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☆ Germany's Scholz: Kakhovka dam breach in line with Putin's aggression
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 6 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam was in line with Russia's escalating violence in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy of attacking civilian targets. This makes it all the more important that Germany continues to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, he added. Scholz also said Germany was watching the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with concern following the destruction of the dam, which supplies water to the plant. "All we can say about Zaporizhzhia is that we are monitoring this all the time," Scholz said. Ukrainian and Russian forces have blamed each other for the breach, which unleashed millions of litres of water, threatening scores of villages and cutting off water supplies.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Scholz, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Ed Osmond Organizations: WDR, International Atomic Energy Agency, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Nova, Ukraine, Russian, Germany

☆ How a coup to force Putin from power could go down if he loses in Ukraine, according to former intel officers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's defeat to Ukraine would be a tipping point, former intelligence officers told Insider. During his two decades in power, the Russian president has surrounded himself with an inner circle of hardline loyalists known as "the Siloviki." But in the chaotic fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin's grasp on power appears much less secure, former intelligence officers told Insider. The faltering invasion has prompted criticism of the Russian president that would have previously been unthinkable. Ingram cautioned that Russian defeat could provoke even broader global instability.

Persons: Russia's Vladimir Putin, —, Vladimir Putin's, he's, George Beebe, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Abbas Gallyamov, Dmitry Medvedev, Nikolai Patrushev, Vyacheslav Volodin, Vladimir Putin, Russia's, Mikhail Svetlov, Philip Ingram, Beebe, RIA Novosti Ingram, Ingram, Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Ben Noble Organizations: Service, CIA, Wagner Group, Kremlin, CNN, Russian Security Council's, Security, RIA, NATO, University College London Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Kremlin, Crimea, Soledar

☆ Russia's economy faces a 'massive brain drain' as over 1 million young workers exit labor force, says former central bank official
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's economy faces a "massive brain drain," a former central bank adviser told NPR. Alexandra Prokopenko, a former adviser at Russia's central bank, told NPR last week that many educated and skilled workers have fled the country. And about 200,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded while fighting in Ukraine, with some estimates putting losses at 500 troops a day. As for Prokopenko, she also fled Russia soon after last year's invasion and is now a scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Germany. Prokopenko has sounded previous alarms on Russia's economy this year, saying in a report in May that Western sanctions will keep Russia's economy frozen.

Persons: Alexandra Prokopenko, —, it's, we've, Prokopenko, Vladimir Putin's, Putin Organizations: NPR, Service, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, West, Financial Times Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Germany

☆ Russia says it thwarts big attack in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Asked to comment, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said: "We do not have such information and we do not comment on any kind of fake." Further north, near the long-contested city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces were reported to have been "moving forward" by the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Russia has launched hundreds of drones and missiles on Ukraine since early May, chiefly on Kyiv, with Ukraine saying it was targeting military facilities but also hitting residential areas. Russia now controls at least 18% of what is internationally recognised to be Ukrainian territory, and has claimed four regions of Ukraine as Russian territory. Ukraine vows to eject every last Russian soldier from its territory and casts the invasion as an imperial-style land grab by Russia.

Persons: Oleksiy Danilov, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Bakhmut, Oleksii Reznikov, Semyon Pegov, Gonzo, Staff Valery Gerasimov, William Burns, Vladimir Putin's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, UKRAINE Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, David Ljunggren, Philippa Fletcher, Nick Macfie Organizations: Ukraine's Security, Defence Council, Reuters, Ukraine's General Staff, Strategic Communications, Ukrainian Defence, Twitter, Staff, Russian, CIA, Wall Street, UKRAINE, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, KYIV, Moscow, Ukraine's Donetsk, Bakhmut, Donetsk, South Donetsk, Ukrainian, Berkhivka, Luhansk, Russia's Belgorod, Velyka, Vuhledar, Russian, Kyiv

☆ Russian police arrest more than 100 Navalny supporters, group says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 4 (Reuters) - Russian police on Sunday arrested more than 100 people who had taken to the streets to mark the 47th birthday of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, a protest monitoring group said. OVD-Info said in a statement that 109 people had been detained in 23 cities as of 10:42 p.m. Moscow time (1942 GMT). Footage from Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia's two largest cities, showed police arresting individual demonstrators. Another man, who held up a sign in English that read "Free Navalny", was also arrested in Moscow. In St Petersburg, a woman accompanied by a child told reporters that "I'm against the war, that's why they detained me with my underage kid".

