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☆ Ukraine's army keeps outsmarting Russia on the battlefield, with cunning ruses and opportunistic attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Tom Porter | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Deception has succeeded against Russian forces at all echelons and across all three service branches," the report said. A Russian drone had earlier damaged a tank there, and Afanasyev wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company says over 250 of these decoys have so far been handed over to the Ukrainian military. In eastern Ukraine's Popasna, a base used by the mercenary pro-Russian Wagner Group was bombed to rubble by Ukrainian troops in April 2022. Ukraine's 110th brigade then "worked effectively to attack the Russian soldiers," he said.

Persons: it's, Ivan Oleksii, Oleksii, Cmdr, Oleksandr Afanasyev, Afanasyev, Vladimir Solovyov, Wagner, Igor Russak, Ukraine's, Huw Dylan, David Gioe, Joe Littell Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Russian, Getty, Kremlin, Wagner, Russian Wagner, Wired, Purpose, Center for Information Resilience, 25th Airborne Brigade, Modern War Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, Makiivka, Lyman, Donetsk, St Petersburg, Ukraine's, Avdiyivka, Europe, Izium, Kharkiv, Kherson

☆ Catholic Church beatifies Polish family for sheltering Jews
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Clergy attend the beatification ceremony of the Ulma family, who were murdered by German Nazis for sheltering Jews in Markowa, Poland September 10, 2023. Patryk Ogorzalek/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The Catholic Church beatified on Sunday a Polish family of nine, including a new-born baby, who died at the hands of Nazi Germans during World War Two for sheltering a Jewish family from the Holocaust. Speaking at the Vatican, Pope Francis described the Polish family as a "ray of light" in the darkness of World War Two and said they should serve as a model for others to follow. Polish President Andrzej Duda thanked the Catholic church for the beatification on behalf of the nation. HOLOCAUSTSome three million Jews who lived in pre-war Poland were murdered during the Nazi German Holocaust, accounting for about half of all Jews killed during World War Two.

Persons: Patryk, Wyborcza.pl, Jozef, Wiktoria Ulma, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Pope Francis, God, fearlessly, Pope, Andrzej Duda, PiS, Dariusz Libionka, Libionka, Jan Grabowski, Michael Schudrich, Justyna Pawlak, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Catholic, Poland's, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican, Law and Justice, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland's Institute for National, Thomson Locations: Markowa, Poland, Nazi, Polish, St Peter's, Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor

☆ Catholic Church honors Polish family persecuted for sheltering Jews in unprecedented beatification
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Catholic Church beatified on Sunday a Polish family of nine, including a new-born baby, who died at the hands of Nazi Germans during World War Two for sheltering a Jewish family from the Holocaust. Vatican media have noted that it is the first time that an entire family has been honored together in this manner. Speaking at the Vatican, Pope Francis described the Polish family as a “ray of light” in the darkness of World War Two and said they should serve as a model for others to follow. Polish President Andrzej Duda thanked the Catholic church for the beatification on behalf of the nation. Bartosz Siedlik/AFP/Getty ImagesHolocaustSome three million Jews who lived in pre-war Poland were murdered during the Nazi German Holocaust, accounting for about half of all Jews killed during World War Two.

Persons: Jozef, Wiktoria Ulma, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Pope Francis, God, …, fearlessly, Pope, Andrzej Duda, ”, Bartosz Siedlik, PiS, Patryk, Agencja Wyborcza.pl, Dariusz Libionka, Libionka, Jan Grabowski, Michael Schudrich Organizations: CNN, Catholic, Poland’s, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican, Getty, Law and Justice, Reuters, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland’s Institute for National Locations: Nazi, Polish, Markowa, St Peter’s, AFP, Poland, Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, St Peter's

