News about Eastern Europe such as Russia, Ukraine, Romania and the Baltic Nations, including archived articles on Tsarizm.
According to the AFP, Russians in some large cities have reported mixed emotions such as “sympathy” and “relief” after the head of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, mounted a short-lived armed rebellion that made its way halfway to Moscow from the Rostov region on Saturday before Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko mediated a ceasefire between Prigozhin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While the armed rebellion launched by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, came as a surprise for most of the world over the weekend, U.S. intelligence officials knew of the plot and briefed Congress on the situation days ahead of Saturday’s mutiny after intelligence officials reportedly observed Wagner fighters mustering forces and gathering weapons.
Putin Humiliated By Wagner Coup With ’39 Pilots And Crew’ Lost In Worst Day For Air Force
Looks Like Wagner Gets Paid – Crisis Averted In Russia With Lukashenko Negotiating
Wagner Three Hours Out From Moscow – Prigozhin Says ‘We Will Have New President Soon’
Wagner Troops Take Over Official Buildings In Rostov
In new remarks on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an update on the status of Moscow’s hypersonic and nuclear arsenal saying, “About half of the units of Russia’s Strategic Missile Force have been equipped with the latest Yars missile systems and are being rearmed with modern Avangard warheads.”
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he has signed a new law that bans Russian books and publications in Ukraine. It is yet another blow to free speech in the name of war.
It’s difficult to get a read on the current Russian economy. While the government boasts that its economy is doing well and is overcoming powerful sanctions, Russians on the streets are transferring large amounts of money overseas and converting their assets to cash, indicating that the majority of the population has little faith in the positive economic image that Moscow is pushing and are doubtful of their country’s economic future.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday met with African leaders in St. Petersburg and displayed a document that he said was a draft treaty on Ukrainian neutrality that was drawn up during negotiations in Istanbul in March 2022.