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☆ Russian navy rehearses firing rockets at ships in Black Sea after warning to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A still image from a video, released by Russia's Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be the guided missile ship Ivanovets during drills in the Black Sea, in this image taken from video released July 21, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERSMOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its Black Sea Fleet had practised firing rockets at surface targets in a live fire exercise, two days after it warned that ships heading to Ukraine's Black Sea ports could be considered military targets. Russia issued its warning earlier this week after it quit the Black Sea grain deal on Monday, revoking security guarantees for ships carrying Ukrainian grain. Kyiv subsequently said it wanted to set up a temporary shipping route to try and continue its grain exports, prompting Russia to warn that any ships travelling to Ukraine's Black Sea ports would be seen as possibly carrying military cargoes. "In accordance with the combat training plan of the Black Sea Fleet forces, the crew of the Ivanovets missile boat carried out live firing of anti-ship cruise missiles at a target vessel..." the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Persons: Caleb Davis, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Russia's Defence Ministry, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Russia's Defence, Black, Fleet, Defence Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: REUTERS MOSCOW, Russia, Kyiv

☆ Russia carries out air strikes for second night on Ukraine's Odesa port -governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Summary All of eastern Ukraine under air raid alertsRussian strikes on ports follow grain export deal withdrawalJuly 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian air defence systems were engaged in the early hours of Wednesday in repelling a Russian air attack on the southern port of Odesa for a second consecutive night, the region's governor said. "Do not approach the windows, do not shoot or show the work of air defence forces," Odesa governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app. But Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said the initiative in the area had switched to Ukrainian forces. She said Ukrainian forces made new gains near Bakhmut in the east, a town that was captured by Russian forces in May after months of battles. "We have made advances through the streets," Shershen told the Espreso TV online outlet but said Ukrainian forces did not have complete control of the village.

Persons: Oleh Kiper, Hanna Maliar, Valery Shershen, Shershen, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Russia's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, Grant McCool, Lincoln Organizations: Kyiv, Russian Defence Ministry, Russian, Reuters, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, Ukrainian, Africa, Asia, Moscow, Kharkiv, Bakhmut, Staromayorske, Turkey

☆ Russia foils Ukrainian drone raid on Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 18 (Reuters) - Russia repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea in the early hours of Tuesday, the Russian defence ministry said, a day after an attack on the Crimean bridge which damaged it and disrupted car traffic. Russian air defences destroyed 17 drones and another 11 drones were intercepted by electronic warfare systems, the ministry said. On Monday, a blast knocked out Russia's bridge to Crimea in what Moscow called a strike by Ukrainian sea drones, killing two people. Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Crimea, Moscow, Crimean, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine says situation 'complicated' in east, Russia reports advancing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia and Ukraine differed in their accounts of the latest battles since Kyiv launched a counteroffensive early last month, but both sides signalled that fighting was fierce. "The situation is complicated but under control (in the east)," Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app. But Russia still holds vast swathes of territory following its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and Ukrainian troops have encountered heavily defended positions and minefields. Russian troops were also continuing to send reserves to the Bakhmut sector in eastern Ukraine to try to stop Ukrainian forces advancing, Syrskyi said. The spokesperson reported heavy fighting for the settlement of Staromayorske southwest of the city of Donetsk, and said Ukrainian troops had the advantage there.

Persons: Read, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Syrskyi, Lyman, Hanna Maliar, Vladimir Putin, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Heritage, Bernadette Baum Organizations: 420th Battalion, Kyiv, TASS, Reuters, Lyman, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk Region, Ukrainian, KYIV, Moscow, Kupiansk, Russia, Kharkiv, Lyman, Staromayorske, Donetsk

☆ Russian forces on the offensive in northeast, say Ukraine officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 17 (Reuters) - Large contingents of Russian forces are on the offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kupiansk sector and engaged in heavy fighting, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. But officials have pointed to an intensification of Russian activity near Kupiansk and nearby Lyman, towns in the northeast retaken by Ukraine late last year. Russian forces in the area, Cherevatyi said, had drafted in airborne units and their best motorised infantry units. The Russian defence ministry's accounts of fighting in the region said Russian forces had hit Ukrainian positions in several towns in Kharkiv and the neighbouring Luhansk region. Russian forces, the ministry said, had also repelled 13 Ukrainian attacks further south in Donetsk, including areas near the shattered city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian forces in May after months of battles.

