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☆ Moldova faces a tug of war between Russia and the West in two crucial votes
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Voters in Moldova will cast their ballots Sunday in two crucial votes, which have been billed as the most consequential in the country’s post-Soviet history. Alongside a more sophisticated misinformation campaign, Shor has resorted to cruder methods to meddle with Moldovan politics. Home to a Romanian-speaking majority and large Russian-speaking minority, many Moldovans had long viewed Russia as a benign big brother. “It reflects the loss of the national allure of Russia in Moldovan society,” he said. “There’s limits (to what can be achieved).”But even if Sandu prevails in both the presidential vote and the EU referendum, he expects the Kremlin’s campaign to continue.

Persons: Ilan Shor, Shor, ”, Dumitru Doru, Maia Sandu –, –, She’s, ” Vadim Pistrinciuc, Maia Sandu, Ursula von der Leyen, Elena Covalenco, Sandu, Nicu Popescu, Moldova’s, ” Popescu, “ Moldova can’t, ‘, Sandu’s, Daniel Mihailescu, Alexandr Stoianoglo, Stoianoglo, Maksim Samorukov, ” Samorukov, “, Viorel Cernauteanu, ” Cernauteanu, Dmitry Peskov, Pistrinciuc, ” Pistrinciuc, Lenin, Peter Dench, Samorukov Organizations: CNN — Voters, eventual, Union, Kremlin, Authorities, Western, World Bank, Party, Action, Solidarity, Communist, Institute for Strategic Initiatives, CNN, Getty, European Council, Foreign Relations, Gazprom, “, CBS, AXA, Russian Party of Socialists, EU, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Reuters Locations: Moldova, Russian, Moldovan, Russia, Chisinau, Shutterstock Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Transnistria, Soviet Union, Harvard, Romanian, Odesa, Moldova’s, Europe, AFP, Western Europe, Gazprom, “ Moldova, Bardar, ”, Moscow, Tiraspol

☆ Russia's imports from China surged in September as Moscow and Beijing deepen economic ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian imports of goods from China surged in September. Russia relies heavily on China for trade due to Western sanctions and isolation from global markets. AdvertisementRussia's imports of goods from China increased sharply last month, a sign that Moscow is leaning more heavily on Beijing after the two countries affirmed their economic ties. The surge of trading activity follows a fresh cooperation agreement Russia and China finalized in late August, which vowed, among other things, to deepen trade ties. Moscow has grown more reliant on Beijing as an economic partner since being targeted by Western sanctions in 2022.

Persons: —, Bejing, Vladimir Putin, Li Qiang Organizations: Service Locations: China, Russia, Moscow, Beijing, India, Ukraine

☆ How Saudi Arabia could create a crisis for Russia's economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-13 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One analyst suggests the market could see a repeat of the 2020 oil price war. AdvertisementRussia's wartime economy could face a tougher time securing needed oil revenue if Saudi Arabia tanks global crude prices. "Saudi Arabia is fed up," Simon Henderson, director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at The Washington Institute, told Business Insider. However, some kind of confrontation with Saudi Arabia may be stirring. "Unlike Saudi Arabia, its oil is not cheap to extract, making it poorly equipped to deal with low-price conditions.

Persons: —, Luke Cooper, hasn't, Simon Henderson, Bernstein, it's, Henderson, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Novak, Cooper Organizations: Service, Organization of Petroleum, Russia, London School of Economics, Financial Times, Gulf and Energy, The Washington Institute, OPEC Locations: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Riyadh, Ukraine, Gulf, Moscow, Iran, Kazakhstan

☆ Russia cut off its troops from Discord, the video gaming comms tool they use to coordinate attacks in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian troops have been using Discord to coordinate drone attacks, but it was banned on Tuesday. Federal regulators said they blocked the gaming messaging platform because it could be used for crime. Discord allows users to join a closed group voice call and livestream to other users from their screens or cameras. One pundit channel, Military Informant, blasted Roskomnadzor's decision as "madness," while another sarcastically thanked the regulator for giving Russian troops another challenge to "bypass the consequences of another wise decision." Discord, Roskomnadzor, and the Russian defense ministry did not immediately respond to comment requests sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

