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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

☆ Russia's 'General Armageddon' seen in first photo since Wagner mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows a couple appearing to be Russian General Sergei Surovikin and his wife Anna at an unknown location, in this undated photo published September 4, 2023. "General Sergei Surovikin is out. A second report, published by prominent independent Russian journalist Alexei Venediktov on his Telegram channel, said: "General Surovikin is at home with his family. Surovikin, who gained the nickname "General Armageddon" during Russia's military intervention in Syria's civil war, was briefly in charge of Moscow's war effort in Ukraine before that role was handed in January to General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff. Surovikin was widely viewed by Russian war commentators as a forceful and capable figure.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Anna, Wagner, Ksenia Sobchak, Alexei Venediktov, Surovikin, Venediktov, RIA, Viktor Afzalov, Valery Gerasimov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Trevelyan, Nick Macfie, Ron Popeski, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Ostorozhno Media, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russian, Kremlin, Ukraine

☆ Opinion | Prigozhin’s Real Legacy: The Mercenary Blueprint
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Sean Mcfate | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary chief, has set off intense speculation over the future of the world’s most dangerous private army. In reality, the departure of the boss may not change much. After Mr. Prighozin’s failed mutiny in June, President Vladimir Putin forced many Wagner mercenaries to surrender their weapons to the Russian military, granting his generals their wish. Reports emerged on Thursday that the Russian government is now moving to take control of operations of the enterprise there that Mr. Prigozhin built as a conflict entrepreneur. It is simply too profitable for Mr. Putin to fully disband.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Dmitri Utkin, Prighozin’s, Vladimir Putin, Wagner’s, Putin Organizations: Mr Locations: Russian, Africa

CNN —A Russian military blogger who has written critically of Russia’s conduct in Ukraine was arrested in Moscow Thursday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. The blogger, Andrey Kurshin, runs the Moscow Calling Telegram channel, which has some 87,000 subscribers. “A criminal case was opened against the administrator of the Moscow Calling telegram channel Andrey Kurshin for fake news about the Russian army,” RIA Novosti said Thursday. In April, Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in an explosion at a cafe in the center of St. Petersbug, where he was appearing as a guest of a pro-war group. Russia’s pro-invasion military bloggers have filled some of the information vacuum left behind by the closure of independent media outlets in Russia.

Persons: Andrey Kurshin, RIA Novosti, “, Kurshin, ” ISW, Igor Girkin, Girkin, Vladimir Putin, Vladlen Tatarsky, Daria Trepova, Trepova, Russia’s, Wagner Organizations: CNN, RIA Novosti, RIA, The, Investigators Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, St, Petersbug, Russia

☆ Wagner 'skull' flag flies over empty Prigozhin plane crash site in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows a flag of the Wagner private mercenary group at the site of the plane crash that killed Wagner PMC top figures, including Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, in the Tver Region, Russia September 1, 2023. The plane on which Yevgeny Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed killing all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including two other top Wagner figures, Prigozhin's four bodyguards and a crew of three. At the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia's Tver region, there was no sign of the remains of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet, footage obtained by Reuters showed on Friday. All that remained was a makeshift stone memorial of four boulders to the mercenary chief surrounded by red carnations and a Wagner flag flying on a pole made from a tree branch. The flag sports a white skull surrounded by the words "PMC Wagner Group" in both English and Russian.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Wagner PMC, REUTERS, St, Embraer, Reuters, Wagner, Thomson Locations: Tver Region, Russia, St Petersburg, Moscow, Kuzhenkino, Russia's Tver, Rostov, Vladimir Putin's Russia

☆ Burkina Faso says leader discussed possible military cooperation with Russian delegation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Burkina Faso's interim President Ibrahim Traore during a meeting following the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 29, 2023. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via REUTERS /File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOUAGADOUGOU, Aug 31 (Reuters) - A Russian delegation held talks with Burkina Faso's interim president Ibrahim Traore on Thursday at a meeting that included discussions on possible military cooperation, the Burkinabe presidency said in a statement. It said the visit, led by Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, was a follow-up to talks between Traore and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg in July. It did not say if Russian military trainers would be sent to Burkina Faso. Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga Writing by Alessandra Prentice Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Burkina Faso's, Ibrahim Traore, Alexei Danichev, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Traore, Russian Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Thiam, Alessandra Prentice, Leslie Adler, Grant McCool Organizations: Sputnik, Rights, Russian, Russian Deputy, Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Rights OUAGADOUGOU, St . Petersburg, African, Moscow, Mali, Russian, Burkina Faso

