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☆ Russian assault forces varied wildly in the battle for Avdiivka, from well-trained to 'just confused,' Ukrainian soldiers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian soldiers report inconsistent training and combat abilities in Russian troops. Despite the ineffectiveness of poorly trained troops, these waves can strain Ukrainian defenders. Advertisement"Russian forces likely used poorly trained personnel to carry out mass daily attacks on Ukrainian positions and employed trained personnel with better equipment to assault specific positions after exhausting Ukrainian forces," they said. ISW experts say it's also possible that Russia used "Storm" units, penal units made up of convicts, in Avdiivka. Given that these convicts are poorly trained for battle, experts have also noted they are usually ineffective and these units provide "marginal combat power."

Persons: —, Shultz, it's, Wagner, ISW, 3rd Brigade Mykola Zynkevych's Organizations: Service, Washington Post, 3rd Assault Brigade, National Security, Institute for, 2nd Assault Battalion, 3rd Brigade Locations: Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ The Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine was shot 5 times while less than 500 feet away from a police station: WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Maksym Kuzminov was a Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine in August. AdvertisementMaksym Kuzminov, the 28-year-old Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine in August and later moved to Spain, was shot five times while less than 500 feet away from a local police station, The Wall Street Journal reported. A medic found five small-caliber shots, one of which directly hit his heart, revealing the accuracy with which the perpetrator killed Kuzminov, according to the report. Western intelligence officials and a former Russian intelligence officer told The Journal last year that Nikolai Patrushev, a close associate of Putin, orchestrated his death. AdvertisementFollowing reports of Kuzminov's death, Moscow's foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin appeared to support the Russian pilot's fate.

Persons: Maksym Kuzminov, Kuzminov, —, Maksym, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Nikolai Patrushev, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Joe Biden, Sergei Naryshkin, Naryshkin Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Russian, Biden Administration, TASS Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Spain, Villajoyosa, Moscow

☆ The war in Ukraine in 12 key moments
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

We’ve been taking a look at some of the most significant moments of the war so far. Putin’s announcement signaled the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has so far cost the lives of over 10,300 civilians, according to the United Nations. May 20, 2023: Russia takes control of BakhmutUkrainian army medics treat wounded soldiers at a stabilisation point near Bakhmut frontline. June 2023: Ukraine counteroffensiveUkrainian soldiers shoot rounds into Russian positions with an S60 anti-aircraft canon placed on a truck, outside Bakhmut. February 8, 2024: Ukraine military chief firedCommander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi during an event dedicated to Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24, 2023 in Kyiv.

Persons: Vladmir Putin, Putin, We’ve, ’, Volodymyr Zelensky, Pavel Klimov, ”, Marko Djurica, Russia's, Kolya Serga, Ed Ram, Sefa, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Moscow, Bakhmut, Wojciech Grzedzinski, Wagner, Prigozhin, Reuters Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia’s Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Mike Johnson, Samuel Corum, Ukraine Valerii, Yan Dobronosov, Zelensky, Ukraine’s, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, CNN’s Jennifer Hauser, Victoria Butenko, Daria Tarasova, Andrew Carey Organizations: CNN, NATO, Reuters, Ukraine, United Nations, Presidential Press, Snake, Social Media, Anadolu Agency, Concord, Putin, Getty, Republican, Armed Forces, Moscow Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia’s, Kyiv, United States, Russian, West, Dnipro, Hroza, Kharkiv, Bucha, Moskva, Crimea, Kherson, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Belgorod, Bakhmut, NATO, Robotyne, Mariupol, Washington , DC, Avdiivka

☆ Putin is tightening his grip over what's left of the Wagner Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementThe military formation has been actively recruiting former Wagner Group mercenaries and soldiers who fought in Ukraine for combat operations in Africa. The Kremlin is likely using the Africa Corps to take over many of the functions of the Wagner Group, Parens added. Last week, in a video obtained by the Kyiv Post, Ukrainian special forces were shown interrogating captured Wagner mercenaries in Sudan. "Ukrainian special services have acquired considerable experience of waging non-linear warfare against the Russian side and especially against the Wagner Group," he said. The fate of the Wagner Group, it seems, still hangs in the balance.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, he's, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergey Sukhankin, Raphael Parens, Parens, Sukhankin, Russia Alessandro Arduino Organizations: Kremlin, Jamestown Foundation, Wagner, Volunteer Corps, Africa Corps, Wagner Group, Fighters, Foreign, Research, Eurasia Program, Military Companies, Africa, Kyiv Post, Russia, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Africa, Ukraine, Western, Ukrainian, Sudan, Russian

