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☆ Putin is still too reliant on Prigozhin's 'meat army' to punish the mercenary leader for his public defiance: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The minor victory comes as Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin continues to publicly slam Russia's military. The Wagner-won victory in the strategically-unimportant city complicates Russian President Vladimir Putin's likely response to Prigozhin's exceedingly defiant and chaotic attitude. And yet Prigozhin continues to play an important role in the war, even after taking a veiled barb at the Russian president, himself, earlier this month. In a rare moment of recognition, Putin even directly congratulated the Wagner Group following their alleged seizure of Bakhmut. Prigozhin said Saturday he would pull his Wagner troops from Bakhmut come Thursday, where they would reorganize and undergo additional training.

☆ Failures in Ukraine haven't left 'cracks' in Putin's hold on power, German spy chief says, warning Russia has what it needs to wage a long war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Germany's spy chief, Bruno Kahl, said there are no "cracks" in Putin's system despite Russia's failures in Ukraine. The Kremlin has gone to extraordinary lengths to stifle opposition to the war in Ukraine. Kahl warned that "Russia is still capable of waging a long-range war" in Ukraine. In this kind of environment, it's difficult to get an accurate read on public sentiment toward the war in Russia. Russia was expected to easily defeat Ukraine, and its failures in the war have raised questions as to whether Putin's firm grip on power in Russia might slip.

☆ Ukraine-backed Russian militants claim they've taken over a Russian village in a cross-border raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine-backed Russian militants claim they've taken over territory in the Belgorod region. The Kremlin was informed of the cross-border raid and said it was "sabotage" from Kyiv. One legion of Russian freedom fighters announced the "liberation" of the area from Putin's regime. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyUkrainian-backed Russian militants claim they've taken control of Russian territory in a cross-border raid, announcing the "liberation" of the villages from Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. On Monday, the Liberty of Russia Legion militants said they were moving into the Belgorod region, a southern Russian area that borders Ukraine and is just miles north of Kharkiv.

☆ Russia is claiming victory in Bakhmut, but the price it paid for it 'doesn't bode well' for Putin's bigger plans, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Russian forces are claiming victory in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. Russian leadership praised Wagner for its achievements in the devastated city of Bakhmut and promised the presentation of state awards. Casualty estimates likely skew significantly higher for Russian forces. AdvertisementAdvertisementBy April 11, Russian forces occupied over 76 percent of the city, according to a terrain assessment from the ISW think tank. An aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of heavy battles with Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, March 26, 2023.

Persons: it's, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Gen, Oleksandr Syrskiy, Bakhmut, Wagner, ISW, Russia's, Vladimir Putin's, bode, Jeffrey Edmonds, Jens Stoltenberg, Marina Miron, Zelenskyy, Putin, Miron, Edmonds Organizations: Military, Service, Wagner Group, Institute for, CIA, AP Moscow, Russian, NATO, CNN, Moscow, AP, King's College London's Centre, Military Ethics, Bakhmut Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine's Donetsk, Ukrainian, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Berlin, Soviet, Stalingrad, Russia, Kyiv, Donbas, Donetsk, Kramatorsk, Moreso

☆ UK to ban Russian diamonds at G7 in fresh round of sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to announce a ban on Russian diamonds and imports of metals from Russia including copper, aluminium and nickel in support for Ukraine, his government said in a statement. Britain is also targeting an additional 86 people and companies from Russian President Vladimir Putin's military industrial complex, in addition those involved in energy, metals and shipping industries. They include those supporting the Kremlin to actively undermine the impact of existing sanctions, as Britain continues to work with G7 partners to tackle all forms of sanctions circumvention, the government said. Leaders of advanced democracies Japan, the United States, Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Italy start their Group of Seven (G7) summit on Friday in Hiroshima. The G7 countries are poised to use the summit to announce tightened sanctions on Russia and debate strategy on a more than year-long conflict that shows no sign of easing.