☆ Putin is planning another trip to China, report says, a further sign of his dependence on Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to China for an international summit, Bloomberg reported. The upcoming trip, which was reported by Bloomberg, would be his first diplomatic trip abroad since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yet it also exposes the stark new limitations of Putin's global power, and his new dependence on China's autocratic leader, Xi Jinping. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping make a toast at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 21, 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It'd, Putin, Xi, He's, Xi Jinping, PAVEL BYRKIN, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Ukraine's, Sergei Karpukhin, Maria Shagina Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, ICC, Kremlin, SPUTNIK, Getty, Xi, Sputnik, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Financial Times Locations: China, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Mariupol, South Africa, Rome, India, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine's Western

☆ Newly surfaced video of Wagner boss Prigozhin shows him joking about his own death days before his fatal plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new video has surfaced of Yevgeny Prigozhin, where he claims to be in Africa in mid-August. In it, the Wagner Group leader says he's doing "fine" amid speculation over his wellbeing. The footage appears to be from just days before Prigozhin died in a plash crash near Moscow. Prigozhin's reference to a weekend in the second half of August indicates that the newly surfaced video was likely filmed around August 19 or 20, just days before he died in a plane crash. After initial reports of the plane crash surfaced, US officials said it wasn't surprising.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, he's, Prigozhin, Wagner, Anton Gerashchenko, Dmitry Utkin, Valery Chekalov, Vladimir Putin, Moscow —, Putin, Bill Burns, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre Organizations: Group, Service, Wagner Group, Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, Pentagon, Ostorozhno, CIA, House Press Locations: Africa, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Ostorozhno Novosti

☆ CNN names former New York Times CEO Mark Thompson as its chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Mark Thompson is stepping in as the next CEO and chairman of CNN. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told staff in a note Wednesday. Before closing the deal, Zaslav had appointed Licht as CNN's CEO, who was previously the chief executive behind the "CBS This Morning" news program and "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. While network executives Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling and David Leavy led CNN since Licht left CNN, Warner Bros. Shortly, we will announce that highly respected news executive Mark Thompson will be joining our leadership team as Chairman and CEO, effective October 9, reporting directly to me.

Persons: Mark Thompson, Thompson, Chris Licht, Thompson's, David Zaslav, Jeff Zucker, –, Andrew Cuomo, Zucker's, Chris Cuomo, Zucker, Zaslav, Licht, Joe, network's, Donald Trump, Kaitlan Collins, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, David Leavy, Read, Mark, Amy, Eric, I've, David Read, you've, David Zaslav's, Wagner, you'll Organizations: CNN, Parent, Warner Bros, Discovery, The New York Times, BBC, Warner Bros . Discovery, Max, New York Gov, MSNBC, CNN Worldwide, Times, Tiananmen Locations: U.S, David, Virginia, London, Washington, DC

☆ Ukrainian advisor says Prigozhin's death in a plane crash is a warning that there's no negotiating with Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian presidential advisor warned that Prigozhin's death shows Putin won't negotiate. Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash last week, confirmed by Russia. Podolyak added: "So, as long as Putin remains president, the war will continue. The disparaging comments come just a week after Prigozhin's death, confirmed by Russian officials, in a plane crash outside Moscow. After Prigozhin's death, multiple officials and critics, including US President Joe Biden and the White House itself, suggested Putin was involved in assassinating Prigozhin and that "no one should be surprised" by his death.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mykhailo Podolyak, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, there's, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Podolyak, Prigozhin, Wagner's Prigozhin, Putin Prigozhin's, Sergei Shoigu, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Ukraine —, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russian, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Kremlin, Al Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Ukraine, Al Jazeera

☆ Fact Check-Video does not show Wagner mercenaries landing in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A years-old video of a plane landing is being shared on social media to falsely claim it’s proof of Wagner mercenary fighters arriving in Niger in 2023. Authorities in Niger have officially confirmed the presence of Wagner fighters in the country” (here). Reuters did not independently verify the location of the 2006 video, though the deserted area around the runway coupled with buildings close by is markedly similar to the topography around Khartoum International Airport. Reuters’ reporting on the coup in Niger can be found (here). The video dates to at least 2006, thus is unrelated to Wagner and the 2023 coup in Niger.

