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☆ Ukraine may be close to surpassing Russia in active tank numbers, but Russia has a near endless supply of Soviet tanks in storage, military experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But Russia has a near indefinite supply of older tanks to replace its losses, military experts said. Ukraine's tanks, however, give the country a qualitative edge. The most recent estimates from Bloomberg put Ukraine's tank count at 1,500 active tanks compared to approximately 1,400 for Russia. It's unclear how many tanks Russia has already pulled from storage, as well as how many vehicles it has in storage to keep drawing upon. "Ukraine's tank fleet probably has as much combat power as the Russians," Cancian said.

Persons: Mark Cancian, Cancian, it's, Mick Ryan, —, Ryan, aren't Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Bloomberg, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Soviets, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, Studies, Australian Army, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian

☆ Russia is sending 'disposable' soldiers to fight Ukraine high on amphetamines to ensure they "still run at machine guns,' military expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian soldiers are going into battle high on drugs, according to a recent report. "This is what some institutions do to make sure their soldiers still run at machine guns," Mick Ryan said. Material recovered from the battlefield suggests Russian soldiers are most likely taking the substances in liquid form, the report said. A UK intelligence update in April suggested Russian soldiers are dying in Ukraine as a result of alcoholism. "Sometimes you replace good purpose and good leadership and good team building with drugs," Ryan told Insider.

Persons: Mick Ryan, it's, Ryan, — Organizations: Service, Russia, Royal United Service Institute, Ukrainian, Donetsk People's, Wagner Group, Australian Army, CNN Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, East Timor, Vietnam, Russia

Summary Russian general says has been dismissedSays top brass betrayed Russian soldiersDefence ministry silent on general's fateSoldiers dying due to lack of artillery, general saysMOSCOW, July 13 (Reuters) - A Russian general said he had been dismissed as a commander after telling the military leadership about the dire situation at the front in Ukraine where he said Russian soldiers had been stabbed in the back by the failings of the top military brass. Popov, who commanded Russian units in southern Ukraine, explicitly raised the deaths of Russian soldiers from Ukrainian artillery and said the army lacked proper counter artillery systems and reconnaissance of enemy artillery. There was no immediate comment from the defence ministry and Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the voice message. Neither Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin nor General Sergei Surovikin, a deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine, have been seen in public since the day of the mutiny. For months Prigozhin had been openly insulting Putin's most senior military men, using a variety of crude expletives and prison slang that shocked top Russian officials but that were left unanswered in public by Putin, Shoigu or Gerasimov.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Ivan Popov, Andrei Gurulyov, Popov, Gurulyov, Russia's, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Russian, Defence, Staff, Arms Army, Reuters, RUSSIAN ARMY Putin, Telegram, Gerasimov, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Europe, Russia

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is not even in Belarus, Lukashenko told CNN – he is in Russia, Lukashenko claimed. Available satellite imagery has also not shown any signs of the kind of preparations and security that would be standard at a Russian nuclear facility. Russia has the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, with 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists. “Putin does not need tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to use those weapons,” Bergmann added. “But it is concerning to the US that tactical nuclear weapons could potentially be co-located in Belarus with Wagner fighters.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Lukashenko, CNN –, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Max Bergmann, “ Putin, ” Bergmann, Lukashenko’s, Alexander Nemenov, Angela, Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, ” Lukashenko Organizations: CNN, Wagner Group, Wagner PMC, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Directorate of, Ministry of Defense, Soviet Union, Experts, NATO, European Union, Lithuanian President’s Communication, Georgetown University, Kremlin, Wagner, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Europe, Belarus, Russian, Minsk, Belarusian, Tsel, Soviet, Vilnius, Lithuania, AFP, Poland, Belarus US, St . Petersburg

☆ Ukraine spy chief says nuclear threat at Zaporizhzhia plant subsiding
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Major General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Military Intelligence of Ukraine, speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoKYIV, July 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military spy chief said on Thursday that the threat of a Russian attack on the vast Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was receding, but that it could easily return as long as the facility remained under occupation by Moscow's forces. The intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, made the comment in an interview with Reuters after days of warnings by Ukrainian and Russian officials accusing each other of plotting an attack at Europe's largest nuclear plant. Budanov did not give details of what had been done to reduce the threat, or what it consisted of. "Sorry I can't tell you what happened recently but the fact is that the threat is decreasing", he said.

