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☆ Putin says he hopes Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries 'didn't steal much' of the billions Russia spent on them
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin revealed on Tuesday Russia spent billions on Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries. He then said that he hopes "no one stole anything — or, let's say, didn't steal much." Putin's comment seems to suggest some theft is expected, highlighting the state of corruption in Russia. He didn't call out his long-time ally Prigozhin by name though. "I hope that in the course of this work, no one stole anything — or, let's say, didn't steal much," the Russian president said, according to a translation from The Times.

Persons: Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Alexei Navalny, Gleb Irisov Organizations: Russia, Service, Moscow, Russian Ministry of Defense, Wagner, The New York Times, The Times, Kremlin, Putin, Times Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Concord, Russian

☆ Squatting Russian diplomat leaves contested site after Australian court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 26 (Reuters) - A Russian diplomat squatting on land set aside for a future Russian embassy in Australia has left after a court ruled that Moscow had no claim to the site near the national parliament in Canberra. A Russian diplomat subsequently moved into a temporary building on the site and police were unable to arrest him because he had diplomatic immunity, local media reported. [1/2]A demountable shack is seen on the site of the former Russian embassy site in Canberra, Australia June 26, 2023. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas via REUTERSThe High Court on Monday rejected Moscow's appeal to hold onto the site and shortly afterwards the squatter left the site, SBS News reported. Relations between Moscow and Canberra have deteriorated sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Persons: Mick Tsikas, Anthony Albanese, Lewis Jackson, Gareth Jones Organizations: SYDNEY, SBS News, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Russian, Australia, Moscow, Canberra, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Prigozhin's Wagner mercenaries appear to be on the march towards Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Wagner paramilitary forces appear to be headed toward the capital, Moscow. Photos and videos now appear to show Wagner forces and their armored vehicles in the region of Lipetsk, which is a roughly eight-hour drive from Rostov-on-Don — and less than six hours from Moscow. He later confirmed that Wagner forces were moving through the area, state media reported, and urged civilians to stay in their homes. The "march" began Friday after Prigozhin accused Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, of ordering an air strike on Wagner forces in Ukraine. He has repeatedly accused Shoigu and other military leaders of undermining Wagner forces in Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Don —, Igor Artamonov, Prigozhin, Russia's, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Ramzan Kadyrov, Sergey Sobyanin, Igor Girkin Organizations: Service, New York Times, Russian, British Ministry of Defense Locations: Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Ukraine, Russia, Vorenezh Oblast

The target was Aleksandr Poteyev, a former Russian intelligence officer who disclosed information that led to a yearslong F.B.I. investigation that in 2010 ensnared 11 spies living under deep cover in suburbs and cities along the East Coast. In keeping with an Obama administration effort to reset relations, a deal was reached that sought to ease tensions: Ten of the 11 spies were arrested and expelled to Russia. According to Mr. Walton’s book, a Kremlin official asserted that a hit man, or a Mercader, would almost certainly hunt down Mr. Poteyev. Based on interviews with two American intelligence officials, Mr. Walton concluded the operation was the beginning of “a modern-day Mercader” sent to assassinate Mr. Poteyev.

Persons: Aleksandr Poteyev, Obama, Sergei V, Mr, Poteyev, Brown, Calder Walton, Walton’s, Ramón, Joseph Stalin’s, Leon Trotsky’s, Walton, Mercader ”, Grigory Mairanovsky Organizations: Intelligence, Harvard, The New York Times, Kremlin Locations: Russian, East Coast, Russia, Moscow, Britain, Mexico City, S.V.R

It is still unclear exactly what happened to Nord Stream, a multibillion-dollar project that carried Russian gas to Germany. Some U.S. and European officials initially suggested Russia had blown up its own pipelines, an interpretation dismissed as idiotic by President Vladimir Putin. Sub-sea cables which criss-cross the world's oceans have become the arteries of global communications. The intelligence chief of the NATO military alliance cautioned in May that Russia may sabotage undersea cables to punish the West for supporting Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly said the West was behind the Nord Stream blasts - particularly the United States and Britain, which both deny involvement.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Medvedev, Dmitry Peskov, Pulitzer, Seymour Hersh, Joe Biden, Peskov, Philippa Fletcher, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Russia, CIA, U.S, The Washington Post, The New York Times, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Ukraine, Russia's Security, ., NATO, Reuters, White House, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Nord, Baltic, Germany, Russia, Russian, China, United States, Ukraine, NORD, Britain