☆ Fact Check-Video does not show Putin at Prigozhin’s funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A 2013 video of Vladimir Putin at his former judo coach Anatoly Rakhlin’s memorial has resurfaced on social media, with users falsely claiming it shows the Russian President attending Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s funeral. The social media clip captures the Russian president placing flowers on a coffin, greeting people, and paying his respects above an open casket before eventually refusing to get into his limousine. In the last few seconds of the video, Putin can be seen walking away alone. For example, Putin can be seen next to the casket at 28s in the YouTube video and at 16s in the social media clip. He can then be seen walking alone at 1:18 and 42s in the two clips respectively.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Anatoly Rakhlin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Putin, “ Putin, Rakhlin ”, Rakhlin, ”, Read Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Facebook, YouTube Locations: St Petersburg, russia

☆ Fact Check-Video shows Burkinabe soldiers at Russia-Africa Summit, not Nigeriens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of soldiers from Burkina Faso browsing an arms exhibition at the July 2023 Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg is being falsely claimed online to show personnel from Niger. “Niger Republic Army showing readiness as they jet to Russia to acquire weapons to speak to ECOWAS soldiers in a language they will understand. There is no evidence that the soldiers in the video are with Niger’s military. Part of the video was filmed by Russia state-owned network Zvezda TV, which also said it showed Burkinabe soldiers examining weapons at the July 27-28 meet (here) (here). The video shows soldiers from Burkina Faso, not Niger.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Read Organizations: Africa, Posts, Facebook, Nigerien, West African, ECOWAS, “ Niger, Army, Zvezda TV, Reuters, Roscongress Foundation Locations: Burkina Faso, Russia, St Petersburg, Niger, “

☆ Wagner 'skull' flag flies over empty Prigozhin plane crash site in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows a flag of the Wagner private mercenary group at the site of the plane crash that killed Wagner PMC top figures, including Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, in the Tver Region, Russia September 1, 2023. The plane on which Yevgeny Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed killing all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including two other top Wagner figures, Prigozhin's four bodyguards and a crew of three. At the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia's Tver region, there was no sign of the remains of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet, footage obtained by Reuters showed on Friday. All that remained was a makeshift stone memorial of four boulders to the mercenary chief surrounded by red carnations and a Wagner flag flying on a pole made from a tree branch. The flag sports a white skull surrounded by the words "PMC Wagner Group" in both English and Russian.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Wagner PMC, REUTERS, St, Embraer, Reuters, Wagner, Thomson Locations: Tver Region, Russia, St Petersburg, Moscow, Kuzhenkino, Russia's Tver, Rostov, Vladimir Putin's Russia

☆ Prigozhin's right-hand man in Wagner buried quietly near Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The co-founder and military commander of the Russian mercenary group Wagner was buried near Moscow on Thursday, after dying in an unexplained plane crash that also killed his boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Before helping to found Wagner as Prigozhin's shadowy right-hand man, Utkin was a special forces lieutenant colonel in the GRU military intelligence service. He fought for Wagner to support Moscow's military campaigns in Syria and Ukraine, and was photographed in 2016 at the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin. Utkin, Prigozhin and Wagner's head of logistics, Valery Chekalov, were among 10 people who died when Prigozhin's Embraer Legacy 600 private jet plunged from the sky north of Moscow on Aug. 23. After a deal ended the mutiny, Utkin said in a speech to Wagner fighters: "This is not the end.

Persons: Wagner, Dmitry Utkin, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Valery Chekalov, Putin, Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Russian, St, Kremlin, Reuters, Embraer, Thomson Locations: Mytishchi, Moscow, Russia, Russian, St Petersburg, Syria, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia comes under further drone attacks; Turkey could persuade Moscow to revive grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A woman crosses herself as she visits the grave of Wagner private mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a private jet crash in the Tver region last week, at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg on August 30, 2023. Followers of mutinous Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior after he was killed along with his inner circle in a yet-to-be-explained plane crash. One tribute beside flowers read: "To be a warrior is to live forever." The private jet on which Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed north of Moscow with the loss of all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including Prigozhin, top Wagner commanders, his bodyguards and a crew of three. The Kremlin has rejected as an "absolute lie" the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators - for which they have not provided evidence - that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich, Putin, — Organizations: St, Reuters Locations: Tver, Saint Petersburg, St Petersburg, Moscow