☆ Navalny is the latest in a long line of Putin critics who met an early death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —When Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny returned to Russia in 2021, there were many who feared he would face an untimely end. The Kremlin has said it is investigating the critic’s death, the circumstances of which were not immediately clear. After his death, opposition leader Ilya Yashin said his friend had been working on a report about Russian troops and their involvement in Ukraine. Nemtsov’s death came two days before he was set to lead an opposition rally in the Russian capital. Alexander PerepilichnyyOver the years, suggestions have emerged of the possible use of a rare plant poison in the death of Russian financier Alexander Perepilichnyy.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Navalny, Yegveny Prigozhin Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Reuters Yevgeny Prigozhin, –, Bill Browder, “ Putin, ” Boris Nemtsov, Boris Nemtsov, Dmitry Korotayev, Boris Yeltsin, Ilya Yashin, Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, Nemtsov’s, Boris Berezovsky Boris Berezovsky, Yelena Gorbunova, Peter Macdiarmid, Boris Berezovsky, Putin, Berezovsky, Alexander Perepilichnyy, CNN Alexander Perepilichnyy, Perepilichnyy, Sergei Magnitsky, ANDREY SMIRNOV, Magnitsky, Browder, Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Litvinenko, Natasja Weitsz, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko –, Robert Owen, Putin “, Litvinenko, Marina Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya, JENS SCHLUETER, Lom, Ali Gaitukayev, Politkovskaya, Chechen Republic …, ” Drownings, Prigozhin, Gennady Lopyrev –, “, Lopyrev, Pyotr Kucherenko, Pavel Antov, Vladimir Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Buzakov, Anatoly Gerashchenko, Ravil Maganov, Lukoil, Maganov “, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Sergei Skripal, Skripal, Yulia Organizations: CNN, Putin’s United, “, Kremlin, PMC Wagner, Reuters, Republican Party of Russia, Party, Newsweek, Royal Botanic, Getty Images, Hermitage Capital, KGB, Getty, Authorities, The, Protect Journalists, RIA Novosti, Russia’s, Science, Higher Education, Gazprom, Lukoil, Moscow Aviation Institute, TASS Locations: Russia, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Putin’s United Russia, Ukraine, ” Boris Nemtsov Russian, Kremlin, Moscow, Russian, London's, England, Soviet Union, Britain, Surrey, London, Kew, American, Chechnya, Leipzig, Germany, AFP, The New York, Chechen Republic, Washington, Gelendzhik, ”, Cuba, India, United States

☆ Opinion: In Navalny’s death, echoes of Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —We don’t yet know the exact details of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s death, reported Friday by the Russian prison service — and we may never find the precise truth. When the Wall fell, Putin was a KGB officer in Dresden in what was then East Germany. And the most dangerous thing a Russian leader can do is lose a war as the Romanovs did in World War I, which helped spark the Russian revolution in 1917. By contrast with Gorbachev, Stalin ruled with an iron fist and was critical to the Allies winning World War II. How will news of Navalny’s death be received in Russia?

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Alexey Navalny’s, Kamala Harris, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Navalny, Andrei Sakharov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Mikhail Gorbachev, ” Gorbachev, quagmire, Alexis de Tocqueville, Gorbachev’s, Gorbachev, Stalin, Tucker Carlson’s, Boris Nadezhdin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, Munich Security, Human Rights, Soviet Union, Soviet, Kremlin, Great, Literature Locations: New America, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Eastern Europe, Dresden, East Germany, Afghanistan, Russian

