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☆ Much of Putin's inner circle thinks Ukraine had nothing to do with the Moscow terror attack, badly undermining him, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewMany Kremlin insiders disagree with President Vladimir Putin's claims that Ukraine may be connected to last Friday's terror attack in Moscow, Bloomberg reported. Ukraine has denied any connection to the attack, and no credible evidence has emerged for its involvement. Addressing the nation the day after the attack, Putin said that Ukraine had provided the attackers with an escape route at its border. Related storiesOn Monday, Putin switched to blaming ISIS-K for the attack, but continued to allude to a Ukrainian connection. AdvertisementAsked whether ISIS or Ukraine was responsible, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's security council, said it was Ukraine, adding later that there were "many" indications of Kyiv's involvement, per Reuters.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Alexandr Lukashenko, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Andrei Soldatov, Putin's Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Business, Crocus, Hall, ISIS, NPR, CNBC, Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Reuters, Islamic Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Moscow's, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, United States, Belarus, Russia, Russian, Islamic State

☆ Russia claimed the West, Kyiv ordered the Moscow terror attack. Now it has the problem of proving it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded Prosecutor General's Office meeting on March 26, 2024, in Moscow. An investigation into the attack is ongoing, but the latest, outlandish accusations give Moscow a problem: It now has to find the evidence to back up its unsubstantiated claims. What's particularly awkward for the Kremlin is that the Islamic State militant group has already claimed responsibility for the attack. Ukraine denies any involvement in the attack, saying it was "absolutely predictable" that Moscow would look to blame it. The White House said Ukraine had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack and that any claim to the contrary was "Kremlin propaganda."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It's, Andrius, Putin, David Cameron, concertgoers, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Karpukhin, Nikolai Patrushev —, —, Patrushev, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, Putin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Rachabalizoda, Barotovich, Muhammadsobir, Shamsidin Fariduni, Tatyana Makeyevaolga Maltseva, Max Hess Organizations: General's, Getty, Ukraine, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State, West, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian Security, AFP, Security, Islamic, RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign, U.S, Kremlin's, CNBC Wednesday, Institute for, Afp, Analysts, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, CIA Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Crocus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, Europe, Russian, U.S, Kyiv, Belarusian, Belarus, Basmanny, Soviet Union

☆ As Trump blasts NATO allies for not paying for defense, these front-line countries are readying for war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But as Russia's bloody war in Ukraine enters its third year, and the threat to NATO countries, particularly those on Russia's borders, grows, the Baltic states are investing in their defense more than ever. Shawn CooverThe talk came just on the heels of Trump's most recent attack on NATO members who he deems aren't paying their 'fair share." Last week, the former president said that he would keep the US in NATO should European countries pay and "play fair." He said the US "was paying 90% of NATO," and that without the US, NATO "literally doesn't even exist." "We've reinstated conscription, so we're building up our armed forces," an unpopular move that Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs is pushing other NATO members to do, too.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Margus Tsahkna, Vladimir Putin, Tsahkna, Shawn Coover, Trump, ALAIN JOCARD, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, isn't, Macron, Krišjānis Kariņš, Kariņš, Thomas Wiegold, We've, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Rinkēvičs Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Hudson Institute, Washington DC, Estonian, US Marine Corps, Staff, Getty, Latvian, Financial Times Locations: Ukraine, Baltic, Washington, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Russian, China, Europe, NATO, Poland, estonian, Rakvere, AFP, Baltics, France, Germany, Russia's, Greece, Belarus, Finland, Romania, Hungary

