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☆ Russia fines Google more than the world's entire GDP
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The court that imposed the fine might be in for a long wait for Google to pay up, however. “This should be a reason for the Google leadership to pay attention to this and improve the situation.”The amount the court says Google owes is growing, too. The court ordered Google to restore the accounts within nine months, with a fine of 100,000 rubles (around $1,000) levied for each day after that period. Some of those Russian media outlets have also appealed to courts in Turkey, Hungary, Spain and South Africa to enforce court decisions made against Google in Russia. In the section of its third quarter earnings release titled 'Legal Matters,' Alphabet said: “We have ongoing legal matters relating to Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, it’s, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Konstantin Malofeev Organizations: Google, Kremlin, NBC, RBC, YouTube, International Monetary Fund, NBC News, Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Spain, South Africa, Russia, South Africa’s

CNN has reached out to Terada for comment on the R-FBI’s role in Russian disinformation efforts, and ties to the state. Storm-1516 and R-FBI network members have spread at least 54 different disinformation narratives online since August 2023, according to Clemson and CNN’s analysis. “Does anyone believe that an American would be the spearhead of what some call the biggest Russian Disinformation operation since the cold war? TelegramAnother prominent figure in propagating Russian disinformation is American Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who in 2020 accused then-presidential candidate Joe Biden of sexual harassment. The links between Terada’s group and other Russian disinformation efforts are at best opaque, which is likely no accident.

Persons: –, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Mira Terada, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Harris, Walz, Morgan Finkelstein, “ Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Trump, ”, Win McNamee, ” Darren Linvill, Patrick Warren, “, Biden, Warren, Kamala, Influencers, John Mark Dougan, Dougan, he’s, Andrew Harnik, MAGA, IMbaMm8YVF, Darren Linvill, Linvill, ” Clemson, Maxim Shugaley, Terada, Vladimir Putin’s “, ” Prigozhin, Konstantin Pridybaylo, Ruslan Ostashko, Colin Gerard, Gerard, Alexander Dugin, picturing, Tara Reade, Joe Biden, Reade, ” Chay Bowes, Simeon Boikov, podcaster, Bowes, ” Warren, Sean Lyngaas, influencers Organizations: CNN, Clemson University’s, Russian Foundation, FBI, Storm, Democratic, Minnesota Gov, Clemson, Getty, NBC, Wired, Prigozhin’s, Internet Research Agency, Miami Chronicle, Boston Times, DC, IRA, Russian, Gov, National Intelligence, US State Department, Minnesota, Apple, Trump, Infrastructure Security Agency, ’, Federal Bureau, Investigation, Kremlin, Wagner Group, US Justice Department, ANO Dialog, BRICS Journalists Association, Washington Post, Center, Forensics Locations: Russian, Ukraine, West, San Francisco, Zambia, Savannah , Georgia, ”, “, American, Zambian, St . Petersburg, Florida, Moscow, Russia, Kazakhstan, Minnesota, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, Bucks County , Pennsylvania, Bucks County ,, French, Irish, Sydney, European

☆ US offers $10 million for intel on Russian military media outlet Rybar amid election interference allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US government is offering up to $10 million for information on Rybar, a Russian media outlet. It comes as part of a wider US crackdown on alleged Russian election interference. AdvertisementThe US government is offering up to $10 million for information on the Russian media outlet Rybar and its employees. "Anyone with information on Rybar LLC, these individuals, their malign activities, or associated persons or entities should contact Rewards for Justice," it said. The new reward offer comes as part of a wider US crackdown on alleged Russian election interference.

Persons: —, Mikhail Zvinchuk, Rybar, Zvinchuk, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin Organizations: Service, Department, Justice, intel, Rybar, Rostec, Wagner Group, US Treasury Department, RT Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Texas

CNN —Up to 600 people were shot dead in a matter of hours by al Qaeda-linked militants in an August attack on a town in Burkina Faso, according to a French government security assessment that nearly doubles the death toll cited in earlier reports. A series of coups across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger led to the departure of French and American forces. The Russian mercenaries summoned by the juntas to bolster their grip have instead left a vacuum in which jihadists have thrived, says the assessment, given to CNN by a French security official. A view of the town of Barsalogho, Burkina Faso, where up to 600 people were killed by al Qaeda-linked militants in an August attack, according to a French government security assessment. CNN has reviewed videos of the alleged cannibalism that seem to show Burkina Faso soldiers dismembering and holding up body parts of apparent dead jihadists.