Persons: Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Cherevatyi, Kyrylo, Cherevatyi, Maliar, Ron Popeski, Alex Richardson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Russian, Deputy, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine's Kupiansk, Kupiansk, Lyman, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Afghanistan, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Azov

☆ Putin: Russian Defence Ministry preparing response to bridge attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday his defence ministry was preparing proposals for a response to an overnight attack that damaged the road bridge linking Crimea to southern Russia, for which he blamed Ukraine. At the end of a televised video meeting with national and regional officials to assess the consequences of the attack, Putin called it a cruel and senseless act, as he said the bridge "has not been used for military transportation for a long time". Russian authorities had said a couple driving over the bridge to go on holiday in Crimea had been killed, and their 14-year-old daughter had been injured. Kyiv did not officially claim responsibility, but Ukrainian media said Ukrainian security services had deployed maritime drones against the bridge. Kyiv says Russians have no business holidaying on seized territory, especially while Moscow is bombing Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Marat Khusnullin, Kevin Liffey, Sandra Maler Organizations: Thomson Locations: Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ One dead in drone attacks on Kyiv: Mayor
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A view of an explosion of a drone in the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 13, 2023. Mayor Vitali Klitschko, writing on Telegram, said the body of one resident was recovered when emergency services put out a fire in the capital's historic Podil district. These included gains near the shattered city of Bakhmut, captured by Russian forces in May after months of battles. Maliar said Ukrainian forces had contained attempted Russian advances on towns to the north and west. Ukraine said this week its forces had control of elevated positions allowing for direct strikes on the city of Bakhmut.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Vitali Klitschko, Klitschko, Serhiy Popko, Popko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Ron Popeski, Sandra Maler, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Russian, Pictures, NATO, Deputy, Reuters, Russian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Podil, Bakhmut, Darnytskyi district, Shevchenkivskyi, Solomyanskyi district, Lithuania, Russia, Kherson, UKRAINE, BAKHMUT, Azov, Donetsk, Luhansk

☆ Ukraine, Russia report heavy fighting in east, south
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fluid situation near Bakhmut has been the focus of much attention, with Ukraine noting gains on the city's southern fringe, particularly the strategic village of Klishchiivka. Liberating the village, which lies on higher ground, would give Ukrainian forces operational advantage in potentially encircling Russian forces in Bakhmut, analysts say. Ukraine said on Monday it controlled heights ringing the village, enabling it to fire on targets in Bakhmut itself. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had repelled nine attempted Ukrainian advances in eastern Donetsk region, including one drive near Kliishchivka. Ukrainian military analyst Serhiy Hrabskyi said Ukraine's drive towards the coast was proceeding well, taking account of Russian defence preparations and extensive mining.

Persons: Sofiia, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andriy Kovaliov, Oleksander Tarnavskyi, Serhiy Hrabskyi, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, General Staff, Russian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Russian, Klishchiivka, Donetsk, Kliishchivka, Azov, Crimea, Ukrainian, Winnipeg, Kyiv

July 11 (Reuters) - A Russian military official who had commanded a submarine in the Black Sea and appeared on a Ukrainian blacklist of alleged war criminals has been shot dead by an unknown assassin while on his morning run. Russia's top investigative body said Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was gunned down early on Monday in the southern city of Krasnodar. Rzhitsky's address and personal details appeared on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacemaker), a vast unofficial database of people considered to be enemies of Ukraine. Russian state media and war bloggers said Rzhitsky was deputy head of military mobilisation in the city and had previously commanded the "Krasnodar" submarine in the Black Sea. Russia has blamed Ukraine for the attacks, while Kyiv has denied involvement, suggesting they are the result of Russian infighting.

