Day: December 21, 2022
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Wagner Boss: Women Should Also Get Early Jail Release to Fight in Ukraine
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-linked businessman and Wagner Group founder, has voiced his support for commuting the sentences of female prisoners in Russia who agree to fight in Ukraine, according to a Wednesday press release. Women could serve “not only as nurses and signallers but also in sabotage groups and sniper pairs,” Prigozhin said, adding that…
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Putin Inaugurates Siberian Gas Field as Russia Eyes Chinese Market
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday inaugurated the Kovykta natural gas field in eastern Siberia, which will allow Russia to increase its gas exports to China amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West. “We are launching the unique Kovykta gas field, the largest in eastern Siberia. Its recoverable reserves are 1.8 trillion cubic meters…
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Putin: Russia Will Improve Nuclear Combat Readiness
Adds further comments by Putin and Shoigu Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would continue developing its military potential and the combat readiness of its nuclear forces as Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine continued to face severe challenges. “The armed forces and combat capabilities of our armed forces are increasing constantly and every…
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Russian War Backers Split Over Military Recruitment Ads
A series of anonymously produced Russian military recruitment ads has stirred heated debate among pro-war bloggers over what truly motivates men to fight Ukraine. The sleek productions, which first appeared online last week, portray poverty-stricken Russians whose fortunes turn for the better after they join the Russian Armed Forces. Some of the widely shared videos…
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Medvedev Discusses Strategic Partnership, Ukraine War With China’s Xi
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday in an unannounced visit to Beijing, where he passed on President Vladimir Putin’s message hailing “unprecedented” cooperation. “The talks were quite useful,” Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said in a video posted on his Telegram messaging app channel.…
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Putin Forms Mobilization Task Force Featuring Military Bloggers
President Vladimir Putin established a task force Tuesday to coordinate work between the government and pro-war military bloggers on Russia’s chaotic mobilization campaign. The move fueled questions over possible plans to launch a second round of mobilization, despite Putin declaring its end in late October, as Moscow faces mounting losses in Ukraine. The Kremlin has denied that…
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Zelensky to Meet Biden, Address Congress in Washington
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet U.S. leader Joe Biden and address Congress in Washington on Wednesday, during a visit the White House said will send Russia a strong message of Western unity. The secretly arranged trip comes on the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet his top military officials to assess the dire…