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☆ Russia's Wagner mercenaries halt prisoner recruitment campaign - Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Visitors gather outside PMC Wagner Centre, which is a project implemented by the businessman and founder of the Wagner private military group Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the official opening of the office block in Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 4, 2022. REUTERS/Igor Russak/File PhotoMOSCOW, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Russia's Wagner mercenary group has stopped recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, Wagner's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Thursday. "The recruitment of prisoners by the Wagner private military company has completely stopped," Prigozhin said in a response to a request for comment from a Russian media outlet published on social media. The Wagner Group has in recent months played an increasingly prominent role in Russia's war in Ukraine, with the mercenary force spearheading a months-long assault on the Donetsk region town of Bakhmut. Previously secretive, Wagner and its founder Prigozhin have assumed an ever more public profile against the backdrop of the fighting in Ukraine, with Prigozhin criticising Russia's military leadership and certain officials.

"Judging by the customs statistics, some of the benefit was captured by refiners in India and China, but the main beneficiaries must be oil shippers, intermediaries and the Russian oil companies," he added. As a further complication, some Russian oil grades, including Pacific grade ESPO, are also worth more than Urals. After decades of low profits or losses, sections of the global shipping industry are enjoying a financial boom from moving Russian oil. A year ago, a similar journey would have cost a seller of Russian oil $0.5-$1.0 million depending on shipping rates. Nayara is 49%-owned by Russian state oil major Rosneft, run by Putin's ally Igor Sechin, meaning some of the profits are indirectly captured by Russia.

☆ Putin likely supplied the missile that downed flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, investigators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin likely gave separatists the missile that hit flight MH17, investigators said on Wednesday. The team has been investigating the crash since August 2014, and said in a statement that there are "strong indications" that the Russian president decided on supplying the missile system to separatists in Ukraine. Investigators have previously said that the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down by a Buk missile brought from Russia to a field in Ukraine. But, they added, it's not known whether their request explicitly mentioned the missile system that was later used to shoot down MH17. It was shot down over eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists had taken over parts of the country.

☆ A Russian officer who brandished the skull of a Ukrainian soldier at a heavy metal concert was shot in an 'execution-style' hit: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian captain was shot "execution-style" in the head on Saturday, according to reports. Igor Mangushev was filmed last year brandishing the supposed skull of a slain Ukrainian soldier. An expert said the "hit" on Mangushev may have been a proxy attack on the head of the Wagner Group. According to The New Voice of Ukraine, citing unverified doctors' reports, Mangushev was shot "execution-stye" at a checkpoint in the Russian-occupied region of Luhansk Oblast. Last summer, Mangushev was filmed brandishing the skull during a heavy metal concert.

☆ Russia ready to meet India's oil needs at 'market price', Rosneft says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, India, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Russia was willing to meet India's oil needs at 'market price', the CEO of top Russian oil major told Reuters on Monday. Russia has emerged as the largest supplier of oil to India, replacing Iraq. When asked if Russia will give an additional stake to ONGC Videsh or other Indian companies in its Sakhalin-1 project, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said the decision to do so lay with the Russian government. Russia last year approved the requests of ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.NS), and Sakhalin Oil and Gas Development Co (SODECO), a consortium of Japanese firms, to retain their 20% and 30% stake respectively in the project. Reporting by Nidhi Varma in Bengaluru, writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Kim Coghill and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The largest hedge fund in the world just named a 37-year-old woman as a co-CIO. Meet the top 11 execs leading Bridgewater into its new era.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Alyson Velati | Michelle Abrego | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Karen Karniol-Tambour will join co-CIOs Greg Jensen and Bob Prince to oversee the hedge fund's investment strategy. Despite a breakout year for many multi-strategy and macro hedge funds, Bridgewater lagged behind its peers. Nir Bar Dea, co-CEOBar Dea. Bridgewater AssociatesAs cochief investment officer, Jensen oversees Bridgewater's investment strategies and research efforts as well as its investment talent. Since joining Bridgewater in 1986, he has been a partner in building the hedge fund's investment process and products.

☆ U.S. targets global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 22 individuals and entities in multiple countries that it accused of being tied to a global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia's military-industrial complex. The action targeted a sanctions evasion network that the Treasury said is led by Russia and Cyprus-based arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, who, along with his son, Jonatan, were hit with sanctions on Wednesday. The network has engaged in projects connected to Russian defense capabilities, including supplying high-technology devices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Treasury said. Washington also accused certain members of the network of supporting state-owned Russian defense entities under sanctions. GBD Limited, another company in the network targeted in the sanctions, has attempted to supply weapons systems to an African government, Treasury said.

☆ Russia's top prosecutor criticizes mass mobilization, telling Putin to his face that more than 9,000 were illegally sent to fight in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's prosecutor general told Putin more than 9,000 mobilized troops were called up illegally. In a face-to-face meeting, he said their health was why many shouldn't have been sent to fight in Ukraine. In September, Russia announced a partial mobilization of 300,000 troops, which it said was completed in October. Putin said in December that 150,000 of those troops had been sent to serve in Ukraine, with the rest still in training in Russia. Widespread issues related to Russia's mass mobilization have long been reported, including a lack of training and equipment.

