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☆ Svitolina comes out on top in battle-of-the-mums with Azarenka
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Pritha Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 9, 2023 Ukraine's Elina Svitolina celebrates after winning her fourth round match against Belarus' Victoria Azarenka REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON, July 9 (Reuters) - It turned out to be the mother of all battles and Victoria Azarenka produced some telling blows in an electrifying contest but in the end she lacked the chutzpah to prevent Elina Svitolina securing a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Sunday's 2-6 6-4 7-6(11-9) win handed the Ukrainian wildcard a first win over Azarenka in a battle between the last two mums left standing out of the six who started in the singles draw as she snapped a five-match losing run against the Belarusian 19th seed. After soaking up all the tension for close to three hours, world number 76 Svitolina finally toppled Azarenka with an ace on her second match point and promptly collapsed onto her back in her moment of triumph. She will next face world number one Iga Swiatek for a place in the semi-finals. Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Victoria Azarenka, Toby Melville LONDON, Elina Svitolina, Svitolina, Azarenka, Pritha Sarkar, Ken Ferris Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Belarus, Victoria, Victoria Azarenka REUTERS, Wimbledon, Azarenka, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Belarusian

☆ Swiatek survives scare to set up Svitolina clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Pritha Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Poland's Swiatek looked in big trouble against Switzerland's Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and saved two match points in the second set before clawing out a 6-7(4) 7-6(2) 6-3 victory. As the evening gloom set in, Swiatek eventually got a handle on her opponent's game, moving clear in the final set before wrapping up victory after more than three hours. Bencic will look back at the two match points she had at 5-6 in the second set, the first saved with a powerful Swiatek forehand and the second with a backhand winner. "I don't know if I even came back from match point down in my career," Swiatek said in her on court interview. "I thought it was a great tennis match.

Persons: Iga Swiatek, Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, Dylan Martinez, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Poland's Swiatek, Belinda Bencic, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Bublik, Novak Djokovic, Hubert Hurkacz, Roger Federer's, Sinner, Colombia's Daniel Galan, Swiatek, Svitolina, Azarenka, Jessica Pegula, Pegula, Marie Bouzkova, Rublev, Russian Roman, Denis Shapovalov, Martyn Herman, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Switzerland's Belinda Bencic REUTERS, Dylan Martinez LONDON, Wimbledon, Switzerland's Olympic, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, Roger Federer's Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, tennis, Belarus, Russia, Belarusian, American, French, Russian

☆ Wagner Group leader and ex-convict Prigozhin has lost the respect of Russian prisoners who now think he's a 'traitor,' activist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian prisoners have now turned on the Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, an activist said. Prigozhin, an ex-convict, was once popular among prisoners and recruited thousands to fight in Ukraine. SOme prisoners rioted in support of his short-lived mutiny and were disappointed he called it off. Olga Romanova, the head of the Russia Behind Bars prisoners' rights group, said that prisoners feel "depressed" and "apathetic" and view Yevgeny Prigozhin as a traitor. The Wagner Group recruited thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine in exchange for freedom after completing their service.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Olga Romanova, Romanova, Wagner, mutinying Wagner Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Russian, Reuters, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Rostov, Leningrad

☆ Azarenka booed off court for failing to offer Svitolina obligatory handshake
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Pritha Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Asked in a press conference if she felt that she was being victimised by the crowd, Azarenka snapped: "Victim? "She doesn't want to shake hands with Russian, Belarusian people. But this conversation about shaking hands is not a life-changing conversation." While it seemed everyone was only focussing on the events that unfolded after Svitolina had sealed her place in the last eight with an ace, Azarenka felt the on-court duel deserved more plaudits. Svitolina thought such situations could be avoided if tournament organisers issued a statement to fans to make clear that "there will be no handshake between Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian players."

Persons: Victoria Azarenka, Elina Svitolina, Azarenka, Svitolina, I'm, It's, Elina, I've, Pritha Sarkar, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Belarusian, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus

☆ Video appears to show Wagner Group troops preparing to leave Africa, suggesting a purge by Moscow, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video appears to show dozens of Wagner Group soldiers preparing to leave Africa. The video follows a report by Jeune Afrique that said 500 to 600 mercenaries had left Bangui on Thursday. But Wagner's relationship with the Kremlin has fractured in recent weeks after the group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his soldiers to march on Moscow in June. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of committing atrocitiesIn this handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, records his video addresses in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Wagner mercenaries have been accused of committing atrocities in CAR, according to reports.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Putin, Alia Brahimi, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Aleksander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Faustin, Fidele Gouandjika Organizations: Wagner Group, Jeune Afrique, Service, Wagner, NBC News, Central African Republic, Council, Foreign Relations, Prigozhin Press Service, Prigozhin Press, Associated Press, Central African, NBC, Sky News, CAR's Department of Defense, Sky Locations: Africa, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Bangui, CAR, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Belarus, Rostov, Don, Russia, CAR's, Washington

