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☆ Russian Who Led Troops Linked to Bucha Killings Is Charged With Corruption
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Colonel Gorodilov led the unit at the time and was present in the town where hundreds of civilians died, in some cases as a result of brutal executions, The Times found. Russian troops retreated from the area in early 2022. The U.S. government imposed sanctions on Colonel Gorodilov last year for what it called “his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely extrajudicial killings.”He was promoted to the rank of colonel days after images from Bucha emerged publicly and turned the suburb into a global symbol of the terror that Russian forces have brought to occupied Ukrainian towns. Moscow has denied involvement in the Bucha killings, with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia calling the events “a provocation.” The Times, however, identified two dozen members of the 234th Regiment who were in Bucha at the time of the massacre, in part by tracing the numbers the troops called in Russia using the Ukrainian victims’ mobile phones.

Persons: Gorodilov, Bucha, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Times, 234th Regiment Locations: U.S, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Bucha

The new policy from the Biden administration is one of the most significant actions to protect immigrants in years. Credit... Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times

Persons: Biden, Tierney L Organizations: The New York

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia replaced his minister of defense on Sunday as he shook up his national security team for the first time since his invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Putin kept the minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, in his inner circle, tapping him to run the country’s security council. Andrei R. Belousov, an economist who served as first deputy prime minister in the last government and previously was the economic development minister, was nominated to become the new defense chief. It is unclear how much authority over the war effort Mr. Shoigu will retain. colleague of Mr. Putin who has headed the Russian security council for 16 years, would be moved to another position to be announced in the coming days.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Sergei K, Andrei R, Shoigu, Nikolai P, Mr Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ 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

☆ Russian Authorities Threaten to Bury Navalny on Prison Grounds, Aides Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian authorities have warned Aleksei A. Navalny’s mother that if she doesn’t agree to a secret funeral, the late opposition campaigner will be buried by the state on prison grounds, according to Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman. Lyudmila Navalnaya, Mr. Navalny’s mother, was given three hours to agree — or until about 12:30 p.m. E.S.T. — but she refused to negotiate, arguing that the Russian authorities had no legal right to decide the time and place of her son’s burial, according to Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh. “She is demanding compliance with the law, which requires investigators to hand over the body within two days, from the moment the cause of death is established,” Ms. Yarmysh said in a statement released on X. Mr. Navalny’s mother is “insisting the authorities allow a funeral and memorial service to be held in accordance with tradition,” Ms. Yarmysh added.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny’s, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Kira Yarmysh, Ms, Yarmysh

☆ Russian Celebrities Caught ‘Almost Naked’ Are Now Dressing to Appease
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Russian pop star winced as the black kitten he was cuddling in Russian-occupied Ukraine licked the crook of his neck for about the 15th time. Several weeks earlier, the musician, Dima Bilan, had been in Moscow, mingling in a see-through shirt with celebrities at an “almost naked” theme party that caused an uproar in Russia and threatened to end his career. He petted dogs and stroked kittens at animal shelters outside Donetsk. He handed out plush toys to convalescing children at a medical trauma center. He delivered new air-conditioning units to a facility in need.

Persons: Dima Bilan, Bilan Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Donetsk

☆ As Kim Inspects Russia’s Military, Putin Cultivates ‘Axis of the Sanctioned’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, peeked his head into the cockpit of a fighter jet at a factory in the Russian Far East on Friday as he pressed ahead on a multiday tour of Russia that is enticing him at each stop with off-limits military technology. Although Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, hasn’t promised Mr. Kim any of the weaponry and has vowed to abide by U.N. sanctions banning their transfer, the tour carried an implicit threat — an example of what analysts say is a growing danger posed by Mr. Putin’s increasingly warm relationship with authoritarian leaders who can pose problems for the West. At the same time, according to U.S. officials, Mr. Putin is cultivating new sources of arms and munitions for his war against Ukraine. “I think it’s really serious,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, who previously led analyses of Russia by the U.S. intelligence community.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir V, Putin, hasn’t, Kim, Putin’s, “, ”, Andrea Kendall, Taylor Organizations: West, Ukraine, Center, New, New American Security Locations: Russian, Russia, New American, U.S

