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☆ Russia's economy is being propped up by Wagner Group's gold-smuggling operations, UK government report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's economy is being sustained by the Wagner Group's gold smuggling operations, the UK government says. A report says the mercenary group has been sneaking "significant" amounts of gold out of Sudan. That gold is then used in trade that's boosting Russia's economy, it added, despite the nation being targeted by western sanctions amid Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. "Wagner's gold-smuggling operations from Sudan are significant, with one calling them 'critical to Russia's ability to withstand significant sanctions deployed against it for its illegal invasion in Ukraine,'" the report said. And though Putin has downplayed the effect of sanctions, non-government statistics show that Russia's economy is spiraling and in a far worse state than it appears, two Yale researchers said.

Persons: Wagner, Brian Nelson, Putin Organizations: Service, US Treasury, United Arab, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial, Wagner Groups, EU, Yale Locations: Sudan, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, Mali, United States, Africa

Chicago wheat futures , a benchmark of global prices, have risen around 20% since Russia ended the deal on July 17. It's absolutely an important national security issue for a lot of these African countries," he said. Putin says Russia is expecting a record harvest this year and is ready to fill the gap for African countries by supplying grain both commercially and for free. Dizolele said, noting that Russia backed African countries at the U.N., had defence and security agreements with some of them and gave scholarships to their students. But Putin's response, when Ramaphosa and other African leaders presented the proposal to him last month, was to repeat a familiar list of accusations against Ukraine and the West.

Persons: Anton Vaganov, Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mvemba Dizolele, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Dizolele, WAGNER, Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramani, Mark Trevelyan, Joe Bavier, Carien du, Tom Balmforth, Michelle Nichols, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Saint, REUTERS, Putin, Kremlin, U.S, Africa, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, International Criminal Court, Treasury, Central African, Ukraine, South, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Isaac's, central Saint Petersburg, Black, Russian, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Chicago, Washington, Turkey, Qatar, Moscow, United States, Kenya, Somalia, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, West, London, Johannesburg, Carien du Plessis

☆ Putin is trying to flex his influence in Africa, but countries are giving him the cold shoulder
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin is hosting a critical summit with African leaders this week in St. Petersburg, Russia. But only a handful of attending nations are sending their heads of state or leaders. Isolated by the war in Ukraine, Putin seeks to grow influence and support on the African continent. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. On Thursday, Putin will meet with 49 representatives from African nations at the second Russia-Africa summit.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin's, Yuri Ushakov, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Service, Moscow Times, Reuters, Ukraine, Wagner Group, Central African, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Relations Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Africa, Egypt, South Africa, Uganda, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic

London CNN —The United Kingdom government has been heavily criticized by Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee for underestimating the growth of Russia’s Wagner private mercenary group, despite it posing a major threat to the country’s interests. Wagner “essentially operate like a criminal mafia,” Kearns said in an interview with Sky News Wednesday. Barbara Debout/AFP/Getty Images/FILEIt also criticized the UK government for only beginning to seriously monitor the group after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. “It is deeply regrettable that it was not until early 2022 that the Government began to invest greater resource in understanding the Wagner Network, despite Wagner fighters having already conducted military operations in at least seven countries for almost a decade,” read the report. “The Government has not told us anything specific that it is doing to challenge the network’s influence and impunity outside of Ukraine,” the report said.

Persons: Russia’s Wagner, Wagner, ”, Alicia Kearns, Wagner “, ” Kearns, “, Barbara Debout Organizations: London CNN, United, Parliament’s Foreign, “, CNN, Sky News, Getty, Government, Wagner Network, European Union Locations: Africa, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Central African Republic, Libya, Mozambique, Mali, Bangui, AFP, “, United States

☆ A Ukrainian Storm Shadow missile took out a major Russian vehicle repair site in Crimea, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine took out a Russian military repair depot in Crimea, per an unofficial Russian source. The site was reportedly struck by the UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile. TASS did not mention the reported Storm Shadow strikes, but said that 11 drones were shot down while one destroyed an ammunition pile. But the episode highlights the growing pressures the UK-supplied Storm Shadow has laid on Russian command and control. The site of the Crimea repair depot is roughly 130 miles behind the front lines of the conflict.