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin's, David Ljunggren, Grant McCool Organizations: Sunday, Authorities, St, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, St Petersburg, Russia's

☆ Transfer of holy icon shows Russian Orthodoxy's new sway under Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Emphasising its importance to the faithful, Putin last month ordered Andrei Rublev's "Trinity" be transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church from Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery for a year. For some, though, there is unease at the sway of the Church - and concern about possible damage to the fragile icon. She quipped that Russian leaders over the centuries have turned to icons in tough situations with the hope of victory. "Masterpieces of Russian icon painting and national shrines should not be exposed to unjustified risk," members of a cultural council within the Russian Academy of Sciences wrote in an open letter to Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova. "The only space suitable for placing the icon 'Trinity' by Andrei Rublev is in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery, which is confirmed by almost a century of practice."

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Andrei Rublev's, Moscow's Tretyakov, the, Josef Stalin, Abraham, Regina Elsner, Sergius –, Bolsheviks, Kirill of Moscow, Kirill, Putin's, Ksenia, Leonardo da Vinci's, Mona Lisa, Tretyakov, Korobeynikova, Olga Lyubimova, Andrei Rublev, Lucy Papachristou, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Potter Organizations: Trinity Sunday, Soviet Union, Church, Eastern European, International Studies, Kremlin, Putin, Reuters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Ukraine, Moscow's, Soviet, Mamre, Russian, Berlin, Russia, Trinity, St, Moscow –, Gdansk

[1/2] Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks with servicemen during withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut, 2023. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERSSummary Prigozhin: conflict with Chechens settledPrigozhin: Kremlin factions endanger the stateSays defence ministry is in chaosWagner may go to Belgorod region - PrigozhinMOSCOW, June 3 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that Kremlin factions were destroying the state by trying to sow discord between him and Chechen fighters. Prigozhin said a dispute between him and Chechen forces who are also fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine had been resolved. But he laid the blame for the discord on unidentified Kremlin factions - which he calls "Kremlin towers". "Dangerous games have become commonplace in the Kremlin towers...they are simply destroying the Russian state."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov's Akhmat, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Niether, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Press, Staff, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Concord, Belgorod, MOSCOW, Russian, Ukraine, Kremlin, Soviet Union

☆ Ukraine repels new Russian air barrage as Moscow contends with cross-border attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said two people had been killed and two others injured when Ukrainian forces shelled a road in the town of Maslova Pristan near the Ukrainian border. Russia said on Thursday it had repelled a second attempted incursion into the Belgorod region in just over a week by what it casts as pro-Ukrainian militants. Russia said on Thursday it had repelled an attempted incursion into the Belgorod region by what it casts as pro-Ukrainian militants. Along with the Russian Volunteer Corps founded by a far-right Russian nationalist, it says they are Russian volunteers attacking under their own steam, and not on the orders of Ukraine. Thousands of people in Ukraine have since been killed in Russian attacks, millions have fled and towns and cities have been devastated, particularly in Russian-speaking areas.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, David Ljunggren, Guy Faulconbridge, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russia Legion, Renault, Russian, Russian Volunteer Corps, Chechen, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Shebekino, Belgorod, Russia's Belgorod, Russian, KYIV, Kyiv Russian, Moscow, Kyiv, Maslova Pristan, Ukrainian, Novaya Tavolzhanka, Bryansk, Kursk, Smolensk, Kaluga, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia region, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Pro-Kyiv group reports second day of fighting in Russia's Belgorod
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Alexei Baranovsky, spokesperson for the political wing of the Freedom of Russia Legion, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Warsaw, Poland June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba StezyckiJune 2 (Reuters) - A group of pro-Ukrainian forces said on Friday they were fighting Russian troops on the outskirts of a village just inside Russia's western border, a day after Moscow said it had repelled three cross-border attacks. "We have active fighting on the outskirts of the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka (in Belgorod region). Unfortunately, there are wounded legionnaires, but freedom is won through blood," the Freedom of Russia Legion said in a statement. "One of our tactical aims is to draw Russian troops from other parts of the Ukrainian front," he said in an interview in Warsaw on Thursday.

