DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Russia's struggle to kick the Ukrainians out is likely only going to get tougher
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementRussia's retaking territory in Kursk, but efforts to drive the Ukrainian forces out of the country will likely only get more difficult. Ukrainian troops invaded the Kursk region in southwestern Russia in August, and at one point, they held roughly 500 square miles of Russian territory. Russia's response to the shock assault was slow, but a larger effort to drive the Ukrainians out is now underway. Michael Bohnert, a warfare expert at RAND Corporation, told BI Ukraine doesn't have to defend Russian cities. Russia's military is larger than Ukraine's, which means that the more resources Russia uses, the harder it will be to defend.

Persons: —, William Alberque, Matthew Savill, YAN DOBRONOSOV, Michael Bohnert, it's, Alberque, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine would've, Savill, Russia's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Kursk ., Service, Stimson Center, Royal United Services Institute, UK Ministry of Defence, Getty, Russia Ukrainian, RAND Corporation, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Korean, Russian Defense Ministry Press, AP Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Russian, Ukrainian, Sudzha, AFP, Russia's Kursk, Ukraine Ukraine, Russia's

☆ Elon Musk's secret talks with Putin ramped up during his Twitter takeover: WSJ report
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

watch nowTesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has engaged in secret talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, according to reporting published Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. Currently, the SpaceX website says that a "service date is unknown at this time," for Starlink in Taiwan for general customers. Musk and representatives for X, SpaceX and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The conversations between Musk and Putin, who once ran the KGB, reportedly occurred as Musk was in the midst of a leveraged buyout and takeover of Twitter. He continued to promote the idea, via X (formerly Twitter) that some Ukraine citizens would prefer to join Russia.

Persons: Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Musk, withold, Xi Jinping, Bill Nelson, Donald Trump's, Donald Trump, Anna Moneymaker, Mike Gallagher, StarShield, Tesla, NASA's, Joe Raedle, Ian Bremmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sen, Lindsay Graham, Garry Kasparov, Lisi Niesner, Yuri Milner, Dana Rohrabacher, Rohrabacher, Rohrabacher's Organizations: SpaceX, Wall Street, Republican, Pentagon, NASA, Department of Defense, CNBC, ., NBC, X, KGB, Twitter, Polaris, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Eurasia Group, NATO, Kremlin, Eastern Economic, Reuters, SXSW, Roscosmos, Russian Space Locations: U.S, Russia, Ukraine, Taiwan, Beijing, Washington, Butler , Pennsylvania, China, Starlink, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Crimea, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Vladivostok, Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Silicon, Russian, Orange County , California, Moscow

Former Marine Paul Whelan said he was devastated when a Biden administration official told him WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner was being released from Russian detention after nine months and he was not. The official told him that to free Griner, the U.S. had traded convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s price for releasing the celebrity athlete. “It was a sham.”When he refused, Whelan said he was placed in a cell where the lights were left on around the clock. After he was sentenced to 16 years of forced labor, the Russian trial judge said he would probably be released in two weeks. “The prison food is even worse.”They subsisted, Whelan said, on tea, bread, watery soup, “the kind of fish only Russians eat.

Persons: Marine Paul Whelan, Brittney Griner, Whelan, Viktor Bout, Vladimir Putin’s, What’s, ”, “, ” Whelan, Trevor Reed, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Reed, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alsu, Antony Blinken, David Whelan, ’ ” Whelan, Putin, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Alexei Navalny, Flora, Andrews, Biden, Andrea Mitchell, he’ll, he’s Organizations: Marine, Biden, WNBA, NBC News, Homeland Security, U.S ., British, Kremlin, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Marines, State Department, CIA Locations: U.S, Russia, Russian, Michigan, Russian American, Radio Free Europe, Moscow, Canada, British, Iraq, Turkey, Manchester , Michigan

