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☆ Azerbaijan pounds Karabakh as Russia and US call for calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ethnic Armenians in Karabakh said Azerbaijan had triggered a new war against the 120,000 people living in an area they consider their homeland. Armenians in Karabakh, known by Armenians as Artsakh, said fighting was continuing with varying intensity. As the Soviet Union crumbled, what is known as the First Karabakh War erupted (1988-1994) between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. RUSSIAIn 2020, after decades of skirmishes, energy-rich Azerbaijan began a military operation which became the Second Karabakh War, swiftly breaking through Armenian defences. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, won a resounding victory in the 44-day war, taking back parts of Karabakh.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh, Antony Blinken, Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan, Aliyev, Blinken, Antonio Guterres, Baku's, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese, Lincoln, Gareth Jones Organizations: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Nagorno, Armenian, U.S, Washington, Residents, United Nations, European Union, TASS, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, U.S, Azerbaijan, YEREVAN, United States, Baku, Yerevan, Turkey, Ukraine, Soviet Union, South Caucasus, Iran, Artsakh, Russian, France, Germany, RUSSIA, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Analysis-Poland's PiS Faces Far-Right Challenge Over Ukraine Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

While Poles' overall attitudes to Ukrainian refugees remain positive and support for Kyiv's war effort is almost unanimous, research shows that critical views are becoming more widespread. SHIFTING VIEWSA survey last month showed that the number of Poles who support allowing refugees from Ukraine in has fallen to 69% from 91% just after the war started. Other research has shown a higher level of aversion to Ukrainian refugees among young women than in other demographics. POLISH PUSHBACKIt is against this political backdrop that PiS decided to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports in response to rising anger in the party's rural heartlands. "When it was necessary, we opened our hearts, we opened our homes for refugees from Ukraine," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Marek Strzelecki WARSAW, Slawomir Mentzen, Piotr Muller, CBOS, Anna Brylka, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland, Marek Strzelecki, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Justyna, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russia, Justice, Confederation, Reuters, EU, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Warsaw, heartlands, Kyiv, Western

☆ Evidence suggests errant Ukrainian missile caused market deaths - New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Press service of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 19 (Reuters) - Evidence suggests a deadly explosion at a busy market in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka this month was caused by an errant missile fired by Ukraine, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Ukraine has said the Sept. 6 blast, which killed at least 16 people, was caused by a Russian missile. "Evidence collected and analyzed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by a Buk launch system," the newspaper reported. The New York Times quoted a spokesperson for Ukraine's armed forces as saying the country's security service was investigating the incident, and under national law could not comment further. A spokesperson for Ukraine's military command referred Reuters to that comment cited in the New York Times story.

Persons: Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones Organizations: Police, Press, Interior Ministry of, REUTERS, New York Times, The New York Times, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Interior Ministry of Ukraine, Handout, Ukrainian, Druzhkivka, Russia

The deal removes a point of friction between the United States, which brands Tehran a sponsor of terrorism, and Iran, which calls Washington the "Great Satan". 'HUMANITARIAN ACTION'[1/9]Family members embrace freed American Emad Shargi after he and four fellow detainees were released in a prisoner swap deal between U.S and Iran, and arrived at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly, called the swap a humanitarian action. Relations between the United States and Iran have been especially bitter since 2018 when then-President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions and toughened U.S. sanctions. Washington suspects Iran's nuclear program may be aimed at developing nuclear arms, a charge Iran denies.

