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☆ Wagner fighters, some of the best in the Russian ranks, are back in Ukraine, but they're not as much of a threat without Prigozhin running the show, Kyiv says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

After a long hiatus, Wagner Group mercenaries are back on the battlefield, Ukraine's military says. AdvertisementAdvertisementWagner Group mercenaries are back in Ukraine after a lengthy absence from the battlefield. These fighters appear to be some of the best within the Russian ranks, but the threat is still low without their leader, Kyiv's military says. It's been several months since Wagner mercenaries last saw combat in eastern Ukraine. They captured the city in May, but amid the bloody campaign led to tensions flared between Wagner and the regular Russian military, ultimately leading to the mutiny.

Persons: Wagner, they're, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, It's, Illya, REUTERS Yevlash, Yevlash, Africa —, Stringer, Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Podolyak Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, RBC, Institute for, Southern Military District, Russian Defense Ministry Locations: Belarus, Russian, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Africa, Ukrainian, Washington, Rostov, Don

CNN —Fighters who had previously fought in Ukraine for the Russian mercenary group Wagner have returned to the battlefield in the east, according to the Ukrainian military. Wagner mercenaries had withdrawn from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in May as they handed control of the area to Russia’s military. “As of now, there are several hundred of them in our direction, on the Eastern Front, in different areas,” Cherevatyi told CNN. “Wagner is here too,” a drone operator with call-sign “Groove” told CNN’s Fred Pleitgen on the ground in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. The Ukrainian general leading the southern counteroffensive, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, told CNN last week that Wagner fighters continue to pop up “here and there” on the frontlines.

Persons: Wagner, Serhii Cherevatyi, ” Cherevatyi, “ Wagner, ”, CNN’s Fred Pleitgen, “, ” Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Podolyak, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, that’s Organizations: CNN — Fighters, Communications, Ukrainian, Russian Ministry of Defense, CNN, Russian MoD, Wagner PMC Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Biden ESG rule survives challenge in court. 'Tonal shift’ may be biggest victory, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration rule — which took effect Jan. 30 — was one facet of a White House effort to address climate change. Biden's ESG rule replaced a regulation issued by the Trump administration. That's because ERISA, a federal retirement law, disallows employers from picking investments for ideological reasons. The Biden administration was concerned that the spin around the Trump rule might have chilled plans' willingness to consider ESG factors. "The Biden administration was concerned that the spin around the Trump rule might have chilled plans' willingness to consider ESG factors in evaluating plan investments," Iwry said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Marty Walsh, Anna Moneymaker, —, Biden, Biden's, Trump, PSCA, Andrew Oringer, Oringer, DOL, gunning, Mark Iwry, Obama, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Mark Iwry nonresident, Iwry, Mischa Keijser Organizations: Labor, White, Getty, of America, U.S . Department of Labor, Northern District of Texas, Wagner Law, Department of Labor, Biden, Trump, Brookings Institution, U.S . Department of, Treasury, Brookings, Labor Department Locations: Rose, Northern District, Texas

☆ Russian Black Sea Fleet commander is still alive, video suggests, days after Ukraine claimed to kill him
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Ministry of Defence published a video showing a Russian commander attending a meeting by video link. The image was striking because Ukraine earlier claimed to have killed Sokolov on Friday in a major strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters near Sevastopol, a port in occupied Crimea. Had he been killed, Sokolov would have been one of the most senior casualties in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Kremlin on Tuesday did not confirm or deny that Sokolov was dead, passing questions to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Reuters reported. According to the website of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Sokolov was appointed its highest ranking officer in September 2022.