☆ This clothing shop is selling 'Faux News' T-shirts mocking Tucker Carlson to raise money to help Ukrainians in the war he vocally opposed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Igor Novikov, the founder of Cancel Kouture, told Insider the shirts approach opinions with humor. "At the moment, we're donating to resilience centers and the charities that are directly supporting people in need," he told Insider. "And I realized that it must've been Fox News, and it must've been Tucker," Novikov said. And Novikov said while Cancel Kouture gets its namesake from the phenomenon of "canceling" someone, it's also more lighthearted. "I'm not a huge fan of cancel culture because, to me, it seems too aggressive and too indiscriminate," Novikov told Insider.

☆ Revealed: Vladimir Putin's secret Black Sea bunker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Anastasiia Carrier | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

You would think that the architects who designed Vladimir Putin's palace thought of everything. They failed to hide plans showing two elaborate tunnels running beneath the palace complex — plans that any competent state-security apparatus would fight tooth-and-nail to keep secret. The underground complex beneath Putin's palace consists of two separate tunnels connected by an elevator that descends roughly 50 meters below the surface. Gelendzhik is the town closest to the palace complex, a five-hour drive from the resort city of Sochi. "With the war in Ukraine," Kimmage said, "there's speechmaking, there's propaganda, there's exaggeration — there's this performative aspect that plays to Russia's domestic politics.

☆ Former National Security Advisor John Bolton says world leaders saw Trump as a 'laughing fool' and disputes that the ex-president could have stopped Russia's invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton said world leaders saw Trump as a "laughing fool" on CNN. Bolton rejected Trump's claims that he could have stopped Russia's invasion of Ukraine had he won reelection. "The idea that somehow his presence in office would have deterred Putin is flatly wrong," he said. I believe they think he's a laughing fool and the idea that somehow his presence in office would have deterred Putin is flatly wrong." Bolton then said that if Trump had won reelection in 2020, the former president's push to weaken NATO would have aided Russia in their quest to take over Ukraine.

"The winner has undoubtedly been our country," Erdogan said in a speech to cheering supporters at the headquarters of his ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party in the capital Ankara overnight. Going into the election, the opposition had sensed its best chance yet of unseating Erdogan, encouraged by polls showing him trailing his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu. But the results suggested Erdogan and his AK Party had been able to rally conservative voters despite a cost-of-living crisis. [1/4] Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and AK Party (AKP) gather on election night, in Istanbul, Turkey May 15, 2023. "During the campaign period ahead of the runoff, President Erdogan is likely to emphasise stability as he already retains the majority in the parliament," Dalay said.

☆ Turkey election rivals both claim early lead, but runoff is likely
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Istanbul, Turkey May 12, 2023. Turkey appears headed for a presidential election runoff, with the parties of Tayyip Erdogan and opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu claiming the lead. Early results put Erdogan comfortably ahead, but as the count continued his advantage eroded, with a runoff on May 28 beckoning. Ankara's opposition mayor Mansur Yavas said a count by his party suggested Kilicdaroglu was ahead with 47.42%, while Erdogan had 46.48%. His government's slow response to a devastating earthquake in southeast Turkey that killed 50,000 people added to voters' dismay.

☆ Russia says European armed forces treaty contrary to its security interests
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 15 (Reuters) - The European armed forces treaty from which Moscow is to withdraw is contrary to Russia's security interests, Russia's envoy in charge of the withdrawal said in remarks published early on Monday. Russia's parliament is to decide on Monday when to formally denounce the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), following President Vladimir Putin's decree on May 10. "The CFE Treaty, due to the changed situation, is contrary to our security interests. Ryabkov was appointed last week to represent Putin during parliamentary proceedings on denouncing the treaty, which aimed to regulate the number of forces deployed by Warsaw Pact and NATO countries. Russia announced in 2015 that it was completely halting its participation in the treaty.

☆ Ukrainian vigilantes are tearing down Russian statues and landmarks in the night to 'decolonize' their cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian vigilantes are tearing down Russian statues and landmarks in their cities. Activists told The Washington Post they want to "de-Russify" and "decolonize" Ukraine. Zelenskyy signed two laws last month to promote Ukrainian language and culture over that of Russia. The activists — operating under umbrella organizations such as Decolonize Ukraine — are recording the locations of Russian iconography across big cities and small towns, according to The Washington Post. The Post reported that these efforts range from Russian language on street signs and public art to Soviet symbols and statues dedicated to Russian soldiers.