Persons: Babak Namazi, Siamak, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, American Emad, Jonathan Ernst, Joe Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Biden, Michael McCaul, Donald Trump, Iran's, Antony Blinken, Henry Rome of, Andrew Mills, Humeyra Pamuk, Parisa, Edmund Blair, Arshad Mohammed, Gareth Jones, Jon Boyle, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Doha DOHA, NEW, Stripes, Qatari, Davison Army, REUTERS, Rights, General Assembly, Democrat, House Foreign, U.S, Washington Institute for Near, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Iran, Doha, United States, U.S, Fort Belvoir , Virginia, South Korea, Switzerland, Tehran, Washington, Gulf and U.S, Emad Sharqi, British, American, New York

☆ War crimes tribunal ICC says it has been hacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Tosterling Stephanie Van Den Berg | Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

THE HAGUE, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Tuesday its computer system had been hacked, a breach at one of the world's most high-profile international institutions and one that handles highly sensitive information about war crimes. "Immediate measures were adopted to respond to this cybersecurity incident and to mitigate its impact," the ICC said in a short statement. The ICC is the permanent war crimes tribunal in the Dutch city of The Hague, established in 2002 to try war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Dutch intelligence agency (AIVD) said in its 2022 annual report that the ICC was "of interest to Russia because it is investigating possible Russian war crimes in Georgia and Ukraine". In August 2023, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that cyber attacks could be part of future war crimes investigations.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dado Ruvic, Marie, Hélène Proulx, Karim Khan, Toby Sterling, Stephanie van den Berg, Anthony Deutsch, Bart Meijer, Gareth Jones, Andrea Ricci, Mark Potter Organizations: HAGUE, Criminal Court, ICC, Prosecutors, Kremlin, REUTERS, Dutch Justice Ministry, Cyber Security, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Dutch, The Hague, Ukraine, Uganda, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Philippines, Russia, Georgia, Russian

☆ Bulgaria sends team to inspect drone that landed in Black Sea resort
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SOFIA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's defence ministry said on Monday it had sent a special unit to inspect and deactivate a drone carrying explosives which landed on Sunday evening in the Black Sea town of Tyulenovo. Following inspection the team from NATO-member Bulgaria will decide how to dispose of it, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the team had been sent on the request of the regional government. The tourist resort of Tyulenovo is situated 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of the Romanian border and across the Black Sea from Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014 and now a regular target of Ukrainian drone attacks. He said the drone was found on rocks next to moored boats at Tyulenovo and was an "aircraft with standard ammunition". It was unclear whether the drone had fallen from the air or had been washed in by the sea currents.

Persons: Marian Zhechev, Stoyan Nenov, Ivana Sekularac, Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones Organizations: SOFIA, NATO, Nova TV, Thomson Locations: Black, Tyulenovo, Bulgaria, Romanian, Crimea, Ukrainian, Russia, Shabla, Sofia, Belgrade

☆ Qatar Confirms $6 Billion in Unfrozen Iranian Funds Transferred to Doha Triggering U.S.-Iran Prisoner Swap - Source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has confirmed that unfrozen Iranian funds worth $6 billion have been transferred to bank accounts in Doha, a source briefed on details of the matter told Reuters on Monday, triggering a U.S.-Iran prisoner swap. A Qatari aircraft was on standby in Iran on Monday morning to fly five U.S. prisoners and two family members to Doha, the source said. The swap deal, mediated by Qatar and announced broadly on Aug. 10, allows five U.S. citizens detained by Iran to leave in exchange for the transfer of the funds to banks in Qatar and the release of five Iranians held in the United States. (Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Nadine Awadalla and Gareth Jones)

Persons: Andrew Mills, Nadine Awadalla, Gareth Jones Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, Qatari, Doha Locations: Qatar, Doha, U.S, Iran, United States

☆ Spain sees Ukraine grain ban by some EU states as illegal, France sees solidarity risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Julia Payne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Spain's agriculture minister said on Monday a unilateral ban by any European Union member state on Ukrainian grain imports seemed illegal, while France said European solidarity was at stake. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced their own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend its ban on imports into Ukraine's five EU eastern European member states. Romania has become the conduit for more than 60% of Ukrainian grain moved by land and its prime minister said on Monday it may also extend the ban if import requests rise. France's agriculture minister Marc Fesneau criticised the moves, saying they called into question European solidarity. "For solidarity there needs to be unity... We must keep hold of the two elements, otherwise the European project is at risk.

