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☆ Exclusive: EU nuclear agency sees some Russia imports up again in 2023 from before Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Its overall imports from Russia's nuclear energy industry held steady last year despite rising demand for nuclear power driven by high energy costs and a push to cut carbon emissions. The trend highlights challenges EU faces in reaching its long-term goal of achieving VVER fuel self-sufficiency. EU imports of natural uranium from Russia fell 16% last year from 2021, a drop compensated by increase in deliveries from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, ESA said. In 2022, the EU's Russian nuclear energy imports were worth around 750 million euros ($823 mln), or 1% of the bloc's Russian gas imports, according the European Commission. Sources said, however, that the proposal - which is not public - does not include sanctions on Russia's nuclear energy industry.

Persons: Radovan Stoklasa, ESA's, Stefano Ciccarello, Ciccarello, Finland's, Gabriela Baczynska, Anne Kauranen, Timothy Gardner, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Union, Euratom Supply Agency, ESA, Reuters, U.S, Westinghouse, Commission, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Mochovce, Slovakia, Russia, BRUSSELS, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, France, Sweden, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Europe, United States, Brussels, Helsinki, Washington, Budapest

☆ Chechen leader's 16-year-old son named to post in rifle battalion
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Russia's Chechnya, waits before an annual state of the nation address attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, December 1, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's teenage son, who was shown beating a prisoner in custody this year, has been named as an observer in a new battalion that is part of Russia's defence ministry forces, a senior Chechen official said late on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Adam Delimkhanov, who heads the Chechen division of the Russian national guard and is also a member of Russia's parliament, said the young Kadyrov was named a curator, or observer, of a rifle battalion. The Chechen rifle battalion was created earlier this month, according to Russia's state media. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Maxim, Ramzan Kadyrov's, Adam Kadyrov, Adam, Adam Delimkhanov, Kadyrov, Delimkhanov, Lidia Kelly, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Kremlin, REUTERS, Chechen, Russian, Thomson Locations: Chechnya, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Melbourne

☆ Inmates at one of Russia's harshest detention centers are forced to listen to Bon Jovi and AC/DC on repeat, detainee says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Detainees at Kapotnya-7 are subjected to daily blasts of Bon Jovi and AC/DC songs, an inmate said. He shared the songs featured on a playlist that those awaiting trial are made to listen to every day. AdvertisementDetainees in one of Russia's strictest pre-trial detention centers are forced to listen to songs by Bon Jovi and AC/DC on repeat every morning, according to a prisoner being held there. Newsweek was the first to report on the repetitive playlist, which detainee Grigory Melkonyants said is blasted via a loudspeaker at the Kapotnya-7 pre-trial detention center. "Grigory Melkonyants, who has spent 100 days in a pre-trial detention center, recorded which songs are played on the internal radio in the pre-trial detention center in the morning," the message said.

Persons: Bon, Russia's, —, Bon Jovi, Grigory Melkonyants, Melkonyants, Golos, Moby, Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin Organizations: Bon Jovi, Service, Newsweek, Facebook Locations: Kapotnya, Russia, American, Russian

☆ Ukraine says spymaster's wife is recovering after being poisoned by heavy metals, and an expert believes Russia is a prime suspect
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top Ukrainian military official's wife was diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning, officials said. An expert said Russia is a prime suspect given the country's penchant for poison. AdvertisementThe wife of Ukraine's top military intelligence official is recovering in a hospital after being poisoned by heavy metals, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. While the motive and perpetrator behind Budanova's poisoning remains unclear, an expert on Russia and Ukraine said Russia is the obvious suspect. Russia's penchant for poison points to "a precedent and pattern for this type of behavior," Miles told Business Insider.

