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The agreement, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was struck a year ago, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, to alleviate a global food crisis after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia had blockaded Ukrainian ports, blocking ships from carrying its grain and sending global prices soaring to record highs. The deal has been extended three times, most recently in May. Russia has repeatedly complained about the agreement, which it calls one-sided in Ukraine’s favor. Moscow has said that Western sanctions, imposed because of Moscow’s devastating war, have restricted the sale of Russia’s agricultural products, and Moscow has sought guarantees that free up those exports.

Persons: upending, António Guterres, “, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr Organizations: Initiative, United, United Nations Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Africa, United Nations, Turkey, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s, Moscow

Talks over the renewal of a deal that allows Ukraine to export its grain across the Black Sea in wartime were set to go down to the wire again, as the United Nations waited on Sunday for a response from Russia on a proposal that could revive the agreement and help keep global grain prices stable. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, is one of the very few areas of wartime cooperation between Ukraine and Russia. It was first agreed in summer last year, allowing Ukraine to restart the export of millions of tons of grain from its ports on the Black Sea despite Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February. But Russia has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the agreement, which has only been renewed for short periods. The latest deadline for expiry is midnight Monday.

Persons: António Guterres, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: United Nations, Initiative, United Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Satellite Images of Belarusian Base Suggest Wagner’s Possible Arrival
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Christoph Koettl | More About Christoph Koettl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Satellite images, analyzed by The New York Times, showed increased activity this weekend at a military field camp in Belarus, including the arrival of vehicles that resemble those used by the Russian mercenary group Wagner. The vehicles are the same types as those recently seen driving in large convoys, some flying Wagner flags. To end the short-lived revolt, President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus brokered a deal in which the mercenaries would be given sanctuary in Belarus. The satellite images do not conclusively prove that Wagner forces are at the camp, but bolster statements by Ukraine’s allies that some Wagner troops have reached Belarus. On Saturday, a Polish official said some Wagner fighters had arrived in Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Ukraine’s Organizations: The New York Times, British Ministry of Defense Locations: Belarus, Russian, Asipovichy, Minsk, Ukraine, Russia, ”

☆ Wagner Troops Can Keep Fighting, but Without Prigozhin, Putin Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three weeks after a brief mutiny in Russia by the Wagner mercenary group, President Vladimir V. Putin said its troops could keep fighting, but without their controversial leader, while the government of Belarus said some Wagner fighters were there, training its forces. But the Russian leader made clear that he intends to sideline the Wagner boss Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, who directed the uprising. Mr. Putin, in an interview published late on Thursday, gave an account of a three-hour meeting in the Kremlin, just days after the uprising, with Mr. Prigozhin and his top commanders. He said he had praised Wagner fighters for their military feats, and suggested that a different Wagner leader take over from Mr. Prigozhin, according to Kommersant, a Russian business daily that, along with a journalist from state television, conducted the interview. He said he told the Wagner troops that he “regretted that they had appeared dragged” into the mutiny, appearing to pin the blame on Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Mr, “, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Kommersant Locations: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russian

When asked to recount the events of June 4, 1989, the chatbot rebooted itself. On Taiwan, Ernie did not pull any punches:The People’s Liberation Army is ready for battle, will take all necessary measures and is determined to thwart external interference and “Taiwan independence” separatist attempts. According to historical records, Louis XV often uttered this phrase when he ruled France at the end of the 18th century. OpenAI released a plug-in this year that enabled its chatbot to surf the web through Microsoft’s Bing. researchers have used to gauge a chatbot’s human-level intuitions:“Here we have a book, nine eggs, a laptop, a bottle and a nail.

Persons: Ernie, chatbot, Vladimir V, Putin, “, ChatGPT, crackdowns, ”, Louis XV, Jean, Jacques Rousseau, Marie Antoinette, Linda Yaccarino, Jack Dorsey, OpenAI, Microsoft’s Bing Organizations: People’s, Army, Baidu, Twitter Locations: United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, France, French

☆ Tucker Carlson Turns a Christian Presidential Forum Into a Putin Showcase
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | More About Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bob Vander Plaats, the conservative evangelical kingmaker in Iowa politics, now knows what happens when you turn over your Republican presidential showcase to Tucker Carlson. Mr. Carlson was given the task of interviewing six Republican presidential hopefuls at the Family Leadership conference in Des Moines on Friday. In the hands of Mr. Carlson, the former Fox News host who was recently fired, Ukraine became the bad actor in the conflict, not Russia. The most heated exchange came when Mr. Carlson interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence before a packed auditorium in Des Moines’ convention center. Mr. Pence was berating the Biden administration for being too slow to provide advanced weaponry to Ukraine.