☆ Wimbledon 2023: Order of play on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Sports category · July 8, 2023 · 5:24 PM UTCAthletes from Russia and Belarus will be permitted to compete at the Hangzhou Asian Games to help them earn points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Organizations: Hangzhou, Games Locations: Russia, Belarus

☆ Wimbledon 2023: 500 days after the invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian players are playing at Wimbledon. Here’s how it’s going
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

During the opening week, fans at Wimbledon have generally been quite warm to the Russian and Belarusian players but they’ve been especially enthusiastic to the Ukrainians. Unfortunately, they could not fight the professional Tours and others on their own,” added Zukin, who also said the ATP and WTA could do more to support Ukrainian players. CNN reached out to the WTA, ATP and The Russian Tennis Federation for comment. Tension simmers behind the scenesAway from the crowds and the cameras, Russian and Ukrainian tennis players revealed there are also strained relationships in Wimbledon’s locker rooms. Sabalenka condemned the booing and said she understands why Ukrainian players won’t shake her hand.

Persons: London CNN —, ”, they’ve, Sabalenka, I’m, Shi Tang, Russian Veronika Kudermetova’s, Elina Svitolina, ” Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Tim Clayton, Corbis, Dmytro Kuleba, “, ” Kubela, Ian Hewitt, Yevhen Zukin, Kudermetova, Ben Rothenberg, Rothenberg, It’s, ” “, Marta Kostyuk, Javier Garcia, Kostyuk, Aryna Sabalenka, won’t, Anastasia Potapova, Iga, Slovakia’s Anna, Karolína, Svitolina, Daniil Medvedev Organizations: London CNN, Wimbledon, Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, CNN, Russian, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, Azarenka, Ukraine’s, Russia, All England, Tennis Federation of, Tennis Association, ATP, WTA, Russian Tennis Federation, Tennis, CNN Sport, Belarus, Aryna, Spartak Moscow, Melbourne Locations: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Belarusian, Russian, Svitolina’s, Odesa, Tennis Federation of Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kyiv, ” Russian

☆ French government wants the power to block social media and to tap into cellphones
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Macron has said his government needs the authority to block social media to curb protests. First, on July 4, during a meeting with mayors, Macron suggested the government needs the authority to regulate or block social media platforms during major protests. Both left- and right-leaning lawmakers, meanwhile, characterized the comments about blocking social media made by Macron, who is considered centrist, as anti-democratic. Elsewhere in the world, social media censorship has increased in recent years. In an effort to stop people from gathering to protest COVID-19 restrictions, the Chinese government censored discussion of certain cities on social media, according to the BBC.

Persons: Macron, Emmanuel Macron, Monde, Eliska, — Organizations: Service, Police, French, Washington Post, Le Monde, Renaissance Party, Human Rights Watch, Wall Street Journal, Department of Homeland Security, Journal ., New York Times Locations: France, Wall, Silicon, Europe, Spain, Belarus, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, San Francisco

☆ Russian reserves running low as Ukrainian forces make 'tactically significant gains' around the besieged city of Bakhmut, a think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine has made "tactically significant gains" around the besieged city of Bakhmut, a think tank says. Geolocated footage published Thursday shows that Ukrainian troops made gains in Yahidne, around a mile north of Bakhmut, according to Washington DC-based think tank the Institute of the Study of War (ISW). However, it is unlikely that they have many more reserves to commit to the battle, the UK Ministry of Defense said. Along with the gains around Bakhmut, Ukraine's forces have also continued operations in at least three other sectors of the frontline on Friday, according to ISW. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesIn August 2022, Russia attacked Bakhmut using a combination of Wagner Group mercenaries, Russian soldiers, and pro-Russian separatist forces.

