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☆ Thousands of Ukrainians have been sent to Russian prisons. Ukraine says they’re being held as bargaining chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

The Ukrainian government says there are thousands of people like Dima, civilians arrested by Russia who have been held in arbitrary detention for years. In the early weeks of the war, Russian troops took over their home, parking their tank in the garden and stealing anything of value. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia opened a second pre-trial detention facility in Simferopol, SIZO No. Detained civilians, however, are stuck in limbo. Mariana Checheliuk's photos were among those displayed by relatives of detained civilians at a recent protest in Kyiv.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — “, ”, Vasyl Khyliuk, Dmytro Khyliuk, Dima, –, Ivana Kottasova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, ” Achille Després, Cross, it’s, Vasyl, ” Vasyl, Halyna, “, Dmytro Khyliuk’s, Russia —, Khyliuk, Anastasiia, MIHR, Pantielieieva, CNN “ We’ve, ” Pantielieieva, Yulia Khrypun, Serhii, ’, Serhii Khrypun, Yulia, ” Yulia, Mariana Checheliuk, Mariana, Natalia Checheliuk, ” Natalia, ’ ” Natalia, Alexander Ermochenko, Mariana –, Mila, Natalia, Volodymyr, Zelensky, Mariana Checheliuk's Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Ukrainian Independent, Agency, Kyiv, CNN, Russian Federation, International Committee, Ukrainian, Organization for Security, Getty, Media Initiative, Human Rights, Penal, Russian Investigative Committee, Russian Prison Service, ICRC, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian National Guard, Directorate, General Staff, Serhii, Crimean Human Rights, Maxar Technologies, Volunteers, Russia, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Information Bureau, Ministry, “, Headquarters Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Dima, Ukrainian, Kozarovychi, Russia, Geneva, Europe, Novozybkov, Russia’s Bryansk, Russia’s Vladimir, Mordovia, Russian, Moscow, Bryansk, Nove, Tokmak, Melitopol, Olenivka, Kursk, Crimea, Kamensk, Russia’s Rostov, Yulia Khrypun Russia, Chonhar, Kherson, Crimean, Crimean Tatars, Simferopol, SIZO, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, ‘, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Bezimenne, Donetsk People’s Republic, Azovstal, Donetsk, Taganrog, Kamyshin, Russia’s Volgograd, Qatar

☆ Russia's military is allergic to the deep reforms it needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Can the Russian military can be reformed to better achieve Putin's revanchist aims? Yes, but the drastic changes will not be easy, an expert on Russia's military says. AdvertisementWhatever the outcome of the Ukraine war, one thing seems certain: the Russian military needs drastic changes. Indeed, Russia's tendency to seek top-down structural reforms matched with enduring characteristics of the Russian military suggest that a transformation of the Russian military will be difficult." Given that observers so misjudged Russian military capabilities prior to the Ukraine war, how can the West accurately determine whether reforms are occurring?

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Katherine Kjellström Elgin, Putin, Elgin, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Center for Strategic, National Guard Service, Nazi, NATO, Elgin, Business, Russo, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Washington ,, Elgin, Moscow, Russia, Crimean, Soviet, Nazi German, Turkish, Forbes

☆ Russian rebels aim to embarrass Putin with cross-border attacks during presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The fighters say they intend to disrupt Russia's election and demonstrate opposition to Putin. Putin said there would be payback for the attacks in a speech to Security Council of Russia on Friday. Aleksey Baranovsky, who is part of the Freedom for Russia Legion, said the group's goal was to disrupt the election and show opposition to Putin. A view of the site after Ukrainian shelling that damaged buildings and vehicles in Belgorod, Russia on March 14, 2024. Emil Leegunov/Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt is unlikely that these attacks will have a major impact on the election or the war in Ukraine, but they could serve to embarrass Putin.

Persons: Putin, —, reelect Vladimir Putin, Aleksey Baranovsky, Alexey, Jade McGlynn, Alexey Navalny, STRINGER, McGlynn, Emil Leegunov, " McGlynn Organizations: Security, Russia, Service, Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion, Russian Volunteer Corps, for Russia Legion, War Studies Department, King's College London, Getty, CNN, Freedom for Russia Legion, Russian National Guard, Legion, Navalny Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia's Kursk, Belgorod, —, Ukraine, Kursk, Tyotkino, Russia's, Kyiv, Anadolu