Persons: Bob Vander Plaats, Tucker Carlson, Jesus, Vladimir V, Putin, Carlson, Kim Reynolds, Mike Pence, Pence, Biden Organizations: Republican, Family, Gov, Fox News Locations: Iowa, Des Moines, Ukraine, Russia

President Biden concluded a meeting of NATO allies on Wednesday in Vilnius, Lithuania, with an address to that country, and the world, comparing the battle to expel Russia from Ukraine with the Cold War struggle for freedom in Europe, and promising “we will not waver” no matter how long the war continues. His speech seemed to be preparing Americans and NATO countries for a confrontation that could go on for years, putting it in the context of momentous conflicts in Europe’s war-torn past. “Putin still wrongly believes that he can outlast Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said, describing the Russian leader as a man who made a huge strategic mistake in invading a neighboring country and now is doubling down. “After all this time Putin still doubts our staying power. He is making a bad bet.”The speech, at Vilnius University, came after a series of important victories for Mr. Biden as NATO’s de facto leader, at a time of rapid change for the alliance.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, “ Putin, ” Mr, Mr Organizations: NATO, Vilnius University Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Europe

Mr. Putin invited 35 people to the three-hour meeting on June 29, including Mr. Prigozhin and all of Wagner’s top commanders, the Kremlin spokesman said. “The only thing we can say is that the president gave his assessment of the company’s actions” during both the war in Ukraine and the uprising, Mr. Peskov said. Mr. Putin promised the harshest punishment for those who had “consciously chosen the path of betrayal.”But the harsh punishments didn’t come. The following week, on July 6, Mr. Peskov said the Kremlin had neither the “ability nor the desire” to track Mr. Prigozhin’s movements. The Kremlin spokesman added, “The details of it are unknown.”

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Dmitri S, Peskov, Prigozhin hasn’t, “ Putin, Mr, “, —, Roman, Sergei K, Shoigu, Staff Valery V, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Libération, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Mr, Defense Ministry, Agence France, Defense, Staff Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Belarusian, Belarus

☆ Erdogan’s U-turn on Sweden could signal a warming of ties with the West.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Ben Hubbard | More About Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL — Over the past year, the leaders of many NATO countries have viewed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey as an in-house spoiler. While they were trying to isolate President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for his invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Erdogan referred to Mr. Putin as “my friend.” While other leaders worked to enlarge the alliance, Mr. Erdogan held up the process by seeking concessions for Turkey. Then on Monday, suddenly, Mr. Erdogan flipped, dropping his objections to Sweden joining NATO and allowing the alliance’s summit to convene on Tuesday with a new sense of strength and unity. Mr. Erdogan’s about-face is consistent with his political style: He often doubles down on policies he expects to strengthen him, and then unapologetically throws them out once their worth has diminished, analysts said.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir V, Putin, Russia, Erdogan, Mr, ”, Erdogan’s Organizations: NATO Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Ukraine, Sweden

☆ A Tangled Past Complicates Poland’s Welcome to Ukrainian Refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Andrew Higgins | More About Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bound by shared hostility toward Russia’s imperial ambitions and determination to resist the military onslaught ordered by President Vladimir V. Putin, Poland and Ukraine also share painfully entangled pasts. The carnage of 1943 has been a source of tension for decades, but it is now an episode of pressing import as Poland prepares to commemorate its 80th anniversary on July 11. On Sunday, President Andrzej Duda of Poland and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine visited a church in Lutsk, in western Ukraine, to remember the massacre. Mr. Duda’s office and Mr. Zelensky posted photographs on Twitter from the ceremony, using the same language to pay tribute to the victims. She still resents “that they show no remorse” and has not forgotten the frenzied cries of “kill the Polacks, kill the Polacks” that echoed around her home village when she was 13.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Andrzej Duda of Poland, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Osinska, “ Locations: Poland, Ukraine, Warsaw, Lutsk

