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☆ MI6 chief makes open plea to Russians to spy for UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Prague CNN —The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service used a rare speech Wednesday to issue a plea to disaffected Russians to spy for the UK. They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent,” he added. The MI6 chief told CNN that Prighozin is alive and at liberty following the group’s 24-hour mutiny against the Kremlin, and that Putin is clearly under pressure. Over the years they have developed a particularly gruesome reputation and have been linked to various human rights abuses. A CNN investigation in April found that Wagner has been supplying Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces with missiles to aid their fight against the country’s army.

Persons: Richard Moore, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, ” Moore, Moore, “, Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prighozin, Belarus –, Prighozin, Putin “ didn’t, –, ” Putin Organizations: Prague CNN, Kyiv, Russian, CNN, Kremlin, Prighozhin, Wagner Group, Central African, Rapid Support Forces Locations: Prague, Ukraine, Russian, Odesa, Belarus, Moscow, Denmark, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Syria

☆ Prigozhin resurfaces in Belarus, tells Wagner fighters they have the 'biggest job in the world coming up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin shared a video Wednesday that appears to show him in Belarus. In recent weeks, however, the Wagner boss had himself been spotted inside Russia. In recent years, Wagner mercenaries have deployed to Libya, Mali, and the Central African Republic, where they have been accused of terrorizing local populations as they combat insurgent groups. Prigozhin, in the video posted Wednesday, suggested Wagner's mission is far from over. "The biggest job in the world [is] coming up very soon," he continued, adding: "We'll definitely be traveling all over the world."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, It's, it's, Alexandr Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Central African, Wagner Locations: Belarus, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia, Belarusian, Africa, Libya, Mali, Central African Republic

Summary Prigozhin welcomes mercenaries to BelarusPrigozhin says the front is 'a disgrace'Mercenaries should prepare for AfricaIt's only just begun, top Wagner commander says'Welcome to hell!' The footage, reposted by his press service on Telegram, is the first video evidence of Prigozhin's whereabouts since the night of the mutiny. In the video, the authenticity of which Reuters could not immediately verify, a man whose voice and Russian sounded like Prigozhin's, is heard welcoming his men. It is also unclear what Wagner, which Prigozhin said had 25,000 men, would do next. The video posted on Wednesday showed Prigozhin receiving a Wagner black flag, decorated with the motto "Blood, honour, Motherland, Courage", from their camp in southern Russia.

Persons: Belarus Prigozhin, Wagner, Utkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, honourably, Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Jon Boyle Organizations: West, Kremlin, Reuters, Islamic, Central African, Putin, Staff, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Africa, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Belarusian, Russia, Rostov, Dagestan, Minsk, Syria, Libya, Mali, Crimea, Central African Republic, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Opinion: With their leader still missing, who will control Wagner forces in Africa?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Joyce M. Davis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Wagner forces appear to despise the Russian military, as Prigozhin’s reckless march from Ukraine toward Moscow made abundantly clear. That’s why when Wagner forces started withdrawing from Ukraine last month, many feared the same might happen in Africa. And who can guarantee Wagner forces won’t turn on African leaders who decide to side with Putin? “Don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere.”It’s not as if Russia could repatriate and replace Wagner forces with verifiably loyal Russian troops — even if it wanted to. And quite frankly, Africa will only emerge better-off if democratic governments emerge after Wagner forces are shown the door.

