ukraine, Police, The New York Times, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, VK, Russian Gestapo, The New York Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, “, Omsk, Peace, Ukraine ” “ Ukraine, Bucha, Moscow, St, Petersburg, Iglino, ”, Novosibirsk, Siberia, Crimea, Ukrainian, Kalga, Russia’s, OVD, Coast, Primorye, Soviet

☆ The Certainties of a Putin Election Meet the Uncertainties of War
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When asked last week what kind of leader should replace President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, his longtime spokesman gave a quick and simple answer: “the same.”“Or different, but the same,” the spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told a Russian television network, adding that he was confident that should Mr. Putin run, he would win the election “without doubt” and would remain “our president.”Few doubt that Mr. Putin will seek another presidential term in an election scheduled for March. He is widely expected to formally announce his candidacy next month. There is little question about the outcome, too; in Russia’s authoritarian political system, Mr. Putin is always reported to have won in a landslide. He has led Russia as either president or prime minister since 1999.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Russia, Dmitri S, Peskov, ” Locations: Russian, Russia

The government in the predominantly Muslim republic said that the outburst had been calmed and vowed to prevent further clashes. Russian aviation authorities said that the airport, in Makhachkala, the republic’s capital, would reopen on Tuesday. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said on Monday that Mr. Putin had been receiving reports about the events in Dagestan. Some people in the videos held Palestinian flags and carried signs opposing the war in Gaza, and some chanted “God is great” in Arabic. The local authorities in Dagestan blamed “extremist” outlets administered by “Russian enemies” for inciting the unrest.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Dmitri S, Peskov, “, ”, Sergei Melikov, Ilya Ponomaryov, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Aric Toler Organizations: The New York Times, Red Wings, The Times, Telegram, Kremlin Locations: Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russian, Tel Aviv, Russia, Kremlin, Israel, North Caucasus, Ukraine, Gaza, ”, Caucasus, Khasavyurt

☆ Kim and Putin Meet in Russia: Ukraine War Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin, the Russian president, are both pariahs, isolated from the West, but the war in Ukraine has elevated the North Korean leader’s significance to the Kremlin. Mr. Putin told reporters before the start of the summit that the meeting was being held at the cosmodrome because Mr. Kim “shows great interest in rocket technology,” RIA journalists reported on Telegram. Mr. Kim arrived in Russia on Tuesday from North Korea, having traveled to the meeting on his armored train, a trip that took days. North Korea also has one of the largest fleets of tanks in the world, though most are Soviet-era models. Earlier Wednesday, South Korea reported that North Korea had launched two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Kim, Kim “, Kim’s, Dmitri S, Peskov Organizations: Vostochny Cosmodrome, Sputnik, North, Vostochny, Kremlin, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, North Korea, Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s, Amur, Pyongyang, Khasan, Korea, Soviet, Moscow, South Korea, North Koreans

☆ Kim-Putin Meeting Nears, but Where?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Daniel Victor | More About Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, the Kremlin confirmed, traveling aboard his slow-moving armored train to a meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin that could see the two nations increasing military cooperation. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency published photographs on Tuesday of Mr. Kim and other officials on the train, which is his preferred method of travel during his rare trips out of the country. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, confirmed Mr. Kim’s arrival in Russia later on Tuesday. Russian state media shared video that purported to show Mr. Kim disembarking his train in Primorsky Krai, in Russia’s Far East, on Tuesday. Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin will discuss bilateral cooperation — including trade and economic ties — and have an “intensive exchange of opinions on the situation in the region,” Mr. Peskov said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir V, Putin, Kim, Dmitri S, Peskov, Alexander Kozlov, Khasan, Mr Organizations: Kremlin, Korean Central News Agency, — Locations: Russia, Primorsky Krai, Russia’s Far, Khasan, Russian

☆ How Classical Composers Made Music After the Holocaust
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Kira Thurman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Perhaps she’d learned them in the early days after the war, when she’d performed with Holocaust survivors at a hospital in 1945. Jansen does not appear in Jeremy Eichler’s new book, “Time’s Echo,” but the impulse to turn to music during and after the Holocaust is at the heart of it. Eichler, The Boston Globe’s chief classical music critic, suggests that music can help us remember what we’ve lost. “Time’s Echo” is an engrossing recovery project that reveals the depths of Europe’s ability — and inability — to mourn those losses. Not only do we remember music but, just as importantly, “music also remembers us,” Eichler argues.

