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☆ Prigozhin calls Russia's war on Ukraine 'a disgrace' in another public affront despite Kremlin efforts to silence him
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin is alive and well at a camp in Belarus with his exiled Wagner troops. In a new video, Prigozhin criticized Russia's war in Ukraine again, calling it "a disgrace." Prigozhin has repeatedly called out Russian military leadership — and lived to tell the tale. In a new video posted Wednesday, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin once again criticized Russia's war in Ukraine, calling it "a disgrace." Wagner troops may return to Russia, but only when they "are confident that we will not be forced to shame ourselves," he assured.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, —, he's, Wagner's, hasn't, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, weren't, Alexandr Lukashenko, haven't Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Kremlin Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Africa, Russia, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg

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

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

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

Blood seeps from the door into a puddle on the road as an occupants of another car implores the girl to keep still. The video was verified by Reuters as having been filmed on the Crimean Bridge. The damaged car’s colour, alloy wheels and open fuel cap matched video from the scene shot in daylight, which showed the same car on the damaged bridge. "Two civilians were killed – a man and a woman driving a car on the bridge. "At about 3 o'clock in the morning, the family heard the first bang, after which the lights went out on the bridge," the relative said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Angelina, Alexei, Nataliya, Vyacheslav Gladkov, –, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Russia's, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Ukrainian, Belgorod, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Europe, Melbourne

"The missile was equipped with prohibited cluster munitions. Reports from outside organizations: Cluster munitions have been used on civilian targets in the northeastern Kharkiv region as well, a CNN investigation from last year found. In a report published on August 25, 2022, the UN-partnered Cluster Munition Monitor civil society group said Russian forces had “repeatedly” used cluster munitions since the start of the war. Ukraine's own use of the weapons: The same report by the Cluster Munition Monitor group found that Ukrainian forces had also used cluster munitions "several times" and "mostly" in populated areas. Cluster munitions have killed at least 215 civilians and injured 474 people overall since the start of the war, according to the monitoring group's report.

Persons: Igor Ovcharruck, Clodagh Kilcoyne, —, Vladimir Putin's, General's, Michelle Bachelet, “, CNN's Uliana Pavlova Organizations: US, United Nations, General's, CNN, UN Locations: Ukraine's Kharkiv, Ukraine, Russia, Dnipropetrovsk, Rih, Russian, Kharkiv, Syria

☆ Retired US general and former CIA chief says Putin's Ukraine invasion has 'made NATO great again'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

David Petraeus told CNN that Putin's invasion was a "catastrophically bad decision for his country." "He set out to make Russia great again, and really has made NATO great again," Petraeus said. The retired general had led US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan before serving as CIA director. Petraeus told CNN in March 2022 — a month after the invasion — that he thinks the Russian army "clearly have very poor standards when it comes to performing basic tactical tasks." And in February, Petraeus told CNN that it's now clear Putin is waging a ruthless war of attrition in Ukraine.

Persons: David Petraeus, Petraeus, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, CNN's Jake Tapper, James Stavridis, Stavridis, — Organizations: CNN, NATO, Service, CIA, MSNBC, US Army Locations: Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania

MOSCOW, July 12 (Reuters) - Russia is decaying in a potent brew of absurdity and repression that is comparable to the Leonid Brezhnev-era of the Soviet Union, Oleg Orlov, one of the Russia's most respected human rights campaigners, told Reuters. One of the leaders of the Memorial rights group, which won a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 a year after being banned and dissolved in Russia, Orlov stood by his articles and cast Russia as a country gripped by the demons of history. "Russia is going backwards," Orlov told Reuters in his Moscow flat over a glass of the traditional fermented kvas. "For Putin, war is his political technology," Orlov said. Current Russian levels of repression, he said, could be compared to the Brezhnev era of the Soviet Union after the arrest of writers Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel in 1965.

Persons: Leonid Brezhnev, Oleg Orlov, Orlov, Wagner, Russia, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Brezhnev, Andrei Sinyavsky, Yuli Daniel, unpatriotic, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's, William Faulkner, Fyodor Dostoevsky's, Tatiana, Guy Faulconbridge, Filipp Lebedev, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Memorial, Solidarity, West, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Afghanistan, Chechen, Russian, Tbilisi

☆ Rublev grateful for Wimbledon support, wants end to 'terrible' Ukraine situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - Russian Andrey Rublev thanked the Centre Court crowd for their noisy support during his failed bid to knock defending champion Novak Djokovic out of Wimbledon on Tuesday. Seventh seed Rublev, like the other Russian and Belarusian players in the draw, was banned last year by Wimbledon in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. I felt really great support during these two weeks. Asked if Russian players felt a sense of guilt over President Vladimir Putin's 'special military operation' in Ukraine, Rublev said: "It's not guilty. One of the conditions for their return was for players to sign a personal declaration that they do not support the war.

