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☆ Kremlin says report on Zelenskiy's alleged ignorance of Nord Stream attack is 'alarming'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching surface of the Baltic Sea in the area shows disturbance of well over one kilometre diameter near Bornholm, Denmark, September 27, 2022. A spokesperson for Ukraine's military told Reuters on Sunday he had "no information" about the report. Russia has repeatedly said, without providing evidence, that the West was behind the Nord Stream blasts - particularly the United States and Britain, which both deny involvement. The New York Times and The Washington Post have reported that Ukraine - which has repeatedly denied involvement, was behind the attack. In a blog post, entitled "How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline", Hersh said the plan was hatched in 2021 at the highest levels in the United States.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Chervinsky, Valery Zaluzhnyi, Dmitry Peskov, Zelenskiy, Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Seymour Hersh, Hersh, Dmitry Antonov, Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Danish Defence Command, REUTERS, Rights, Washington Post, Reuters, Sunday, U.S, New York Times, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Bornholm, Denmark, Ukrainian, Russia's, Europe, Ukraine, Germany, Russia, United States, Britain, Washington

☆ Russia to limit only VPN services which pose a 'threat' to security, RIA reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Demand for VPN services soared after Russia restricted access to some Western social media after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022. A 2017 Russian law obliged providers of VPN technology to cooperate with the Russian authorities and to restrict access to content banned by Russia or be banned themselves. Many VPN services remain widely in use throughout Russia and there has been a public debate among lawmakers about how much further to go in blocking VPN services which still allow access to banned information but also a host of other information. "On the basis of a decision by the expert commission... the filtration of certain VPN services and VPN protocols can be carried out on the mobile communication network for foreign traffic which is identified as a threat," RIA quoted the ministry as saying. RIA said that the ministry said that circumvention of restrictions on certain information was considered a threat.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Anton Tkachev, RIA, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Private Networks, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russia begins evacuating its nationals from Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The evacuation of Russian nationals from the Gaza Strip has begun and more than 60 Russian passport holders have crossed into Egypt, Russia's emergencies ministry said on Sunday. "Russian Emergency Situations Ministry specialists are providing medical and psychological assistance to the people on site, and providing them with food and water," it said. It said that Russian citizens will be transferred to Cairo and will be assisted with necessary paperwork. The ministry didn't say, how many Russian citizens are expected to leave Gaza. According to Russian media, some 1,000 Russians and nationals from the republics of the former Soviet Union have expressed a wish to leave Gaza.

Persons: Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Russian Federation, Emergency, Ministry, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Gaza, Russian, Egypt, Cairo

☆ Russia opens terrorist investigation after freight train derailed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Russian investigators have opened a terrorism investigation after a major freight train was derailed due to what they said was a homemade bomb on the railway line in the Ryazan region, the investigative committee said. "According to the investigation, at 07:12 on November 11, 2023, an improvised explosive device exploded," the committee said. "As a result, 19 wagons of the freight train were derailed." Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ryazan

☆ Russia Suspends Nuclear Decommissioning Pact With Japan - Document
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia has suspended a cooperation agreement with Japan on the decommissioning of Russian nuclear weapons, according to a government document made public on Thursday night. The document, posted on the Russian government's official online portal, showed that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had signed an order suspending the 1993 agreement on Tuesday. It did not give a reason for the decision, but said the Russian foreign ministry would inform Japan about the move. Under the suspended agreement with Japan, Tokyo helped decommission weapons, including dismantling nuclear submarines. But Japanese media reported that the work had stalled as Moscow has stopped sending the necessary data to Tokyo.