Persons: Jeremy Eichler, Fasia Jansen, Brecht, she’d, Jansen, Jeremy Eichler’s, Eichler, we’ve, —, Richard Strauss’s “, ” Arnold Schoenberg’s “, ” Benjamin Britten’s “, ”, Dmitri Shostakovich’s “ Babi Yar, ” Eichler, “, ” Schoenberg Organizations: The Boston, Central Locations: German, Hamburg, Neuengamme, Warsaw, Europe

The Kremlin on Friday heatedly denied blame for the presumed death of the mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, dismissing the idea that the Russian government had destroyed a business jet reportedly carrying Mr. Prigozhin as Western propaganda aimed at smearing President Vladimir V. Putin. The denials were repeated in various forms throughout the day by Russia’s foreign minister, state-controlled broadcasters and Mr. Putin’s closest foreign ally, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, president of Belarus. Some European leaders, many Western news outlets and people close to Mr. Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary force have speculated that Mr. Putin had Mr. Prigozhin killed in retaliation for his brief mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in June. U.S. officials so far have been more cautious about assigning blame, but President Biden said on Thursday: “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But in the two months after the Wagner rebellion, many Russians as well as people abroad expressed surprise that Mr. Prigozhin was alive and free.

Persons: heatedly, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, “, ”, Dmitri S, Putin’s, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Mr, Biden, Peskov, Wagner Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Belarus, Russia, Moscow

☆ A Russian convict soldier told his wife he was used as 'bait' to find Ukrainian artillery. He's dead now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A now-dead Russian convict soldier told his wife he was "just a bait" for Ukrainian artillery. The soldier's message was shared by his wife with The New York Times. Russia has been struggling to locate and destroy Ukrainian artillery while also losing its own. Dmitri was part of a Russian Army unit made up almost entirely of former prison inmates, The New York Times reported. In a voice message shared by the soldier's wife with The Times, Dmitri said: "I'm running around with an automatic gun like an idiot.

Persons: Dmitri Organizations: New York Times, Service, Russian Army, Times, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine

☆ In Urgent Need of Ammunition, Ukraine Speeds Its Own Production
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Gaya Gupta | Alina Lobzina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

When an office building next to her gleaming glass residential skyscraper in Moscow was hit by a drone filled with explosives early on Sunday, Mari Kletanina seemed worried. “People are consciously or unconsciously ignoring it,” wrote Aleksandr Kynev, a Russian political analyst. “This is the time of сonflict, a conflict of interests, so this is a natural procedure,” Mr. Yzakov said. “We live in a difficult time.”Russian government officials seemed to be more serious about the threat. “If attacks continue, then there will be no new sales at the current prices.”

Persons: Mari Kletanina, Kletanina, ”, Aleksandr Kynev, “, Mirlan Yzakov, Mr, Yzakov, Maria Zakharova, Dmitri S, Peskov, ” Andrei Perla, Vladimir V, Putin, Maksim Khodyrev, Khodyrev Organizations: Russian Foreign Ministry Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Kremlin

☆ Saudi Arabia Will Host Talks About Ukraine’s Peace Plan, Diplomats Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Vivian Nereim | More About Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Saudi Arabia will host talks on Ukraine’s peace plan with several other countries this weekend in the coastal city of Jeddah, three foreign diplomats in the kingdom have said. The diplomats, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks, said that several countries, including the United States and European nations, along with Brazil, China and India, had been invited, though it was not immediately clear who would attend. Russia did not appear to be among those invited. The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said that “Russia will keep an eye on this meeting” but would need “to fully understand what goals are being set,” Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported on Monday. Many of the invited countries, and Saudi Arabia, have resisted American and European pressure to isolate Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

Persons: Dmitri S, Peskov Locations: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, United States, Brazil, China, India, Russia, Russia’s, Ukraine