Mr. Biden has authorized the shipment of cluster munitions, controversial within the alliance, to fill the gap until more shells can be produced for Ukrainian artillery — and, though it was left unsaid, to better be able to destroy Russians in their deeply dug trenches. The concern is that the munitions create a post-conflict hazard much like land mines. “Duds” that are scattered around the battlefield can explode years later, often when children pick them up. Mr. Sullivan noted on Friday that signatories to the treaty cannot ship them to Ukraine or help the United States in doing so, but he said that they did not vocally oppose Mr. Biden’s decision. In fact, Mr. Biden has received more criticism from some members of his own party than from the members of the treaty.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Biden, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s, Germany —, Sullivan Organizations: NATO, Cluster Munitions Locations: Moscow, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, United States, Ukraine

☆ Putin Met With Mercenary Leaders He Had Called Traitors During Mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia held a lengthy meeting with Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and commanders of his Wagner private military company just days after they had launched a mutiny that put the nation on the brink of a civil conflict, the Kremlin disclosed on Monday. Mr. Putin had denounced the leaders of the June 23-24 rebellion as traitors, so the startling revelation that he played host to them on June 29 suggests that for all his bluster, he saw a continued use for the mercenary group and its boss. The meeting is the first known contact between the two men since the uprising, which posed the most dramatic challenge to Mr. Putin’s authority in his 23 years in power. News of the meeting added to the mystery of what will become of Mr. Prigozhin and his force after the insurrection. Mr. Putin invited 35 people to the three-hour meeting, including Mr. Prigozhin and all of Wagner’s top commanders, and gave his assessment of the company’s efforts on the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as its actions in the mutiny, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov said.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, Dmitri S, Peskov Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, St, Petersburg, Ukraine

☆ In his new spotlight, the Belarusian leader could gain leverage.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | More About Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A stray remark by President Alexander G. Lukashenko of Belarus neatly encapsulated the imbalance in his relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in recent years. As the cameras rolled, Mr. Putin thanked him in February for traveling to Moscow for a meeting. But the brief mutiny in Russia last month led by the mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin has also given Mr. Lukashenko — at least temporarily — an opening to upend the relationship. In the aftermath, the Belarusian leader has positioned himself as the mediator, stepping into help bring an end to the armed rebellion. He again gloried in the spotlight on Thursday, as the purveyor of information about the whereabouts of Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Alexander G, Lukashenko, Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Lukashenko —, gloried Locations: Belarus, Russia, Moscow, Belarusian

☆ Lukashenko Says Prigozhin Is in Russia, Not Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | Juston Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

MINSK, Belarus — The mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin is in Russia, the leader of Belarus said on Thursday, adding to the questions swirling around Mr. Prigozhin’s fate nearly two weeks after he called off his stunning armed rebellion against Moscow’s military leadership. None of Mr. Lukashenko’s claims could be verified, and Mr. Prigozhin has not been seen in public since the rebellion nearly two weeks ago. Mr. Prigozhin was “not on the territory of Belarus,” Mr. Lukashenko said, and nor were Wagner troops, who he said remained in their “permanent camps,” believed to be in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. Mr. Lukashenko also signaled that at least some of Wagner’s fighting force — which was instrumental in Russia’s capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut this spring — could stay intact. But on Thursday, Mr. Lukashenko appeared less definitive about the possible presence of Wagner troops in Belarus.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Wagner, Lukashenko’s, ” Mr, ”, Vladimir V, “, Dmitri S, Mr, Putin, ’, Putin’s, Anatoly Kurmanaev, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: Independence, Kremlin, Russia, The New York Times, West, Mr Locations: MINSK, Belarus, Russia, Russian, St, Petersburg, Luhansk, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Belarusian, Minsk, Moscow