Persons: —, Roskomnadzor, Anton Gorelkin, Vladislav Davankov, Davankov, Ekaterina Mizulina, Mizulina, Roman Alekhine, Roskomnadzor's, Alekhine Organizations: Service, TASS, Russian State, State Duma, Safe Internet League, Military, Russian, YouTube, VK, Russia's, Business Locations: Moscow, US, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Bakhmut

☆ NATO's new chief will have to confront threats outside the alliance — and within
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mark Rutte, incoming secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), during a transition ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Mark Rutte, the affable and meticulous former Dutch premier, has a daunting task ahead to keep the defense alliance a global force. "As Secretary General, I will work on three main priorities," Rutte said as he took over the reins from Jens Stoltenberg during a handover ceremony in Brussels. "The first is to keep NATO strong and to ensure our defenses remain effective and credible against all threats. U.S. President Donald Trump (L) speaks with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO as they attend the NATO summit at the Grove Hotel on December 4, 2019 in Watford, England.

Persons: Mark Rutte, Rutte, he's, —, Donald Trump, Jens Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin, Armida van Rij, Kamala Harris, I'm, She's, Dan Kitwood Organizations: Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Bloomberg, Getty, U.S, Ukraine, European Union, Kremlin, Chatham House, Royal United Services Institute, Republican, Trump Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Iran, NATO, Moscow, Grove, Watford, England

☆ Sanctioned tankers are back to transporting Russian oil in a blow to the West's efforts to restrict crude flows
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The nation loaded at least 17 cargoes of oil and oil products onto ships sanctioned by the West. Another 20 sanctioned ships are still idling by Russia's coasts and ports, the outlet said. A dozen sanctioned ships were known to load Russian crude and crude products in August and September, up from just one sanctioned ship recorded in April, the outlet reported. Another 20 sanctioned tankers are known to be idling near Russia's coasts or anchored at Russian ports, the report added. Falling crude prices also appear to be hitting Russia's oil trade.

Persons: —, Putin Organizations: Bloomberg, West, Service Locations: Russia, Moscow, Belgorod, China

KYIV, Ukraine — The shots fired by the Secret Service near former President Donald Trump at a Florida golf course Sunday are ringing out 5,000 miles away — in the Russia-Ukraine war. After what officials called the second assassination attempt on Trump in three months, a man named Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was taken into custody and charged. Routh had already been extensively profiled in the Western media as an ardent supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion. Ukraine sought Monday to distance itself from Routh, with the country’s international legion — the military unit that includes foreign volunteers — saying it had nothing to do with him. “We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh, Routh, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ” Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s, Dmitry Peskov, ”, Kathleen Shaffer, “, Trump, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Tulsi Gabbard, Biden “, Putin, Kim Jong Un, Banner, Daryna Mayer, Alex Smith, Caroline Radnofsky Organizations: Service, Trump, NBC, Kyiv, Democratic, GOP, Nazi, Security, U.S, ”, International Volunteer Center, Facebook, Moscow, AFP, Getty, Ukraine’s International, NBC News, International Legion, Armed Forces, Russia Locations: KYIV, Ukraine, Florida, Russia, United States, Kyiv, U.S, Moscow, Kiev, Ukrainian, Hawaii, Kyiv’s Maidan, London

☆ Russia and China's anti-US alliance is growing even more threatening
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On Tuesday, the Russian military launched large-scale naval and air drills in the Sea of Japan alongside China. It's the second time in only three months that the powers have held joint military exercises, with drills held near the southern Chinese port of Guangdong in July. The joint exercises are taking place in the Sea of Japan and Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. Some analysts, though, are pointing to tensions between Russia and China that could weaken the alliance. But for now, the alliance is growing closer, and Thomson said that the US will be watching the latest military exercises between Russia and China closely.