☆ Lukashenko undermines Putin’s Ukraine claim on Moscow concert hall attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appears to have cast doubt on Russia’s claims that Ukraine was involved in the brutal attack at a Moscow concert hall last week. Putin on Saturday claimed that a “window” had been prepared for the attackers to escape to Ukraine, which Kyiv has denied. But Lukashenko, one of Putin’s most loyal allies, on Tuesday appeared to contradict the Kremlin’s claims, saying that the attackers initially intended to enter Belarus rather than Ukraine. Putin lights a candle on Sunday in memory of victims of the Crocus City Hall attack. Shamil Zhumatov/ReutersA total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the attack on the concert hall, Russian officials said.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Lukashenko, …, ” Lukashenko, Belta, “, Alexander Bortnikov, Putin “, Dalerdzhon, Shamil Zhumatov, It’s Organizations: CNN, Belarusian, ISIS, Saturday, Kyiv, Crocus City, Central, Monday, Putin, Russia’s Federal Security Services, Reuters Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, “, Belarusian, Russia, Crocus, Tajikistan, Russia’s Bryansk, Kremlin, Bryansk, Basmanny

☆ Belarus' leader undermined the Kremlin's dubious claims that Ukraine backed ISIS attackers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Lukashenko claims Belarus and Russian security prevented Moscow shooting suspects from entering Belarus. AdvertisementBelarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said his country's security, with the help of Russia's Federal Security Service, tried to prevent Crocus City Hall shooting suspects from entering Belarus. "There was no chance they could enter Belarus," Lukashenko said, reported the state-run Belarusian Telegraph Agency. Lukashenko's statements on the concert hall terror suspects fleeing towards Belarus undermine the Kremlin's claims that the suspects tried to escape to Ukraine first, in an attempt to link Ukraine to the attack. No credible evidence has emerged to suggest that Ukraine was involved in the attack that killed at least 139 people.

Persons: Lukashenko, Putin, —, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Maria Zakharova, Crocus Organizations: Service, Federal Security Service, Crocus, Belarusian Telegraph Agency, ISIS, Russian Ministry of Foreign Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Washington

☆ Ukraine’s border villages feel full force of Russian war machine as Putin moots possible ‘sanitary zone’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Andy Carey | Olga Voitovych | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Sumy region, Ukraine CNN —“Evacuation! Luhivka, in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, lies just a few miles from the border with Russia. Workers inspect fortifications being built in Ukraine's Sumy region on March 16, 2024. Even though Russia’s leader might seem impervious to small military setbacks, his comments last week following the announcement of his poll victory suggest a possible further intention to force Ukraine’s border areas into submission. Even discounting the Russian-occupied territories – and Belarus – Ukraine’s border with Russia runs for many hundreds of kilometers.

Persons: Dmytro Piddubnyi, Grandma, She’s, Vladimir Putin, Olha Mykhailivna, ”, Iryna Mishchenko, “, ” Mishchenko, Volodymyr Artiukh, Artiukh, Volodymyr Zelensky, Gleb Garanich, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Kozinka, Ukraine’s, Putin, Melnyk Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, Russian, Getty, CNN, Radio Liberty, Kyiv’s Defense Intelligence Directorate, Kyiv, Kremlin, Kyiv’s Locations: Sumy, Ukraine, Luhivka, Ukraine’s, Russia, Russian, Belgorod, Kursk, AFP, Ukrainian, Ryzhivka, Grad, Popivka, Yizdetske, Sumy region, Russia’s, Russia’s Belgorod, Kyiv Russian, Kremlin Russian, Kozinka, Kyiv, Ukraine's Sumy, –, Belarus

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station blasted off Saturday, two days after its launch was aborted at the last minute. The spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus launched smoothly from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. The head of the Russian space agency, Yuri Borisov, said the launch abort was triggered by a voltage drop in a power source. The space capsule atop the rocket separated and went into orbit eight minutes after the launch and began a two-day, 34-orbit trip to the space station. Russia has continued to rely on modified versions of Soviet-designed rockets for commercial satellites, as well as crews and cargo to the space station.