☆ Ukraine tells critics of slow counteroffensive to 'shut up'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen put out burning grass near their positions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 31, 2023. Nearly three months since launching a much vaunted counteroffensive using hundreds of billions of dollars of Western military equipment, Ukraine has recaptured more than a dozen villages but has yet to penetrate Russia's main defences. "I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimetre by themselves," he said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Spain. DRONE ATTACKS WITHIN RUSSIAUkraine has also stepped up attacks using drones on targets deep within Russia itself and in Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. While Ukraine rarely comments directly on specific attacks inside Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeared to boast of the Pskov attack on Thursday.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Dmitro Kuleba, Jens Stoltenberg, Hanna Maliar, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Peter Graff, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Russia KYIV, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Ukrainian, Reuters, Russia, Kremlin, Nazi, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Spain, Russian, Robotyne, Western Zaporizhzhia, Novopokropivka, Kyiv, Bakhmut, RUSSIA Ukraine, Bryansk, Crimea, Pskov, St Petersburg

☆ Late Russian mercenary Prigozhin spoke about his security in newly surfaced video
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 31 (Reuters) - A newly released video of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin purports to show him in Africa only days before his death, addressing speculation about his wellbeing and possible threats to his security. Reuters was not able to verify the location or the date of the video, which was filmed in a moving vehicle. [1/3]Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of Russian private mercenary group Wagner, gives an address in camouflage inside a vehicle at an unknown location, in this still image taken from video possibly shot in Africa and published August 31, 2023. His comments in the video reflected Prigozhin's awareness of risks to his life. Prigozhin was buried at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in his home town of St Petersburg on Tuesday.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Alex Richardson Organizations: Grey Zone, Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: Africa, I'm, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, St Petersburg

☆ Russia says it foiled major Ukrainian drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - Russia said it foiled one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks to date on western Russia on Wednesday, shooting down unmanned aircraft over at least six regions, and destroyed a Ukrainian naval attack on the annexed Crimean peninsula. Russian military aircraft were damaged and civilian aviation was disrupted in the drone attacks, said Russian officials, citing Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions as targeted. Ukraine, which has yet to achieve a major success in its summer ground counteroffensive, has struck deep into Russia in recent months, including an attack on the Kremlin in May and numerous drone attacks on civilian targets in Moscow. Russia said Ukrainian drones tried to attack a TV tower over the Bryansk region. A Russian aircraft also destroyed four Ukrainian fast-attack boats carrying up to 50 paratroopers in an operation on the Black Sea, the military said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Vitali Klitschko, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Karine Jean, Pierre, Putin, Stephen Coates, Guy Faulconbridge, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Pskov's, Tass, Civilian, TASS, Reuters, Russia, Embraer, Washington White House, Brazil's, EMBR3, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimean, Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan, Moscow, Ukrainian, Estonia, Latvia, Estonian, Moscow's Vnukovo, Russian, Kyiv, St Petersburg, Prigozhin, SA

☆ Kremlin says Prigozhin plane may have been downed on purpose
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A view shows a framed photo of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at his grave at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia, August 30, 2023. "It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version - you know what we are talking about – let's say, a deliberate atrocity," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the investigation. The Kremlin has rejected as an "absolute lie" the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators - for which they have not provided evidence - that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge. Followers of Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior. In life, Prigozhin liked to brag that he was one of the world's most feared mercenaries with the best fighting force.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, –, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Joe Biden, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, International Civil Aviation Organization, Embraer, St, Reuters, EMBR3, United State, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, MOSCOW, St Petersburg, Moscow, Rostov, Vladimir Putin's Russia, SA, Russian, Ukraine