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, —, Sokolov, Sergei Shoigu Organizations: Ministry of Defence, Service, Russian Ministry of Defense, Black, Reuters, Ukraine's, Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia's, Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia

☆ An ex-Wagner boss was arrested in Norway after officials suspected he was trying to sneak back into Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An ex-Wagner group commander was shot at and arrested by Norwegian police, Reuters reported. Police said Andrei Medvedev was trying to sneak back into Russia illegally. Medvedev abandoned Russia for Norway in January, claiming he feared for his life. Andrei Medvedev was shot at and arrested after authorities suspected he trying to cross the Russian border at an undesignated entry point on Saturday, Reuters reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementMedvedev abandoned Russia for Norway in January, claiming he feared for his life after witnessing the mistreatment of Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Persons: Wagner, Andrei Medvedev, Medvedev, Brynjulf Risnes, Risnes, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Reuters, Police, Service Locations: Norwegian, Russia, Norway, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine, Belarus

☆ Wagner forces have not withdrawn from Africa in ‘meaningful’ numbers, defense official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Djibouti CNN —The US has not seen a withdrawal of Wagner forces from Africa “in any substantial or meaningful numbers,” a senior US defense official said, as the Kremlin continues to weigh what to do with the Russian mercenary group following its leader’s death last month. The number of Wagner forces throughout Africa, concentrated mostly in Central African Republic, Mali, and Libya, remains “pretty stable,” the official told a small group of reporters traveling with the Secretary of Defense to Africa. There are also signs Wagner forces have been “trying to exploit” the July coup attempt in Niger to make inroads there, the official said, without elaborating. “There have been signs of official Russian military delegations going out to many countries, testing the waters about whether the official Russian military would have an opportunity to operate,” the official said. Most security experts doubt Wagner can survive without Prigozhin, posing major questions about what will happen to the group’s fighters, weapons and operations.

Persons: Wagner, ”, “ Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner –, there’s, Prigozhin Organizations: Djibouti CNN, Africa “, Kremlin, Central, Defense, Russian Locations: Djibouti, Africa, Russian, Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Niger, Moscow, Russia

Former Wagner commander Andrei Medvedev is pictured in court with his lawyer Brynjulf Risnes (not pictured), in Oslo, Norway April 25, 2023. Andrei Medvedev, who escaped Russia in January via its Arctic border with Norway, has described running as Russian guards fired shots at him. Police said in a statement late on Friday that a man in his 20s had been taken into custody for attempting to illegally cross the Russian border, but did not name him. It was never his intention to cross the border (into Russia)," Risnes said. Risnes said Medvedev had the right to return to Russia if he wanted to, but that "a lot of changes need to happen" in order to make a safe return.

Persons: Wagner, Andrei Medvedev, Brynjulf Risnes, Gwladys, Risnes, Medvedev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gwladys Fouche, Nerijus, Terje Solsvik Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Police, Reuters, Russia, YouTube, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Rights OSLO, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Finnmark, Norwegian, Moscow

☆ The mastermind of Russia's treacherous defenses in Ukraine appears to be in a kind of faraway 'exile' as the line is being breached
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian Army Gen. Sergey Surovikin appears to be in Algeria, according to recent photos. Surovikin is the mastermind of Russia's formidable defensive lines and fortifications in Ukraine. But as Kyiv's forces break through these elaborate fortifications, the mastermind behind them is nowhere near the action. The experts cited several additional photographs of Surovikin purportedly in Algeria, which were published to Telegram by Russian sources. Insider was unable to independently verify any of the recent photographs of Surovikin shared to X and Telegram.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Surovikin, Dara Massicot, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, subsume Wagner Organizations: Russian, Wagner Group, Service, RAND Corporation, Twitter, Institute for, Commonwealth, Independent States, CIS, Kommersant, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Russian MoD Locations: Algeria, Ukraine, Africa, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Moscow, California, Washington, Yevgeny Prigozhin — Russia, North Africa, Russian, Sochi

The Russian flag flying outside la Maison Russe, or the Russian House, a cultural center in Bangui. As the Kremlin tries to get its arms around Wagner’s sprawling commercial network, what’s next for the group remains unclear. Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova (right) appears in the background of a photo of Prigozhin outside the Russian House last month. In three tents outside the center, Russian language classes were taking place, while Russian movies were being screened in a cinema room. “He was my friend, he was my best friend in front of all central African people,” he said of the late mercenary boss.