Persons: Stanislav Rzhitsky, Myrotvorets, Anton Gerashchenko, Gerashchenko, Rzhitsky, Darya Dugina, Vladlen Tatarsky, Vladimir Soldatkin, Maxim Rodionov, William Maclean Organizations: Russian, Russian Defence Ministry, Black, Telegram, Ukraine, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Krasnodar, Rzhitsky's, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Vinnytsia, Moscow

☆ Exclusive: Wagner fighters neared Russian nuclear base during revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Reuters GraphicsOnce the Wagner fighters reach more rural regions, the surveillance trail goes cold – about 100 km from the nuclear base, Voronezh-45. But in an exclusive interview, Ukraine's head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the Wagner fighters went far further. The only barrier between the Wagner fighters and nuclear weapons, Budanov said, were the doors to the nuclear storage facility. It is one of Russia's 12 "national-level storage facilities" for nuclear weapons, according to a report by U.N. scientists. Another female resident also said Wagner had widespread support in the town, and that many Wagner fighters are from Boguchar.

Persons: Wagner, Ukraine's, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Alexander Lukashenko, Adam Hodge, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Matt Korda, Vladimir Putin's, Hans Kristensen, David Jonas, Amy Woolf, Jonas, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Shoigu, Oleksiy Danilov, Don, Anna Sandrakova, Maxim Yantsov, Mikhail Vedernikov, Talovaya, Alexei Yablokov, Kristensen, Alexsandr Lukashenko, Dmitry Peskov, Lukashenko, he's, Mari Saito, Tom Balmforth, John Shiffman, Phil Stewart, Polina, Maria Tsvetkova, Anton Zverev, Christian Lowe, David Gauthier, Stephen Grey, Reade Levinson, Eleanor Whalley, Milan Pavicic, Daria Shamonova, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, Belarusian, U.S, White, National Security, Nuclear, Federation of American, Federation of American Scientists, U.S . National Nuclear Security Administration, Library, Congress, Wagner, State, Staff, Russian, Defence Ministry, Defence Council, Main, Russian Defence, U.S . Congress, Telegram, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Voronezh, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Rostov, Talovaya, Soviet, Washington, dabble, Syria, Libya, Mali, ., Pavlovsk, Elizavetovka, Vorontsovka, Buturlinovka, Talovaya district, Pskov, Soviet Union, Belarus, Minsk, he's, St Petersburg, Kyiv, London, New York, Paris, Villars, Istanbul, Gdansk

☆ No one from Wagner has visited barracks offered by Belarus, ministry adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TSEL, Belarus, July 7 (Reuters) - No one from the Russian Wagner mercenary group has yet visited a disused military camp that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has offered for Wagner's use, an adviser to the Belarus defence minister told reporters on Friday. Asked if Wagner had come to look at the site, the adviser, Leonid Kasinsky, said: "They have not come, they have not looked." [1/3]A view shows a tent camp, which, according to the Belarusian Defence Ministry, was set up for exercises at a disused military base near the village of Tsel in the Asipovichy District, Belarus July 7, 2023. Lukashenko said Belarus had offered Wagner the disused Soviet-era military quarters near Tsel, but added that "Wagner has a different vision for deployment", on which he declined to elaborate. Kasinsky said around 300 tents at the camp had been put up for an exercise, and were not connected to Wagner.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Leonid Kasinsky, Maxim Shemetov Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Kasinsky, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, Belarusian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TSEL, Belarus, Russian, Tsel, Asipovichy District, Russia

"Given the events, their relationship with the Syrian defence ministry is now over." Mali authorities did not respond to a request for comment on the flights and whether any Wagner fighters had been redeployed from Syria to Mali. Wagner fighters secured Syrian oilfields and Western officials say Wagner is linked to Evro Polis, a company that profits from those assets. Reuters was unable to determine the fate of those commercial interests in the wake of the Russian defence ministry's moves against Wagner in Syria and Russia. In the wake of the Wagner uprising, Syria's leadership quickly restated publicly the importance of its military alliance with Russia.