Persons: Ukrainian Su, Rybar Organizations: Shadow, Service, Ukrainian, Russian Telegram, for, Kremlin, Wagner, TASS, Forbes Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Dzhankoy, Kremlin Russian

☆ Putin 'just hid' during Wagner's mutiny, proving he can't guarantee 'security' for Russia, a former Russian colonel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin "just hid" during Wagner's mutiny, a former Russian colonel told The Washington Post. Chaos in Russian leadership left local authorities without direction during Prigozhin's rebellion. Gudkov told the Post that Putin's inaction during Yevgeny Prigozhin's 24-hour rebellion severely damaged his reputation with top Russian officials. That's left Putin appearing weak. One senior Moscow financier connected to Russian intel told the Post: "Russia is a country of mafia rules.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Gennady Gudkov, Gudkov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko, standdown, unsparingly, Prigozhin —, That's Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Russian Defense, Ukraine, Kremlin, Russian intel Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Belarus, Moscow, Russia

☆ Xi Jinping’s foreign minister ousted after month-long unexplained absence from public view
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s foreign minister Qin Gang was dramatically ousted on Tuesday after a prolonged absence from public view and replaced by his predecessor in a surprising and highly unusual shake-up of the country’s foreign policy leadership. Qin, 57, a career diplomat and trusted aide of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, had only been appointed foreign minister in December after serving as China’s ambassador to Washington. Wang, who was foreign minister from 2013 to 2022, now serves as director of the foreign affairs arm of the ruling Communist Party, a position which makes him China’s top diplomat. The appointment of a foreign minister through a vote during a China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee meeting is a deviation from past precedents. Qin’s disappearance from China’s foreign affairs schedule has not been fully explained by the ministry, which briefly cited “health reasons” when he missed a diplomatic gathering earlier this month.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Wang, Andrey Rudenko, Wagner, Xi, ”, Deng Yuwen, Deng, they’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, Russian, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Xi, CNN, Senior Locations: Hong Kong, Washington, China, Beijing, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia, South Africa, Johannesburg

☆ Russia wants school kids trained to operate combat drones, which have become an inescapable part of the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Drones have been invaluable for both Ukraine and Russia, completing attacks and conducting reconnaissance. These assets, which come in all shapes and sizes, will have uses in the ongoing war against Ukraine and in future conflicts. Russia previously accused Ukraine of using long-range drones to strike bases deep inside Russian territory. Meanwhile, Russia has used drones for similar purposes, such as battlefield reconnaissance. Kyiv and other cities have repeatedly been battered by one-way explosive drones, like the Iranian-made Shaheds.

Persons: Narciso Contreras, They've, Scott Peterson, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Olga Maltseva, TB2, Russia's, Ukraine's Organizations: Service, UK Ministry of Defense, Ukraine, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, CNN, PMC Wagner, PMC, Radio Free Radio Liberty Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Kerch, Crimea, Ukraine's, Saint Petersburg, AFP, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine has apparently come home again, this time with drones striking skyscrapers in the capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The attack was reportedly carried out by Kyiv and came after unrelenting Russian attacks on southern Ukraine with drones and missiles increasingly targeting the country's grain infrastructure. Russia's Ministry of Defense said it "foiled" the early Monday morning attack on Moscow, which it blamed it on Ukraine. Photographs of the scene show damage to the roof of an unidentified building, which is located just a few hundred meters from the Russian defense ministry's headquarters in the capital. A view of a building after two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attack in Moscow, Russia on July 24, 2023. Ukraine's defense ministry said on Monday that Russian drones attacked grain infrastructure along the Danube River, injuring several people and destroying food storage facilities.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Sefa Karacan, Mykhailo Podolyak, Putin, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Biden, Vedant Patel, Patel, EKATERINA ANISIMOVA, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Russia's Ministry of Defense, TASS, Windows, CNN, Kyiv, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Presidential, Twitter, Police, Wagner, White, US State Department Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia's, Ukraine isn't, AFP, Crimean, Odesa

☆ Putin new bodyguard incudes thousands of elite special forces, tanks and warplanes to make him 'coup-proof,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin has reinforced his National Guard with elite special forces, arming them with tanks and warplanes. The move is seen as making the Kremlin "coup-proof," an analyst told The Telegraph. The National Guard, created by Putin in 2016, has 320,000 men and reports directly to him rather than the Ministry of Defense. An MP for Putin's United Russia party Alexander Khinshtein said that Putin has personally ordered the Interior Ministry's 7,000-men-strong Grom special forces unit to move under its command. "Putin is straightening the special forces' command and control after Prigozhin's mutiny," he said.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, It's, Putin's, Viktor Zolotov, Alexander Khinshtein, Ben Noble, Andrei Soldatov, John Hardie, Zolotov, Grom Organizations: National Guard, Telegraph, Service, British, The Telegraph, Ministry of Defense, Putin's United, Interior, Praetorian Guard, Politics, University College London, Foundation for, Defense of Democracies Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Putin's United Russia, Russia, Belarus