☆ Russia's Wagner Group expands into Africa's Sahel with a new brand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Natalia Kolesnikova | Afp | Getty ImagesWagner Group has been replaced by a new entity known as Russia's Africa Corps across its key strongholds in the continent, its new leader has confirmed. The new entity has been subsuming operations in Mali and Libya for several months, and negotiations to establish a Russian military base in the CAR are reportedly underway. watch now"The Africa Corps consists of mercenaries and volunteers, and does not form part of the Russian Armed Forces. It began recruiting in December 2023, and has also included job offers for former Wagner Group mercenaries; it may also recruit local residents," they explained. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov oversaw the creation of the Africa Corps, which is expected to be fully completed by this summer.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Utkin, Anton Yelizarov, Ibrahim Traoré, Piotr Żochowski, Miłosz Bartosiewicz, Yunus, bek Yevkurov, Yevkurov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Wagner, Africa Corps, Central African, Russian National Guard, Russian Federation, Telegram, Centre, Eastern Studies, CAR, Africa, Russian Armed Forces, Wagner Group, CES Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Belarus, Russia, Cossack, Sahel, Russian, Warsaw, Algeria, Africa, Ouagadougou

☆ Russian prisoners sent to Ukraine must now fight until the end of the war rather than for 6 months, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussian prisoners who are sent to fight in Ukraine are now being made to serve until the war ends instead of just for six months, the BBC reported. Russia has sent tens of thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. AdvertisementOthers who have family members in Storm V units also say their relatives will have to stay until the war is over, the report said. AdvertisementSome of the recruited prisoners were convicted of violent crimes, and some of those pardoned have been accused of crimes since returning to Russia. Some Storm V soldiers get just three to five days of training before they are despatched to Ukraine, the BBC reported.

Persons: —, Sergei, Storm, SERGEY SHESTAK, Wagner, I've Organizations: Service, BBC, Business, Storm, Getty Images, Russia's Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Transbaikal, Russian, Bakhmut, AFP, Getty Images Russia, Ukrainian

☆ Ex-Wagner mercenaries may be heading back to Ukraine, but this time with Russia's National Guard, intel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewFormer Wagner Group fighters are being absorbed into Russia's national guard and may soon be deployed to Ukraine, according to Western intelligence, as Moscow continues to assume control over the ruthless mercenary organization. Russian President Vladimir Putin in late-December authorized the country's National Guard, also known as Rosgvardia, to create its own volunteer arrangements. AdvertisementMembers of the Wagner Group prepare to depart from the Southern Military District's headquarters and return to their base in Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023. Some in the West observed this as an effort to strengthen the national guard. AdvertisementRussian police and National Guard (Rosgvardia) servicemen patrol Red Square in central Moscow on Oct. 20, 2021.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Arkady Budnitsky, Vladimir Putin's, Viktor Zolotov, Rosgvardia, Putin, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, country's National Guard, Volunteer Corps, Business, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty, National Guard, Institute for, Bakhmut, Kremlin, Africa Corps, Nazi Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Africa, Russia, Rostov, Don, Red, AFP, Africa —

☆ Russia's elite paratroopers and marines are refusing orders to launch 'human wave attacks,' Ukraine official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elite Russian troops are refusing to launch "human wave attacks," a Ukrainian official said. Former prisoners and poorly-trained reservists typically carry out costly frontal assaults, she said. Over the course of the Russian invasion, it has become increasingly reliant on high-risk frontal assaults. It involves waves of attacks that probe Ukrainian positions and seize small portions of territory but cost a huge loss of life. A group of Ukrainian marines sail from the riverbank of Dnipro at the frontline near Kherson, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.

Persons: Nataliya Humenyuk, —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Humenyuk, Krynky, Alex Babenko Organizations: Russian, Service, AFU's, Command, 104th Guards Airborne Division, UK Ministry of Defence, AP, The New York Times, Ukrainian, Times, UK's Ministry of Defence Locations: Kyiv, Krynky, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, Dnipro, Russian, Kherson, Russia, The, Ukraine's

☆ Russia likely doesn't know how many troops it's lost because its military has a 'culture of dishonest reporting': UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has likely seen up to 350,000 casualties since its invasion of Ukraine, the UK MOD said. But that figure is an estimate, and Russia probably doesn't even know the real figure, it said. Russia has "a long-established culture of dishonest reporting within the military," the MOD said. The UK MOD said in an intelligence update on Monday that Russia has likely seen up to 350,000 casualties since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia likely doesn't have an accurate count itself, the MOD said.