Persons: Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky, Marina Vasilevskaya, Yuri Borisov, Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai, Alexander Grebenkin, O'Hara Organizations: MOSCOW, Russian Soyuz, International Space, NASA Locations: Russian, Belarus, Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Konstantin Koltsov, former NHL player and partner of tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, dies aged 42
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Konstantin Koltsov, a former professional ice hockey player from Belarus and the partner of tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, has died at the age of 42, according to a statement from Russian club Salavat Yulaev. He was working as a coach for Salavat Yulaev, with whom he spent some of his playing career and won the team’s first Russian championship title in 2008. “It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, passed away,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday. Konstantin Evgenievich forever written himself in the history of our club.”No cause of Koltsov’s death has been announced. Koltsov regularly traveled to tennis tournaments around the world with Sabalenka, who won her second grand slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Persons: CNN — Konstantin Koltsov, Aryna Sabalenka, Koltsov, Salavat, Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, “, Konstantin Evgenievich, Sabalenka Organizations: CNN, Salavat Yulaev, NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Miami Locations: Belarus, Indian Wells, California

☆ WorldQuant is launching its global investing competition. It's another example of hedge funds getting creative in the hunt for talent.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Where the Connecticut-based manager sets itself a part from peers and rivals is with its talent strategy. "Talent is global, opportunity is not," the website states. In this three-stage competition, students and academics from around the world can submit math models predicting market moves for a chance to win a piece of the $400,000 prize pool. Out of those 60,000, 4,000 have received part-time contracts from WorldQuant and have been given access to even more data and tools. For Tulchinsky, born in Soviet-era Belarus, the competition and the BRAIN platform are a chance to see the best work from untraditional places.

Persons: WorldQuant, Igor Tulchinsky, — Nihar Patel, Vaibhav Gupta, — Patel, Gupta Organizations: Service, Business, Indian Institute of Technology, Ivy League Locations: Connecticut, Singapore, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Bahamas, WorldQuant, Belarus

☆ Putin scores a resounding win, but what’s next for Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018. Getty Images Putin speaks with American right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson during an interview in February 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Dmitry Kiselyov, Mikhail Mishustin, Ukraine –, Kiselyov, “, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Pavel Bednyakov, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Tucker Carlson, Zuma Press Putin, Maxim Shemetov, – what’s, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, coy, Kremlin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, Putin, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, AP North Korean, Vostochny, Tucker Carlson Network, Zuma Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Putin Russia, Russian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, Moscow, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, Belarus, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Tsiolkovsky, Russia's, North Korea, United States

☆ Russia Will Be Asked for Ceasefire During Olympics, Macron Tells Ukraine Interviewer
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV (Reuters) - Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview from Paris shown on Ukrainian television and posted by a Ukrainian journalist on her YouTube channel on Saturday. "The demand for a ceasefire during the Olympics. "It will be requested," Macron says in French before a voiceover interpretation gives his response in Ukrainian as "Yes, we will ask for it." "The rule of the host country is to move in step with the Olympic movement," the interpreter quoted Macron as saying. (Reporting by Oleksandr Kozhukhar in Kyiv and Elaine Monaghan in Washington; Writing by Elaine Monaghan; Editing by David Gregorio)

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Russia's, Anne Hidalgo, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Elaine Monaghan, David Gregorio Organizations: Paris Olympics, YouTube, Olympic, Russian Olympic Committee, Olympics, IOC, Paris, Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Paris, Ukrainian, Belarus, Kyiv, Washington

☆ 2024 Olympic Games: Paris mayor says she would prefer Russian athletes to be banned
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Wednesday that she is against Russian athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and attending the Opening Ceremony scheduled for July 26. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said earlier this month that Russian and Belarusian Paralympic athletes will not take part in their Opening Ceremony on August 28. Loic Venance/AFP/Getty ImagesAccording to Russian state news agency TASS, Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin told reporters on Wednesday that Russia should not boycott the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “Now, the question of competing at the Olympic Games is on everyone’s lips, my position is this: we should not turn away, close ourselves or boycott this movement,” Matytsin said. The Paralympic Games begin on August 28 and end on September 8.