☆ Moscow Says It Shot Down Two Ukrainian Missiles Over Russian Cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Gaya Gupta | Paulo Motoryn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Video Russian officials said a Ukrainian missile was shot down over the port city of Taganrog and exploded, injuring several people. The Russian Defense Ministry said the explosion was caused by one of two Soviet-era missiles fired into Russian territory by Ukraine and shot down by Russian air defenses. A top Ukrainian security official, Oleksiy Danilov, cast blame for the blast in Taganrog on the Russian air defense system. Earlier Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down a drone aimed at the Moscow region; several recent strikes in Moscow were orchestrated by Ukraine using Ukrainian-made drones, according to senior Ukrainian officials. Shortly afterward, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a high-rise and a security service building had been hit in the city of Dnipro, blaming “Russian missile terror.”Show more

Persons: Vasily Golubev, Golubev, Oleksiy Danilov, Mr, Danilov, ”, Dmitri S, Vladimir V, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Organizations: Credit, Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, ” Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russia’s Defense Ministry Locations: Ukrainian, Taganrog, Reuters Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Azov, Russian, Odesa, Soviet, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Dnipro

Explosions thundered above Odesa, Ukraine, as Russia targeted it with missiles and drones before dawn on Tuesday, a day after an apparent Ukrainian strike damaged an important Russian bridge and the Kremlin halted a deal for safe passage of grain ships on the Black Sea. Moscow suggested that the unusual barrage aimed at Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port, was in response to the attack on the strategic Kerch Strait Bridge, which links Russia to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Kyiv had asserted it was related to the grain deal, which the Kremlin denied. “We are talking about a zone that is very close to the area of armed hostilities,” Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told journalists. Therefore, if something will get formalized without Russia’s participation, these risks need to be considered.”

Persons: ” Dmitri S, ” Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine’s, Kerch, Crimean, Kyiv

Russia said on Monday that it was pausing its participation in an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite a wartime blockade, upending a deal seen as essential to keeping global food prices stable. Ukraine is a major producer of grain and other foodstuffs, and the United Nations had warned that some countries in the Middle East and Africa faced famine if Kyiv could not export its goods via the Black Sea. A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told journalists on Monday that the agreement was “suspended,” but added that the decision was not connected to the attack hours earlier on the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Russia to occupied Crimea. Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the bridge attack, but Kyiv has not taken responsibility. Speaking about the grain agreement, Mr. Peskov said: “As soon as the Russian part is fulfilled, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of that deal.”

Persons: Dmitri S, Peskov, ” Organizations: United Nations, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, upending, East, Africa, Kerch, Crimea, Kyiv, Russian

The blasts were the second time the Kerch Strait Bridge has been hit in 10 months. Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of using maritime drones to assault the bridge, a strategic link for Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials celebrated the attack, but neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the blasts. Hours after the attack, Moscow announced that it was pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal, an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite Moscow’s naval blockade. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said the bridge attack was not related to Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the deal, which had helped keep global food prices stable.

Persons: Vladimir V, Dmitri S Organizations: Monday Locations: Crimean, Russia, Kerch, Ukraine, Moscow

Mr. Putin invited 35 people to the three-hour meeting on June 29, including Mr. Prigozhin and all of Wagner’s top commanders, the Kremlin spokesman said. “The only thing we can say is that the president gave his assessment of the company’s actions” during both the war in Ukraine and the uprising, Mr. Peskov said. Mr. Putin promised the harshest punishment for those who had “consciously chosen the path of betrayal.”But the harsh punishments didn’t come. The following week, on July 6, Mr. Peskov said the Kremlin had neither the “ability nor the desire” to track Mr. Prigozhin’s movements. The Kremlin spokesman added, “The details of it are unknown.”

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Dmitri S, Peskov, Prigozhin hasn’t, “ Putin, Mr, “, —, Roman, Sergei K, Shoigu, Staff Valery V, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Libération, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Mr, Defense Ministry, Agence France, Defense, Staff Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Belarusian, Belarus

☆ Putin Met With Mercenary Leaders He Had Called Traitors During Mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia held a lengthy meeting with Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and commanders of his Wagner private military company just days after they had launched a mutiny that put the nation on the brink of a civil conflict, the Kremlin disclosed on Monday. Mr. Putin had denounced the leaders of the June 23-24 rebellion as traitors, so the startling revelation that he played host to them on June 29 suggests that for all his bluster, he saw a continued use for the mercenary group and its boss. The meeting is the first known contact between the two men since the uprising, which posed the most dramatic challenge to Mr. Putin’s authority in his 23 years in power. News of the meeting added to the mystery of what will become of Mr. Prigozhin and his force after the insurrection. Mr. Putin invited 35 people to the three-hour meeting, including Mr. Prigozhin and all of Wagner’s top commanders, and gave his assessment of the company’s efforts on the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as its actions in the mutiny, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, Dmitri S, Peskov Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, St, Petersburg, Ukraine

