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☆ Ukraine is proving it can kill Russia's most valuable officers even when they think they are safe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine killed a senior Russian officer in a long-range missile strike this week. Lt Gen Oleg Tsokov is the latest in a series of senior Russian officers killed in Ukraine. The blast hit a hotel housing Russian officers in the occupied city of Berdiansk, far from the front lines. The recent acquisition of Storm Shadow missiles means Ukraine can reach Russian top brass in places that used to be safe. The missiles have a range of 150 miles, almost triple that of the missiles Ukraine was previously using.

Persons: Gen Oleg Tsokov, Russia's, Ian Williams, Williams, Stanislav Rzhitsky, Rzhitsky, Sergei Surovikin, Wagner Organizations: Service, Russian, Shadow, Nikkei, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Storm Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Berdiansk, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russia, Russia's, Krasnodar

According to JPM's circular, the shares currently unaccounted for are estimated to be less than 1% of the shares held in custody at another financial institution. This meant Deutsche was unable to reconcile the company shares held at another custodian bank with the depositary receipts on its own books. The Bank of Russia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on JP Morgan's search for the potentially missing Magnit shares. More than 60% of Magnit's shares are free-float, with shareholders including major global asset managers, Refinitiv data shows. When first announcing the plans, Magnit said its voluntary tender offer was also addressed to JPM, regarding shares held in its DR program custody account.

Persons: Morgan Chase, Mike Segar, Morgan, JPM, Deutsche, Russia's, Magnit, Sinead Cruise, Alexander Marrow, Jane Merriman Organizations: Co, New York City, REUTERS, Reuters, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Bank . Lawyers, Deutsche, Bank of Russia, Settlement Depository, NSD, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: New York, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Krasnodar, Russia, Uzbekistan, Euroclear

July 11 (Reuters) - A Russian military official who had commanded a submarine in the Black Sea and appeared on a Ukrainian blacklist of alleged war criminals has been shot dead by an unknown assassin while on his morning run. Russia's top investigative body said Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was gunned down early on Monday in the southern city of Krasnodar. Rzhitsky's address and personal details appeared on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacemaker), a vast unofficial database of people considered to be enemies of Ukraine. Russian state media and war bloggers said Rzhitsky was deputy head of military mobilisation in the city and had previously commanded the "Krasnodar" submarine in the Black Sea. Russia has blamed Ukraine for the attacks, while Kyiv has denied involvement, suggesting they are the result of Russian infighting.

Persons: Stanislav Rzhitsky, Myrotvorets, Anton Gerashchenko, Gerashchenko, Rzhitsky, Darya Dugina, Vladlen Tatarsky, Vladimir Soldatkin, Maxim Rodionov, William Maclean Organizations: Russian, Russian Defence Ministry, Black, Telegram, Ukraine, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Krasnodar, Rzhitsky's, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Vinnytsia, Moscow

CNN —A Russian submarine commander was shot to death in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar on Monday, the apparent details of which were revealed by Ukrainian intelligence that stopped short of claiming responsibility for the shooting. Stanislav Rzhitsky was killed earlier this week by an “unknown person,” Russian state news agency TASS reported, adding that “the motive for the crime is being investigated.”Suspects for Rzhitsky’s death have been identified, according to TASS. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence disclosed how Rzhitsky was apparently shot, in an unusually detailed statement on Telegram. As a result of the gunshot wounds, Rzhitsky died on the spot,” the statement said. In language striking a detached, perhaps even sarcastic tone, the statement said Rzhitsky had come to the conclusion that missile strikes that killed civilians were ineffective.

Persons: Stanislav Rzhitsky, Rzhitsky, Makarov, “, ” Rzhitsky, Russia’s Organizations: CNN, TASS, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Strategic Communications Locations: Russian, Krasnodar, Krasnodar ., Vinnytsia

☆ A Russian sub commander was shot to death while on a morning run inside Russia — and Ukrainian intelligence knows surprising details about his killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian submarine commander was shot dead while on a morning run inside Russia. Ukrainian intelligence shared details about the killing but didn't take responsibility. But it seems that Ukrainian intelligence is already ahead of them. It's unclear if the assailant knew about Rzhitsky's Strava account or whether it was used in the killing. While Ukrainian intelligence didn't immediately take responsibility for Rzhitsky's death, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence service has previously said that his assassins had been successfully targeting pro-Russian war propagandists inside Russia's borders away from the frontlines.