Persons: CNN — Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, “, ” Hidalgo, Vladimir, Putin, –, ”, Hidalgo, Israel, Loic Venance, Oleg Matytsin, ” Matytsin, Matytsin Organizations: CNN — Paris Mayor, Russian, Games, Reuters, Ukraine, Olympic Committee, Paris, IOC, International Paralympic Committee, Belarusian Paralympic, Paralympic, International Olympic Committee, Tokyo, Olympic Locations: Paris, Russian, Europe, Belarusian, Gaza, ”, AFP, Russia, Belarus

☆ Russia’s war machine is trying to turn Ukrainian teenagers into soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The Ukrainian teenager was given a Russian passport and sent to a Russian school. And then, in the fall of 2023, not long before his 18th birthday, he received a summons from a Russian military recruitment office. Russia has publicly acknowledged the transfer of Ukrainian children without guardians, despite some having guardians or parents. All Ukrainian teenagers held in Russia, when they turn 18, they are put on a (recruitment) list of Russian military,” told CNN. “It’s a Russian strategy to turn Ukrainian children into Russian children and militarize them.

Persons: Bohdan Yermokhin, Vladimir Putin, who’s, ”, Yermokhin, Ivana Kottasova, Putin, Rights Maria Lvova, Dmytro Lubinets, “, ” Bohdan Yermokhin, Lubinets, ” Lubinets, ” Yermokhin, Lubinets —, Mariupol, ’ ”, Belova, Mykola Kuleba, Filip, ” Yermohkin, Kuleba, It’s, Artem, Russia …, ” Artem Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian, Rights, International Committee, Human Rights Watch, Ukraine, “, Lvova, National Guard, Save Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Geneva, Chechnya, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Save Ukraine, Belarus, Crimea, Qatar

☆ Putin says he’s ready to use nuclear weapons if Russian state at stake, but ‘there has never been such a need’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Helen Regan | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to the existence of the Russian state but “there has never been such a need,” President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state media published Wednesday. Putin said that from a military and technical standpoint, Russia is ready for a nuclear war, though he didn’t say one was imminent. He warned that if US troops were deployed to Ukraine, Russia would treat them as interventionists. So I don’t think that everything is going to go head-on here, but we are ready for it,” Putin said. In his interview with state media, Putin said Russia would be willing to negotiate on Ukraine, but only if based on reality.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joe, Biden, ” Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, It’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN —, RIA Novosti, “, CNN, US, Russian, Russia’s, NATO, Kremlin Locations: CNN — Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Belarus, Europe

☆ Sweden conducted its first reconnaissance flights near the Russian border since joining NATO
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Sweden conducted its first reconnaissance flights near the Russian border since joining NATO. The two flights were aimed at collecting intelligence on troop and weapons deployment in the region. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe Swedish Air Force last week conducted its first reconnaissance flights near Russia's border since officially joining NATO.

Persons: — Organizations: NATO, Service, Swedish Air Force, Intelligence, Swedish Gulfstream, SP Signal Intelligence, Business Locations: Sweden, Russian, Russia, Russia's, Swedish, Poland, Russia's Kaliningrad, Belarus

☆ US asked China and India for help to prevent Russia from carrying out a nuclear strike in 2022, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe US asked non-allies for help in an attempt to dissuade Russia from carrying out a nuclear strike in 2022, a senior US administration official told CNN. The official said their assessment was that input from the likes of India, China, and others "may have had some effect" on Russia's thinking. In June 2023, President Joe Biden said Russia's nuclear threat remained "real" following the news that Russia had moved nuclear weapons into neighboring Belarus. "All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilisation.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergei Guneyev, Putin, Biden, Sergei Shoigu, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Service, CNN, Business, Getty, Russian, NATO, Reuters Locations: Russia, India, China, AFP, Ukraine, Kherson, Russian, Belarus