For months, NATO leaders had hoped that when they convened for their annual summit next week, they could use the occasion to welcome Sweden as the alliance’s newest member. Now, that outcome appears all but impossible, as stalling by Hungary and continued objections by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey have drawn out the process, raising questions about when Sweden might be able to join and what sort of breakthrough would be necessary. All 31 member states must agree to admit new members, and the split over Sweden risks denting the alliance’s ability to project a united front against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as his forces seek to beat back a Ukrainian counteroffensive. NATO officials say the hope is to get all the alliance’s leaders to agree at the two-day summit set to begin on Tuesday in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, to let Sweden join. Then, the thinking goes, Mr. Erdogan and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary can push the approval through their respective parliaments.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir V, Putin, Russia, Erdogan, Viktor Orban Organizations: NATO Locations: Sweden, Hungary, Turkey, Ukrainian, Vilnius, Lithuanian

Last month, a rebellion inside Russia left lingering questions about what really happened and about what the ramifications would be for President Vladimir V. Putin. Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The Times, discusses what Mr. Putin has done since the mutiny and looks at how those actions might reveal how vulnerable the president is.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Anton Troianovski, Mr Organizations: The Times Locations: Russia, Moscow

☆ Putin says Russian economy faring better than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 5 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said late on Tuesday that the Russian economy was performing better than expected after Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reported to him that gross domestic product growth and inflation have been surprisingly positive. GDP growth may exceed 2% this year and consumer price inflation may not rise above 5% in annual terms, Mishustin told Putin at a meeting at the Kremlin. The International Monetary Fund expects the Russian economy to grow 0.7% this year. "Our results, at least for the time being, let's say, cautiously, are better than previously expected, better than predicted," Putin said, according to a transcript on the Kremlin's website. On Tuesday, Mishustin told Putin that he had confidence that if there was no force majeure circumstances, the economy would perform well this year.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Mishustin, Mishustin, Putin, Kyiv's, Russia's technocrats, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Anton Siluanov, Lidia Kelly, David Gregorio, Michael Perry Organizations: Kremlin, Monetary Fund, Reuters, Moscow, Monetary, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Melbourne

On Tuesday, Mr. Putin called for a “multipolar world” in an apparent reference to the role of these countries as a bulwark against Washington. China has made a long-term bet on Mr. Putin as a partner in challenging a global order that is dominated by the United States. India is also a member of a security-focused coalition with the United States called the Quad, which also includes Australia and Japan. For Mr. Modi, the summit was a forum to balance out India’s ties with the United States and other Western allies as it exercises a policy of nonalignment. Mr. Xi and Mr. Modi are bound by an economic interest as Mr. Modi looks to Beijing for answers on the question of how to advance India’s economy.

Persons: Here’s, Vladimir V, Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Narendra Modi, Modi Organizations: Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Mr, NATO Locations: Ukraine, China, India, Russia, Moscow, Washington . China, Beijing, United States, Europe, Washington, Australia, Japan, Kyiv . India

☆ Rabbi’s Brush With Danger in Ukraine Went Viral
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His role as chief rabbi has particular resonance in a war that President Vladimir V. Putin has falsely claimed is about “denazifying” Ukraine, a country whose current president is Jewish and whose Jewish community has historically suffered persecution. Born in Leningrad, the rabbi emigrated to Israel in the 1980s to escape the former Soviet Union. After marrying a Ukrainian woman, he came to Ukraine in the early 1990s to help children affected by the Chernobyl disaster and later led the rehabilitation of Kyiv’s main synagogue. When Russian-backed fighters launched a war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Rabbi Azman helped evacuate civilians from the fighting. Photographs of him shaking hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and other notable people cover a wall in his office.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Rabbi Azman, Anatevka, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Boris Johnson Organizations: denazifying, Soviet Union Locations: Ukraine, Leningrad, Israel, Ukrainian, Kyiv’s, Russian, Kyiv, Britain

☆ Moscow’s Mayor Says Drones Targeted Russian Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A news conference to announce the launch of the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in The Hague on Monday. “It’s the only crime that goes to the top table,” said Philippe Sands, a prominent international lawyer who first floated the idea of an aggression tribunal. Aggression is distinct from the offenses of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, for which the I.C.C. And unlike in many war crimes cases, there would be no need to link an official to specific crimes on the ground, which is often a cumbersome process. Overwhelmed courts in Ukraine have already tried and convicted some Russian soldiers for war crimes, but have tens of thousands of cases waiting.

