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☆ Azerbaijani forces strike Armenian-controlled Karabakh, raising risk of new Caucasus war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Karabakh, a mountainous area in the volatile wider South Caucasus region, is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory. Karabakh has been at the centre of two wars - the latest in 2020 - since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. The European Union, France and Germany also condemned Azerbaijan's military action, calling on it to return to talks on the future of Karabakh with Armenia. Loud and repeated shelling was audible from social media footage filmed on Tuesday in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan. Karabakh separatist authorities said 25 people had been killed, including two civilians, and 138 injured due to Baku's military action.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hikmet Hajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Hajiyev, Nikol, Baku's, Dmitry Peskov, Blinken, Ruben Vardanyan, Vardanyan, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Soviet Union . U.S, European, Reuters, Armenian, . Security Council, Russian, Kremlin, TASS, Security, Thomson Locations: Khankendi, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Artsakh, Baku, Armenia, BAKU, Caucasus, Soviet, European Union, France, Germany, Stepanakert, Yerevan, Russia, South Caucasus, Ukraine, Turkey, Republic of Azerbaijan, Moscow, United States

☆ Video of a cheap drone destroying an exposed T-72 hints Russian crews are still working out how to hide their tanks from a growing threat, former US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A video surfaced online showing a seemingly exposed Russian T-72 tank struck by an FPV drone. One former US Army general told Insider it may speak to larger issues within the Russian military. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe lack of such efforts and the certainly fatal results may reflect deeper, underlying issues for the Russian military. Russian and Ukrainian FPV drones are pummeling tanks while other drones drop bombs on soldiers. "This has never been a strong suit in the Russian Army, but they've lost so many of their experienced soldiers by now that the problem is even worse," he added.

Persons: James Stavridis, Mark Hertling, Ben Hodges, Hodges, could've, DIMITAR DILKOFF, they've, That's Organizations: US Army, Service, Ukraine, Moscow, US Navy, NATO, US, Getty, Russian Army Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine, Europe, US Army Europe, Southern Russia, Caucasus, China, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, AFP, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Explainer: What is happening between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Armenia and Azerbaijan have already fought two wars over Karabakh in the three decades since the Soviet Union they were both members of collapsed. Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a mountainous region at the southern end of the Karabakh mountain range, within Azerbaijan. Under the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the republic of Azerbaijan. FIRST KARABAKH WARAs the Soviet Union crumbled, the First Karabakh War (1988-1994) erupted between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. Despite that, tensions have risen sharply this month, with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of building up troops.

Persons: Stringer, Nikol Pashinyan, Cross, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Christ, FIRST, Karabakh, REUTERS, European Union, United, International Committee, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Soviet Union, KARABAKH, Artsakh, Stepanakert, Turkey, Israel, Russia, United States, Baku, Aghdam, Ukraine, Moscow, South Caucasus

☆ Is one of Russia’s oldest allies slipping from the Kremlin’s orbit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“Armenia’s security architecture 99.999% was linked to Russia,” he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica earlier this month. Analysts said the effectiveness of Russia's peacekeeping presence, which began after the war in 2020, has diminished over time. “Russia failed to deliver on its promises to secure the Lachin corridor… Russia failed to deliver weapons that Armenia purchased from Russia, Russia failed to curtail Azerbaijan’s expansionist and aggressive behavior against Armenia,” said Ter-Matevosyan. But in trying to shore up its security vis-a-vis Azerbaijan, Armenia has inadvertently delivered a stinging snub to Russia. “We have to remember that Russia has a huge destructive potential in the region,” said Ter-Matevosyan, referring to Russia’s sizable military base north of Yerevan.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, ”, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Tofik Babayev, Azerbaijain, Vahram, Matevosyan, Karen Minasyan, Ter, Marie Dumoulin, Azerbaijan’s, ” Dumoulin, “, Putin, Ilham Aliyev –, He’s, Aliyev, Dumoulin, Dmitry Peskov, ’ ”, Anna Ohanyan, Ohanyan, –, Will Organizations: CNN, La Repubblica, Russian Federation, Getty, American University of Armenia, Collective Security, Organization, European Council, Foreign Relations, ICC, Politico, NATO, Stonehill College, Kremlin Locations: Armenia, Soviet, Ukraine, Rome, Russia, Azerbaijan, Italian, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, AFP, Turkey, Yerevan, “ Armenia, Moscow, “ Russia, Baku, Pashinyan, Massachusetts, “, Belarus, Repubblica, Western