They gazed into the workings of a rocket launchpad. They tucked into crab dumplings, sturgeon and entrecôte. And they lifted their glasses at a flower-lined table in the conference room of a remote Russian spaceport, toasting the Kremlin’s “sacred struggle” against a “band of evil,” otherwise known as the West. Russia, nearing the 19-month mark in its brutal war of attrition against Ukraine, arrived requiring more ammunition and military equipment for the battlefield, which Pyongyang keeps in abundance. North Korea came looking for food, fuel and cash, according to analysts, in addition to technological help for its missile and satellite programs, and parts for its old, Soviet-era military and civilian aircraft.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: North Korean, Vostochny Locations: Russian, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Ukraine, North Korea, Komsomolsk, Vladivostok

☆ Putin says the cases against Donald Trump show the ‘rottenness’ of the U.S. system.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin called the criminal cases against Donald J. Trump good for Russia and an indication of the American system’s “rottenness,” in wide-ranging remarks Tuesday that also touched on the war in Ukraine, China and Elon Musk. The comments came as Mr. Putin prepared to meet with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, who arrived in Russia on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Russian news reports have speculated that the meeting could take place at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space launch center in the Amur region. Mr. Putin confirmed on Tuesday that he would visit the facility but did not say he would host Mr. Kim there. Here is some of what the Russian leader said:

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Donald J, Elon Musk, Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Trump, Elon, North Korean, Vostochny Locations: Russia, Ukraine, China, Vladivostok, Amur

The setting was an economic conference in far eastern Russia, with discussion of the ruble and domestic investment, but that didn’t stop President Vladimir V. Putin from wading into American politics on Tuesday, branding the criminal cases against Donald J. Trump political persecution and praising the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. For years, the Russian leader has demonstrated an ability to exploit political divisions within Western nations, often by signaling to conservatives abroad that he is aligned with them in a global fight against liberal values. Mr. Putin’s remarks on Tuesday, made at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, appeared aimed at lending firepower to the Republican outcry over the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, who has long expressed public admiration for the Russian leader and has helped encourage a sizable Moscow-friendly contingent within his party. The cases against Mr. Trump — who faces 91 felony counts in four jurisdictions — represent the “persecution of one’s political rival for political motives,” Mr. Putin said. He predicted that the entire affair would help Russia by exposing American domestic problems for the world to see and revealing the hypocrisy of American democracy.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Donald J, Elon Musk, Putin’s, Trump, Mr Organizations: Trump, Eastern Economic, Republican, Trump — Locations: Russia, Western, Vladivostok, Moscow

When North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, visited President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia four years ago, it was mostly for diplomatic show. But this week he will visit Mr. Putin a second time with the ability to supply something the Kremlin desperately needs: munitions that could help Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The meeting, announced by both governments on Monday, comes as Mr. Putin is courting support for his standoff against the United States and NATO from other leaders opposed to Western dominance. In a brief statement, the Kremlin said Mr. Kim would “pay an official visit to the Russian Federation in the coming days” at Mr. Putin’s invitation. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency confirmed that Mr. Kim would soon visit Russia for a summit meeting with Mr. Putin, but provided no further details.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir V, Putin, Kim, Mr Organizations: North, Mr, NATO, Russian Federation, Korean Central News Agency Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Iran, India, Kremlin

Still, without the Kremlin’s clear imprimatur, the group’s operations risk falling apart. Even after the mutiny, Mr. Prigozhin, who handled the business side of the group, was flying to locations in Africa trying to reassure clients and continue operations. His travels came amid reports that the Russian Defense Ministry was trying to assert direct control over some of his foreign operations. But she suspected that future such operations might be more fractured. She said that going forward there could be “many different actors fulfilling these roles, rather than one monopoly.”

Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Catrina, ” Ms, Doxsee Organizations: Central African, Russian Defense Ministry, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Mali, Central African Republic, Libya, Africa, Moscow

☆ Ukraine Is Still Grappling With the Battlefield Prigozhin Left Behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As the Russian military reeled on the battlefield in Ukraine last autumn, a foul-mouthed, ex-convict with a personal connection to President Vladimir V. Putin stepped out of the shadows to help. Yevgeny V. Prigozhin for years had denied any connection to the Wagner mercenary group and operated discreetly on the margins of Russian power, trading in political skulduggery, cafeteria meals and lethal force. Now, he was front and center, touting the Wagner brand known for its savagery and personally recruiting an army of convicts to aid a flailing Russian war operation starved for personnel. The efforts that Mr. Prigozhin and a top Russian general seen as close to him, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, would undertake in the subsequent months would alter the course of the war.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Wagner, Sergei Surovikin Locations: Russian, Ukraine

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

☆ Rule No. 1 in Putin’s Russia: Defy Him at Your Peril
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia let the mercenary tycoon Yevgeny V. Prigozhin escape seemingly unscathed after launching a mutiny in June, critics around the world seized on the Russian leader’s apparent show of wartime weakness. Two months later, Mr. Prigozhin is presumed dead in the mysterious crash of a private jet in a field between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Mr. Putin is securely in the Kremlin, publicly eulogizing Mr. Prigozhin as a talented person with a “complicated fate,” who made many mistakes in life. In Mr. Putin’s Russia, fates can quickly change in a system where existential affronts to the leader are neither forgiven nor forgotten. For more than two decades, individuals who have posed threats to the Russian leader have regularly found themselves exiled, imprisoned or dead, swiftly stripped of their power.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Mr, ”, Wagner, Putin’s Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, Moscow, St . Petersburg, U.S, Putin’s Russia

The diplomatic ripple effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played out on Monday from the Middle East to the Baltics and northern Europe as leaders jockeyed to cement new alliances in a scrambled world. On the fourth stop of a tour aimed at securing more weaponry to repel Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived in Athens for meetings with the leaders of Greece and other Balkan nations to discuss common security concerns and better integration with Europe. “Thank you for your readiness to help us fight for our freedom,” Mr. Zelensky told Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the two men met privately. As Mr. Zelensky was making his way to Athens after securing commitments of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands, an Iranian military delegation was visiting Russia, a sign of how deep ties between Moscow and Tehran have become since the war began.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr, Zelensky, Kyriakos Mitsotakis Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Athens, Greece, Denmark, Netherlands, Iranian, Russia, Moscow, Tehran

The group of nations known as BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — represents 40 percent of the world’s population and a quarter of the world’s economy. Now it is considering expanding, in a push to be seen as a credible counterweight to Western-led forums like the G7 group of advanced nations. It comprises the world’s largest authoritarian state (China) and its largest democracy (India), economies big and small, and relations with the United States that run the gamut, from friend to foe. China, under Xi Jinping, wants to expand BRICS, seeing in it a platform to challenge American power. India, locked in a territorial dispute with China, is wary of Beijing’s dominance in the club.

Persons: Xi Jinping Organizations: South Africa — Locations: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Western, United States, Moscow, Ukraine

The Russian ruble slumped past 100 per U.S. dollar on Monday, its lowest level since March 2022, immediately after President Vladimir V. Putin launched Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bank’s announcement appeared to briefly slow the ruble’s descent. After weakening to about 102 to the dollar, it fell back to just under 101. The ruble’s value is down by more than 25 percent against the dollar since the start of the year. Its decline has led to fears of rising inflation, and prompted Kremlin cheerleaders to lash out at the country’s financial authorities in state news media.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Russian, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russia Tries to Bolster Ruble as Inflation Adds to Economic Woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Russian central bank took measures on Thursday to stabilize the currency, amid the latest squall of financial volatility unleashed by Mr. Putin’s war against Ukraine. This time, the challenges are seen in both a struggling ruble that is fueling inflation, but also in government budget deficits that raise concerns about the sustainability of Russia’s intense spending on the war. The weakening ruble neared an exchange rate of 100 per U.S. dollar earlier this week, down by roughly 25 percent since the start of the year. The decline prompted the Bank of Russia on Thursday to halt purchases of foreign currency for the remainder of the year “to reduce volatility.”The central bank’s move should help shore up the ruble, because when the bank spends rubles to buy foreign currency, it increases the supply of rubles in circulation, lowering their value. The ruble was roughly flat in trading on Thursday.