Persons: Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, It's, let's, Tom Balmforth, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Military Intelligence, Reuters, REUTERS, Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defence, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Valentyn, KYIV, Bakhmut

"It's all about containing those kinds of capabilities from the north," retired U.S. Major General Gordon B. Davis Jr. told Reuters. "With five submarines we can close the Baltic Sea," Linden told Reuters. The region from the Baltic in the south to the high north may become almost an integrated operating area for NATO. It was first shipped from Germany across the Baltic Sea, then trucked nearly 900 km to the north. "It would make it very difficult for the Russian Baltic Sea fleet to operate in a free way," he said.

Persons: Mika Hakkarainen, Finland –, Major General Gordon B, Davis Jr, Fredrik Linden, Sweden's, Linden, Samu Paukkunen, Paukkunen, Sebastian Bruns, Michael Maus, Kurt Rossi, Rossi, Tuomo Lamberg, Bruns, Nick Childs, Anne Kauranen, Johan Ahlander, Jacob Gronholt, Sabine Siebold, Sara Ledwith Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Fleet, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Major, Analysts, Northern Fleet, Kiel University's Institute for Security, NATO's, Transformation, Field Artillery, U.S . Army, Baltic, Commission, Security, Cooperation, Naval Forces and Maritime Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Fouche, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: TORNIO, Finland, KARLSKRONA, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Stockholm, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, RUSSIA, Russian, Murmansk, Kola, Barents, North America, Greenland, Iceland, Helsinki, Baltic, Nord, Russia's, Denmark, Kiel, Rovaniemi, Santa Claus, United States, Britain, Germany, –, St, Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Sweco, Swedish, Gotland, Karlskrona, Oeland, London, Birmingham, Tornio, Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels

☆ The US is close to approving the supply of ATACMS to Ukraine, a report said. Here's why Kyiv need them to win the 'deep battle.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US is considering providing ATACMS to Ukraine, according to a WSJ report. Kyiv has long sought its ballistic missiles, which could strike targets far beyond the front lines. "ATACMS is a long-range guided missile that gives operational commanders the immediate firepower to win the deep battle," says its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was not aware of any imminent decision to send ATACMS to Ukraine following the Wall Street Journal report, per Reuters. However, US and European officials say that behind the scenes, the tone in Washington has recently shifted, and there appears to be a greater appetite to send Ukraine more advanced weapons, per the Journal report.

Persons: Biden, —, Sergei Shoigu, HIMARS, Ben Wallace, Lockheed Martin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, ATACMS, Abrams, James Risch, General Kyrylo Budanov Organizations: Kyiv, Washington DC, Service, Wall Street Journal, Army Tactical Missile, Russian, The Telegraph, British Storm Shadow, US High Mobility Artillery, Lockheed, White, Getty, Politico, US, Pentagon, Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Military Intelligence Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Kherson, Kerch, Russia, Washington , DC, Washington

☆ Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military nominees in protest of the Pentagon's abortion policy is disrupting the succession of top military leadership as the US confronts multiple threats abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military nominees is rippling throughout the Pentagon. But Tuberville continues to stand by his position, a protest against the Pentagon's new abortion policy. If the senator's hold on nominees stands in the coming weeks, though, the leaders of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps — along with the chairman — won't have respective successors installed. The hold on nominees also comes as the US continues to navigate its diplomatic relationship with China. Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps major general and former staffer on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Politico that Tuberville is "taking the military nominees as political hostages."

