Russia announced Wednesday that its army had received more than 2,000 pieces of military hardware, including tanks, from Wagner, following the mercenary group’s short-lived insurrection last month. The armed group, which played a key role in the Ukraine offensive, sought to topple Russia’s military leadership during the brief rebellion, before backing down. “More than 2,000…
This year’s NATO summit that concluded in Vilnius on Wednesday has resulted in a handful of unpleasant developments for the Kremlin, from solidifying the political shift of its longtime strategic partner Turkey to reiterating the alliance’s unwavering support for Ukraine nearly a year and a half into Russia’s invasion. While the summit saw the inaugural…
Russia’s most acclaimed icon has officially been handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church, the Church’s leader reported on Wednesday. President Vladimir Putin in May ordered to transfer Andrei Rublev’s “Trinity” to the custody of the Church, drawing widespread criticism that moving the unstable 15th-century painting could damage it irreversably. “A historic event has taken place,”…
A Russian general was reportedly killed in occupied southeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian officials said Tuesday. Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov was targeted in a Monday night missile strike on a hotel in the Russian-occupied resort city of Berdiansk, according to Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to Mariupol’s Ukrainian mayor now operating outside the Russian-held city. “It was…
Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), confirmed Wednesday that he held a phone call with CIA director William Burns in the days after Wagner’s mercenary mutiny last month. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported that Burns had called Naryshkin in late June to reassure him that Washington…
The Kremlin on Wednesday vowed to respond with “countermeasures” if Ukraine used cluster bombs against its invading troops after the United States pledged the weapons to Kyiv. “The potential use of this type of munitions changes the situation, and of course, it would force Russia to take countermeasures,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, without…
Kyrgyzstan announced Wednesday it had reversed a decision to close the local branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty after the U.S.-funded outlet agreed to remove a video criticized by authorities. Award-winning Radio Azattyk is a prominent outlet in the Central Asian country that regularly reports on opposition groups and investigates alleged corruption. “Azattyk Media removed…
At least four people are missing along southern Russia’s Black Sea coast, which has been battered by heavy rains and flash floods since the weekend, news agencies reported Wednesday. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s Krasnodar region branch said it was organizing a search and rescue operation where local authorities issued a state of emergency earlier…
Russian officials are opting out of traditional European travel destinations in favor of those closer to home for their summer vacations, the investigative outlet Vyorstka reported Wednesday, citing multiple anonymous lawmakers and regional officials. Western sanctions and the Kremlin’s strict controls on foreign travel are limiting options for Russian civil servants to domestic resorts, ex-Soviet…
Western powers will offer Ukraine a package of long-term security commitments on Wednesday, after NATO dashed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hopes of a clear timeline for joining the alliance. The Ukrainian leader was to hold talks with NATO’s 31 leaders at their summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, a day after blasting them for not moving…
July 12, 2023, Büyükeceli, Mersin Province, Türkiye. – Full-scale simulator (FSS), a precise replica of power-and-control units of the first nuclear power plant in Türkiye, has been delivered to the Akkuyu NPP Construction Site. The training equipment will enable practical training, licensing and advance training of the operating personnel of power units before commissioning of…
Russians withdrew 100 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) from banks during the panic that ensued as Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow last month, Russia’s Central Bank said Tuesday. “The need for cash increased in June and led to a 500 billion ruble liquidity outflow,” the bank said in a monthly monetary policy report. One-fifth of the…
Ukraine said Wednesday it had shot down 11 Russian drones overnight in a second consecutive night of attacks on the capital Kyiv, as NATO leaders prepared to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Vilnius. “A total of 15 kamikaze drones were involved in the strike. Eleven of them were destroyed in the areas of responsibility…
The war in Ukraine will not end until the West “abandons its plans” to defeat Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Indonesian media on Wednesday. His comments came ahead of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s symbolic talks with NATO leaders at their summit in Lithuania on Wednesday. In an interview with…