Persons: Andrey Rublev, Novak Djokovic, Rublev, I'm, Vladimir Putin's, It's, Martyn Herman, Ken Ferris Organizations: Court, Wimbledon, Dubai, WTA, ATP, Lawn Tennis Association, Thomson Locations: Wimbledon, Belarusian, Ukraine, Russian, Belarus

☆ Exclusive: Wagner fighters neared Russian nuclear base during revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Reuters GraphicsOnce the Wagner fighters reach more rural regions, the surveillance trail goes cold – about 100 km from the nuclear base, Voronezh-45. But in an exclusive interview, Ukraine's head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Wagner fighters went far further. The only barrier between the Wagner fighters and nuclear weapons, Budanov said, were the doors to the nuclear storage facility. It is one of Russia's 12 "national-level storage facilities" for nuclear weapons, according to a report by U.N. scientists. Another female resident also said Wagner had widespread support in the town, and that many Wagner fighters are from Boguchar.

Persons: Wagner, Ukraine's, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Lukashenko, Adam Hodge, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Matt Korda, Vladimir Putin's, Hans Kristensen, David Jonas, Amy Woolf, Jonas, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Shoigu, Oleksiy Danilov, Don, Anna Sandrakova, Maxim Yantsov, Mikhail Vedernikov, Talovaya, Alexei Yablokov, Kristensen, Alexsandr Lukashenko, Dmitry Peskov, Lukashenko, he's, Mari Saito, Tom Balmforth, John Shiffman, Phil Stewart, Polina, Maria Tsvetkova, Anton Zverev, Christian Lowe, David Gauthier, Stephen Grey, Reade Levinson, Eleanor Whalley, Milan Pavicic, Daria Shamonova, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Belarusian, U.S, White, National Security, Nuclear, Federation of American, Federation of American Scientists, U.S . National Nuclear Security Administration, Library, Congress, Wagner, State, Staff, Russian, Defence Ministry, Defence Council, Main, Russian Defence, U.S . Congress, Telegram, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Voronezh, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Rostov, Talovaya, Soviet, Washington, dabble, Syria, Libya, Mali, ., Pavlovsk, Elizavetovka, Vorontsovka, Buturlinovka, Talovaya district, Pskov, Soviet Union, Belarus, Minsk, he's, St Petersburg, Kyiv, London, New York, Paris, Villars, Istanbul, Gdansk

☆ A paranoid Putin still has no idea what to do with Prigozhin, and his indecision is putting him in a dangerous place, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin appears uncertain what to do about Yevgeny Prigozhin, experts say. In June, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a rebellion against Russian military leaders he blamed for failings in the Ukraine invasion. London writes that "paranoid" Putin in not dealing decisively with Prigozhin has sent signals to other would-be challengers of his authority. It was an uncharacteristically lenient response from Putin, who has in the past ruthlessly persecuted critics and political opponents. According to a former Kremlin security official who defected to the West, Putin has long lived in fear of challenges to his power and assassination attempts, and is surrounded by layers of security.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, he's, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, Douglas London, Wagner Group – Organizations: Russian, Service, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Prigozhin, CIA, Washington Post, St, Institute for Locations: Belarus, St . Petersburg, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, St Petersburg, London, Washington, DC, Bakhmut

☆ Dynamo Kyiv criticise Fenerbahce for pre-season games in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 9 (Reuters) - Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv said Fenerbahce were a club "without honour and conscience" in a strongly-worded statement after the Turkish side travelled to Russia to play in a pre-season tournament. "The bloody money of (Russian energy giant) Gazprom has eclipsed everything for you, left you without honour and conscience," Dynamo said in a statement. Dynamo accused the Turkish club of accepting "bloody handouts from the sponsors of terrorism," and added: "Nothing can justify this step. Last year, Fenerbahce were given a one-game partial stadium closure, suspended for two years, after their fans chanted Russian President Vladimir Putin's name in a game against Dynamo Kyiv. UEFA's Appeals Body had fined Fenerbahce 50,000 euros ($54,835) and ordered the partial closure of their stadium.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Body, Rohith Nair, Clare Fallon Organizations: Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Zenit St, Red Star Belgrade, Neftci, Pari, Gazprom Arena, FIFA, UEFA, Gazprom, Dynamo, Turkish, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Turkish, Russia, Zenit St Petersburg, Red, Azerbaijan, St Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Bengaluru

