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☆ Russia official warns countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risk their own destruction
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The speaker of Russia's parliament warned Sunday that countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risked their own destruction, a message that followed new pledges of armored vehicles, air defense systems and other equipment but not the battle tanks Kyiv requested. "Supplies of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime would lead to a global catastrophe," State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said. "If it requires our sending some Abrams tanks in order to unlock getting the Leopard tanks from Germany, from Poland, from other allies, I would support that." Since invading Ukraine, Russia also has increased both the scope and the number of its joint military drills with China. Ukraine is asking for more weapons as it anticipates Russia's forces launching a new offensive in the spring.

☆ A top investment chief explains why bonds offer an attractive hedge for a mild and brief recession in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I'm senior reporter Phil Rosen, and below I'm sharing my conversation with Northwestern Mutual's chief investment officer, Brent Schutte. He sees the bond market as this year's best recession hedge. Phil Rosen: You said you're expecting a mild and brief recession this year. Brent Schutte: The good news is that the bond market has repriced, and the bond market is a hedge against that recession. BC: I do think earnings will come down this year, and cheaper equities give a margin of safety against that.

☆ Russians are posting footage of air-defense systems being installed on Moscow's roofs, a sign the Kremlin may fear an attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian Telegram channels are posting footage of anti-air systems installed on Moscow's rooftops. The footage, which Insider was unable to independently verify, has since been reposted several times on Twitter. On January 13, Russia's longer-range S-400 surface-to-air-missile systems were also seen deployed in photos posted by the anti-war Telegram channel CHTD. The images, which Insider was also unable to independently verify, show the systems installed in two parks near central Moscow. Russian state media and officials have not addressed the new footage of the missile systems so far.

☆ SLB wins Russia business as oilfield rivals exit after Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Liz Hampton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, world's largest oilfield firm SLB (SLB.N) has boosted its business in Russia by cherry-picking service and equipment contracts from rivals who left, according to company documents and people familiar with its operations. For example, SLB's Russia and Central Asia reservoir performance division in the third quarter of 2022 grew revenue by 25% over the prior quarter. The company said in March that, while it is continuing operations in Russia, it has halted new investments there. One reason SLB is finding new success in Russia is that rivals have exited the region. "The message from HQ is to take mostly exclusive contracts with high revenue," said a SLB employee involved in the business wins.

☆ UK to send 600 Brimstone missiles to Ukraine - Defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAPA MILITARY BASE, Estonia, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Britain plans to send 600 Brimstone missiles to Ukraine to support the country in its fight against Russia, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Thursday. Wallace was meeting with other defence ministers at the Tapa army base in Estonia. He outlined a previously-announced package of military support for Ukraine, including sending Challenger tanks, and added detail on the types of missiles Britain would supply. "I can say we're also going to send another 600 Brimstone missiles into theatre which will be incredibly important in helping Ukraine dominate the battlefield," he said. Reporting by William James and Muvija M, Editing by Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ IEA chief expects Russia to lose the energy battle, sees major difficulties for Moscow's exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The IEA's Birol said that prior to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, "Russia was the number one energy exporter to the world." International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol believes Russia will lose its energy war with the West, saying China and India's crude oil purchases will likely fall short of offsetting the fall in shipments to Europe. Last week, an independent analysis from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air showed that revenues from Russia's fossil fuel exports collapsed in December, significantly hampering President Vladimir Putin's ability to finance the war in Ukraine. It said that the Western measures were largely responsible for a 17% fall in Russia's earnings from fossil fuel exports in the final month of 2022. A spokesperson for Russia's Finance Ministry did not respond when asked to comment on the report's findings.