Persons: Joyce M, Davis, CNN —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladmir Putin, Dan Gleiter Prigozhin, Putin, Prigozihin, Putin wouldn’t, Khalifa Haftar, Faustin, Burkina Faso’s, Ibrahim Traore, Prigozhin, didn’t, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Assimi Goita, won’t, Haftar, ”, “, It’s, Sergey Kostelyanyets, ” Kostelyanyets, obeisance, Traore —, they’re, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, They’re, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Sudan’s, Wagner weren’t, Washington, Wagner “, there’s Organizations: Patriot -, World Affairs Council, CNN, Wagner Group, Wagner, Central African Republic, Burkina, Guardian, Libyan, Russian Academy of Sciences ’ Institute for African Studies, Newsweek, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Support Forces, Moscow, US Treasury Department, Twitter, Facebook, Central African Locations: Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, Africa, Crimea, Ukraine, Moscow, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Russia, Eastern Libya, Russian, Benghazi, Dubai, Touadéra, Prigozhin, Central African Republic, United States

☆ Wagner's failed rebellion could hit the Kremlin's ambitions for a 'pro-Russian state' in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

BANGUI, Central African Republic - March 23, 2023: Demonstrators carry banners in Bangui, on March 22, 2023 during a march in support of Russia's presence in the Central African Republic. Hundreds of Wagner troops were spotted last week departing from Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic (CAR), where the Kremlin-linked group has its largest and broadest overseas presence. It comes just weeks after Wagner boss Prigozhin embarked on an ill-fated rebellion in Russia, ordering his troops fighting in Ukraine to march toward Moscow. Sky News reported Friday that the Wagner personnel who left CAR had refused to sign new these contracts. "Russian instructors will continue to aid soldiers in the Central African armed forces to ensure security in anticipation of the constitutional referendum scheduled for July 30."

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alex Vines, Chris Weafer, Weafer, Chatham House's Vines, Faustin Organizations: Central African, Wagner, Central African Republic, Belorussian, Kremlin, Sky News, Officers, Union for International Security, Central, Africa, Chatham House, CNBC Locations: BANGUI, Central African Republic, Bangui, Moscow, Russia, Russia's, Ukraine, Africa, Central, Belarus, Russian, U.S, Chatham, CAR, Sudan, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, France

☆ Wagner troops arrive in Central African Republic ahead of referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Judicael Yongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government had said previously that the troops' movement was part of a rotation of forces rather a withdrawal. "They are also here to secure the constitutional referendum," the spokesperson said, declining to say how many troops had arrived. A senior CAR military official in the capital told Reuters that hundreds of troops had arrived. CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who was first elected in 2016, and won reelection in 2020, turned to Russia for help to tackle the rebel groups. He is on the campaign trail for the constitutional referendum which, if passed, could remove a two-term presidential limit and enable him run again.

Persons: wagner, Faustin, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Albert Yaloke Mokpem, Francois Bozize, Touadera, Judicael Yongo, Bate Felix, Anait Miridzhanian, Alison Williams Organizations: Central, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bangui, Central, Read, BANGUI, Central African Republic, Russia

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

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

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

☆ Central African Republic says Wagner troop movement is rotation not departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Judicael Yongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGUI, July 8 (Reuters) - The departure of hundreds of Russian Wagner troops from Central African Republic is part of a rotation of forces rather a withdrawal, a spokesperson for the CAR presidency said on Saturday. But CAR presidential spokesperson Albert Yaloke Mokpem said "it is not a definitive departure but a rotation." Several hundred Wagner troops have recently left the country, a military source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity and without giving further details. Any restructuring of Wagner operations in CAR could have substantial commercial ramifications. Analysts have said Wagner received logging rights and control of a gold mine in CAR.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, insurgencies, Albert Yaloke Mokpem, Alessandra Prentice, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Central African, CAR, Thomson Locations: BANGUI, Russian, Central African Republic, Russia, Africa, Bangui, States, UAE

☆ Putin’s Options for Dealing With the Wagner Group Aren’t Great - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

(Those who did participate could join Mr. Prigozhin in Belarusian exile.) Even if Wagner fighters do decide to join Russian military units en masse, it won’t be easy for Moscow to integrate them. Another option would be for Mr. Putin to leave Wagner’s overseas operations as is, and install a new leader to replace Mr. Prigozhin. Mr. Prigozhin was revered by Wagner fighters, many of whom may chafe at the prospect of new leadership or a drastic change in organizational culture. Corporation is another Russian private military company, founded by Russian nationalist Igor Mangushev, with some experience abroad, but is much less influential and experienced than Wagner.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, —, Prigozhin’s, Sergei Lavrov, ”, Wagner’s, Igor Mangushev Organizations: Russian, Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, Central African, Corporation, Gazprom Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic . Russia, Syria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Gabon, Yemen