Persons: Alexei Baranovsky, Kuba, Vladimir Putin's, Tom Balmforth, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: of Russia Legion, Reuters, REUTERS, Russian, Russian Volunteer Corps, Russia Legion, Renault, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Russian, Moscow, Russia's, Belgorod, Ukraine, Novaya Tavolzhanka, Belgorod region, Russia, Russia's Belgorod, Ukrainian

☆ Putin’s war on Ukraine is only costing a tiny sliver of Russia’s GDP
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Direct war spending, according to the report, is estimated to be about 3% of Russia's GDP, or about $67 billion a year. The US put about 50% of its GDP toward war near the same time. That makes it hard to justify spending a lofty percentage of GDP on what is not a war, in their view. All this isn't to say Russia's economy hasn't been hamstrung. Are you surprised by the relatively low fiscal cost of Russia's war?

Persons: Phil Rosen, Patrick Harker, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Vladimir Putin's, hasn't, that's, Mark Wilson, Goldman Sachs, it's, Realtor.com, Read, Jonathan Miller, Max Adams, Nathan Rennolds Organizations: Federal Reserve, Philly Fed, Economist, Technology, American Locations: Manhattan, Washington, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Union, India, Saudi Arabia, New York, London

☆ Putin is terrified of being assassinated and is refusing to travel abroad after a drone attack near his luxury home: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The report said Putin was so scared of being assassinated that he was refusing to travel abroad. Dmitry Medvedev, a Kremlin official and former Russian president, said a drone attack on the Kremlin in May was a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Putin, which Ukraine denied. Ingram's comments echo those of a former Kremlin security official, Gleb Karakulov, who fled Russia in April in opposition to the war in Ukraine. Ingram said Putin's isolation meant he was only being presented with distorted information by a group of close aides, warping his decision-making. Ingram said Putin would like to portray himself as an "international statesman" who asserts himself on the global stage.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Verstka, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Medvedev, Philip Ingram, Ingram, MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV, Gleb Karakulov, RFERL, wouldn't Organizations: Service, International Criminal Court, Moscow Times, Kremlin, British Military, SPUTNIK, Getty, ICC, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Hague, Novo, Ukrainian, Russia, Saint Petersburg, London, COVID, India, South Africa, China

[1/3] A man sits next to the body of his granddaughter who was killed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 1, 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions, shattered Ukrainian cities, and brought increasing attacks on Russian soil. Earlier, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians that supports Ukraine, had said it was fighting inside Russia. 'NO ONE OPENED SHELTER'In Kyiv, Ukraine said it shot down 10 ballistic and Iskander cruise missiles in Russia's 18th attack on the capital since the start of May. Russia denies targeting civilians or committing war crimes but its forces have devastated Ukrainian cities and repeatedly hit residential areas since the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Yaroslav Ryabchuk, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, Olena Harmash, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moldova KYIV, Russia's, Russian Volunteer Corps, Belgorod region's, Soviet Union, NATO, Moldovan, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moldova, MOSCOW, Russia, Ukrainian, Shebekino, Moscow, Belgorod, Soviet, Western, EU, Scandinavia, Denmark, Lithuania, NATO

☆ The Kremlin wants everyone to chill out after firebrand nationalists and military honchos called for martial law in response to drone attacks on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian firebrand leaders called for martial law after drone attacks reportedly struck Moscow. Imposing martial law is a "prerogative of the highest federal power," a spokesperson reminded the press. Kadyrov, known for issuing blistering, aggressive statements, decried Kyiv's leadership as "Nazis" and "Satanists," blaming them for the drone attacks. "The country must be put on martial law," Prigozhin said in a visit to Novosibirsk, per Sibkray News. On Tuesday, Russia's defense ministry said at least eight drone attacks had been launched at Moscow, resulting in minor damage to some residential neighborhoods.

