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☆ Russian stocks are back at pre-war levels as investors see them as safer bet than falling ruble
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian stocks are back at pre-war levels as investors see them as safer bets amid the falling ruble. The Moex index closed at 3,093.64 on Tuesday, above where it was when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Fears of political chaos caused Russian demand for foreign currencies to jump to 70%-80% in some regions. But while the Moex stock index, which is denominated in rubles, has surpassed pre-war levels, it remains well below earlier highs. Meanwhile, a separate gauge of Russian stocks that's denominated in dollars is more than 10% below pre-invasion levels, Bloomberg said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner Group's Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, P Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, China

☆ Russia's fighter jets have gone from harassing US aircraft to actually breaking them as Moscow flexes its muscles where it still can
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russian fighter jets have harassed US military drones on numerous occasions throughout July. That incident is just one of several demonstrations of Russian aggression around US military drones this month. Russian military Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft employ flares in the flight path of a US MQ-9 aircraft on July 6, 2023 over Syria. A press officer who goes by callsign Damian looks at a destroyed Russian military vehicle in Novodarivka village, Zaporizhzhia Region, southeastern Ukraine. "These maneuvers, they are to some extent intended to demonstrate Russian military strength," which could appease the country's domestic audience.

Persons: Nicholas Lokker, Alexus Grynkewich, Sabrina Singh, Su, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Damian, Putin, Lokker, Assad, Äzzeddin Kasim, Paul Lushenko, Lushenko, Christopher Sommers, AFCENT Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Center, New, New American Security, Islamic, US Air Force, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Command, Pentagon, Donetsk Regions, US, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Army, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, U.S . Central Command Locations: Wall, Silicon, Syria, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, New American, Moscow, Syria . Washington, Islamic State, Washington, CNAS, Belarus, Novodarivka, Zaporizhzhia Region, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Iran, Idlib, United States, Western

☆ Drunken Wagner fighters are 'boozing to their heart's content' at train stations in Moscow instead of going home, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some Wagner fighters stationed in Belarus have been told to go on leave, Mozhem Obyasnit reported. One relative wrote online that the fighters are "boozing to their heart's content," it said. But many have not made it home and are choosing to get drunk instead, the outlet reported, citing public chat groups between the supposed relatives of Wagner fighters. Several Wagner fighters are ex-convicts who were released on the grounds they fight with the group in Ukraine. In line with an agreement struck by Prigozhin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko after the rebellion, the Wagner Group leader was sent to Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Mozhem Obyasnit, Yevgeny Prigozhin, haven't, they're, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Service, Group, BBC, Daily Locations: Belarus, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Syria, Africa, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russia's economy is being propped up by Wagner Group's gold-smuggling operations, UK government report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's economy is being sustained by the Wagner Group's gold smuggling operations, the UK government says. A report says the mercenary group has been sneaking "significant" amounts of gold out of Sudan. That gold is then used in trade that's boosting Russia's economy, it added, despite the nation being targeted by western sanctions amid Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. "Wagner's gold-smuggling operations from Sudan are significant, with one calling them 'critical to Russia's ability to withstand significant sanctions deployed against it for its illegal invasion in Ukraine,'" the report said. And though Putin has downplayed the effect of sanctions, non-government statistics show that Russia's economy is spiraling and in a far worse state than it appears, two Yale researchers said.