Persons: al, Nusrat al, JNIM, ”, jihadists, “, I’m, Fear, Ibrahim Traore, Zero ”, Burkina Faso’s, Traore, –, Wagner, group’s, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Donat Sorokin, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Getty, United Nations, Reuters, “, Burkina Faso’s, Civil Service, Labs Inc, Rapid Locations: al Qaeda, Burkina Faso, Barsalogho, Africa, Islam, Mali, Sahel, West Africa, United States, jihadists, Niger, Tawori, Bamako, Burkina, France, Moscow, Ukraine, Ouagadougou, Russian, Russia, Saint Petersburg, BIR, Togo, Kompienga, Togolese, Qaeda

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

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

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

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

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

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

☆ Putin appointed his former bodyguard to take over Russia's military response to the Kursk invasion, local lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kursk State Duma deputy Nikolai Ivanov told Russian broadcaster RTVI on Tuesday that Putin had met personally with Alexei Dyumin, who was made secretary of the State Council in May. Ivanov said Putin told Dyumin to supervise military operations in Kursk, with the primary goal of ousting Ukrainian forces that invaded the Russian border region last week. Dyumin, seated second from Putin's right, attended a leading of Russia's top brass about the Kursk invasion. Related storiesWhen the now-deceased head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged a rebellion against Putin, Dyumin was rumored to have been instrumental in orchestrating negotiations. wrote state media military correspondent Alexander Sladkov on Tuesday.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Ivanov, Putin, Alexei Dyumin, Aleksey Gennadyevich Dyumin, Ivanov, RTVI, Dyumin, Valery Gerasimov, Alexander Bortnikov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, It's, Rybar, Alexander Sladkov Organizations: Service, Duma, RTVI, State Council, Business, Ukrainian, Bloomberg, Federal Security Services, Russian Presidential, Putin, Wagner Group Locations: Kursk, Russian, Crimea, Tula, Washington, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Why Ukraine attacked Russia and other questions about Kyiv’s incursion
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A week into Ukraine’s surprise cross-border incursion into Russia, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Moscow does not have the situation under control. The incursion – the first time foreign troops entered Russian territory since World War II – is a major embarrassment for the Kremlin. The first reports of Ukrainian troops crossing into Russia’s Kurs region, just north of the Ukrainian border, started to emerge late last Tuesday. By Monday, Kyiv claimed to have control over some 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russian territory. Analysts are not expecting Ukraine to attempt to advance much further into Russian territory.

Persons: it’s, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, “, Alexei Smirnov, Smirnov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Roman Pilipey, Biden, wasn’t, John Kirby Organizations: CNN, Kremlin ., Kyiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Kremlin, West, Getty, White House National Security Communications, Russia, European Union Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Ukraine, Kursk, “ Russia, Crimea, Belgorod, Bryansk, Sumy, AFP, Germany

☆ 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

☆ Convict in Kremlin critic murder released from jail to fight in Ukraine — agencies
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A man convicted in the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has been discharged from jail after signing a contract to join the military operation in Ukraine, state-run news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported on Saturday. In 2017, a Russian court sentenced five men to prison terms ranging from 11 and 20 years for his murder. Among them was Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, who was convicted as an accomplice and jailed for 14 years. “Eskerkhanov signed a contract with the defense ministry in March 2024, was pardoned, and then released from his penal colony,” TASS cited a source in law enforcement agencies as saying. Russia’s defense ministry has since adopted the tactic, forming its Storm-Z units partly out of convict volunteers recruited directly from prisons.

Persons: Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, “ Eskerkhanov, “, Ilya Yashin, ”, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: RIA Novosti Locations: Ukraine, Kremlin, Russia, Belarus, United States, Russian

☆ Putin's Wagner Group mercenaries got thrashed in the African desert — and Ukraine says it helped
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUkraine's defense intelligence claimed a role in a recent battle in Africa — where separatist rebels destroyed a detachment of Russian Wagner Group mercenaries fighting overseas. The paper published a photograph of Malian separatist forces holding up a Ukrainian flag, an apparent expression of solidarity with the country. The battle killed Wagner Group commander Sergei Shevchenko, Razguzra Vagnera said. The separatist group that claimed responsibility for the attack is the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development, or CSP-PSD, the BBC reported. The CSP-PSD opposes Mali's junta, which has been propped up by the Wagner Group for several years.