Persons: Marianna Budanova, —, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's Elle, Budanova, Simon Miles, Alexei Navalny, Sergeĭ Skripal, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Miles, Budanov, Kyiv —, Budovna Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Local, AP, Washington Post, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Business, Kyiv, Ukrainska Pravda Locations: Russia, Local Ukrainian, Ukraine, Soviet, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Russia says it downed dozens of Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow, following a mass strike on Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

An explosion of a drone is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 25, 2023. Moscow's Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports also briefly shut down because of the drone attack, according to Russia's state-run news agency Tass. The attack was "the most massive air attack by drones on Kyiv" in the war so far, Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration, said on Saturday. Ukrainian air force spokesman, Yurii Ihnat, confirmed later that same day that air defenses shot down 66 air targets over the Ukrainian capital and surrounding region throughout the morning. The Ukrainian air force early on Sunday said it had brought down eight of nine Iranian-made Shahed drones fired overnight by Russian forces.

Persons: Sergei Sobyanin, Andrei Vorobyev, Moscow's, Vitali Klitschko, Serhii Popko, Yurii Ihnat, Denis Pushilin Organizations: Sunday, Russia, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Telegram, Military, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian General Staff, Ukrainian, Staff Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Tula, Ukrainian, Russia, Soviet Ukraine, Azov, Crimea, Kyiv ., Donetsk, Mariupol, Avdiivka, Washington

☆ Ukraine got the top tanks it wanted from the West, but they're not yet changing the game
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ukraine got the Leopard, Challenger, and Abrams tanks it asked its Western partners for. It's up to Ukraine to either use the tanks to defend against Russian offensives or preserve them for next spring, experts told Business Insider. AdvertisementNow, almost two years into the war, Ukraine has a force of advanced Western tanks at its disposal. Advertisement"These Western type of tanks are qualitatively superior to even the best Russian tanks that the Russians are using in Ukraine," Gentile told Business Insider. There are also questions of whether or not these will be the only Western tanks Ukraine gets, or if there are more in the pipeline.

Persons: Abrams, —, Seth G, Jones, Harold Brown, There's, Gian Gentile, RAND's, Austin Berner Ukraine, M1 Abrams, Gentile, Iraq's, DANIEL LEAL, hasn't, it's, Philipp Schulze, there's, they're Organizations: Russian, Service, Leopards, Transnational, Center for Strategic, International Studies, RAND's Arroyo Center, US Army, Army Staff, Challenger, M1, Soviet, Defense, Ministry of Defence, Getty, Business, Bundeswehr, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Fort Benning, Ga, Soviet, Russia, Soviet Union, England, Zaporizhzhia, Azov, Crimea, Avdiivka, Russian, Lower Saxony, Bergen

☆ Mali signs agreement with Russia to build gold refinery
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Tiemoko Diallo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAMAKO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Mali's military government said it has signed an agreement with Russia to build a gold refinery in the capital Bamako, one of a slew of deals between the two countries as Russia seeks to extend its regional influence. The deal is the latest sign of Russia's deepening interests in Mali, one of Africa's largest gold producers, just as Western influence there wanes. Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom signed an deal with Mali in October to explore for minerals and produce nuclear energy. Sanou said he had also signed a deal with a Russian firm to build a 200- to 300-megawatt solar power plant by mid-2025. Industrial gold production in Mali totalled 66.2 tonnes last year, mostly from mines owned by Barrick Gold (ABX.TO), B2Gold (BTO.TO), Resolute Mining (RSG.AX), Allied Gold (AAUC.TO) and Endeavour Mining .

Persons: Alousséni Sanou, Sanou, Rosatom, Wagner, Tiemoko Diallo, Hereward Holland, Edward McAllister, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Wagner Group, Islamic, Barrick Gold, Resolute Mining, Allied, Endeavour Mining, Thomson Locations: BAMAKO, Russia, Bamako, Mali, Russian, France, Africa, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ Kremlin tries to stifle war bloggers' 'hysteria' over Ukrainian offensives in Dnipro, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

However, Russian military bloggers said they're failing, per the Institute for the Study of War. AdvertisementThe Kremlin is struggling to stamp out Russian military bloggers' "hysteria" around Ukrainian offensives in the Dnipro River, according to war analysts. Shoigu's speech is likely intended to play down Russian military bloggers' fears about Russia's struggles on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, the Institute said. On Monday, a Russian milblogger called Two Majors on Telegram, posted a letter allegedly written by a Russian soldier. It said the lack of drones in the area meant Russian forces were moving more slowly and exposed them to Ukrainian strikes.