Persons: Stanislav Rzhitsky, Rzhitsky, there'll, Makarov, Rzytsky, didn't Organizations: Kyiv Post, Service, TASS, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, of Culture Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Wall, Silicon, Krasnodar

☆ Russia says it thwarted Ukrainian plot to kill Moscow-backed head of Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 3 (Reuters) - Russia's FSB security service said on Monday it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of Crimea, arresting an agent before he could blow up Aksyonov's car. Russian media have reported that security has been stepped up in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and that additional checks are being made on crossings from Russia's southern Krasnodar region into Crimea. Footage broadcast on state TV showed masked FSB operatives detaining a man in a tracksuit as he walked into a wooded area. The FSB did not name the man, who it said was in his mid-30s and had entered Crimea in June. Aksyonov thanked the FSB and said he was sure the individuals who ordered the assassination would be found and punished.

Persons: Sergei Aksyonov, Ukraine's, Aksyonov, Andrew Osborn, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia, Russia's, Krasnodar, Ukrainian, Simferopol

☆ Here's what could happen to the Wagner Group after the armed rebellion against Russia failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Wagner paramilitary group attempted an armed rebellion in Russia but failed. Around 1,000 Wagner fighters have already decided to go to Belarus, the independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported, citing a source in Russia's Ministry of Defense. Putin admitted earlier this week that from May last year to May 2023, the Russian state paid more than 86 billion rubles ($940 million) to the Wagner Group. De Deus Pereira told Insider that this is where many fighters will return. Lukashenko told reporters earlier this week that he convinced Putin not to "wipe out" the Wagner chief after the failed rebellion, though some experts have disagreed.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, group's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Joana de Deus Pereira, Belarussian, Mikhail Svetlov, De Deus Pereira, Julia Stanyard, Lukashenko Organizations: Service, The Times, Prighozin, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Guardian, Prigozhin, Press, REUTERS Russia's Ministry of Defense, Marshall Fund, Wagner, Royal United Services Institute, Ministry of Defense, Russian, Central African, Global Initiative, Transnational, BBC Locations: Russia, Belarus, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Africa, Prigozhin, British, Russian, Luhansk, Donbas, Krasnodar, North Caucasus, Concord, Europe, Sochi, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali

REUTERS/StringerLONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - Following are facts about oil, gas and grains flows in Russia's southern region of Rostov, where the capital Rostov-on-Don was seized by Russian mercenaries. Russia's main grain exporting terminals on the Black Sea are further south, and this area has been unaffected by the developments so far. OIL & GASThe region of Rostov is not a major energy producer but several big oil and gas pipelines cross its territory. Russia is the world's second largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia. Russia's pipeline monopoly Transneft controls many pump stations on the route, including in the Rostov region.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer LONDON, Don, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrey Sizov, Sizov, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Ros Russell Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Wagner, Reuters, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Russia's, Russian, Azov, Saudi Arabia, Novorossiisk, Krasnodar, Voronezh

☆ Russian attack helicopters showed up in force on the front lines and have been putting dents in Ukraine's armored assaults
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

These activities are a detriment to the Ukrainian counteroffensive, but Kyiv's forces appear to be adapting. In this situation, "Russian forces deployed aviation in a way they haven't recently, to front-line positions, and were able to use it more successfully than they have in the past," he said. Russian Air Force Mil Mi-8 and Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopter Leonid Faerberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images"We haven't seen Russian forces really use aviation super extensively on the front line," Bailey said, adding "they have been concerned about having aviation losses." "Ukrainian forces are having to adapt to how Russian forces are employing these in southern Ukraine," he said, noting that they are seeing signs of that as the Ukrainians set the stage for their main attack. Ukraine hasn't committed the bulk of its dedicated counteroffensive forces to a major assault operation, and, as ISW's George Barros said recently, "big fireworks are still to come."

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Riley Bailey, Bailey, Kamov, Leonid Faerberg, it's, VITALY TIMKIV, Wagner, Karolina Hird, It's, Ukraine hasn't, George Barros Organizations: Service, Senior Ukrainian, BBC Wednesday, Institute for, Russian Air Force, Getty, Operations, Ukraine, Bakhmut, CNN, Fox News Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia's Krasnodar, AFP, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Oblast

☆ Attack helicopters are giving Russia the edge in the skies over southern Ukraine, says UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK Ministry of Defence said Russia's attack helicopters gave Putin's forces "a temporary advantage." Of all the Russian Air Force's attack helicopters, the Ka-52 is perhaps the most widely used. According to the latest UK Ministry of Defence briefing, Russian troops have reinforced its attack helicopter forces, allowing them to gain "a temporary advantage in southern Ukraine, especially with attack helicopters employing longer-range missiles against ground targets." Of all the Russian Air Force's attack helicopters, the Ka-52 is perhaps the most widely used. Featuring an unusual coaxial rotor design and a side-by-side crew seating arrangement, Insider reported that it has been on the frontline and involved in the thickest fighting more than any other Russian attack helicopter since Russia's attack began in February 2022.