☆ At the grave of Russia's Prigozhin, followers hail a warrior
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A view shows the grave of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia, August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsST PETERSBURG, Russia, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Followers of mutinous Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior after he was killed along with his inner circle in a yet-to-be-explained plane crash. A man wearing the shirt of his Wagner mercenaries and a cap bearing the Russian flag was among those paying respects at the grave, where red roses and carnations graced a wooden Orthodox cross lablled "Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich 1961 - 2023". But after fighting for President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, he challenged the Russian state openly. A picture of Prigozhin frowning and the text of Joseph Brodsky's "Nature Morte" lay on the freshly dug ground of his grave.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Viktorovich, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Joe Biden, frowning, Joseph Brodsky's, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, St, Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, PETERSBURG, St Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov

☆ Podcast: How Taser employees showed their loyalty
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The military claims it has seized power in Gabon. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says American firms have told her China has become ‘uninvestible’. Some former employees at Taser maker Axon say loyalty meant being tased, tattooed. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. Further ReadingAt Taser maker Axon, ex-staffers say loyalty meant being tased or tattooedChina says open for business, sidesteps US 'uninvestible' commentGabon army officers say they have seized power after election in oil-rich countryFlorida's Gulf Coast braces for major hurricane as Idalia nears landfallOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Hurricane Idalia Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Hurricane, Thomson Locations: Gabon, China, Florida, St Petersburg

☆ Russia's Prigozhin buried privately in St Petersburg
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] A view shows the grave of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last week, at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 29, 2023. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery," his press service said in a short post on Telegram. In recent days admirers had heaped flowers on makeshift shrines to Prigozhin in Moscow, St Petersburg and elsewhere. Two other top Wagner figures, four Prigozhin bodyguards and three crew members were also killed when his Embraer Legacy 600 private jet crashed north of Moscow. Earlier on Tuesday, Valery Chekalov, the head of Wagner logistics, was buried at another St Petersburg cemetery.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Putin, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Chekalov, Mark Trevelyan, Jon Boyle, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Embraer, Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, PETERSBURG, St Petersburg, Porokhovskoye, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Moscow, Rostov, Russian

Brazil's Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA), in the interests of improving aviation safety, had said it would join a Russian-led investigation if it were invited and the probe held under international rules. U.S. aviation safety consultant and former investigator John Cox said an internal Russian investigation would always be questioned without the participation of Brazil, the country where the plane was manufactured. "I think it hurts the transparency of the Russian investigation." In air crash investigations, experts work to improve aviation safety without assigning blame, but probes are often tainted by political interests. Jeff Guzzetti, a former U.S. air crash investigator, said Russia should accept assistance from Brazil, even if CENIPA can only participate remotely.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Vaganov, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Marcelo Moreno, John Cox, Cox, CENIPA, Jeff Guzzetti, Allison Lampert, Gabriel Araujo, Valerie Insinna, Denny Thomas, Grant McCool Organizations: Police, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Embraer, EMBR3, Reuters, Wagner Group, Brazil's Center for Research, Aeronautical, United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, Interstate Aviation Committee, Accident Investigation, U.S ., Convention, International Civil Aviation, Thomson Locations: Tver, Russia, MONTREAL, SA, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Montreal, St Petersburg, Brazil, U.S, Sao Paulo, Washington

A cameraman films wreckage of the private jet linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin near the crash site in the Tver region, Russia, August 24, 2023. U.S. aviation safety consultant and former investigator John Cox said an internal Russian investigation would always be questioned without the participation of Brazil, the country where the plane was manufactured. "I think it hurts the transparency of the Russian investigation." In air crash investigations, experts work to improve aviation safety without assigning blame, but probes are often tainted by political interests. Jeff Guzzetti, a former U.S. air crash investigator, said Russia should accept assistance from Brazil, even if CENIPA can only participate remotely.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Marina, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Marcelo Moreno, John Cox, Cox, CENIPA, Jeff Guzzetti, Allison Lampert, Gabriel Araujo, Valerie Insinna, Denny Thomas, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Embraer, EMBR3, Reuters, Wagner Group, Brazil's Center for Research, Aeronautical, United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, Interstate Aviation Committee, Accident Investigation, U.S ., Convention, International Civil Aviation, Thomson Locations: Tver, Russia, MONTREAL, SA, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Montreal, St Petersburg, Brazil, U.S, Sao Paulo, Washington