Persons: Wagner, Brian Nelson, Putin Organizations: Service, US Treasury, United Arab, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial, Wagner Groups, EU, Yale Locations: Sudan, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, Mali, United States, Africa

☆ Putin 'just hid' during Wagner's mutiny, proving he can't guarantee 'security' for Russia, a former Russian colonel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin "just hid" during Wagner's mutiny, a former Russian colonel told The Washington Post. Chaos in Russian leadership left local authorities without direction during Prigozhin's rebellion. Gudkov told the Post that Putin's inaction during Yevgeny Prigozhin's 24-hour rebellion severely damaged his reputation with top Russian officials. That's left Putin appearing weak. One senior Moscow financier connected to Russian intel told the Post: "Russia is a country of mafia rules.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Gennady Gudkov, Gudkov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko, standdown, unsparingly, Prigozhin —, That's Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Russian Defense, Ukraine, Kremlin, Russian intel Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Belarus, Moscow, Russia

☆ The 'taboo' of criticizing Putin has been 'significantly weakened,' which is why an influential pro-war blogger trashed him, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pro-war Russian ultra-nationalist was arrested for criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The UK MoD said he made the comments as the "taboo" around criticizing Putin is weakened. Ivor Girkin, a Russian ultra-nationalist, was arrested on extremism charges on Friday after he called Putin a "cowardly mediocrity." Girkin, like many other Russian war bloggers, has been critical of Russia's military performance in Ukraine. The UK MoD noted that Girkin had "long been a critic" of Russia's military performance but that, in recent days, his comments had turned to criticizing Putin himself.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Ivor Girkin, Girkin's, Russian Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Igor Girkin, ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Insider's Erin Snodgrass, Girkin Organizations: MoD, Service, Wagner Group, Getty, MOD, Guardian Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian Donetsk

☆ Wagner suffered staggering losses in Ukraine, official says: 28% dead, a further 51% wounded, totaling 62K casualties in just over a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

28% of the Wagner Group's force sent to Ukraine was killed, according to a group official. A Wagner Group official identified as Marx said that 78,000 fighters went to Ukraine with the mercenary group, and 22,000 were killed, according to Telegram channel Razgruzka Vagnera. That means the Wagner Group had 62,000 casualties in total, according to the official's figures. The UK defense ministry on Friday also pointed to huge losses of Russian prisoners fighting in Ukraine. While the Wagner Group is not the only group that recruited prisoners for Ukraine, it was the most prolific group to do so.

Persons: Wagner, Marx, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Razgruzka Vagnrea, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Group, Moscow Times, Wagner Group, Wagner Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Bakhmut, Russian, Moscow, Africa

☆ Poland to move soldiers to east of country due to Wagner risks-PAP
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Training or joint exercises of the Belarusian army and the Wagner Group is undoubtedly a provocation," Zbigniew Hoffmann told PAP. "The Committee analysed possible threats, such as the dislocation of Wagner Group units. Therefore, the Minister of National Defense, chairman of the Committee, Mariusz Blaszczak, decided to move our military formations from the west to the east of Poland." Defense Minister Blasczak said earlier this month that Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country. Also at the beginning of July Poland said it would send 500 policeto shore up security at the border with Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Zbigniew Hoffmann, Mariusz Blaszczak, Russia's Wagner, Blasczak, Alan Charlish, Kim Coghill Organizations: WARSAW, NATO, Wagner Group, National Defense, Defense, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, Africa, Belarusian, Poland, Poland's

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin was just winging it with his armed revolt and making things up as he went along, CIA director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin shocked the world when he called on his Wagner Group fighters to invade Russia. CIA Director Bill Burns said this week that Prigozhin was likely improvising during the armed rebellion. Prigozhin was "making some of this up as he went along," Burns told the Aspen Security Forum. Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Within hours, the Wagner Group had captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don without meeting any resistance.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bill Burns, Prigozhin, Burns, Wagner, Joe Biden, I'm, William Burns, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, he'd, Alexander Lukashenko, Reuters Prigozhin, he'll, Russia —, Vladimir Putin, they've, Putin's misjudgment, Russian Wagner, Mark Milley, Milley Organizations: Wagner Group, CIA, Aspen Security, Service, Russian Defense, Southern Military, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus —, Wagner, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Ukrainian, Joint Chiefs, Staff, NATO Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Russian, Voronezh, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Osipovichi, Kyiv

☆ UK intel chief invites Russians 'silently appalled' by the Ukraine war to share their secrets and spy for MI6
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Britain's intelligence chief invited Russians who are upset with the Ukraine war to spy for MI6. Espionage has been a feature of the war, and the CIA even tried earlier this year to recruit spies. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Their secrets will always be safe with us, and together we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end. Espionage and intelligence gathering has long been a feature of Russia's war in Ukraine, and MI6 is not the first Western intelligence agency to try and recruit Russians.