Persons: — Organizations: MOD, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, UK, Wagner, NATO, UN Locations: Russia, Ukraine

The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesAnother political figure who died this year was former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19. Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Fred White, 67. A Hall of Fame forward who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Kissinger, Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Silvio Berlusconi, Dianne Feinstein, James Buckley, James Abourezk, Nigel Lawson, Pervez Musharraf, Sandra Day O’Connor, Li Keqiang, Martti Ahtisaari, United Nations Bill Richardson, Gov, Sheila Oliver, Theodoros Pangalos, Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Suzanne Somers, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Richard Belzer, Chaim Topol, Jacklyn Zeman, Lance Reddick, Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, David McCallum, Richard Roundtree, Tom Sizemore, Jimmy Buffett, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Lee Jones, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Fito Olivares, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Astrud Gilberto, Coco Lee, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Cormac McCarthy, William Friedkin, Bob Barker, Jerry Springer, Louise Glück, Jeff Beck, Mary Quant, Kaija Saariaho, Lloyd Morrisett, Fred White, Maurice, Verdine White, Ken Block, Walter Cunningham, Fay Weldon, ” Jan, Russell Pearce, Charles Simic, Lynette “ Diamond ” Hardaway, Donald Trump, Diamond, Constantine, Jan, Tatjana Patitz, George Michael’s, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, Robbie Knievel, Evel Knievel, Ray Cordeiro, Elmo, Cookie, Gina Lollobrigida, Chris Ford, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Cindy Williams, Shirley, “ Laverne, Billy Packer, Sylvia Syms, Alex ”, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, “ Papa, Rollin ’ Stone, Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith, Bobby Hull, Paco Rabanne, Harry Whittington, Dick Cheney, Hsing Yun, ”, San Jose ”, Carlos Saura, Spain’s, Hugh Hudson, Oscar, “ Greystroke, Hans Modrow, David Jude Jolicoeur, Huey “, ” Smith, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, “, Leiji Matsumoto, Yamato ”, Tim McCarver, Stella Stevens, Jerry Lewis’s, John Munch, Ahmed Qureia, Betty Boothroyd, Ricou Browning, Gill, Gérard Latortue, Fontaine, Barbara Everitt Bryant, Ryan ”, Kenzaburo Oe, Judy Heumann, Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Georgina Beyer, Traute Lafrenz, Rose, Peterson Zah, Tevye, Robert Blake, Jiang Yanyong, Bud Grant, Dick Fosbury, Pat Schroeder, Gloria Bosman, Jacqueline Gold, Britain’s Ann Summers, John Wick ”, John Jenrette, Juana La, Willis Reed, Darcelle, Paul O’Grady, Lily Savage, Emperor ”, Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, Margaret Thatcher, Ben Ferencz, Nuremberg, Elisabeth Kopp, Michael Lerner, Jack Lipnick, “ Barton Fink, Bugsy Calhoun, Anne Perry, Thomas Pitt, William Monk, Al Jaffee, magazine’s, Charles Stanley, Richard Riordan, Todd Haimes, Tony Awards, Barry Humphries, Tony, Dame Edna Everage, Len Goodman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, Emmett Till, LeRoy “ Lee ” Carhart, Larry “, ___ Gordon Lightfoot, Tori Bowie, Vida, Grace Bumbry, Rock ”, Ovelha, Denny Crum, Heather Armstrong, Bobbie Spencer, Rolf Harris, Kenneth Anger, Doyle Brunson, Jim Brown, Timothy Keller, Andy Rourke, Ray Stevenson, Thor ”, Ed Ames, George Maharis, Carroll Cooley, Miranda, John Beasley, Kaija, George Winston, Ipanema ”, Robert Hanssen, Richard Snyder, Simon & Schuster, Françoise Gilot, Pablo Picasso —, Pat Robertson, Theodore “ Ted ” Kaczynski, Roger Payne, Treat Williams, Glenda Jackson, Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Nixon, Big, George Frazier, Lee Sarokin, Rubin “, ” Carter, Winnie Ewing, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock, “ Fiorello, John Goodenough, Peg Yorkin, Sue