Persons: —, “, ”, Philippe Sands, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: International Center, Criminal, European Union, United Nations, Russian, Kremlin Locations: The Hague, Ukraine, Russia, United States, I.C.C, Eastern Europe, Eurojust, Britain

☆ After Armed Rebellion, Putin Tries to Reinforce His Defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is said to work out of identically constructed offices at multiple residences so that photographs don’t reveal his location. His assistants undergo such a rigorous selection process that a former bodyguard once called them “a caste of chosen people.”And more than three years after the pandemic’s beginning, the Kremlin has continued to enforce a “clean zone” around the president, requiring many who come near him to quarantine for days. For decades, people who know him say, Mr. Putin has been remarkably focused on his personal security and on preventing rivals from using the powers of government against him. Now, in the aftermath of last month’s short-lived rebellion led by Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner private mercenary group that fought for Russia in Ukraine, Mr. Putin appears to be scrambling to coup-proof his system once more.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Wagner Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Putin has an invitation to visit Cuba, says Russian ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) - Russia's ambassador to Cuba said President Vladimir Putin had an invitation to visit the Communist-run island but that it was too early to talk about preparations for such a trip, the state RIA news agency said. "Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin) has an invitation, but I don't know how his plans will be lined up," Ambassador Viktor Koronelli told RIA. "The president of Cuba was in Moscow not long ago, in November of last year, so no real time has passed." Cuba had welcomed 66,000 tourists from Russia so far this year and Aeroflot's resumption of regular flights would probably mean a total of 100,000 Russian tourists visit the islands in 2023, Koronelli said. "I would like to say again that Russia can always rely on Cuba, all our aspirations and will," he told Putin, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Putin, Viktor Koronelli, Koronelli, Miguel Diaz, Canel, Raul Castro, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Communist, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Cuba, Moscow, Russia, Cuban

☆ Russia’s Embassy in Washington Becomes a Different Kind of Battle Zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a warm June night, Benjamin Wittes was seated at a card table across the street from the Russian Embassy in Washington, kicking off his light show. Assembled around him was a sprawl of wires and equipment, including a laptop and two powerful light projectors. One of them was beaming a giant blue and yellow Ukrainian flag onto the embassy’s white facade. “We’ve got a little essay we’re going to project, line by line, in three languages,” said Mr. Wittes, a prominent national security law expert. Mr. Wittes and his friends have been lighting up the embassy once every few weeks since the war in Ukraine began last year.

Persons: Benjamin Wittes, “ We’ve, ”, Wittes, “, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Russian Embassy Locations: Russian, Washington, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Mutiny Provided Glimpse of a Post-Putin Russia. Is the Window Still Open?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For a millisecond, it seemed possible. Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Russian caterer turned warlord — armed with tanks and a private army— showed Russia and the world what an alternative to President Vladimir V. Putin might look like. It was only the second time in Mr. Putin’s 23 years in power that a rebelling leader with populist appeal had flashed a vision of a conceivable Russia after Mr. Putin. The other occasion was in 2011, when Aleksei A. Navalny led a pro-democracy uprising on the streets of the capital. Mr. Prigozhin, whose mercenaries have been accused of indiscriminate killings and other crimes, made clear that those forces could be equally if not more grim.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Russian caterer, —, Vladimir V, Putin, Putin’s, Aleksei A, Navalny, Prigozhin Locations: Russian, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Wagner Uprising Highlights China’s Risks With Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( David Pierson | Olivia Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just three months ago, China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, was in Moscow clinking glasses with Vladimir V. Putin and expressing his confidence in the “firm support” the Russian president enjoyed among his people. That confidence is now in question, after the Wagner private military group waged an insurrection in Russia that has shaken Mr. Putin’s image of invulnerability. Mr. Xi’s long-term bet will work only if Mr. Putin remains in control to help uphold the shared interests of both countries. But the revolt has raised questions about Mr. Putin’s authority: Wagner soldiers faced little to no resistance from regular Russian forces as they advanced on Moscow. And Mr. Putin’s decision to grant sanctuary in Belarus to Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the leader of the uprising, smacked of a compromise rather than the act of a strongman with consolidated power.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin, Wagner, —, Xi’s, Yevgeny V Locations: Moscow, Russia, China, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Belarus

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