☆ 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

☆ Opinion | Putin Thinks He’s Still in Control. He’s Not.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Mikhail Zygar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Prigozhin, riding a wave of popularity, became increasingly personal and insulting in his denunciations of Mr. Shoigu. Yet Mr. Putin failed to mediate. Sources close to him tell me he hasn’t met with Mr. Prigozhin for months. The situation for Mr. Putin is equally serious. Until now, such figures — hard-liners operating largely on the Telegram social messaging app, who generally support Mr. Prigozhin — could criticize the authorities with some impunity.

Persons: Prigozhin, Shoigu, Putin, Wagner, — Mr, hasn’t, Prigozhin couldn’t, Mr, Alexander Lukashenko of, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus —, Putin’s, Prigozhin —, Sergei Surovikin Organizations: Kremlin, Central African Locations: Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Belarus, Central African Republic, Ukraine

☆ What next for Wagner? Russia’s Putin battles to regain control after short-lived revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Members of Wagner group looks from a military vehicle in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, 2023. It marked what many regard as the greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's authority in his more than two decades in power. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with servicemen at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 27, 2023. At best, Granville said the Wagner Group was likely to be "a shadow of its former self" in Ukraine following the revolt. Russia's political crisisRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday dismissed questions about a political crisis.

Persons: Wagner, Roman Romokhov, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Tereshchenko, nationalize Wagner, Putin, Wagner Group's Prigiozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, that's, Pat Ryder, Faustin, BARBARA DEBOUT, Ryder, It's, Christopher Granville, Granville, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin Organizations: AFP, Getty, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Russian Ministry of Defense's, Wagner, Russian Armed Forces, Belarusian, Analysts, CNBC, Pentagon, Central African, TS Lombard, Reuters, Associated Press Locations: Rostov, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, U.S, Russia, Asipovichy, Belarus, Belarusian, Africa, Syria, BANGUI, Central African Republic, Bangui, France, AFP, Russian

☆ What is Wagner Group doing? Operations in Africa and rest of world explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Several hundred Wagner fighters were killed by U.S. forces during a confrontation in Syria in 2018. U.N. sanctions monitors reported in 2020 that Wagner had deployed up to 1,200 people in Libya and the U.S. military Africa Command said Russian military aircraft were supplying Wagner fighters there. As well as bringing in Syrian fighters as mercenaries, Wagner worked alongside foreign fighters from Sudan, Chad and elsewhere. Russian mercenaries including from Wagner intervened in 2018 on the side of the government to quell a civil war that has raged since 2012. Wagner fighters have been accused of involvement in an incident last year in Moura, in central Mali, where local troops and suspected Russian fighters allegedly killed hundreds of civilians.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, UKRAINE Wagner, BELARUS Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al, Assad, LIBYA Wagner, Khalifa Haftar's, Haftar, U.N, Omar al, Bashir, Angus McDowall, Alison Williams Organizations: Defence Ministry, Evro Polis, United States Department of Defense, United Arab Emirates, U.S ., Africa Command, CENTRAL, Central African, Reuters, Russian, Rapid Support Forces, Reuters newsrooms, Thomson Locations: Europe, East, Africa, UKRAINE, Ukraine, Bakhmut, BELARUS, Belarus, Asipovichi, Minsk, SYRIA Russia, Syria, U.S, Syrian, Libya, Hmeimim, Russia, LIBYA, Tripoli, Egypt, UAE, Russian, Sudan, Chad, Republic, Central African Republic, States, MALI, Mali, Moura, SUDAN, Moscow, Middle East