☆ Russian troops are crashing into their own anti-tank barriers and dying, pro-Putin hardliners say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian troops are crashing into anti-tank barriers in Kursk, Russia. AdvertisementRussian commanders are misplacing anti-tank barriers, which their own troops and civilians are crashing into, according to several Russian hardliners. The Russian military bloggers, who've long been an important source of independent information about the Russian military, complained that "dozens" of military personnel and civilians had lost their lives crashing into the barriers, according to the ISW. AdvertisementRussian commanders have, throughout the war, faced criticism from Russia's military bloggers for what they say are inept decisions that have hampered Russia's campaign in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces occupy around 386 square miles of territory in Kursk, while Russian forces have continued to make incremental advances in east Ukraine.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Newsweek, Business Locations: Kursk, Russia, Russian, US, Rylsky Raion, Kursk Oblast, Ukraine

☆ Russia jails French researcher Vinatier for three years in ‘foreign agent’ case
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Moscow Reuters —French researcher Laurent Vinatier was found guilty by a Moscow court on Monday of breaking Russia’s “foreign agent” laws and sentenced to three years in prison. President Emmanuel Macron has denied that Vinatier worked for the French state and has described his arrest as part of a misinformation campaign by Moscow. “The legislation on ‘foreign agents’ contributes to a systematic violation of fundamental freedoms in Russia, such as freedom of association, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression,” France’s foreign ministry said. “French authorities remain fully mobilized to provide assistance (to Vinatier),” the ministry added. I lived a Russian life and still, even the last four months, I have been living in a Russian atmosphere,” he said, referring to the period since his arrest.

Persons: Laurent Vinatier, Vinatier, Alexander Pushkin, intently, RIA, Emmanuel Macron, “, ”, Pavel Durov Organizations: Moscow Reuters —, Soviet Union, Centre, Humanitarian, Reuters, Independent Locations: Moscow, Vinatier, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, State, France, Swiss

☆ Putin's weak response to Ukraine's advance on Russian soil appears to be rooted in a persistent fatal flaw
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's weak response in Kursk shows Putin's leadership still has a major flawRussia's response was slow, allowing Ukraine to take territory, and it hasn't put a general in charge. Putin doesn't want a situation where "any general could claim credit for being the victor," an expert told BI. AdvertisementRussia's weak response to Ukraine's assault into Russian territory is partly due to a persistent flaw in Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership, a warfare expert told Business Insider. Weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia put Gen. Aleksandr V. Dvornikov in charge of operations in Ukraine. Destroyed Russian military vehicles on the outskirts of Sudzha, in the Kursk region, in August.

Persons: hasn't, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Michael Bohnert, Vladimir Putin, Bohnert, GRIGOROV, Weeks, Aleksandr V, KIRILL CHUBOTIN, Simon Sebag Montefiore, George Barros, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Getty, New York Times, UK Ministry of Defense, Russian, Moscow Times, Publishing, Institute for, Newsweek Locations: Kursk, Ukraine, Russia's Kursk, Russia, Moscow, Kremlin, Russian, Sudzha

The FBI and Microsoft have seized more than 100 web domains they say Russian intelligence used for cyber-espionage, according to court documents unsealed Thursday. The domains were allegedly staging grounds for Russia’s FSB intelligence agency in its ongoing efforts to spy on targets of interest, ranging from the U.S. Department of Energy to Russian nonprofits and media outlets critical of the Kremlin. The Justice Department seized 41 of the web domains, according to the FBI affidavit, and also granted Microsoft control of 66 additional domains the company said were part of the same operation. Intelligence agencies with even moderate cyber capabilities routinely hack foreign targets to gather intelligence. Many of the web domains allegedly used by the FSB were hosted by Virginia-based company Verisign, the court documents said.