Persons: hasn't, —, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's, Peskov, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Kyiv's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin Organizations: firebrand, Service, RIA Novosti, Kremlin, Kyiv, of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps, State Department Locations: Moscow, Russia, Chechen, Ukraine, Russian, Siberian, Novosibirsk, Belgorod, Novo

☆ Russian mercenary boss slams army 'clowns' as he marks birthday at training camp
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Celebrating his 62nd birthday on Thursday at a training camp, Prigozhin also confirmed that his men would finally leave the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on June 5 after handing it to the Russian army. The Wagner mercenaries captured the devastated city in late May after months of grinding warfare. He then engaged in a detailed description of the prosthetic legs which his wounded men have received, including those who continued to fight. Prigozhin said his men wanted to rest at camps in Russian-controlled Ukraine for around a month and then things would become clearer. Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Read, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Staff, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Biden says Sweden will 'soon' join NATO at U.S. Air Force address
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] U.S. President Joe Biden attends the graduation ceremony at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., June 1, 2023. Biden, in a flag-waving commencement address in Colorado Springs, Colorado, warned graduates they will enter service in an increasingly unstable world, citing challenges from Russia and China. Biden told reporters Erdogan repeated Ankara's desire to buy F-16 fighter jets from the United States, while Biden urged Ankara to drop its objection to Sweden's joining NATO. Biden made clear the United States would not back down from the challenge posed by China amid deep strains in the relationship. China and the United States should be able to work together where we can to solve some global challenges, like climate," he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Sweden's, Vladimir Putin's, Antony Blinken, Steve Holland, Caitlin Webber, Heather Timmons, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Air Force Academy, REUTERS, Sweden, NATO, U.S . Air Force Academy, Nordic, F16s, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Colorado Springs , Colorado, U.S, Kevin Lamarque COLORADO SPRINGS , Colorado, Russia, China, United States, Ankara, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkey

☆ Podcast: Chocolate shops to save the planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

How a meat magnate and sponsorship of a German soccer club helped push Russian President Vladimir Putin's agenda in Germany. Chocolate shops to combat global warming? Hear about the surprising projects declared as “climate financing”. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. Further ReadingThe meat magnate who pushed Putin's agenda in GermanySenegal unrest flares again over opposition leaderSPECIAL REPORT-Nations who pledged to fight climate change are sending money to strange placesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Apple, Google, Thomson, SPECIAL, Nations Locations: German, Germany, Germany Senegal

MOSCOW, May 31 (Reuters) - Russia's most powerful mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Wednesday that he had asked prosecutors to investigate whether senior Russian defence officials had committed any "crime" before or during the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin's request is his most blatant public challenge to date against President Vladimir Putin's top military brass, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The 61-year-old restaurateur-turned-mercenary has spent months insulting both Shoigu and Gerasimov, who are leading Russia's war effort, for alleged treachery. He says loyalty to Putin is part of his political stance, which he summed up as: "I love my motherland, I serve Putin, Shoigu should be judged and we will fight on." Prigozhin is not directly challenging Putin but rather playing a jester role and acting with the approval of those dismayed by the military's conduct of the war, officials, diplomats and analysts have told Reuters.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, PUTIN'S, Wagner, Putin, Russia's, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Staff, Investigative Committee, Russian Federation, Defence Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Bakhmut

☆ Drone attacks on Moscow will strengthen Russian support for the war, says former U.K. ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDrone attacks on Moscow will strengthen Russian support for the war, says former U.K. ambassadorSir Tony Brenton, former U.K. ambassador to Russia, says that drone attacks on Moscow could strengthen Russian President Vladimir Putin's position.

Persons: Sir Tony Brenton, Vladimir Putin's Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian

☆ Russian Wagner Group is using American social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to recruit new members around the world, according to new report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Wagner Group has turned to Facebook and Twitter in search of new recruits, Politico reported. Job postings linked to the Wagner Group garnered nearly 120,000 views across Facebook and Twitter over the last ten months, according to Politico. A Western government official, meanwhile, told the outlet that at least two phone numbers included in the social media posts were linked to either the Wagner Group or Russian intelligence. The group boasted salaries of 240,000 rubles per month, or the equivalent of $3,192, according to Politico. Even before the Russia-Ukraine war, the Wagner Group was involved in fighting throughout Central Africa.

