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☆ Russia's Medvedev meets China's Xi in Beijing, says Ukraine conflict discussed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands during a meeting in Beijing, China, December 21, 2022. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERSDec 21 (Reuters) - Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has undertaken a surprise trip to Beijing and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during which he said they discussed the Ukraine conflict. Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, posted a video on his Telegram channel showing him meeting Xi, smiling for photos and a meeting between Chinese and Russian officials. Medvedev said he and Xi had discussed the two countries' "no limits" strategic partnership, as well as Ukraine. We also discussed international issues - including, of course, the conflict in Ukraine," Medvedev said.

☆ Three dead as blast shuts part of Russia-Ukraine gas export pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A blast ripped through a gas pipeline in central Russia, killing three people and disrupting some of the limited amount of Russian gas that is still reaching Europe, local officials said on Tuesday. He said it was unclear when gas supplies via the pipeline could resume, and authorities were trying to work that out. The pipeline, built in the 1980s, enters Ukraine via the Sudzha metering point, currently the main route for Russian gas to reach Europe. Europe's gas prices have surged this year after Russia cut exports through its main gas pipeline route into Germany, leaving only pipelines via Ukraine to ship Russian gas to European consumers. The head office of the state-owned gas producer Gazprom and its local branch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"If Bakhmut had been captured when they started their attack in August then it would have been significant. Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military at the U.S.-based CNA think-tank, said Moscow appeared committed to the battle because of resources it had already spent rather than because of "sound strategy". WAR OF ATTRITIONFor Russia, Bakhmut, which it calls Artyomovsk, the city's Soviet-era name, has long held political value. Muzyka, the Polish military analyst, said Bakhmut had become a battle of attrition. It could also boost Prigozhin's political capital in Moscow if he can take some credit for such a victory.

☆ Founder of Russian private militia accuses France in Central African Republic attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - The head of a Russian private militia accused France of attempting to assassinate the head of a Russian representative office in the Central African Republic, who was seriously injured on Friday after opening a mail bomb. Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the once-secretive Russian private military contractor Wagner Group, which has supported Central African Republic's (CAR) army since 2018 but gained wider attention with its role in Russia's war in Ukraine, blamed France for the attack. He said he had asked Russian Foreign Ministry to open the procedure for declaring France a state sponsor of terrorism. Prigozhin called Syty "a patriot of Russia and the Central African Republic". Last year, a United Nations report said Russian military instructors and local troops in the Central African Republic had targeted civilians with excessive force, indiscriminate killings, occupation of schools and large-scale looting.

☆ Russia, mired in war, faces economic pain and attempts to isolate it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The war has so far not gone well for Putin. [1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link from the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia December 2, 2022. And Russia, one of the world's biggest energy and commodity producers, has been hit with the harshest Western sanctions in its modern history. For Russia, 2023 is likely to be a year when it tries to stave off more Western attempts to isolate it. As Putin pays up to keep the war in Ukraine grinding on, managing its fallout at home and abroad is likely to get harder.

☆ Russia's Lavrov says European security body is hobbled by West
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that big problems had accumulated in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), accusing the West of spurning the chance to make it a real bridge with Russia after the Cold War. Lavrov made the comments at the start of a news conference during which he gave a long recital of Russian historical grievances against the West, saying the "reckless enlargement" of NATO had devalued the basic principles of the OSCE. "Taking advantage of its numerical superiority in this organization, the West has been trying for many years to, if you like, privatise it. Or perhaps it's more correct to say it is trying to carry out a takeover raid on the OSCE, to subjugate this last platform for regional dialogue," said Lavrov. Reporting by Reuters Editing by Andrew OsbornOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's Lavrov says U.S. and NATO are direct participants in Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the United States and NATO were direct participants in the Ukraine war because of their support to Kyiv and defended Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. Lavrov told a news conference that Washington and the Atlantic alliance were directly involved in the war because they were supplying arms to Ukraine and providing it with military training on their territory. He defended Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which Kyiv and the West say are a war crime aimed at inflicting suffering on civilians - by cutting off heating, light and power. "We disable energy facilities (in Ukraine) that allow you (the West) to pump lethal weapons into Ukraine to kill Russians," Lavrov said. "So don't say that the U.S. and NATO are not participants in this war - you are directly participating.

☆ Russia warns U.S. that its deeper involvement in Ukraine brings growing risks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Russia is trying to make the United States understand that Washington's increasing involvement in the Ukraine conflict carries growing risks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday, according to Russian news agencies. Moscow has repeatedly complained that Western military support for Ukraine is dragging out the conflict, now in its 10th month, while risking a possible direct confrontation between Russia and the West. "We are sending signals to the Americans that their line of escalation and ever deeper involvement in this conflict is fraught with dire consequences. The risks are growing," the Interfax news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying. Ryabkov was cited as saying that there was no dialogue between Washington and Moscow, but that the two sides "periodically exchange signals".