Persons: Hillary Clinton’s, Steven Masada, ” Masada, Natalia Krapiva, ” Organizations: FBI, Microsoft, U.S . Department of Energy, Kremlin, Justice Department, United, Russia’s Ministry, Foreign Affairs, NBC News, Microsoft’s Digital, Unit, The Locations: States, United States, Russian, U.S, British, Virginia

☆ Justice Department and Microsoft disrupt Russian hacking operations aimed at US officials and civil society
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The Justice Department and Microsoft on Thursday announced the seizure of more than 100 web domains that a Russian intelligence agency allegedly used to try to hack current and former US officials, civil-society groups and Russians living in the US. It’s the latest in a series of moves from the Justice Department to expose alleged covert Russian operations targeting US democracy in the runup to the 2024 presidential election. The UK government last year accused the same Russian hacking group of conducting a “sustained unsuccessful attempts to interfere in UK political processes” over several years that hacked politicians, civil servants and journalists. The hackers operate on behalf of Russia’s FSB intelligence agency, the prime successor to the Soviet-era KGB, according to US officials. Another FSB-linked hacking group has posed a direct threat to US critical infrastructure by targeting energy facilities, according to US officials.

Persons: Steven Masada, “, ”, John Scott, Natalia Krapiva Organizations: Washington CNN, The Justice Department, Microsoft, Justice Department, CNN, FSB, University of Toronto’s, Russian Embassy Locations: Russian, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, United States, Washington ,

☆ A Russian teen got 15 years in prison for donating crypto to a pro-Ukraine paramilitary unit: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-27 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian teen was given 15 years for donating to the Freedom of Russia Legion, local media reported. AdvertisementA Russian 19-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison for donating to a pro-Ukrainian paramilitary unit, independent outlet Mediazona reported. Russian daily Kommersant reported at the time that the teen had tried sending the funds via cryptocurrency. Yakovlev isn't the first Russian citizen to be sentenced to over 10 years in prison for donating to pro-Ukraine groups. AdvertisementIn August, 33-year-old amateur ballerina Ksenia Khavana was reported by Russian media to have been sentenced to 12 years in prison for donating $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine.

Persons: Danila Yakovlev, —, Yakovlev, Ksenia Khavana, Vladimir Putin Organizations: of Russia Legion, Service, Kremlin, Kommersant, Russian, Eastern Locations: Siberia, Ukrainian, Biysk, Altai Krai, cryptocurrency, Russia's, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Russia expels six U.K. diplomats as tensions rise over Ukraine missiles
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Russia announced the expulsions hours before British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, a crucial step towards winning the go-ahead for Kyiv to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia. Neither Biden nor Starmer addressed long-range missiles in brief comments in front of reporters. Sources say the meeting is another step in talks to allow Ukraine to use Western long-range missiles against targets in Russia, something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been demanding for months. The six UK diplomats were named on Russian state TV, which also showed photographs of them. The FSB said Russia would ask other British diplomats to go home early if they were found to be engaged in similar activity.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Joe Biden, “, ” Biden, Starmer, Biden, ” Starmer, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, John Kirby, Kirby, Maria Zakharova, ” Zakharova Organizations: British, White, Ukraine, FSB, Soviet KGB, Russian Federation, Federal Security Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, British Embassy, British Foreign, Biden, United Nations General Assembly, House, The New York Times, Russian Foreign Ministry Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Britain, Russia, Kyiv, United States, Russian, Western, Washington, London, Iran, Soviet, British, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Europe, Vienna

☆ Putin warns NATO will be 'at war' with Russia if Ukraine gets long-range missile approval
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

President Vladimir Putin has warned Russia would be “at war” with the United States and its allies if they lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range Western weapons. “We are not talking about allowing or not allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons,” Putin said Thursday in comments to propagandist Pavel Zarubin. Stefan Rousseau / WPA Pool via Getty Images"This will mean that NATO countries, the U.S. and European countries are at war with Russia," Putin said. Putin added that the Ukrainian army does not have the ability to program long-range missiles or the satellite data necessary for their targeting, relying on NATO military personnel for those tasks. It’s been pleading for that policy to change so it can strike military assets deeper inside Russia that are used to launch attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Kyiv —, Sir Keir Starmer, Joe Biden, ” Putin, Pavel Zarubin, ” Starmer, David Lammy, Stefan Rousseau, Putin, Vyacheslav Volodin, ” Volodin, “, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, Oleg Palchyk, It’s, Antony Blinken, Biden, Starmer Organizations: NATO, Kyiv, British, U.S, Duma, Kremlin, West, Getty, U.S ., Congressional Ukraine Caucus, America, NBC News Locations: Russia, United States, Washington, Ukraine, “, U.S, Ukrainian, Kursk, Ukraine's, Pokrovsk, Sudzha, Kyiv, Israel, “ Russia, Moscow

