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☆ Russian oligarchs believe Putin tricked them into appearing to support the war in Ukraine, and got them all sanctioned, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian oligarchs say Putin tricked them into supporting his war in Ukraine, per The New York Times. When Putin announced the invasion, they were gathered before cameras "to tar everyone there," The Times reported. "Russian businesspeople, Russian officials, the Russian people — they saw a czar in him. He joined rows of other business moguls who were equally surprised by Putin's invasion. In the weeks and months that followed, Russian oligarchs had their assets frozen and were banned from traveling to some countries as the Ruble fell into freefall.

The deal McDonald's struck with former licensee Alexander Govor included a set of requirements the new brand, Vkusno & tochka, must stick to, including restrictions on branding, colour scheme and product usage. New owner Alexander Govor said this week he and the management team regularly talk over video link to the former parent company. "We are not talking about how they somehow participate in our business, this is already done," Vkusno & tochka, which translates to "Tasty & that's it," CEO Oleg Paroev told Reuters. In a statement to Reuters, McDonald's said it fully exited the Russian market earlier this year. Russian authorities in June said McDonald's has an option to buy back its Russia restaurants within 15 years.

Since the early days of the invasion, Mr. Putin has conceded, privately, that the war has not gone as planned. “I think he is sincerely willing” to compromise with Russia, Mr. Putin said of Mr. Zelensky in 2019. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. “I think this war is Putin’s grave.” Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, a Russian prisoner of war held by Ukraine, in October.

☆ Factbox: Who is Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - Vladimir Potanin, who was placed on a U.S. sanctions list on Thursday, is one of Russia's wealthiest businessmen. - Potanin, 61, is the president and largest shareholder at Nornickel, the world's largest producer of palladium and refined nickel. In 2021 Nornickel was the world's top producer of refined nickel, used to make stainless steel and important for electric vehicle batteries. - The son of a high-ranking Soviet trade official, Potanin was educated at Moscow’s elite diplomatic academy. - Potanin has taken care to stay on the right side of President Vladimir Putin, for instance by accepting a $2 billion fine after Nornickel angered the president by causing Russia's biggest Arctic oil spill two years ago.

☆ Russia’s McDonald’s successor replacing Big Mac with ‘Big Hit’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Starved of Big Macs since McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N) closed its Russian restaurants in March, Russians will from next year be treated to an alternative from the burger chain’s successor - the "Big Hit". Vkusno & tochka, or "Tasty & that's it", on Monday said the Big Hit would be available from February and a similar product to the McDonald’s Happy Meal would be making a comeback as "Kids' Combo". McDonald's closed its Russian restaurants soon after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February, eventually selling to a local licensee, Alexander Govor, who unveiled the new brand in June. Since acquiring Russia's McDonald's restaurants, Govor has snapped up Finnish packaging company Huhtamaki's (HUH1V.HE) Russian business and a logistics firm, set to be renamed "Logistics & that's it". Some Vkusno & tochka restaurants had to take fries off the menu earlier this year when faced with a potato shortage.

☆ Kremlin complains about Time magazine naming Zelenskyy Person of the Year, calls it 'short-sighted' and 'anti-Russian'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Vladimir Putin's spokesperson complained about Time naming Zelenskyy its person of the year. Dmitry Peskov said the accolade was "vehemently Russophobic" and attacked Western media. Time said that the choice of Zelenskyy was "the most clear-cut in memory." Speaking to reporters, Dmitry Peskov claimed the accolade was evidence of an anti-Russian Western media system. Time announced the award on Tuesday, naming not only Zelenskyy but also "the spirit of Ukraine" as its person of the year.

☆ Russia's Gazprom Neft eyes steady oil refining volumes in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Olesya Astakhova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The stable output at Gazprom Neft, which controls Russia's largest oil refinery in the western Siberian city of Omsk, shows the resilience of the Russian oil industry despite the harshest Western sanctions in recent history. The 400,000-barrel per day (bpd) Omsk plant, 1,600 km east of Moscow, started operations in 1955 and is Russia's largest oil refinery. He said the company continues modernisation of the plant following the launch of a deep oil refining complex earlier this year. Next year, Gazprom Neft plans to install a primary refining complex at the plant with capacity of 8.4 million tonnes per year. According to Vedernikov, the Omsk refinery is also working on production of the needle coke.

These men were rushed from the frontline to a specialist trauma hospital in the city of Kramatorsk on Wednesday afternoon after being wounded in the bloody battle for the eastern town of Bakhmut. Crucial to the surgeons’ work is a single CT scanner that shows surgeons the damage to a patient’s brain and spinal cord. World War I and World War II. Jo Shelley/CNN“You understand that you are exhausted, you understand that there is a process of internal burnout,” the Dr. Malanchuk said. It seems that you are exhausted, and then the next patient comes along and the process does its work again.”