Persons: Richard Moore, you'll, Richard Moore ,, Moore, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Kyiv, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner Organizations: CIA, Service, Intelligence Service, Soviet, Western, NATO, Wagner Group Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Prague, Soviet Union, Soviet, Russia

☆ 'Chaos' is fueling fights among Putin's top commanders. These are the players battling for power.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

More than three weeks after the historic challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's authority, there's still internal power plays and high-level purges in motion. "We are seeing a lot of military formations and military figures that are pushing for their own objectives." For example, in Kadyrov's case, he may be pushing for control to shield his fighters from the battlefield in Ukraine and send conventional Russian forces instead. Consequences for disobedienceInsubordination against Moscow's military leadership, such as Teplinsky's criticisms or the Wagner's rebellion, has undermined Russian military leaders but has also come with consequences for members of the anti-Gerasimov camp. The instability increasingly endemic to the Russian military comes as the Ukrainians try to break through their defensive lines.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Putin, doesn't, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Alexander Ermochenko, he's, Stepanenko, Valery Gerasimov, Sergei Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, there's, Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Alexei Nikolsky, Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, Russia's, Teplinsky, Sergei Surovikin, There's, Friedemann Kohler, hasn't, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Popov, Vladimir Seliverstov, Popov, vilely, Viktor Zolotov, it's, ISW, Vyacheslav Gladkov Organizations: Service, Institute for, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Southern Military, REUTERS, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense, Russian, Staff, AP, Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Getty, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Arms Army, 106th Guards Airborne, Russian MoD, National Guard, Russian National Guard Service, PMC Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Prigozhin, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia's Belgorod, Sputnik, Washington, Chechnya, Sochi, REUTERS Maj, Belgorod

☆ Wagner's failed rebellion could hit the Kremlin's ambitions for a 'pro-Russian state' in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

BANGUI, Central African Republic - March 23, 2023: Demonstrators carry banners in Bangui, on March 22, 2023 during a march in support of Russia's presence in the Central African Republic. Hundreds of Wagner troops were spotted last week departing from Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic (CAR), where the Kremlin-linked group has its largest and broadest overseas presence. It comes just weeks after Wagner boss Prigozhin embarked on an ill-fated rebellion in Russia, ordering his troops fighting in Ukraine to march toward Moscow. Sky News reported Friday that the Wagner personnel who left CAR had refused to sign new these contracts. "Russian instructors will continue to aid soldiers in the Central African armed forces to ensure security in anticipation of the constitutional referendum scheduled for July 30."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alex Vines, Chris Weafer, Weafer, Chatham House's Vines, Faustin Organizations: Central African, Wagner, Central African Republic, Belorussian, Kremlin, Sky News, Officers, Union for International Security, Central, Africa, Chatham House, CNBC Locations: BANGUI, Central African Republic, Bangui, Moscow, Russia, Russia's, Ukraine, Africa, Central, Belarus, Russian, U.S, Chatham, CAR, Sudan, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, France