Persons: Wagner, —, Vladimir Putin's, Kyle Walter, — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin Organizations: Wagner, Facebook, Twitter, Politico, Service, Russian, Wagner Group, Meta Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Central Africa

☆ The harness-wearing beluga whale believed to be a Russian spy has popped up in Sweden, puzzling scientists who noted he's traveling 'very quickly away from his natural environment'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A beluga whale wearing a harness that read "Equipment St. Petersburg" appeared in Norway in 2019. Officials said they believed the trained whale was a Russian navy asset that may have escaped. They also said in the Cold War Russia used beluga whales to sniff out mines and torpedoes. The closest beluga whales live farther north, in the Arctic Ocean and the frigid waters north of Norway and around Greenland. Or it could be loneliness, as belugas are a very social species – it could be that he's searching for other beluga whales," Strand said.

☆ Belarus's Lukashenko says there can be 'nuclear weapons for everyone'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 29 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that if any other country wanted to join a Russia-Belarus union there could be "nuclear weapons for everyone." Russia moved ahead last week with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, in the Kremlin's first deployment of such warheads outside Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, spurring concerns in the West. "If someone is worried ... (then) it is very simple: join in the Union State of Belarus and Russia. That's all: there will be nuclear weapons for everyone." Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet republics.

☆ Ukraine's 'Iron General' is facing off against his 4th Russian war commander. Here's why the others lost their jobs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The Russian general, however, does not appear to be living up to those expectations. Alexander DvornikovWhen Russia first launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late-February 2022, it relied on district commanders rather than overall commander of the war effort. Sergey SurovikinIn early October, Putin appointed Army Gen. Sergey Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon," to be the overall theater commander. "Putin likely viewed Surovikin as the last untarnished high-ranking commander in Ukraine he could appoint to overall theater command," the think tank said. As 2023 rolled around, and Russian forces continued to suffer heavy losses in eastern Ukraine, Putin seemingly gave in to Gerasimov's campaigning.

MOSCOW, May 28 (Reuters) - Russia's most powerful mercenary said on Sunday he was convinced that senior Kremlin officials had banned reporting about him on state media, cautioning that such a misleading approach would lead to a backlash from the Russian people within months. Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, is the most striking member of President Vladimir Putin's circle to gain widespread notoriety in the 15-month war in Ukraine. In a sign of just how far Prigozhin is perceived to have breached the taboos of Putin's Russia, state television ignored the fall of Bakhmut for 20 hours, and did not air Prigozhin's victory speech. Asked about what appeared to be a ban on coverage of him on state media, Prigozhin used a series of Russian proverbs to poke fun at those responsible: "What is forbidden is always sweeter." After Prigozhin claimed victory on Bakhmut, it took the Kremlin 10 hours to release a 36-word statement congratulating Wagner and armed forces units for "liberating" Artyomovsk, the Soviet-era name for Bakhmut used by Russia.

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin says Putin's plan to 'demilitarize' Ukraine has been a bust as Ukraine now has one of the 'strongest' armies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"The Ukrainians are one of the strongest armies today," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an interview. It turns out that on the contrary, we have militarized Ukraine," Prigozhin said in a video interview now circulating around social media. The nod to demilitarization refers to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key ambitions in the unprovoked assault on Ukraine in February 2022. Praising his adversary while calling attention to Russia's failures, Prigozhin said that "the Ukrainians are one of the strongest armies today." Kyiv's troops have used these systems to inflict devastating casualties on both Wagner and Russia's regular military.

☆ The West’s oil war against Russia is starting to lose momentum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Russia's export revenue in April was down substantially year-on-year, mainly due to the impact of the EU import ban and lower oil prices. Russia's oil revenue recovery expected to continueAt the start of the year, data showed Russia's revenue from fossil fuel exports had collapsed in December. It appeared to underscore the effectiveness of policymakers targeting Russia's oil revenues and sparked calls for even tougher measures to help Kyiv prevail. CREA's latest findings, however, show that Russia's oil tax revenues rose 6% month on month in April due to the increase of export revenues in March. It means that after bottoming out at the start of 2023, Russia's oil tax revenues have since recovered due to increased sales.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA, Myllyvirta, Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Lebedev, Mikhail Klimentyev, Isaac Levi Organizations: Europa Press, Getty, Centre for Research, Energy, Clean, European Union, Seven, Clean Air Energy, Coalition, CNBC, Kremlin, Afp Locations: Ceuta, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Finnish, Moscow, Hiroshima, Japan, U.S, EU

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