Persons: Sen, Tommy Tuberville's, Staff Mark Milley, Tuberville, —, GOP Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Roe, Wade, Biden, Arnold Punaro Organizations: Pentagon, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Service, GOP, of Defense, Chiefs, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Senate Armed Services Committee, Politico Locations: Alabama, Ukraine, Russian, China

☆ Ukraine's big offensive has hit a few roadblocks, but military experts say don't believe Russia's hype about it being a total failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But military experts told Insider it's much too early to draw any conclusions about the fight. Experts at the time told Insider that a Ukrainian victory was paramount to ongoing international aid and could even redirect the trajectory of the 16-month war. But military strategists told Insider that it's "way too early" for people to be drawing conclusions about the success of Ukraine's fight. The Ukrainians have taken a broad front approach, scanning the front lines to try and find a penetrable place to break through the Russians' defenses, he told Insider. Ukrainian military conducts training on Leopard 2 tanks at the test site on May 14, 2023 in Ukraine.

Persons: It's, —, Ben Hodges, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's, Hodges, Mick Ryan, Ryan, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Russia stokes, Bradley, that's, Putin Organizations: Service, US Army, Australian Army, Group, Ukraine, New York Times, stoke, Ukraine doesn't Locations: Russia, Ukraine, US Army Europe, Ukrainian, Russian, Europe

☆ Analysis: Nigeria's Tinubu faces daunting hurdles after reform sprint
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Nigeria today faces record debt, unemployment is worryingly high, and power shortages have contributed to years of anaemic growth. "The path to political power in Nigeria, over time, has always been through these vested interests," said Bismarck Rewane, CEO at Financial Derivatives Company in Lagos. ENTRENCHED NETWORKSTinubu's ambitions to build a $1 trillion economy in eight years could come unstuck in part due to chronic power shortages. Getting the lights on would be a major win, but to do so some say Tinubu must remove grid subsidies and cut red tape. Tinubu suspended the head of the financial and economic crimes agency, but has yet to outline an anti-graft plan.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Jason Tuvey, Bismarck Rewane, Tinubu, Tunau Taiwo, Nnamdi Obasi, Prince Ojeabulu, Muhammadu Buhari, jihadists, beholden, Joe Bavier, Conor Humphries Organizations: New, Capital Economics, Financial Derivatives Company, International, Rensource Energy, Nigeria Delta, Observers, Thomson Locations: Nigeria, LAGOS, New Nigerian, Lagos

[1/2] Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan block a highway, during a protest against his arrest, in Karachi, Pakistan May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoISLAMABAD, June 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's army has sacked three senior officers, including a lieutenant general, for failing to prevent violent attacks on military assets by ex-prime minister Imran Khan's supporters protesting his arrest, the army's spokesperson said on Monday. He also declined to name the senior officers who had been fired. Human rights groups have raised concerns about military trials of civilians in Pakistan that they say cannot ensure a fair defence. Chaudhry added that several relatives, including women, of senior army officers were also facing trials for allegedly being facilitators of the violence.

Persons: Imran Khan, Akhtar Soomro, Imran Khan's, Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, Chaudhry, Asif Shahzad, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Toby Chopra, Christina Fincher, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, ISLAMABAD, Rawalpindi

☆ A former US ambassador to Russia says Putin is showing how weak he is by relying on Belarus' Lukashenko to help him resolve the Wagner uprising
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

John Sullivan told CBS that Putin's reliance on Belarus to solve his problems shows "actual weakness." Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko helped to resolve the Wagner Group's uprising on Saturday. "It's not just an appearance of weakness, it's actual weakness," Sullivan said. It's not just an appearance of weakness, it's actual weakness," Ambassador John J. Sullivan told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. As part of the deal, Prigozhin will go into exile in Belarus in exchange for not being prosecuted for the uprising.

Persons: John Sullivan, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Wagner, It's, Sullivan, —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Lukashenko, what's, John J, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Mick Ryan, Insider's Katherine Tangalakis Organizations: CBS, Service, Wagner Group, Russian, New York Times, Associated Press, Putin Locations: Belarus, Russia, Prigozhin, Rostov, Russian, Moscow