☆ Russia's Wagner Group expands into Africa's Sahel with a new brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty ImagesWagner Group has been replaced by a new entity known as Russia's Africa Corps across its key strongholds in the continent, its new leader has confirmed. The new entity has been subsuming operations in Mali and Libya for several months, and negotiations to establish a Russian military base in the CAR are reportedly underway. watch now"The Africa Corps consists of mercenaries and volunteers, and does not form part of the Russian Armed Forces. It began recruiting in December 2023, and has also included job offers for former Wagner Group mercenaries; it may also recruit local residents," they explained. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov oversaw the creation of the Africa Corps, which is expected to be fully completed by this summer.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Utkin, Anton Yelizarov, Ibrahim Traoré, Piotr Żochowski, Miłosz Bartosiewicz, Yunus, bek Yevkurov, Yevkurov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Wagner, Africa Corps, Central African, Russian National Guard, Russian Federation, Telegram, Centre, Eastern Studies, CAR, Africa, Russian Armed Forces, Wagner Group, CES Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Belarus, Russia, Cossack, Sahel, Russian, Warsaw, Algeria, Africa, Ouagadougou

☆ Chechen leader's 16-year-old son named to post in rifle battalion
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Russia's Chechnya, waits before an annual state of the nation address attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, December 1, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's teenage son, who was shown beating a prisoner in custody this year, has been named as an observer in a new battalion that is part of Russia's defence ministry forces, a senior Chechen official said late on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Adam Delimkhanov, who heads the Chechen division of the Russian national guard and is also a member of Russia's parliament, said the young Kadyrov was named a curator, or observer, of a rifle battalion. The Chechen rifle battalion was created earlier this month, according to Russia's state media. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Maxim, Ramzan Kadyrov's, Adam Kadyrov, Adam, Adam Delimkhanov, Kadyrov, Delimkhanov, Lidia Kelly, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Kremlin, REUTERS, Chechen, Russian, Thomson Locations: Chechnya, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Melbourne

☆ Chechen Leader Says He Is Ready to Send Another 3,000 Fighters to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday that another 3,000 of his fighters were ready to go to fight in Ukraine as part of new units of the Russian defence ministry and the Russian National Guard forces. "They (the fighters) have the best equipment and modern weapons," Kadyrov said on the Telegram messaging app. "In addition, the guys are highly combative and very motivated to achieve results." Kadyrov's claims could not be independently verified and estimates of the Chechen fighters deployed to Ukraine vary. There have been also been several Chechen armed formations fighting on the side of Ukraine in the war that began with Russia's full-scale aggression in Ukraine 21 months ago.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin's, Kadyrov's, Russia's, Wagner, Lidia Kelly, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, Russian National Guard, Chechen Locations: Ukraine, Chechnya, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Chechen leader says he is ready to send another 3,000 fighters to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov addresses service members while making a statement, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine, in Grozny, Russia February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 28 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday that another 3,000 of his fighters were ready to go to fight in Ukraine as part of new units of the Russian defence ministry and the Russian National Guard forces. "They (the fighters) have the best equipment and modern weapons," Kadyrov said on the Telegram messaging app. Kadyrov's claims could not be independently verified and estimates of the Chechen fighters deployed to Ukraine vary. There have been also been several Chechen armed formations fighting on the side of Ukraine in the war that began with Russia's full-scale aggression in Ukraine 21 months ago.

Persons: Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, Chingis, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin's, Kadyrov's, Russia's, Wagner, Lidia Kelly, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Russian National Guard, Chechen, Thomson Locations: Chechen Republic, Ukraine, Grozny, Russia, Chechnya, Melbourne

☆ Resistance fighters blew up a Russian military headquarters and killed 3 officers in occupied territory, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Resistance fighters killed at least three Russian national guard officers, Ukraine said. The attack is part of a resistance movement against Russia in occupied Ukraine. AdvertisementAdvertisementResistance fighters set off an explosion in a Russian headquarters building that killed at least three national guard officers, Ukrainian intelligence said. Ukrainian resistance fighters have previously claimed to have killed dozens of Russian soldiers by poisoning them. One Russian dissident group, the Liberty of Russia Legion, has taken responsibility for attacks in Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.

Persons: —, GUR, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Russian, Service, Main Directorate of Intelligence, Liberty of Russia Legion Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Crimea, Russian, Liberty, Russia's Belgorod

☆ Attacks Intensify on Russian Forces in Occupied Regions of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | More About Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian military authorities said that partisans had bombed a Russian military headquarters in the occupied city of Melitopol, killing three officers, the latest in a series of attacks aimed at weakening Russia’s grip on the territory it controls even as Kyiv’s counter offensive has effectively stalled. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Unit described the attack, which took place Saturday, as an act of revenge, and said that at least three Russian national guard officers were killed in the explosion. Russia’s Ministry of Defense has not commented on the episode, and it was not possible to verify it independently because it took place behind Russian lines. “The strike caused a panic in Melitopol, as many Russian proxy police officers rushed to the scene with their sirens on,” the intelligence unit said on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday. As such it is also a hotbed of attempted sabotage and assassinations by anti-Russian partisans hoping to disrupt the Kremlin’s control.