Persons: Mikhail Mishustin, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Reuters, Russian, Japan, Tokyo Locations: Russia, Japan, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Western, Vladivostok, Tokyo

☆ Russia's Putin meets military top brass to discuss Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as he visits the headquarters of the troops involved in the country's military campaign in Ukraine, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in this picture released November 10, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the war in Ukraine with his military top brass including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff. Pictures released by the Kremlin showed Putin at meeting with Shoigu, Gerasimov and General Sergei Rudskoy, head of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, at the southern military grouping's headquarters in Rostov. "The supreme commander in chief was shown new models of military equipment," the Kremlin said. Putin last month visited the military headquarters in Rostov, where Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin began a failed mutiny in June.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Putin, Shoigu, Sergei Rudskoy, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, General Staff, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Rostov, Don, Russia, Kremlin, Gerasimov

☆ Exclusive: Russian fuel export ban to be lifted next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russia, the world's top seaborne exporter of diesel, introduced a ban on fuel exports on Sept. 21 to tackle high domestic prices and shortages. The government eased restrictions on Oct. 6, allowing the export of diesel by pipeline, but kept measures on gasoline exports in place. Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov on Wednesday said that Russia was considering lifting the export ban on some grades of gasoline. Another industry source said the ban would be lifted next week. "They promised to lift the exports ban next week.

Persons: Shun, Tatiana Meel, Nikolai Shulginov, Diesel, Alexander Novak, Guy Faulconbridge, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Energy, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Nakhodka Bay, Nakhodka, Russia, Russian

☆ Russian artist who staged anti-war supermarket protest faces eight years in jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Alexandra Skochilenko, 33, carried out the protest on March 31 last year, replacing price tags with pieces of paper urging an end to the war. She was detained in April 2022 after a shopper complained about her action, which included displaying information about civilians allegedly killed in Russian shelling - something Moscow denied at the time - where supermarket prices would usually be. Skochilenko, who smiled from a courtroom cage on Wednesday, is being tried on the charge of spreading fake information about the Russian army, which is punishable by up to 10 years in jail. She denies her guilt and says her protest was purely a peaceful one. Reporting by Andrew Osborn Editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexandra, Sasha, Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Saint ., St Petersburg, Moscow

Two sources in Lebanon familiar with the Iran-backed group's arsenal say he was referring to Hezbollah's greatly enhanced anti-ship missile capabilities, including the Russian-made Yakhont missile with a range of 300 km (186 miles). Hezbollah perceives the U.S. warships as a direct threat because of their ability to hit the group and its allies. PAYING ATTENTIONThree current and one former U.S. official said Hezbollah has built an impressive array of weapons, including anti-ship missiles. Asked about the sources' accounts of Hezbollah having acquired Yakhont missiles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "First of all, this is news without any confirmation at all. Moscow said in 2010 it had signed a deal to send anti-ship cruise missiles including a version of the Yakhont to Damascus.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Washington, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, We're, Dmitry Peskov, Nasser Qandil, Qandil, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, John Davison, Maya Gebeily, Guy Faulconbridge, Tom Perry, Claudia Parsons Organizations: REUTERS, Group, U.S, Yakhont, Hamas, Hezbollah, Pentagon, Friday, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Reuters, Marines, Thomson Locations: Aaramta, Lebanon, Russian, Syria, States, U.S, BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Washington, Jihad, United States, Gaza, Lebanese, Iraq, Beirut, Russia, Hezbollah, Moscow, Damascus

[1/4] Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission General Zhang Youxia at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia November 8, 2023. Sputnik/Sergei Bobylev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Putin praises China cooperationMeets close ally of Xi in MoscowSays cooperation is to ensure strategic securityZhang says China respects PutinMOSCOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lauded what he described as important "high-tech" Russian military cooperation with China at a meeting in Moscow with a top Chinese general who is a close ally of President Xi Jinping. Putin, who heads the world's biggest nuclear power, said military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing was increasing and focused on high-tech areas that would ensure strategic security. "Of course, our cooperation, our contacts in the military and military-technical sphere are also becoming increasingly important, as for military-technical cooperation, here, of course, our work in high-tech spheres comes first," Putin said. Zhang said that his delegation had come in order to implement important agreements and further strengthen bilateral military cooperation.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Zhang Youxia, Sergei Bobylev, Xi, Zhang, Putin, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Defence, China's, Military, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Wednesday, Military Commission, Russian Defence, U.S, U.S . Congress, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, China, Putin MOSCOW, Beijing, Ukraine, Europe, United States, People's Republic of China, Washington, Asia, U.S, Australia, Britain