Persons: Central African Republic CNN —, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin’s, ” Nathalia, –, ” Dukhan, Faustin, Masked Wagner, Maison, Dmitry Syty, ”, Syty, Prigozhin, Nafisa, Anfisa Alexandrovna Kiryanova, Kiryanova, begrudgingly, Touadera, Vitali Perfilev, CNN’s, Fidèle, Gouandjika, “, Sebastian Shukla, ” Gouandjika, Putin, ’ Organizations: Central African, Central African Republic CNN, Central African Republic, Russe, Russian, Bangui . CNN, Kremlin, CNN, Wagner, European, European Union, United, Local, Sorbonne, Linguistic University, US, Russia’s Ministry of Defence, Ilyushin IL Locations: Bangui, Central, Central African Republic, la, Russian, Bangui ., Moscow, Russia, United States, Paris, Prigozhin

☆ A sneaky move at a Kremlin meeting may show why Putin took his time in eliminating Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

If so, the process of removing Prigozhin may have begun at a Kremlin meeting days after his uprising. On June 29, five days after the rebellion was called off, Putin gathered Prigozhin and his commanders in the Kremlin, according to a report in the Russian outlet Kommersant. "Reports of the meeting — and the lack of notable cases of dissension following Prigozhin's death — suggest that the meeting likely achieved its goals," Orr said. Chekalov, a senior deputy to Prigozhin, oversaw logistics, coordinating numerous Wagner activities and operations in Libya and Syria. ALEXEY DANICHEV/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesUnder Prigozhin, Wagner amassed a business empire using lucrative concessions from governments and backers in the countries where it operated.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Alexei Troshev, nodded affirmatively, Matthew Orr, RANE, Orr, Dmitry Utkin, Valery Chekalov, Anton Mardasov, Mardasov, ALEXEY DANICHEV, Prigozhin's, Pavel Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Kommersant, Reuters, French Army, Associated Press, Russia's Ministry of Defense, PMC Convoy, PMC Redut, Russian, Ministry of Defense, Getty, Belarusian Defence Ministry, Wagner PMC, SVR Locations: Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Tver, Eurasia, Prigozhin, Libya, Syria, Mali, Africa, East, Russia, Belarus, St . Petersburg, Saharan Africa, Ukraine, Osipovichi

☆ Russia is making a 'very costly' tactical mistake that means its second line of defense will be easier to penetrate, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The first line has been hard to pass, but analysts say too many resources have been focused on it. A change in command likely means Russia's not utilizing the depths of its defenses, analysts say. Michael Kofman, a defense analyst and senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Kyiv Independent that Ukraine was now working on breaching the second line. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkrainian generals say that the second line of defense will likely be far easier to break through, the Kyiv Independent reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementKofman told the paper that while Surovikin wanted a classic positional defense, Gerasimov preferred an active defense, including regular counterattacks, Kofman said.

Persons: Michael Kofman, Kofman, Viktor Kivliuk, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, General Valery Gerasimov, Gerasimov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Independent, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Center, Defense Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ Russian general in Algeria in apparent return to work after Wagner mutiny, Kommersant reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, visits the Joint Headquarters of the Russian armed forces involved in military operations in Ukraine, in an unknown location in Russia, in this picture released December 17, 2022. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 15 (Reuters) - Russian general Sergei Surovikin is in Algeria as part of a Defence Ministry delegation, in an apparent return to official duties after coming under suspicion in connection with a June mutiny by the Wagner mercenary force, Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, citing a source close to the general. The newspaper published photographs of Surovikin wearing a khaki suit without military insignia that it said had been taken in Algeria, a major buyer of Russian weapons. He became popular among hardline critics of the Russian military establishment including Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last month. Various media outlets reported that Surovikin had fallen out of favour with the Kremlin and that he was being investigated for possible complicity.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Surovikin, RIA, Viktor Afzalov, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Defence Ministry, Kommersant, New York Times, Kremlin, Commonwealth of Independent, Institute for, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Kremlin, Algeria, Moscow, Commonwealth of Independent States, Soviet