☆ Russia expels six British diplomats it accuses of spying and sabotage activity
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Russia’s FSB security service said on Friday it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow whose actions it said showed signs of spying and sabotage work. Britain’s embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. “Thus, the facts revealed give grounds to consider the activities of British diplomats sent to Moscow by the directorate as threatening the security of the Russian Federation,” the FSB said in a statement. The six diplomats were named on Russian state TV, which also showed photographs of them. The FSB said Russia would ask other British diplomats to go home early if they were found to be engaged in similar activity.

Persons: Reuters —, ”, Maria Zakharova Organizations: Reuters, FSB, Soviet KGB, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Federal Security Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, British Embassy, Russian Foreign Ministry, TASS, British Locations: Moscow, Britain’s, Soviet, British, London, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Russia

☆ The plot to topple Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Paul Starobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

But it was only when Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine , in 2022, that Ammosov began to plot the overthrow of his homeland. As I found in months of wide-ranging interviews, everyone aspiring to a new Russian revolution grasps the seemingly impossible odds of their bid to topple Putin. Ponomarev — who was profiled last year in The Washington Post under the headline "Could this man bring down Putin?" Most applicants live in Russia, Sokolov tells me, but submissions have come from as far away as Uruguay. "I know a lot of good officers" in the CIA, Ponomarev told me, who "sympathize" with the anti-Putin insurgency.

Persons: Vladislav Ammosov, Ukraine —, Ammosov, wondrously, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Simona Supino, Alexey Navalny —, Ilya Ponomarev, Ponomarev —, —, Sean Guillory, Denis Sokolov, Sokolov, Galina Starovoytova, Anastasia Sergeeva, Sergeeva, Valter, Putin —, Tatiana Kosinova, Yelena Bonner, Itil, Boris Nemtsov, Nemtsov, Vladimir Lenin, specter, NurPhoto, Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Boris Akunin, Ponomarev, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, Alexei Sobchenko, Sergei Chuzavkov, Ilya Ponomarev Ponomarev, Michał Kamiński, Kosinova, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, Nikolai Gogol's, . Barnum, Bernie, Madoff, Donald, Leonid Nevzlin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Navalny, King George III, Khodorkovsky, Garry Kasparov, Putin's, Andrey Volna, Brian Fitzpatrick, Charlie Wilson's, Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Daniel Fried, William Burns, Fried, Biden, We're, Evgenia, it's Organizations: Putin, Ukrainian, Russian Federation, The Washington Post, University of Pittsburgh, Civic Council, Kennan, Wilson Center, GRU, Russia, BI, International Republican Institute, CIA, Kremlin, Russian, Memorial, Soviet Union, of America, Civic, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Russian Volunteer Corps, European, Human Rights, Siberian Battalion, Ammosov, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Putin's Defense Ministry, True, Bolsheviks, of Russia Legion, People's Deputies, State Department, Justice Department, Polish Senate, Trump University, Trump, Khodorkovsky, FBI, Intelligence, Senate, Ukrainian Security Services, Bolshevik Locations: Siberia, Russia, Warsaw, Poland, Ukraine, Sakha, India, Putin Russia, Russian, Kyiv, The, restive North Caucasus, Washington, Soviet Union, Moscow, WhatsApp, Ukrainian, Soviet, Crimean, USSR, Europe, Uruguay, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, America, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Belgorod, Kursk, Kremlin, China, Cuba, True Russia, Ponomarev, Northern Virginia, Polish, ., Lviv, Yukos, London, Pennsylvania, Texas, Afghanistan, Putin Russian, Tallinn, Estonia

☆ The battle of Kursk hinges on the Russian railroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Related storiesExactly how overloaded the Russian rail network may be isn't clear. Despite the humiliation of foreign troops occupying Russian soil, Russian forces continue to grind forward in bloody attacks at places such as Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region. Relying on trucks would require an extraordinary number of vehicles, so it seems likely that Russian forces at Kursk will require multiple railheads that depend on a limited number of railroad bridges. However, Ukraine has captured data about the Russian railway system, which will make it easier to disrupt operations, Fraser noted. Barros believes that Ukraine could seriously disrupt Russian rail traffic and logistics if the US would lift those restrictions.