☆ Wagner mercenaries entering Belarus as Minsk announces 'road map' for joint military drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group conducts training for Belarusian soldiers on a range near the town of Osipovichi, Belarus July 14, 2023 in this still image taken from handout video. Separately, a spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said Saturday that the force also had observed "some groups" of Wagner fighters crossing from Russia into Belarus. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said in an online statement late Friday that it had developed a "road map" with Wagner's management for joint training exercises drills by the nation's military personnel and the private mercenaries. Earlier Friday, the Defense Ministry said that Wagner fighters had begun training Belarusian soldiers. Prigozhin had accused the senior Russian military leadership for months of bungling the war in Ukraine and starving his troops of ammunition.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belaruski Hajun, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, couldn't, Andriy Demchenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Putin, denigrate Prigozhin Organizations: country's Defense Ministry, Russian, The Associated Press, Lukashenko, AP, Ukraine's, for National Resistance, State Border Guard Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Belarusian Defense Ministry, Defense Ministry, General Staff, Russia's Kommersant Locations: Russian, Osipovichi, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Minsk, Moscow, Rostov, Prigozhin

☆ A newly surfaced image of Prigozhin hints at where the Wagner boss may have finally ended up after his failed mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But a new photo of the mercenary boss offers a hint that he may be at a military camp in Belarus. A Skyfi satellite image of the training base at Tsel outside Asipovichy in Belarus where Wagner forces are training Belarusian troops. But the new image of Prigozhin suggests that he may be at the same military camp where his Wagner mercenaries are training Belarusian soldiers. The windows in the photo appear to match those on tents at the military camp being used by Wagner and Belarusian soldiers. Although the rebellion left questions about where Wagner fighters would end up, US officials have since said that they aren't fighting in Ukraine anymore.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Jens Stoltenberg, Adam Berry, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Belta, Wagner's, Alexander Lukashenko, — Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozin, —, Prigozhin, It's Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Belarussian, NATO, Belarusian Defence Ministry, Getty, PMC Wagner, Kremlin, Twitter, Ukrainian, Pentagon, Bakhmut, Russian Armed Forces Locations: Belarus, Minsk, Wall, Silicon, Belarusian, Moscow, Tsel, Asipovichy district, Asipovichy, Asipovichy District, Mogilev Region, AFP, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine

☆ What's next for Russia after the Wagner Group's mercenary revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Brad Howard | Jeff Morganteen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhat's next for Russia after the Wagner Group's mercenary revoltThe Wagner Group rebelled against Russia after accusing the Russian Ministry of Defense of undermining the group's ability to fight in Ukraine, which culminated in an alleged missile strike on the group, according to their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. After the armed mutiny ended, what comes next for Wagner and its many shady business interests, including resource rights in some African nations, remains to be seen.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Wagner, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ One of Russia's most senior generals in Ukraine said he was fired for questioning the Kremlin's war management, and accused his bosses of backstabbing his men and 'decapitating' the army
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top Russian general in Ukraine is accusing the Kremlin of "decapitating" the war effort. Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov said he was giving honest feedback to his bosses, and was immediately fired. In his voice note, Popov said he was faced with the choice of either telling his bosses what they wanted to hear or to "call a spade a spade." As of Wednesday evening, neither the Russian state media nor the Defense Ministry has commented on Popov's remarks, whether he has been fired, or on the circumstances of such a dismissal. Gurulyov, the state duma member who published Popov's voice note, confirmed to Russian state TV on Wednesday that Tsokov was killed.

Persons: Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulev, Valery Gerasimov, vilely, Popov's, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, Gerasimov, Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Defense, Arms Army, Telegram, duma, CNN, Defense Ministry, Russia's Defense Ministry, Reuters, Kyiv's, Russia's, Army, The New York Times, Times Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Balakliya, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Berdiansk

☆ Russia has launched its own version of Wikipedia, called Ruwiki, which is notably more sympathetic to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Kremlin-compliant version of Wikipedia, Ruwiki, has launched in Russia. Its founder, a former longtime editor at Russian Wikipedia, says it will follow strict Russian media laws. Russia has launched its own version of Wikipedia that is markedly more friendly towards President Vladimir Putin and his government. Insider compared Ruwiki with Russian Wikipedia using Google Translate as of July 13 to get a sense of their key differences. Russian Wikipedia has a dedicated article on the episode, during which Wagner forces marched on Moscow and came within 125 miles of the Russian capital before turning back.