☆ Wagner chief Prigozhin attacks Putin administration over failure to block YouTube
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 18 (Reuters) - The increasingly prominent head of the Russian private military group Wagner on Wednesday took aim at the Kremlin administration for failing to block the U.S.-owned video sharing platform YouTube. Prigozhin publicly complained of attempts to minimise Wagner's role and belittle its achievements, and the ministry later issued an update praising the "courageous and selfless actions" of Wagner fighters. With around 90 million monthly users in Russia, YouTube, like Google a unit of Alphabet (GOOGL.O), is extremely popular and plays an important role in the digital economy. Though Russia has domestic versions of other social media, a viable YouTube alternative on that scale is yet to emerge. Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ State media reports Russia has built its first batch of Poseidon doomsday torpedoes, one of Putin's 'super weapons'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The first batch of Russia's Poseidon torpedoes has been produced, state media reported. The Poseidon is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's six so-called "super weapons." A Russian Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone is captured in an undated video grab provided by the Russian Defense Ministry. Poseidon torpedoes are considered to be one of Russia's six experimental "super weapons." TASS reported on Sunday that the Poseidon torpedoes are made for the Russian nuclear-power submarine Belgorod, which was launched in April 2019.

☆ Russian embassy accidentally shares map ignoring Putin's bogus land claims in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's embassy in Sweden tweeted a map that went against Putin's territorial claims in Ukraine. Putin claims a number of Ukrainian regions as part of Russia. Though Putin claims these regions as part of Russia, the territories are not fully controlled or occupied by Russian forces. The map shared by Russia's embassy in Sweden, which claimed to show gas prices in Europe, did not depict these regions as Russian territory. The Russian embassy in Sweden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ Actor who starred in one of Putin's favorite movies says he's now prepared to fight for Ukraine and kill Russian soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian actor Artur Smolyaninov told Novaya Gazeta he is willing to fight for Ukraine. Smolyaninov, who is living in exile, starred in one of President Vladimir Putin's favorite movies. Smolyaninov was once a beloved actor in Russia, known as Russia's "Rambo," a reference to the action movies starring Sylvester Stallone. Last summer, he told a journalist that Russia's war was a catastrophe. US-born actor Steven Seagal has regularly advanced Russian talking points, notably when visiting the site of a destroyed Ukrainian prison in Donetsk last August.

☆ Kalashnikov boosted production by 40% last year as the Russian army kept buying weapons to use in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kalashnikov has fulfilled "the largest contracts" in its history after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The company boosted production by 40% last year compared with 2021. Contracts with the Russian defense ministry boosted sales despite Western sanctions. The arms-maker that makes the AK-47 and is officially called JSC Kalashnikov Concern boosted production last year by 40% in comparison with 2021 to hit a 20-year high. According to its website, Kalashnikov accounts for 95% of Russia's production of machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols and other handheld firearms.

☆ Op-ed: Oil CEO Sultan Al Jaber is the ideal person to lead the UN climate conference this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Frederick Kempe | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Nowhere is this shift among climate activists more evident than in Germany, where Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, the Green Party leader, is serving as the pragmatist-in-chief. Some climate activists were aghast this Thursday when the UAE named Sultan Al Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), as president of this year's COP 28. Al Jaber, speaking to the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum on Saturday, captured his ambition to drive faster and more transformative results at COP 28. "We are way off track," said Al Jaber. "We will work with the energy industry on accelerating the decarbonization, reducing methane, and expanding hydrogen," said Al Jaber.

☆ A Chinese official said 'Putin is crazy' but Beijing may be trying to have it both ways by distancing itself from the Ukraine war while still supporting Russia financially
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Several Chinese officials tried to distance themselves from Putin and the Ukraine war, FT reported. China has not officially endorsed the war but continues to buy Russian energy and other exports. As of August, Chinese imports from Russia jumped by nearly 60% from the year prior, while exports to Russia increased by 26%, Reuters reported, citing customs data. And in the FT report published this week, several Chinese officials tried to distance China from the Ukraine invasion, even expressing mistrust in Putin directly. "Putin is crazy," one unnamed Chinese official told FT. "The invasion decision was made by a very small group of people.