Persons: ISW, Bakhmut, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Milley, Milley, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: MoD, Service, Washington DC, of, Ukrainian, Staff, UK Ministry of Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Moscow, US Joint Chiefs, CNN, Bakhmut, Wagner Group, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Wall, Silicon, Yahidne, Russia, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhia Oblast, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Russian, Belarus

☆ Wagner fighters preparing to move to Belarus, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of a tent camp site that, according to Belarusian Defence Ministry officials, could be offered as one of the spots to house Wagner fighters, in the military settlement of Tsel in the Asipovichy District of the Mogilev Region in Belarus on July 7, 2023. Mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group are preparing to move to Belarus under the terms of a deal that defused their mutiny against Russia's military leadership, a senior commander of the group was quoted as saying. Since the June 23-24 mutiny, which saw Wagner fighters briefly seize a southern Russian city and march towards Moscow, the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin and his mercenaries have been unclear. However, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that Prigozhin and thousands of his fighters were still in Russia, raising questions about the deal's implementation. He has not posted on his previously preferred Telegram channel — Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Service — since June 26, when he defended his fighters' mutinous actions.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Anton Yelizarov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny Organizations: Belarusian Defence Ministry, Mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Locations: Tsel, Asipovichy District, Mogilev Region, Belarus, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia

☆ 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

Wildcard Svitolina will be looking to get the better of Azarenka for the first time, having lost to the former Grand Slam champion in their last five meetings. Yeah, I'm looking forward to this challenge," Svitolina said after she dispatched Sofia Kenin in the third round. "It's another match but in a way, a lot of Ukrainians will be watching, will be supporting me. While Svitolina took a year off for the birth of her daughter Skai with husband and fellow tennis player Gael Monfils, her return to the Tour in March was seamless. Azarenka, however, said she was happy for Svitolina after she had a baby and returned to the court.

Persons: Elina Svitolina's, Aryna Sabalenka, Azarenka, Svitolina, Sofia Kenin, Skai, Gael Monfils, Russia's Andrey Rublev, Alexander Bublik, Iga, Belinda Bencic, Novak, Hubert Hurkacz ., Djokovic, He's, Rohith Nair, Clare Fallon Organizations: Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, Wimbledon, neutrals, Olympic, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Sunday's, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, Sabalenka, Belarusian, Kazakhstan, Bengaluru

☆ Poland moves troops to eastern border amid Wagner fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Polish army troops stand guard, as part of the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country, in Poland, July 8, 2023. "This is a demonstration of our readiness to respond to attempts at destabilisation near the border of our country." Last Sunday Poland said it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus. Poland has seen an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross the Belarus border in recent weeks. A senior Wagner commander was quoted as saying on Saturday that mercenaries from the group were preparing to move to Belarus.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Mariusz Blaszczak, Alan Charlish, Ros Russell Organizations: 17th Mechanized, REUTERS, NATO, Wagner Group, Twitter, Border Guard, Thomson Locations: Polish, Poland, Handout, REUTERS WARSAW, Belarus, Russian, destabilisation, Morocco, India, Ethiopia, East, Africa

[1/5] German Patriot air defence system units are seen at the Vilnius airport in Vilnius, Lithuania July 7, 2023. Many are also providing advanced air defence systems which the Baltic states lack. But for the region with total population of about 6 million people, this is not enough to sustain large militaries, invest in their own fighter jets or advanced air defence. NATO is NATO, and we feel ourselves safe because we are in NATO. He added that he feared waves of migrants at the border, or border violations, or military vehicles appearing at the border without explanation.

Persons: Janis Laizans, Joe Biden, Biden, Gitanas Nauseda, Caesar, Wagner, Edvard Rynkun, Elena Tarasevic, Col Steffen Lieb, Rustamas Liubajevas, Sabine Siebold, John Irish, William Maclean Organizations: Patriot, REUTERS, NATO, Belarus Allies, Baltic, European Union, Reuters, Wagner, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Belarus, KANIUKAI, Russia, Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Spain, France, Finland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Poland, Kaniukai, Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Russian, Minsk

☆ Wagner fighters preparing to move to Belarus, senior commander quoted as saying
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File PhotoJuly 8 (Reuters) - Mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group are preparing to move to Belarus under the terms of a deal that defused their mutiny against Russia's military leadership, a senior commander of the group was quoted as saying. Since the June 23-24 mutiny, which saw Wagner fighters briefly seize a southern Russian city and march towards Moscow, the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin and his mercenaries have been unclear. He has not posted on his previously preferred Telegram channel - Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Service - since June 26, when he defended his fighters' mutinous actions. Yelizarov said there had been no attempt by Russia's security forces to "hit" Wagner fighters since the mutiny. The attempt would fail, he said, because Prigozhin himself had created and moulded the Wagner fighters "when the state did not need us".