Persons: —, It's, Graeme Thomson, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Thomson, China's, Chels Michta Organizations: Service, Business, Russian Defense Ministry, Defense, AFP, China Power Project, Eurasia Group, Anadolu, Getty, NATO, Center for, Congressional, Pentagon, Royal United Services Institute Locations: China, Russia, Russian, Japan, Pacific, Baltic, Guangdong, Moscow, Beijing, Kremlin, Ukraine, South Korea, Sea, Okhotsk, Taiwan, Alaska, Anadolu, United States

☆ More countries are openly flaunting their ties with Putin. They say it's just business.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Go to newsletter preferencesSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewRussian President Vladimir Putin is having a very social year as his country continues to wage war in Ukraine. So far, Putin has met top leaders from Asian countries including China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Russia is the BRICS chair this year, and Putin has invited Mongolia to join the group's summit in October. Russia's push for a multipolar world order resonates with countries who desire a more equitable international order.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sean McFate, McFate, Anwar Ibrahim, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, couldn't, Russia —, Serik, Li Qiang's, Syracuse University's McFate, it's, Derek Grossman, Grossman Organizations: Service, Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship, Public Affairs, Business, Malaysian, Criminal, ICC, World Bank, European Union, NATO, Bloomberg, Moscow, Central, European, EU, United Nations, RAND, Foreign Locations: Ukraine, China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Mongolia, Mongolian, Russia's, European, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Central Asian, European Union, Moscow, Beijing, Europe, Syracuse, Brazil, South Africa, Malaysia, Switzerland, United States

☆ Ukraine's surprise invasion of Russia hasn't taken the pressure off the most dire front-line battles
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated last week that an objective of the Kursk invasion was to redirect Russian forces away from the Pokrovsk direction. But the Kursk invasion has limited the number of troops available for reinforcement. KIRILL CHUBOTIN/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesGeorge Barros, the geospatial-intelligence team lead and a Russia analyst at ISW, said that the Kursk invasion underscores how Moscow left a major portion of its international border undefended. Even though the Kursk invasion may not be forcing Russia to redirect front-line forces from Pokrovsk, that campaign will eventually culminate. These efforts have intensified since the start of the Kursk invasion.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Tatarigami, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, KIRILL CHUBOTIN, George Barros, Vladimir Putin, Barros, REUTERS Barros Organizations: Service, Kyiv, Business, AP, Institute for, Getty, Ukraine, Publishing, REUTERS Locations: Russia, Moscow, Kursk, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia's, Ukrainian, Sudzha, Russia's Kursk, Pokrovsk, Anadolu, Russian, Korenevo

☆ UN nuclear watchdog chief pushes back on Moscow’s calls for objectivity after Kursk plant visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-29 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog has pushed back against Moscow's calls for further objectivity, following an inspection at the nuclear facility in the embattled Russian region of Kursk. Last week, Russia accused Ukraine of attempting a drone strike at the Kursk nuclear plant during a lightning cross-border incursion that has been under way since early August and which Moscow is still trying to repel. "The spokesperson of the Russian ministry of foreign affairs rightly says, be objective. We are saying here that this nuclear power plant ... is within range of a potential artillery strike, which means that the danger exists. On Thursday, Grossi explained that the Kursk nuclear plant contains reactors of the Soviet RBMK-type, similar to the ones present in the Chernobyl facility, which suffered one of the worst nuclear disasters in history in 1986.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Moscow's, CNBC's, Maria Zakharova, Grossi Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, of Governors, CNBC, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wednesday, IAEA, Sputnik, Ria Novosti Locations: Vienna, Austria, Russian, Kursk, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kiev, Soviet

CNN —A video that surfaced online appears to show bodies on burnt-out Russian military trucks in the country’s southwestern Kursk region, the latest sign that Ukraine’s cross-border assault is probing more deeply and inflicting significant damage on Moscow’s troops. Rybar, one of the more prominent Russian military blogs, published a roundup of developments Friday that said the front lines have “somewhat stabilized” with the arrival of Russian reinforcements. Rybar cited local residents of Vtoroye Knyazhino, a settlement on the outskirts of Sudzha, as saying Ukrainian infantry entered their village. US officials say they do not believe Ukraine intends to hold Russian territory for the long term. Russian authorities help residents during evacuation efforts at a railway station in Oryol, Kursk region, August 9, 2024.