Persons: Vladimir V Organizations: U.S ., Ukraine, Bank of Russia Locations: Russian

Russia shot down two drones near Moscow overnight, officials said on Wednesday, the 12th time in the past three weeks they have reported intercepting such aerial assaults in the heart of the capital. The attacks suggest that the effort to push Russia’s war deep into its own territory was picking up pace amid Ukraine’s marathon counteroffensive to take back occupied territory. There were no casualties or damage, and air defenses destroyed the drones, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian officials did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, but in the past they have acknowledged orchestrating or supporting strikes in Russia and made clear that the war’s devastation would not be limited to Ukrainian soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has said that taking the war to Russia is “an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”The drone attacks came on the same day that a powerful explosion ripped through a warehouse outside Moscow, killing one person and injuring at least 60 others, some seriously, according to a post on Telegram by local officials.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Man of the People? Jolted by a Mutiny, Putin Works the Crowds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He worked a throng of screaming fans in Dagestan. He hoisted a young girl onto his hip in Kronstadt. He posed shoulder-to-shoulder with seven young siblings, shaking their father’s hand after a naval parade. The isolation persisted until well after politicians elsewhere had dispensed with such precautions amid receding fears about Covid-19. And once Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Putin’s distance stood in stark contrast to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who made regular visits to frontline positions, crowded ceremonies and cramped hospital rooms.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky Locations: Dagestan, Kronstadt, Russia, Ukraine

Shunned in the West, his authority tested by a failed mutiny at home, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia needs to project normalcy and shore up support from his allies. So on Thursday, he will host African leaders at a flashy summit in St. Petersburg, part of his continuing outreach to a continent that has become critical to Moscow’s foreign policy. But if Mr. Putin sought to move closer to African leaders as he prosecuted his war, the 17-month-old conflict is now straining those ties. The summit comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Black Sea over Mr. Putin’s recent decision to terminate a deal allowing Ukraine to ship grain to global markets. Russia’s withdrawal has caused food prices to spike, adding to the misery of the world’s poorest countries, including some of those attending the Russia-Africa summit.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr Organizations: United Nations, Central African, Kremlin Locations: West, Russia, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Central African Republic, United States, Africa

A top Russian general in Ukraine has lashed out at his bosses after being fired from his command, accusing them of undermining the war effort with dishonesty and politicking, in the latest sign of turmoil within the Kremlin’s military leadership. In a four-minute recording released late Wednesday night, Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov addressed his troops, accusing his superiors of inflicting a blow on his forces by removing him from his post in retaliation for voicing the truth about battlefield problems to senior leadership behind closed doors. His firing, and the unusual public airing of his grievances, reflected the disarray that has roiled Russia’s military command since a failed mutiny three weeks ago. While the 58th Combined Arms Army he commanded has been holding off a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region, “we were hit in the rear by our senior commander, who treacherously and vilely decapitated our army at the most difficult and tense moment,” General Popov said — an apparent reference to Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, chief of the armed forces. Since the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group and its boss, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, several senior officers have been detained or pushed out of their posts, according to a person close to the Russian military, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Persons: Ivan Popov, vilely, General Popov, —, Valery V, Gerasimov, Wagner, Yevgeny V Organizations: Arms Army Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia

☆ A Missing Russian General Is ‘Taking a Rest’ a Top Lawmaker Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gen. Sergei Surovikin of Russia, a onetime ally of the Wagner chief who hasn’t been seen publicly since a short-lived mutiny last month, is “taking a rest,” one of the country’s top lawmakers said Wednesday, when pressed by a reporter. “He is unavailable right now,” the lawmaker, Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Russian Duma’s defense committee, added in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app before hurrying away from the reporter. General Surovikin, the chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, was considered to be an ally of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary company, whose forces mounted the brief insurrection in June aimed at toppling Russia’s military leadership, before standing down in a deal with the Kremlin. In the days since then, intense speculation has surrounded General Surovikin, who skillfully pulled out Russian forces from Kherson amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year and has often been dubbed “General Armageddon” for his ruthless tactics.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, hasn’t, Andrei Kartapolov, General Surovikin, Yevgeny V, Surovikin, ” Organizations: Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Russia, Russian, Kherson

☆ 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

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