☆ Former Wagner fighters are having to find new careers. One started a 'Wagner Taxi' company using the group's logo.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Wagner Group soldiers are being forced to seek out new employment, per Russian reports. One soldier has started a taxi company named after the notorious mercenary group. Valery Bogdanov, a resident of Bolotnoye in Russia's southern Novosibirsk region, has even printed business cards using the Wagner Group's emblem of a grinning skull against a set of wings, Russian outlet VN.ru reported. Both Prigozhin and the rumored co-founder of the Wagner Group, Dmitry Utkin, were on the passenger list of the flight that plunged catastrophically to earth on August 23, 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe representative also said the group had been forced to look for more opportunities in Africa and the Middle East, Important Stories reported.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Valery Bogdanov, Wagner, Bogdanov, they're, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, catastrophically, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Central African Republic —, — Wagner, Touadera Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Wagner, Daily, Central African, Eye, Faustin, Kremlin Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Bolotnoye, Russia's, Novosibirsk, Ukraine, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Africa, Central African Republic

☆ 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

☆ U.S. Aims New Sanctions at Russian Military Supply Chains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Gaya Gupta | More About Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The sanctions are part of the U.S. effort “to target Russia’s military supply chains and deprive Putin of the equipment, technology, and services he needs to wage his barbaric war on Ukraine,” Janet L. Yellen, secretary of the Treasury, said in a statement. “Today’s actions show our global reach in imposing severe costs on Putin’s oligarchs,” she added. The Treasury Department’s sanctions targeted nearly 100 Russian military-linked elites and individuals — including some in Turkey, Georgia, Finland and the United Arab Emirates — involved with Russia’s industrial, financial and technology industries. One individual, Vitalij Victorovich Perfilev, was identified as an official with the Wagner mercenary group who served as the national security adviser to the Central African Republic’s president. Among the other targets were a Georgian-Russian oligarch, Otar Anzorovich Partskhaladze, and a Russian intelligence officer, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Onishchenko.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, ” Janet L, Yellen, “, ”, Victorovich, Wagner, Pavel Pavlovich Shevelin, Anzorovich, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Onishchenko Organizations: Kremlin, Treasury, United, United Arab Emirates, Central African Locations: States, Ukraine, U.S, Turkey , Georgia, Finland, United Arab, State, North Korea, Russia, Georgian, Russian

☆ Satellite images appear to show Wagner camp in Belarus being dismantled
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A satellite image shows a Tsel military base, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Mogilev Region, Belarus, July 25, 2023, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on September 14, 2023. PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 14 (Reuters) - Satellite images of a military base southeast of the Belarus capital Minsk appear to show dismantling of tents in recent weeks, which may indicate the winding down of the base for Wagner, the Russian mercenary company behind an abortive mutiny. Images of the Tsel military base in Mogilev region, taken on July 25, Aug. 25 and Sept. 9 and provided by Earth imaging company Planet Labs, appear to show the gradual dismantling of tents in the camp. In June, the Wagner group launched a brief mutiny against the army top brass in Russia, condemned as treason by President Vladimir Putin. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko invited Wagner to set up operations in his country as part of a deal that ended the mutiny.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Maxim Rodionov, Ron Popeski, Alistair Bell Organizations: Reuters, PBC, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Labs, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Mogilev Region, Belarus, Minsk, Russian, Mogilev, Russia

☆ Ukraine destroyed a prized $1.2B Russian air-defense system with cruise missiles, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine destroyed a Russian air-defense system worth $1.2 billion, reports said Thursday. The S-400 "Triumf" was taken down using a combination of Neptune missiles and drones, reports said. The advanced S-400 "Triumf" air-defense system was destroyed in a joint operation by Kyiv's security service (SBU) and navy, the BBC and Reuters reported, citing Ukrainian intelligence sources. It wrote that before its attack, Ukraine sent out drones to strike a Russian ship in the Black Sea. The air-defense system fired its rounds to shoot the drones down, thus revealing its location, Rybar reported.