Persons: Wagner, Nawar Shaban, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Bashar al, Assad, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Russian Wagner, Evro Polis, Asmaa al, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Ed McAllister, Joanna Plucinska, Mike Collett, White, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Omran Center, Strategic Studies, Syrian Republican Guard, Republican Guard, Reuters, Russian Reconciliation Center, Moscow State University, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Moscow, Syria, Russian, Russia, Istanbul, Damascus, Ukraine, Belarus, Syrian, Syria's, Homs, Hmeimim, Latakia, Bamako, West African, Mali, Evro Polis, Libya, elswhere, Africa, Western, U.S, Deir, Beirut, London

☆ Russia says it struck Ukrainian forces near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 5 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday its forces had struck three Ukrainian army groups near Bakhmut, amid conflicting reports about fighting in the area. Since then, the Russian army in the area has come under fierce pressure from Ukrainian forces who threaten to encircle it. The Russian defence ministry made no comment in its daily briefing on reports that Russian forces have retreated from the village of Klishchiivka southwest of Bakhmut, which a Russian-installed official in eastern Ukraine denied. Ukraine has said its forces have had "partial success" in the Klishchiivka area. Russia's RIA news agency cited a Russian army source as saying that Russian forces had successfully repelled a Ukrainian attack there without retreating and were finishing off the remainder of Ukrainian troops in the area.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Bakhmut, Russian, Klishchiivka, Ukraine

☆ Russia, Ukraine differ in accounts of fighting near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Maliar, also reported fierce fighting further north around the town of Lyman, recaptured by Ukrainian forces late last year. Russia's Wagner mercenary group captured the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut in May after 10 months of fighting. The Russian army in the area has since come under fierce pressure from Ukrainian forces who threaten to encircle it. FIGHTING TO CONTROL VILLAGE NEAR BAKHMUTUkraine has said its forces have had "partial success" in the Klishchiivka area. She said Russian forces were trying to advance near Lyman but were gaining no ground in any single direction nearby.

Persons: Sofiia, Hanna Maliar, Russia's Wagner, Oleskandr Musiyenko, Klishchiivka, Maliar, Mark Trevelyan, Jamie Freed Organizations: Infantry Brigade, REUTERS, Ukraine's, Defence, Ukraine's NV, Reuters, Facebook, Russia's Tass, Tass, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Russia, Lyman, Russian, Klishchiivka, BAKHMUT Ukraine, Bohdanivka, Donetsk, Makiivka

Four Ukrainian drones were shot down by Moscow air defences while a fifth was jammed and crashed into the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region, the Russian defence ministry said. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. High-profile drone attacks deep inside Russia, the world's largest country, have increased over recent months with attacks on the Kremlin in May and on Russian oil infrastructure last month. After May's drone attack on the capital, President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine was trying to scare and provoke Russia, adding that the capital's air defences would be strengthened. "At this moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defence forces," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram messaging channel.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Sobyanin, Lidia Kelly, Guy Faulconbridge, Robert Birsel Organizations: Kyiv, United Arab, UN Security, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Moscow Russia, Kyiv MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Odintsovo, Kaluga, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kubinka, United States, Britain, France, Kyiv, Melbourne

☆ After Wagner's mutiny, Russia's military is now fighting with war bloggers because they won't celebrate its few wins the way they want
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's claims of a small battlefield victory have drawn criticism from military bloggers. The milbloggers won't celebrate with Moscow, causing the defense ministry to clash with the writers. Russian military bloggers, or milbloggers, have disputed some of the defense ministry's claims, according to a Sunday assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank. The milbloggers, said Ukrainian forces had managed to establish positions and that fighting was ongoing. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, continue to make use of their huge inventory of heavy Western armor — including advanced tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the US and its NATO allies — to liberate territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's, Putin, —, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Institute for, Russian MoD, Russia's Defence Ministry, Military District, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Wagner Group, Kremlin, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, The General Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Dnipro, Kherson, Russian, Washington, Russia, Rostov, Belarus, Ukrainian, —

☆ Senior Russian general knew about Prigozhin's plans - New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The New York Times reported that American officials also said there were signs that other Russian generals also may have supported Prigozhin. The Kremlin and the Russian defence ministry also did not immediately reply to Reuters' queries. Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon" by the Russian media, had been put in overall charge of Ukraine operations in October. But in January Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov to oversee the campaign, with Surovikin staying on as his deputy. Having set off from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don over the weekend, Prigozhin aborted the march within 200 kilometres (125 miles) of Moscow.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Surovikin, Don, Lidia Kelly, Eric Beech, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: New York Times, Reuters, Pentagon, Russian, Staff, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Belarus, Rostov, Moscow