☆ Russian Artist Who Staged Anti-War Supermarket Protest Faces Eight Years in Jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - State prosecutors in St Petersburg on Wednesday asked a judge to jail a female artist for eight years after she staged a protest against Russia's war in Ukraine by replacing supermarket price tags with calls to stop the conflict. Alexandra Skochilenko, 33, carried out the protest on March 31 last year, replacing price tags with pieces of paper urging an end to the war. She was detained in April 2022 after a shopper complained about her action, which included displaying information about civilians allegedly killed in Russian shelling - something Moscow denied at the time - where supermarket prices would usually be. Skochilenko, who smiled from a courtroom cage on Wednesday, is being tried on the charge of spreading fake information about the Russian army, which is punishable by up to 10 years in jail. She denies her guilt and says her protest was purely a peaceful one.

Persons: Alexandra Skochilenko, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Reuters, Wednesday Locations: St Petersburg, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Russia's Patrushev says West stoking risk nuclear weapons will be used
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev attends a meeting of the collegium of the Prosecutor General's office in Moscow, Russia, March 15, 2023. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Wednesday that the "destructive" policies of the United States and its allies were increasing the risk that nuclear, chemical or biological weapons would be used. "The natural consequence of the United States' destructive policies is the deterioration in the global security," Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS. "The risk that nuclear, chemical and biological weapons will be used is increasing," Patrushev said. Reporting by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nikolai Patrushev, Pavel Bednyakov, Vladimir Putin, Patrushev, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Russia's, Sputnik, Rights, Russian Security, TASS, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States

MOSCOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that strategic dialogue with the United States over nuclear weapons was "definitely necessary" but that such talks could not happen while Washington was "lecturing" Moscow. Russia and the United States, by far the biggest nuclear powers, have both expressed regret about the steady disintegration of arms control treaties which sought to slow the Cold War arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war. When asked about the prospect of strategic dialogue on nuclear weapons with the United States and the West, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:"Dialogue is unequivocally necessary. When asked about the remarks, the Kremlin's Peskov said: "Patrushev is the secretary of the Security Council. "As for the Russian Federation, we have a (nuclear) doctrine where everything is clearly spelled out.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Nikolai Patrushev, Peskov, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Tuesday, NATO, West, Kremlin, Cuban Missile, Soviet Union, U.S, Russian Security, Security, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, United States, Washington, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russia puts Pussy Riot member on international wanted list - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian punk music group Pussy Riot, critical of the country's regime, perform during their anti-war concert tour, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at Shedhalle concert hall in Berlin, Germany May 12, 2022. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A Moscow court on Tuesday put Lyusya Shtein, a member of Pussy Riot who fled abroad, on an international wanted list for spreading knowingly "fake" information about the Russian armed forces, state news agency TASS reported. Pussy Riot, a feminist opposition group, rose to prominence by donning balaclavas and storming into Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Feb. 2012, shouting out a song against Putin. While in Russia, Shtein was repeatedly arrested by Russian police for participating in protest rallies. During one of these arrests in December 2021, Shtein, along with another Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina, went on hunger strike.

Persons: Annegret, Lyusya, Pussy, Vladimir Putin, Shtein, Putin, Maria Alyokhina, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Pussy Riot, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Berlin, Germany, Moscow, Russia, Moscow's, Shtein

☆ Russia says Israeli nuclear remark raises 'huge number of questions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"This has raised a huge number of questions," Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, was quoted as saying by state RIA news agency. Israel does not publicly acknowledge it has nuclear weapons though the Federation of American Scientists estimates Israel has about 90 nuclear warheads. "Question number one - it turns out that we are hearing official statements about the presence of nuclear weapons?" If so, she said, then where are the International Atomic Energy Agency and international nuclear inspectors? Tomorrow is late," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on platform X on Monday.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Amihay Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Israel, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Guy Faulconbridge, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Sunday, Federation of American, International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S, UN Security Council, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Israel, Gaza, Iran