☆ Supposedly exiled Wagner boss Prigozhin pledged his loyalty to Putin in a face-to-face meeting just days after he ignited an armed revolt, Kremlin says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin met with Prigozhin and Wagner commanders days after their failed mutiny, the Kremlin said. Wagner commanders, including Prigozhin, pledged their loyalty to Putin. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin met face-to-face for a lengthy talk just days after the mercenary group's failed mutiny last month. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said Putin, Prigozhin, and other Wagner commanders met for three hours in the Kremlin on June 29, according to TASS. Then, Putin offered Wagner commanders "further options for employment and further use in combat," Peskov said, while Wagner — including Prigozhin — pledged their loyalty to Putin.

Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, group's, Dmitri S, Peskov, Prigozhin — Organizations: Service, TASS, Prigozhin, Russian, Fatherland Locations: Wall, Silicon, Kremlin, Belarus, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Ukraine Celebrates Return of Azov Commanders Held as Prisoners of War
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | More About Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Five Ukrainian commanders of the Azov Regiment, extolled in Ukraine for defending the port city of Mariupol last year during an 80-day Russian siege before they surrendered as prisoners of war, have been given a heroes’ welcome after returning home. “We will definitely have our say in battle,” Mr. Prokopenko, the regiment’s commander told reporters in Lviv. Asked whether he would fight on the front lines, he replied, “That is why we returned to Ukraine.”Moscow reacted angrily to the news that the Azov fighters had returned to Ukraine. The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, accused Turkey of breaking an agreement to keep the men on its territory until the end of the war in Ukraine. The government in Kyiv did not offer a public explanation of how or why the fighters came to be returned to Ukraine.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Denys Prokopenko, ” Mr, Prokopenko, ” Moscow, Dmitri S, Peskov Organizations: Azov Regiment, Twitter, Azov Locations: Ukraine, Mariupol, Lviv, Turkey, Russia, Kyiv

☆ U.S. confirms talks with Russia on prisoner swap for Evan Gershkovich, but tempers expectations.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Anushka Patil | More About Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The United States confirmed on Friday that it was in talks with Russia about a potential prisoner swap for the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, but cautioned that the discussions had not yet produced “a clear pathway to a resolution.”The Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said this week that the two countries were in contact about the possibility of a swap. President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, confirmed the Kremlin’s remarks on Friday, but he said that he did not want to give “false hope.”“There have been discussions, but those discussions have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters, adding that the U.S. did not have a “clear answer” on how it would secure Mr. Gershkovich’s release.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Dmitri S, Peskov, Biden’s, Jake Sullivan, Mr, Sullivan Organizations: United, Wall Street, Mr Locations: United States, Russia, U.S

☆ Lukashenko Says Prigozhin Is in Russia, Not Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | Juston Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

MINSK, Belarus — The mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin is in Russia, the leader of Belarus said on Thursday, adding to the questions swirling around Mr. Prigozhin’s fate nearly two weeks after he called off his stunning armed rebellion against Moscow’s military leadership. None of Mr. Lukashenko’s claims could be verified, and Mr. Prigozhin has not been seen in public since the rebellion nearly two weeks ago. Mr. Prigozhin was “not on the territory of Belarus,” Mr. Lukashenko said, and nor were Wagner troops, who he said remained in their “permanent camps,” believed to be in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. Mr. Lukashenko also signaled that at least some of Wagner’s fighting force — which was instrumental in Russia’s capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut this spring — could stay intact. But on Thursday, Mr. Lukashenko appeared less definitive about the possible presence of Wagner troops in Belarus.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Wagner, Lukashenko’s, ” Mr, ”, Vladimir V, “, Dmitri S, Mr, Putin, ’, Putin’s, Anatoly Kurmanaev, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: Independence, Kremlin, Russia, The New York Times, West, Mr Locations: MINSK, Belarus, Russia, Russian, St, Petersburg, Luhansk, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Belarusian, Minsk, Moscow

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