Persons: Wagner, Mohamed Bazoum, Read Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Wagner PMC, Authorities, Facebook, Reuters, YouTube, Khartoum International, Google, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Niger, Khartoum, Sudan

☆ Wagner Group may be absorbed by the Russian Defense Ministry, which Prigozhin rallied against before his death. The mercenary group's current arrangement could 'disappear rather soon,' former GRU capt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The fate of the Wagner Group is in the hands of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. The New York Times reported the Russian Defense Ministry was considering absorbing the group. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The Wagner Group will disappear rather soon," Boris Volodarsky, a former captain in Russia's Spetsnaz GRU special forces and a fellow with the Royal Historical Society in London, told Insider. As tensions mounted between Wagner and Putin this summer, the Kremlin mandated that Wagner recruits sign contracts with the Russian army — which Prigozhin resisted. In his tirade, Prigozhin said the ministry "must be stopped" and the people responsible for the death of Wagner fighters must be punished.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Boris Volodarsky, Russia's, Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Valery Chekalov, Volodarsky, —, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Wagner, Kremlin, The New York Times, Russian Defense Ministry, Service, Wagner Group, New York Times, Institute for, Royal Historical Society, Defense Ministry, Times, Central African, Associated Press, Russia's Defense Ministry, Belarusian Locations: Wall, Silicon, East, Africa, Russian, London, Tver, Moscow, Belarus, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Mali, Russia, Rostov

A cameraman films wreckage of the private jet linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin near the crash site in the Tver region, Russia, August 24, 2023. U.S. aviation safety consultant and former investigator John Cox said an internal Russian investigation would always be questioned without the participation of Brazil, the country where the plane was manufactured. "I think it hurts the transparency of the Russian investigation." In air crash investigations, experts work to improve aviation safety without assigning blame, but probes are often tainted by political interests. Jeff Guzzetti, a former U.S. air crash investigator, said Russia should accept assistance from Brazil, even if CENIPA can only participate remotely.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Marina, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Marcelo Moreno, John Cox, Cox, CENIPA, Jeff Guzzetti, Allison Lampert, Gabriel Araujo, Valerie Insinna, Denny Thomas, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Embraer, EMBR3, Reuters, Wagner Group, Brazil's Center for Research, Aeronautical, United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, Interstate Aviation Committee, Accident Investigation, U.S ., Convention, International Civil Aviation, Thomson Locations: Tver, Russia, MONTREAL, SA, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Montreal, St Petersburg, Brazil, U.S, Sao Paulo, Washington

Brazil's Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA), in the interests of improving aviation safety, had said it would join a Russian-led investigation if it were invited and the probe held under international rules. U.S. aviation safety consultant and former investigator John Cox said an internal Russian investigation would always be questioned without the participation of Brazil, the country where the plane was manufactured. "I think it hurts the transparency of the Russian investigation." In air crash investigations, experts work to improve aviation safety without assigning blame, but probes are often tainted by political interests. Jeff Guzzetti, a former U.S. air crash investigator, said Russia should accept assistance from Brazil, even if CENIPA can only participate remotely.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Vaganov, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Marcelo Moreno, John Cox, Cox, CENIPA, Jeff Guzzetti, Allison Lampert, Gabriel Araujo, Valerie Insinna, Denny Thomas, Grant McCool Organizations: Police, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Embraer, EMBR3, Reuters, Wagner Group, Brazil's Center for Research, Aeronautical, United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, Interstate Aviation Committee, Accident Investigation, U.S ., Convention, International Civil Aviation, Thomson Locations: Tver, Russia, MONTREAL, SA, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Montreal, St Petersburg, Brazil, U.S, Sao Paulo, Washington

☆ Russia's Prigozhin buried privately in St Petersburg
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] A view shows the grave of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last week, at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 29, 2023. Those who wish to say goodbye may visit Porokhovskoye cemetery," his press service said in a short post on Telegram. In recent days admirers had heaped flowers on makeshift shrines to Prigozhin in Moscow, St Petersburg and elsewhere. Two other top Wagner figures, four Prigozhin bodyguards and three crew members were also killed when his Embraer Legacy 600 private jet crashed north of Moscow. Earlier on Tuesday, Valery Chekalov, the head of Wagner logistics, was buried at another St Petersburg cemetery.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Stringer, Putin, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Chekalov, Mark Trevelyan, Jon Boyle, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Embraer, Reuters, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, PETERSBURG, St Petersburg, Porokhovskoye, Ukraine, Prigozhin, Moscow, Rostov, Russian