☆ Kremlin says Karabakh tensions rising, Armenia warns of 'critical' humanitarian situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin expressed concern on Thursday that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh were increasing, as Armenia's prime minister described the situation in the blockaded territory as "critical". Armenia has in recent weeks repeatedly accused Azerbaijan of massing forces around Karabakh, which Baku has effectively blockaded since December 2022, causing acute hunger. Armenian state news agency Armenpress on Thursday quoted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as saying the humanitarian situation inside Karabakh was desperate. He said a Russian aid truck which Karabakh authorities allowed to enter the region from Azerbaijan on Tuesday had not alleviated the crisis. Armenpress also quoted Pashinyan as saying that Azerbaijan was continuing to mass troops along the frontlines with Karabakh and Armenia, a charge that Baku has repeatedly denied.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Dmitry Peskov, Antony Blinken, Matthew Miller, Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan, Felix Light, David Ljunggren, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Department, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Russia, Yerevan, South Caucasus, Moscow, Russian, Tbilisi, Ottawa

☆ Explainer-What Is Happening Between Armenia and Azerbaijan Over Nagorno-Karabakh?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

(Reuters) - Tensions are running high again between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been the cause of two wars between them in the past three decades. Under the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. FIRST KARABAKH WARAs the Soviet Union crumbled, what is known as the First Karabakh War (1988-1994) erupted between Armenians and their Azerbaijani neighbours. Russia, a treaty ally of Armenia but which also has good relations with Azerbaijan, stepped in to negotiate a ceasefire. The most sensitive issue is the status of the 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Karabakh, whose rights and security Armenia says must be guaranteed.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan Organizations: Reuters, Christ, FIRST, Karabakh, European Union, Armenian Locations: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, KARABAKH, Artsakh, Caucasus, Soviet Union, Soviet, Turkey, Israel, Russia, United States, Baku, Ukraine

☆ Russia protests to Armenia as tensions rise over disputed Caucasus region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Within hours, Armenia's foreign ministry issued a statement expressing willingness to resolve disputes with Azerbaijan over the territory, focal point of two wars in the past 30 years. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry, in a series of statements, said it was Armenia which was posing a threat to regional stability by abetting separatism in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Armenia pursues one goal: to sustain separatism in the territory of Azerbaijan through all possible ideological, political, military, financial and other means," the Azeri Foreign Ministry said. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border. Armenia hosts a Russian military base and relies almost entirely on Russia for defence supplies.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Ron Popeski, Richard Chang Organizations: Azeri Foreign Ministry, International Criminal Court, Collective Security, Organization, Reuters, Red, Thomson Locations: Russia, South Caucasus, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Soviet Union, Soviet, Caucasus

☆ Russia Issues 'Harsh' Protest to Armenia Over Range of 'Unfriendly' Actions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia on Friday summoned the Armenian ambassador for a "harsh" protest about a list of what it termed "unfriendly steps", the latest sign of strain between Moscow and the small ex-Soviet republic in a region Russia considers its back yard. He said Moscow, distracted by its war with Ukraine, had been unable to deliver and was winding down its role in the South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on Thursday of moving troops close to their joint border as tensions over the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave rose. The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin has dismissed the idea that Russia's actions in Ukraine could be war crimes and noted that Russia does not recognise the court.

Persons: Vagharshak Harutyunyan, Alen Simonyan, Maria Zakharova, Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Russian Foreign Ministry, International Criminal, Armenian National Assembly, Collective Security, Organization, Red, ICC Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, United States, Ukraine, Armenia, Russian, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus, Georgia

☆ China is eroding Russia's influence over old allies as the alliance it leads crumbles over Ukraine, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian influence is waning despite formal alliances and the old ties of the Soviet Union. It is also home to most members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO): Russian President Vladimir Putin's equivalent of NATO. Russia's influence on them is also being weakened by more countries competing for their attention, Graham said. AdvertisementAdvertisementHe said that "Russia's operation in Ukraine is undermining, eroding its ability to maintain its influence across the former Soviet space." "You're seeing the slow erosion of Russian influence."