Persons: “, Melitopol Organizations: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Unit, Russian, Ministry of Defense Locations: Melitopol, Ukraine, Azov, Russia, Moscow, Russian

☆ Blast kills 3 Russian officers in occupied town, Ukrainian intelligence directorate says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blast occurred during a meeting on Saturday of Russian officers in the town, a hub of Russian forces in the south, the directorate within the defence ministry said in a statement. Reuters was unable to verify the Ukrainian statement. The intelligence statement said the meeting on Saturday at the local military headquarters was attended by Russian National Guard and FSB intelligence service officers. Ukrainian forces staged a missile attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Russian-annexed Crimea in September. Ukrainian media said an attack last week on the occupied town of Skadovsk in Kherson region also targeted Russian officers.

Persons: Ron Popeski, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, Russian National Guard, National Guard, Black, Fleet, Thomson Locations: Russian, Melitopol, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Skadovsk, Kherson

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLVIV, Ukraine, Nov 12 (Reuters) - At least three Russian officers were killed in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian city of Melitopol in a blast Ukraine's intelligence said on Sunday was an "act of revenge" by local resistance groups. The blast occurred during a meeting on Saturday of Russian officers in Melitopol, a town in southwestern Ukraine that has become a hub of Russian forces after they captured it in early days of the war. Reuters could not independently verify the Ukrainian intelligence claim. The Ukraine intelligence statement said the Saturday meeting was attended by Russian National Guard and FSB intelligence service officers. Ukrainian media said an attack last week on the occupied town of Skadovsk in Kherson region also targeted Russian officers.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Ivan Fedorov, Ron Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Grant McCool, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ukrainian Defence, Reuters, Russian National Guard, National Guard, Black, Fleet, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Melitopol, Rights LVIV, Moscow, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Crimean, Crimea, Skadovsk, Kherson

☆ Blast Kills 3 Russian Officers in Occupied Town -Ukrainian Intelligence
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Persons: Ron Popeski, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, Russian National Guard, National Guard, Black, Fleet Locations: Russian, Melitopol, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Skadovsk, Kherson

☆ The Wagner Group is back, and led by a new Prigozhin, Russian regional media says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian regional media reported this week that the Wagner Group is hiring again in two oblasts. The reports follow months of speculation that Pavel Prigozhin would lead Wagner under the Russian Guard. And the fighters are led by the young son of Prigozhin himself, Pavel Prigozhin, reported 59.RU, a regional news outlet based in Perm. A Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner, Prigozhin 2023, has also been touting Pavel Prigozhin as the organization's future leader. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Russian news site Military Review also reported on Sunday that Wagner would continue operations as a division of the Russian Guard.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Pavel, Pavel Prigozhin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Russian Guard, Service, Group, Kremlin, Getty, Wagner, Telegram, Russian Defense Ministry, New York Times, The Defense Ministry, Institute for, RU, Russian National Guard, Defense Ministry Locations: Perm ., Perm . Novosibirsk, Perm, VKontakte, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, AFP, Africa, US, Wagner Perm

☆ The Wagner Group is back, Russian regional media says — and led by Prigozhin's son
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

☆ Dagestan riot: Anti-Jewish protest in Russia’s Dagestan shows risks of Putin’s balancing act on Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Threats to exterminate the Jews are the result of the work of Russian state propaganda, which for decades cultivated feelings of hatred towards other peoples among Russians,” he noted. Kadyrov has also provided footsoldiers for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Gaza war adds one more match to the fire. Additionally, Russia’s war in Ukraine has impacted Dagestan heavily, with significant casualties. But an anti-Jewish riot in the southern region of Dagestan shows how quickly that model can backfire, particularly for those trapped inside the echo of Russian state propaganda.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, –, Matthew Miller, Israel, ”, Putin, ” Putin, “, Bashar al, Assad, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Communications John Kirby, “ we’ve, ” Kirby, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleh Nikolenko, Ramzan Kadyrov, – Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Harold Chambers, Riddle, Yevgenia Albats Organizations: CNN, multiconfessional, Ukraine –, Kremlin, Red Wings Airlines, Tel Aviv –, Jewish, Authorities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamas, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sunday, Saudi, Israeli, National Security, Strategic Communications, ” Observers, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian National Guard, AFP, Getty, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Global Locations: Russia, Dagestan, Makhachkala Uytash, Ukraine, Gaza, Tel Aviv, ”, Russian, Makhachkala, Palestine, Beijing, China, Israel, Jerusalem, Moscow, Iran, United States, Chechnya, Chechen, Russia’s, Kremlin, East