☆ The 'accidental' politicians: Meet three women risking everything to fight for democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That's what one Ukrainian lawmaker said of the wife of the late Alexei Navalny, who vowed to continue her husband's political work fighting for democracy in Russia after he died in a Siberian prison last month. As the first reports of Navalny's death started to emerge, Navalnaya was in Munich at a security conference. Yulia Navalnaya (L) is applauded by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola after addressing the European Parliament on Feb. 28, 2024. "I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny. Belarusian political opposition in exile leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya clutches a folder with a portrait of her husband, jailed opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky, in November, 2023 Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Persons: Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny, Kai Pfaffenbach, Navalnaya, Alexei, Roberta Metsola, Frederick Florin, Lisa Yasko, Cristina Quicler, Yasko, Viktor Yanukovych, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Monique Jaques, Aleksandr Lukashenko —, Vladimir Putin, Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Sergei Tikhanovsky, Sean Gallup Organizations: Munich Security, Afp, Getty, European Union, CNBC, Zoom, Corbis, Munich, Conference Locations: Munich, Germany, Russia, Ukrainian, Georgia, Kyiv, Kiev, Ukraine, Belarus, Belarusian

☆ Russia has likely grounded its early warning aircraft fleet from flying Ukraine operations because of unsustainable losses, says UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewRussia has likely grounded its fleet of A-50 early warning and control aircraft after Ukraine shot down a second one in two months, the UK Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update on Saturday. The fleet is likely to remain grounded while internal investigations take place into why the losses happened and how Russia can better combat Ukrainian air defenses, the UK department said. The A-50 is an airborne radar system that detects enemy aircraft, missiles, and air defense systems. They also provide daily command and control to Russian air operations and identify ground targets. However, the recent losses had forced the Russian jets dropping glide bombs to fly further away to protect themselves, making their bombs less accurate.

Persons: —, Justin Bronk, Yurii Ihnat Organizations: Service, UK Ministry of Defense, Business, Royal United Services Institute, BBC, MoD, RBC Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Belarus

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West of the risk of nuclear war if they send their own troops to fight for Ukraine, saying Moscow had the weapons to strike Western targets. In his annual state of the nation address to Russia’s elite on Thursday, Putin said claims that Russia intends to attack Europe are “nonsense” but warned that his country might strike Western countries with nuclear weapons. Putin referenced an idea floated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Monday said the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out.” Several European leaders swiftly rejected the suggestion. Putin has raised the nuclear specter on several occasions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. Russia transferred tactical nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus last year, and CNN reported this month that Russia is attempting to develop a nuclear space weapon that could destroy satellites.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, ” Putin, “ Organizations: CNN, TASS, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Europe, Belarus, Avdiivka, Finland, Sweden

☆ Belarus Holds an Election, but the Outcome Is Not Hard to Predict
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Amid a number of high-stakes elections to be held around the world this year, the East European nation of Belarus on Sunday offered an alternative to the unpredictability of democracy: a vote for Parliament without a single candidate critical of the country’s despotic leader. For the government, the election on Sunday — the first since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which neighbors Belarus to the south — is important as an opportunity to show Moscow, its ally, that it has snuffed out all domestic opposition and survived economic and other strains imposed by the war. Russia, which has in the past had doubts about Mr. Lukashenko’s durability and reliability, launched its invasion in February 2022 in part from Belarusian territory. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an exiled opponent of Mr. Lukashenko, said: “These so-called elections are nothing more than a circus show. It’s not even entertaining.”

Persons: Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Mr, It’s Organizations: East, Sunday Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia

☆ Alexander Lukashenko: Belarus’ president to stand for re-election in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Robbert Iddiols | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he will run for another term in elections set to be held in 2025, a move likely to extend the long rule of a key ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko, while speaking to journalists at a polling station after voting in parliamentary and local council elections, was asked whether he planned to stand in the next contest. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, will be confident of winning again, with votes in Belarus widely seen as neither free nor fair. The last presidential vote, in 2020, triggered riots when preliminary results showed Lukashenko had won in a landside victory. Tihkhanovskaya demanded a recount after the country’s Central Election Commission announced Lukashenko had won with 80.23% of the vote, while Tikhanovskaya stood at 9.9%.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, “, ”, BelTA, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, “ Lukashenka, Putin, –, “ Europe’s, ” Lukashenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Tihkhanovskaya, Tikhanovskaya Organizations: CNN, Belarusian, Belarus –, Russian, Observers, Commission Locations: Belarusian, Belarus, Ukraine, Soviet, Kyiv, Moscow