☆ Putin has been exposed as a 'lame duck,' experts say: 'I have the feeling he is not really running the country'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion is over but the damage to Vladimir Putin is irreversible, experts say. The Wagner boss showed that the Russian president no longer enjoys a monopoly of force in his country. Among Moscow's elites, "there is the growing feeling that he is a lame duck," a Russian journalist said. But there is the growing feeling that he is a lame duck, and they have to prepare for Russia after Putin." [...]Suggestions that Prigozhin's rebellion, the Kremlin's response, and Lukashenko's mediation were all staged by the Kremlin are absurd.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, —, Putin, Prigozhin, Mikhail Zygar, Zygar, Alexsandr Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Andrew Kolesnikov, Saturday's, Kolesnikov, Mick Ryan, Insider's Katherine Tangalakis, hasn't, Ryan Organizations: Service, Ministry of Defense, Institute for, Carnegie Endowment, Wall Street Journal, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Yorker, Belarus, Russia, Washington

☆ Prigozhin's mutiny against Russia is the beginning of the end of Putin, military strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Military strategists say that Prigozhin's mutiny may be the beginning of the end of Putin's reign. Retired major general Mick Ryan told Insider Yevgeny Prigozhin's days are also likely numbered. Ryan said the uprising against the Russian military will have consequences for the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin, despite being exiled to Belarus after staging the coup, isn't likely long for this world, either, Ryan added. My sense is Prigozhin probably shouldn't be booking accommodation in a retirement home, you know," Ryan told Insider.

Persons: Mick Ryan, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Ryan, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin didn't, Vladimir Putin's, hasn't, Putin's, Putin, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti, Prigozhin, isn't Organizations: Service, Center for Strategic, International Studies, The Times Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, London, Belarus

☆ There likely won't be any winners in Russia's coup — but it will give Ukraine an opportunity to step up its attacks while Putin watches his back
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

On Friday, Yevgeny Prigozhin sought to overtake the Russian military after months of infighting. Military strategist Mick Ryan told Insider it will sow chaos in Russia, no matter the outcome. The infighting between the mercenary leader and the Russian military leadership comes after months of Prigozhin feuding with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the treatment of Prigozhin's for-hire army. "Prigozhin is likely to be the biggest loser," Ryan told Insider. This is probably the end of the tolerance for his outbursts and demands of the military," Ryan told Insider: "I think it's most likely that things won't turn out well for him.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mick Ryan, —, Wagner, ousts, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Ryan, Putin, that's, Russia we'll Organizations: Service, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Rostov, Russian

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin claims he and his forces are entering Russia, vowing to 'destroy anyone' that gets in their way
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed he and his troops were marching on Russia. Still, there is no confirmed video evidence that Prigozhin and his troops are heading toward the city of Rostov in columns. "There's more we don't know than we do know," Ryan told Insider. But whether or not Rostov's apparent lockdown is proof of an impending Prigozhin coup remains to be seen, Ryan said. As chaos mounts, Russian civilians and officials attempted to refocus attention on the country's ongoing war effort in Ukraine, posting Telegram messages encouraging Russian troops to remember the real "enemy" — Ukraine.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Prigozhin, Russia's, aren't, Wagner, Sergey Surovikin, Prigozhin's, Mick Ryan, Ryan, overreacting, we'll Organizations: Wagner, Service, Group, Associated, Tass, Southern Military District Locations: Russia, Russian, Rostov, Ukraine

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu removes security chiefs in major reshuffle
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA, June 19 (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu made sweeping changes to the defence forces on Monday, forcing out the security chiefs and the head of police less than a month after taking office. Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, has made security one of his major priorities and promised reforms to the sector, including recruitment of more soldiers and police officers, while paying and equipping them better. It is not unusual for a new Nigerian president to send security chiefs into early retirement upon taking office, as Tinubu did on Monday. He picked Nuhu Ribadu, a former senior police officer and ex-head of the country's economic and financial crimes agency, as his National Security Adviser. Reporting by Felix Onuah, additional reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Alison Williams and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Nuhu, Christopher Musa, Lucky Irabor, Musa, Felix Onuah, Camillus Eboh, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Alison Williams, Marguerita Choy Organizations: National Security, Defence Staff, Reuters, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Customs Service, Thomson Locations: ABUJA

☆ This investment manager is looking to bridge the racial wealth gap
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jim Casselberry, Known Source: KnownBlack people in America won their personal freedom 158 years ago. Veteran portfolio manager Jim Casselberry is trying to do something about that, using his four decades of investing experience to help bridge the gap for people of color and the Indigenous population. Adrees Latif | ReutersBy now the numbers are painfully familiar: Black people constitute 13% of the population but hold just 4% of the wealth. The racial gap between whites and Black people is 6 to 1 — better than the 23 to 1 in 1870 after emancipation, but still a massive divide. Bridging that chasm is part of the mission for Known, an organization that Casselberry co-founded in 2021 with a team of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic and Asian-American co-founders.