Persons: Viacheslav, Spain's Luis Planas Puchades, Marc Fesneau, Fesneau, Luis Planas Puchades, Julia Payne, Sybille de la, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian, REUTERS, Rights, Union, European Commission, CAP, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Velykomykhailivka, Dnipropetrovsk region, Rights BRUSSELS, France, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Black, Moscow, Romania

☆ Qatar confirms $6 bln in unfrozen Iranian funds transferred to Doha triggering U.S.-Iran prisoner swap - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Qatar has confirmed that unfrozen Iranian funds worth $6 billion have been transferred to bank accounts in Doha, a source briefed on details of the matter told Reuters on Monday, triggering a U.S.-Iran prisoner swap. A Qatari aircraft was on standby in Iran on Monday morning to fly five U.S. prisoners and two family members to Doha, the source said. The swap deal, mediated by Qatar and announced broadly on Aug. 10, allows five U.S. citizens detained by Iran to leave in exchange for the transfer of the funds to banks in Qatar and the release of five Iranians held in the United States. Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Nadine Awadalla and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Mills, Nadine Awadalla, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Qatari, Doha, Thomson Locations: DOHA, Qatar, Doha, U.S, Iran, United States

☆ Russia Says It Hit Armoured Vehicle Repair Plant in Ukraine's Kharkiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia has carried out a missile strike on a plant in the northeast Ukrainian city of Kharkiv where armoured vehicles for Ukraine's military are repaired, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday. The ministry did not say when the strike had taken place or provide any other details. Regional governor Oleh Synehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said on Sunday that Russia had hit the building of a "civilian enterprise" in Kharkiv with four S300 missiles. The Kharkiv regional administration did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, had a population of more than 1.4 million before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Oleh Synehubov, Maxim Rodionov, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, S300, Kharkiv Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Russian

☆ 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

Sept 14 (Reuters) - Russian retailer Magnit (MGNT.MM) said on Thursday it had fully completed a deal to buy back blocked shares from Western investors at a 50% discount by purchasing shares held through Euroclear, the first such arrangement since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Magnit said it had bought back 21,903,163.8 shares from shareholders, representing about 21.5% of all issued and outstanding shares at an amount of around 48.5 billion roubles ($507.32 million). "Magnit's GDR program depositary bank, JP Morgan Chase Bank, also took part, as well as international investors," Magnit said, such as hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and individuals. Magnit had tripled the size of its original offer after strong demand from Western investors. Russia's presidential office is currently reviewing a request from oil major Lukoil (LKOH.MM) to buy back up to 25% of its shares from foreign investors.

Persons: Magnit, Russia's, Magnit's, JPM, JP, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Nordic, Magnit, Euroclear Bank, RIC, Kremlin, JPMorgan, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Thomson Locations: Euroclear, Ukraine, Russian, Italy, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Magnit, Russia, Uzbekistan, Magnit's Moscow, Washington, GDR

☆ Cuba issues conflicting statements on use of its citizens in Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The apparently conflicting statements follow Cuban state-run and foreign media reports suggesting that young Cuban men have enlisted in the Kremlin´s military in recent months as mercenaries and victims in alleged human trafficking schemes. Cuba´s top diplomat in Moscow, Julio Antonio Garmendia Pena, told Russia´s state-run RIA news agency hours earlier on Thursday that those arrested in Cuba, all Cuban citizens, had been engaged in illegal activities and had broken the law. Cuba did not respond to Reuters inquiry regarding the apparently contradictory statements. Cuba's foreign ministry said last week the human trafficking network that authorities were now working to "neutralise and dismantle" had operated from Russia "to incorporate Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations in Ukraine". Cuba has denied any involvement in the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Juan Medina, Bruno Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Cuba ´, Julio Antonio Garmendia Pena, Vladimir Putin, Maxim Rodionov, Dave Sherwood, Gareth Jones, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Cuban Foreign, Cuban, Russia, Cubans, Thomson Locations: Cuban, Cuba, Madrid, Spain, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Havana