☆ Some of Taylor Swift's biggest fans are also lawyers. After Ticketmaster's botched handling of her Eras Tour, they're mobilizing to take the ticketing giant down.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nicole Tabak | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ticketmaster badly botched its sale of Taylor Swift tour tickets last week. Facing endless questions and concerns over the chaos that ensued during presales for Swift's upcoming Eras Tour, fans gathered on social media not just to commiserate, but to take action. How Ticketmaster's chaotic handling of the Eras Tour presale may lead to its undoingSwift fans shared screenshots of the long queues for tickets. "And I know that sounds stupid to people who don't love Taylor Swift the way that a lot of us do. The momentum may be thanks to her Eras Tour, but this is about holding a monopoly accountable.

Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon" by the Russian media for his reputed ruthlessness, on Nov. 9 recommended Moscow's forces quit Kherson and the west bank of the River Dnipro where they were dangerously exposed. Simonyan urged Surovikin, a hulking shaven-headed figure who has been shown on TV speaking in clipped Russian military language, to ignore "nonsense" from critics, a reference to influential military bloggers unhappy about his retreat. Nor is taking new ground in the east against a highly motivated and Western-equipped Ukrainian military an easy task, especially in the winter. The appointment of Surovikin on Oct. 8 was the first time Russia had publicly named an overall commander for its forces in Ukraine. With the exception of the city of Lysychansk, in eastern Ukraine, he said all the territory Russia held looked defensible.

☆ Russia keeps mum on CIA director's warning over nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] CIA Director William Burns speaks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2021. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns warned Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, about the consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, a White House official said. It was the first known high-level, face-to-face U.S.-Russian contact since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Zelenskiy said the CIA director had spent time in a bomb shelter before the two men met amid Russian missile strikes. Putin has said Russia will defend its territory with all available means, including nuclear weapons, if attacked.

☆ Analysis: Russia's planned Kherson retreat a double-edged sword for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Civilians evacuated from the Russian-controlled part of Kherson region of Ukraine arrive at a local railway station in the town of Dzhankoi, Crimea November 10, 2022. If it happens, the planned retreat could make life easier for the Russian army, in some respects, and harder for Ukraine. Both men publicly accepted that Russia's position in Kherson had become untenable. Regardless of any potential military upside, retreat would represent a humiliating defeat for Russia's political and military leadership. Kherson is the first and only regional capital Moscow's forces have captured, at great cost, since their Feb. 24 invasion.

The pullout proposed by General Sergei Surovikin, appointed last month to take overall charge of Russia's war effort, means Moscow is giving up a strategic city just north of annexed Crimea, the only Ukrainian provincial capital it had captured since its Feb. 24 invasion. The decision - described by one Russian military blogger as "a black page in the history of the Russian army" - was nonetheless quickly defended by some of the most high-profile proponents of the war as a wise and necessary action. But he said that ceding Kherson to Ukraine would put Russian-annexed Crimea within range of Ukrainian guided missile systems and U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets. As Shoigu and Surovikin announced the retreat on Wednesday, Putin was congratulating employees of a leading scientific institute on its 75th anniversary. And after that, to understand who is right, who to blame and what is the essence of the problem".

☆ In Russia, some hope U.S. midterms will mean less Ukraine aid and more chaos
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But for now, few in Moscow expect the bipartisan U.S. political consensus on Ukraine to crack, whatever the result of Tuesday's midterm elections. Nor do they expect Washington's support for Kyiv to dip significantly anytime soon. "However, the Biden administration will find it more difficult to push financial aid programmes to Kyiv through Congress, and the position of U.S. critics of unlimited aid to Ukraine will markedly strengthen." "Even if it survives as a single state, the United States will change dramatically and its global position will weaken under any circumstances," Akopov opined. "Without a strong and united (United) States the West will not be able to maintain control over western Russian lands for long."

☆ Russia to summon British ambassador over Black Sea Fleet drone strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Russia will summon Britain's ambassador to Moscow over what it said was the involvement of British specialists in a Ukrainian drone strike on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Russia suspended participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative on Saturday after what it said was a major drone attack on vessels in the Bay of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russia's defence ministry said the attack was carried out under the guidance and leadership of British navy specialists, an assertion Britain has dismissed as false. "These actions were carried out under the guidance of British specialists," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday. "In this regard, the British ambassador will shortly be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry."

☆ Russia returns to Black Sea grain deal in sudden U-turn
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it would renew its participation in an agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea, just four days after suspending its role in the deal. The U-turn followed a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, and after consultations between their defence ministers. "We did not bury this deal, but we did not expect Russia's return to it so soon either, as it was not very clear what kind of guarantees Russia could get and how quickly it would happen. Britain has denied involvement and accused Russia of trying to divert attention from its military failures in Ukraine. Despite the Russian move, ships had continued to export Ukrainian grain, and a record volume moved on Monday.