☆ Opinion: Prigozhin seemed to be living on borrowed time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin — who the Russian aviation agency confirmed was a passenger on board a plane that crashed on Wednesday evening — seemed to be living on borrowed time. Video of the plane debris taken at the purported crash site in the western Tver region of Russia matches the plane registered to Prigozhin. Investigations were started within the armed forces, and probably within the security forces as well. Any effort to paint Prigozhin as wealthy and corrupt stopped almost immediately, and no new financial investigations were announced. And in what might have been the last straw for Putin, Prigozhin released a video on Monday of himself standing in what looked like an African desert, boasting of his men’s exploits.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, “, CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, William Burns, “ I, Alexander Zemlianichenko, –, —, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Viktor Afzalov Organizations: University of California, CNN, Belarus, CIA, Kremlin, Central African, Investigations, Washington, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles, Russian, Russia, Tver, Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Moscow, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Sudan, Ukraine, Petersburg, Sahel, St . Petersburg

In one extraordinary video, he shouted and cursed at Shoigu and Gerasimov, demanding ammunition so his men could keep fighting as he stood in a field littered with the corpses of Wagner fighters. Prigozhin performed a U-turn and Wagner fought on, eventually capturing the city in late May. But a turning point came weeks later when he rejected an order for Wagner fighters to sign contracts placing them under the control of the defence ministry. Two weeks later, a video appeared to show Prigozhin welcoming his fighters to Belarus. Taking advantage of his political connections, Prigozhin was awarded major state contracts, becoming known as "Putin's chef" after catering for Kremlin events.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Marina Lystseva, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Putin, Christo Grozev, Bellingcat, Donald Trump, Stanislav Belkovsky, Mark Trevelyan, Cynthia Osterman, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Marina, Defence, Staff, Kremlin, Financial Times, St, Thomson Locations: wreckages, Tver, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Rostov, Belarus, St Petersburg, Africa, St Petersburg's, U.S, Niger, Prigozhin

REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 23 (Reuters) - Here are some key facts about Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force, who Russia's civil aviation authority said was on the passenger list of a plane that crashed north of Moscow on Thursday. Prigozhin used social media to trumpet Wagner's successes and wage a feud with the military establishment, accusing it of incompetence and even treason. But in late July, Prigozhin was photographed in St Petersburg while a Russia-Africa summit was taking place in the city. - Born in St Petersburg on June 1, 1961, Prigozhin spent nine years in Soviet prisons for crimes including robbery and fraud. - In 2014, Prigozhin founded Wagner, a private military company whose fighters have deployed in support of Moscow's allies in countries including Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Maxim Fomin, Vladlen Tatarsky, Yulia Morozova, Russia's Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Russia's Wagner Group, Kremlin, St, Central African, United, Internet Research Agency, Thomson Locations: St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Rostov, Belarus, Africa, St Petersburg's, Syria, Libya, Central African Republic, United States, Washington