Persons: —, We've, George Barros, ZwsdIWSBwg, — Rob Lee, Ben Hodges, Kyiv's, Barrow, Oleg Palchyk, Callum Fraser, Fraser, Biden, Barros, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, Belarusian, Moscow Railway, Moscow Railways, Russian Railways, Study, UR, 101st Airborne Division, US Army, Interior Ministry, FSB, Kremlin, Getty, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Ukraine, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Los Angeles, Russia, railheads, Kursk, Russian, Orel, Belarus, Smolensk, Moscow, Ukrainian, Washington, Belgorod, Europe, Ukraine, Donetsk, Bryansk, Russia's Kursk, Kharkiv, Leningrad, Oryol, Voronezh, Forbes

☆ U.S. financial markets, public companies are a growing target for Russian hackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People walk through the financial district by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on August 14, 2024, in New York City. But one of the most damaging insider trading schemes in recent years can't be linked back to a U.S.-based trading floor or brokerage firm. As detailed in CNBC's new original podcast series "The Crimes of Putin's Trader," Russian entrepreneur Vladislav Klyushin's scam amassed more than $93 million as his cybersecurity firm M-13 was a front for Russian hackers to steal U.S. corporate earnings reports before they became public. Then, hackers traded based on those insights, buying and selling stock of well-known American companies like Tesla, Skechers, Snapchat and Roku. "Finances and banks and [the] financial sector itself is just one of the battlefields where the whole thing is happening."

Persons: Ivan Boesky, Martha Stewart, Mathew Martoma, Vladislav Klyushin's, Klyushin, Sandra Joyce, Eamon Javers, Javers, unconventionally, Vladimir Putin Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, SAC Capital Advisors, FBI, U.S, Department of Justice, Google, Intelligence, CNBC Senior Washington Locations: New York City, U.S, Russia, Russian, Switzerland, Eastern Europe

☆ 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, ”

☆ Inside the $93 million Wall Street heist that stemmed from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-15 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Then, they traded based on that insight, buying and selling stock from well-known American companies like Skechers, Snapchat and Roku. Vladislav Klyushin, who was sentenced to nine years in an American prison for his $93 million hack-to-trade conspiracy. "[They're] breaking into these American companies," said Steven Frank, a federal prosecutor familiar with the case. "Stealing information day after day…and just trading on it." Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The homepage for the Russian cybersecurity firm M-13, which was stealing financial information from American companies.

Persons: Vladislav Klyushin, Klyushin's, Roku, Tesla, Steven Frank, Klyushin, Massachusetts CNBC's Eamon Javers, Javers, —, Evan Gershkovich, Ella Milman, Roberto Schmidt Organizations: Attorney's, Massachusetts, of Massachusetts, Tesla, FBI, U.S, Wall Street, Russia, Joint Base Andrews, Afp, Getty, CNBC Locations: Russian, U.S, Russia, Maryland

☆ 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

☆ Russia reinforces Kursk region, videos show Ukrainian presence, evidence of attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Russia moved extra tanks, artillery and rocket systems to its southern Kursk region and imposed anti-terrorism measures in border areas as it battled a shock incursion by Ukraine’s military. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, posted a video purporting to show them in control of a town near the border, the first pictorial evidence of their cross-border advances. The acting governor of Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, said drone debris had fallen on a power substation near Kurchatov, site of one of Russia’s largest nuclear power stations with four reactors. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussing the situation in the Kursk region on Friday. Kursk Region Governov Alexei Smirnov via AFP - Getty ImagesHe praised his army’s ability “to surprise”.