☆ Poland moves troops to eastern border amid Wagner fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Polish army troops stand guard, as part of the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country, in Poland, July 8, 2023. "This is a demonstration of our readiness to respond to attempts at destabilisation near the border of our country." Last Sunday Poland said it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus. Poland has seen an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross the Belarus border in recent weeks. A senior Wagner commander was quoted as saying on Saturday that mercenaries from the group were preparing to move to Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Mariusz Blaszczak, Alan Charlish, Ros Russell Organizations: 17th Mechanized, REUTERS, NATO, Wagner Group, Twitter, Border Guard, Thomson Locations: Polish, Poland, Handout, REUTERS WARSAW, Belarus, Russian, destabilisation, Morocco, India, Ethiopia, East, Africa

☆ Prigozhin went back to Russia to get the pistol gifted to him by the defense minister he tried to oust
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Among the weapons he reclaimed was an honorary pistol given to him by Russia's defense minister. After months of castigating Russian military leaders, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin set about trying to depose them. Among the treasures Prigozhin reportedly recovered was an honorary Glock pistol that had previously been given to him by Shoigu — the very defense official Prigozhin sought to oust — before the men's relationship soured. "It's not the end of Prigozhin," the unnamed St. Petersburg businessman told The Post on Wednesday. An anonymous Pentagon official told The Times that Prigozhin had been between Moscow and St. Petersburg during most of the time since the revolt.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Fontanka, Shoigu, It's, Glock Organizations: Service, Group, Independent, Washington Post, Kremlin, The New York Times, Federal Security Services, BMW, Glock, Pentagon, Times Locations: Russia, Russian, Belarus, St, Petersburg, Independent Russian, St . Petersburg, Moscow

☆ Russian military blogger says troops have been stuck on the frontlines without a break since October, the latest sign that Putin's forces are stretched thin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces in Zaporizhia have been on the frontlines without a break for nine months, a military blogger wrote. Russian forces have "no available personnel to replace them with," the Institute for the Study of War said. While some Russian commanders have tried to give soldiers a break, they later faced retaliation from higher-ranking officers, the blogger wrote. The psychological toll of Putin's war in Ukraine on Russian forces has been extensively reported on. Instead, he was sent to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine and captured by Ukrainian forces a few days later.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: for, Service, Institute for, US Army, National, ., Newsweek, New York Times, The Times Locations: Zaporizhia, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Putin 'clearly is stumbling' and may be weaker than we thought for letting exiled Wagner boss Prigozhin back into Russia after his revolt, ex-spies say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is reportedly back in Russia after revolting against Putin's military leaders. It's a shocking and confusing development for former spooks, who told Insider that it may indicate the Russian leader's grip on power is more tenuous than it seems. "The thought that immediately comes to mind is this is a sign of Putin's weakness" amid Russia's continued losses in the Ukraine war, Glenn Carle, a former CIA spy who was stationed in Russia, told Insider. Prigozhin, for now at least, is an anomaly in that he's been allowed back into Russia after leading an armed rebellion against key Russian military officials. British intelligence sources told The Telegraph that Prigozhin called off the advance after Russian officials threatened the families of Wagner leaders if they continued.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, It's, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Fontanka, Russia's, Glenn Carle, John McLaughlin, McLaughlin, Sergei Skripal, Alexei Navalny, he's, Lukashenko, Putin's, excoriate Prigozhin, Carle Organizations: Service, Russian, CIA, Kremlin, Telegraph, Putin Locations: Russia, Belarus, Belarusian, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Putin's luxury armored train is fitted with a beauty room, anti-aging machines and a gym, report says. Take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A report published by the Dossier Center reveals what the inside of Putin's luxury train looks like. It also has a beauty room that includes anti-aging machines, the report said. The other cars are fitted with restaurants, a cinema, and a lavish dining room as well as a Turkish hammam steam room and a beauty room, the report said. The beauty room in Russian President Vladimir Putin's train features anti-aging machines. Karakulov previously told the Dossier Center that the train also has a secret timetable so that it can move around inconspicuously.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Putin's, Putin, Gleb Karakulov, hasn't, Karakulov Organizations: Service, Dossier Center, CNN, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Presidential Security Service, Guardian, Federal Guard Service, Russia's, Federal Guard Service's Locations: Turkish, Russia, Kyiv, Novo, inconspicuously