Persons: Jim Casselberry, Casselberry, Juneteenth, General Gordon Granger, Prescylia Mae, Adrees Latif, Brown Organizations: Houston, Reuters, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Locations: America, U.S, Texas, Reedy, Galveston , Texas, Minneapolis

☆ Militants kill 37, abduct six others in attack on Ugandan school
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Military personnel found the bodies of the dead when they arrived at the school, defence spokesperson Felix Kulayigye said in a statement. The attackers, from the rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), fled towards Virunga National Park in Congo, police said. Police said eight other people were in hospital with critical injuries after the attack at the Lhubirira Secondary School in Mpondwe. He said an unidentified youth had gone to the school to check its layout before the attack. In April, the ADF attacked a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 20 people.

Persons: Felix Kulayigye, Dick Olum, Olum, Yoweri Museveni, Elias Biryabarema, Jose Joseph, George Obulutsa, Fiston Mahamba, William Mallard, Frances Kerry Organizations: Islamic State Military, Islamic State, Democratic, Military, Twitter, Allied Democratic Forces, Police, Secondary, Privately, NTV Uganda, Vision, New Vision, Mpondwe, Daily Monitor, ADF, Thomson Locations: KAMPALA, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Mpondwe, Bengaluru, Nairobi, Fiston, Goma

☆ Opinion | Juneteenth Is Different Out West
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Tiya Miles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The location of this small event, it turned out, was an old Black neighborhood that was changing over time as residents from different racial backgrounds and income levels moved in for the river views. Juneteenth festivities have long represented tucked-away spaces, deeply local, somewhat surprising and fitted to the variances of Black life in America. In other parts of the country, Black communities celebrated what they called Emancipation Day, keyed to a different historical timestamp. Many Black communities along the Atlantic seaboard celebrated Emancipation Day. There, Juneteenth will be celebrated in the historic building of another African Meeting House, which will have a bicentennial anniversary in 2025.

Persons: General Gordon Granger’s, Jacqueline Jones, ”, Juneteenth Organizations: Black University of Michigan, West Indies, Atlantic, of, House, American, Heritage, Fund, National Trust for Historic Preservation Locations: boardinghouses, America, Galveston , Texas, West, Massachusetts, Caribbean, Black, Beacon Hill, Nantucket, Cape Cod, MAAH, New Guinea

CNN —An African delegation on a peace mission to Ukraine headed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was greeted with explosions and forced to shelter in bunkers amid air strikes on the capital Kyiv. The African leaders are expected to travel to Russia Saturday to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin. “Russia’s missile attack took place just as African leaders arrived in the capital,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Friday. He has also come under fire after the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, said South Africa supplied arms to Russia in December last year. He added that the future of this agreement would be discussed at his meeting with the African leaders on Saturday.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Andriy Yermak, “ Putin, ”, Joe Biden, Antonio Guterres, ” Yermak, ” Ramaphosa, Macky Sall, Hichilema, Azali Assoumani, Andriy Kostin, Valentyn Ogirenko, Andrzej Duda, Ramaphosa, Reuben Brigety, Vincent Magwenya, Putin, Moscow, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, South, UN, Russia, Ukraine's, Reuters, Polish Border Guard, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, ”, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Egypt, Congo, Uganda, Africa, Bucha, Poland’s, Warsaw, Poland, South Africa, America, Latin America

☆ Russian military bloggers are losing their minds over reports that a Russian unit was blasted by artillery while waiting 2 hours for their commander to give a motivational speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian pro-war bloggers are livid over a report that a unit was made to wait hours for a commander's speech. The Russian division came under fire from Ukrainian HIMARS while gathering, per the bloggers. According to the military blogger Rybar, the incident occurred in Kreminna, Luhansk, just before a Russian division was about to begin an assault. Another Russian military blogger known by a pseudonym, Older than Edda, had harsh words for the unidentified commander. The claim comes as Russian military bloggers grow increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin's military mistakes in Ukraine, amid continued reports documenting failures or oversights that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Russian soldiers.