☆ Putin hosts Belarus leader, calls Ukraine's counteroffensive a failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) at the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 25, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St. Petersburg on Sunday. "There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Poland is moving extra troops toward the border with Belarus in response to the arrival of the Wagner forces who relocated there after staging a short-lived mutiny in Russia last month. Putin, in response, warned Poland on Friday that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Milley, Russia's Wagner, Wagner Organizations: U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Telegram, NATO Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Poland, Warsaw, Rzeszow, Belarusian, Polish, Belarus, Minsk

☆ Vladimir Putin Can’t Count on Chinese Support Forever - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Sergey Radchenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mao Zedong warned, “You piss on my head, and I shall retaliate!” The Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev called Mao “treacherous.” An alliance that Moscow and Beijing previously billed as unbreakable quickly unraveled. So Mao reached out to his avowed foe the United States. Mao, a scathing critic of what he called American imperialism, suddenly referred to President Richard Nixon as “the No. 1 good fellow as the two countries make common cause against the United States. Mao’s abrupt turn to the United States showed just how quickly Chinese loyalties can crumble when the usefulness of a strategic partner wanes.

Persons: Mao Zedong, Leonid Brezhnev, Mao, Richard Nixon, Nixon, Vladimir Putin, Xi, —, Wagner, Mikhail Kapitsa Organizations: Communist Locations: China, Soviet, Moscow, Beijing, United States

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meet people outside the Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Kronstadt near Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Demyanchuk/Pool via REUTERSJuly 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St Petersburg on Sunday. "There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Ukraine began its long-anticipated counter-offensive last month but has so far made only small gains against well entrenched Russian forces who control more than a sixth of its territory after nearly 17 months of war. Putin, in response, warned Poland on Friday that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Nicholas, Alexander Demyanchuk, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Milley, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Mark Trevelyan, Felix Light, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Belarusian, Naval, Sputnik, REUTERS, U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Telegram, NATO, Thomson Locations: St, Kronstadt, Saint Petersburg, Russia, St Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Poland, Warsaw, Rzeszow, Belarusian, Polish, Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, West

☆ The 'taboo' of criticizing Putin has been 'significantly weakened,' which is why an influential pro-war blogger trashed him, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pro-war Russian ultra-nationalist was arrested for criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The UK MoD said he made the comments as the "taboo" around criticizing Putin is weakened. Ivor Girkin, a Russian ultra-nationalist, was arrested on extremism charges on Friday after he called Putin a "cowardly mediocrity." Girkin, like many other Russian war bloggers, has been critical of Russia's military performance in Ukraine. The UK MoD noted that Girkin had "long been a critic" of Russia's military performance but that, in recent days, his comments had turned to criticizing Putin himself.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Ivor Girkin, Girkin's, Russian Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Igor Girkin, ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Insider's Erin Snodgrass, Girkin Organizations: MoD, Service, Wagner Group, Getty, MOD, Guardian Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian Donetsk

☆ Russian ultra-nationalist who has gotten away with criticizing the Kremlin for years is arrested after calling Putin a 'cowardly mediocrity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A prominent Russian war blogger was arrested on Friday after months of criticizing Putin. Igor Girkin, a former FSB operative, had long flouted Russian laws forbidding wartime criticism. But the pro-war blogger was detained this week after calling Putin a "cowardly mediocrity." But for all his critiques of the conflict in Ukraine, Girkin is decidedly pro-war, suggesting that Putin and his generals haven't gone far enough, and calling for the full mobilization of Russia's population. In a June 25 Telegram post, Girkin suggested that if Putin can't win in Ukraine, "he needs to legally transfer his powers."

Persons: Putin, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Girkin's, haven't, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Girkin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, YouTube, Financial Times Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Girkin, Donetsk, Russia

☆ Russian central bank surprises with sharper-than-expected rate hike to 8.5%
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Pro-inflationary risks have increased significantly over the medium-term horizon," the bank said in a statement. The central bank raised its year-end forecast for inflation - now just below 4% - to 5.0-6.5% from 4.5-6.5%, and said it was holding open the possibility of further hikes at future meetings. "The much larger-than-expected 100bp interest rate hike ... underscores policymakers’ concerns about inflation risks," said William Jackson, Chief Emerging Markets Economist at Capital Economics. Alfa Bank Chief Economist Natalia Orlova said the rate hike looked like a reaction to the situation on the currency market, given that the other inflation pressures mentioned had been evident at the previous central bank meeting on June 9. Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina will shed more light on the bank's forecasts and policy in a media briefing at 1200 GMT.

