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☆ Robotyne: How US-built Bradley fighting vehicles helped Ukraine take a strategically important village
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Melissa Bell Daria Tarasova-Markina Pierre Bairin | Melissa Bell | Daria Tarasova-Markina | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Yet southward progress is precisely what the Ukrainian soldiers with the call signs Karatsupa, Pan and Taba seek, driving their American-made Bradley Fighting Vehicles down a road that is also, they believe, the road to Ukrainian victory. Without the mines, we would already be in Tokmak.”Much has been made of the strategic importance of Robotyne for Ukraine’s three-month-long southern counteroffensive. And Karatsupa, Pan and Taba now carry with them not only pride at what they’ve achieved but also grief at what they’ve lost. Some of the men with whom they captured Robotyne last week have since been killed in a direct hit on their Bradley. A reminder that however important the gain of Robotyne is to the counteroffensive, there is far more loss ahead, further down the road to hell.

Persons: “ I’ve, I’ve, ”, he’d, Bradley, Pierre Bairin, “, Robotyne, ” Karatsupa, they’ve Organizations: Ukraine CNN, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 47th Brigade, Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade, CNN, Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Orikhiv, Robotyne, Tokmak, Ukraine's, Russia

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CNN —A Russian general who reportedly served as the top military commander for Ukraine last year has died, according to Russian state media. Army General Gennady Zhidko died at 58 “after a long illness” on Wednesday, according to the state news agency TASS. Zhidko served as Russia’s Eastern Military District Commander between May and October last year. He was reportedly the overall theater commander in Ukraine during Moscow’s offensive against Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in the summer of 2022. Russia’s Ministry of Defense named General Sergey Surovikin as its new overall commander for operations in the war on October 2022.

Persons: Gennady Zhidko, Zhidko, Mikhail Degtyarev, “, ”, Sergei Shoigu, ISW, Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin hasn’t, Wagner Organizations: CNN, Army, Eastern Military, Tass, Intelligence Team, Russian Defense, Russian Armed Forces, Defense, Russia, Staff, Russian Federation, Eastern Military District, Russia’s Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russia’s Khabarovsk, Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, Syria, Kharkiv

☆ Russia fires warning shots and boards cargo ship in Black Sea, says Russian MoD
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Russian warship fired warning shots and boarded a cargo ship it claims was headed to Ukraine in the Black Sea on Sunday, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. Russia said the warship fired warning shots when the captain of the Palau-flagged dry cargo ship failed to respond to a request to stop for an inspection. “The Russian warship opened warning fire from automatic small arms fire to forcefully stop the vessel,” the statement said. Marine traffic websites currently shows the cargo vessel’s destination as the Romanian port of Sulina which is close to Izmail. “Following radio conversations, the ship stopped its course and the boarding team landed on the bulk cargo ship,” the statement said.

Persons: –, Vasily Bykov, Dmytro Pletenchuk, ” Pletenchuk Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Defense Ministry, UN, Ukrainian Navy, “, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Turkish, Palau, Izmail, Romanian, Sulina, Kyiv, Ukrainian