☆ Poland, Baltics will shut Belarus border if 'critical incident' occurs -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Poland and the Baltic states will close their borders with Belarus entirely if a "critical incident" involving Wagner mercenaries takes place, the Polish interior minister said on Monday, amid rising tensions on NATO's eastern flank. EU and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which share a border with Belarus, have been increasingly concerned about border security since hundreds of Russian battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko. "If there is a critical incident, regardless of whether it is at the Polish or Lithuanian border, we will retaliate immediately. Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told media that there were two criteria that could lead to a border closure. Poland has closed all but one border crossing point with Belarus this year following the imprisonment of a journalist of Polish origin and expulsions of Polish diplomats.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Mariusz Kaminski, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Agne Bilotaite, Bilotaite, Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz, Marek Strzelecki, Andrius, Conor Humphries, Nick Macfie Organizations: WARSAW, EU, NATO, Wagner Group, Lithuanian, Thomson Locations: Poland, Baltic, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Minsk, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Belarusian, Russia, Europe, East, Africa, Warsaw, Andrius Sytas, Vilnius

☆ Russia-Ukraine War: Latest News
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Hundreds of people have placed flowers, photographs, candles and flags — including some bearing the private military group’s skull design — at a small sidewalk memorial near Red Square in Moscow. Like many who agreed to be interviewed, Alyona did not want to give her last name because of the political sensitivity surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, who frequently criticized how the war was conducted and launched a brief rebellion against the military’s leadership two months ago. “No one ever abandoned me; they helped me, they did everything that was necessary and provided me with everything that was needed,” said Prapor, who added that he had personally met Mr. Prigozhin. But in a country where little is said about the casualties, the sidewalk memorial became a rare place for people to mourn publicly. Mr. Prigozhin, Alyona said, was unique in his generation in his ability and willingness to openly discuss the issues plaguing Russian society.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, ”, Alyona, Prigozhin, didn’t, Dmitri Utkin, Nanna Heitmann, “, Prapor, Dmitri Utkin —, —, Kirill, Mr, Prigozhin’s, “ Wagner, Natalia, Sergei K, Shoigu —, Vladimir V, Putin, “ Evgeny Prigozhin, Shoigu, Sergei, ” Sergei, Aleksei A, Elena, “ I’ve, Vladlen Tatarsky, Daria Dugina, Lenin, Stalin, Milana Mazaeva Organizations: ” Volunteers, The New York Times, The New York, ., Kremlin, Police, Wagner Group, Ministry of Defense Locations: Red, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin ., Mariupol, Russia, St . Petersburg, Washington

☆ Old interview clip of Wagner chief Prigozhin sparks speculation about his death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash near Moscow. An old video has surfaced in which he says he would rather die than lie and makes a plane crash analogy. The clip has sparked speculation about the way he died, and whether he is dead at all. The mercenary group leader, who led an aborted coup against Russian military leadership in June, was killed in a plane crash outside Moscow. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the plane crash on Wednesday, Wagner-affiliated social media channels claimed that air-defense systems shot the plane down, but the cause remains unclear.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, William Burns, Putin Organizations: Service, Russian, Sunday, BBC, Kremlin, CIA Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Jamaica, Russian

☆ Russia Officially Confirms Prigozhin’s Death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Constant Méheut | More About Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, with investigators saying on Sunday that genetic testing showed that the victims of a plane crash last week matched all the names on the jet’s manifest. Mr. Prigozhin was presumed to have died in the crash on Wednesday, an incident that came two months after he launched a failed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership and which U.S. and Western officials believe was the result of an explosion on board. However, the Russian authorities had said they were awaiting the results of an investigation before confirming the identities of those on board. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday, in his first comments on the crash, spoke obliquely of Mr. Prigozhin’s death, referring to him in the past tense, but did not confirm it. “He made some serious mistakes in life, but he also achieved necessary results,” Mr. Putin said.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Svetlana Petrenko, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin’s, ” Mr Locations: Russia

☆ Russian Confirms Prigozhin’s Death: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Image An informal memorial for Wagner leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin next to the former ‘PMC Wagner Centre’ in St. Petersburg, Russia. However, the Russian authorities had said they were awaiting the results of an investigation before confirming the identities of those on board. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday, in his first comments on the crash, spoke obliquely of Mr. Prigozhin’s death, referring to him in the past tense, but did not confirm it. “He made some serious mistakes in life, but he also achieved necessary results,” Mr. Putin said. Some European leaders, many Western news outlets and people close to Mr. Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary force have speculated that Mr. Putin had Mr. Prigozhin killed in retaliation for his brief mutiny in June — suggestions the Kremlin on Friday dismissed as an “absolute lie.”Show more