☆ Belarusian dictator who negotiated the end of Prigozhin's mutiny says there's no way Putin is 'malicious and vindictive' enough to have him killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he doesn't think Putin will have Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. Putin is not "malicious or vindictive enough" to order the murder, said the close Putin ally. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that he doesn't think Vladimir Putin would be so "malicious and vindictive" as to have Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin killed. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will 'kill' Prigozhin tomorrow, no, this will not happen." The Russian leader has a long history of brutal and violent crackdowns on those he sees as disloyal.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, doesn't, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Sergei Skripal, Alexei Navalny, Putin's, Prigozhin, Progozhin, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, CNN Locations: Belarusian, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ Rublev leads Russian Wimbledon return with easy win
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rublev is one of 17 Russian and Belarusian players in the men's and women's singles draws after they were banned in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Wimbledon was the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments to ban Russian and Belarusian players last year -- a decision that resulted in ranking points being taken away from the event by both the ATP and WTA Tours. As part of their return, players from two nations are playing as neutrals and must sign a "waiver" pledging not to support Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. Players are not allowed to receive state funding or have sponsorship from Russian or Belarusian companies. He looked comfortable on the grass as he proved a class above 64th-ranked Purcell to reach the second round.

Persons: Andrey Rublev, Australia's Max Purcell, Toby Melville LONDON, Max Purcell, Rublev, Vladimir Putin's, Purcell, Martyn Herman, Ed Osmond Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Wimbledon, ATP, WTA, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Belarusian, Ukraine, Russia

SummarySummary Companies Russia to cut oil exports 500,000 bpd in AugustRussia's Novak announces cut just after Saudis extend their cutOil prices rise 1.6% on Saudi and Russian announcementsPutin spoke to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on June 27MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) - Russia will cut oil exports by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, President Vladimir Putin's point man on oil said on Monday, as Moscow seeks to nudge up global oil prices in concert with Saudia Arabia. Novak's spokeswoman declined to say whether Russian oil output would decline by the same amount as its exports. It has already pledged to reduce its output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 9.5 million bpd from March until year-end. Russia is the world's second largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia, whose crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, spoke to Putin on June 27. Sechin said some OPEC+ countries were exporting as much as 90% of their output, whereas Russia puts only half of its production onto the global market.

Persons: Russia's Novak, Putin, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Vladimir Putin's, Brent, Alexander Novak, Novak's, Mohammed bin Salman, Igor Sechin, Sechin, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Saudia, Thomson Locations: Saudi, MOSCOW, Russia, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Russian Urals

☆ Putin's comment on funding Wagner shows link to Ukraine -prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Putin said last week that Wagner and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had received almost $2 billion from Russia in the past year. Among more than 93,000 incidents of potential war crimes Kostin's office was investigating were many atrocities Wagner forces committed, Kostin said. They are "among the most severe crimes against our civilians and our prisoners of war," Kostin said. Kostin appealed to allies, including the U.S. and Britain, to classify Wagner as a terrorist organisation so it can be prosecuted and its assets frozen. "Prigozhin is already a suspect in criminal proceedings in Ukraine, but the main thing is to stop the activity of such groups," he said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andriy Kostin, Kostin, Putin's, Anthony Deutsch, Josie Kao Organizations: HAGUE, International Centre, U.S, Thomson Locations: Russia, The Hague, Geneva, Ukraine, Latin America, Africa, Britain

☆ The global food crisis is getting so bad that the EU now wants to reconnect a sanctioned Russian bank to the global financial system to keep the grain supply moving
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The EU wants to reconnect a sanctioned Russian bank to the global financial system. The bloc is trying to secure Putin's support to extend the Black Sea grain deal, which expires shortly. The concession wants to let the state-owned Russian Agricultural Bank handle payments related to grain exports. The news of the potential concession came just as Gennady Gatilov, Russia's envoy to the United Nations, told the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper there are no grounds to maintain the "status quo" of the Black Sea grain deal. The European Commission and the Russian Agricultural Bank did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