☆ Russian diplomats flew to Mali and Syria hours after Prigozhin announced his failed Wagner rebellion, assuring leaders the Kremlin was in charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kremlin diplomats flew abroad hours after Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin announced a rebellion. According to The Wall Street Journal, the diplomats flew to Mali and Syria, and phoned into the Central African Republic. According to the Wall Street Journal, diplomats with Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations flew to Mali and Syria after Prigozhin announced a mutiny on Moscow last week. The diplomats made their way to countries where Russia has relied on Wagner mercenaries to fight their proxy wars — telling the leaders that Wagner would report to the Kremlin now. Kremlin diplomats personally reassured Syrian president Bashar al-Assad that Wagner would continue operating in the country, but not independently, according to the Journal.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, jetted, Prigozhin, Bashar al, Assad, Central African Republic —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia's, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Wagner Group, Wall Street Journal, Central African, Service, Russia's Ministry, Emergency, Kremlin Locations: Mali, Syria, Central African Republic, Africa, Moscow, Russia, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Belarus

☆ Can Russia Tame Wagner in Africa Without Destroying It?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Elian Peltier | Raja Abdulrahim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hours after Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group ended their rebellion on Saturday, officials with the Russian Foreign Ministry phoned the president of the Central African Republic to assure him that the thousands of Wagner fighters deployed in his country would stay, and that Russia would keep looking for new ventures in Africa. Thousands of miles away, and as the rebellion was still underway, Russian troops in Syria had surrounded several bases that host Wagner fighters, fearing that the contagion might spread beyond Russia. Russia’s leadership had encountered some issues with “the head of the paramilitaries,” they told the Central African president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, but those issues had been resolved and the Kremlin, they assured him, was in control. The Wagner group was the personal project of Mr. Prigozhin, who built it over nearly a decade into a sprawling enterprise, with tentacles reaching from Libya, across Africa and into the Middle East. The group has deployed troops in five African countries, and Mr. Prigozhin’s affiliates have been present in more than a dozen in total.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Wagner, Russia’s, ” Organizations: Russian Foreign Ministry, Central African, Faustin, Kremlin Locations: Central African Republic, Russia, Africa, Syria, Libya

☆ Wagner chief Prigozhin is in Belarus following armed rebellion, Lukashenko says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Katharina Krebs Paul P. Murphy Natasha Bertrand Jennifer Hansler Helen Regan | Katharina Krebs | Paul P. Murphy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“I want everyone to know about this: the maintenance of the entire Wagner group was fully provided for by the state,” Putin claimed. “In terms of nuclear weapons, most of them were already brought to Belarus, I won’t say how many. It’s surprising that they didn’t trace it,” Lukashenko said, according to Belarus state media. “Russians and Belarusians are guarding it… No Wagner fighters will guard nuclear weapons. This is our task.”If Lukashenko’s remarks are correct, it would be the first time Belarus has had nuclear weapons on its territory since the early 1990s.

Persons: CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, “, ” Lukashenko, hasn’t, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, BlackSky, ” Putin, Putin’s, ” “, Brian Nelson, ’ Wagner, Lukashenko, CNN Lukashenko –, –, ” Wagner, Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Federal Security Service, Defense Ministry, Prigozhin, European Union, Wagner, US Treasury Department, Wagner Group, Central African, Treasury, Belarus ‘ Locations: Belarus, Rostov, Belarusian, Minsk, Moscow, Russian, Concord, Africa, Sudan, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Mali, United States, Luhansk, Russia

☆ What Will Happen to Prigozhin and His Wagner Fighters? Here’s What We Know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The group operates in the Central African Republic, Mali and Sudan, and in each country it has offered military assistance in exchange for payment, partly in terms of access to the countries’ natural resources. Wagner appeared to operate in Africa on the Kremlin’s behalf, and it is unclear whether Wagner will now press ahead with its contracts on the continent or pull back. Is Mr. Putin stronger or weaker? But since then, Mr. Putin has tried to project unity and strength. On Monday, he billed Mr. Prigozhin as a traitor and said that the Russian state had “at all levels” consolidated against the uprising.