Persons: Thomas Graham, Vladimir Putin's, Graham, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Stanislav Zas, Nikol Pashinyan, Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym, Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rakhmon, Anton Novoderezhkin Organizations: Service, Yale, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Moscow REUTERS, Russia, Armenian, Kazakh, Kremlin, Sputnik, REUTERS, Central, AFPTV, Getty Locations: Central Asia, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, China, Turkey, East, Caucasus, Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Central, Europe, Iran, Russian, Belarusian, Bakhmut, AFP, Azerbaijan, Soviet

☆ Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh fear for future under blockade
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —Ani Kirakosyani found out she was pregnant a month after the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh began. “If not for the blockade, I would be playing with my child today,” Kirakosyani told CNN. He told CNN that before the blockade he had received most of his produce from Armenia. I only have one week left until the shop closes and I am jobless,” he told CNN. Meanwhile Russia, which brokered the ceasefire in 2020, has peacekeepers along the Lachin corridor but has refrained from intervening further.

Persons: Ani Kirakosyani, Kirakosyani, ”, ” Kirakosyani, Gegham Stepanyan, Tom Lantos, Cross, Luis Moreno Ocampo, Arayik Harutyunyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Mary Asatryan Max Mkhitaryan, Mary Asatryan, Brendan Hoffman, Ronald Suny, Azerbaijan’s, Ilham Aliyev, –, ” Harutyunyan, Peter Stano, Harutyunyan, Maria Zakharova, Artyom, Anahit, Vahe Gevorgyan, ” Gharaghazaryan Organizations: CNN, International Association of Genocide, Artsakh, Rights, International Committee, ICRC, Criminal Court, Armenian, Stepanakert Medical, University of Michigan, …, United States State Department, EU, Reuters, European Union, Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia, Hamline University, UN Security, “ Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Haterk, Republic of Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Artsakh Republic, Armenia, Artsakh, Stepanakert, Soviet Union, Turkey, Baku, … Baku, Azerbaijani, Aghdam, EU, Russia, United States, Ukraine

☆ Armenia to exercise with US troops next week, Russia voices concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Armenia said on Wednesday it would host a joint military exercise with the United States next week, a development that Russia said was cause for concern. The Armenian Defence Ministry said the purpose of the Sept. 11-20 "Eagle Partner 2023" exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions. Russia has a military base in Armenia and sees itself as the pre-eminent power in the South Caucasus region, which until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a weekend interview with an Italian newspaper that Russia had failed to protect Armenia against what he called continuing aggression from Azerbaijan. "Russia plays a consistent, very important role in stabilising the situation in this region ... and we will continue to play this role."

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Nikol Pashinyan, Peskov, Pashinyan's, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: United, Armenian Defence Ministry, Eagle, Kansas National Guard, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Armenia, United States, Russia, U.S, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Italian, Ukraine

☆ Armenia says it will stage joint military exercise with US next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Armenia said on Wednesday it would host a joint military exercise with the United States next week, a development likely to irritate Russia. The Armenian Defence Ministry said the purpose of the Sept. 11-20 "Eagle Partner 2023" exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions. Russia has a military base in Armenia and sees itself as the pre-eminent power in the South Caucasus region, which until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union. It maintains a peacekeeping force in the region to uphold an agreement that ended a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, the second they have fought since the Soviet collapse. "Russia plays a consistent, very important role in stabilising the situation in this region ... and we will continue to play this role."

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Dmitry Peskov, Pashinyan's, Mark Trevelyan, Christina Fincher Organizations: United, Armenian Defence Ministry, Eagle, Thomson Locations: Armenia, United States, Russia, U.S, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Italian, Ukraine

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica published on Sunday, Nikol Pashinyan accused Russia of failing to ensure Armenia's security in the face of what he said was aggression from neighbouring Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. "Armenia's security architecture was 99.999% linked to Russia, including when it came to the procurement of arms and ammunition," Pashinyan told La Repubblica. "This example should demonstrate to us that dependence on just one partner in security matters is a strategic mistake." His words underscore resentment inside Armenia about what many there see as a failure by Russia to defend their interests. Pashinyan accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to uphold the ceasefire deal of failing to do their job.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Andrew Osborn, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian, Italian, Repubblica, European Union, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia, Caucasus, Yerevan, United States, Ukraine, Russian, Baku, Nagorno

☆ Germany adds Georgia and Moldova to list of safe countries of origin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Vladislav Culiomza/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Germany's coalition government on Wednesday listed Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin in a bid to cut asylum applications from those nations, which are almost always rejected. The move means asylum applications from those countries could be processed more quickly and lead to faster deportations for failed applicants. According to ministry data, 99.9% of applications from both countries were rejected in 2022 and the first half of 2023. Some 8,865 Georgians and 5,218 people from Moldova applied for asylum in Germany last year. The ministry defines safe countries of origin as those where there is generally no fear of state prosecution and where the state protected its citizens.