Persons: Anton Gerashchenko, Jake Epstein Organizations: Service, BBC, Reuters, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Ministry of Defense, US's Patriot Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Yevpatoriya, Crimea, Russia, Kremlin Russian

Finland is a European Union member that supports sanctions on Russia and the most recent to join NATO. Both Turkey and the UAE have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but have not joined Western sanctions and sought to maintain ties with Russia. The latest sanctions package targets Russian companies that repair, develop and manufacture weapons, including the Kalibr cruise missile. Turkey, meanwhile, has tried to balance its close ties with both Russia and Ukraine, positioning itself as a mediator. Including the latest sanctions, the U.S. has targeted almost 3,000 businesses and people since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to State.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, ” James O’Brien, Putin, O’Brien, “, ” O’Brien, ”, Richard Connolly, Alexander, Lukashenko, ” Connolly, Denis Manturov, Connolly, Tom Keatinge, Andrei Bokarev, Sergei Shoigu, Iskander Makhmudov, Alexei Krivoruchko, Wagner, Otar, Partskhaladze, Antony Blinken, Suzan Fraser, Jon Gambrell, Antony Blinken’s Organizations: United Arab, State, Treasury, NATO, State Department’s Office, Associated Press, State Department, European Union, The State Department, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Oxford, Western, Russian Industry, Trade, Centre for Financial, Security, Royal United Services Institute, “, U.S, Russian Defense, Russian, Federal Security Service Locations: States, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Ukraine, U.S, UAE, Russia’s, Moscow, Finland, European, Belarus, Russian, ”, London, North Korea, Georgian, State, Ankara, Dubai

☆ George W. Bush says it was 'shocking' to learn that Yevgeny Prigozhin once served him dinner in St. Petersburg: 'All I know is I survived'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A photograph from 2006 shows Yevgeny Prigozhin serving dinner to then-President George W. Bush. Prigozhin was running catering for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, earning the name "Putin's chef." The former president was then asked if he thought Russian leader Vladimir Putin could "survive" the consequences of the Ukraine war if the conflict does not end in Moscow's favor. Russian leader Vladimir Putin listens to his US counterpart George W. Bush prior to a dinner 14 July 2006. In those days, Prigozhin had earned himself the nickname "Putin's chef" because he provided catering services to the Russian leader.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, George W, Bush, he'd, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, —, It's, Laura Bush, Putin, DMITRY ASTAKHOV, US Justice Department —, Weeks Organizations: Service, Yalta European Strategy, Getty, World Trade Organization, US Justice Department, Wagner, Kremlin Locations: Wall, Silicon, Yalta, Kyiv, St . Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow's, Russia, Constantine, Washington, Moscow, Concord

☆ Zelensky dismisses compromise with Putin, pointing to Prigozhin’s death
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Andrew Carey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Kyiv CNN —Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin – the Russian mercenary leader whose plane crashed weeks after he led a mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership – shows what happens when people make deals with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. “When you want to have a compromise or a dialogue with somebody, you cannot do it with a liar,” Volodymyr Zelensky said. The Wagner leader’s dramatic death, which followed a short-lived rebellion that threatened the authority of the Russian president, was a warning to be heeded, Zelensky suggested. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Friday. Ukraine has made incremental gains in the south amid fierce fighting with Russian troops, accounts from the front lines suggest.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Yevgeny Prigozhin –, Vladimir Putin, Zelensky, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, ” Volodymyr Zelensky, Wagner, CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Lula Da Silva, Putin, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN —, Kremlin, CNN Locations: Russian, United States, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Robotyne

On the overall list of the world’s Best Countries, Russia – where the survey was not fielded for the second year in a row – fell one spot to No. Among individuals in specific nations, the percentage of those agreeing this year that Russia is a “threat to the world” eclipsed 90% in several: Denmark, Finland, Japan and Poland. The only other countries with higher majorities agreeing that China is a global threat were Japan (91%) and South Korea (86%). Among respondents who do consider the U.S. a global threat, the highest share of agreement came from China at about 75%, while agreement eclipsed 60% among those from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and New Zealand. Still, the possibility of geoeconomic conflict is troubling, according to Ellissa Cavaciuti-Wishart, head of the Global Risks Initiative at the World Economic Forum.