Persons: —, h. Organizations: UK Ministry of Defence, Russian Air, Service, — Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukraine

The incidents come one day after a drone attack on Moscow, for which Russia has blamed Ukraine. Kyiv has not yet commented on the drone attack or on Wednesday’s incidents in Belgorod and Krasnodar. Elsewhere on Wednesday, a drone attack was launched on Russia’s Bryansk region, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Five people were killed and 19 injured in Ukrainian shelling of the village of Karpaty, in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Luhansk, the acting head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic said on Telegram. Measures are being taken.”A damaged multi-storey apartment following a reported drone attack in Moscow on Tuesday.

Persons: Gladkov, Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Rogov, ”, Mykhailo Podolyak, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, Lev Sergeev, Reuters “, “, Strategic Communications John Kirby, “ We’re, ” Kirby, Biden, Vladimir Putin, ” Putin, Peskov, Ian Stubbs Organizations: CNN, Russian Ministry of Defense, RIA Novosti, RIA, Putin, Wednesday, Luhansk People’s, ”, Reuters, Russian, National Security, Strategic Communications, “ Kyiv, Russia Legion, Kremlin, Russia Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Belgorod, Shebekino, Krasnodar, Crimea, Moscow, Bryansk, Karpaty, Russian, Luhansk, Luhansk People’s Republic, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Russia's Belgorod Oblast Russia, ”, Vienna, Kyiv

☆ Ukrainian drone sparks fire at Russian refinery - governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MOSCOW/KYIV, May 31 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia and shelling hit a Russian town close to the border for the third time in a week, damaging buildings and setting vehicles ablaze, Russian officials said on Wednesday. The Afipsky refinery is not far from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, near another refinery that has been attacked several times this month. There was no immediate information on who launched the drone but Moscow has accused Kyiv of increased attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, while Russia has repeatedly pounded Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles. Russian drone attacks killed one person and wounded four in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials. Civilian targets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have since the earliest days of the war been struck repeatedly by Russian drones and missiles.

Persons: Veniamin Kondratyev, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Mykhailo Podolyak, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Karine Jean, Pierre, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, David Ljunggren, Guy Faulconbridge, Max Hunder, Olena Harmash, Pavel Polityuk, Valentyn Ogirenko, Gleb Garanich, Lidia Kelly, Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland, Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel Organizations: Kyiv, Residents, Civilian, Washington, Russian, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, . Security, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, KYIV, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia's Krasnodar, Novorossiisk, Russian, Kyiv, Shebekino, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Washington, United States, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Fire at oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar likely caused by drone -governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 31 (Reuters) - A fire that broke out at the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region was likely caused by a drone, the region's governor said early on Wednesday. The fire was soon extinguished and there were no casualties, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on the Telegram messaging app. The Afipsky refinery lies not far from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk in Krasnodar. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. Reporting by Lidia Kelly and David Ljunggren; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Veniamin Kondratyev, Lidia Kelly, David Ljunggren, Christian Schmollinger, Tom Hogue Organizations: Thomson Locations: Russia's Krasnodar, Novorossiisk, Krasnodar, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Revealed: Vladimir Putin's secret Black Sea bunker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Anastasiia Carrier | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

You would think that the architects who designed Vladimir Putin's palace thought of everything. They failed to hide plans showing two elaborate tunnels running beneath the palace complex — plans that any competent state-security apparatus would fight tooth-and-nail to keep secret. The underground complex beneath Putin's palace consists of two separate tunnels connected by an elevator that descends roughly 50 meters below the surface. Gelendzhik is the town closest to the palace complex, a five-hour drive from the resort city of Sochi. "With the war in Ukraine," Kimmage said, "there's speechmaking, there's propaganda, there's exaggeration — there's this performative aspect that plays to Russia's domestic politics.

☆ Russia's irregular commanders, like the Wagner boss, are trying to force a top general's hand and risking throwing operations into chaos, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Irregular commanders, like Prigozhin, appear to be calling more of the shots in Ukraine, war experts say. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group's founder, and his fighters have routinely criticized Russia's top military officials over their handling of Russia's faltering war in Ukraine. In threatening to do so, the two "likely effectively blackmailed" Russia's military command into giving resources to Wagner, the ISW said in a Monday assessment. Graves of Russian Wagner mercenary group fighters are seen in a cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar region, Russia, on January 22, 2023. Meanwhile, Prigozhin marked the occasion by feuding with Russia's military leadership, attacking their ability to defend the country.