☆ The Ukraine war is driving a wedge between Moscow and its mercenaries — and the Kremlin knows it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The war in Ukraine looks to have created deep and lasting tensions between Russia's leadership in Moscow and its mercenary fighters on the ground, with acrimony between the two descending into openly hostile criticism and accusations of treachery this week. Prigozhin said his mercenary forces, making up the bulk of Russians fighting to seize Bakhmut, would remain there for a "few more days" to see if the situation would change. Prigozhin's very public criticism of Russia's military leadership this week has made it impossible for the Kremlin to ignore, despite its de-facto position being to remain tight-lipped about internal matters. "Emotions are boiling over there," Peskov told a Bosnian Serb television channel ATV on Wednesday, in comments translated by Google. We have no doubt that Artyomovsk [Russia's name for Bakhmut] will be brought under control, that it will be determined later," he said.

☆ Putin's Victory Day speech was as extreme as ever, claiming a 'real war' was being waged against Russia, even as his military had a measly showing at the celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin said the West was waging a "real war" against Russia in his Victory Day speech. Victory Day is celebrated on May 9 every year in Russia to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in World War II. Leading up to Victory Day, officials in several Russian cities canceled their parades. "He almost acts as if the world is no different than it was in World War II," Norris explained. He also said Ukraine would replace Russia's Victory Day with a new holiday to be celebrated annually on May 9 — Europe Day.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin's 'one-tank' parade prompts questions; more calls for Wagner Group to be labeled terrorist group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian soldiers march during a rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2023. The Covid-19 pandemic and now the ongoing war with Ukraine have sorely affected annual commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Despite being one of the most important dates in Russia's calendar, Victory Day in Russia has not been what it was for a number of years now. Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers parade through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2022. "The potential for protests and discontent over the Ukraine war are also likely to have influenced the calculus of the Russian leadership."

☆ The Russian ruble is as crucial to Vladimir Putin's regime as his war on Ukraine is, says Princeton scholar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Preserving the ruble is crucial to Vladimir Putin's regime, Princeton professor Ekaterina Pravilova said. "Against this historical backdrop, President Vladimir Putin's preoccupation with the ruble and the 'enemy currencies' is neither new nor surprising," she said. Putin's fixation on the ruble's strength stems from earlier Russian beliefs that the currency's standing signaled the country's geopolitical reputation, according to Pravilova. "In addition to the war on the battlefields, a rhetorical war unfolds, with the ruble figuring as one of its glorious heroes," she added. "The ideological fixation on the ruble's rate paradoxically makes the regime more vulnerable and potentially susceptible to criticism at home," Pravilova wrote.

☆ Russia launches fresh wave of strikes on Ukrainian cities; Wagner boss ditches threat to leave Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Russia launched a new wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities Kyiv, Odesa and Kherson, just one day ahead of Moscow's planned Victory Day celebrations on Tuesday, which feature a large military parade and commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The Victory Day parade has come to encapsulate Russian President Vladimir Putin's vision of his country, and is set to go ahead despite some concern over a recent alleged drone attack on the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Wagner Group leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin has backtracked on his threat to pull his fighters out of the war-torn city of Bakhmut after he announced that Russian military officials agreed to send his group ammunition he said was badly lacking. Wagner Group combatants have spearheaded Russian fighting in Bakhmut, which has become the scene of the war's longest and bloodiest battle.

☆ Leaked docs show 'Putin's chef' is increasingly at odds with the Russian leader over Wagner mercenary deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who leads the mercenary Wagner Group, appears to have turned on Vladimir Putin. On Thursday, Prigozhin vowed to withdraw troops from Ukraine, blaming Putin for their deaths. But his decades-long allyship with the Russian leader may be coming to an end. Prigozhin has compared the ongoing Bakhmut battle to a "meat grinder," Insider previously reported, with the mercenary leader acknowledging that his men were dying at extremely high rates due to the shortage. Prigozhin's relationship with Putin began in the 1990s after the business tycoon set up a catering company that frequently served the Russian leader and the Kremlin, eventually earning him the nickname "Putin's chef," Insider previously reported.