Johanson, Yan Mingfu, John Berylson, James Lewis, poisonings, Mikala Jones, André Watts, Jane Birkin, Kevin Mitnick, San Francisco ”, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Hugh “ Sonny ” Carter Jr, Jimmy, Randy Meisner, Herman, Angus Cloud, Fezco, ” O’Neill, ___, Mark Margolis, Hector Salamanca, Saul, Sixto Rodriguez, flamed, Robbie Robertson, Tom Jones, Magoo, Timbaland, Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Clarence Avant, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Ada Deer, Jerry Moss, Herb Alpert, Alpert, Michael Parkinson, Muhammad Ali, Miss Piggy, Jiri Cerny, Betty Tyson, Richard Nixon’s, John Warnock, Ron Cephas Jones, Howard Hubbard, Samuel “ Joe ” Wurzelbacher, Joe, Barack Obama, Gil Brandt, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Bill Richardson, Steve Harwell, Shabtai Shavit, Jordan, Ian Wilmut, Dolly, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Roy Kidd, Eno Ichikawa, Michael McGrath, Fernando Botero, Giorgio Napolitano, Matteo Messina Denaro, Michael Gambon, Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter ”, Mankombu Sambasivan, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Hosni Mubarak, Tim Wakefield, Dick Butkus, Michael Chiarello, Michael Chiarello ”, Masters, Burt Young, Paulie, Sylvester Stallone, Hughes Van Ellis, Kevin Phillips, Louise Meriwether, Mark Goddard, Major Don West, Rudolph Isley, Isley, unblinking, Piper Laurie, Chrissy Snow, Bobby Charlton, Bishan Bedi, Richard Moll, Xi Jinping, Wu Zunyou, Chandler Bing, Ken Mattingly, Bob Knight, Frank Borman, Steve Norton, Don Walsh, Mariana Trench, Terry R, Taylor, Daisaku Ikeda, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Ussery, George “ Funky ” Brown, Joanna ”, Marty Krofft, Pufnstuf, Donny, Marie ”, Terry Venables, Tim Dorsey, Serge A, Frances Sternhagen, ” “, Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Gerald Ford, Shane MacGowan, Bernard McGhee Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, White House, U.S, Supreme, United Nations, Greek Foreign, Republican, Hong, Boston Celtics, NBA, NBC, CBS, Television, Fame, Chicago Blackhawks, ”, New, of Fame, Louis Cardinals, “, Palestinian, Israel, South Dakota Democrat, Arab, Arab American U.S, Britain’s, Commons, . Census Bureau, Alabama ”, Zealand, Navajo, Minnesota Vikings, People, Playboy, Capitol, Juana La Cubana, New York Knicks, Guinness, World Records, Hollywood, Treasury, Southern Baptist Convention, Los Angeles, Roundabout Theatre Company, Air Force, Harlem Globetrotters, Janeiro Games, baseball’s, Germany’s Bayreuth, NCAA, Hall of Famer, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Legion, Ames, Phoenix, FBI, Simon &, Christian Broadcasting Network, Republican Party, Christian Coalition, Harvard, Feminist Majority Foundation, “ Little, Communist Party, Millwall, New York Philharmonic, San, Brigade, Wing, Eagles, HBO, of Indian Affairs, M, Police, Carpenters, Adobe Systems, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, escapist, Democratic, Zulu, Eastern, AA, Broadway, Communist, U.S . Senate, Red Sox, Yankees, Boston, Chicago Bears, Major, Isley Brothers, New York Times, Manchester United, India, Indiana, Nevada — Resorts, Atlantic City —, Navy, Associated Press, Soka Gakkai, Kentucky Derby, Kool, The, European, Barcelona, Tottenham, City Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, U.S, Finnish, New Mexico, New Jersey, British, Greece, American, Hong Kong, Italian, America, New York, Spanish, catwalks, Texas, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, San, New Orleans, Rosebud, Arab American, Haiti, “, African, Brooklyn, London, Los, Mississippi, United States, Rivers, Georgia, Savannah, Louisville, New York City, Irish, HBO’s “ Rome, Brazilian, Ipanema, Moscow, Virginia, Montana, Vietnam, Canada, Asia, Chicago, Hawaii, France, South Africa, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Czech, Eastern Kentucky, Colombian, ”, California, Tulsa, Finland, China, Nevada, Atlantic City, Florida, Berkshire

