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☆ Wagner leader Prigozhin will move to Belarus following the mercenary group's uprising against Putin, Kremlin spokesman says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus and won't be prosecuted, a Kremlin spokesman said. Prigozhin and his mercenary group waged an uprising and marched across Russia on Saturday. In exchange for Prigozhin's exile to Belarus, the mercenary leader won't be prosecuted, the Associated Press reported, citing a Kremlin spokesperson. "The war wasn't needed to return Russian citizens to our bosom, nor to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine," Prigozhin said. On Saturday the mercenary group was reportedly also in Lipesk province, just 225 miles south of Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Putin, didn't Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Wagner Group, Associated Press, Wagner, Prigozhin, The New York Times, Times Locations: Belarus, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Rostov, Lipesk province

☆ Defiant Wagner chief Prigozhin claims he has 25,000 'patriot' soldiers who will not surrender despite Putin's demands. 'All of us are ready to die.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has defiantly responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin had said that the "armed mutiny" was a "betrayal" and vowed that Russia would defend itself. Prigozhin said the Russian president was "deeply mistaken" and that he and his men were "patriots" in a voice note posted to his Telegram channel on Saturday. All 25,000, and then another 25,000," he said about his troops in a social media post, per an Al Jazeera translation. The UK Department of Defense said on Saturday that Wagner forces are now "almost certainly" aiming to march to Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin's, mutinying Wagner, Prighozin Organizations: Service, Russian Ministry of Defense, UK Department of Defense Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Jazeera, Moscow

☆ How mercenary revolt has gathered pace in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

- In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. SATURDAY- Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. - Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - Russian's Defence Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Reuters Wagner, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Naryshkin, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Pavel Krasheninnikov, Gavin Jones, Giles Elgood, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moscow, Russian's Defence Ministry, Reuters, TASS, Kremlin, European Union, Ministry, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia's, Voronezh, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Rostov, Russia's Rostov, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Belarus

☆ Erdogan urges Putin to act with common sense
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday and urged him to act with common sense, the Turkish presidency said, after Russian mercenary fighters began an armed mutiny overnight. Erdogan was among the first leaders to hold a phone call with Putin after his speech on Saturday. The Turkish presidency said the two discussed recent developments in Russia and Erdogan told Putin that Turkey was ready to do its part to help bring about a peaceful resolution. The Kremlin said in a separate statement that Erdogan had backed the Russian government's handling of the mutiny during the conversation with Putin. Erdogan has sought to maintain strong ties with both Moscow and Kyiv since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Wagner, Erdogan, Huseyin Hayatsever, Hugh Lawson, Alexander Smith Organizations: Saturday, NATO, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Russian, Russia, Turkey, Moscow, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Take a look at the first images of Wagner mercenaries descending on strategic Russian city in an apparent armed rebellion against Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Wagner group troops descended on Rostov-on-Don in Russia in an apparent armed mutiny. Images show the armed fighters on armored vehicles in the streets of the strategic Russian city. On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Wagner group's actions a "betrayal," and vowed to quell the mutiny. Videos on social media appear to show Wagner group soldiers descending on the strategic Rostov-on-Don on Saturday after the group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Russia's defense ministry "must be stopped." Take a look at the first images of the Wagner fighters descending on the city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday.

Persons: Wagner, —, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Don, UK Ministry of Defence, Service, Russian Southern Military District Locations: Rostov, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine managed to gain ground in Ukraine as Russia faced off against Russia in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian forces spent Saturday preparing to defend Moscow from a paramilitary uprising. But Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin ordered his fighters to turn around just before reaching the capital. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy minister of defense, said Saturday that Ukrainian forces launched new counter-offensives in the country's east and were holding Russian forces in defensive positions in the south. While Ukraine continued its efforts to retake territory, Russia was forced to defend itself from itself. Before the Wagner Group fighters turned back, Russian security officials were gearing up to defend Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Vladimir Putin —, Prigozhin, Ukraine's, Hanna Maliar, Wagner Group's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sergei Shoigu, Sen, Mark Warner of, Marco Rubio Organizations: Service, Wagner, Russian, Twitter, BBC, Wagner Group, Moscow, Russian Defense, Senate Intelligence, CBS Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Mark Warner of Virginia, Marco Rubio of Florida