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Ermochenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Anton Yelizarov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny, Lukashenko, Yelizarov, King Arthur, Gareth Jones, Alison Williams Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Yevgeny Prigozhin Press Service, General Staff, Knights, Prigozhin's St, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Belarus, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Prigozhin's, Prigozhin's St Petersburg

☆ Two Weeks After Wagner Revolt, Prigozhin Remains Crucial to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Thomas Grove | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russian state media showed footage of a raid said to have been carried out on the mansion and offices of Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner paramilitary group. The images appeared as the Belarusian President said Prigozhin is back in Russia. Photo: Handout/AFP/Getty ImagesTwo weeks ago, Vladimir Putin appeared to have weathered the biggest-ever challenge to the Russian leader’s rule. Yevgeny Prigozhin , the founder of the Wagner mercenary group, agreed to relocate to Belarus after calling off a march on Moscow to remove Russia’s military leaders. Wagner Group, the cornerstone of Prigozhin’s power, would no longer be a separate fighting force.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Getty, Wagner Group Locations: Belarusian, Russia, AFP, Belarus, Moscow

We like to call it the occupation of the Museum of Modern Art and the director is happy with the occupation," Krivich, 34, joked. "Many of my friends from Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Belarus feel at home here, also mentally, culturally and ideologically… We have a common past," Krivich told Reuters. The New Theatre not only gave the refugee actors a chance to perform but also helped them with accommodation and visas. "Poland is the only country where Belarusians can easily legalise their stay... All independent art initiatives that used to be in Minsk are now in Warsaw," said Dashuk. In May, a Moscow District Court arrested Vyrypaev in absentia for spreading "fake news" about the Russian army.

Persons: Yulia Krivich, Krivich, Marina Dashuk, Ivan Vyrypaev, Dashuk, Vyrypaev, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Gareth Jones Organizations: WARSAW, Soviet, Warsaw's Museum of Modern, Museum of Modern Art, Reuters, THEATRE Warsaw, New Theatre, Theatre, Teal, Ukrainian, Court, Thomson Locations: Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Russian, Moscow, Belarus, Central, Kyrgyzstan, Dashuk, Belarusian, Minsk, Warsaw, Europe

Lithuania is the only one of the three states to have a land link to a fellow NATO ally, Poland. The three Baltic states have also attracted journalists who have fled Russia. DEFENCESpurred by Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the three Baltic states sharply increased military spending. According to NATO estimates for 2022, all three exceeded the NATO agreement to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defence. Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states have requested the forces deployed are beefed up to 3,000-5,000 troops in each state.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Boris Pistorius, Andrius Sytas, Edmund Blair Organizations: NATO, RAND Corporation, European Union, Corruption, German, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Lithuania, Baltic, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Soviet Union, Siberia, Soviet, Russia, Belarus, NATO, Poland, Russia's Kaliningrad, Estonian, U.S, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, United States, West, Moscow, Vilnius, Russian, Crimea, Germany, Britain, Canada, British

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is not even in Belarus, Lukashenko told CNN – he is in Russia, Lukashenko claimed. Available satellite imagery has also not shown any signs of the kind of preparations and security that would be standard at a Russian nuclear facility. Russia has the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, with 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists. “Putin does not need tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to use those weapons,” Bergmann added. “But it is concerning to the US that tactical nuclear weapons could potentially be co-located in Belarus with Wagner fighters.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, CNN –, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Max Bergmann, “ Putin, ” Bergmann, Lukashenko’s, Alexander Nemenov, Angela, Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, ” Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, Wagner Group, Wagner PMC, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Directorate of, Ministry of Defense, Soviet Union, Experts, NATO, European Union, Lithuanian President’s Communication, Georgetown University, Kremlin, Wagner, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Europe, Belarus, Russian, Minsk, Belarusian, Tsel, Soviet, Vilnius, Lithuania, AFP, Poland, Belarus US, St . Petersburg

☆ 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

☆ Ukrainian refugees: how will the economy recover with a diminished population?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

In previous refugee crises, for example in Syria, refugees' desire to return home has faded with time, UNHCR studies show. Conscription-aged men are restricted from leaving Ukraine, so working-aged women, and children, make up the majority of refugees. Ukraine's population problem goes beyond millions of refugees. A census in 2001 - the country's only so far - recorded a population of 48.5 million. Demographer Libanova estimated the population at between 28 million and 34 million at the start of 2023 in parts of the country controlled by Kyiv.

