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☆ Syria's Assad says would welcome more Russian troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, March 16 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said in an interview published on Thursday that he would welcome any Russian proposals to set up new military bases and boost Russian troop numbers in Syria. Assad, in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Russia's military presence in Syria did not need to be temporary. Moscow's military support for Assad has helped him turn the tide in the war, which began in 2011 as a pro-democracy movement. The two countries plan to sign an agreement on economic cooperation in the coming weeks, RIA reported Assad as saying. Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov and Caleb Davis; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukrainian soldier says Russian forces are using 'morons taken from prison' to draw fire and find enemy troops: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian soldiers have been fending off Russian forces for more than seven months in Bakhmut. A Ukrainian soldier told BBC that using prisoners is "cruel, immoral, but effective." "They are learning, they are getting cleverer, and it really freaks me out," a Ukrainian soldier who goes by the name Dwarf told BBC. There have been previous reports that say Russian forces are using prisoners to bolster its troop numbers. Dwarf, the Ukrainian soldier, told BBC that Wagner's use of prisoners is still proving to be an effective strategy in Bakhmut.

☆ Putin says Russia is fighting for its very existence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, March 14 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that what was at stake in Ukraine was Russia's very existence as a state. Speaking at length to workers at an aviation factory in Buryatia, some 4,400 km (2,750 miles) east of Moscow, Putin expanded on his familiar argument that the West was bent on pulling Russia apart. Putin has accused the West of using Ukraine as an tool to wage war against Russia and inflict on it a "strategic defeat". "This did not happen," Putin said. "It turned out, for many of us, and even more so for Western countries, that the fundamental foundations of Russia's stability are much stronger than anyone thought."

☆ Russia says it is considering a challenge to US nominee to head World Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - Russia is consulting with its allies about challenging the U.S. nominee to head the World Bank, Moscow's top representative at the bank said on Tuesday, a move that could complicate what was expected to be a smooth succession process. Russia remains a voting member of the World Bank, although the bank halted all programs in Russia and Belarus last March, citing what it called "hostilities against the people of Ukraine" following Russia's invasion. Roman Marshavin, the World Bank executive director who represents Russia and Syria, told Reuters the "listing of potential candidates and consultations are still ongoing," but gave no details. Banga, who is traveling in Africa this week, last week said he had already won support from India, Ghana and Kenya. The World Bank has been headed by someone from the United States, the lender's dominant shareholder, since its founding at the end of World War Two.

☆ Russia will have to rely on nukes, cyberattacks, and China since its military is being thrashed in Ukraine, US intel director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Chris Panella | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's military losses in Ukraine will leave it reliant on "asymmetric" options, the US intel director said. Discussions on Russia's relationship with China have also been ongoing, including speculation that Beijing might be considering sending lethal aid to Russia. In late February, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers Russia had lost the war and will emerge from war in Ukraine a "shattered military power." "Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic defeat. Russia's military is going to have to be rebuilt," George Barros, a military analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told Insider in September.

China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the researchers' findings. Reuters could not determine how closely the conclusions reflect the thinking among China's military leaders. A U.S. defence official told Reuters that despite differences with the situation in Taiwan, the Ukraine war offered insights for China. The conflict has also forged an apparent consensus among Chinese researchers that drone warfare merits greater investment. Beyond the battlefield, the work has covered the information war, which the researchers conclude was won by Ukraine and its allies.

☆ U.S. says intel suggests pro-Ukrainian group sabotaged Nord Stream pipelines -NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests that a pro-Ukrainian group of likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals carried out the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines last year, but the intelligence reached no firm conclusions, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom (GAZP.MM), the Nord Stream gas pipelines connect Russia and Germany. "Officials who have reviewed the intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two. Moscow this week called for all Nord Stream stakeholders to decide its fate after three of the four pipelines were destroyed in the attacks. German energy company E.ON (EONGn.DE), one of the shareholders of the Nord Stream pipeline, declined to comment.

☆ Putin's army can't figure out how to use tanks, and the battlefield in Ukraine is littered with burnt wrecks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

According to an open-source intelligence analysis by Oryx, more than 1,780 Russian tanks have been destroyed, damaged, captured, or abandoned since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022. Due to the design of many of Russia's tanks, a hit can cause the ammunition to detonate, killing the crew as the overpressure blows the top off. And it's "questionable" how well Russia's tanks are integrated into its overall operations. A destroyed Russian tank covered by snow stands in the village of Kamyanka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, FileClearing a minefield is a slow, complicated, and deliberate process that involves several steps, but Russian tanks appear to drive right through them.

☆ Crowd erupts in laughter at Russia's top diplomat after he claimed the Ukraine war 'was launched against us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A crowd laughed at Russia's top diplomat who said the Ukraine war "was launched against us." He was answering a question about Russia's energy strategy moving forward. One audience member asked Lavrov, "How the war has affected Russia's strategy on energy, and will it mark a privilege toward Asia? "You know, the war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us, using the..." Lavrov began, before being cut off by loud laughter from the crowd. He went on to say that the war has influenced the energy policy in Russia and that they "would not rely on any partners" going forward.