☆ UK lawmakers warned of cyber-attacks and possible harassment from Iranian operatives
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nina Dos Santos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —British lawmakers have been warned to be on alert for cyber-attacks and possible harassment from Iranian operatives, according to correspondence sent to lawmakers in both the upper and lower chambers last month. The correspondence is part of a growing chorus of warnings about the potential actions of Iranian operatives in Britain as tensions rise between the two countries. Earlier in the month, UK lawmakers received guidance on how to prevent digital snooping. Iran has sanctioned several UK lawmakers, including the country’s security minister. Iranian security forces have also allegedly threatened journalists working in Britain.

☆ Spanish police find more 'bloody packages' sent to Ukraine missions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Spanish police intercepted three more envelopes containing animal eyes addressed to Ukraine's embassy in Madrid and its consulates in Barcelona and Malaga on Monday, police sources close to the investigation said. Last week, Ukraine said a series of "bloody packages" were sent to its missions across Europe, soon after a letter bomb detonated at Ukraine's embassy in Spain and police defused others sent to, among others, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The postal service's security staff detected the new envelopes during screening on Monday morning and alerted police, the sources said. Ukrainian embassy in Madrid had already received a package with animal eyes on Friday that the interior ministry said carried a foreign stamp. Evidence from that package shared with the postal service helped its staff detect the latest one, police sources added.

☆ 'Bloody parcels' containing animal eyes mailed to Ukrainian embassies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Bloody parcels containing the eyes of animals and explosives have been sent to several Ukrainian embassies and consuls across Europe, officials said late Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said in a statement on Facebook that embassies in Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy had received packages containing the disembodied eyes of animals. Consulates in Naples, Italy, Krakow, Poland, and the Czech city of Brno had also been targeted, he said. Letter bombs were mailed to six addresses in Spain earlier this week, including the Ukrainian Embassy and the U.S. Embassy, as well as to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, causing security to be tightened. Farther south, the Ukrainian consul in Naples, Maksym Kovalenko, told the AP that his office received two letters containing fish eyes at around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

☆ Ukraine says its embassies in countries across Europe have been receiving bloodstained packages with animal eyes in them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian embassies in Europe have gotten packages with "animal eyes," in them, an official said. This comes after an apparent bomb inside an envelope exploded at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid. "The packages contained animal eyes," Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a Facebook post on Friday. The gruesome packages were received by the Ukrainian embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Italy, and Austria, Nikolenko said. "We have reasons to consider what's going on a well-planned campaign of terror and intimidation of embassies and consulates of Ukraine," Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

☆ Ukrainian embassies receive 'bloody packages' containing animal eyes - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Several Ukrainian embassies abroad have received "bloody packages" containing animal eyes, the foreign ministry said on Friday, after a series of letter bombs were sent to addresses in Spain including Ukraine's embassy in Madrid. An embassy source in Rome said human faeces were left in front of the door. Nikolenko also said that the embassy in Kazakhstan had received a bomb threat, which was subsequently not confirmed. The embassy in the United States received a letter containing an article that was critical about Ukraine, he said. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; additional reporting by Philip Pullela in Rome; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy HeirtageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ BP stands to make 'blood money' from its stake in Kremlin-backed oil giant Rosneft, Zelenskyy aide says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

BP is set to get "blood money" from its stake in a Kremlin-controlled firm, a Zelenskyy aide said. It still owns a near-20% stake in Rosneft after saying in February that it would sell its holding. A BP spokesperson told Insider it had taken a $24 billion hit on its investment in Russia. A BP spokesperson said it was not making any profit from its Rosneft stake. "BP was among the first of the oil majors to announce its intention to exit Russia by selling its stake in Rosneft, the Kremlin's oil company.

☆ Dutch prosecutors won't appeal in MH17 case, making verdicts final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Dutch prosecutors said on Thursday they would not file an appeal regarding the outcome in the trial over the 2014 downing of Flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine, making the verdicts final although the suspects remain at large. A Dutch court last month convicted three men and sentenced them to life in prison for the shooting-down of the Malaysian airliner as it flew over eastern Ukraine on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. The three convicted were former Russian intelligence agents Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy, and Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian separatist leader. Prosecutors said on Thursday they were satisfied with the "clarity" the case had brought to relatives of the victims about what had happened to MH17. Reporting by Bart Meijer Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia-Ukraine War U.S. Rushes to Secure Aid for Ukraine to Repair Energy Grid Before Winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

On Tuesday, American officials pledged to give Ukraine $53 million to repair the electrical grid, and sought to rally other allies to make similar offers. Western officials say the Ukrainian energy reconstruction campaign should be considered a second front in the war. In April, not long after Russian troops swept into Ukraine, American officials marshaled dozens of allies to furnish Ukraine with long-term military aid, and organized the countries into the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The United States is organizing a working group to help Ukraine repair energy equipment and to better defend its power plants and grid from attack. That energy “contact group” is centered on those nations and their close partners, and is expected to meet again next month in Paris.