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Anton Matrosov, Svetlana Petrenko, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin’s, ” Mr, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Mr Organizations: PMC Wagner Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia

☆ Old video sparks wild theories on fate of Russia's Prigozhin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Kremlin said Western suggestions he had been killed on its orders were an "absolute lie." "Today we have reached the boiling point," he said in the clip published on Grey Zone, Wagner's Telegram channel. He added, "But I will not lie, I must say honestly that Russia is on the brink of disaster. Some posts speculated Prigozhin was alive. One post said Ukraine had killed Prigozhin by order of US special services "and the Anglo-Saxons" and added, "it is inconvenient for us to lose such a hero," to which someone responded with three crying-laughing emojis.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Semyon Pegov, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, pina colada, Vladimir Putin, Elaine Monaghan Organizations: Kremlin, Grey, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Jamaica, France, Ukraine

CNN —Russian investigators have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed when their plane crashed Wednesday, after carrying out genetic tests. “As part of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed,” a statement published on the Russia’s Investigative Committee’s Telegram channel read. The Wagner warlord was on the plane which crashed Wednesday, Russian authorities said. Telegram/WAGNER_svodkiAlso killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin. To date, no evidence has been presented that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitriy Utkin, Valeriy, Prigozhin, Prigozhin’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Joe Biden, Putin, I’m, ”, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Putin Locations: Moscow, St . Petersburg, Tver, Prigozhin’s, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Soviet Union

☆ Biden spent August trying to escape Washington. But fall realities await him
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Heading home from Lake Tahoe on Saturday, President Joe Biden exchanged a week of waterfront seclusion for the more workaday realities of running the country from Washington. Like many presidents, Biden spent a good portion of August away from the White House, trading the capital’s stifling heat for the beach or the mountains. Of the first 26 days in August, Biden spent only one day entirely at the White House. He also held events at the White House marking his legislative accomplishments. The White House did detail some of the presidential tasks Biden undertook.

Persons: Sunshine, Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, Jill Biden, Hunter, Ashley, Jake Sullivan, Volodymyr Zelensky, Tom Steyer, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Biden couldn’t, Jim Watson, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, “, Putin, ”, “ I’ve, Evan Vucci, Trump, Hunter –, wasn’t, Obama Organizations: White House, White, Camp David, Democratic, Secret Service, Wagner Group, Ukraine Locations: Lake Tahoe, Washington, Maui, West Coast, Russian, Ukraine, Jacksonville , Florida, Hawaii, Camp, Delaware, Wilmington, Rehoboth Beach, Tahoe, Glenbrook, New Jersey, Rehoboth Beach , Delaware, AFP, United States, Russia, South Lake Tahoe , California, Fulton County

☆ Russia says genetic tests confirm Prigozhin died in plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Courtesy PMC Wagner via Telegram via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Russian investigators said on Sunday that genetic tests had confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner mercenary group, was among the 10 people killed in a plane crash last week. They included Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, his right-hand man who helped found the Wagner group. "As part of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular-genetic examinations have been completed," Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the June 23-24 mutiny as a treacherous "stab in the back", but later met with Prigozhin in the Kremlin. He sent his condolences on Thursday to the families of those believed to have died in the crash.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Vladimir Soldatkin, Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie Organizations: Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Authorities, Russian, Thomson Locations: Africa, Tver, Moscow, Rostov, Kremlin, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Belarus

CNN —Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has alleged that Russian President Vladimir Putin “must have killed” Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and said there can be no peace negotiation with Putin on Ukraine. It is not clear yet what caused the plane crash, but US and Western intelligence officials that CNN has spoken to believe it was deliberate. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson CNNThe plane crash thought to have killed Prigozhin came exactly two months after the Wagner boss launched a short-lived rebellion in Russia. I cannot think of another example of such ostentatious and uninhibited savagery by a world leader – not in our lifetimes,” Johnson wrote. Putin stands exposed as a gangster, and his absurd televised ‘tribute’ to the dead Wagnerites is straight from the pages of ‘The Godfather,’” Johnson concluded.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin “, ” Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Johnson, Wagner, ” Johnson, “, Moscow –, Prigozhin ”, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, ”, Prigozhin, Dmitry Peskov, –, ’ ” Johnson Organizations: CNN, Former UK, Daily, Embraer, UK, Boris Johnson CNN Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Tver, Russia

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