☆ Where are Russian generals Gerasimov and Surovikin after Wagner rebellion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Absent from view too is General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon" by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syrian conflict, who is deputy commander of Russian forces in Ukraine. Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defence ministry press officer, said a purge was underway. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov attend an annual meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia, December 21, 2022. Dara Massicot, an expert in the Russian military at the RAND Corporation think-tank, said that something looked odd about the video, in which Surovikin has an automatic weapon on his lap. "Surovikin (is) a brute but also one of the more capable Russian commanders," Freedman said on Twitter.

Persons: Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gerasimov, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Dmitry Peskov, Wagner, Rybar, Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Kuravlev, Prigozhin, Michael Kofman, Viktor Zolotov, Shoigu, Dara Massicot, He’s, he’s, Alexei Venediktov, vilifying Shoigu, Lawrence Freedman, Freedman, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Lisa Shumaker, Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: New York Times, Wednesday, Staff, Reuters, Moscow Times, Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Defence Ministry Board, Sputnik, REUTERS, Carnegie Endowment, Twitter, National Guard, Moscow, Tuesday, RAND Corporation, Western, King's College London, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Surovikin, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Moscow's, Lefortovo, Chechnya, Syria

☆ Analysis: Where are Russia's top generals? Rumours swirl after mercenary mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Valery Gerasimov, Russia's top general, has not appeared in public or on state TV since the aborted mutiny on Saturday when mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin demanded Gerasimov be handed over. Gerasimov, 67, is the commander of Russia's war in Ukraine, and the holder of one of Russia's three "nuclear briefcases," according to some Western military analysts. Rybar, an influential channel on the Telegram messaging application run by a former Russian defence ministry press officer, said a purge was underway. Surovikin, Gerasimov's deputy, was last seen on Saturday when he appeared in a video appealing to Prigozhin to halt his mutiny. He had been spoken of by Russian war correspondents as a potential future defence minister.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Mikhail Kuravlev, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Gerasimov, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Rybar, Wagner, Prigozhin, Michael Kofman, Viktor Zolotov, Shoigu, Alexei Venediktov, vilifying Shoigu, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Defence Ministry Board, Sputnik, REUTERS, LONDON, New York Times, Wednesday, Moscow Times, Reuters, Russian Armed Forces, Carnegie Endowment, Twitter, National Guard, Moscow, Tuesday, Western, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow's, Chechnya, Syria

☆ Analysis: Belarus leader, long the supplicant, feted in Russia after mutiny role
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak during a meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia June 9, 2023. It was Lukashenko, according to his own narrative and Putin, who played a major role in ending a mutiny that threatened to destabilise the world's largest nuclear power. "Without Putin's support, the Lukashenko regime will not be able to survive," exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter. High-profile Russian state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov said Lukashenko deserved to be made a Hero of Russia and Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, on Tuesday lavished praise on the Belarusian leader. Independent Belarusian media outlet Zerkalo (the Mirror), which monitored Belarusian state TV coverage of Lukashenko's role, cited presenter Yevgeny Pustovoi as saying that Minsk was becoming "the peacemaker of Slavic civilisation".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Lukashenko, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, you'll, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Vladimir Solovyov, Russia, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Pustovoi, Zerkalo, Andrew Osborn, Mike Collett, White, Alex Richardson Organizations: Belarusian, Sputnik, REUTERS LONDON, Twitter, Russia's, Duma, NATO, Independent, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Kremlin, defusing, Belarusian, Moscow, Soviet, Belarus, Independent Belarusian, Minsk