☆ Reaction to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in plane crash with no survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 23 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a private jet that crashed on Wednesday evening north of Moscow with no survivors, the Russian authorities said. The following is reaction:*U.S. President Joe Biden to reporters in Lake Tahoe:“I don't know for a fact what happened. Reports Russian Air Defence shot down the plane suggests Putin is sending a very loud message." It so happens that political opponents whom Vladimir Putin considers a threat to his power do not die naturally." In the end, if Vladimir Putin is so powerful, why didn’t he arrest Prigozhin?”Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Maxim Fomin, Vladlen Tatarsky, Yulia Morozova, Joe Biden, I'm, Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, Vladimir, Alicia Kearns, Zbigniew Rau, Vladimir Putin, Daniel Hoffman, Prigozhin, ”, That’s, Pavel Luzin, thinktank, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, CNN, Foreign Affairs, Govt, Russian Air Defence, CIA, Center for, Thomson Locations: St Petersburg, Moscow, Russia, Lake Tahoe, Estonia, U.S

There was no immediate official confirmation that Prigozhin, Russia's most powerful mercenary and a self-declared enemy of the Russian Defence Ministry, was physically on board. Reuters could not confirm that he was on the aircraft though a Telegram channel linked to Wagner pronounced him dead. Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. Unconfirmed Russian media reports said that Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin's right-hand man, had also been on board and that Prigozhin and his associates had attended a meeting with officials from the Russian Defence Ministry. An unverified video clip posted to social media showed a plane resembling a private jet falling out of the sky towards the earth.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Joe Biden, Alexander Ermochenko, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Dmitry Utkin, Andrew Osborn, Max Rodionov, Mark Trevelyan, Grant McCool Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Defence Ministry, Embraer, TASS, Southern Military, REUTERS, Russia's, General Staff, Thomson Locations: Moscow, MOSCOW, Russia, Africa, Tver, St . Petersburg, Kuzhenkino, Tver Region, Rostov, Don, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Belarus

☆ A prized Russian bomber was blown up 400 miles behind enemy lines, suggesting the attack came from inside Russia: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Photos show a Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 bomber destroyed at a base deep inside Russia, the BBC reported. The UK MOD said the attack likely came from within Russia as the drone could not fly all the way from Ukraine. UK intelligence analysts concluded that the type of drone, paired with the location, meant the attack likely originated from hostile units within Russia itself. The aircraft type has been used by frequently Russia to attack Ukrainian cities, the BBC and the UK Ministry of Defense said. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a small number of attacks have taken place inside Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin Organizations: BBC, MOD, Service, UK Ministry of Defense, New Locations: Russian Tupolev, Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia's, Ukrainian, Novgorod, Tupolev, St Petersburg, Mariupol, Soltsky

☆ Deep strike drone attack on key Russian bomber highlights Ukraine's 'psychological' reach within Russia's own borders, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A drone attack destroyed a Russian bomber at an airbase in the country over the weekend. A Ukrainian news outlet said agents working with Ukrainian intelligence were responsible. The supersonic bomber was likely destroyed in an attack over the weekend, the UK Ministry of Defense said in a Tuesday intelligence update. #BREAKING A flagship Russian long-range bomber has been destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike. Ukrainian news outlet New Voice of Ukraine reported that agents operating with Ukrainian intelligence were responsible for the attack, claiming two additional aircraft were also destroyed in the strike.

Persons: UH9lym21Bu, Michael Bociurkiw, there's, Simon Miles, Vladimir Putin, Miles, Ben Hodges, Hodges Organizations: Ukraine, Service, UK Ministry of Defense, Tupolev, BBC, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Russian, New, US Army, Russia Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Soltsky, Novgorod, Tupolev, Soltsy, St Petersburg, The, Soviet, Kyiv, Mariupol

☆ Russia has lost more than 2,200 tanks in Ukraine, and it may be reaching the limit of its ability to 'rebuild' older ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russia has lost more than 2,200 main battle tanks since invading Ukraine in February last year. Russian storage depots are deep, but they don't have an unlimited supply of armor to throw into a new fight. In fact, Russia is rebuilding tanks rather than building them, and their capacity to do so may be reaching its limit. Russia has vast stockpiles of old tanks, from T-90s barely 20 years old to rusting T-62s from the 1960s. More importantly, Russia's supply of old tanks for rebuilding is showing signs of running down.

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