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☆ Wagner Group stops recruiting prisoners as growing numbers refuse to be enlisted on suicide missions, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner Group has stopped recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, its founder said Thursday. One prisoner told Meduza they no longer want "even to discuss the possibility" of joining the war. "One of the prisoners who left [with Wagner Group] told me that after he asked [Wagner] representatives how much training there would be, [they told him], 'The battlefield will be your training.' Russian prisoners for Wagner also said they've witnessed public executions of deserters and those who failed to obey orders. The mercenary organization has now "completely" stopped recruiting prisoners, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a Telegram statement on Thursday.

☆ Zelenskyy wore his signature olive-green sweater to meet King Charles during his surprise visit to the UK. Here's why he is rarely seen without it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met King Charles III in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The Ukrainian leader wore his casual, olive-green crewneck during the meeting. Zelenskyy previously said he only plans on changing his signature look if Ukraine wins the war. Zelenskyy and King Charles met in the 1844 room of Buckingham Palace, where the king has previously had an audience with British prime ministers. In an interview with the Financial Times in December, the Ukrainian president said he plans to keep wearing his new outfit until after the war is over.

☆ Kevin McCarthy promised no childish stunts at the State of the Union. That didn't stop MTG carrying a big white balloon around Capitol Hill.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin McCarthy promised no stunts would be pulled by fellow Republicans at the State of the Union. But before the address, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene walked around Capitol Hill with a white balloon. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 7, 2023But her political stunts did not stop there. At one point in his speech, Greene shouted "China is spying on us!" "If you're going to be in a fight, you want Marjorie in your foxhole," McCarthy recently told The New York Times.

☆ Kim Jong Un abruptly reappears after 36 days out of the spotlight and orders North Korea to 'prepare for war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kim Jong Un had not been seen in public for 36 days, fueling speculation about his health. But North Korea's leader attended a meeting with military officials on Monday, reports said. He was discussing war strategies as tensions rise around the Korean peninsula, the reports said. Kim's Jong Un's longest-ever break from the spotlight was in 2014, when he was not seen for 40 days. Tensions have been rising around the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang condemned planned joint military drills between its rival, South Korea, and the US in the area.

☆ China flew spy balloons over the US while Trump was president, but nobody realized until after he left office, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese spy balloons had crossed into the US at least three times under Trump, officials said. Trump and former defense officials said over the weekend they were not aware of this. The sightings were only discovered "after the prior administration left," senior defense officials told both The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. "It never happened with us under the Trump administration and if it did, we would have shot it down immediately," Trump told Fox News Digital on Sunday. It's also unclear if balloons spotted during the Trump administration were shot down.

☆ China admits the 'spy balloon' over the US belongs to it, but insists it wasn't for spying and ended up there by accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US is tracking what it termed a Chinese spy balloon, which has been hovering over Montana. On Friday, China confirmed the balloon belonged to it but said it was not being used for spying. In an official statement, China's foreign ministry said the balloon is a civilian airship used mainly for "meteorological research." "Clearly, the intent of the balloon is first surveillance, and so the current flight path does carry it over a number of sensitive sites," the official said. This has alarmed some officials, including Montana Senator Steve Daines, who said the fact the balloon was occupying Montana airspace "creates significant concern."

☆ A suspected Chinese spy balloon was seen operating near a US nuclear base housing 150 Minuteman ICBMs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has been hovering over Montana. Montana Senator Steve Daines said he feared it was targeting the state's nuclear missile base. Montana is home to the sprawling Malmstrom Air Force Base, which stores nuclear weapons. Malmstrom Air Force Base is one of three such bases in the US to contain Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, a strategic nuclear weapon. Malmstrom maintains 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos across its 13,800-square-mile complex, according to The Telegraph.

☆ The rise of Ukraine's 'iron general,' who transformed its army and became Putin's worst nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 became a pivotal moment for Zaluzhnyi, who commanded several Ukrainian military units there. A serviceman of the Ukrainian Armed Forces takes part in military drills near the border with Russian-annexed Crimea. Press Service of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Handout via ReutersDuring his post in Crimea, Zaluzhnyi started making some tactical changes to the military that moved away from the old Soviet mentality and paved the way for new fighting tactics. Miron told Insider that the war in Donbas was a "huge influence" on his leadership style. "The war in Donbas shaped his idea of basically creating this flexible structure within the Ukrainian Arm Forces, seeing how wars are being conducted in contemporary times," Miron said.