Persons: —, SWIFT, Vladimir Putin's, Gennady Gatilov, Gatilov, Swift, Izvestia Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Russian Agricultural Bank, United Nations, Moscow, Kremlin Izvestia, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Food, European Commission Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Papal envoy says Moscow visit focused on humanitarian issues, not peace plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, July 2 (Reuters) - Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said on Sunday his mission to Moscow on the Ukraine war was focused on humanitarian issues and had not involved any discussions of a peace plan. Pope Francis had in May asked Zuppi, head of the Italian bishops' conference, to carry out a peace mission to try to help end the war in Ukraine. There is not a peace plan, not a mediation", Zuppi told state broadcaster RAI. On the same day, a Vatican statement said the visit was "aimed at identifying humanitarian initiatives, which could open roads to peace". During his Sunday blessing, Francis called on pilgrims to keep praying for peace, "even during summer time and especially for Ukrainian people".

Persons: Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis, Zuppi, Vladimir Putin's, Yuri Ushakov, Kirill, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Constantinople, Francis, Gianluca Semeraro, David Holmes Organizations: MILAN, Papal, Russian Orthodox Church, RAI, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russian ex-arms dealer freed for Brittney Griner to run for far-right party in local vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 2 (Reuters) - A Russian arms dealer freed last December in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been chosen as the candidate of a far-right party for a seat in a Russian regional legislature, state news agency RIA reported on Sunday. RIA cited an official in Russia's ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)'s local organisation as saying that Bout had been nominated as a candidate for the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region in central Russia. Bout publicly joined the LDPR following his return to Russia. Despite its name, the LDPR holds far-right, ultra-nationalist views and strongly supports President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Lugovoi has served as an LDPR member of Russia's national parliament since 2007.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout, RIA, Bout, Griner, Vladimir Putin's, Andrei Lugovoi, Alexander Litvinenko, Lugovoi, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S, Liberal Democratic Party, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, Ulyanovsk, Russia, Thailand, Washington, Ukraine, Britain

☆ Putin, a germaphobe known for meeting with people at ridiculously long tables, took selfies kissing regular Russians this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The images provided a stark contrast to the famously long tables he has used at the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets French President Emmanuel Macron (R) on February 07, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. Reports have said the long table was used as a precaution against COVID-19, but the images were striking. Putin has pulled out the preposterously long table to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and the United Nations secretary-general, among others. He's even used a round, but also still long, table to meet with the members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, —, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Financial Times, Military, Putin, Kremlin Press, Anadolu Agency, Getty, COVID, United Nations, Collective Security, Organization Locations: Derbent, Moscow, Belarus, Russia, Russian

☆ CIA's Burns: armed mutiny shows damage Putin has done to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said on Saturday that the armed mutiny by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had shown the corrosive effect on Russia of President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. "It is striking that Prigozhin preceded his actions with a scathing indictment of the Kremlin's mendacious rationale for the invasion of Ukraine and of the Russian military leadership's conduct of the war," Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, said in a lecture to Britain's Ditchley Foundation in Oxfordshire, England. "The impact of those words and those actions will play out for some time - a vivid reminder of the corrosive effect of Putin's war on his own society and his own regime." Burns cast the mutiny as an "armed challenge to the Russian state" but said it was an "internal Russian affair in which the United States has had and will have no part." Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: William Burns, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Burns, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: . Central Intelligence Agency, Ditchley, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Moscow, Oxfordshire, England, United States

By 1156 GMT, the rouble was 1.8% weaker against the dollar at 89.15 after earlier hitting 89.3275, its weakest point since March 29, 2022. It lost 1.8% to trade at 96.74 versus the euro , also a 15-month low. It shed 1.4% against the yuan to 12.23 <CNYRUBTOM=MCX>, a more than 14-month low. The rouble lost a key support factor on Wednesday as a month-end tax period that typically sees exporters convert foreign currency revenues to meet local liabilities passed. Brent crude oil , a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was up 0.1% at $74.41 a barrel.

Persons: C.bank, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin's, Alexei Zabotkin, Zabotkin, Alexander Marrow, Jamie Freed, Robert Birsel, Jane Merriman, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Alor Broker, Bank of Russia, Brent, Gazprom, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Alor, Russia, Ukraine

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