☆ Solar Flares Bathe Swathes of Siberia in Scarlet 'Northern Lights'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Swathes of Russia and Ukraine were bathed in some of the strongest scarlet and green "northern lights" for years on Monday due to solar flares, according to pictures posted on social media and Russian media. The so-called "aurora borealis" bathed swathes of Siberia, the Urals, southern Russia and Ukraine in green, scarlet and purple overnight. Pictures posted on social media showed the night sky across Russia shining red and green. The lights are generated by streams of charged particles from the sun which penetrate the earth's atmosphere and collide with gas molecules which then release photons of light. The New Scientist magazine said in September that the northern lights are expected to be stronger this year than for at least a decade due to a surge in activity in the sun.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: New, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Urals

"The decision has been made - he will run," said one of the sources who has knowledge of planning. Three other sources said the decision had been made: Putin will run. A foreign diplomatic source, who also requested anonymity, said Putin made the decision recently and that the announcement would come soon. Peskov said in September that if Putin decided to run, then no one would be able to compete with him. "Russia is facing the combined might of the West so major change would not be expedient," one of the sources said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Mikhail Metzel, Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Josef Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev's, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Mikhail Gorbachev grappled, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexei Navalny, Oleg Orlov, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Unity, Sputnik, Kremlin, Reuters, Kommersant, West ., KGB, Soviet, Cuban Missile, West, NATO, China, European Union, Thomson Locations: Red, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, West . RUSSIA, Soviet Union, Ukraine, United States, European, Soviet Russia, Afghanistan

☆ Solar flares bathe swathes of Siberia in scarlet 'northern lights'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Swathes of Russia and Ukraine were bathed in some of the strongest scarlet and green "northern lights" for years on Monday due to solar flares, according to pictures posted on social media and Russian media. The so-called "aurora borealis" bathed swathes of Siberia, the Urals, southern Russia and Ukraine in green, scarlet and purple overnight. Pictures posted on social media showed the night sky across Russia shining red and green. The lights are generated by streams of charged particles from the sun which penetrate the earth's atmosphere and collide with gas molecules which then release photons of light. The New Scientist magazine said in September that the northern lights are expected to be stronger this year than for at least a decade due to a surge in activity in the sun.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: New, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Urals

SummaryCompanies New nuclear submarine nearly ready for serviceRussia building more submarinesKremlin: relations with Washington 'below zero'MOSCOW, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Russia's new strategic nuclear submarine, the Imperator Alexander III, has successfully tested a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday. The Imperator Alexander III is the seventh of the Russian Project 955 Borei (Arctic Wind) class nuclear submarines and the fourth of the modernised Borei-A variant, according to Russian sources. They are known in NATO as the Dolgoruky class of submarines, after the first boat - the Yuri Dolgoruky - became the first new generation of nuclear submarine launched by Russia since the Cold War. [1/2]Russia's new nuclear-powered submarine Imperator Alexander III test launches the Bulava ballistic missile, designed to carry nuclear warheads, from the White Sea, in this screengrab taken from a video released on November 5, 2023. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview aired on Sunday that relations with the United States were below zero.

Persons: Imperator Alexander III, Alexander III, Yuri Dolgoruky, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Dmitry Donskoy, Potemkin, Lidia Kelly, Guy Faulconbridge, William Mallard, David Goodman Organizations: Federation of American Scientists, Navy, Russian, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Soviet Union, Northern, Thomson Locations: Russia, Washington, MOSCOW, Russian, NATO, Soviet, Ukraine, United States, Pacific, Melbourne, Moscow

☆ Chechen leader's son, who beat a prisoner, made top bodyguard
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's 15-year-old son, who was shown beating a prisoner in custody this year, has been appointed to a senior role in his father's bodyguard, top Chechen security officials said on Sunday. Allies of the Chechen leader heaped praise on Adam Kadyrov, who turns 16 this month, for his courage and congratulated him on his appointment. "I sincerely congratulate ... Adam Kadyrov on his appointment to an important position in the security service of the head of the Chechen Republic!" Kadyrov's press service did not respond to a Reuters' request to comment. RIA agency reported on Saturday that Kadyrov's son was awarded the title of Hero of Chechnya in October.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov's, Adam Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Adam, Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin, Zamid Chalaev, Lidia Kelly, Guy Faulconbridge, David Evans Organizations: Sunday, Allies, Kremlin, Chechen, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Chechen Republic, Dudayev, Melbourne, Moscow