☆ Ukraine gained ground inside Ukraine as Russia faced off against Russia inside Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin is escalating his feud with the Russian military to stay relevant after Bakhmut, but he risks taking it too far, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Wagner founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin continues to escalate his feud with the Russian defense ministry. But some prominent voices in Russia's pro-war ultranationalist community are troubled by his antics, ISW observed. But in that same information space, Prigozhin also voiced repeated, profane, and blunt criticisms of the regular Russian military and its leadership. This aspect of his online activities appears to have become more pronounced as Wagner forces come off the line and reposition to rear areas. "Prigozhin is exposing a similar hatred for select individuals within the Russian military command," she said.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ISW, —, Prigozhin, Russia's ultranationalist, Bakhmut, Stepanenko, Roman Venevitin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Igor Girkin, Shoigu, Russian oligarch Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russia's, Kremlin, Institute for, Press, REUTERS, 72nd, Motorized Rifle Brigade, Wagner, Russian MoD, RIA, MoD, Washington DC Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Belgorod Oblast, Russia, Concord, Russian, Soledar

☆ Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is accusing the Kremlin of planting landmines to blow up his troops as they left Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin said Moscow's troops left landmines in his forces' way. His press service also said Russian troops, led by a drunk officer, opened fire on Wagner soldiers. The report said Wagner troops traveling in Donetsk found landmines in their way and proceeded to clear the road. No one was injured, but Wagner forces "dismounted, dispersed, took retaliatory measures to eliminate aggression, and made arrests," the document said. "The icing on the cake so there's no doubt left," Prigozhin wrote in a caption for the video.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, —, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Armed Forces of, Wagner, Ministry of Defense, Wagner PMC, Wagner Group, Russia's Defense Ministry Locations: Russian, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk

☆ Wagner Group chief appears to escalate Kremlin feud by sitting in front of Ukraine's flag colors and praising the nation's fighting spirit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner Group's chief criticized Russia for concealing the truth about Ukraine's fighting abilities. In a video, Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared sitting in front of large mats in the colors of Ukraine's flag. The out-spoken mercenary group's leader has been publicly feuding with Russia's military leadership. In a video address, Yevgeny Prigozhin criticized the Russian establishment for not telling the country's citizens the truth about the "very difficult" situation in Ukraine. Behind him, large blue and yellow floor mats appear to be placed in a way that resembles Ukraine's flag.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Russia's, Wagner, Anton Gerashchenko, Prigozhin, Gerashchenko, Beata Zawrzel, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, Twitter, Getty Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Krakow, Poland

☆ After a year of fighting in Ukraine, the brutal logic behind Russia's 'human wave' attacks is becoming clear
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At the bottom of the hierarchy is what RUSI terms "disposable infantry." According to the RUSI report, the term "human wave attacks" has been misleadingly applied to the way Russia has employed these infantry forces. The assault troops attack in larger company-size formations, backed by tanks and artillery as they attempt to outflank Ukrainian defenses. Once their mission is complete, assault forces are replaced by line and disposable infantry, who begin preparing for the next attack. Disposable troops are fed into the meat-grinder and killed or wounded before they can gain enough experience to survive.

Persons: —, Wagner Group's, Arkady Budnitsky, Wagner, They're, Diego Herrera Carcedo, demographically, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Wagner Group, Donetsk People's Republics, Russian, Soviet, —, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, British, Rostov, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Forbes

☆ Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut say fighting regular Russian troops will be 'not as hard' as fighting Wagner troops because they're inexperienced
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut say fighting regular Russian troops will be easier than Wagner forces. Troops told The Washington Post that Wagner Group's "unorthodox strategies" were hard to deal with. "Fighting with regular Russian forces is not as hard as fighting with Wagner," he told the Post. "Whereas the Russians, they're young, they're fresh, they're new, and they basically just walk out. While it may be a meaningless victory, the intense combat has left Russian forces exhausted ahead of Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive.