Downing Street referred requests for comment to the business ministry, which oversees Companies House, Britain’s public registry of companies. And, in most cases, if foreign companies purchased the property before 1999 or hold UK property in a trust they don’t need to publicly disclose the beneficial owners. The Cyprus-based company, A. Corp Trustee Limited, wasn’t listed on Britain’s new property register as of Tuesday morning. A listing on the UK’s new property register for Hanley Limited identifies the beneficial owner as a Swiss company called Pomerol Capital Sa. Ravellot also wasn’t on the new property register.

☆ British EV startup Arrival to lay off half of its staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Arrival SA FollowJan 30 (Reuters) - British electric vehicle startup Arrival SA said on Monday it would lay off 50% of its staff, bringing the total headcount down to about 800 employees. The startup has faced difficulties raising funds and had announced shifting its focus to the United States to minimize costs leveraging benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act. The company also appointed Igor Torgov, who joined in February 2020, as its chief executive officer, effective immediately. With the layoffs and other cost reductions, the company said its cost of operating the business will halve to about $30 million per quarter. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ John Durham Finds Russiagate’s Rosetta Stone
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Holman W. Jenkins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Throw in a few real names and places to make your inventions believable and people will believe them. This is the method of many a disgraced journalist such as the New York Times ’s Jayson Blair and the Washington Post’s Janet Cooke . It was the method of the Steele dossier fabulists Igor Danchenko and his boss Christopher Steele . It was also the method of the most consequential fabricator of all, whoever dreamed up the presumably fake email exchange between then-Democratic Party chief Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and activist Leonard Benardo of the Open Society Foundation. This imaginary exchange may have made Donald Trump president.

☆ Wagner Group Designated by U.S. as Transnational Criminal Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. took action Thursday against Russian private military group Wagner Group, designating it as a significant transnational criminal organization over its actions in combat operations in Ukraine on behalf of President Vladimir Putin. The U.S. Treasury Department said Wagner Group personnel also are involved in alleged ongoing criminal activity, including mass executions, rape and physical abuse in the Central African Republic and Mali. Thursday’s sanctions come after the White House said last Friday it would designate the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization. The Wagner Group has already been sanctioned by Canada, Australia, Japan, the U.K. and the European Union. Representatives for Wagner Group didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The High Court in London ruled on Friday that a prominent Russian businessman could not pause an $850 million fraud lawsuit brought by two Russian banks because of British sanctions. Boris Mints and his sons Dmitry, Alexander and Igor are being sued by National Bank Trust, which is 99% owned by the Central Bank of Russia, on behalf of Bank Otkritie, once Russia’s largest private lender before it collapsed in 2017. The judge said her written ruling containing her reasons for refusing to pause the case would be published on Friday afternoon. She also granted permission to appeal against her decision to both the Mints family and the banks, saying: "It is plainly a case with far wider implications." Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Danaher's stock drop looks like a buying opportunity after it reported a solid quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

When excluding the impact of declining Covid testing sales — but keeping in revenue from products that support vaccines and therapeutics — Danaher's base business saw core growth of 7.5%. Guidance Management expects overall core revenue growth to be down mid-single-digits on a percentage for the first quarter. For the full year 2023, management expects overall core revenue growth to be down mid-single-digits. Previously, only revenues related to Covid testing were excluded. On the call, management pointed to roughly 10% core revenue growth in both North America and Europe.

Moscow said its forces advanced in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region as Kyiv’s Western allies continued pressuring Berlin to allow deliveries of German-made tanks to Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that Russian troops had advanced in the partially occupied region and taken more advantageous lines and positions. The ministry’s spokesman, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, didn’t provide further details.

REUTERS/Igor Russak/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The United States will impose additional sanctions next week against Russian private military company the Wagner Group, which U.S. officials say has been helping Russia's military in the Ukraine war, the White House said on Friday. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. Treasury Department will designate Wagner as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization. Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin last month denied taking delivery of arms from North Korea and characterized the report as "gossip and speculation." Kirby said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been increasingly turning to Wagner for military support, causing some tensions in Moscow. "Wagner is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries."

☆ Russia claims control of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, its first victory in months
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces on the frontline of the bitter fight for control of eastern Ukraine have claimed their first victory in several months of grinding conflict. After some of the war's most intense combat, Russia now controls the mining town of Soledar in the Donetsk region, Moscow's defense ministry said Friday. He had claimed victory in Soledar earlier this week and boasted on social media that his forces were in sole charge of the town. Wagner mercenary group fighters in a photo said to be in Soledar and released Wednesday. The town lies in the eastern Donetsk region, one of four that Putin claimed to have annexed last year despite failing to fully control.