Persons: —, Sergei Shoigu, Russia's, Vladimir Putin, OGPU, Krynky, Serhiy Bratchuk, Ukraine's Espreso, Natalia Gumenyuk, Andriy Yermak, Su Organizations: for, Service, Institute, Novosti, Telegram, 1st Battalion, 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade, Ukrainian, Odesa's, Administration, AFP Locations: Dnipro, Kherson, Ukraine, Krynky, Censor.Net, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Donetsk

☆ Russia deploys new nuclear missile in Kaluga region - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Visitors gather near a Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system at an exposition of the international military-technical forum Army-2023 at Patriot Congress and Exhibition Centre in the Moscow region, Russia, August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - Russia has deployed a new Yars intercontinental ballistic missile at the Kozelsk base in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, the RIA news agency cited the defence ministry as saying on Wednesday. Russia has described the Yars missile, developed in the 2000s and capable of carrying multiple thermonuclear warheads, as one of its newer weapons capable of piercing the missile shield used by the United States and its allies. The Kozelsk regiment, where the new missile was loaded into a silo, was the first one in Russia's Strategic Missile Forces to start upgrading to silo-based Yars missiles, RIA said. The missiles were initially deployed at other regiments in a mobile version.

Persons: Stringer, Robert Birsel Organizations: Patriot Congress, Exhibition, REUTERS, Strategic Missile Forces, RIA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Kaluga, United States

☆ Russia's advice to troops dealing with exploding drones is to weld cages on any vehicles they can
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is advising troops to weld cages onto their vehicles and tanks to protect from drone attacks. Russia's advice: Weld cages onto any and every vehicle. In many cases, the ministry's official advice is to weld various shapes and sizes of cages to vehicles. Some illustrations show cages on top of tank turrets, while others show cages surrounding the sides, front, and back of vehicles. The cages aren't total to allow troops to still exit their vehicles, allowing access points for drones to swarm and destroy.

Persons: —, Weld Organizations: Service, Russia's Ministry, Defense Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russia admits it was on the verge of economic collapse after getting hit with western sanctions last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia made a rare admission regarding the effectiveness of Western sanctions. A Kremlin spokesperson said the nation was on the brink of collapse after unprecedented sanctions. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . That economic pressure was largely brought on by sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Peskov added. Russia's economic projections are also based on cherry-picked data, according to two Yale researchers, who have proposed that the nation's economy could be teetering on the edge of collapse as the war consumes all available resources.

Persons: —, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Putin Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Russia, SWIFT, International Monetary Fund, Yale Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russia's, Ukraine

☆ Russia relishes divisions between China and the U.S., pouring cold water on Xi-Biden talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his press conference at the Konstantin Palace on July 29, 2023 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Russian media have already reveled in pouring cold water on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit where Xi and Biden are due to meet Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited due to U.S. sanctions so Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk is representing Russia at the summit. A range of Russian newspapers including Kommersant, Izvestia, Argumenty i Fakty, Nezavisimaya Gazeta and Komsomolskaya Pravda did not feature any news on the APEC summit or Xi-Biden talks. China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden at the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Konstantin, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Xi, Biden, Katherine Tai, Tai, David Paul Morris, Xi's, Alexei Overchuk, Dmitry Peskov, Kamala Harris, Kent Nishimura, Komsomolskaya, Putin, — Xi, Sergei Guneyev, Ian Bremmer, Saul Loeb Organizations: Getty, U.S, Economic Cooperation, Novosti, APEC, U.S . Trade, Russian Federation, San Francisco International Airport, American, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Israel, Kremlin, SAN FRANCISCO, Merchant Exchange Club, Tass, Kommersant, Izvestia, Gazeta, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Sputnik, AFP, West, Analysts, Eurasia Group, China's, Afp Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Russian, San Francisco, China, Beijing, Washington, Moscow, Asia, United States, San Francisco , California, Ukraine, Pacific, U.S, CALIFORNIA, Taiwan, Nusa Dua, Indonesian, Bali