☆ US urges Mali to investigate, hold accountable those to blame for Moura attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday urged Mali's transition government to pursue an "independent, impartial, efficient, exhaustive, and transparent investigation" to hold accountable those responsible for the likely execution of hundreds of people in one village. The identity of the white men was not clear, U.N. Human Rights Office regional spokesperson Seif Magango said. But Western countries have raised concerns over Russian private military contractor Wagner Group's activities in Mali since late 2021, including allegations of its role in Moura. "The United States continues to stand with the Malian people in the fight against terrorism," Miller said in a statement. "Human rights abuses and violations like those committed at Moura will serve only to drive aggrieved civilians into the ranks of terrorists and other armed groups."

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin is going off the rails in Ukraine, and Putin may not have much choice but to let him, war expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Though he strikes hardest at the defense ministry, he has seemingly aimed his frustrations at Putin as well. During the intense fighting in Bakhmut, where the mercenaries have suffered tremendous losses, simmering tensions between the Russian defense ministry and the Wagner boss have boiled over. With the replacement of Gen. Sergei Surovikin, an infamous Russian leader pushed by ultranationalists like Prigozhin, in January, the Russian defense ministry retook control. The situation got so bad for Wagner at one point that expert observers speculated that the Russian military was purposefully decimating the group. Prigozhin said he was threatened with treason over his assertions that Wagner forces would pull out of Bakhmut.

☆ The Ukraine war is driving a wedge between Moscow and its mercenaries — and the Kremlin knows it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The war in Ukraine looks to have created deep and lasting tensions between Russia's leadership in Moscow and its mercenary fighters on the ground, with acrimony between the two descending into openly hostile criticism and accusations of treachery this week. Prigozhin said his mercenary forces, making up the bulk of Russians fighting to seize Bakhmut, would remain there for a "few more days" to see if the situation would change. Prigozhin's very public criticism of Russia's military leadership this week has made it impossible for the Kremlin to ignore, despite its de-facto position being to remain tight-lipped about internal matters. "Emotions are boiling over there," Peskov told a Bosnian Serb television channel ATV on Wednesday, in comments translated by Google. We have no doubt that Artyomovsk [Russia's name for Bakhmut] will be brought under control, that it will be determined later," he said.

☆ A lawyer-turned-fighter codenamed 'Witch' has gained viral fame defending Ukraine as a mortar commander in the fiercest battlefronts of the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar is better known in Ukraine by her callsign "Witch." Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. A baptism of fireJunior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces.

☆ Alleged former Wagner fighters claim they killed young children in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two men claiming to be ex-Wagner fighters have made harrowing claims about their actions in Ukraine. The men claim they killed dozens of children, civilians, and some of their comrades. The group is known to recruit from Russian prisons, offering inmates freedom once they complete six months of fighting in Ukraine. Savichev said that Wagner fighters were ordered to "execute any men who were 15 years or older" and were told when sweeping houses to ensure all civilians found were killed, CNN reported. Ukrainian prosecutors have started to investigate the Wagner fighters' testimonies.

☆ Russian mercenary group Wagner tried and failed to get weapons from China earlier this year, according to a leaked US intel report: FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leaked US intelligence documents say the Wagner Group approached China for weapons, per the FT.China reportedly rebuffed the group's request earlier this year for lethal aid in Ukraine. The infamous Wagner Group "sought munitions and equipment" from China in "early 2023," the leaked documents reportedly say. But as of January, China had not sent weapons, "not even for testing, and had no contact with [Wagner] regarding weapons deliveries," the FT reported the documents as saying. China has long professed neutrality in the conflict in Ukraine, and has publicly rebuffed the idea that it would send lethal aid to Russia. The US has increasingly signaled concern over the potential for China to aid Russia with weapons.