☆ An apparent letter bomb exploded at the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, Spanish authorities said
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An apparent bomb concealed inside an envelope exploded at the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid. Ukraine's foreign affairs minister ordered security to be beefed up at all Ukrainian embassies. The employee was not seriously injured in the blast but was hospitalized, Reuters reported, citing Spanish police. In the aftermath of the incident, Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered security to be beefed up at all Ukrainian embassies. Kuleba also called on Spanish authorities to "urgently" investigate what Ukrainian officials described as an "attack."

“In terms of thinking about what the mid- and long-term goals should be…the task force has been focused on facilitation networks, procurement networks, money-laundering networks,” he said. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance. Mr. Bonham-Carter worked primarily as a property manager for the Russian oligarch, according to the indictment. Bonham-Carter is a U.K. citizen, living in the U.K., arrested in the U.K.,” Mr. Adams said. In some cases, OFAC may not add companies that prosecutors deem are subject to the control of sanctioned oligarchs, he said.

☆ Russian McDonald's successor solves franchise problem as more outlets join
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Vkusno & tochka ("Tasty and that's it") restaurants started opening in June. "As of Dec. 1, Razvitie Rost enterprises will continue their work in Russia under the Vkusno & tochka brand," Rosinter said in a statement. Rosinter's restaurants, at train stations and airports in Moscow and St Petersburg, continued operating without McDonald's signs, which were covered up. Reuters found some McDonald's packaging still in use after the closure. Reporting by Olga Popova, Caleb Davis and Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Superyacht rentals, private jets and a soccer-themed hotel: Dubai is cashing in on the Qatar World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A yacht that can be rented to watch the World Cup while sailing around Dubai is docked in Dubai harbor on November 1, 2022, ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup football tournament. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, in August called Dubai "the major gateway" to the World Cup and predicted it would see more tourists than Qatar itself. Getty Images | A general view of the West Bay area ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at on November 18, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. "Its tourism infrastructure and straightforward entry requirements make it a convenient base for World Cup fans." Dubai, meanwhile, as a city has more than 140,000 hotel rooms, according to hotel data firm STR.

☆ Ukraine to protest over Orban scarf showing part of Ukraine as Hungarian territory
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV/BUDAPEST, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine will summon the Hungarian ambassador to protest that Prime Minister Viktor Orban went to a football match wearing a scarf depicting some Ukrainian territory as part of Hungary, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Ukrainian media showed images of Orban meeting a Hungarian footballer wearing a scarf which the outlet Ukrainska Pravda said depicted a map of "Greater Hungary" including territory that is now part of the neighbouring states of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine. Nikolenko said Ukraine wanted an apology and a rebuttal of any Hungarian claims on Ukrainian territory. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Orban did not directly address the controversy over the scarf. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Anita Komuves, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine to protest over Orban scarf showing Hungary including part of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine will summon the Hungarian ambassador to protest that Prime Minister Viktor Orban went to a football match wearing a scarf depicting some Ukrainian territory as part of Hungary, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Tuesday. "The promotion of revisionism ideas in Hungary does not contribute to the development of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and does not comply with the principles of European policy," ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. Nikolenko said Ukraine wanted an apology and a rebuttal of any Hungarian claims on Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian media showed images of Orban meeting a Hungarian footballer wearing a scarf which the outlet Ukrainska Pravda said depicted a map of "Greater Hungary" including territory that is now part of the neighbouring states of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Ukraine. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ MH17 verdict: 2 Russians, 1 Ukrainian convicted of murders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Dutch court on Thursday convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist in absentia of the murders of 298 people who died in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine. None of the defendants appeared for the trial that began in March 2020 and if they are convicted, it’s unlikely they will serve any sentence anytime soon. “The truth on the table — that is the most important thing,” said Anton Kotte, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and his 6-year-old grandson when MH17 was shot down. The most senior defendant convicted is Igor Girkin, a 51-year-old former colonel in Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB. Oleg Pulatovis the only one of the suspects who was acquited represented by defense lawyers at the trial.

☆ 3 men were just given life sentences over the downing of passenger jet MH17 and the murder of 298 people, but they may never be caught
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Dutch court sentenced three men to life in prison over the downing of passenger jet MH17 in 2014. The plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made missile, and nearly 300 people were killed. Two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist were convicted, but they're fugitives. Given that the convicted are currently fugitives, the three men may never be apprehended and serve their time in prison, the report said. The missile was provided by Russia's military to pro-Moscow separatist forces, the Dutch court confirmed.

☆ Judges to rule in murder trial for 2014 downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MH17 was a passenger flight shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. At the time, the area was the scene of fighting between pro-Russian separatist and Ukrainian forces, the precursor of this year's conflict. Moscow denies any involvement or responsibility for MH17's downing and in 2014 it also denied any presence in Ukraine. They were charged with shooting down an airplane and with murder in a trial held under Dutch law. Judges will begin reading the verdict at 1:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT) at the high-security court next to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

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