LONDON (AP) — Russia's State Duma took a step forward Wednesday towards approving its biggest-ever federal budget which will increase spending by around 25% in 2024, with record amounts going on defense. Part of the Russian budget is secret as the Kremlin tries to conceal its military plans and sidestep scrutiny of its war in Ukraine. Analysts suggest Russia is in third place globally for defense spending behind China and the United States, which spends around $850 billion a year. The main driver of that growth is Russia's war in Ukraine, which is now as important to the Kremlin economically as it is politically. If there is a reduction in military spending, or a need to reduce spending which impacts living standards, it could send shockwaves through the Russian economy and significantly impact ordinary people.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Richard Connolly, Farida Rustamova, Maksim Tovkaylo, Alexandra Prokopenko, Anton Siluanov, “, Connolly, they’ve, ” Prokopenko, Prokopenko, — — David McHugh Organizations: —, Duma, Kremlin, Royal United Services Institute, Independent, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Russian Central Bank, Finance, Defense, Central Bank Locations: — Russia's, Russia, Ukraine, London, China, United States, Russian, West, India, Berlin, Frankfurt

☆ Retail investors in Russia are powering an IPO hot streak that's drawing vodka makers and pawnshops to go public
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's stock market is seeing a streak of IPOs. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Russian IPO market is seeing a streak of firms go public, with vodka makers to gold miners to pawnshop operators selling shares for the first time. Most of the boom in the Russian stock market is being powered by retail traders, who have plowed cash into the Moscow Exchange. AdvertisementAdvertisementThat's incentivized all types of firms to make their public market debut. Western economists have cast doubt over the strength of Russia's stock market, given that foreign inflows and outflows within the Moscow Exchange are frozen.

Persons: —, Yahuralzoloto Organizations: Moscow Exchange, Bloomberg, Service, Retail, Yale Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Kaluga, Kristal

☆ Russia will need to sacrifice air defense at its own borders to help cover gaps in Ukraine, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia could be forced to sacrifice air defenses at its borders, UK intelligence said. Losses in Ukraine mean that key air defense weapons will likely need to be redeployed, it said. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia may need to sacrifice air defenses protecting its borders to help cover gaps in the front lines in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Thursday. Last week, Russia lost three S-400 Triumf missile systems in the Luhansk region, weakening its air defenses there, the MOD said. The British ministry added that Russia's struggle to keep its air defenses in place is proof the war is overstretching its military.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, UK Ministry of Defence, MOD, BBC, Reuters, Institute for Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Luhansk, Crimea, Russian, Olenivka

☆ Russia is turning increasingly hostile toward Israel as it picks sides in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - JANUARY 23: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) attend their meeting at Prime Minister's Office on January 23, 2020 in Jerusalem, Israel. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 19, 2022. Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during a meeting in Sochi on November 20, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting on Jan. 23, 2020, in Jerusalem. Russia's President Vladimir Putin with senior Saudi officials in 2014.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mikhail Svetlov, Russia's, Petroleum Javad, Putin, Erdogan, Ebrahim Raisi, John Drennan, Sergei Savostyanov, Mark Galeotti, Israel, Israel Russia's, Sergei Lavrov, Bashar al, Assad, UN Vasily Nebenzya, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Rob Griffith Organizations: Israeli, Minister's Office, Getty, Israel's, Petroleum, Turkish, Israel, U.S . Institute of Peace, AFP, Ministry, Russian Foreign Affairs, Russian, UN, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kremlin, America, Saudi, Afp Locations: JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, Jerusalem, Israel, Russia, Gaza, East, Tehran, Iran, Ukraine, Syria, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Arabia, Sochi, Tel Aviv