Persons: Vladislav Culiomza, Nancy Faeser, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Pro Asyl, Asyl, Alexander Ratz, Matthias Williams, Mike Harrison Organizations: Moldovan, REUTERS, Rights, Pro, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Georgia, Schloss Meseberg, Berlin, Germany, Russia, Moldova . Georgia, South Caucasus

☆ Russian tourism in Crimea is down, but many still shrug off risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary This content was produced in Russian-annexed Crimea, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. They said it was all calm here with no problems on the Crimea Bridge. Fewer visitors to Crimea have meant more for Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea and Dagestan in Russia's north Caucasus region, he said. FATAL CROSSINGFor one Russian couple, the choice of Crimea as a holiday destination proved fatal. "The goal of our trip is, of course, to have a rest, and support Russian tour operators, hoteliers, and Russian tourism, no doubt."

Persons: Siberian Viktor Motorin, Olga Morskova, Alexei Volkov, Volkov, Vasyl Maliuk, Alexander Semashko, Sergei Lenkov, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: National Union of Hospitality Industries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, YALTA, Siberian, Moscow, Russia, Khanty, Siberia, Turkey, Thailand, Rybinsk, Sochi, Novorossiysk, Kaliningrad, Dagestan, Russia's, Caucasus, Stavropol, Vologda

☆ Dozens Reported Dead in Fire at Gas Station in Southern Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Anton Troianovski | More About Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A fire and an explosion at a gas station killed at least 35 people in southern Russia, the authorities said Tuesday, in a disaster that struck one of the country’s poorest regions. There were no immediate reports of foul play or of a connection to the war in Ukraine. Russian state media said a fire at a nearby building on Monday evening caused an explosion at the gas station in Makhachkala, the capital of the Dagestan region, on the Caspian Sea and near the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. Witnesses interviewed by the Russian news media described an enormous blast. “I was at home, lying on the couch,” one woman said in a video interview circulated by Tass, a state-run news agency.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Sergei Melikov Organizations: Tass Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Makhachkala, Dagestan, Caucasus

☆ How U.S. microchips are fueling Russia's military — despite sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Murky supply chainsNot all advanced technologies are subject to Western sanctions on Russia. So, a Russian military, as well as its civilian economy, have become dependent," Sam Bendett, advisor at the Center for Naval Analyses, said. Meanwhile, sanctions on Russia are largely limited to Ukraine's Western allies, meaning that many countries continue to trade with Russia. And this is what the Russian industry as well as the Russian military and its intelligence services are taking advantage of," Bendett said. Sanctions clampdownThe burgeoning trade flows have prompted calls from Western allies to either get more countries on board with sanctions, or slap secondary sanctions on certain entities operating within those countries in a bid to stifle Russia's military strength.

Persons: Elina Ribakova, KSE, Sam Bendett, spokespeople, Bendett, Sellers Organizations: CNBC, Semiconductors, Peterson Institute for International Economics, KSE Institute, Kyiv School, Economics, United Arab, Moscow, Royal United Services Institute, U.S ., Center for Naval, Russian, Economic Security, of, CNBC Exports, Union, Russian Federation, European Union, Peterson Institute for International Locations: Russia, Moscow, China, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Russia's, U.S, Japan, Germany, Russian, microchips, Hong Kong, of Ukraine, Caucasus, Central Asia, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan

☆ How Saudi Arabia and UAE learned to stop worrying and love Turkey's Bayraktar drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have signed multibillion-dollar deals for Turkish drones in recent months. Azeri Ministry of DefenseSaudi Arabia previously showed interest in procuring Turkish drones and securing rights for local production. Bakir told Insider that Turkish drones have gained "global recognition" due to their "affordability, efficiency, and lethal capabilities" and documented successes over modern battlefields. "Moreover, Saudi Arabia could use such capabilities to balance Iran's drone technology in the long run," Ozeren said. Ozeren said the Saudi deal could help Baykar "monopolize" drone technology in Turkey but noted that crucial details about the agreement remain unknown.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Baykar, Abu Dhabi's, Loong, Loongs, Abu Dhabi, Abu, Ali Bakir, Erdogan, Mohammed bin Salman, Murat Kula, Bakir, Suleyman Ozeren, It's, Ozeren, Ali Atmaca, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Murat Centinmuhurdar, Bashar Assad, Paul Iddon Organizations: UAE, Service, United, United Arab Emirates, Turkey's Baykar Defense, Ministry of Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Dassault Rafales, Ibn Khaldon, NATO, European Union, American University, Orion Policy Institute, Ataturk Airport, Security Initiative, Atlantic Council Locations: Saudi Arabia, Wall, Silicon, United Arab, Turkish, Riyadh, East, North Africa, South Caucasus, Ukraine, Armenian, Ministry of Defense Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi, Istanbul, Yemen, Libya, Abu, Turkey, China, France, Qatar, Jeddah, Anadolu, Nahyan, Abu Dhabi

☆ Hundreds of thousands of people fled Russia after it invaded Ukraine — and now the countries that took them in are seeing a boost in their economies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scores of Russians fled their homeland following the outbreak of the Ukraine war. The growth of such countries surged in 2022 after the arrival of these Russians, per a new report. About six months later, there was another wave of departures after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilization for the Ukraine war on September 21. Armenia — once known as the Silicon Valley of the Soviet Union — saw its 2022 growth spike to 12.6%, per the World Bank. Meanwhile, Georgia's GDP jumped by 10.1% in 2022, per the World Bank, beating an 8.8% growth forecast.

Persons: —, Insider's Jason Lalljee, Vladimir Putin, Georgia —, Armenia —, Soviet Union —, Suren, Martin Galstyan, Oleg Itskhoki Organizations: Service, Reuters, Kremlin, Novaya Gazeta, World Bank, Bank, Armenian State University of Economics, Georgia's, University of California, Bloomberg Locations: Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, IT, outpacing, Turkey, Kazakhstan

* "Sedoi" is the nom de guerre of Andrei Troshev, a senior Wagner commander, according to European Union sanctions documents, French official documents, sources with knowledge of the matter and Russian media reports. * The EU described him as the "executive director (chief of staff) of the Wagner Group" in its 2021 document which also says he was a founding member of the group. "Andrei Troshev is directly involved in the military operations of the Wagner Group in Syria," the EU said. Britain also described him in its Syria sanctions documents as the chief executive of Wagner. Western sanctions documents list his date of birth as April 5, 1953.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrei Troshev, Wagner, France's, Dmitry Utkin, Troshev, Putin, Bashar al, of, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Wagner Group, France's Treasury, Kommersant, Wagner, St, Red Star, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, EU, Syria, Deir, Britain, Leningrad, Soviet, St Petersburg, Afghanistan, Soviet Union, North Caucasus, SOBR, Russian, of Russia, Palmyra, Utkin

☆ Anti-LGBT protesters break up Pride festival in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Anti-LGBTQ protesters scuffle with police as they try to break into the site of Tbilisi Pride Fest, in Tbilisi, Georgia July 8, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYJuly 8 (Reuters) - Up to 2,000 anti-LGBT protesters broke up a Gay Pride festival in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Saturday, scuffling with police and destroying props including rainbow flags and placards, though there were no reports of injuries. "The protesters managed to find... ways to enter the area of the event, but we were able to evacuate the Pride participants and organisers," Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze told reporters. Georgia aspires to join the European Union but its ruling Georgian Dream Party has faced increased criticism from rights groups and the EU over its perceived drift towards authoritarianism. Georgia has passed laws against discrimination and hate crimes, but LGBT+ rights groups say there is a lack of adequate protection by law enforcement officials and homophobia remains widespread in the socially conservative South Caucasus nation.

Persons: Alexander Darakhvelidze, Nobody, Mariam Kvaratskhelia, Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, Alexander Lashkarava, Gareth Jones, Ros Russell Organizations: Tbilisi Pride Fest, REUTERS, Gay, Pride, Tbilisi Pride, Reuters, LGBT, European Union, Georgian, Party, EU, Thomson Locations: Tbilisi, Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgian, Georgia, . Georgia, South Caucasus