☆ A UK nuclear submarine had its broken bolts fixed with superglue, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The British Navy launched a probe after finding a " defect" in a nuclear submarine, The Sun reported. Broken bolts on HMS Vanguard's reactor chamber were glued on instead of replaced, the report said. A Royal Navy source told The Sun that the discovery was a "disgrace." Nuclear standards are never compromised." A spokesperson for both the Royal Navy and Babcock did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Russian military chiefs are losing patience with Putin and could soon turn on him in a coup, former aide predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Abbas Gallyamov said that military generals are growing frustrated with their losses in Ukraine. He said the frustrations could lay the groundwork for a possible military coup in the country. In an opinion column for the Russian media outlet Mozhem Obyasnit, Abbas Gallyamov wrote that Russian military generals are growing increasingly frustrated as their troops continue to suffer defeats on the Ukrainian front. Since the start of Putin's invasion last year, Gallyamov has regularly commented on the state of the war and Russian politics in general. Last month, the former speechwriter said that Putin likely already has an escape plan in the event he loses the war in Ukraine, citing unnamed sources.

☆ Ukraine's 'iron general' inherited $1 million from a US software developer and donated it straight to the military
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Zaluzhnyi donated the full amount to Ukraine's military earlier this month, the reports said. Stepanets was born in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia in 1938, according to the Ukrainian Pravda. He made his fortune after inventing a decoding system and selling it to Microsoft, the Ukrainian Pravda reported. A former soldier himself, Zaluzhnyi reformed Ukraine's military from a Soviet model into a modern fighting force. "His leadership enabled the Ukrainian armed forces to adapt quickly with battlefield initiative against the Russians."

☆ Airport worker killed by being sucked into a jet engine was warned repeatedly not to go near it, investigation says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A ground worker at an Alabama airport died last month after they were sucked into a jet engine. The employee was warned multiple times not to go near the engine, federal officials said. The ground crew was told the engines would remain running for two minutes, investigators said. The airport employee, who worked at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama, died on December 31 after they ventured too close to the engine of an American Eagle jet that had just arrived from Dallas, Texas. American Eagle and Montgomery Regional Airport Alabama did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Kremlin says European infighting over sending advanced tanks to Ukraine is a sign of weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pressure is mounting on Germany to send its powerful Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The Kremlin said Monday the infighting showed "anxiety" growing in the West over helping Ukraine. Germany produces the tanks, and as well as declining to send any directly, it has also blocked other European countries from sending theirs, Politico reported. Some countries, including Poland and Finland, have already promised they would send Ukraine the tanks. Poland, which neighbors Ukraine, last week threatened to ignore Germany and send its Leopards without approval, The Guardian reported.

☆ Firing an anti-ship missile at a regular building is a chaotic strategy Russia may regret, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia fired an anti-ship missile into an apartment complex in Dnipro, Ukraine, last weekend. Its use is an illustration of Russia's "kitchen sink approach," a missile expert told Insider. Yuriy Ihnat, a Ukrainian military spokesman, told local media that the strike used a Kh-22 anti-ship missile. He said the Kh-22 missiles are "basically being used as terror weapons," totally removed from their actual military purpose. The attack in Dnipro was not the first time Russia used a Kh-22 in a civilian attack, and will most likely be the last, Williams said.

☆ Undercover agents for Russia asked Google how to 'disappear' from trouble. They got caught and sent to prison for years.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two Iranian-born Swedish brothers were convicted of spying for Russia for 10 years. Prosecutors said the brothers tried to cover their tracks, including by asking Google. Peyman Kia and Payam Kia, two Iranian-born Swedish brothers, spent a decade secretly working for Russia's GRU military-intelligence agency, the Associated Press reported. His younger brother, who is 35, was sentenced to nine years and 10 months. Between 2014 and 2015, the eldest brother worked for Sweden's Säpo domestic-intelligence agency and the armed forces, the court heard.

☆ Russia plans to send its strongest tanks to drive around Ukraine but is too scared to put them in combat, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia may deploy its new T-14 Armata tanks in Ukraine, British intelligence said Thursday. But it is "unlikely to trust" the tank in combat given problems in its development, it said. "If Russia deploys T-14, it will likely primarily be for propaganda purposes," it concluded. "Production is probably only in the low tens, while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat." The T-14 isn't the only advanced combat vehicle Russia appears to be using mostly for show in Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine boasts that it used a drone to steal a radio from a dead Russian soldier, letting it listen in on enemy plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine said Monday that it was able to use a drone to steal a Russian radio left behind in battle. A video shows the moment the drone picked up the radio, which was lying next to a dead Russian. Ukraine said the radio was still working and that it listened in on its enemy's plans for nine days. The unit told Insider the video was taken on December 28 last year near the village of Verkhnekamianske in the Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. "We received information from the radio as it was fully intact and working," the unit told Insider in a message.