☆ Ukraine appears to be gunning for a top Russian battlefield commander who has had an unusual run as a military leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine appears to be gunning for him as Kyiv's military makes pushes in his area of control. According to several prominent Russian military bloggers and independent Russian media reporting, the Ukrainian military fired long-range missiles last week at the Dnepr battlegroup's headquarters. Astra, the independent Russian publication, reported that Ukrainian missiles hit command posts belonging to the Dnepr group in Strilkove that same day. As the Russian military bloggers noted, the timing of the strikes fall in line with an uptick in Ukrainian assaults around the Dnipro. "Teplinsky's appointment is likely an indication of increased pressure on Russian forces defending the area," Britain's defense ministry said in late October.

Persons: Gen, Mikhail Teplinsky, gunning, —, Moscow's, Rybar, ROMAN PILIPEY, Teplinsky —, Russia's ultranationalists, Vladimir Putin, Teplinsky, Oleg Makarevich Organizations: Service, Moscow's VDV Airborne Forces, Dnepr, Ukraine, Storm, Russian, Neptune, Telegram, Astra, Getty, Wagner Group, Kremlin ., Institute for, Ukrainian, Command, Special Operations Forces of, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Dnipro, Kyiv Locations: Russian, Col, Ukraine, Kherson, that's, Azov, Dnipro, Ukrainian, AFP, Teplinsky, Russia, Kremlin . Russian, Washington, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kherson Oblast

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

☆ Russia's Shoigu accuses West of seeking to expand Ukraine war to Asia-Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the West wants to expand the conflict in the Ukraine to the Asia-Pacific region, Russian state media reported, citing comments made at a Beijing defence forum on Monday. Shoigu said NATO countries were promoting an arms race in the region, increasing their military presence and the frequency and scale of military drills there. U.S. forces will use information exchanges with Tokyo and Seoul on missile launches to deter Russia and China, Shoigu said. "We are only seeking to restore parity with the United States, who have not ratified this treaty," Russia's RIA news agency quoted Shoigu as saying. Shoigu said that Moscow was ready for talks on the post-conflict settlement of the Ukraine crisis on further 'co-existence' with the West, but that Western countries needed to stop seeking Russia's strategic defeat.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Russia's, Lidia Kelly, Liz Lee, Laurie Chen, Olzhas, Christopher Cushing, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Russian Defence, Xiangshan, NATO, Russia's TASS, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, United Nations Security, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Ukraine, Asia, Pacific, Beijing, U.S, Tokyo, Seoul, Russia, China, United States, Moscow, Sydney, Almaty

☆ Russia's bomber fleet hasn't fired cruise missiles at Ukraine for a month, a sign its stocks are dwindling, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's heavy bomber aircraft haven't fired cruise missiles at Ukraine in more than a month, UK intel said. The UK MOD said that's "one of the longest gaps in such strikes since the conflict began." AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia's fleet of heavy bomber aircraft have not fired cruise missiles at Ukraine in more than a month, according to UK intelligence. AdvertisementAdvertisementUsing those bombers to launch cruise missiles had been Russia's "primary method" for precision strikes, even though it does have other ways of hitting Ukraine, the UK MOD said. Cruise missiles can also be fired from the ground or the sea as well as from planes, but Russia favors strikes launched from aircraft.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: intel, MOD, Service, Ministry of Defence, Aviation Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday said Russia is executing soldiers who have failed to follow orders and threatening entire units with death if they retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire. It's a development that U.S. national security officials believe reflects Russia's morale problems 20 months into its grinding invasion of Ukraine, said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Putin ”basically said that if Western weapons to Ukraine stop, Ukraine would have a week to live. The contract soldiers were pulled out of Ukraine after their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, mounted an armed rebellion in June. There also have been reports, including from the British Defense Ministry, that the regular Russian military has deployed “barrier troops” that threaten to shoot any deserters.