Persons: ”, Russia ” –, “, Russia that’s, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Joe Biden, Richard Wike, ” Wike, “ They're, Biden, Ellissa Cavaciuti, Wishart Organizations: News, U.S . News, NATO, Wagner, Russia, The New York Times, Wagner Group, U.S, Best, Pew Research Center, Pew, Global, Economic Locations: Russia, Ukraine, U.S, China, United States, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Poland, Russian, Belarus, Moscow, Australia, United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, South Korea, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, New Zealand

☆ Ukraine's front-line forces are trying to fight their way through Russia's formidable Surovikin Line. Here's what that is.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian forces are making steady territorial gains in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. In doing so, Kyiv's troops have fought against the formidable Surovikin Line. As they approach Verbove, Kyiv's troops have are pushing against the main part of the so-called "Surovikin Line." The Surovikin Line is a complex system of defensive fortifications and obstacles across Russian-occupied territory in southern and eastern Ukraine. AdvertisementAdvertisementTo even reach the main line, Kyiv's soldiers have had to move through sprawling minefields — which has proven to be a slow and painstaking process.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin's, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner, George Barros, Barros, Rob Lee, Michael Kofman Organizations: Service, Factory, Russian Army, Institute, REUTERS Locations: Robotyne, Verbove, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Orikhiv, Azov, Kherson, Crimea, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Washington, Russia, Tokmak, Ukrainian, Moscow

☆ UK to declare Russia's Wagner a terrorist organisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A flag with the logo of Wagner private mercenary group is attached to a car during an automobile rally at a patriotic festival marking Russia's National Flag Day in the Moscow region, Russia, August 23, 2023. Britain's interior minister Suella Braverman described the Wagner Group as "violent and destructive", adding it "acted as a military tool of Vladimir Putin's Russia overseas". "They are terrorists, plain and simple - and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law," she said. The Wagner mercenary group has operated in Syria, Libya and a number of countries across northern and western Africa. Lawmakers on parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in July urged more targeted sanctions on what it said were a "web of entities" beneath the Wagner Group.

Persons: Wagner, Yulia Morozova, Suella Braverman, Vladimir Putin's, David Lammy, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lavanya, Sarah Young, Peter Graff, William Schomberg Organizations: REUTERS, Wagner Group, Labour, Twitter, Britain, Prigozhin, Central African, Lawmakers, parliament's Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, British, Vladimir Putin's Russia, Ukraine, East, Africa, Syria, Libya, Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan, Bengaluru, London

☆ Low-Cost Trans-Atlantic Airlines Could Soon Run Out of Runway
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prigozhin Is Dead: A Timeline of the Wagner Boss Since His Failed Mutiny The final two months of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s life were full of speculation about his whereabouts and status. We break down what happened between his failed mutiny and his death in a Russian plane crash. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Ryan Trefes Organizations: Wagner Group Locations: Russian

A Huge Threat to the U.S. Budget Has Receded. For decades, runaway Medicare spending was the story of the federal budget. Budget news often sounds apocalyptic, but the Medicare trend has been unexpectedly good for federal spending, saving taxpayers a huge amount relative to projections. In a recent letter to the Senate Budget Committee, economists at the Congressional Budget Office described the huge reductions in its Medicare forecasts between 2010 and 2020. Medicare is growing more slowly than ever, but still more quickly than the rest of the federal budget.

Persons: Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, that’s, ”, David Cutler, Cutler, haven’t, I’ve, Melinda Buntin, Buntin, Simpson, Bowles, aren’t, Trump, Joshua Gordon, Mitt Romney’s, “, Sherry Glied Organizations: Medicare, ”, U.S, Budget, Harvard, Obama, Affordable, Senate, Congressional, New York Times, Office, White, Office of Management, Johns Hopkins, Social Security, Congress, Federal, Veterans, NASA, Wagner School Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, N.Y.U, Washington

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