☆ Russia's Medvedev says Moscow now has free hand to destroy enemies' undersea communications cables
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday there were no longer any "moral limits" to stop Moscow from destroying its enemies' undersea communication cables given what he said was Western complicity in the Nord Stream pipeline blasts. Medvedev made the comments on his official channel on the Telegram messaging application. U.S. media reports have suggested that Washington was aware of a Ukrainian plot to blow up the gas pipelines. Unexplained explosions ruptured both Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines, carrying gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, last September. Reporting by Reuters Editing by Andrew OsbornOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Washington, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Moscow, Nord, Russia, Germany, Baltic

☆ Inside the UK training camp where Ukrainians learn to destroy Russian tanks and survive on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Mandoline Rutkowski | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukrainian soldiers are crouching in a dug trench, while two men stand at the edge. Ukrainian soldiers at a British training camp. Since 2015, after Russia annexed Crimea and began the war in the east of the country, London has been training Ukrainian soldiers. Among empty residential buildings, Ukrainian soldiers learn how to liberate an occupied building. Alina, the 28-year-old soldier, and the other newly trained Ukrainian forces at the military base are ready for their return.

Persons: —, Mandoline, Alina, Putin, Rishi Sunak, James, London, Dmitry Medvedev, Alexei Leonkov, Truton, Truton Mandoline, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: London, Service, Nine, German Armed Forces, Command, EU, Patriot, Challenger, NATO, Twitter Locations: United Kingdom, Ukraine, WELT, England, Britain, Russian, British, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Germany, Berlin, Crimea, London, Ukrainian, Moscow, United States, Great Britain, Kyiv

☆ Russian pundits are blaming the rain for Ukrainian advances
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lauren Steussy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian forces have gained ground along the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russian milbloggers reportedly said it's only because rain and fog grounded Russian aircraft. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the rain but said his forces remained strong. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the weather but said his troops did just fine with it. By Monday, the rain cleared, allowing Russian forces to launch a counterattack in western Donetsk Oblast, said former Russian officer and nationalist Igor Girkin, according to the ISW.

Persons: Russian milbloggers, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, —, Zelenskyy, Insider's Ryan Pickrell, Igor Girkin, Vladimir Putin, milbloggers Organizations: Service, Russian, Institute for, Kyiv Independent, The New York Times, Associated Press Locations: Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Donetsk Oblast, Russia, —, Ukraine

☆ Many in Russia's elite no longer believe Putin can win the Ukraine war, report says: 'The best they hope for is that Russia will lose without humiliation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Members of the Russian elite are turning against the Ukraine war, Bloomberg reported. The best they can hope for is a "frozen" conflict or a loss in which Russia isn't humilated, the report said. Five sources told Bloomberg that while no one is willing to "stand up" to Putin over the invasion, belief in his authority has been shaken. Alexandra Prokopenko, a former Russian journalist and central bank advisor, told Bloomberg that "'the best they hope for is that Russia will lose without humiliation." Many in Russia's business and economic elite were targeted by Western sanctions after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Russia isn't humilated, Kirill Rogov, Alexandra Prokopenko Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Russia, Wilson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin is escalating his feud with the Russian military to stay relevant after Bakhmut, but he risks taking it too far, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Wagner founder and financier Yevgeny Prigozhin continues to escalate his feud with the Russian defense ministry. But some prominent voices in Russia's pro-war ultranationalist community are troubled by his antics, ISW observed. But in that same information space, Prigozhin also voiced repeated, profane, and blunt criticisms of the regular Russian military and its leadership. This aspect of his online activities appears to have become more pronounced as Wagner forces come off the line and reposition to rear areas. "Prigozhin is exposing a similar hatred for select individuals within the Russian military command," she said.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ISW, —, Prigozhin, Russia's ultranationalist, Bakhmut, Stepanenko, Roman Venevitin, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Igor Girkin, Shoigu, Russian oligarch Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russia's, Kremlin, Institute for, Press, REUTERS, 72nd, Motorized Rifle Brigade, Wagner, Russian MoD, RIA, MoD, Washington DC Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Belgorod Oblast, Russia, Concord, Russian, Soledar

☆ Russia's Wagner Group chief threatens to pull his mercenary army from fighting in Ukraine if war efforts continue to be 'led by clowns who turn people into meat'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, continues to criticize the Kremlin. Prigozhin has said his group will not continue fighting in Ukraine if leadership doesn't improve. The Wagner Group, which has taken heavy losses in Ukraine, is in the process of leaving Bakhmut. Wagner, the private army founded by Prigozhin, has experienced heavy losses fighting in Ukraine. Igor Girkin, a former Russian Federal Security Service officer, has said the Wagner Group could pose an active threat to Putin's power and attempt to overthrow him.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Igor Girkin, Putin Organizations: Wagner Group, Wagner, Service, Russian Wagner Group, Reuters, Wagner Army, The Institute, Kremlin, Russian Defense Ministry, Russian Federal Security Service Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, Russia, Donbas, Moscow