☆ Analysis: Russian mercenary boss courts Putin with Ukrainian battlefield success
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Now as the founder of Russia's most powerful mercenary group, he is vying for Vladimir Putin's favour by claiming a rare battlefield win in Ukraine. Russia claimed victory on Friday after Ukraine said its forces were holding on after a 'hot' night of fighting. The defence ministry on Friday attributed victory to its airborne units, missile forces and "artillery of a grouping of Russian forces". Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled RT channel and close to the Kremlin, thanked Prigozhin for Soledar. Despite its sometimes publicly strained ties with the Russian defence ministry, some Western military analysts suspect Wagner is closely affiliated with it.

☆ Putin's military command reshuffle reveals a power struggle at the heart of the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin's latest reshuffle of the top brass in charge of Ukraine operations reveals a deeper power struggle between Moscow's military command and its domestic detractors, analysts say. One of the most prominent and powerful critics of Moscow's strategy in Ukraine is Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group — a private military company fighting in Ukraine. His criticism seemed to bear fruit with the October appointment of Gen. Sergei Surovikin as the overall battlefield commander for Russian troops in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Prigozhin's criticism of Russia's military commanders and frequent boasts over the Wagner Group's triumphs have raised heckles in Moscow. Sergei Surovikin, the former commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, seen here in 2021.

☆ Factbox: Who is Russia's new war commander Gerasimov and why was he appointed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Gerasimov's deputies will be Army General Sergei Surovikin, the previous theatre commander, appointed three months ago and nicknamed "General Armageddon"; Army General Oleg Salyukov; and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel-General Alexei Kim. "Now the General Staff is directly and uncompromisingly responsible for absolutely everything," said Semyon Pegov, a Russian military blogger who uses the name Wargonzo. Gerasimov was appointed chief of the general staff and deputy defence minister by Putin on Nov. 9, 2012, three days after Putin's long-time ally Sergei Shoigu was made defence minister. Gerasimov played key roles in Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and in Russia's game-changing military support for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War. Gerasimov was born on Sept. 8, 1955, in Kazan, rising through the ranks from Russia's tank forces to graduate in 1997 from the Military Academy of the General Staff.

☆ Column: Europe's mild weather reprieve this winter may come to bite by summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In Switzerland - one of Europe's top winter sports destinations - many ski resorts have been forced to close due to a lack of snow. KINDLINGBeyond lost tourism revenues, the unusually low snow totals and warm temperatures pose a potential threat to several European sectors later this year. For power producers, the low snow totals come on the back of a drier-than-normal 2022, and leave hydro power production potential sharply below normal in several key countries. Last July, a prolonged heat wave pushed river temperatures above the level that can help cool reactors, and forced power producers in France to curb nuclear output. If snow totals remain well below usual, river temperatures may stay warmer than normal in 2023 and pose a fresh risk to nuclear operators.

☆ The war in Ukraine could be decided this year, former US Army general says, warning of dire consequences if Russia faces defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's war with Ukraine could come to a conclusion this year, according to a former US Army general. The Kremlin would likely turn to nuclear weapons if Moscow faces defeat in the conflict, he said. Ryan explained: "Both sides are still too strong to agree to say that they don't have a shot at winning this war. Or is it more dangerous that the Russian military should be defeated in the field and destroyed?" Russia suffered a brutal defeat at the end of World War I and "it helped bring to power the communist regime in Russia," Ryan said, adding, "Russia being destroyed — its military being destroyed — would greatly weaken the country and cause internal revolt."

☆ The West’s oil war against Russia is starting to take its toll — sparking calls for tougher measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's revenues from fossil fuel exports collapsed in December, according to a new report, significantly hampering President Vladimir Putin's ability to finance the war in Ukraine. "The EU's oil ban and the oil price cap have finally kicked in and the impact is as significant as expected," Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA, said in a statement. It's essential to lower the price cap to a level that denies taxable oil profits to the Kremlin, and to restrict the remaining oil and gas imports from Russia," Myllyvirta said. The G-7, Australia and the EU implemented a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil on Dec. 5. Together, the measures reflected by far the most significant step to curtail the fossil fuel export revenue that is funding the Kremlin's onslaught in Ukraine.