Two Ukrainian missiles were shot down on Saturday afternoon, the Russia-appointed Head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov wrote in a post on Telegram, adding that the bridge was undamaged. “Another enemy missile was shot down over the Kerch Strait. Meanwhile, traffic has resumed on the Crimean bridge, according to the Crimean bridge operative information Telegram account, after it was temporarily blocked. The Kremlin was quick to blame Kyiv for that explosion, and Putin alleged that it was an act of “sabotage” by Ukrainian security services. The bridge was also hit by two strikes in July in an attack a Ukrainian security official told CNN Kyiv was responsible for.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Crimea Sergey Aksyonov, Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, ” “, Maria Zakharova, ” Zakharova, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Vasyl Maliuk, ” Maliuk, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Kyiv, CNN Kyiv, Ukrainian Security Service Locations: Crimea, Russia, Kerch, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Poland-Belarus: Tensions high on NATO's border with Belarus after Wagner troops move closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Josh Pennington Niamh Kennedy Darya Tarasova Jessie Gretener Yulia Kesaieva | Sana Noor Haq | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Belarusian soldiers and Wagner troops attend joint training exercises near the border city of Brest, in Belarus on July 20, 2023 amid increased border tensions between Warsaw and Minsk. Belarus' Defense Ministry/Handout/AP/FileMinsk had informed Warsaw about the exercise, but a border crossing took place in the eastern Bialowieza region at a “very low altitude, making detection by radar systems difficult,” the Polish defense ministry said in a statement. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak subsequently ordered that more troops and combat helicopters be deployed along the border, the ministry added. “By deploying troops from both the west (Kaliningrad) and the east (Belarus), Russia would be able to effectively cut off the Baltic States from its NATO allies in central and western Europe. Five EU countries, four of whom border Ukraine – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – lifted sanctions on the import of Ukrainian grain, which they had installed to protect their own agricultural industries.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Mariusz Blaszczak, Mateusz Morawiecki, Paweł Jabłoński, Barbara Yoxon, Putin, “, ” Yoxon, ”, Yoxon, Bulgaria –, Marcin Przydacz, Poland Organizations: CNN, NATO, EU, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Polish, Belarusian Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Lancaster University, “, Presidential, International, Ukraine, ” Locations: Poland, Belarus, Minsk, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian, Lithuania, Russian, Moscow, Brest, Polish, EU, Russia, Kaliningrad, Baltic, Grodno, England, Ukraine, Baltic States, Latvia, Estonia, Western, Ukrainian, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Kyiv, Republic of Poland

Multiple sea drone attack carried out on Russian assets in Crimea and the Black Sea have grabbed recent headlines, with dramatic videos posted online. These sea drones are targeting the Russians in the Black Sea. “The speed of these drones exceeds any sea craft in the Black Sea region at the moment.”The speed and difficulties in detection may go some way to explaining how the drones that attacked the bridge traveled undetected in the dark across the Black Sea to the bridge. Especially since the Admiral Makarov was newly installed as the Black Sea flagship after the Moskva was famously sunk by Ukrainian forces in April 2022. Russia claimed it was responding to an area it says was housing sea drones.

Persons: Makarov, Putin, ”, menacingly, Admiral Makarov, “ Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Boston Whaler, CNN, “, UNESCO, Heritage Locations: Ukraine, Boston, Crimean, Russia, Crimea, Kerch, Crimea’s Sevastopol, Sevastopol, Moskva, Russian

A dog named BradleyThe armored fighting vehicles are so admired by Ukrainian soldiers that running around Kach’s team’s camp barking is “Bradley” – the brigade press officer’s 6-month-old rescue puppy. Russian artillery started to pick off the vehicles sent out to de-mine the area. The 47th ran into trouble very quickly trying to pierce the Russian line in their newly acquired armor. Outside loud booms from Ukrainian artillery cannons sweep across the heavily damaged and now largely empty town. They have more guns, they have more shells and they have more people so we must counter that with our … professionalism.”These days, that means the slow grind of the exposed troops fighting from trench to trench, assaulting tree line to tree line under heavy fire.

Persons: Ukraine CNN —, ”, “, Kach, Bradley, “ Bradley ” –, Seb Shukla, “ It’s, Rob Lee, ” Lee, Tral, Stanislav, ” Stanislav Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Bradley, CNN, 47th Mechanized Brigade, US, Foreign Policy Research Institute, ” Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Kharkiv, American, Germany, Kach’s, Crimea, Donbas, Azov, German, “, Russian