Persons: John Kirby, “, Kirby, Joe Biden, Biden, Putin, ” Kirby, Putin ”, Yevgeny Prigozhin, haven’t Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, National Security, Republican, Ukraine, “, Wagner Group, British Defense Ministry, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk

The bill to deratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was approved by 156 votes to zero in the upper house after the lower house also passed it unanimously. Putin had requested the change to "mirror" the position of the United States, which signed the CTBT in 1996 but never ratified it. Though it has never formally come into force, the CTBT has made nuclear testing a taboo - no country except North Korea has conducted a test involving a nuclear explosion this century. CNN published satellite images last month showing that Russia, the United States and China have all expanded their nuclear test sites in recent years. Russia suspended the treaty this year and it is due to expire in 2026, leaving the two countries without any remaining bilateral nuclear weapons agreement.

Persons: Sergei Ryabkov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ryabkov, Washington, Filipp Lebedev, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russia's, Duma, Russian, Handout, REUTERS, Washington, CNN, U.S . Energy Department, U.S, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, Ukraine, North Korea, China, Nevada, U.S, Kyiv, Washington

☆ Russia tried to field an elite series of 'storm' units but ended up stuffing them with convicts instead, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The UK MOD said Russia tried to create elite "storm" units in Ukraine, but they were largely ineffective. The UK update said the debacle showed how Russia was struggling to field effective fighters. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia tried to build up its "Storm Z" units as an elite fighting force but instead pivoted to stuffing them with convicts and other low-quality fighters, UK intelligence said. Fighters in the units and people with knowledge of them told Reuters this month that soldiers in storm units were seen as disposable. "Storm fighters, they're just meat," he told Reuters, adding that he disobeyed the instruction not to help them.

Persons: —, Russia's Organizations: MOD, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, Reuters, Institute for, Fighters Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Almost half of Russians say salary does not cover basic spending - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The number of Russians who say their salary does not cover basic spending has jumped by 20 percentage points in two years to almost half, a survey by recruiter Headhunter showed, as Moscow diverts record fiscal resources to funding its war in Ukraine. Asked whether their salary was enough to cover basic spending, without taking into account income from second jobs or investments, just one in five Russians surveyed said yes. That is up from 25% in 2021 and 39% in 2022, Headhunter's survey showed. Of the 45% lacking the money for basic spending, more than half said they were at least 20,000 roubles ($212) short per month. The average monthly nominal wage earned by Russians was 71,419 roubles ($756) in July, Rosstat's statistics show.

Persons: Evgenia, Headhunter, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S ., Russian, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Russia's, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 18, 2023. "If the United States can effectively rally the world, it’s bad for them. SUPPORT FOR PALESTINEWhile the strategies of Russia and China in the Middle East are not fully aligned they have much in common. Russia said on Thursday it was coordinating Middle East policy with China. The United States has been trying, with limited success, to persuade the global south to rally behind Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergei Guneev, Israel, Wang Yi, Putin, Xi, Jon Alterman, Bashar al, Assad, Jean, Loup Samaan, Carice Witte, Alterman, Ma Xiaolin, Ma, James Pomfret, Guy Faulconbridge, Don Durfee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Forum, Sputnik, Rights, Initiative, Palestinian, Middle, Center for Strategic, International Studies, PALESTINE, Middle East Institute of, National University of Singapore, United, Ukraine, Israel, Zhejiang International Studies University, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, WASHINGTON, Gaza, Russia, Moscow, United States, Israel, States, East, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Palestine, Washington, U.S, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Tel Aviv, Hong Kong

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