☆ Trump's rape trial defense? His accuser and her friends have Trump Derangement Syndrome
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Donald Trump's lawyers have tried to undermine E. Jean Carroll, who accuses him of rape. Just moments later, Trump's lawyers rested their case as well, without presenting any evidence. Carroll and her friends, Trump's lawyers suggest, all have Trump Derangement Syndrome. According to Trump's lawyers, the whole lawsuit is a conspiracy schemed up by ardent Trump critic George Conway. AP Photo/John MinchilloTrump's attorney pointed out that Birnbach had said Trump and his allies had symptoms of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

☆ Russia's economy is suffering from industrial decline as satellites detect less pollution in the air
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pollution in Russia's industrial regions fell 1.2% in the six months to April, and is 6.2% lower annually. Still, the satellite data offers a picture that cannot be easily obscured. Additional satellite data shows that the automotive sector, construction, oil and gas, and even the defense industry are emitting less pollution. ECB economists Adrian Schmith and Hanna Sakhno have also incorporated satellite pollution data as part of their alternative tracker of economic data for Russia. Our tracker shows a contraction of the Russian economy ahead of the official figures release precisely because we use high-frequency indicators from the private economy."

☆ Russia likely won't be launching any 'significant' offensive operations this year if it can't find more troops and weapons, US intel chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia and Ukraine appear to be gearing up for a Ukrainian offensive, the US intelligence chief said. She suggested Thursday that Moscow won't be able to carry out future operations without more troops and weapons. Russian forces launched an offensive earlier this year, but it faltered. Even a limited offensive could be difficult given the current situation for the Russian military. Though the figures are for all of Ukraine, the fighting in Bakhmut specifically is believed to have claimed thousands of lives.

☆ Navalny says he faces 30 more years in Russian jail after terrorism case opened
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Yulia MorozovaSummary Navalny says he faces 30 more years in jailNavalny says Russia opens terrorism caseHe is now serving sentence for fraud, contempt of courtApril 26 (Reuters) - Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on Wednesday that investigators had opened what he called an "absurd" terrorism case against him that could see him sentenced to an additional 30 years in jail. Navalny said it was absurd to argue he had committed terrorism while in prison. He said the case would be tried by a military court. His supporters cast him as a Russian version of South Africa's Nelson Mandela who will one day walk free from jail to lead his country. Separately on Wednesday, Russian investigators said that 11 people had been put on an "international wanted list" in a case linked to Navalny, state-owned news agency TASS reported.

☆ NASA chief sees Russians and Americans together on space station through 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Joe SkipperOTTAWA, April 25 (Reuters) - NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Tuesday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, but said in Ottawa that he expected Russians and Americans to work together on the International Space Station (ISS) until it is decommissioned. American-Russian space cooperation was put in doubt after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Yuri Borisov, the director-general of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, surprised NASA by announcing in July 2022 that Moscow intended to withdraw from the space station partnership "after 2024." And I expect that to continue all the way through the end of the decade, when they we will then de-orbit the space station." The space station was born in part from a foreign policy initiative to improve American-Russian relations following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Cold War hostility that spurred the original U.S.-Soviet space race.

☆ Ukrainian officials planned 'mass strikes' on Moscow and other cities 'with everything' they had, but they stood down after US intervention: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Washington Post reports Ukrainian officials had plans for "mass strikes" on Russian cities on the first anniversary's of the war. Ukraine's military intelligence chief directed an officer to hit "with everything" available, but the plan wasn't carried out. Officials in Kyiv have disputed the Post report based on leaked documents, calling it "strange media" and "sensation." Ukraine is also suspected to be behind a number of explosive sea drone attacks on Russian installations. Smoke rises after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022.

☆ Son of Vladimir Putin's spokesman says he served with Wagner in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, April 23 (Reuters) - The son of Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said in an interview published on Saturday that he had served in Ukraine under an assumed name as an artilleryman in the Wagner mercenary force, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported. Nikolai Peskov, the 33-year-old son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, told the privately-owned newspaper that he had served in Ukraine, a rare, public example of the son of a senior Russian official fighting in the war. "It was on my initiative," Peskov, whose father has served as Putin's spokesman since 2008, said in an interview. Wagner's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Dmitry Peskov had approached him and asked him to take his son on as an artilleryman. Peskov told him that he would not be going anywhere and would solve the situation at a different level, according to a recording of the call posted online.

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