☆ Russian ultranationalists think Putin's response to the Moscow drone attacks and border raids shows he's 'out of touch with reality'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian ultranationalists say Putin's response to recent attacks shows he's "out of touch with reality." The ISW says responses to the drone attacks and cross-border raids haven't satisfied war-hawks. To the ultranationalists Russia allows to criticize the war, it is evidence that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is "out of touch with reality." Former Russian officer and ultranationalist Igor Girkin said Putin was "out of touch with reality" and criticized "an absence of an honest conversation with" Russian society. According to ISW, both Girkin and other ultranationalists also criticized Putin's response to recent border raid attacks in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts of Russia.

Persons: he's, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ISW Organizations: Service, Institute, Twitter, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Belgorod, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Kyiv, Kursk

☆ Putin is terrified of being assassinated and is refusing to travel abroad after a drone attack near his luxury home: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The report said Putin was so scared of being assassinated that he was refusing to travel abroad. Dmitry Medvedev, a Kremlin official and former Russian president, said a drone attack on the Kremlin in May was a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Putin, which Ukraine denied. Ingram's comments echo those of a former Kremlin security official, Gleb Karakulov, who fled Russia in April in opposition to the war in Ukraine. Ingram said Putin's isolation meant he was only being presented with distorted information by a group of close aides, warping his decision-making. Ingram said Putin would like to portray himself as an "international statesman" who asserts himself on the global stage.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Verstka, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Medvedev, Philip Ingram, Ingram, MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV, Gleb Karakulov, RFERL, wouldn't Organizations: Service, International Criminal Court, Moscow Times, Kremlin, British Military, SPUTNIK, Getty, ICC, Reuters Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Hague, Novo, Ukrainian, Russia, Saint Petersburg, London, COVID, India, South Africa, China

☆ Cheddar News laid off a team of respected reporters who once created content for its popular YouTube channel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Embattled network Cheddar News cut six roles in a small layoff round in April, Insider has learned. Affected employees previously worked on Cheddar's highly-regarded YouTube team. Cheddar News quietly laid off half a dozen staffers who formerly worked on its highly-regarded YouTube team creating original video content, Insider has learned. As Insider reported earlier this year, sources at Cheddar said management had indicated cost-cutting and profitability concerns were behind the shift in strategy away from creating original YouTube content, which Cheddar had done for years. Do you work for Cheddar News or Altice USA, or are you a media insider with insight to share?

Persons: Cheddar, Anna Delvey, Kristin Malaspina, Altice, Malaspina, Claire Atkinson, Reed Alexander Organizations: Cheddar, YouTube, News12, Altice, Cheddar News, Altice USA, New, BuzzFeed Locations: New York, News12 New York, Altice USA, Russian, Cheddar

☆ Former Russian commander in Ukraine says Putin could be overthrown by the Wagner mercenary army
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A former Federal Security Service officer said Putin could be overthrown by Wagner. The Wagner Army is Putin's private military army, largely made up of mercenaries. The Army chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, could pose an active threat to Putin, said the war analyst. Last week he said that Ukraine has gained more troops and more weapons since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Wagner founder added to his feud with Russia's public leaders when he claimed that the Ukraine war had backfired, according to The Hill.

☆ Cheddar News quietly laid off a handful of video producers as its newsroom reels from continued defections and organizational changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Embattled network Cheddar News cut six roles in a small layoff round in April, Insider has learned. Affected employees previously worked on Cheddar's highly-regarded YouTube video team. Cheddar News quietly laid off half a dozen staffers who formerly worked on its highly-regarded YouTube team creating original video content, Insider has learned. Altice, which bought Cheddar in 2019, set out to implement a series of content changes at the 7-year-old news outlet in mid-2022. Do you work for Cheddar News or Altice USA, or are you a media insider with insight to share?

☆ Russia's finances are 'in the shit,' says a former Russian economy minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Russian economy minister warned of a looming financial crisis in Russia, per local outlet The Insider. "It's not that we're in the shit, it's that we've decided to settle down in it," Andrei Nechayev, a former economy minister said. "It's not that we're in the shit, it's that we've decided to settle down in it," Andrei Nechayev, Russia's former economy minister, said at a financial forum last week, according to a translation by The Insider, a Russian independent outlet. Nechayev, who was Russia's first economic minister from 1992 to 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union, also warned of a looming economic crisis for the country. The former minister isn't the first high-profile voice to warn of Russia's technological decline following the sanctions.