Dnipro, Ukraine CNN —The much-anticipated and controversial American-made cluster munitions that the United States agreed to supply to Kyiv are now in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon. On Thursday afternoon the Pentagon confirmed the presence of the munitions in country, saying “There are cluster munitions in Ukraine at this time.”Tarnavsky is commander of the “Tavria” Joint Forces Operation, which is operating on a large section of the southern Ukraine front. But they are very worried.”Eyebrows were raised at the US delivery of these cluster munitions, which are banned in over 100 countries. The general says Ukraine is carrying out “large scale offensives,” while also admitting Ukrainian troops have made modest gains, especially in the south. Russian lossesA rising star in the Russian military, Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov, was injured and killed in the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk, on the Azov Sea.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavsky, Tarnavsky, Defense Lloyd Austin, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “, ”, ” ‘, ” Tarnavsky, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Tarnavskiy, He’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Pentagon, CNN, ”, Forces, Russian, Defense, ” Kyiv, Russian Telegram, Military Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, United States, Kyiv, Ukrainian, ” Brig, Austin, Russian, Berdyansk, Azov

CNN —Elena Milashina, a prominent Russian journalist who uncovered the horrific crackdown on gay men in Chechnya, was severely beaten alongside a lawyer in an attack in the southern Russian republic, according to her employer Novaya Gazeta. Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, “agreed to intervene in the situation on the request of the editorial office,” Novaya Gazeta said. Moskalkova also said she asked the Commissioner for Human Rights in Chechnya to ensure the safety of the journalist. Following her reporting on a crackdown on gay men in Chechnya in 2017, Muslim clerics in Chechnya called for “retribution” against her and other journalists. The country has a checkered record on gay rights, breaking up gay pride marches and passing anti-gay propaganda laws.

Persons: CNN — Elena Milashina, Alexander Nemov, Elena, Alexander, ” “ Elena Milashina, “, Nemov, Milashina, Musaeva, Ramzan Kadyrov, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Tatyana Moskalkova, Moskalkova, ‘, Sergey Babinets, ”, Marie Struthers, Kadyrov Organizations: CNN, Novaya Gazeta, Milashina, Human, Novosti, Human Rights, Amnesty Locations: Russian, Chechnya, Grozny, Novaya, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Russia

LONDON/NEW YORK/HONG KONG (Reuters) -For hedge funds, the second half of 2023 is all about pouncing on the ways in which inflation, aggressive rate hikes and decarbonisation are shaping the economy. Five prominent funds shared their ideas using five different asset classes to trade on this uncertainty. The ideas do not represent recommendations or trading positions, which hedge funds cannot reveal for regulatory reasons. 1/ UBS O’CONNOR* Alternatives platform, with both hedge funds and credit* Size: $9.5 billion* Established in 2000* Key trade: Long so-called “busted” convertible bonds, or hybrid securities where the stock trades below its option conversion price. Seminara favored long positions in investment grade bonds and shorting high yield ones via the iTraxx Europe and iTraxx crossover indices.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Casey Talbot, Alpha, ” Talbot, Byron Gill, Howard Smith, Anastasia Tarasova, Tarasova, Andrea Seminara, ”, Seminara, CRAWFORD, ERIC STURDZA, Eric Sturdza, Chris Crawford, Biden, “ They’re, Crawford Organizations: Reuters, Traders, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, UBS, UBS O’Connor, Companies, Indus Capital Partners, Capital, Federal, Redhedge, Asset Management, European Central Bank, ECB, Eric Sturdza Investments, Fund Management, Crawford Fund Management Locations: HONG KONG, New York City, U.S, Asia, Ukraine, Europe

“We’re looking for any kind of enemies everywhere, air, on land and on the river as well,” Captain Anton, his surname withheld for security reasons, says of his mission. It cuts through Ukraine, connecting some of its major cities — such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — providing water, electricity and a natural barrier against advancing armies. “The river is a strategic object,” Captain Anton says. “Our mission is to patrol the Dnipro River, since it’s prohibited to use any kind of navigation since 24th of February 2022,” Captain Anton explains. “In cases where Russia is using Shaheds, we can use (these boats) to try and strike them,” Captain Anton explains.