In palmier times, the leader of the Wagner group, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, appeared at a Russian cultural center in the capital of the Central African Republic, sitting with schoolchildren and promising them free laptops. But Mr. Prigozhin’s death in August has rattled the mercenary group’s once-cozy relations with the Central African Republic, which is now weighing offers from Russia and Western countries, including the United States, to replace Wagner as its primary security guarantor. The outcome of this struggle could be a bellwether for the group’s future on the continent, where the Central African Republic is perhaps the most deeply enmeshed among the handful of African nations partnering with Wagner. The Russian Defense Ministry has sought to absorb some of Wagner’s activities, while preserving its influence and maintaining its wealth of knowledge about the continent. But a senior Western diplomat said that the uncertainty around Wagner in the Central African Republic provided a “window of opportunity” for the United States and France to counter Russian influence.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin’s, group’s, ” Organizations: Central African, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Russian, Central African Republic, Russia, Western, United States, France

☆ Ukraine's risky decision to stay and let Russia bash its forces against Bakhmut came with costs but was worth it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementUkraine fought tooth and nail for months to defend the eastern city of Bakhmut from a never-ending onslaught of Russian soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries. The risky decision to stay there came with significant costs, and Moscow eventually captured the city in May. AdvertisementThe Bakhmut fight also greatly contributed to the ultimate downfall of the notorious Wagner Group, Barros and Cancian said. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. AdvertisementAn aerial view of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on April 26, 2023.

Persons: —, Bakhmut, George Barros, Mark Cancian, Wagner, Cancian, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, STRINGER, Barros, it's Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Institute for, Kyiv, ARIS MESSINIS, Getty, US Marine Corps, Center, Strategic International Studies, Barros, Russian, Kremlin, Wagner, AP, Fleet Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, AFP, Russian, Rostov, AP Ukraine, Kyiv, Crimean

☆ 2 Russians convicted of murdering and eating victims have been released after fighting in Ukraine: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two men convicted of murder were released after fighting in Ukraine, per Russian media. AdvertisementRussia released two prisoners convicted of murder, who then ate parts of their victims, after they fought in Ukraine, according to multiple Russian reports. He's now recovering from moderate injuries at a military hospital in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, his neighbor Dmitry told Russian news outlet Siberia Realities . "He's basically free, pardoned, and half his [prison] sentence has been wiped out," Dmitry told the outlet, according to a translation by Ukrainska Pravda . AdvertisementOgolobya stabbed two other victims to death, penetrating their bodies 666 times and counting the blows out loud, witnesses said.

Persons: Denis Gorin, Nikolai Ogolobyak, —, Meduza, He's, Dmitry, Ukrainska, Ogolobyak, Ogolobya, Wagner, Marx Organizations: Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Storm, Moscow Times Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russia's Sakhalin, Sakhalin, Yuzhno, Russian, Siberia, Russia's Yaroslavl

☆ Russian Attacks on Key City Are Like Zombie Movie: Ukrainian Soldier
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian and Ukrainian forces are deadlocked across a broad front line. Russia has tried to take the city, hoping to break the stalemate with Ukrainian forces in east Ukraine. They were repelled by Ukrainian forces using artillery, mortars, grenades, drones and cannons fired from US-supplied Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. The soldier told the AFP that Russian units advance overnight in units of five to seven then attack in the morning. AdvertisementFor months, Ukrainian and Russian forces have been deadlocked in a front line stretching from east to south Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces seeking to make advances in the south, and Russian forces in Avdiivka.