Persons: —, Andriy Yusov, Razgruzka, Wagners, Wagner, Sergei Shevchenko, Razguzra Vagnera, Nikita Fedyanin, Nusrat al, Muslimin, Assimi Goïta, Goïta, ACSS, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Service, Russian Wagner Group, Main Intelligence, Kyiv Post, Business, Wagner, Malian, BBC, Russian Telegram, Astra, BI, Telegram, Wagner Group, Peace, Security, PSD, Mali's, Pentagon, Africa Center, Strategic Studies, Group Locations: Africa —, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Tinzaouaten, Mali, Russian, Islam, Africa

A Tuareg militant group spokesman said some Malian troops and Russian fighters had also been captured during the battle. According to some unofficial Russian Telegram channels, as many as 80 Russians were killed. The commander – call-sign Rusich – said on Telegram he was trying to convey a message to the Russian Defense Ministry. And in Syria five years ago, a disastrous attack by Russian mercenaries on an oil refinery led to dozens of casualties. One of them was an IED attack on a Russian vehicle in the same region of Mali as the latest devastating assault.

Persons: Nusrat al, JNIM, ”, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, Wagner, Wagner “, –, Sergei Shevchenko, Nikita Fedyanin, “, Korotkov, Africa Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yunus, Bek, Yevkurov, al Organizations: CNN, Russian, Russian Telegram, Kremlin, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Security, Russian Defense Ministry, Corps, Grey, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Federation, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central African, Wagner PMC, Deputy, SITE Intelligence Group Locations: Mali, Algerian, Islam, Africa, Malian, Russian, London, Syria, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Niger, Burkina Faso, Moscow, Togo

☆ Year After Failed Mutiny, Russia Tightens Grip on Wagner Units in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Russia covertly propped up authoritarian leaders, exploited natural resources and fought extremists in a number of African countries. Russia worked through the Wagner group, a shadowy web of political advisers, entrepreneurs and mercenaries. Wagner was led by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, a ruthless tycoon who was once a close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. But after Mr. Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny against Mr. Putin in June last year, Mr. Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash. The Russian Ministry of Defense has taken control of Wagner’s mercenary arm in Africa and placed it under a bigger umbrella group, Africa Corps.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin Organizations: Mr, Russian Ministry of Defense, Africa Corps Locations: Russia, Western, Ukraine, Africa

☆ With shake-up at defense ministry, ‘Putin’s chef’ gets his wish from beyond the grave
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Berlin CNN —Removing a long-time defense minister from his post is nothing out of the ordinary. Arresting five of his senior staff, however, is clearly more than just a search for fresh blood — especially in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Analysts who spoke to CNN described the defense ministry as one of the most corrupt in the country. Putin was likely awaiting his reelection by the Russian people in March before making moving in on the defense ministry. The defense ministry is central to how that war ends.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, ”, Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Kazakov, Stanovaya, Andrey Belousov, – Shamarin, Ivanov Mikhail Komin, Vadim Shamarin, General Vadim Shamarin, Reuters Shamarin, Ria Novosti, Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Alexey Navalny, —, Turar Kazangapov, Oleg Savelyev, ” Komin, Prigozhin’s, Gerasimov, ” Stanovaya, Komin, “ it’s Organizations: Berlin CNN, CNN, West ., Reuters, Sputnik, Kremlin, Getty, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Putin, European Council of Foreign Affairs, Main, Russian Armed Forces, “, Russian Defence Ministry . Russian Defence Ministry, Ria, Benz, Corruption Foundation, Russian, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Staff, Armed Forces Locations: Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Ukraine, Russia, Kharkiv, Donbas, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Russian, AFP, Vienna, Courchevel, France, Astana, Kazakhstan

☆ Optimistic About the War in Ukraine, Putin Unleashes a Purge at Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Paul Sonne | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Periodic outcries over incompetence and corruption at the top of the Russian military have dogged President Vladimir V. Putin’s war effort since the start of his invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. When his forces faltered around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the need for change was laid bare. When they were routed months later outside the city of Kharkiv, expectations of a shake-up grew. And after the mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin marched his men toward Moscow, complaining of deep rot and ineptitude at the top of the Russian force, Mr. Putin seemed obliged to respond. Now, with the battlefield crises seemingly behind him and Mr. Prigozhin dead, the Russian leader has decided to act, changing defense ministers for the first time in more than a decade and allowing a number of corruption arrests among top ministry officials.