Persons: It's, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Wikipedia's, Vladimir Medeyko, Medeyko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Ruwiki Organizations: The Telegraph, Bloomberg, Google, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Wired Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow

☆ Panicked Russians withdrew 100 billion rubles from banks during the Wagner revolt, central bank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russians withdrew over $1 billion worth of rubles from domestic banks during the Wagner revolt, its country's central bank said. Whereas 500 billion rubles moved out of banks throughout June, a fifth of that was pulled from June 23-25. Though the act ended after a day, the political uncertainty it set off prompted fearful Russians to withdraw $1.1 billion worth of rubles. According to the Russian central bank, that's the highest cash demanded since late 2022, when Russia introduced a military mobilization decree. Speaking on Thursday at a St. Petersburg conference, Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina indicated no plans to step in and support the ruble's exchange rate.

Persons: Wagner, That's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Elvira Nabiullina Organizations: Service, Bank of Russia Locations: Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Russia, St, Petersburg

☆ Video captures the disarming of Wagner in the aftermath of its mutiny, showing the Russian military now has its T-90 tanks and other heavy weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's defense ministry said it has disarmed the Wagner Group, which launched a failed mutiny a few weeks ago. A video shared by Moscow shows a vast collection of weapons, tanks, artillery pieces, and more. Russia's defense ministry published a video to Telegram on Wednesday that shows a massive collection of military equipment Moscow claims to have received from Wagner Group units. Wheeled vehicles arrive on their own," Russia's defense ministry said. A Pentagon spokesperson told reporters in late June that the US had, at the time, observed "elements" of the Wagner Group in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

Persons: Wagner, Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Alexander Lukashenko, —, Vladimir Putin, Don, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Russian Armed Forces, Southern Military District, REUTERS, Kremlin, Belarusian, Don REUTERS, Pentagon, NATO, Wagner Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Prigozhin, Belarus, Minsk, Russian

☆ A series of leaked photos appearing to show Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in bizarre disguises could be a Kremlin attempt to ridicule him
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leaked images appear to show Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in bizarre disguises. Prigozhin launched a short-lived mutiny against Russian leadership last month. The photos, shared by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, could be an attempt to humiliate the Wagner chief. The mercenary Wagner Group, which Prigozhin founded, is known for being active in Middle Eastern countries and Africa. However, relations between their hot-headed leader and Russian military leadership soured as the former repeatedly accused the latter of not sending his fighters much-needed weapons and accused them of incompetence.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, URA, Muhammad, Sacha Baron Cohen's, Aladeen, Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Russian, pro, Kremlin, Service, Guardian, Ministry of Defense, Wagner Group, Reuters Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Sudan, Abu Dhabi, Benghazi, Tripoli, Syria, Africa, Moscow, Belarus, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Bakhmut

☆ Exclusive: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's secret calendar reveals a decade of deep Kremlin ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A copy of Prigozhin's calendar obtained by Die Welt and shared with Insider shows just how deeply enmeshed he was with the Putin regime. Putin's name appears in Prigozhin's calendar only twice, and neither entry records a one-on-one meeting. Wagner employees typically identify themselves and sign documents using three or four-digit employee numbers, and most Prigozhin's meetings with Wagner Group employees are presented this way. These rows of data extracted from Yevgeny Prigozhin's private calendar show Wagner Group personnel identified solely by their employee numbers. In the end, his demands for a slot on Putin's calendar went unanswered.

Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Aleksey Dyumin, Putin's, —, Vladimir Putin, It's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner — Sergei Surovikin, Ukraine —, Wagner, Dmitry Peskov, Sergei Shoigu, Ruslan Tsalikov, Anton Vaino, Valery Gerasimov, Shoigu, Sergei Surovikin, Matveev, Dmitry Medvedev, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Walt Hickey, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Die Welt, Service, Russian Federation, Wagner Group, Insider, Putin, Politico, Defense, Prigozhin, Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNN, Welt, Kremlin Locations: Tula, Moscow, Ukraine, West, Africa, St . Petersburg, New, Dyumin, Russia, Belarus, Prigozhin, Russian, Rostov, Germany, Korea

☆ Wagner Group shooting down a Russian command plane may be gift that keeps on giving for Ukraine's beleaguered air defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

During Wagner Group's revolt in June, its mercenaries shot down several Russian military aircraft. The loss of one of Russia's few Il-22M could hinder its air force's ability to operate over Ukraine. Wagner Group's abortive revolt last month didn't just end with its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, fleeing the country and its troops being absorbed into the Russian military. The airborne command posts couldn't even communicate directly with air-defense units or with Russian fighters on combat air patrols. Royal Air ForceIndeed, command and control is the Achilles heel of the Russian military, which inherited the rigid command structure of its Soviet predecessor.

Persons: Wagner Group's, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, NIKITA SHCHYUKIN, Greg L, Davis, Justin Bronk, aren't, Bronk, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, NATO, British Ministry of Defense, Getty, Ukraine, Ministry of Defense, Target, Boeing, Joint STARS, US Air Force, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Russian, Ground Forces, CAP, RAF Typhoons, Royal Air Force, US, CNA, Russian Aerospace Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, AFP, Davis Russian, Baltic, Forbes

☆ Belarus' dictator says he told Prigozhin he was ready to send special forces to defend Moscow against the Wagner rebellion and hoped he wouldn't be offended
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belarus' Lukashenko said he was ready to help defend Moscow from the Wagner Group's mutiny. The dictator told Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin he hoped he wouldn't be offended by the decision. A special forces brigade from Belarus' military was ready to deploy to Moscow immediately after Prigozhin and Wagner launched their short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leadership, Lukashenko told foreign and domestic reporters in Minsk. The dictator just hoped Prigozhin wouldn't mind that he was preparing to have his forces act against him. We will defend Moscow together with Putin," Lukashenko recalled, according to a translation of his remarks by state-run news agency BelTA.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny, Putin, BelTA, Russia's, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Privacy, Belarusian, Army, Sputnik, Kremlin, Institute for, Putin, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Rostov, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Kremlin, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine

☆ After Wagner's mutiny, Russia's military is now fighting with war bloggers because they won't celebrate its few wins the way they want
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's claims of a small battlefield victory have drawn criticism from military bloggers. The milbloggers won't celebrate with Moscow, causing the defense ministry to clash with the writers. Russian military bloggers, or milbloggers, have disputed some of the defense ministry's claims, according to a Sunday assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank. The milbloggers, said Ukrainian forces had managed to establish positions and that fighting was ongoing. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, continue to make use of their huge inventory of heavy Western armor — including advanced tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the US and its NATO allies — to liberate territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's, Putin, —, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Institute for, Russian MoD, Russia's Defence Ministry, Military District, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Wagner Group, Kremlin, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, The General Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Dnipro, Kherson, Russian, Washington, Russia, Rostov, Belarus, Ukrainian, —

☆ Watch Putin draw a weird face on a smart board as Russia tries to act like everything is normal after Wagner went rogue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin made two public appearances this week just days after the Wagner Group staged a revolt. Military experts told Insider that the Wagner coup could very well be the beginning of the end for Putin's multi-decade reign. On Thursday, the Russian president attended the Agency for Strategic Initiatives forum, where he toured an exhibition of award-winning concepts for new national brands that can substitute Western products, according to Russian state media agency Tass. In a Telegram post, Russian state news agency TASS shared video of Putin interacting with the NexTouch interactive touch screen. The Thursday appearance came one day after Russian state television broadcast Putin meeting "hundreds of people" in Derbent, Dagestan.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, doodled, Putin's Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Kremlin, Prigozhin, Agency for Strategic Initiatives, TASS, Putin Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, Derbent, Dagestan

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