☆ U.S. Ambassador to Russia to Visit Paul Whelan in Jail -Embassy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Russia will visit Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran jailed for spying, in prison, the embassy said on Wednesday. Arrested in 2018 in Russia, Whelan was convicted of spying charges in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony in Mordovia, a Russian region notorious since Soviet times for its penal colonies. Both he and the U.S. government have denied the accusations that he is a spy. (Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Persons: Paul Whelan, Whelan, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S . Marine Corps, U.S Locations: MOSCOW, U.S, Russia, Mordovia, Russian

☆ Russia Voices Annoyance With Both Armenia and Azerbaijan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia has protested to Azerbaijan over comments it made about weekend regional elections in areas of Ukraine claimed by Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. She also accused Armenia of making "unacceptable and harmful" statements that were damaging to the prospects for a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have risen in the past week, with each side accusing the other of building up troop concentrations near their borders. Armenia has accused Russia, which has maintained a peacekeeping force in the region since the last war in 2020, of failing to protect it against what it calls Azerbaijani aggression. The territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians who broke away from Baku in a war in the 1990s.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Filipp Lebedev, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Foreign, Russia Locations: Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moscow, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Soviet Union, Baku

☆ Putin Hails Elon Musk as an 'Outstanding Person' and Businessman
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday hailed South African-born businessman Elon Musk as an "outstanding person" and businessman whose SpaceX company had become a major player in the space transportation industry. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev took to X earlier this month to laud Musk over that decision - which has been sharply criticised by Ukrainian politicians - as "the last adequate mind in North America". Putin, speaking at an economic forum in Russia's far east, did not refer to the Starlink incident. But when asked about the success of Musk's SpaceX company in launching rockets into space, he said:"As far as private business and Elon Musk is concerned... he is undoubtedly an outstanding person. "He (Musk) is an active and talented businessman and he is succeeding a lot, including with the support of the American state," added Putin.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, Musk, Dmitry Medvedev, laud Musk, Putin, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: Tuesday, SpaceX, Elon, Reuters Locations: VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, U.S, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, North America, Moscow

☆ Top Russian banks say exporters can now get trapped funds from India
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Elena Fabrichnaya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

After Moscow despatched troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Western countries imposed sweeping sanctions and have sought to wean themselves off Russian energy exports. India has been a major beneficiary, picking up Russian oil on the cheap. In response, India is seeking to stimulate investment in several sectors and diversify the goods that India supplies to Russia, Kapoor said at the economic forum. Tightening global supplies have led Russian companies to stop offering fertiliser such as di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) to India at discounted prices, three industry sources told Reuters. On the transactions issue, Kapoor rejected reports in Russian media that rupees stuck in Russian exporters' accounts in India were related to oil supply payments.

Persons: Ivan Nosov, Andrei Kostin, Kostin, Moscow Pavan Kapoor, Kapoor, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Emelia Organizations: ., Economic, RBC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, India, Moscow, Ukraine, Vladivostok, Sberbank, Arab, Emirates, Russian, Jakarta

Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin delivers a speech during a ceremony unveiling the monument to founder of the Soviet secret police Felix Dzerzhinsky at the service's headquarters in Moscow, Russia, September 11, 2023. Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 11 (Reuters) - A bronze statue of "Iron Felix" Dzerzhinsky, the ruthless founder of the Soviet secret police and architect of the Red Terror which followed the 1917 revolution, was unveiled on Monday at the headquarters of Russia's foreign spy service. Sergei Naryshkin, the chief of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), successor to the KGB's famed First Chief Directorate, marked the unveiling of the statue outside its Yasenevo headquarters in southern Moscow. Dzerzhinsky towered above Naryshkin, Putin's 68-year-old spy master, who stood with a group of other men - many of them unknown. The statue at the SVR looks remarkably similar to the one that once stood on Lubyanka Square.