Persons: —, Wagner, Yevgenvy Prigozhin Organizations: AFP, Service, Ukrainian, Bradley Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Ukraine, AFP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House voiced concern Tuesday that Iran may provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine, a development that likely would be disastrous for the Ukrainian people, a U.S. national security official said. “We are therefore concerned that Iran is considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles now for use in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters during a conference call. “In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia to strengthen its military capabilities," Kirby said. The White House has said Russia has turned to North Korea for artillery. U.S. officials say Iran has also provided Russia with artillery and tank rounds for its invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: John Kirby, ” Kirby, Sergei Shoigu, Joe Biden's, Kirby, Wagner Organizations: WASHINGTON, National Security, Russia, Russian Defense, Democratic, Republican Party, “, ”, Iranian Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Tehran, Israel, Taiwan, Mexico, North Korea, The U.S, Tehran ., Moscow

☆ A Russian general who was critical of the army's operation was found dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A decorated Russian general and his wife were found dead at his home. The general, Vladimir Sviridov, was critical of soldier training in the Russian military. Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 68, and his wife Tatyana, 72, were found dead Wednesday in their bedroom, per the Kyiv Post. During Sviridov's time as a commander in the 2000s, he complained about the Russian army, saying Russian pilots were not trained well enough. However, this is not yet the case," he said in one interview, per the Kyiv Post.

Persons: Vladimir Sviridov, —, Tatyana, Sviridov, Vladimir, Tatyana Sviridov, Ivan Pechorin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Popov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Army of, Air Force, Air Defense, Russian Telegram, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Madagascar Votes Amid Violence and Calls for Boycott
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( John Eligon | More About John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After weeks of political violence, voters on the island nation of Madagascar went to the polls on Thursday to elect a president, even though 10 of the 13 candidates called for a boycott, accusing the man they are vying to replace of unfairly tilting the process in his favor. Most of the 30 million residents of this nation off the southeastern coast of Africa live in poverty. A series of weather-related catastrophes in recent years have damaged the country’s agricultural production, its economic mainstay, increasing the humanitarian crisis. Political instability has been a defining feature of Madagascar’s elections over the years, and the 2018 race saw efforts by Russia to influence the outcome through the paramilitary organization the Wagner Group. It is unclear whether Russia has any involvement in this year’s election, or how much.

Persons: “, ”, Andoniaina Ratsimamanga Organizations: Wagner Locations: Madagascar, Africa, Russia

Four former Russian inmates who fought with Wagner in eastern Ukraine said they had received calls and messages offering new military contracts in recent weeks, confirming recent reports by Russian military bloggers. Three former fighters said they were specifically urged to join Rosgvardia, Russia’s militarized national guard. Originally envisioned as a rear-guard force, Rosgvardia has gained prominence since the invasion of Ukraine under the leadership of Victor Zolotov, a former bodyguard of President Vladimir V. Putin. “Wagner is officially becoming a unit of Rosgvardia,” read a recruitment text received by a former Wagner fighter last week and seen by The New York Times. “The entire structure, methods of work and commanders remain the same.”

Persons: Wagner, Rosgvardia, Victor Zolotov, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, “ Wagner, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Rosgvardia, The New York Times Locations: Ukraine

☆ Ukraine appears to be gunning for a top Russian battlefield commander who has had an unusual run as a military leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine appears to be gunning for him as Kyiv's military makes pushes in his area of control. According to several prominent Russian military bloggers and independent Russian media reporting, the Ukrainian military fired long-range missiles last week at the Dnepr battlegroup's headquarters. Astra, the independent Russian publication, reported that Ukrainian missiles hit command posts belonging to the Dnepr group in Strilkove that same day. As the Russian military bloggers noted, the timing of the strikes fall in line with an uptick in Ukrainian assaults around the Dnipro. "Teplinsky's appointment is likely an indication of increased pressure on Russian forces defending the area," Britain's defense ministry said in late October.