☆ Russia-Ukraine War: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Smoke rises from the side of the Ilsky Oil Refinery manufacturing complex in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia. For the past several days, Russian infrastructure near Ukraine’s border and in Russian-controlled Crimea has been targeted repeatedly. But it has usually maintained ambiguity about involvement in attacks on Russian territory. Russian officials reported strikes on train lines in Russia’s Bryansk region on Monday and Tuesday. Four drones also attacked storage facilities on Thursday at one of the largest oil refineries in southern Russia’s Krasnodar Territory, according to Tass, the Russian state news agency.

☆ Fire extinguished at Russian oil refinery after drone attack - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - A drone attack set ablaze parts of an oil products reservoir at a refinery in southern Russia, but emergency services said they extinguished the fire just over two hours later, TASS news agency reported early on Thursday. TASS said the incident occurred at the Ilsky refinery near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar region. "A second turbulent night for our emergency services," Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratyev wrote on Telegram, adding that tanks with oil products were on fire at the Ilsky refinery. Ukraine rarely claims responsibility for what Moscow says are frequent drone strikes against infrastructure and military targets, particularly in regions close to Russia. Moscow blamed Ukraine for an attack on April 29 that set fire to an oil depot in Sevastopol.

CNN —Ukrainian air defenses withstood Russia’s most intense air attack on Kyiv since the start of the year overnight into Thursday, the capital region’s military chief said. Last night, the aggressor launched another large-scale air strike on the capital,” Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, wrote on Telegram. Russian air attacks have targeted Kyiv on three days out of the past four, Popko said. Russian oil refinery firesAlso early on Thursday, fires broke out in two oil refineries in southwestern Russia, following separate alleged drone strikes. It is unclear who is responsible for the drone attack.

☆ Fuel depot ablaze in Russia's Krasnodar, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - A fuel storage facility near a key bridge in Russia's southwestern region of Krasnodar was on fire in the early hours of Wednesday, the regional governor said, but there were no initial reports of casualties. "The fire has been classified as the highest rank of difficulty," Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar, which lies across the Sea of Azov from Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app. It lies close to the Crimean Bridge, or the Kerch Strait bridge, that links Russia's mainland with the Crimea peninsula it annexed in 2014 from Ukraine. The incident comes after a drone strike set ablaze a Russian fuel storage facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol early on Saturday, in what Moscow said was a Ukrainian attack. Over the weekend, however, Kyiv's military said undermining Russia's logistics formed part of preparations for a long-expected counteroffensive.

☆ Analysis: Cross-border attacks as Russia and Ukraine seek to weaken each other ahead of expected offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine is apparently striking at fuel depots in Russian-occupied areas and inside Russia itself – seemingly precise attacks but ones to which Kyiv is making no overt claim. Russia has been lashing out at what often seem to be civilian targets in Ukraine, either in rage or through ineptitude. Ukraine was quick to capitalize on that statement and sent senior officials to the area to claim Russia had already begun pulling back. And now, in Kherson, Ukrainian officials have ordered a 58-hour curfew from 8 p.m. on May 5, barring locals from leaving their houses. This comes amid a deluge of comments from Ukrainian officials that the weather - for the past fortnight alternating between rain and bold sunshine - has held them back.

☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

☆ More than twice as many Russian troops as Ukrainians have been killed in Putin's war, leaked estimates show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaked estimates show more than twice as many Russians and Ukrainians have been killed in the war. The documents, which were recently leaked on social media and are currently the focus of a federal investigation, offer estimates for Russian and Ukrainian casualties. The Center for Strategic & International Studies, meanwhile, assessed that same month that between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers of the Aidar battalion training at an undetermined location in Donetsk oblast on April 4, 2023. For example, in some cases, information about Russian casualties appears to have been altered to show a much lower killed in action figure for the Russian forces.

☆ Some Russians can't agree if they should honor convict soldiers who died in Ukraine after trading prison for war: 'They killed, stole, stabbed, raped... What kind of heroes are they?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Wagner Group recruited thousands of Russian prisoners to fight in Ukraine in exchange for freedom. While those who died return home to be buried, residents can't agree on how they should be treated. The Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, caused controversy by recruiting convicted criminals to fight in Ukraine in exchange for their freedom. The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence briefing earlier this month that about half of all the Russian prisoners sent to fight Ukraine have been killed or wounded. Some residents are also concerned about pardoned prisoners who return home alive but may still be violent.

Putin, who came to power on the last day of 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned, is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin. "I know Russia will hold a presidential election," Xi told Putin in Mandarin. As Xi's words were translated into Russian, Putin looked Xi in the eye and smiled briefly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov swiftly pointed out that Xi had not specifically said Putin would participate in next year's election but added that the Kremlin shared Xi's confidence in Russians' support for Putin. Xi called Putin his "dear friend", and Putin used the same term to his guest.

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