Persons: Captain Anton, Vasco Cotovio, Anton, “, “ We’re, ”, Anton’s Organizations: CNN, Vasco, Dnipro, NATO, US Department of Defense, Moscow, Snake, United Locations: Dnipro, Europe, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, United States, Washington, Russian, “, Moscow, Moskva, Ukrainian

“The main purpose of this aircraft is to support our ground forces at the front,” he explains. “I think we increase the morale of our ground forces too.”One of the main issues Kyiv’s ground forces have faced as the counteroffensive gets underway is Russian air power holding them back. "Juice" says the Ukrainian air force would be much more capable of protecting advancing ground forces if it had better aircraft. But the US now says it will train Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft, and the UK and Denmark have been pressing for more. But while Russia maintains technological superiority in the air, it’ll be very difficult for Ukrainian pilots to push Moscow’s pilots out of their skies.

Persons: Russia’s Su, Su, Oleksyi, ”, “, ” Pumba, “ They’re, it’s, Vasco Cotovio, ” Juice, Juice, they’re, Pumba, Oleksyi Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ It’ll Organizations: Southern, Southern Ukraine CNN —, ”, Territorial Defense Brigade, NATO, CNN, Defense Locations: Southern Ukraine, Soviet, Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Europe, Ukrainian, Moscow, “, United States, Denmark

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine CNN —In a deserted shell of a building, a Ukrainian drone pilot blocks off his surroundings and focuses solely on the controller in his hands. During the day, the drone unit spent hours scoping out possible night-time launch sites for their mission, as well as figuring out the exact coordinates of their target. Frederik Pleitgen/CNNThey hide their vehicles and proceed a few hundreds of meters on foot, while Ukrainian and Russian forces trade artillery salvos. A successful hitAs the Ukrainian drone approaches its Russian target, the mission enters its most critical phase. Still, the men say, their job is not done just yet, not while Russian forces continue to occupy Ukraine.

Persons: ‘, ’ ”, –, ” Bankir, “, Marat, Frederik Pleitgen, they’re, ”, Vladimir Sladkov, Vladimir Rogov, they’ll, Ukraine’s SBU, ” Marat, “ It’s, it’s Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Security Service, country’s Patrol Police, CNN, Patrol Police, coy, Bradley, Russian, “ Team Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kherson, Russian, United States

Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine CNN —Under clear and sunny skies, a Ukrainian soldier speeds down a long, straight road toward forward positions close to the front line. Combat medic "Winnie" says he and his fellow physicians try to provide first aid to advancing Ukrainian forces as soon as possible and reduce the amount of casualties. Vasco Cotovio/CNNUkrainian forces have been working to stabilize some of the liberated villages but when CNN visited Velyka Novosilka, the situation remained very fluid. But I think we will win.”The frontline town of Velyka Novosilka bears the scars of a year and a half of shelling. That superiority was on full display during the CNN team’s visit when the Ukrainian forces came under repeated attack by Russian Su-25 ground attack fighter jets.

Persons: Velyka Novosilka, swerves, ”, Vasco Cotovio, “, Winnie, “ There’s, ” Velyka, Jaeger, Mara, ” Skrypal, Novosilka, Jaeger Brigade’s, Vasyl Matyiev, ” Matyiev, Ukraine's, Russian Su, Velyka, “ I’ve, Tatiana, – Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, CNN Ukrainian, Vasco, intel, 68th Jaeger, Ukrainian, “ Volunteers Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Velyka, Neskuchne, Russia, Western, Moscow, Russian, Bakhmut, Velyka Novosilka

☆ 'What is there to be afraid of?' Ukrainians in frontline town hopeful about counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Vasco Cotovio Frederik Pleitgen William Bonnett Darya Tarasova | Vasco Cotovio | Frederik Pleitgen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The town in the Zaporizhzhia region sits just five kilometers away from a frontline where Ukrainian forces have been making a recent push. “The town is shelled every 24 hours.”And with the Zaporizhzhia frontline becoming more active because of an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive, aid deliveries may become more rare. CNN has been able to geolocate the videos to the Zaporizhzhia region but is unable to verify when they were shot. And nothing happens around town without them being well aware of it, even if that is a top-secret Ukrainian counteroffensive. She straps the food box to the back of her bike and – just before she cycles away – Ukrainian forces somewhere outside of town are heard firing a shell towards Russian positions.