Persons: Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, gunning, —, Moscow's, Rybar, ROMAN PILIPEY, Teplinsky —, Russia's ultranationalists, Vladimir Putin, Teplinsky, Oleg Makarevich Organizations: Service, Moscow's VDV Airborne Forces, Dnepr, Ukraine, Storm, Russian, Neptune, Telegram, Astra, Getty, Wagner Group, Kremlin ., Institute for, Ukrainian, Command, Special Operations Forces of, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Dnipro, Kyiv Locations: Russian, Col, Ukraine, Kherson, that's, Azov, Dnipro, Ukrainian, AFP, Teplinsky, Russia, Kremlin . Russian, Washington, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kherson Oblast

☆ Putin looks set to run for president in 2024 — and there's no one who can oppose him right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images) Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly decided to run in the March 2024 presidential election and he's likely to win another six-year term in office, essentially because there's no one that can oppose him. Analysts say that the bitter truth in modern Russia is that there is no one who can oppose Putin, for now. In this pool image distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the regional head of Inigushetia in Moscow's Kremlin, on August 15, 2023. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sobyanin, he's, —, Vladimir Milov, Alexander Kazakov, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Morozova, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Medvedev, Mikhail Svetlov, Medvedev, deigning, Prigozhin's Wagner, Wagner, Kirill Shamiev, Milov Organizations: Moscow's, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, CNBC, Sputnik, AFP, Kremlin's, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Russia, IK, Wagner Group, Analysts, Saint Petersburg, Economic, Prigozhin's Wagner Group, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations, Putin Locations: MOSCOW, RUSSIA, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Moscow's Kremlin, Ukraine, Vladimir, Iran, North Korea, SAINT PETERSBURG, Concord, Saint Petersburg, Belarus, Prigozhin, Russia's, Tver

☆ Russia's paying for a new assault in wrecked vehicles, losing in just a few weeks what Ukraine lost over months, war analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia has lost as many vehicles in just three weeks of assaults as Ukraine lost over several months of fighting in the south. In vehicle losses, the Russian assault force has lost in just three weeks what Ukrainian troops lost over several months of intense fighting in the south. "GeoConfirmed characterized the Russian effort near Avdiivka as the costliest Russian effort thus far in the war in Ukraine," ISW wrote. It took Russia roughly three weeks fighting for Avdiivka to do the same. Avdiivka has been largely ruined by constant fighting, but the devastated area may not be entirely pointless to Russian forces, or Russian leadership.

Persons: It's, —, ISW, George Barros, Barros, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Avdiivka, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin Organizations: Service, Wednesday Institute, Washington DC, Getty, Reuters, Russia, ISW Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Washington, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, Ukrainian

An armored vehicle escorting a MINUSMA logistic convoy from Gao to Kidal, is parked as trucks pass by, Mali February 16, 2017. Shortly after the last U.N. convoy rolled out, the ethnic Tuareg rebels announced they had taken over the base. The Tuareg rebels signed a 2015 peace agreement brokered by MINUSMA but maintained control of much of the north from Kidal. The first sign of trouble came in early August, when fighting broke out between Mali's army and Tuareg rebels around the U.N.'s camp in Ber in the north. As in Kidal, peacekeepers destroyed equipment before leaving that could have been transported in trucks earlier, if the government had allowed.

Persons: MINUSMA, Sylvain Liechti, jeopardising U.N, couldn't, Fatoumata Sinkoun Kaba, Yvan Guichaoua, Edward McAllister, David Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Mahamat, Alexandra Zavis, Daniel Flynn Organizations: UN, DAKAR, United Nations, U.N, Reuters, Authorities, Security, Islamic State, Department of Peace Operations, Department of Operational, Wagner Group, MINUSMA, University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies, Thomson Locations: Gao, Mali, Kidal, West Africa, Malian, al Qaeda, Algeria, Mauritania, Ber, Tessalit, Algerian, Bamako, Dakar, Nairobi, New York, N'Djamena

☆ Russia’s Wagner Group May Provide Air Defense Weapon to Hezbollah, U.S. Intel Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin is putting a new power structure in place that will take over the group’s sprawling operations in Africa, which have advanced Russian influence on the continent for almost a decade. Photo illustration: JJ LinThe U.S. has intelligence that the Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary group, may provide an air defense system to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials say. The system in question is the SA-22, which uses antiaircraft missiles and air defense guns, to intercept aircraft.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, JJ Lin The Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, Lebanese, SA Locations: Africa, JJ Lin The U.S, U.S

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