[1/5] The logo of Nord Stream AG is seen at an office building in the town of Vyborg, Leningrad Region, Russia August 22, 2022. Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Three of the pipes were ruptured by unexplained blasts in September, and one of the Nord Stream 2 pipes remains intact. Engie (ENGIE.PA), Gasunie (GSUNI.UL) and Wintershall DEA (WINT.UL) (BASFn.DE) - stakeholders in Nord Stream AG, the operator of Nord Stream 1 - declined to comment. The similar-sized Nord Stream 2 had been completed in September 2021 as tensions with Russia were growing and ran in trouble as Germany's regulators refused to certify it.

☆ The U.S. has warned on China's support for Russia. Now the EU says 'we need to remain vigilant'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The CIA Director Bill Burns told CBS News last week that he is confident China is considering providing lethal aid to Moscow. China's role in international politics in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year has been a particularly sensitive one for western nations. Europe's top diplomat said the West needs to be vigilant when it comes to support for Russia from China, after U.S. officials warned that Beijing could be about to send lethal weapons to Moscow. Blinken had previously told NBC that there is information that China is "strongly considering providing lethal assistance to Russia." "The U.S. has been pouring lethal weapons into the battlefield in Ukraine and heightening tensions, while spreading false and malign accusations against China.

☆ Russian forces are battling Ukrainian saboteurs in border region - officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, March 2 (Reuters) - Russian forces are battling a Ukrainian sabotage group which infiltrated Bryansk region that borders Ukraine and took several people hostage, Russian officials were cited by state news agencies as saying on Thursday. The FSB security service said in a statement to Russian news agencies on Thursday that its own forces and the army were trying to liquidate what it described as "an armed group of Ukrainian nationalists" who had crossed the border. "Today, a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group penetrated the Klimovsky district in the village of Lubechanye," Bogomaz said on his Telegram channel. He said Ukrainian armed forces had launched a drone attack and fired artillery shells at other areas near the border. In December, the FSB security service said a four-person Ukrainian "sabotage group" had been "liquidated" while trying to enter Bryansk.

☆ Russians intensify assault on Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces try to dig in
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian aircraft launched three strikes on areas of concentration of Russian forces, according to a statement by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Tuesday night. Bakhmut had a pre-war population of around 70,000 but has been ruined during months of fighting as a focal point of Russian assaults and determined Ukrainian defence. A Russian takeover of Bakhmut would open the way to seizing the last remaining urban centres in the industrial Donetsk province. 'GRINDING SLOG'[1/4] Ukrainian service members ride BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 27, 2023. The meeting will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Britain's James Cleverly, while China is expected to send its foreign minister, Qin Gang.

☆ Russia's struggles in Ukraine are showing US special operators that they'll need to fight without their 'tethers' to win future wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For US special operators, the war is a reminder that such a network won't always be available. Ukraine thwarted Russia's initial attack and, with extensive Western support, has driven Russia's forces back. Logistics and special operatorsRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets conduct close quarters battle training in Romania in May 2021. We are trained and mentally prepared to fight without much logistical support," said the Green Beret, who was granted anonymity to discuss potential future operations. "Again, depending on the unit and the mission, we will require some sort of logistical support eventually.

☆ Russia's St Petersburg suspends, then restarts flights due to 'unknown object'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russia's Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg temporarily and briefly suspended all flights on Tuesday morning before restarting them amid unconfirmed Russian media reports of an unidentified object such as a drone in the area. The RIA Novosti news agency had earlier reported, citing a source in the city's emergency services, that an unidentified object had been spotted, prompting the initial closure. There was no official comment on what caused the disruption or on how the alleged unknown object was investigated. Data from the FlightRadar24 website showed a number of flights headed for St Petersburg turning back to their destinations early on Tuesday, while the airspace closure also affected flights en route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which requires planes to fly over St. Petersburg. By 1200 local time, flights had resumed flying towards St. Petersburg, the FlightRadar24 website showed, and aircraft had recommenced landing and taking-off at the airport.

☆ Hacking attack prompts Russian regional broadcasters to issue air alert warnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A hacking attack caused some Russian regional broadcasters to put out a false warning on Tuesday urging people to take shelter from an incoming missile attack, the emergencies ministry said. Radio stations played a loud siren sound with a message stating: "Attention, attention. Attention, attention. Russian state media cited some local officials blaming Ukraine for the messages. Gazprom Media, which operates a number of regional TV stations, said its infrastructure had been "attacked" in a statement cited by RIA Novosti.

☆ EU adopts fresh sanctions to raise pressure on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We now have the most far-reaching sanctions ever - depleting Russia's war arsenal and biting deep into its economy," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, adding the bloc was turning up the pressure on those trying to circumvent EU sanctions. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned the bloc would continue to pile more sanctions on Moscow. It also imposes tighter export restrictions on another 96 entities for supporting Russia's military and industrial complex, including for the first time seven Iranian entities manufacturing military drones used by Moscow. We expect decisive steps against (Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company) Rosatom & Russian nuclear industry, more pressure on military & banking," Zelenskiy tweeted. "We expect further intensification of pressure and restrictions, especially in the area of the nuclear industry and the activities of Rosatom," Shmyhal said in tweet.