Persons: Wagner, Putin, Prigozhin Organizations: Central African Locations: Ukraine, Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Washington, Africa

Flightradar24 showed an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet appeared in Rostov region at 0232 GMT and began a descent at 0420 GMT near Minsk. The identification codes of the aircraft match those of a jet linked by the United States to Autolex Transport which is linked to Prigozhin by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control. Under a deal mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday to halt a mutiny by Prigozhin's mercenary fighters, Prigozhin is meant to move to Belarus. Prigozhin, who has bragged about meddling in U.S. elections, said last week his fighting force was 25,000 strong. Speaking from the Kremlin on Monday, Putin vowed to stand by his promise to allow Wagner fighters to leave for Belarus, though he did not mention Prigozhin by name.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Flightradar24, Dmitry Peskov, Flightradar, Alexander Lukashenko, WAGNER'S, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Russia's, Gleb Stolaryov, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan, Jon Boyle Organizations: Belarus Russia, Prigozhin, Embraer, U.S . Office, Foreign Assets Control, Kremlin, Central African Republic, Federal Security Service, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Prigozhin MOSCOW, Prigozhin, Russian, Rostov, Minsk, United States, Belarusian, Africa, Central African, Mali, Ukraine, Kremlin

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on companies in the United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic and Russia, accusing them of illicit gold dealings to fund Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force. "The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali. The Wagner Group did not immediately respond to the U.S. allegations. The U.S. State Department ahead of the announcement said that the action against Wagner was unrelated to an aborted mutiny last weekend. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk and Costas Pitas; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Brian Nelson, Vladimir Putin, Diamville, Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, Midas Ressources, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Costas Pitas, Jonathan Oatis, Grant McCool Organizations: United Arab, Russia's Wagner Group, U.S . Treasury Department, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, U.S . State Department, Russia, Industrial, Trading, United, Wagner, Treasury, Industrial Resources, Thomson Locations: United States, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, U.S, Ukraine, Africa, Mali, Libya, Syria, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas, African Republic, Dubai, Saharan Africa, Washington, Russian

☆ Over 1 million may flee Sudan conflict, UN refugee agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, June 27 (Reuters) - The U.N. refugee agency warned on Tuesday that an earlier projection that conflict in Sudan would prompt 1 million people to flee across its borders is likely to be surpassed. He did not give details on how far above 1 million he expected refugee numbers fleeing abroad to reach. The United Nations estimates more than 2.5 million people have been uprooted since April, most within Sudan. A Sudanese refugee who has fled the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, sits at her makeshift shelter near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 15, 2023. The UNHCR has already had to revise its forecast for people fleeing into Chad from Sudan to 245,000 from 100,000 people, he said.

Persons: Mazou, Chad, Zohra, El Geneina, There's, Emma Farge, Alison Williams Organizations: Central African, UNHCR, Operations, United Nations, REUTERS, Rapid Support Forces, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Sudan, Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Central, Central African Republic, Darfur, Sudan ., Sudan's Darfur, Koufroun, Khartoum

Who is Mr. Prigozhin? Europe and the United States have been trying to shut down Prigozhin’s sprawling business operations for years. On the F.B.I.’s most wanted list, Mr. Prigozhin rose quickly in Putin’s Russia — from being the president’s favored caterer to winning major contracts that bankrolled Wagner Group, his private mercenary operation. Mr. Prigozhin also relies on a global network of corporate lawyers to fend off Western authorities, according to a separate F.T. Bill Browder, a former investor in Russia who has become one of Mr. Putin’s biggest critics, told DealBook that the president would look to reassert his authority by whatever means necessary.