Persons: Korzh, Volodymyr Kostiuk, Kostiuk, It's, Dmytro Tsygankov, Ella Libanova, Libanova, Ksenia Karpenko, Karpenko, Corina Rodriguez, Catarina Demony, Mike Collett, White, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: United Nations, UNHCR, Kyiv, for Economic Research, Political, for Economic, MEN, National Academy of Science, European Commission's, Research, The, Economic Strategy, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KYIV, Europe, Kyiv, Portugal, Ukraine, Lagoa, Syria, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Crimea, Belarus, Russian, Tarragona, Spain, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon

☆ Opinion: Putin faces a challenging task that threatens his power
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Russian president needs to restore his image of a man in full command of his country to audiences at home and abroad. Speaking at the summit, Putin tried to reinforce the message he had delivered to the Russian people, the claim that all Russians had stood with him. It wasn’t just his use of “alternative facts” that undermined Putin’s effort to leverage the SCO summit into a place to restore his standing as Russia’s czar for the foreseeable future. In fact, in the aftermath of the Prigozhin uprising, Putin has echoed the traditional strongman’s playbook of buying loyalty. Putin now faces a triple task: reclaiming the mantle of invincibility in Russia, rebuilding that image abroad and winning his calamitous war in Ukraine.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Putin, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, ”, “, Modi, Ebrahim Raisi, Xi, Dmitry Peskov, India’s Modi, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, Frida Ghitis CNN, Wagner Group, Belarussian, Indian, Biological Safety, Twitter, Financial Times, Russian Locations: Russia, China, India, Russian, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Ukraine, Iran, Rostov, New Delhi, Iranian, Republic, Dagestan, Kremlin, Asia, Washington, Beijing

"Given the events, their relationship with the Syrian defence ministry is now over." Mali authorities did not respond to a request for comment on the flights and whether any Wagner fighters had been redeployed from Syria to Mali. Wagner fighters secured Syrian oilfields and Western officials say Wagner is linked to Evro Polis, a company that profits from those assets. Reuters was unable to determine the fate of those commercial interests in the wake of the Russian defence ministry's moves against Wagner in Syria and Russia. In the wake of the Wagner uprising, Syria's leadership quickly restated publicly the importance of its military alliance with Russia.

Persons: Wagner, Nawar Shaban, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bashar al, Assad, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Russian Wagner, Evro Polis, Asmaa al, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Ed McAllister, Joanna Plucinska, Mike Collett, White, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Omran Center, Strategic Studies, Syrian Republican Guard, Republican Guard, Reuters, Russian Reconciliation Center, Moscow State University, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Moscow, Syria, Russian, Russia, Istanbul, Damascus, Ukraine, Belarus, Syrian, Syria's, Homs, Hmeimim, Latakia, Bamako, West African, Mali, Evro Polis, Libya, elswhere, Africa, Western, U.S, Deir, Beirut, London

☆ Explainer: What's on the table for NATO at Vilnius summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It will be the fourth NATO summit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the first held virtually on Feb. 25, 2022, just one day after the assault, followed by meetings in Brussels and in Madrid. Security measures in Vilnius will be high, with three German Patriot air defence units deployed to protect the venue, a first for a NATO summit. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has made clear that Kyiv will not become a member while war rages, and that the Vilnius summit will not issue a formal invitation. NATO is also likely to find a stronger wording than 2008 to underscore Kyiv's perspective for joining the alliance. BOLSTERING NATO'S EASTERN FLANKLeaders will review the first defence plans the alliance has drawn up since the Cold War, detailing how NATO would respond to a Russian attack.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Tayyip Erdogan, Sabine Siebold, Gareth Jones Organizations: NATO, German Patriot, Kyiv, British, UKRAINE, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Vilnius, Ukraine, Brussels, Madrid, Lithuania, Russian, Kaliningrad, Belarus, UKRAINE, Kyiv, United States, Germany, Russia, Bucharest, NATO, Washington, Moscow, Turkey, Cyprus, SWEDEN Sweden, Stockholm, Britain, Poland, Greece, Estonia, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, Canada, Slovenia, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg

☆ No one from Wagner has visited barracks offered by Belarus, ministry adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TSEL, Belarus, July 7 (Reuters) - No one from the Russian Wagner mercenary group has yet visited a disused military camp that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has offered for Wagner's use, an adviser to the Belarus defence minister told reporters on Friday. Asked if Wagner had come to look at the site, the adviser, Leonid Kasinsky, said: "They have not come, they have not looked." [1/3]A view shows a tent camp, which, according to the Belarusian Defence Ministry, was set up for exercises at a disused military base near the village of Tsel in the Asipovichy District, Belarus July 7, 2023. Lukashenko said Belarus had offered Wagner the disused Soviet-era military quarters near Tsel, but added that "Wagner has a different vision for deployment", on which he declined to elaborate. Kasinsky said around 300 tents at the camp had been put up for an exercise, and were not connected to Wagner.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, Maxim Shemetov Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Kasinsky, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TSEL, Belarus, Russian, Tsel, Asipovichy District, Russia

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