☆ The Kremlin gave a defiant response to Ukraine getting its first Western tanks, saying they 'will burn like the rest'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Over the weekend, the UK promised to send Ukraine multiple Challenger 2 tanks. In response, the Kremlin said the tanks "will burn like the rest" in Ukraine, Reuters reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the delivery will not change the situation on the ground. But the Kremlin has responded harshly, saying the tanks will "burn" on the battlefield, Reuters reported. Other countries including France and Poland have also pledged to send tanks to Ukraine while Finland has said it is considering following suit.

☆ Taliban asks to keep getting UN aid money despite ending education for women
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Taliban in Afghanistan recently banned women from universities, and working with NGOs. In response, the UN has said it cannot continue to supply the Taliban with humanitarian aid. But the Taliban still asked for support, arguing humanitarian aid shouldn't be "linked" to politics. Then, less than a week later, it banned women from working for non-governmental organizations. UN flights carrying stacks of cash for humanitarian aid into Kabul had already been suspended, he said.

☆ Ukraine credits local beavers for unwittingly bolstering its defenses — their dams make the ground marshy and impassable
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This is in part because of beavers building dams, with nobody stopping them due to the war. The animals are unwittingly helping Kyiv by building dams that keep the ground marshy and impassable, a military spokesman told the agency. This helps Ukraine by making it less likely that an attack could come via Belarus, which borders Ukraine not far north of the capital Kyiv. Ukrainian officials had warned that Russia may wage an offensive through its ally Belarus into a region of Ukraine called Volyn. Its spokesman, Serhiy Khominskyi, praised the beavers, which he told Reuters were more working unimpeded, unlike in other years.

☆ Ukraine's smart air defense threatens one of Russia's most advanced jets, leaving it too scared to use them, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Since the start of the war, Russia's air force has struggled in combat over Ukraine. Moscow has been afraid to use them because of Ukraine's smart air defense, two experts told Insider. But, per an intelligence update earlier this week from the British ministry of defense, Russia has only used the jets from within its own airspace. Dr. Matthew Ford, a professor at the Swedish Defence University, also credited Ukraine's air defense to deterring Russian incursions. "[Ukraine's] air defense is sufficiently credible to make it open to question for the Russians as to whether they want to commit their air power," he added.

☆ Russia is scared to fly its best jets over Ukraine in case they're shot down and NATO gets hold of the wreckage, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An expert explained why to Insider: Russia fears the consequences of losing one. Per the British update, Russia sends the jets up and has them fire long-range missiles at targets in Ukraine. Bronk is an airpower & technology expert with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London. Bronk told Insider that Russia is scared of the consequences if a Su-57 was shot down and Ukraine's allies in NATO could study the wreckage. "They're being very cautious with their entire combat aircraft fleet, and despite that, they continue to take a steady trickle of losses," Bronk told Insider.

☆ Wagner chief says he wants to seize a key Ukrainian city for its vast network of caves and tunnels that could be used for war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's Wagner Group has been fighting on the front lines in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Prigozhin is referring to a vast network of caves and salt mines underneath the city. Its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said over the weekend that he wants to seize the location because of its vast tunnel network, which he termed "underground cities." Prigozhin, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is referring to a winding labyrinth of caves and salt mines under Bakhmut. The US has also accused Wagner Group troops of exploiting the natural resources in warzones in the Middle East and Africa where they fought for Russia in other conflict.

☆ New $22 million Korean War memorial in Washington has 1,015 spelling errors and 245 service members who didn't die in the war, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial was unveiled in Washington last year. But the memorial contains over a thousand spelling mistakes and errors, The New York Times reported. Two historians told NBC it will cost US taxpayers millions of dollars to rectify the mistakes. The Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial was first unveiled last summer and is meant to include all of the 36,634 names of American service members who died in battle in the Korean War. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953.

☆ A woman who left Alabama to join ISIS says she felt 'broken' after she was stripped of her US citizenship
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hoda Muthana left America at the age of 20 to join the terrorist group ISIS in Syria. She told TNM that she felt "broken" after she was told that her citizenship had been revoked. The appeals court supported that decision, describing Hoda as "a prominent spokeswoman for ISIS on social media, advocating the killing of Americans and encouraging American women to join ISIS." During her time with ISIS Muthana married three jihadi fighters, was widowed twice, and gave birth to a baby boy. In her interview, Muthana claimed those tweets were sent by someone else in ISIS after they took her phone.

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