Persons: haven't, —, Rybar, General Suhrab Akmedov, Ahmedov Organizations: Russian, Service, Moscow Times, Radio Free, Russia's 155th Marine Brigade, Pacific Fleet Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Kreminna, Luhansk, Russia's, Donetsk, Ahmedov, Ukraine

☆ Russian nationalists called for a general to be shot, arguing 'stupidity' exposed troops to deadly Ukrainian artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian nationalists blamed military leaders after a shocking report said a large number of troops was killed. "We are at war with our own stupidity and sloppiness," a Russian blogger wrote. It wasn't clear if the latest casualties also included troops from the naval infantry that Akhmedov had led before commanding a Russian field army. Russian generals and colonels have previously been accused of incompetence that led to military disasters. A Ukrainian New Year's strike led to as many as 400 deaths and fueled outrage that Russian officers had bivouacked troops within range of the GPS-guided HIMARS rockets.

Persons: —, Sergey Kolyasnikov, Rob Lee, Zurab Akhmedov, milbloggers, Akhmedov Organizations: Service, Armed Forces, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Defense Locations: Russian, Kreminna, Ukraine, Luhansk, Ukrainian

☆ A Russian general was killed overseeing efforts to stop Ukraine's counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian occupation official in Zaporizhzhia announced Goryachev's death on Tuesday. The general's killing suggests Russian senior military officials are on the front lines, analysts said. Zaporizhzhia has seen fierce fighting as Ukrainian forces continue their counteroffensive and push against Russian defenses, Al Jazeera added. A senior US defense official told Insider in March 2022 that Russian senior officials stay near the front as part of Moscow's military organization and structure. Those mid-level roles are missing in the Russian military, the official said.

Persons: Sergei Goryachev, —, Vladimir Rogov, Rogov, Al Jazeera, Goryachev, wasn't, Zaporizhzhia Organizations: Zaporizhzhia, Service, Russia's, Army, Ukrainian, The Institute, Russian Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Al, Ukraine

☆ Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia: Russian accounts admit Ukrainian forces are making some gains in heavy fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Tim Lister Josh Pennington Maria Kostenko Helen Regan | Tim Lister | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The channel said Monday that Ukrainian forces were trying to take higher ground to “create conditions for advancing,” and assessed that their aim was to advance toward the Russian-occupied hub of Staromlynivka. CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports and other accounts paint a gloomier picture for Russian forces around Makarivka. Ukrainian deputy defense minister Maliar said Monday that Makarivka was one of seven villages recaptured by Ukrainian forces in the past week. Meanwhile, one of the most prominent Russian bloggers, Voenkor Kotenok, said late Monday that a senior Russian officer was killed as troops of Russia’s Fifth Army were forced to leave Makarivka. ‘Ultimate goal’In his nightly address Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the fighting in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia border region is tough but Ukrainian forces are recapturing territory.

Persons: Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, Hanna Maliar, Kyiv’s, Vladimir Rogov, ” Rogov, Anatolii Stepanov, ”, Rogov, Maliar, Makarivka, “, Neskuchne, Voenkor Kotenok, Voenkor, Sergei Goryachev, Goryachev, WarGonzo, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Igor Zhovkva, ” Zhovkva Organizations: CNN, Air, Saturday, Russian Telegram, ”, Getty, Makarivka, 127th Division, Donetsk, “, Donetsk ”, Russia’s Fifth Army, Staff, Arms Army, Russian Defense Ministry, United Group of Forces, Ukrainian Ground Forces Locations: Ukraine’s, Donetsk, Russian, Ukrainian, Kryvyi, Moscow, Velyka, Ukraine, Russia, Urozhaine, Staromlynivka, Zaporizhzhia, AFP, Makarivka, ”, Orikhiv, Crimea

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