Persons: William Jackson, Natalia Orlova, Wagner, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Alexander Marrow, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Capital Economics, Alfa Bank, Central Bank Governor, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Pro-war Putin critic and nationalist Girkin detained in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, helped Russia annex Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and then organise pro-Russian militias who took control of part of eastern Ukraine from Kyiv. Girkin's lawyer told the state news agency TASS that it was not clear why his client had been detained. RBC, citing two unnamed law enforcement sources, said Girkin's Moscow home was being searched and that he had been detained over a complaint against him made by a former Wagner employee. Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the R.Politik analysis firm, said the men who run Russia's law enforcement and power ministries had long wanted to arrest Girkin. Stanovaya said Girkin's detention was a signal that any of the bitterest critics of Moscow's approach to the war could face prosecution.

Persons: Putin, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Igor Strelkov, Girkin, PUTIN, Miroslava Reginskaya, Girkin's, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: RBC, Malaysia Airlines, Federal Security Service, of Angry Patriots, Kremlin, Telegram, Investigative, TASS, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, Crimea, Kyiv, Girkin's Moscow

☆ Russian central bank hikes rates 100 basis points as Ukraine war sparks ruble crash and labor crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's central bank lifted its benchmark to 8.5% from 7.5%, the first hike in over a year. Rates are now going up 100 basis points to 8.5% from 7.5%, as policymakers cited inflationary pressure from the ruble's recent slide and worker shortages. "The increase in domestic demand surpasses the capacity to expand production, including due to the limited availability of labor resources," the central bank said. And despite Friday's rate hike, the ruble fell 1.6% against the greenback to 90.80. In addition, the Kremlin's military spending for the war has widened its budget deficit, adding even more inflationary pressure.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, group's Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Wagner suffered staggering losses in Ukraine, official says: 28% dead, a further 51% wounded, totaling 62K casualties in just over a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

28% of the Wagner Group's force sent to Ukraine was killed, according to a group official. A Wagner Group official identified as Marx said that 78,000 fighters went to Ukraine with the mercenary group, and 22,000 were killed, according to Telegram channel Razgruzka Vagnera. That means the Wagner Group had 62,000 casualties in total, according to the official's figures. The UK defense ministry on Friday also pointed to huge losses of Russian prisoners fighting in Ukraine. While the Wagner Group is not the only group that recruited prisoners for Ukraine, it was the most prolific group to do so.

Persons: Wagner, Marx, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Razgruzka Vagnrea, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Group, Moscow Times, Wagner Group, Wagner Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Bakhmut, Russian, Moscow, Africa

☆ Poland to move soldiers to east of country due to Wagner risks-PAP
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Training or joint exercises of the Belarusian army and the Wagner Group is undoubtedly a provocation," Zbigniew Hoffmann told PAP. "The Committee analysed possible threats, such as the dislocation of Wagner Group units. Therefore, the Minister of National Defense, chairman of the Committee, Mariusz Blaszczak, decided to move our military formations from the west to the east of Poland." Defense Minister Blasczak said earlier this month that Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country. Also at the beginning of July Poland said it would send 500 policeto shore up security at the border with Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Zbigniew Hoffmann, Mariusz Blaszczak, Russia's Wagner, Blasczak, Alan Charlish, Kim Coghill Organizations: WARSAW, NATO, Wagner Group, National Defense, Defense, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, Africa, Belarusian, Poland, Poland's

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin was just winging it with his armed revolt and making things up as he went along, CIA director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin shocked the world when he called on his Wagner Group fighters to invade Russia. CIA Director Bill Burns said this week that Prigozhin was likely improvising during the armed rebellion. Prigozhin was "making some of this up as he went along," Burns told the Aspen Security Forum. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Within hours, the Wagner Group had captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don without meeting any resistance.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bill Burns, Prigozhin, Burns, Wagner, Joe Biden, I'm, William Burns, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, he'd, Alexander Lukashenko, Reuters Prigozhin, he'll, Russia —, Vladimir Putin, they've, Putin's misjudgment, Russian Wagner, Mark Milley, Milley Organizations: Wagner Group, CIA, Aspen Security, Service, Russian Defense, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus —, Wagner, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Joint Chiefs, Staff, NATO Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Russian, Voronezh, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Osipovichi, Kyiv