Persons: Archangel Spetsnaza, Dnevnik Desantnika, Cherkasskoe, Russkoe, Rybar, Pilipey, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Vladimir Putin, “, Kursk –, ” Artamonov, Reuters Russia ‘, Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelensky, Podolyak, Peter Stanno, Ukraine “, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN, Russian, CNN –, Malaya Loknya, Getty, Ukraine’s, Russia’s, Ministry, Russian Emergencies Ministry, Reuters, European Union, Ukraine, US State Department Locations: Kursk, Oktyabrskoye, Rylsk, Russian, Kyiv, Korenevo, Sudzha, Malaya, Vtoroye, Ukrainian, Kostyantynivka, Donetsk, AFP, Moscow, Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, Russia, Belgorod, Ukraine’s Kharkiv, –, Lipetsk –, Lipetsk, Bryansk, Voronezh, Orel, Crimea, Oryol, Handout, Reuters Russia

☆ Why Ukraine’s generals may have rolled the dice on an incursion into Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-08 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On Tuesday, Kyiv took badly needed resources and fresh troops and launched them well inside Russia. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, is pictured on July 2, 2023 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. That could mean fewer gliding bombs hitting Ukrainian frontline troops and fewer missiles terrorizing Ukraine’s urban communities. Russia may be invited to attend the next peace conference held by Ukraine and its allies. It is unclear if Ukraine’s move into Kursk is motivated by that, or a simple move to inflict damage where the enemy is weak.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Yuriy Mate, Volodymyr Zelensky, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Valentyn Ogirenko Organizations: CNN, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian Ground Forces, Getty, Trump, Ukrainian Air Forces Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Pokrovsk, Sloviansk, Moscow, Russian, Europe, Soviet, Donetsk Oblast, Kyiv, Kursk

☆ Putin got a pretty great deal, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe US claimed a major victory on Thursday, orchestrating a sweeping prisoner exchange with Russia that returned high-profile captives. Smiles in the KremlinAndrew Payne, a City University of London lecturer in foreign policy, told BI that Putin won the historic deal. "You could say in that sense that Putin got a better deal," Payne said. Though Putin won on a transactional level, the deal also greatly benefited Biden, Payne said. "For Biden, this deal signals that he's still in charge and still has what it takes to manage high-stakes diplomacy," he said.

Persons: —, Russia —, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kremlin Andrew Payne, Putin, launderers, Payne, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Tucker Carlson, Sergej, Gershkovich, Emma Tucker, Sam Greene, Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Business, City University of London, Krasikov, European Resilience Initiative, BBC, Street, King's College London, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Kremlin, Berlin, Georgian, German, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Iran using covert influence campaign to undermine Trump candidacy, US intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran is using covert social media activity and related influence operations in an effort to undercut the candidacy of former President Donald Trump, a US intelligence official said Monday in an updated assessment of threats to the November election. Iran’s preference for a US presidential candidate has not changed since 2020, the ODNI official said. In the 2020 election campaign, Iran “carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects,” according to a declassified US intelligence report. The Russian government regularly denies US allegations of election influence. China “probably does not plan to influence the outcome” of the US presidential election, but US intelligence is monitoring the possibility that China-linked propagandists and influence actors could “denigrate down-ballot candidates,” the updated assessment says.

Persons: Donald Trump, ODNI, Iran “, Trump’s, haven’t, Joe Biden, “, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Thomas Matthew Crooks, of National Intelligence Avril Haines, ” ODNI, China “, Xi Jinping, Biden Organizations: CNN, National Intelligence, Trump, United Nations, Service, stoke, of National Intelligence, Russian Embassy Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Moscow, U.S, Iranian, Pennsylvania, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Russian, Washington ,, China

☆ Russian soldiers are relying heavily on their personal cellphones to wage war in Ukraine even though it risks getting them killed
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Former US military officers say this trend underscores a lack of secure military communication options or discipline and leaves Russian soldiers vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks. Russian military officers look at their smartphones while walking past the Kremlin in Moscow in April 2024. Ukrainian soldiers prepare a BM-21 artillery vehicle in its fighting position in the Donetsk region in July 2024. AdvertisementOne such incident occurred at the very end of 2022, when Ukraine launched a devastating precision strike against Russian troops gathered in Makiivka, in the eastern Donbas region. Related storiesUkraine's military intelligence agency, the HUR, regularly publishes audio of purported interceptions from calls made by Russian soldiers.