Persons: “, Olga Shumska, unfazed, I’m, ” Shumska, Vasco Cotovio, CNN “, Nina Sokol, we’ll, they’re, Vitaliy Kubushka, you’d, ” Sokol, ” Organizations: Southern, Southern Ukraine CNN, CNN, Sokol, Global Empowerment, Howard Buffet Foundation, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Journalists, Ministry of Defense Locations: Southern Ukraine, Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zapoprizhzhia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Kyiv, Shumska, Ukraine

Kherson, Ukraine CNN —Nadejda Chernishova breathes a sigh of relief as she steps off a rubber dinghy, moments after being rescued from her flooded home in Kherson. Nadejda Chernishova, 65, said water levels rose too fast for her to leave her home on her own. Planet Labs PBC/ReutersIn a frontline city like Kherson — where the shelling is constant — the rising water brings an added danger. The large presence of soldiers and first responders contrasts with the very few number of Kherson residents out on the streets. Both sides have been severely impacted by the collapse — even more so on the Russian side — leaving the terrain in very difficult condition.

Persons: Ukraine CNN —, Chernishova, “ I’m, ”, ” Chernishova, Nadejda Chernishova, I'm, Vasco Cotovio, Oleksandr Prokudin, Prokudin, Nova Kakhovka, ” Prokudin, “, haven’t, ” Produkin, – Organizations: Ukraine CNN, CNN, Planet Labs PBC, Reuters, Artillery, ” Locations: Kherson, Ukraine, “, Dnipro, Russian, ”, Karobel, Nova, Kyiv, Moscow, Kherson —, Russia, ” Kyiv

“We call this one Vidsyich (Ukrainian word for ‘repel’).”The Vidsyich is what Borovyk calls a combat drone, designed to attack Russian positions. Valeriy Borovyk as his Vidsyich drone -- one of several he's developed -- is catapulted into the sky. Fedorov and Shchyhol observe a drone competition with the view of procuring more equipment for the Ukrainian military. Valeriy Borovyk's Vidsyich (Ukrainian for 'repel') drone can fly 40 km and carry a warhead with up to three kilograms. Vasco Cotovio/CNNOne longer-range Ukrainian drone is the UJ-22, made by Ukrjet and with a reported range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles).

Persons: Borovyk, Vasco Cotovio, CNN Borovyk, “, ” Borovyk, Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, ” Fedorov, Fedorov, ”, ” Denis Sega, Yuriy Shchyhol, ” Shchyhol, Serhiy Prytula, Borovyk's Vidsyich, Anton Gerashchenko, Putin Organizations: CNN, Moscow, Ministry of Digital, Digital Transformation, “ Army, Drones, Sega, country’s, Service of Special Communications, Kremlin, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Brig, Moscow, Ilysk, Kuban

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared the damage in Bakhmut to the destruction wrought on Hiroshima after it was hit by an atomic bomb, as he denied Russia had captured the frontline city. Zelensky – who traveled to Japan for a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) – said pictures of Hiroshima “really remind” him of Bakhmut and other Ukrainian towns. “Just the same, nothing alive left, all of the buildings have been ruined,” Zelensky told a news conference. Zelensky rallies alliesIf confirmed, the capture of Bakhmut would mark Russia’s first gain in months, but the city’s symbolism always outweighed its strategic importance. At the G7 Ukraine’s allies reiterated their support, with British Prime Minister RIshi Sunak saying “Ukraine must not only win the war but win a just and lasting peace.”