Persons: Alexei Smirnov, Anatoliy Zhdanov, Vladimir Putin, Aleksey Babushkin, Alexander Bortnikov, Staff Valery Gerasimov, “, Ukraine ”, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, ”, Ben Barry, Zelenskiy, Gerasimov Organizations: Reuters, Getty, Atomic Energy Agency, Moscow’s, Terrorism, Staff, Armed Forces, Grad, Gazprom, Armed Forces of, ”, Ukrainian military’s, AFP, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Telegram, United States, Stinger Locations: Russia, Kursk, Ukrainian, Kurchatov, Sudzha, AFP, Russian, Vienna, Ukraine, Bryansk, Belgorod, Armed Forces of Ukraine, U.S, ”

☆ Kursk offensive: Ukraine embarrasses Putin with surprise assault on southern Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Analysis Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The video, released Wednesday by the Kremlin, showed the Russian president was not happy with news from the southern region of Kursk. The head of the city of Rylsk – some distance from the most advanced Ukrainian units – said Friday more than half the population of 15,000 had left. An expeditionary forceUkrainian troops, even if reinforced, cannot expect to occupy several hundred square kilometers of Russian territory. But holding a large chunk Russian territory is beyond their capacity and probably beyond their goal. “The unfolding events demonstrate the extent to which Moscow has deeply depended on sanctuary in Russian territory to wage its war against Ukraine,” Barros told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, General Valery Gerasimov, Putin, George Barros, “, Volodymyr Zelensky, Aleksander Kots, Andrey Gurulyov, –, Malaya Loknya, Emil Kastehelmi, Barros, Matthew Schmidt, ’, Vladislav Shurygin, Izvestia, That’s, ” Daniel Fried, George Washington’s, ”, ” Barros, Darya Tarasova, Maria Kostenko Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian Defense Ministry, Telegram, 61st Mechanized Brigade, Gazprom, Social, –, US Army’s Command, General Staff College, Atlantic Council, National Guard, Ukraine, “ Locations: Russian, Kursk, Sudzha, Russia, Kyiv, Donetsk, Washington, Kharkiv, Rylsk, Europe, Ukrainian, Ivashkovsky, Malaya, Olgovka, Finland, Moscow, Shurygin, Delaware, Ukraine, “ Russia

CNN —Ukrainian forces are pushing further into the Kursk region of Russia, in a cross-border incursion that surprised even American officials, multiple US and Ukrainian officials tell CNN. Ukrainian forces are comprised of a mix of Ukrainian regular and special operations units, unlike previous Ukrainian operations inside Russia that often involved undercover units and local sympathizers. Russia claimed on Thursday to have halted a Ukrainian incursion into its territory, but later said that some battles are ongoing in the Kursk region. Neither the Ukrainian military nor the government in Kyiv has publicly commented on the operation. A Russian military blogger Rybar reported on Wednesday that the Ukrainian military had established control over a gas transit station near the border.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, “ Sudzha, wasn’t, Alexei Smirnov, ”, Hochu, “, Kozak, Mick Ryan, Peter Stano, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden, ” Jean, …, Niu York, HUR, Rybar, CNN’s Mariya Knight, Olga Voitovych Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian Defense, Telegram, Russian Ministry of Health, ., Federal Medical, Biological Agency, TASS, Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Futura, Institute for, Kyiv, Suspilne, Kyiv “, Ukraine Military Intelligence, LB, European Union, EU Locations: Kursk, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Korenevsky, Ukrainian, Sudzhansky, Sudzha, Malaya Loknya, Kyiv, ”, Russia’s Kursk, Moscow, Pokrovsk, Niu, Toretsk, Europe

☆ I was part of Russia's prisoner swap with the US. Here's how it feels to finally, suddenly be free.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She was released last week as part of the prisoner swap between the US, Russia, and other countries. On Thursday, an FSB officer told us we were going to be freed as part of a prisoner swap — the miracle we had been waiting and hoping for. On the morning of the exchange, as we were being moved around, I didn't know the prisoner swap was happening. Russian artist Aleksandra Skochilenko, also known as Sasha, left, with her girlfriend, Sonia Subbotina, right, after the prisoner swap. They all knew that the only thing I wanted to do was walk, walk, walk.