June 26 (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appeared for the first time since a deal was struck on Saturday to end what the authorities had called an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group aimed at ousting him. In a video released on Monday morning by the Russian Defence Ministry, Shoigu was shown flying in a plane with a colleague and hearing reports at a command post run by Russia's Zapad (West) military grouping. There was no sound on the video and it was not immediately clear where or when the visit had taken place. [1/5]Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visits the advanced control post of Russian troops involved in Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unknown location, in this picture released June 26, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERSGerasimov has not been seen since in public, and there was no word from the Kremlin about any new personnel changes when it described the deal which had ended the mutiny.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Wagner, Shoigu, Russia's Zapad, General Yevgeny Nikiforov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, REUTERS Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Russian Defence, Russian Defence Ministry, Russia's Zvezda Defence Ministry TV Channel, General Staff, REUTERS, Kremlin, Zvezda, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Belarus

☆ Ukraine War Updates: Russia's Defense Minister Visits Troops After Prigozhin's Uprising
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Andrés R. Martínez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The ministry also posted a video of Mr. Shoigu that it said was from the trip, without specifying when or where it took place. Mr. Putin still has not been seen since giving a five-minute address to the nation on Saturday, in which he promised to crush the rebellion. Mr. Prigozhin, once a close ally and confidant of Mr. Putin, had for months publicly lambasted Mr. Shoigu and other military leaders, accusing them of mismanaging the war in Ukraine and starving his troops of ammunition. Mr. Prigozhin’s rebellion, which barely lasted 24 hours, ended on Saturday, when the leader of Belarus, a close ally of Mr. Putin, offered Mr. Prigozhin safe passage. Mr. Putin’s government dropped the charges against Mr. Prigozhin and said the Wagner troops could enlist in the military and would not face discipline.

Persons: Sergei K, Shoigu, Yevgeny V, Yevgeny Nikiforov, Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin, Mr, Putin’s Organizations: ., Russian Defence Ministry, Reuters Russia’s, Defense, Russian Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Belarus

☆ Russian mercenary boss Prigozhin to move to Belarus under Wagner deal, Kremlin says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoMOSCOW, June 24 (Reuters) - Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end an armed mutiny that Prigozhin had led against Russia's military leadership, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's agreement, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. Although Putin had earlier vowed to punish those who participated in the mutiny, Peskov said the agreement had had the "higher goal" of avoiding confrontation and bloodshed. Prigozhin had earlier demanded that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov be handed over to him.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Ermochenko MOSCOW, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov, Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin's, Peskov, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Southern Military, REUTERS, Belarusian, Russia's, Kremlin, Fighters, Defence Ministry, Staff, Russian Defence Ministry, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Belarus

☆ Ukraine spy chief accuses Russia of 'mining' cooling pond at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, June 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military intelligence chief accused Russia on Tuesday of "mining" the cooling pond used to keep the reactors cool at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine's south. The vast six-reactor complex, Europe's biggest nuclear plant, has been under occupation since shortly after Moscow's forces invaded in February last year. "...Most terrifying is that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was additionally mined during that time... namely the cooling pond was mined," Kyrylo Budanov, head of the GUR agency, said on television, without providing evidence for his assertion. The two sides have accused each other of shelling the plant and its environs, and international efforts to establish a demilitarised zone around the complex have failed so far. Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka and Kyiv newsroom; editing by Tom Balmforth and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: GUR, Anna Pruchnicka, Tom Balmforth, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine's, Kyiv

A Russian-installed official said on Sunday that Ukraine had taken control of the village, Piatykhatky, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land. The reported capture of the villages reflects incremental gains for Ukraine that highlight the challenge of breaking through lines Moscow has spent months strengthening. Russia says it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" it, an argument Ukraine and its Western allies call a pretext for a land grab. While Ukraine conducts what Western governments and analysts say are probing attacks to test Russian forces, officials from two NATO member states said Moscow is redeploying some of its forces as it seeks to predict where Ukraine will strike.

Persons: Ukraine Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Piatykhatky, Maliar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Rogov, Margo Grosberg, Michael Kofman, Denise Brown, Dan Peleschuk, Lidia Kelly, Wendell Roelf, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia, Western, Estonian Defense Forces, Twitter, Russia's Defence Ministry, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, French, KYIV, Russian, Piatykhatky, Moscow, Ukrainian, Novodonetske, Donetsk, Sweden, Estonian, Dnipro, Estonia, U.S, Great Salt, Kherson region, Kyiv, West

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