CNN —A Russian official claimed Thursday that a Ukrainian sabotage operation had been foiled in Bryansk, southwestern Russia, with several Ukrainians killed or captured. Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk region that borders both Ukraine and Belarus, said on his Telegram channel that two of the group had died and five were detained in the Navlinsky district on Wednesday. Bryansk neighbors northern Ukraine and eastern Belarus, Moscow’s close ally that helped facilitate Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. This marks the second alleged sabotage attempt by Ukraine in the region this month. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed on August 16 that it had stopped an attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group to enter Bryansk.

Persons: Alexander Bogomaz, “, ” Bogomaz, Moscow’s, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Security Service, Main Intelligence Directorate, NATO, TASS, Russian National Guard, RIA Novosti, Federal Security Service, Ministry of Defense, Russian Federation Locations: Ukrainian, Bryansk, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Navlinsky, Russian

☆ 'Chaos' is fueling fights among Putin's top commanders. These are the players battling for power.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

More than three weeks after the historic challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's authority, there's still internal power plays and high-level purges in motion. "We are seeing a lot of military formations and military figures that are pushing for their own objectives." For example, in Kadyrov's case, he may be pushing for control to shield his fighters from the battlefield in Ukraine and send conventional Russian forces instead. Consequences for disobedienceInsubordination against Moscow's military leadership, such as Teplinsky's criticisms or the Wagner's rebellion, has undermined Russian military leaders but has also come with consequences for members of the anti-Gerasimov camp. The instability increasingly endemic to the Russian military comes as the Ukrainians try to break through their defensive lines.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, doesn't, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexander Ermochenko, he's, Stepanenko, Valery Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, there's, Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Alexei Nikolsky, Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Russia's, Teplinsky, Sergei Surovikin, There's, Friedemann Kohler, hasn't, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Popov, Vladimir Seliverstov, Popov, vilely, Viktor Zolotov, it's, ISW, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: Service, Institute for, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Southern Military, REUTERS, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense, Russian, Staff, AP, Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Getty, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Arms Army, 106th Guards Airborne, Russian MoD, National Guard, Russian National Guard Service, PMC Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Prigozhin, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia's Belgorod, Sputnik, Washington, Chechnya, Sochi, REUTERS Maj, Belgorod

☆ Putin is beefing up his security services because he's fearful there could be another armed rebellion, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has moved to strengthen its national guard after the Wagner rebellion. Wagner mercenaries launched a mutiny against Russian military leaders in June. The Rosgvardiya answers directly to Putin, and was created in 2016 to combat internal security threats. The planned reassignment, the report said, came after Putin met with police and security chiefs in the wake of the armed uprising by the Wagner mercenary group on June 23. "The alleged restructuring of Russia's internal security forces suggests that the Kremlin is working to build an effective anti-rebellion force following Wagner's armed rebellion," the ISW said.

Persons: Wagner, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Rosgvardiya, Don, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Vedemosti Organizations: Russian, Service, The Institute, Russian Federal Drug Control Service, Center, Strategicand International Studies Locations: Russia, Russian, Rostov, Moscow, Ukraine, Belarus

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

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

☆ UK says Russian state now facing greatest challenge of recent times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - Britain's defence ministry said on Saturday that the Russian state was facing its greatest security challenge of recent times, following what it said appeared to be a move by Wagner Group mercenary forces towards Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an emergency televised address on Saturday that an "armed mutiny" by the Wagner Group was treason, and that anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished. "Over the coming hours, the loyalty of Russia's security forces, and especially the Russian National Guard, will be key to how this crisis plays out," Britain's defence ministry said in a regular intelligence update. "This represents the most significant challenge to the Russian state in recent times," it added. "With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner," the defence ministry added.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Britain, David Milliken, Toby Chopra Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian National Guard, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Rostov, Voronezh Oblast, Britain