☆ NHL roundup: Kraken hand Bruins first home regulation loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/5] Jan 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Seattle Kraken goalie Martin Jones (30) reacts during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Jones logged 10 of his stops in the second period in his third shutout this season and 28th overall. Tyler Seguin scored his 10th goal of the season for the Stars and Oettinger made 29 saves. Kyle Connor scored the game-winning goal in the third period, while Dylan Samberg, Josh Morrissey and Karson Kuhlman also scored for the Jets. Victor Olofsson had a goal and an assist and Tyson Jost scored for Buffalo, which has lost three in a row.

☆ Russia tried to claim months ago it destroyed American-made armored vehicles that the US didn't even offer Ukraine until last week
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

However, the US only announced last week that it plans to send the armored vehicles to Ukraine. The problem is that the US only offered the vehicles to Kyiv last week, and they haven't even arrived yet. Konashenkov's false claims also appear in a September 4, 2022 report that was published to the Russian defense ministry's official Telegram page. "During the day of hostilities in this direction, the enemy lost 11 tanks, 17 infantry fighting vehicles, including four US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 10 other armored combat vehicles, 5 pickup trucks with heavy machine guns and more than 150 military personnel," the defense ministry said. The US only announced last week that it would send Bradleys to Kyiv, along with NATO allies Germany and France, which are expected to deliver Marder infantry fighting vehicles and AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles.

☆ Analysis: Russian mercenary boss courts Putin with Ukrainian battlefield success
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Now as the founder of Russia's most powerful mercenary group, he is vying for Vladimir Putin's favour by claiming a rare battlefield win in Ukraine. Russia claimed victory on Friday after Ukraine said its forces were holding on after a 'hot' night of fighting. The defence ministry on Friday attributed victory to its airborne units, missile forces and "artillery of a grouping of Russian forces". Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled RT channel and close to the Kremlin, thanked Prigozhin for Soledar. Despite its sometimes publicly strained ties with the Russian defence ministry, some Western military analysts suspect Wagner is closely affiliated with it.

☆ Factbox: Who is Russia's new war commander Gerasimov and why was he appointed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Gerasimov's deputies will be Army General Sergei Surovikin, the previous theatre commander, appointed three months ago and nicknamed "General Armageddon"; Army General Oleg Salyukov; and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel-General Alexei Kim. "Now the General Staff is directly and uncompromisingly responsible for absolutely everything," said Semyon Pegov, a Russian military blogger who uses the name Wargonzo. Gerasimov was appointed chief of the general staff and deputy defence minister by Putin on Nov. 9, 2012, three days after Putin's long-time ally Sergei Shoigu was made defence minister. Gerasimov played key roles in Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and in Russia's game-changing military support for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War. Gerasimov was born on Sept. 8, 1955, in Kazan, rising through the ranks from Russia's tank forces to graduate in 1997 from the Military Academy of the General Staff.

☆ Russia appoints new ground forces chief despite hawks' disapproval
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Russia has appointed Colonel-General Alexander Lapin as chief of staff of the country's ground forces, state-owned news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, despite fierce criticism from leading hawks over his performance in Ukraine. Lapin, previously commander of Russia's central military district, was blasted last October by hawkish allies of President Vladimir Putin after Russian forces were driven out of the city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine, a key logistics hub. On Oct. 8, Russia named Air Force General Sergei Surovikin as the overall commander of its forces in Ukraine, shortly after the reported sacking of the commanders of the Eastern and Western military districts. Kadyrov said Lapin should be stripped of his medals and sent to the front with a gun to wash away his shame with blood. Prigozhin backed Kadyrov's comments, saying: "All these bastards should be sent barefoot to the front with automatic guns."

☆ Russia says it killed more than 600 Ukrainian troops in a revenge strike after a deadly attack on its forces, but there is no evidence that happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia said it killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops in revenge for a deadly strike on its forces. The Kremlin claimed over 600 Ukrainian troops died in a strike on Sunday in Kramatorsk. "As a result of a massive missile strike on these temporary bases of Ukrainian units, more than 600 Ukrainian servicemen were killed." Kyiv used a US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to strike Russian positions in the occupied city of Makiivka. The Kremlin said the attack killed nearly 90 of Moscow's troops in a rare disclosure of battlefield losses.

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid hits milestone in Oilers' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Barzal is on a career-best, five-game goal streak, and he has six goals and two assists during that span. Vancouver goaltender Collin Delia made 30 saves, while Elias Pettersson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Ilya Mikheyev each collected two assists. Ty Smith also scored for Pittsburgh, which lost its sixth straight game, just one off matching its longest losing streak of the season. Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Martin Fehervary and Garnet Hathaway also scored, Dylan Strome had three assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves. Washington has won a franchise-record seven straight road games and is 7-0-2 in its past nine games overall and 12-2-3 in its past 17.

☆ Putin deploys new Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles to Atlantic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"This time the ship is equipped with the latest hypersonic missile system - 'Zircon'," said Putin. The weapons, Putin said, had "no analogues in any country in the world". Along with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle which entered combat duty in 2019, the Zircon forms the centrepiece of Russia's hypersonic arsenal. Shoigu said the hypersonic missiles could overcome any missile defence system. A U.S. Congressional Research Service report on hypersonic weapons says that Russian and Chinese hypersonic missiles are designed to be used with nuclear warheads.

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