☆ Russia has changed its plan to take over Ukraine, with the goal now to exhaust the country rather than conquer new territory, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's plan to control Ukraine has changed and now focuses on trying to exhaust it, UK intel said. It added: "The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russia's advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said in January that Russia was trying to "exhaust" it with drone strikes. The UK defense ministry said this strategy shift occurred over the last few weeks, and contrasts with Russia's earlier approach. The UK defense ministry update suggests that this strategy has now started to impact Russia's battlefield tactics.

METALS AND MININGIn a significant widening of its Russia-related sanctions, Treasury announced a new determination by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that allows sanctions on any individual or entity operating in Russia's metals and mining sector. On Friday, it hit four mining and metals sector companies, including TPZ-Rondol, a unit of Russia's largest ammunition maker, for producing weapons for the Russian military, including the navy, the Treasury said. Among other entities hit on Friday were more than a dozen Russian banks. Another bank hit was MTS Bank, which is located in Moscow and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Brian Nelson, Treasury's top sanctions official raised concerns about UAE's decision to license the Russian bank during a visit to the country the week of Jan. 30.

☆ Russia urges Sweden again to share Nord Stream probe findings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - Russia renewed its calls on Sweden late on Monday to share its findings from the ongoing investigation into the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year. "Almost five months have passed since the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. All this time, however, the Swedish authorities, as if on cue, remain silent," Russia's embassy to Sweden said on the Telegram messaging platform. It also reiterated Moscow's stance, without providing evidence, that the West was behind the blasts affecting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines - multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects that carried Russian gas to Germany. Construction of Nord Stream 2 was completed in September 2021, but was never put into operation after Germany shelved certification just days before Russia sent its troops into Ukraine a year ago this week.

☆ Russian court hands down first sabotage verdict since start or Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - A Russian court sentenced two defendants to three-and-a-half years in a strict regime colony for plotting to sabotage the railway in a region bordering Ukraine, the first convictions for sabotage since Russia's invasion, media reported on Tuesday. Their convictions were the first based on the "Sabotage" Article 231 of the Russian Criminal Code since the start of what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, the news agency said. Ukraine and its allies say Russia's military intervention in its neighbour, launched on Feb. 24 last year, is an imperialistic land-grab. There have been several sabotage incidents against Russian railways and other facilities, especially in regions bordering Ukraine, such as Belgorod and Bryansk, according to the British Ministry of Defence. The ministry said in an October report that with the Russian military primarily relaying on rail transport, which often passes through isolated areas, meaning "the system is extremely challenging to secure against physical threats".

☆ Leaked Russian document shows how Putin plans to annex ally Belarus by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia plans to take over its neighbor Belarus, according to a leaked document from Putin's office. The plan is to create a "union state" led by Russia by 2030, the document says. The internal strategy document lays out how Russia plans to get rid of what remains of Belarus' independence over a years-long plan. This would involve gradually creating stronger pro-Russia sentiment, expanding Russia's military presence there, and making it easier for citizens to get Russian passports. The ultimate goal is to create a common "union state" that is under Russian leadership, it said.

☆ Hackers claim to have caused Russian websites broadcasting Vladimir Putin's annual address to go offline
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Online broadcasts of Vladimir Putin's annual speech were interrupted on Tuesday. A pro-Ukraine hacking group has claimed responsibility for a DDoS cyberattack. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency, meanwhile, said disruptions to the broadcast were the result of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Though it is not clear who or what was behind the outages, at least one pro-Ukraine hacking group has claimed responsibility. Newsweek reported that another hacking group claiming to work on behalf of Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny also claimed responsibility, saying it caused the disruption along with "other hackers."

☆ Reaction and remarks from Biden's visit to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Following are comments and reaction from U.S. President Joe Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday. "Later this week, we will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia's war machine. "This visit of the U.S. president to Ukraine, the first for 15 years, is the most important visit in the entire history of Ukraine-U.S. relations. UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER DMYTRO KULEBA"This visit is the victory of the Ukrainian people and President Zelenskiy. It has been conducted in spite of everything for the sake of Ukraine's victory and all the free world.

☆ Putin's new recruits filling gaps in a decimated Russian unit keep bunching up into a 'pile of people' in battle, making them easy targets, Ukrainian troops say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The small mining town of Vuhledar is the site of ongoing fighting as Russia aims to take more territory. Ukraine's 72nd Mechanized Brigade, an armored unit, has been leading Vuhledar's defense, aided by members of the country's 68th Jaeger infantry brigade, The Guardian reported. "We can see very clearly that they're poorly trained," a senior lieutenant who goes by the call sign of Tykhyi, told The Guardian. The new recruits often "gather in one pile of people" making them easy to target, Tykhyi, 23, told The Guardian. One Ukrainian estimate cited by The Guardian suggested Russia is losing 17 soldiers for each slain Ukrainian defender.

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