☆ I was in Moscow the day Putin invaded Ukraine, and some Russians were in tears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russian police officers detain a woman during an unsanctioned protest rally against the military invasion on Ukraine, March,6, 2022, in Central Moscow, Russia. These quickly ceased when they saw Russian colleagues in tears, whose life savings had halved overnight. Russian friends began referring to Tbilisi as the "new Constantinople," referencing the city where anti-Bolshevik Russians fleeing the Communist revolution had taken refuge a century before. Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets French President Emmanuel Macron (R) on February 07, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. I stood at the glass window silently as the Russian border guard inspected my passport and now useless work permit.

Persons: —, Cameron Manley, Russia's, didn't, Vladimir Putin, Putin idi nakhui, Putin, Mir, Pushkin, Konstantin Zavrazhin, Alexey Malgavko, Stringer, Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Karen Minasyan, pragmatically, gossiped, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Service, Business, REUTERS, National Guard, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Armed Forces of, Facebook, Bolshevik, Communist, Kremlin Press, AP, Saint Locations: Edinburgh, Scotland, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia's, Europe, Russia, Central Moscow, Russian, Omsk, Kyiv, Armed Forces of Ukraine, seeping, Belarus, Yerevan, Armenia, AFP, Istanbul, Dubai, Tbilisi, Constantinople, St Petersburg, Helsinki, West, Switzerland, Saint Petersburg, Finland

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian military chief visits Ukraine after gains; Belarus signals armed patrols could take to streets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko called on law enforcement agencies on Tuesday to organise patrols with small arms on the streets of Belarusian cities to ensure the safety of people. Lukashenko said that while the crime rate in Belarus was decreasing, the country was at risk of crimes of an "extremist nature." Our patrol guys must be on the streets...Patrols must be armed with small arms, at least pistols." Lukashenko backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by allowing Moscow to use its territory to launch the war and agreed last year to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in his country on Russia's western border. In power since 1994, Lukashenko staged a new crackdown on dissent after stamping out unprecedented demonstrations against what his opponents say was his rigged re-election in 2020.

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, — Organizations: of Internal Affairs, KGB Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Strongmen Find New Ways to Abuse Interpol, Despite Years of Fixes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Jane Bradley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, strongmen and autocrats had a novel weapon in their hunt for political enemies. They used Interpol, the world’s largest police organization, to reach across borders and grab them — even in democracies. In response, Interpol has toughened oversight of its arrest alerts, known as red notices, making it harder than ever to misuse them. Abuse of this important antiterrorism tool got so bad that Interpol temporarily blocked Turkey from using it. Belarus is now subject to special monitoring after Interpol spotted a wave of politically motivated entries, officials said.

Persons: autocrats, William F, Browder Organizations: Interpol, New York Times Locations: Venezuelan, Peru, An, Australia, Russia, London, Belarus, Turkey

☆ Putin gave Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, deepening their war bromance and ignoring sanctions to do it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin gifted Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, defying UN sanctions. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin gifted North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, openly defying UN sanctions and strengthening the two leaders' close bond. "North Korea is our neighbor, our close neighbor, and we intend, and will continue, to develop our relations with all neighbors, including North Korea." AdvertisementWPK officials, including Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, accepted the car on his behalf on Sunday, state news outlet KCNA reported. This wouldn't be the first time Kim Jong Un has gotten around the sanctions.

Persons: Putin, Kim Jong, —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Kim, Mikhail Svetlov, Peskov, Kim Yo Jong, Kamala Harris Organizations: Service, North, Reuters, Russia's Vostochny, Royce, Maybach, Lexus, Ukraine, Norway's Intelligence Service, US Army, Africa Command, NATO, Munich Locations: North Korea, Russia's, Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome, Korea, Russia, China, Belarus, Iran, Europe, Ukraine, Africa, Germany

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