Persons: Prigozhin, caterer, bankrolled, Wagner, Putin’s, , China’s, Putin, Bill Browder, DealBook, ” Organizations: bankrolled Wagner Group, Treasury Department, Evro, Central African, Financial Times, Treasury, — Terra Tech, BARL Locations: Prigozhin, Europe, United States, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Evro Polis, Sudan, Central African Republic

☆ US says it is a new thing to see Putin's leadership directly challenged
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It is a certainly a new thing to see President Putin's leadership directly challenged. Prigozhin's Wagner has fought the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoThe United States had communications with the Russian government on Saturday, both through U.S. Tracy told Russian officials that the United States expects Russia to uphold its obligations to protect embassy and diplomatic personnel. It was founded in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and started supporting pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin's, Matthew Miller, Prigozhin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Maxim, Lynne Tracy, Tracy, Miller, Wagner, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Jasper Ward, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . State Department, Department, REUTERS, U.S, Central African, Russia, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, States, United States, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas, Washington, Africa, Jasper

☆ Opinion | Prigozhin and the Long and Infamous History of Failed Russian Rebellions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Theories are already circulating on social media that the entire rebellion was a charade from the start, maybe even staged by Mr. Putin for some convoluted reason. Mr. Prigozhin has waged a long and public feud with Mr. Shoigu over the handling of the Ukraine war and has accused him of giving insufficient support to the Wagner Group. Mr. Prigozhin is the epitome of a post-Soviet villain. Among many other evil deeds, Mr. Prigozhin built the Wagner Group, which first emerged in 2014 during Russia’s invasion of Crimea and has always been closely aligned to Mr. Putin. In his fury, Mr. Prigozhin had his men take control of the southern command center in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, and ordered them to drive north to Moscow on a “march for justice” to meet with military commanders.

Persons: Putin, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Putin’s, Wagner, ” Organizations: Mr, Wagner, Wagner Group, Central African Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Crimea, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow

☆ The inside man who shook the Kremlin: Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin, and what's next for him?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Richard Engel | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin left the Southern Military District headquarters on June 24, 2023 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. A St. Petersburg native like Putin, Prigozhin, 62, has one of the most varied biographies among the Kremlin elite. With the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Prigozhin was able and eager to again prove his value to Putin. As the Russian army came up against surprisingly strong resistance, Wagner's mercenaries came in handy in the bloodiest of battles. The standoff then exploded and Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion on Friday after alleging that the Russian army fired at his mercenaries.

Persons: Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, —, Wagner, Michael A, Horowitz, what's, Prigohzin, Prigozhin, Putin, Read, Bashar al, Assad, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Wagner Group, Southern Military, Stringer, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Le Beck, NBC News, Putin, Kremlin, Prigozhin, NBC, U.S, Internet Research Agency, Central African, Defense Ministry Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, St, Petersburg, Europe, East, Africa, Crimean, Kyiv, Russian, Ukraine, Syria, Central African Republic, Bakhmut, U.S

☆ Analysis: Why Prigozhin's short-lived Russian rebellion failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

When he packed up his tanks and pulled out of the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, well-wishers rushed up to say thank you. For weeks, months even, he’d been arguing Russia’s war in Ukraine was being badly and unnecessary fought by an elite who couldn’t care less how many Russian lives were lost. Prigozhin claimed his troops were being starved of ammunition by another of Putin’s trusted inner circle, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. What the Russian public was hearing from Prigozhin, about how badly the war was going, was dangerous for Putin. Prigozhin's actions followed months of feuding with Russia's military top brass.

Persons: CNN — Wagner, Yevegeny Prigozhin, he’d, Putin, Prigozhin, Sergey Shoigu, Wagner, Shoigu, boss’s, Mikhail Mizintsev, Sergey Surovkin, ” Prigozhin, Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters Wagner, Don, Roman Romokhov, Ramzan Kadyrov, “, ” Kadyrov, Kadyrov, ”, kingmakers, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, Moscow, Don, Russia’s, Kremlin, Army, Reuters, Getty, Wagner PMC, Shoigu, Ministry of Defense Locations: Rostov, Ukraine, Africa, Russian, Kremlin, Moscow, AFP, Belarus, Russia, Mali, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya

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