Persons: Vladimir V, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Moscow, Russian

☆ Russia's pulling combat forces from another continent to fuel its latest offensive push in Ukraine, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewRussia has moved some combat forces from Africa to help support its latest offensive efforts in northeastern Ukraine, according to a new Western intelligence assessment. The Russian defense ministry created the Africa Corps last year as a way to expand its footprint on the continent and also in the Middle East. Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesRussia's defense ministry "almost certainly redeployed detachments from the Africa Corps to the Ukrainian border during April 2024 in preparation for this offensive," the defense ministry said. Other Africa Corps detachments are believed to have deployed to Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the UK said. French Army via APThe recent deployment of certain Africa Corps units to the Kharkiv region appears to underscore Russia's commitment to its new offensive.

Persons: —, Wagner, Kostiantyn Liberov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Africa Corps, Business, Nazi, French Army, AP, Libkos, Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook Locations: Russia, Africa, Ukraine, Moscow, Vovchansk, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali

☆ Genius or madness? Why Putin wants an economist to be Russia's new defense minister at a key point in the war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

But Putin's replacement of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was unexpected — and his choice of successor, civilian economist Andrei Belousov, was even more of a surprise. Russia's incoming Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. "Belousov's main goal is to secure [Russia's] military needs in terms of arms. The Kremlin announced on Sunday that Shoigu, Russia's defense minister since 2012, had been relieved of his post and would become secretary of Russia's influential Security Council. Prigozhin died last August in a plane crash after a short-lived and ill-fated rebellion against Russia's military leadership.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Miguel Diaz, Maxim Shemetov, Sergei Shoigu, Andrei Belousov, Belousov, Putin, Andrey Belousov, Shoigu, Belousov's, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Uralvagonzavod, Ramil Sitdikov, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Nikolai Patrushev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ukraine —, Prigozhin, Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Klimentyev Organizations: Cuban, Canel, Reuters, NATO, Institute for, Anadolu, Getty, Kremlin, Russian MoD, Defense Ministry, Sputnik, Afp, Staff, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, CNBC, Nazi, Security, Wagner Group, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defence, Defence Ministry Board, National Defence Control Centre Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Kharkiv, Russian, Urals, Nizhny Tagil, Nazi Germany, Kremlin

☆ Putin axes defense minister, replaces him with an economist
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin replaced his longtime defense minister Sergei Shoigu with an economist Andrey Belousov. AdvertisementRussian leader Vladimir Putin is replacing his longtime defense minister Sergei Shoigu, 68, with an economist. On Sunday, Putin named former deputy prime minister and economic development minister Andrey Belousov, 65, as his new defense chief. Shoigu, who served as defense minister since 2012, now runs Russia's Security Council instead, taking over from Putin ally Nikolai Patrushev. Representatives for Russia's defense ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, Belousov, —, Dmitry Peskov, Shoigu, Nikolai Patrushev, Peskov, Timur Ivanov, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Shoigu's, It's, didn't Organizations: Sunday, Service, TASS, Russian Ministry of Defense, Security, Putin, Industrial Commission, CNN, BI Locations: Shoigu, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Putin replaces longtime defense minister in surprise move; Russia claims gains as fighting rages in northeast Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved his longtime ally Sergei Shoigu from the defense ministry to Russia's powerful Security Council amid a government reshuffle. Russian economist Andrei Belousov will be Russia's new defense minister, while Shoigu will replace Nikolai Patrushev, another long-standing Putin ally, as the secretary of the powerful Security Council. Shoigu had headed the defense ministry since 2012, going in to the role with no military experience, and oversaw Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In other news, Russia's Defense Ministry on Sunday claimed more advances in the Kharkiv area of Ukraine after Russian forces launched a new offensive in the northeastern region.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Andrei Belousov, Shoigu, Nikolai Patrushev, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Belousov Organizations: Staff, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Security Council, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Russia's Defense Ministry, Sunday Locations: Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Russia, Kremlin, Russian, Kharkiv

☆ Sergei Shoigu: Putin replaces Russia’s defense minister with a civilian, citing rising military costs and need for innovation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced his defense minister Sergei Shoigu with a civilian, Andrey Belousov, citing the country’s rising military spending and the need for “innovation.”Shoigu had been “relieved” of his post of Minister of Defense by presidential decree and been appointed Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday night local time. Shoigu would also become Putin’s deputy in Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission, Peskov said, while Nikolai Patrushev, the previous Secretary of the Security Council, would “transfer to another job.”Belousov, who previously served as first deputy prime minister, is a civilian. “Today on the battlefield, the winner is the one who is more open to innovation,” Peskov said. Peskov added that the new appointment did not signal a shift in Russia’s current military system. In his new role, Shoigu will oversee Russia’s military industrial complex, Peskov said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, ” Shoigu, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Shoigu, Peskov, Nikolai Patrushev, ” Belousov, Putin, ” Peskov, It’s, Valery Gerasimov, Shoigu’s, Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Ukraine –, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Defense, Russia’s Security, Russia’s, Industrial Commission, Security, Russian Ministry of Defense, of Economic, Staff Locations: Ukraine, Russia