More than two weeks later, the Kremlin disclosed that Mr. Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders had met with Mr. Putin for three hours in the days after the rebellion ended. “I think he probably feels under some pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin, speaking at the British ambassador’s residence in the Czech capital. Mr. Prigozhin is known to have spent several days in Russia afterward, and video posted on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday appears to show him in Belarus. “He is clearly under pressure,” Mr. Moore said of Mr. Putin. Mr. Cleverly said the rebellion underscored the falsity of Mr. Putin’s assertions that Russia would be more committed to a long war in Ukraine than the West would be.

Persons: Richard Moore, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, “, Mr, Moore, “ Prigozhin, ” Mr, ’, James, ”, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Politico, Kremlin, Mr, Prigozhin, The New York Times, ”, Russian Army, British, Aspen Security Locations: London, Prague, Russia, British, Czech, “, Belarus, Moscow, Belarusian, Minsk, Ukraine, Rostov, Afghanistan, Russian

Summary Wagner to train near PolandPrigozhin greets mercenaries in BelarusUp to 10,000 Wagner fighters to be in Belarus - commanderSays 22,000 Wagner fighters perished in UkraineMOSCOW, July 20 (Reuters) - Mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group will help train Belarusian special forces during exercises at a military range near the border with NATO-member Poland, the Belarusian defence ministry said on Thursday. "The armed forces of Belarus continue joint training with the fighters of the Wagner PMC (Private Military Company)," the Belarusian defence ministry said. Poland said earlier this month it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus to cope with rising numbers of migrants crossing as well as any potential threats after Wagner mercenaries relocated to Belarus. MERCENARY PLANSA deal was struck on June 24 under which the mercenaries would move to Belarus in return for charges against them being dropped. The post contradicted remarks by a Russian lawmaker who said that as many as 33,000 Wagner fighters had signed contracts with the defence ministry.

Persons: Wagner, Poland Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Marx, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russia's, NATO, Wagner PMC, Private Military Company, West, Kremlin, Wagner's Telegram, Reuters, Islamic, Central African, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Ukraine MOSCOW, Belarusian, Ukraine, Africa, Brest, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia, Crimea, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali, Bakhmut, Tbilisi, Moscow

CNN —Belarusian forces will hold joint military exercises with Wagner fighters near its border with NATO-member Poland, Belarus’ Defence Ministry said. Wagner fighters arrived in Belarus following a short-lived mutiny by the private military group last month. “The Armed Forces of Belarus continue joint training with the fighters of PMC ‘Wagner,’” the defence ministry said in a statement. At the beginning of July, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko invited Wagner forces into Belarus to help train his country’s military. The invite came shortly after the failed armed insurrection by Wagner forces against Moscow, which Lukashenko was credited with helping diffuse.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, PMC ‘ Wagner, ’, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: CNN, NATO, Belarus ’ Defence Ministry, Armed Forces, PMC, Reuters Locations: Belarusian, Poland, Belarus, Moscow, Russia, Asipovichy, Minsk, “

But Shautsou’s statement was the first time the Belarus Red Cross has admitted taking part in the deportations. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Red Cross umbrella organization, expressed “grave concern” and called for the practice to stop. Dzmitry Shautsou, the Secretary General of the Belarusian Red Cross, pictured near the Polish border. “We have contacted the Belarus Red Cross to express our grave concern and to stop any similar activity in the future,” the statement said, adding that “actions by any of our member national Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies in contradiction with our humanitarian mission” are “taken extremely seriously.”The Ukrainian branch of the Red Cross has called for the IFRC to denounce the Belarus Red Cross’ involvement in the deportations. “We implore them to carefully consider the matter of excluding the Belarus Red Cross from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,” the group said in a statement.

Persons: Dzmitry Shautsou, ” Shautsou, Ulf Mauder, Shautsou, ”, “, Dmytro Kuleba, Vladimir Putin, Rights Maria Lvova, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Cross, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Criminal Court, Belarus “, TV, Red Crescent Movement, Crescent, ICC, Twitter, Russian, Rights, Ukraine Russia, Crisis Management Group Locations: Belarusian, Belarus, Ukraine, Republic of Belarus, Russia, Rome, Polish, Severodonetsk

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