Persons: —, Dan Rice, Rice, Mark Cancian, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Cancian, HUR Organizations: Service, Former US, Business, State Duma, State, Defense, Institute for, Kremlin, US, American University Kyiv, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Getty, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russian Defense Ministry, US Army, United Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Donetsk, Anadolu, Makiivka, Russia, United States

☆ Russia's war-driven economic growth is a mirage, and more sanctions are needed to keep pressure on, European finance ministers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Sanctions are instead straining Russia, and could do more if the West is patient enough, a group of eight European finance ministers jointly argued in The Guardian. Large financial stimulus is the chief tailwind keeping Russia resistant, but the ministers noted that isn't an endless pillar of support. The eight ministers argued that these conditions make Western sanctions more important than ever, adding that pressure should be cranked up on Russia. They noted that if the West is patient enough, Russia's confidence will eventually slump as long-term damage takes hold.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Guardian, Business, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, Soviet Union, Belarus, Asia

☆ What the West's foes may be learning from the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementShe explained that from a tactical perspective, Ukraine and Russia are learning much about each other, and in response, the cycles of adaptation and countermeasures are rapidly compressing. "Russia's allies and their partners are learning from them, and this is now a currency that Russia has to give to Iran, China, North Korea — that learning of our equipment." Iran and North Korea have collectively outfitted Russia with a bunch of lethal aid, including missiles, rockets, artillery shells, and drones. Photo by ANONYMOUS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty ImagesChina's support for Russia as it wages war in Ukraine has been more discreet. Experts and officials have also said that North Korea is likely learning about how its weapons perform in actual combat conditions.

Persons: —, Dara Massicot, Massicot, Baiba Braže, Alina Smutko, Tehran's, Abrams, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, It's, Luke Coffey, Iran's Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Carnegie Endowment, International, Latvia's, Mechanized Brigade, REUTERS, Getty, CNN, Russian, Army Tactical Missile, West, Ukraine —, Hudson Institute, North, General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Institute for, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Iran, China, North Korea, Moscow, Iranian, Kermanshah, Beijing, Tehran, Pyongyang, AFP, Israel, Korea, Ukrainian, X

☆ Russia may arm Houthi rebels with advanced anti-ship missiles, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russia is debating arming Yemen's Houthi rebels with anti-ship missiles, US intelligence has said. It likely comes in response to Biden approving Ukraine's use of US weapons on Russian soil. AdvertisementRussia is weighing arming Yemen's Houthi rebels with advanced anti-ship missiles, US intelligence agencies have warned, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move is likely in response to Biden quietly green-lighting Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons on Russian territory, per the report. Last month, Middle East Eye reported that Saudi Arabia had already talked Russia out of providing anti-ship cruise missiles to the Houthis.

Persons: Yemen's, Biden, — Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Eye, Business Locations: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Moscow

☆ Paul Whelan tells CNN he has ‘sympathy and empathy’ for Evan Gershkovich but expresses hope following sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia, told CNN he has “sympathy and empathy” for Evan Gershkovich following the conviction and sentencing of the Wall Street Journal reporter, but expressed hope that the development could open the door for a deal to secure both of their release. Whelan, who called CNN from his remote prison camp in Mordovia Friday, said he was able to watch a news broadcast about the sentencing. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier Friday that the US government is working “quite literally every day” to bring Gershkovich and Whelan home. “Look, any effort to bring any American home is going to be part of a process of back-and-forth discussion, potentially negotiation. And I don’t think that’s dependent on an election in the United States or anywhere else,” he said.

Persons: CNN — Paul Whelan, ”, Evan Gershkovich, Whelan, “, Evan, Trevor Reed, Brittney Griner, Gershkovich, ” Whelan, Antony Blinken, we’re, Paul Whelan, ” Blinken, Blinken Organizations: CNN, Wall Street Journal, US State Department, US, Aspen Security, they’ll Locations: Russia, Mordovia, Moscow, United States

☆ Russia is already fighting NATO, just not with tanks and fighter jets, argues a former top US general
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Recent covert acts of sabotage are far from the level of aggression and brutality that Russia has put on display in Ukraine. But make no mistake, a former top US general argued this week, Moscow is already fighting NATO. "We face wider Russian aggression directed at our own democracies, from hybrid attacks to threats in the high north," he added. "We, ourselves, have been experiencing hybrid attacks from Russia for decades, so that's why the threat has been quite clear, what we're facing." The Russian hybrid attacks were a notable discussion point on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington this week.