CNN —Vladimir Putin has formally begun his fifth term as Russia’s president in a carefully choreographed inauguration ceremony, in a country he has shaped in his image after first taking office nearly a quarter of a century ago. Putin won Russia’s stage-managed election by an overwhelming majority in March, securing for himself another six-year term that could see him rule until at least his 77th birthday. Attendees wait in the Kremlin as Putin arrives for his inauguration ceremony. Putin waves during his inauguration ceremony. To ensure it has enough drones and missiles to bombard Ukraine, Russia has also entered into deeper partnerships with Iran and North Korea.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Putin, – Putin, “, Matthew Miller, Putin’s, Maxim Shemetov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ”, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, US State Department, Reuters, US Embassy, Presidential Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Iran, North Korea

☆ Russia recruiting female convicts into the military report says, as the role of women in the Ukraine war expands
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewRussia is recruiting female convicts to bolster its war effort in Ukraine, the Kyiv Post reported, citing a Ukrainian intelligence spokesperson. The role of women in the war has expanded rapidly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The practice of offering convicts freedom in exchange for military service in Ukraine began under Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late founder of the mercenary Wagner Group. Business Insider contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment. Elena Tita/Global Images Ukraine via Getty ImagesUkrainian women have been joining the military in significant numbers since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Persons: —, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Osechkin, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Elena Tita Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Kyiv, Business, Newsweek, UK Ministry of Defence, Russian Ministry of Defense, Getty Images, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, BBC, CNBC Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russian, Zaporizhzhia Oblast

☆ Ukraine isn't the only country Russia is trying to topple
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Even as Russian bombs pound Ukraine, Moscow's mercenaries and spies are busy trying to set much of the rest of the world afire. To Russia, the conventional warfare waged in Ukraine, and unconventional "gray zone" warfare waged around the world, are two sides of the same coin. Human intelligence operations are used to attempt elite capture through the offer of assistance to politicians who support Russian interests. "As the war in Ukraine protracts, Russia has an interest in creating crises further afield," said RUSI. "As a lot of Russia's unconventional operations are self-defeating, countering Russian unconventional warfare must be premised on careful, selective, and intelligence- driven targeting," the study emphasized.

Persons: —, RUSI, Vladimir Putin, Jack Watling, Oleksandr Danylyuk, Nick Reynolds, Britain —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Business, Kremlin, Soviet Union, NATO, Directorate, Staff of, Armed Forces, Getty, Russian, Central African, Wagner, GRU Expeditionary Corps, Convoy, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Africa, Central Asia, Soviet, Montenegro, Moscow, Moldova, Russian, Britain, Ukraine protracts, Balkans, Russia's, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, Chechnya, Forbes

The appalling attack on the vast Crocus City Hall concert venue and shopping complex near Moscow – claimed by ISIS – left more than 100 people dead. This is hardly the stability and security for which so many Russians voted for Putin. For years, the Kremlin strongman has been cast as a leader able to guarantee order in this vast, turbulent country. But now, the focus is firmly on the apparent reappearance in Russia of jihadists, unrelated to the Ukraine war or domestic opposition to the Kremlin. But for a leader who has promised security and stability to Russians, a large-scale terror attack on home soil is a powerful blow to his image.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Moscow –, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Crocus City Hall, ISIS –, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Crocus, Moscow, Putin’s, Ukraine, Ukrainian, jihadists, Russian

☆ Crocus City: Appalling Moscow terror attack is a blow to a Russian leader who promised security
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Matthew Chance | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The appalling attack on the vast Crocus City Hall concert venue and shopping complex near Moscow, which has been claimed by ISIS, has left hundreds of innocents killed or injured. The four men suspected of carrying out the attack were arrested near Russia’s border with Ukraine, Russian authorities said. For years, the Kremlin strongman has been cast as a leader able to guarantee order in this vast, turbulent country. In the same way, the recent death of Alexey Navalny, Russian most prominent opposition leader, has permanently silenced a vocal Kremlin critic. But for a leader who has promised security and stability to Russians, a major attack on Russian soil is yet another powerful blow.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Alexey Navalny Organizations: CNN, Crocus City Hall, ISIS, Ukraine – Kyiv, Kremlin, intel Locations: Russia, Crocus, Moscow, Russia’s, Ukraine, Putin’s, Ukrainian

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