☆ Putin: We could quit grain deal again, but would not block grain for Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday reserved Russia's right to withdraw again from an international agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea, after ending four days of non-cooperation with the deal. If Russia did so, however, Putin said it would not impede shipments of grain from Ukraine to Turkey. Wednesday's U-turn followed a phone call between Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday and consultations between their defence ministers. Despite the Russian move, ships had continued to export Ukrainian grain, and a record volume moved on Monday. Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said Wednesday's announcement represented an acknowledgement by Putin that he could not block the shipments.

☆ Don't expect Putin to fall anytime soon, says Western official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

After changes to the constitution in 2020, some Russia-watchers expected Putin to rule until 2036. "He has been weakened by this really catastrophic error," said the Western official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely. The official said the war had strengthened Ukrainian statehood and prompted the further enlargement of the NATO military alliance thus weakening Putin, who turned 70 on Oct. 7. Though there was unlikely to be a change of Kremlin leader soon, the official said that the middle of the 2020s was starting to look "more interesting". The official added that there was no sign, for now, that Russia was ready to seriously negotiate over Ukraine.

☆ Russia's statement on resuming participation in Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Russia will resume its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, its defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. "The Russian Federation suspended the implementation of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports (the "Black Sea Initiative") after Ukraine committed a terrorist act on October 29 this year against ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in ensuring the security of the "grain corridor." "Russia's position was brought to the attention of U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the U.N. Security Council. "In particular, the Ukrainian side officially pledged that 'the Maritime Humanitarian Corridor will be used only in accordance with the provisions of the Black Sea Initiative and the related JCC regulation.' "The Russian Federation believes that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes implementation of the agreement – the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Grain and Food from Ukrainian ports (the 'Black Sea Initiative') - which was suspended after the terrorist attack in Sevastopol."

☆ Russian media figure Ksenia Sobchak is in Lithuania after house search - state security
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VILNIUS, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Russian media figure Ksenia Sobchak is in Lithuania after entering the country on her Israeli passport, the head of Lithuania's counter-intelligence service said on Thursday, a day after Russian police searched one of her houses. She is the daughter of the late Anatoly Sobchak, St Petersburg's mayor in the 1990s, who was Putin's boss and friend. Israel's daily Haaretz newspaper reported in April that Sobchak acquired Israeli citizenship after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sobchak said she had genuinely wanted to win the contest and was interested in politics and bringing about change. Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius Editing by Andrew Osborn and William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Half of Virginia high school out sick due to flu-like, gastrointestinal symptoms in mystery outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly half the student population of a Virginia high school was out of school Friday suffering flu-like or gastrointestinal symptoms, with an investigation into the source of the mystery outbreak underway, officials said. Approximately 1,000 students were absent Friday from Stafford High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with many reporting flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms, Sandra Osborn, Chief communications officer for Stafford County Public Schools said. That's nearly half of the school's population of 2,100 students. Stafford High school is open Monday and “we are reassessing conditions this morning," Osborn said. Stafford High School canceled all school related activities and athletics over the weekend, “due to the high number of student and staff illnesses reported this week,” according to their Facebook page.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"For the moment, Putin is hanging in there," said Anthony Brenton, a former British ambassador to Russia. In power since 1999, Putin has weathered numerous domestic crises and wars, and more than once faced down large street protests before effectively outlawing any real opposition. The Kremlin says Putin is backed by an overwhelming majority of Russians and won a landslide re-election victory in 2018. said Weiss, who has had various policy roles on the U.S. National Security Council and has written a book about Putin. A senior European official said Putin would have to demonstratively lose the war to be unseated.

Putin cautioned it was no bluff, and Western politicians, diplomats and nuclear weapons experts are divided. Some say he could use one or more smaller, tactical nuclear weapons to try to stave off military defeat, protect his presidency, scare off the West or intimidate Kyiv into capitulation. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them," he said. Such blunt Kremlin rhetoric is very different to the much more nuanced nuclear signals preferred by late Soviet leaders after Nikita Khrushchev took the world to the brink of nuclear war in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Burns, though, said U.S. intelligence had no practical evidence that Putin was moving towards using tactical nuclear weapons imminently.

☆ Putin expected to proclaim annexation of Ukraine territory within days
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Russian-backed authorities claim to have carried out the referendums over five days on territory that makes up around 15% of Ukraine. "This farce in the occupied territories cannot even be called an imitation of a referendum," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in video address overnight. Russian officials have said any attack on annexed territory would be an attack on Russia itself. Russia's planned annexation of Ukrainian territory has been rejected globally, with even traditional allies of Moscow such as Serbia and Kazakhstan saying they will not recognise it. For now, Russian officials at the checkpoint were letting some people leave.

☆ NFL roundup: Packers top Bucs in possible final Rodgers-Brady matchup
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Josh Allen completed 42 of 63 passes for 400 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for the Bills (2-1). Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 340 yards and led a second-quarter surge with three touchdown passes. Colts 20, Chiefs 17Matt Ryan threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jelani Woods with 24 seconds left as Indianapolis stunned visiting Kansas City. Ryan passed for 222 yards, and both his touchdown passes were to the rookie Woods. Osborn on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 45 seconds left as Minnesota rallied past Detroit in Minneapolis.

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