☆ Russia is 'accepting risks' and dropping its guard against other threats to hold its ground in Ukraine, British military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Shifting the bulk of its military to Ukraine has made Russia vulnerable elsewhere, experts say. The war has become a nearly all-consuming effort for Russia's military. Units from across Russia are now "bearing the brunt" of the Ukrainian counteroffensive that kicked off in early June, the British Ministry of Defense said in an update published Thursday. "The way Russia is accepting risks across Eurasia highlights how the war has dislocated Russia's established national strategy," the ministry said. "Russia has really made itself vulnerable globally," Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at the Rand Corporation think tank, said in April.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Ben Wallace, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Dara Massicot, Adm, Tony Radakin, Radakin, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Christopher Cavoli, Cavoli, we've, Justin Bronk, They'd, Bronk, they're Organizations: Service, British Ministry of Defense, Russian, Eastern Military District, 61st Naval Infantry Brigade, NATO, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Arms Army, Rand Corporation, US European Command, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, Belarus, Zaporizhzhia, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Crimea, Velyka, Donetsk Oblast, Bakhmut, Moscow, Russian, Oskol, Ukraine's Kharkiv, AFP, British, Kaliningrad, Finland

☆ Here's what could happen to the Wagner Group after the armed rebellion against Russia failed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Wagner paramilitary group attempted an armed rebellion in Russia but failed. Around 1,000 Wagner fighters have already decided to go to Belarus, the independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported, citing a source in Russia's Ministry of Defense. Putin admitted earlier this week that from May last year to May 2023, the Russian state paid more than 86 billion rubles ($940 million) to the Wagner Group. De Deus Pereira told Insider that this is where many fighters will return. Lukashenko told reporters earlier this week that he convinced Putin not to "wipe out" the Wagner chief after the failed rebellion, though some experts have disagreed.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, group's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Joana de Deus Pereira, Belarussian, Mikhail Svetlov, De Deus Pereira, Julia Stanyard, Lukashenko Organizations: Service, The Times, Prighozin, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Guardian, Prigozhin, Press, REUTERS Russia's Ministry of Defense, Marshall Fund, Wagner, Royal United Services Institute, Ministry of Defense, Russian, Central African, Global Initiative, Transnational, BBC Locations: Russia, Belarus, Moscow, Eastern Europe, Africa, Prigozhin, British, Russian, Luhansk, Donbas, Krasnodar, North Caucasus, Concord, Europe, Sochi, Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali

☆ EBRD lends 50 million euros to Ukraine's Ukreximbank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 23 (Reuters) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will provide a 50-million-euro ($54 million) loan to one of Ukraine's biggest banks, state-owned Ukreximbank, under an agreement signed on Friday. Matteo Patrone, EBRD’s Managing Director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, said in a statement that the funding would help keep finance flowing to Ukraine's private sector and municipalities despite Russia's war on its neighbour. Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 has hit the Ukrainian economy hard, devastating Ukraine's infrastructure and denting its industrial production capacity. New financing from the EBRD will definitely strengthen the resilience and adaptability of Ukraine’s economy,” said Oleksandr Shchur, a member of Ukreximbank's Management Board. The loan agreement was signed at the EBRD's headquarters a day after Ukrainian officials wrapped up the Ukraine Recovery conference in London.

Persons: Matteo Patrone, ”, Oleksandr Shchur, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Olena Harmash, Timothy Organizations: European Bank for Reconstruction, EBRD’s, Eastern, Ukreximbank's Management, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Russia's, Ukrainian, Ukraine, London

☆ Ukraine reports small gains in early stages of counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It does not provide similar detail about fighting on the southern front where the main counteroffensive is expected. However, some prominent Russian military bloggers indicated that Ukrainian forces had taken Blahodatne and Neskuchne, although they said fighting for Makarivka was continuing. It is almost certainly far too early to draw conclusions about the fate of the counteroffensive from early skirmishes that may be more about testing Russian defences than pursuing a major advance. "When we see large, armoured formations join the assault, then I think we’ll know the main attack has really begun." But Yevgeny Prigozhin, the increasing recalcitrant and voluble leader of the Wagner militia, which captured Bakhmut from Ukrainian forces after almost a year of attritional fighting, said on Sunday he would refuse to sign.

Persons: Read, Makarivka, Ben Hodges, Vladimir Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Bakhmut, Sergei Shoigu, Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth, Anna Pruchnicka, Lidia Kelly, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Organizations: Ukrainian, Reuters, Brigade, Marines, Washington -, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, KYIV, Kyiv, Storozheve, Azov, Crimea, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Bilohorivka, Moscow, U.S, Europe, Washington, Russia, Chechnya, Caucasus, Maryinka, Gdansk, Melbourne

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