☆ Putin ally Patrushev says Russia is now fighting NATO in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev (L) looks at President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with the BRICS countries' senior officials in charge of security matters at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 26, 2015. "The Westerners' plans are to continue to pull Russia apart, and eventually just erase it from the political map of the world," Patrushev said. The United States has denied Russian claims that it wants to destroy Russia, the world's biggest producer of natural resources, while President Joe Biden has cautioned that a conflict between Russia and NATO could trigger World War Three. "The American state is just a shell for a conglomerate of huge corporations that rule the country and try to dominate the world," Patrushev said. The United States, Patrushev said, had sown chaos in Afghanistan, Vietnam and the Middle East, and had been trying for years to undermine Russia's "unique" culture and language.

☆ Amid Ukraine war, Putin's top brass promise a stronger military
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We need to constantly analyse and systematise the experience of our groups' actions in Ukraine and Syria, and on that basis to draw up training programmes for personnel and plans for the supply of military equipment," Shoigu said. On conventional weapons, Shoigu gave a remarkably frank analysis of where Russia needed to improve. Shoigu said Russia would pay particular attention to the air force, build up its overall strike capabilities and improve command, communication and training. Shoigu also said the military commissariats, which are responsible for drafting soldiers, needed to be modernised. "It is necessary to digitalise databases, establish interaction with local and regional authorities, as well as industry," Shoigu said of the commissariats.

☆ Russia pledges to develop more nukes, submarines, and bombers, calling them its main guarantee of sovereignty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia will continue to develop its nuclear triad, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday. The triad consists of ICBMs, nuclear submarines, and strategic bombers. Shoigu said that Russia will push ahead with the development and maintenance of ballistic missiles, submarines, and strategic bombers, a combination known as a nuclear triad, Reuters reported. Russia's nuclear triad delivery systems are currently in the process of modernization, the non-partisan think tank said. Those modernization efforts include the construction of Borei-class nuclear submarines, the development of a new ICBM, and equipping its air fleet with nuclear cruise missiles.

☆ Almost half of top foreign-policy experts think Russia will become a failed state or break up by 2033, according to a new survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new survey of foreign-policy experts found that 46% think Russia will fail or break up by 2033. The Ukraine war highlights the possibility of "internal problems" in Russia, said one author. A majority of the experts surveyed also believe that China will invade Taiwan within 10 years. The survey found that 46% of the 167 experts surveyed, who come from academic, non-profit, governmental, and consultancy backgrounds, anticipate Russia's collapse within the next decade. The experts surveyed by the Atlantic Council also anticipate major developments elsewhere in the world.

☆ The financial prize of huge salt mines could have driven Russia's Wagner Group to sacrifice 1,000 men to capture the city of Bakhmut, says White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A White House official told Reuters that the head of Wagner Group wants salt and gypsum from Bakhmut. Mercenaries from Wagner Group, the private paramilitary group, have been fighting on the front lines in Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, along with Russian armed forces. The Wagner Group has paid a bloody price in the fighting around Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers walk to the frontline in Bakhmut, Ukraine on December 16, 2022. The Wagner Group, which is aligned with the Kremlin, has an active presence in several African countries.

☆ Putin wasted his leverage over Europe, which no longer relies on Russia for gas, German minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

German minister says Russia wasted the leverage it had in the early stage of the conflict with Ukraine. Europe was heavily reliant on Russian gas, but countries have now diversified their supplies. After the invasion of Ukraine there were fears of blackouts in Germany and other countries across Europe, as Russia drastically reduced its gas supplies amid sharp criticism of its aggression against its neighbor. But Germany's scramble to secure alternative energy supplies has borne fruit, with the country switching to sources of energy including Liquefied Natural Gas, or LNG. Habeck said that Germany was now "one-third done" with replacing Russian energy supplies through other means, and sounded a note of cautious optimism.

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