Tag: Region Asias

Sputnik News: Russian Forces Destroy Starlink Communication Station Near Artemovsk

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian forces have destroyed a Ukrainian Starlink satellite communication station and a drone control center near Artemovsk (Bakhmut), a Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson told Sputnik. “… the artillery of the group [of Russian forces] destroyed a Starlink communication station, a control center for unmanned aerial vehicles together with a Leleka-100 drone, a communication center and a pickup truck with an infantry group,” the spokesperson said. In addition, Russian forces have repelled an attack by a Ukrainian assault…

Wagner mercenary leader issues 1st audio statement since mutiny

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin on Monday released the first audio statement since an aborted armed rebellion he staged on Saturday, defending the move as a reaction to an attack on his force that killed some of his 30 fighters. “We started our march because of an injustice,” Prigozhin said in an 11-minute audio. He didn’t offer any details as to where he was at the moment or what his future plans are. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin on Monday released the…

BlackRock, JP Morgan set up ‘reconstruction bank’ for Ukraine: $411 billion needed to rebuild country

BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase are reportedly aiding the Ukrainian government in setting up a reconstruction bank that could see rebuilding projects being heavily invested in by private entities. The Financial Times noted that it would cost Ukraine roughly $411 billion to rebuild their country amid the onslaught of attacks by Russia, but the cost is continuing to increase.

Potential investors will get an inside preview of how things will look during a London conference that is set to take place this week.

‘Putin Flees Moscow’, ‘IRGC in Russia’ and other media fakes

In its statement of support for Moscow on Saturday, Minsk warned that “any provocation, any internal conflict in political and military circles, in the information field and in civil society” would be a “gift to the collective West” for its proxy war against Russia. Western newspapers, TV channels and online news outlets published fake news stories relating to this conflict. Sputnik dissected a few of them. ‘Putin Has Fled Moscow’ British, Polish and Ukrainian media have jumped on rumors that…

Wagner Group turns around, ends “march for justice” towards Russian capital

MOSCOW — The head of the Wagner mercenary group said his forces were ending a march on the Russian capital after demanding the resignation of the country’s top defense officials over alleged failures in the war in Ukraine. In a statement to his Telegram social media account, Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters had led a “march for justice” over the past 24 hours that saw them travel from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don to the outskirts of Moscow “The…

Sputnik News: “Prigozhin Agrees to Stop PMC Wagner March, Start De-Escalation After Lukashenko’s Mediation”

Evgeny Prigozhin has agreed to halt his advance on Moscow after a mediation effort led by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarusian state media reported Saturday evening.Lukashenko’s talks with Prigozhin, said to have stretched throughout the day Saturday, were agreed with Putin. “As a result, the parties agreed to to the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on Russian territory. Evgeny Prigozhin accepted President Lukashenko’s proposal to stop the movement of Wagner’s forces in Russia and to take further steps to…

Putin vows revenge for ‘betrayal’ by his former ally Prigozhin

As columns of mercenaries appeared to be moving towards Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to strike back hard against Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, who has launched an assault on his own government. In remarks on Saturday morning from the Kremlin, Putin denounced Prigozhin’s “criminal adventure” as an “armed mutiny” that would be met with a response from regular Russian troops. “Any actions that split our nation are essentially a betrayal of our people, of our…

RT News: “Foreign Leaders Express Solidarity With Russia Amid Wagner Mutiny”

Several world leaders, among them Russia’s closest allies and partners, have offered support for the Kremlin amid the deadly standoff between the Russian military and Prigozhin’s Wagner group. Belarus: Belarus, Russia’s Collective Security Treaty Organization ally and Union State partner, has offered full support for Moscow, emphasizing that Minsk has always been and remains Russia’s close ally. “Belarusians and Russians are brotherly peoples. Our states are bound by a political union. And we cannot remain aloof from events taking place…

Putin’s presidential plane was spotted leaving Moscow amid Wagner’s uprising

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plane left Moscow Saturday morning, according to flight data. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had not fled and “is working at the Kremlin.” Wagner mercenaries appear to be headed for Moscow in what some are calling an attempted coup. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plane took off from Moscow early Saturday morning, heading towards St. Petersburg before disappearing from flight tracking radar. Putin’s presidential plane left at 14:16 Moscow time, according to FlightRadar data retrieved by…

Eight Chinese Warplanes Approach Waters Controlled by Taiwan

Taiwan’s defense ministry said Saturday that eight Chinese warplanes had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and come close to waters under Taipei’s control. Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by China, which views the self-ruled island as part of its territory to be seized one day. On Saturday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said 19 Chinese warplanes including J-10 and J-16 fighters were detected around the island. Eight of them crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and approached the island’s contiguous zone, or the band of sea within 24 nautical miles (44…

Russian court rejects WSJ journalist’s latest appeal, to remain in prison until August 30

A Russian court has determined that Evan Gershkovich will remain in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison until August 30. The decision comes after the journalist appealed against the extention of a pre-trial detention. Gershkovich appeared in the courtroom in a transparent box. The Wall Street Journal reported that media outlets were only allowed in the courtroom for a short time. On May 23, a district court in Russia upheld a request from the Federal Security Service (FSB) to have the journalist’s detention…

U.S. senior officials caught off guard by Biden calling Xi a ‘dictator’

WASHINGTON — Senior U.S. officials said Wednesday that they were caught off guard when President Joe Biden described Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator” — just 24 hours after Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing and appeared to reach a breakthrough in tense relations between the countries. Officials privately sought to clarify Wednesday with the Chinese that Biden’s description of Xi does not reflect a new talking point or official policy shift by the administration. Officials said they…

Military families battle mold, rodents and more at Washington base

Editor’s note: This story was first published in InvestigateWest, an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Subscribe to their newsletter. Amanda Klinksiek knows that when she breaks out in hives, she likely has another problem: mold. Hives tipped Klinksiek off to mold in a previous home. And in September, when she moved into a two-bedroom townhouse at Joint Base Lewis-McChord with her husband and two kids, the itchy red bumps appeared again. Klinksiek, 30, tried…

Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes, reaches deal on gun charge

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes. He will enter into an agreement that could enable him to avoid a conviction on a gun-related charge, according to a court filing on Tuesday. The federal charges against Hunter Biden resulted from an investigation by David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in the Democratic president’s home state of Delaware, who was appointed by Republican then-President Donald…

Russia Vows ‘Military-Technical Response’ if F-16 Jets Appear in Ukraine

The Russian government says it will be forced to take retaliatory measures if Western-made F-16 fighter jets appear in the skies over Ukraine. The threat was aired by Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during an interview with the RT television channel late last week. According to Lavrov, Russia has issued a “very serious demarche” with regard to the possibility of F-16 aircraft being transferred to Kyiv. He also claimed that the fighter jets would be used by the Ukrainian Armed…

China issues social interaction norms for military officials

By GT staff reporters Published: Jun 19, 2023 11:55 PM China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) has issued a code of conduct for the social interactions of military officials, including behaviors on social media platforms. Chinese experts believe the code of conduct highlights improving discipline of military personnel and strengthening their sense of confidentiality so as to better protect national security in the big data era. With the approval of the CMC, the Political Work Department and the Discipline Inspection Commission…