☆ Russia warns West of 'enormous risks' if Ukraine supplied with F-16 jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russia’s deputy foreign minister has warned Western countries of “enormous risks” if Ukraine is provided with F-16 fighter jets, Russian state media TASS reported Saturday. The comments come after US President Joe Biden gave his backing for Ukrainian pilots to be trained to fly F-16s, reversing his previous position. Responding to the move, Alexander Grushko said: “We see that the Western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the set goals.”Earlier this week, the UK and the Netherlands were reportedly building an “international coalition” to help Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets. After saying Kyiv did not need the fighter jets earlier this year, US President Joe Biden reversed his objections by signaling to European allies that they would allow F-16 exports to Ukraine.

☆ Russia's Wagner group claims to have captured Bakhmut but Ukraine says it still controls a part of it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Darya Tarasova Sugam Pokharel Thom Poole Rob Picheta | Darya Tarasova | Sugam Pokharel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied claims Bakhmut has fallen to Russia after the chief of the mercenary Wagner group said his forces had taken complete control of the eastern Ukrainian city following months of brutal fighting. In a later update the Armed Forces of Ukraine said: “The battles for the city of Bakhmut continue”. Wagner received a message of praise from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian forces, bolstered by members of the Wagner mercenary group, have taken heavy losses trying to capture the city. Before the war, around 70,000 people lived in Bakhmut, a city once famous for its sparkling wine.

CNN —A Russian military blogger has been injured and his driver killed after their car was blown up, Russian state media reported, the latest attack on a pro-war figure. Zakhar Prilepin was hospitalized with a leg injury in the blast in the Nizhny Novgorod region, about 250 miles east of Moscow, TASS said. There is a war going on.”Last month another military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg. Nationalist writers are a key part of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine, strongly supporting the war in Ukraine but given unusual freedom to criticize its conduct. Unlike Russian state media, many of the most influential military bloggers have not shied away from criticizing Moscow for its battlefield defeats including the withdrawal from Kherson in November or, most recently, the stalling of the drawn-out fight for Bakhmut.

CNN —An acclaimed theater director and playwright have been arrested in Russia and accused of “justifying terrorism” for their play about Russian women being recruited online to marry Islamic State fighters in Syria. Yevgenia Berkovich was arrested on Friday alongside the play’s author, Svetlana Petriychuk, after investigators alleged that their award-winning play “Finist, the Brave Falcon” was in violation of the law. Prosecutors argue the work “romanticizes, justifies and glorifies terrorists” as well as promoting the “ideology of radical feminism”, Russian state media TASS reported. It was staged in 2021 by Berkovich’s own company, with the support of the Union of Theater Workers of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, according to independent news website Meduza. Russia’s cultural scene has faced increased repression since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

CNN —Russia says it will retaliate after Polish authorities seized the Russian Embassy school in Warsaw, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Polish police and staff from the Warsaw city hall entered the campus Saturday morning, asking employees to leave the premises, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. But a Polish foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters that while Russia had a right to protest, they were acting within the law. “Our opinion, which has been confirmed by the courts, is that this property belongs to the Polish state and was taken by Russia illegally,” Lukasz Jasina said. The school will continue to operate from a different part of the Russian embassy, RIA added, quoting Russia’s ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev.

CNN —The son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Nikolai Peskov, claimed in an interview with Russian media that he decided to serve in Ukraine with Russia’s Wagner mercenary force. Children of government figures and Russia’s elite have received criticism in the past for failing to fight in Ukraine. Nikolai Peskov’s interview comes after the Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Friday that the Kremlin spokesperson’s son had served as a gunner with his mercenary force. According to Prigozhin, Nikolai Peskov served in PMC Wagner for six months under false documents with a different last name, working as a loader of an ammunition supply vehicle. The Wagner chief said Peskov attended a three-week training at their base in Molkino and later “left for Luhansk.”

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