Persons: —, Ben Hodges, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Byrkin, John Healey, We've, Andris Sprūds, Healey, Hodges, Antony Blinken, Blinken, It's Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, US Army, NATO Public Forum, Ukraine, Security, Sputnik, Public, Latvian Defense, Alliance Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, US Army Europe, Washington ,, Russian, Baltic, Washington

☆ Finland passes law to block migrants crossing from Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Finland has accused neighboring Russia of weaponizing migration by encouraging scores of migrants from countries such as Syria and Somalia to cross the border, an assertion the Kremlin denies. Helsinki believes Moscow is promoting the crossings in retaliation for Finland joining NATO, which backs Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Finnish border guards and migrants with bicycles are pictured at the international border crossing at Salla, Finnish Lapland on November 21, 2023. Orpo urged migrants who were considering coming to Europe through Russia not to embark on the journey. The access to the borders orchestrated by Russia will not lead to access to Finland or Europe.”Moscow has denied such an intention.

Persons: Reuters —, Petteri Orpo, ” Orpo, Jussi Nukari, Mari Rantanen, Finland’s, Orpo, “ Don’t, ”, ” Moscow Organizations: Reuters, Helsinki, NATO, Russia’s, Getty, Finnish Border Guard, ” Locations: Russia, Helsinki, Finland, Syria, Somalia, Moscow, Ukraine, EU, Salla, Finnish Lapland, AFP, Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Europe, Russian

☆ Front-line NATO allies say the West needs to give Ukraine the 'technological superiority' it needs to beat Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe West should send Ukraine the kind of weapons it needs to inflict a lasting, strategic defeat on Russia, NATO countries on the front lines of the military alliance said Tuesday. With this threat in mind, the Baltic nations have long pushed for increased defense spending among NATO member states. "The goal must be [the] strategic defeat of Russia in Ukraine," said Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds. The Baltic states say enabling Ukraine to win will require a massive political buy-in and support from the West. "We have to say clearly: 'Yes, we will help Ukraine to win this war.'"

Persons: —, Hanno Pevkur, Pevkur, Serhii, Laurynas, Kasčiūnas, Andris Sprūds, Joe Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Andrew Mellon, Kevin Dietsch Organizations: Service, Lithuania —, Kyiv, Business, Estonian, POLITICO, NATO, Artillery, System, Getty, Russian, Moscow, Chamber of Commerce, Latvian Defense, Andrew Locations: Ukraine, Russia, NATO, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Baltic, Moscow, Washington ,, West, Europe, AFP, Kyiv, Washington , DC

☆ Putin's Hungarian ally Orban draws EU ire over 'peace mission' to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 5, 2024. Russia's closest European ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has drawn ire from the EU over his Friday trip to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Orban's trip to Moscow has also drawn the wrath of European officials, who questioned his authority to represent the bloc. Also referencing Orban's visit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that "appeasement will not stop Putin. Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Orban, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, " Orban, Josep Borrell, Ursula von der Leyen, Donald Trump Organizations: Hungary's, Kremlin, EU, NATO, Reuters, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Locations: Moscow, Russia's, Hungarian, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Europe, Brussels, EU

☆ Modi to visit Moscow next week as Kremlin says ‘all issues on the agenda’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Moscow next week for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, a sign of the growing relationship between the two countries even as New Delhi maintains strong ties with the United States. Modi’s visit is widely seen as the latest dent in efforts by Western leaders to cast Putin aside. India’s ties with Russia date back decades to the Cold War and have remained strong despite repeated sanctions on Moscow from Western governments. Confirmation of Modi’s visit comes as Russia draws ever closer to China, potentially making New Delhi uncomfortable due to its longstanding Himalayan border dispute with Beijing that has simmered in recent years. But Modi’s visit is set against the backdrop of India’s growing relations with the US, as both countries share concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Vladimir Putin, ” Modi’s, China –, Modi’s, Putin, Xi Jinping, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Kim Jong Un, China’s, Joe Biden, Gan Organizations: CNN, Indian, India’s Ministry, External Affairs, Kremlin, Russia, United Nations Security Council, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, US, North Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Delhi, United States, India, China, Western, New Delhi, Beijing, Kazakhstan, Pyongyang, Brazil, South Africa, Washington, Japan, Australia, ’

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