Persons: —, Aleksandra, Sasha, Skochilenko, I'd, Sonia, Aleksandra Skochilenko, Sonia Subbotina, hadn't, I'm, Sonia Skochilenko Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Russian, Russia, Ankara, Turkey, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Germany

Why did Russian President Vladimir Putin greet the children of just-freed Russian spies in Spanish? In “The Americans,” two Russian spies posing as a married couple in suburban America run Soviet agents and collect intelligence, unbeknownst to their young children. President Vladimir Putin meets convicted Russian spies released as part of a prisoners' swap at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. Their children attended an international school in Ljubljana and, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, were only told on the plane to Moscow that they were Russian. “To the bulk of the Russian public, the Russian president showed that he has not yet lost the remnants of adequacy and is capable of well-calculated, rational actions,” Gallyamov said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, “, ”, Ludwig Gisch, Maria Rosa Mayer Muños, Mikhail Voskresenskiy, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev, Anna Valerevna Dultseva, Evan Gershkovitch, Paul Whelan —, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Abbas Gallyamov, ” Gallyamov, — Putin Organizations: Vnukovo, Associated Press, AP, Kremlin, KGB, Federal Security Service, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, “ Locations: Russian, Slovenia, America, Soviet, Moscow, U.S, Europe, Ljubljana, Slovenia's, Moscow’s Vnukovo

☆ Gershkovich advocates for Russian dissidents in first comments after arriving in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Aurora Almendral | Aurora Almendral Is A London-Based Editor With Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich chose to advocate for dissidents languishing in Russian prisons, in his first public comments on U.S. soil after he was freed as part of a prisoner exchange. “I just spent a month in prison in Yekaterinburg where basically everyone I was sat with is a political prisoner,” he added. Seven Russian citizens, including four who worked with the late opposition figure, Alexey Navalny, were among the the 24 people freed in Thursday’s major multinational prisoner exchange. On the dissidents he’d met behind bars Gershkovich said no one knew them publicly, but they had various political beliefs. President Joe Biden called the deal a “feat of diplomacy and friendship.” It was cut among seven nations, involving 24 people, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens held in Russia, and eight Russians imprisoned in the U.S., Germany, Slovenia, Norway and Poland.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, “, ” Gershkovich, Andrew Roth, ”, Alexey Navalny, he’d, Gershkovich, “ They’re, Paul Whelan, Joe Biden, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Biden, Whelan, ” “, ” Whelan, Putin, “ I’m Organizations: Guardian, Base Andrews, AP, Getty, Marine Locations: Russian, Maryland, Yekaterinburg, Russia, U.S, Germany, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Turkey, United States

☆ Joint Base Andrews: Three freed Americans back on US soil in Maryland after historic prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Elizabeth Whelan hugs her brother Paul Whelan at Joint Base Andrews following his release from a Russian prison. Alex Brandon/APPresident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk with family members of the returning Americans to greet them at Joint Base Andrews. Today, their agony is over,” said Biden, who hosted the families of Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza at the White House. Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva flew roughly 10 hours from Ankara, Turkey, on top of a three hour and 45 minute flight from Moscow to Ankara. This is typical protocol for wrongfully detained Americans who return home.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Gershkovich, Harris, Biden, Kurmasheva, “, ”, ” Biden, Feedback Biden, CNN Whelan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, –, Vadim Krasikov, Elizabeth Whelan, Joint Base Andrews, Alex Brandon, Base Andrews, Brittney Griner Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Joint Base Andrews, Street Journal, US State Department, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Washington Post, Joint Base, Base, AP, White, National Security Council, State Department, Brooke Army Medical Center, Defense Department Locations: American, United States, Russia, Maryland, Moscow, Radio Free Europe, Germany, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Gershkovich, Kara, Ankara, Turkey, San Antonio, PISA

Search resuls for: "FSB"

25 mentions found