☆ Wagner fighters almost certainly aim to march on Moscow, UK intel says. What happens next depends on the loyalty of Russia's security forces.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner Group fighters entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in an apparent armed rebellion. What happens next will largely depend on the loyalty of Russia's security forces, the department said. "With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner," the department said. The loyalty of Russia's security forces, particularly the Russian National Guard, will be "key to how the crisis plays out," it added. Unverified videos have circulated on social media appearing to show Wagner fighters moving through the Voronezh region toward Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Sobyanin, Yevegny Prigozhin Organizations: Wagner Group, MoD, Service, Group, UK Department of Defense, Russian National Guard, Guardian Locations: Russian, Rostov, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Voronezh Oblast, Voronezh

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing the greatest threat to his authority in two decades after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group and Putin’s former ally, launched an apparent insurrection. Prigozhin has been highly critical of Russia’s military leadership and their handling of the war in Ukraine, but he had always stopped short of criticizing Putin directly. Wagner group also claimed to have seized Russian facilities in a second city, Voronezh, some 600 kilometers (372 miles) to the north of Rostov-on-Don. Alexander Gusev, the governor of the Voronezh region, said the Russian military was engaging in “combat measures” in the area. Stunning escalationSaturday’s dramatic events come off the back of Prigozhin’s very public and months-long feud with Russia’s military leadership.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Putin, ” Putin, Igor Artamonov, Sergei Sobyanin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, “, ”, Don “, ” “, ” Prigozhin, Rostov, Don, Alexander Gusev, Shoigu, –, Gen, Vladimir Alekseev, Sergei Naryshkin, Naryshkin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Rogov, Rogov saif, ” Wagner, Stringer, Dmytro Kuleba, Serhii Cherevatyi Organizations: CNN, Prigozhin, Moscow, Terrorism, Security, Russian, RIA Novosti, Kremlin, Russian Southern Military Headquarters, Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Historical Society, Telegram, Southern Military District, Reuters, Russian Foreign, European Union, US State Department, Britain’s Ministry of Defense, Russian National Guard, Ukrainian, Twitter, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Russia, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Don, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, EU

☆ Turmoil in Russia: Reactions from foreign governments
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner." LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GABRIELIUS LANDSBERGIS"For 100 years Lithuanians have lived on the edge of Moscow's brutal banditocracy, knowing it's only a matter of time before the next chaotic implosion. CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER JAN LIPAVSKY"We are closely following the situation in the Russian Federation. ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER KAJA KALLAS"Estonia is closely following the development of the situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies. The instructions of Russian security authorities should be followed at all costs," it said in its updated travel advice.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, Wagner, JAMES, OANA, GABRIELIUS, it's, JAN LIPAVSKY, ANDRZEJ DUDA, Emmanuel Macron, GIORGIA, Meloni, Frances Kerry, Hugh Lawson Organizations: MINISTRY, Russian National Guard, Wagner Group, NATO, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Britain, Ukraine, Rostov, Voronezh Oblast, Moscow, EU, Estonia

☆ Chechen leader says top commander 'alive and well' after reports he was wounded in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Wednesday one of his senior commanders was alive and well, dismissing reports that he had been killed or wounded in Ukraine. The commander, Adam Delimkhanov, heads the Chechen division of the Russian national guard and is also a member of Russia's parliament. In a later posting on Telegram, Kadyrov mocked the Ukrainian media reports about Delimkhanov for "brazen lies about his elimination". Earlier on Wednesday, Russia's Zvezda television channel cited the parliamentary press service as saying Delimkhanov had been wounded in Ukraine. It followed rumours on Ukrainian social media channels that the Chechen commander had been killed in an artillery strike in southern Ukraine.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Adam Delimkhanov, Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Delimkhanov, Gareth Jones, Peter Graff Angus MacSwan, Ron Popeski Organizations: Russian, Caucasian, Russia's Zvezda, Chechen, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Chechnya, Ukrainian, Chechen, Moscow, Mariupol

☆ Chechen commander 'alive and well', Russia's Duma speaker says after report he was wounded
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - The speaker of Russia's parliament said a senior Chechen commander was alive and well on Wednesday, following reports he had been killed or wounded in Ukraine. The commander, Adam Delimkhanov, is a member of parliament as well as heading the Chechen division of the Russian national guard. He is widely seen as the Caucasian region's second most senior official after its leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Not only that, but he wishes you all good health," Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, told lawmakers. Russia's TASS news agency quoted another Chechen commander as saying Delimkhanov was in Chechnya, not Ukraine, and media reports he had come under fire in Ukraine were all "fakes".

Persons: Adam Delimkhanov, Ramzan Kadyrov, He's, Vyacheslav Volodin, Delimkhanov, Gareth Jones, Peter Graff Organizations: Chechen, Russian, Caucasian, Duma, TASS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Chechen, Ukraine, Chechnya, Moscow, Mariupol

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