New measures announced by the leaders during the May 19-21 meetings will target sanctions evasion involving third countries, and seek to undermine Russia's future energy production and curb trade that supports Russia's military, the people said. The Biden administration has previously pushed G7 allies to reverse the group's sanctions approach, which today allows all goods to be sold to Russia unless they are explicitly blacklisted. The precise language of the G7 leaders' joint declarations is still subject to negotiation and adjustment before it is released during the summit. He is expected to address G7 leaders, either virtually or in-person, during their summit in Hiroshima, the officials said. Food security in the aftermath of the war is also expected to be a major topic at the G7.

The novelist is an outspoken champion of Russia's war in Ukraine and has boasted of taking part in military combat there. He was the third prominent pro-war figure to be targeted by a bomb since Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. [1/2] A view shows a destroyed vehicle, which transported Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin allegedly wounded in a car bombing in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia, May 6, 2023. On Wednesday, Russia accused Ukraine of trying to kill President Vladimir Putin with a night-time drone attack on the Kremlin. TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as declining to comment on Saturday's car bomb in the absence of information from investigators.

☆ Russian ex-deputy defence minister joins Wagner as feud escalates, war bloggers report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the Wagner Group private militia as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported on Thursday. In two videos posted by war correspondent Alexander Simonov on Telegram, Mizintsev - clad in Wagner-branded combat gear - was shown visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in the east Ukrainian town of Bakhmut. While Prigozhin has regularly accused the mainstream military including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu of incompetence, he has singled out individual commanders for praise. On April 29, Prigozhin's press service said he had offered to take on Mizintsev, the day after his reported sacking by the Defence Ministry. Mizintsev, who orchestrated the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early months of the war last year, had only been made deputy defence minister in charge of logistics and supplies last September.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Wagner Group threatens to exit Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WAGNER* Standing in a field of corpses, Russian Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin published an expletive-ridden video personally blaming top defence chiefs for losses suffered by his fighters. * However, Ukraine said Russia was bringing Wagner fighters from other parts of the front line to fight in Bakhmut. * Former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the Wagner Group as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported. * Technical personnel from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations will meet on Friday to discuss the renewal of the deal, the Turkish Defence Minister said. QUOTES* "Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are increasing exponentially every day," Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said.

"If, because of your petty jealousy, you do not want to give the Russian people the victory of taking Bakhmut, that's your problem," Prigozhin added in the video. A senior Ukrainian official said Russia was bringing Wagner mercenary fighters from along the front line to Bakhmut to capture it by Victory Day. In another sign of disarray on the Russian side, former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev joined Wagner as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported. Earlier, Prigozhin was pictured surrounded by corpses he said were his men, shouting abuse at Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Moscow accused Ukraine of firing drones at the Kremlin in the early hours of Wednesday in an attempt to kill Putin.

CNN —Ukrainian air defenses withstood Russia’s most intense air attack on Kyiv since the start of the year overnight into Thursday, the capital region’s military chief said. Last night, the aggressor launched another large-scale air strike on the capital,” Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, wrote on Telegram. Russian air attacks have targeted Kyiv on three days out of the past four, Popko said. Russian oil refinery firesAlso early on Thursday, fires broke out in two oil refineries in southwestern Russia, following separate alleged drone strikes. It is unclear who is responsible for the drone attack.

☆ Little would make sense about a drone attack on the Kremlin. Except this
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Kremlin was slow to react, eventually releasing a statement calling it a “planned terrorist attack,” a deliberate attempt by Ukraine to assassinate Putin, but presenting no evidence. Even more embarrassingly for the Kremlin, how did the drones get so close to the Kremlin? Ukraine officials said the attacks might be exploited by Russia to launch even more vicious attacks on Ukraine, including “terrorist” attacks. What about the possibility that Russians opposed to Putin launched a drone attack from within Russia? This year, with drones apparently attacking the Kremlin, it may be harder than usual to feel victorious.

☆ Analysis: Kremlin drone incident gives Putin cover to deepen Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] The Russian flag flies on the dome of the Kremlin Senate building, while the roof shows what appears to be marks from the recent drone incident, in central Moscow, Russia, May 4, 2023. Inside Russia, it helped reinforce the Kremlin-backed narrative that its war in Ukraine is an existential one for the Russian state and people. "It's an attempt to gather all the sacred things in one statement," Alexander Baunov, a former Russian diplomat and Kremlin watcher, said of the Kremlin's response. Former president Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most prominent pro-Kremlin TV commentators, both argued for precisely such action in the aftermath of the drone incident. An investigation into the drone incident is certain to uncover shortcomings in Russia's own air defences.

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