☆ Wagner Group leader says a Ukrainian counter-offensive would likely succeed as Russia is in 'crisis,' report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group leader criticized Russia's "deep state" in an essay published Friday. Yevgeny Prigozhin said a Ukraine counter-offensive is likely to succeed as Russia is in "crisis." Prigozhin also criticized Russian state elites, who, he said, "operate independently of the political leadership of the state and have close ties and their own agenda." A mural depicting mercenaries of Russia's Wagner Group. The Wagner Group, which has lost more than 30,000 soldiers in Ukraine, works more closely with the Russian military than Prigozhin portrays, Insider previously reported.

☆ Wagner Group can only afford to throw soldiers into Bakhmut's 'meat grinder' for another 2 months before it runs out of men, Ukrainian commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group will exhaust itself in Bakhmut within two months, a Ukrainian commander said. An unnamed NATO official told CNN in March that Russians were dying at five times the rate of the defending Ukrainian forces in the city. On Friday, UK military intelligence said it is "highly likely" that Russian forces had advanced to the city center. "I can confidently state that the Ukrainian defense forces control a much larger percentage of the territory of Bakhmut," the Ukrainian commander told CNN, without specifying a figure. The Institute for the Study of War estimated that, as of Tuesday, Russian forces controlled 76.5% of the territory.

☆ Ukraine is betting big on a bloody battle for a ruined town, but the gamble could break its ability to drive Russia back
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The bloody battle of Bakhmut continues to wage as Russia and Ukraine both face mounting losses. Ukrainian losses in Bakhmut could hinder a more strategically critical counteroffensive in the future. Yet, despite the resources committed to the battle from both sides, Bakhmut remains a minimally-important city, strategically speaking. "The best estimates we have are that the Russian military and Wagner Group are a spent force," D'Anieri said. A tank carrying Ukrainian soldiers who have returned from the frontline passes along a street in Chasiv Yar, Ukraine.

☆ Russia faces an 'exodus' of troops as prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine start to be pardoned and return home, says UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Wagner mercenary army fighting in Ukraine is about to see an "exodus" of personnel. It's due to release thousands of troops recruited from prisons in exchange for pardons, UK intel said. It will likely face personnel issues as a result, since it's no longer allowed to recruit prisoners. The Wagner Group is a private, pro-Kremlin group that has sent tens of thousands of mercenaries and former prisoners to Ukraine. Evidence from Russia suggests that the Wagner Group is "following through on its promise to free survivors," the MOD said.

☆ Putin's tour of Mariupol is like a murderer returning to the scene of a crime, Ukrainian official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin's visit to the occupied region of Mariupol on Sunday was criticized by Ukrainians. Ukrainian officials have estimated that 25,000 people died in Mariupol during the war. Putin's visit comes two days after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. Photos that emerged from the trip showed Putin speaking with residents and driving himself around the region at night. In a Sunday tweet, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called Putin the "murderer of thousands of Mariupol families."

☆ Russia's new offensive in Ukraine has likely fizzled out after only a month, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

UK intelligence suggests Russia's new offensive is on its last legs, just a month after it began. Russian forces have depleted their "combat power," the assessment said. "Even local offensive actions are not currently sustainable," it added. The British Defense Ministry said this is likely because Russian forces have depleted their "combat power" to such a degree that "even local offensive actions are not currently sustainable." There's been an evolving debate between Kyiv and its Western partners over Ukraine's insistence on continuing to defend Bakhmut, which analysts have suggested could fall to Russian forces in the coming days.

☆ Ukrainian soldier says Russian forces are using 'morons taken from prison' to draw fire and find enemy troops: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian soldiers have been fending off Russian forces for more than seven months in Bakhmut. A Ukrainian soldier told BBC that using prisoners is "cruel, immoral, but effective." "They are learning, they are getting cleverer, and it really freaks me out," a Ukrainian soldier who goes by the name Dwarf told BBC. There have been previous reports that say Russian forces are using prisoners to bolster its troop numbers. Dwarf, the Ukrainian soldier, told BBC that Wagner's use of prisoners is still proving to be an effective strategy in Bakhmut.

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