☆ Russia to continue voluntary cut of oil and oil product exports until year-end
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian oil cargo Pure Point, carrying crude oil, is seen anchored at the port in Karachi, Pakistan June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Russia will continue the additional voluntary supply cut of 300,000 barrels per day from its crude oil and petroleum product exports until the end of December 2023 as previously announced, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Sunday. "The additional voluntary cut is intended to strengthen the measures taken by OPEC+ countries to maintain the stability and balance of oil markets," Novak said. According to him, Russia will consider next month whether to deepen its voluntary export cuts or increase production. Saudi Arabia will continue with its voluntary output cut of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of December, an official source at the ministry of energy said on Sunday.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Alexander Novak, Novak, Olesya, Guy Faulconbridge, Maxim Rodionov Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, OPEC, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia

☆ Western officials broach with Kyiv issue of possible peace talks with Moscow - NBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian servicemen stand as a ferry carries their counterparts during an exercise, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv region, Ukraine November 2, 2023. The war in Ukraine, now in its 21st month, has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands and destroyed swathes of the country. NBC said the conversations had included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal with Russia. The conversations with Ukraine come amid concerns among U.S. and European officials that the war has reached a stalemate and also about the West's ability to continue providing aid to Ukraine, NBC quoted the officials as saying. Kyiv and its Western allies say this is nonsense and that Moscow's actions are an imperial-style land grab.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, NBC, U.S, Cuban Missile Crisis, Reuters, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Chernihiv region, Russia, Moscow, Crimea

☆ Putin says some Western weapons for Ukraine are ending up in the Taliban's hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with members of the country's Civic Chamber in Moscow, Russia, November 3, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that some Western weapons supplied to Ukraine were finding their way to the Middle East through the illegal arms market and being sold to the Taliban. Well of course they are because they are being sold," Putin said. Since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, Western powers have sent Ukraine tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons in an attempt to defeat Russian troops. In June 2022, the head of Interpol, Jürgen Stock, warned that some of the advanced weapons sent to Ukraine would end up in the hands of organised crime groups.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Bradley, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Chamber, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Interpol, Jürgen, Global, Transnational, United, Kiel Institute, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, East, Russian, United States, Africa, Europe

MOSCOW, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Russia on Friday dismissed new U.S. sanctions over the war in Ukraine, saying that the United States would never defeat Moscow, while the boss of Russia's fastest growing natural gas company quipped the sanctions were a badge of success. The United States on Thursday targeted Russia's future energy capabilities, sanctions evasion and a suicide drone that has been a menace to Ukrainian troops and equipment, among others, in sanctions on hundreds of people and entities. The Arctic-2 LNG project - targeted by the new sanctions - had been expecting to start exporting soon and it is uncertain how much Russian LNG will now be blocked. The largest Russian LNG producer Novatek NVTK.MM said in September it would start shipments from Arctic-2 LNG early next year. Leonid Mikhelson, the head of Russian natural gas producer Novatek(NVTK.MM), told a conference in the Uzbek city of Samarkand that the U.S. sanctions were a badge "of our professionalism".

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Novatek NVTK.MM, Leonid Mikhelson, Novatek, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Monetary Fund, Russian LNG, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Moscow, Russian, U.S, Europe, Uzbek, Samarkand

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 27, 2023. Washington expressed deep concern about Russia's decision and it was a step in the wrong direction. Moscow says its deratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is merely designed to bring Russia into line with the United States, which signed but never ratified the treaty. But some Western arms control experts are concerned that Russia may be inching towards a nuclear test to intimidate and evoke fear amid the Ukraine war. Post-Soviet Russia has not carried out a nuclear test.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Antony Blinken, Putin, Robert Floyd, Floyd, Andrey Baklitskiy, Russia's, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones, Grant McCool Organizations: Security, Kremlin, Sputnik, U.S, Moscow, Comprehensive, Washington, Treaty Organization, Russian Federation, Twitter, Soviet Union, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Washington, Russian, Soviet Russia, North Korea

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