Persons: Sergei Naryshkin, Felix Dzerzhinsky, Felix, Dzerzhinsky, Josef Stalin, Vladimir Putin's, Naryshkin, Nikita Petrov, Vladimir Lenin's, Lenin's, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Federation, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Reuters, Russian, Commission, Cheka, State Political Directorate, State Political, NKVD, Internal Affairs, KGB, Federal Security Service, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Vladimir Putin's Russia, Poland, Soviet Union, Dzerzhinsky, Soviet

☆ 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

☆ Russia says genetic tests confirm Prigozhin died in plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Courtesy PMC Wagner via Telegram via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Russian investigators said on Sunday that genetic tests had confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner mercenary group, was among the 10 people killed in a plane crash last week. They included Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, his right-hand man who helped found the Wagner group. "As part of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular-genetic examinations have been completed," Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the June 23-24 mutiny as a treacherous "stab in the back", but later met with Prigozhin in the Kremlin. He sent his condolences on Thursday to the families of those believed to have died in the crash.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Vladimir Soldatkin, Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie Organizations: Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Authorities, Russian, Thomson Locations: Africa, Tver, Moscow, Rostov, Kremlin, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Belarus

☆ Second plane had no connection to Wagner group, operator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters. But the jet operator, Russian company Jetica LLC, denied any such link. "Neither the plane itself nor its passengers are related to Wagner and never have been," Jetica's CEO Sergey Trifonov told Reuters. This plane had not been rented out, Trifonov said, though he declined to say who its owner was.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anton Vaganov, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Trifonov, Trifonov, Gleb Stolyarov, Gareth Jones Organizations: PMC Wagner, in, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Embraer, Jetica, Thomson Locations: in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Grey, St . Petersburg

☆ Second Russian plane reportedly linked to Prigozhin had no connection to Wagner group, operator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows a portrait of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin at a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters. Russia's aviation authority has said Prigozhin was on board a private Embraer jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors. But the jet operator, Russian company Jetica LLC, denied any such link. "Neither the plane itself nor its passengers are related to Wagner and never have been," Jetica's CEO Sergey Trifonov told Reuters.

☆ Russia's Gazprom Neft Q2 net profit falls 43% y/y
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Profits for global oil majors have dropped by about half from a bumper 2022, when Russia's actions in Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring. Gazprom Neft did not publish its financial results last year. The company, the oil arm of gas giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM), also said its April-June total revenues decreased to 821.6 billion roubles from 835.8 billion in the same period in 2022. Russia's energy sector has been under severe pressure from Western sanctions, imposed over Moscow's actions in Ukraine. They include price caps and an embargo on purchases of Russia's sea-borne oil.

Persons: Vladimir Soldatkin, Mark Potter, Gareth Jones Organizations: Gazprom Neft, Kremlin, Gazprom, Gazprom Neft's, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, China, India

A woman visits a makeshift memorial near the former PMC Wagner Centre, associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24. "From the point of view of Putin, as well as many among the security forces and the military, Prigozhin's death should be a lesson to any potential followers." Putin, who has spoken in the past of his hatred of traitors, described it at the time as a "stab in the back". 'GAME OF THRONES'But the death of Prigozhin, if confirmed, is not without cost to Putin. If Putin was responsible for Prigozhin's death, he said, it demonstrated he was willing to engage in brutal repression of any kind of dissent.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anastasia Barashkova, Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Tatiana Stanovaya, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, Andrew Borene, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Ramani, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Robert Horvath, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: PMC Wagner, Wagner Group, REUTERS, Reuters, Analysts, Kremlin, Central African, Putin, La Trobe University, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Africa, Moscow, United States, Belarus, Mali, Central African Republic, France, U.S, Melbourne

A woman visits a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre, associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24, 2023. Putin, who has spoken in the past of his hatred of traitors, described it as a "stab in the back". Prigozhin "assumed that Putin would not want to risk all this", Gallyamov said. 'GAME OF THRONES'But the death of Prigozhin, if confirmed, is not without cost to Putin. If Putin was responsible for Prigozhin's death, he said, it demonstrated he was willing to engage in brutal repression of any kind of dissent.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anastasia Barashkova, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Tatiana Stanovaya, Wagner, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, Andrew Borene, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Ramani, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: PMC Wagner, Wagner Group, REUTERS, Kremlin, Putin, Central African, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Africa, Moscow, Belarus, Mali, Central African Republic, France, United States, U.S

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