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Ukraine war: Putin visits occupied Kherson region in Ukraine

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Russian President Vladimir Putin recently made a surprise visit to the occupied regions of Kherson and Luhansk in Ukraine, attending a military meeting to hear reports from commanders. This is a rare move by the Russian leader, who made a similar visit to Mariupol in March.

Although the date of the visit to Kherson is unknown, in footage released of the trip, Putin mentions the upcoming Orthodox Easter holiday, which was last Sunday. The Kremlin stated that the visits were not pre-planned.

During his visit, Putin also enquired about the situation in the Zaporizhzhia region, which Russia has also claimed as part of its territory. The international community has condemned Putin’s visit to the occupied territories.

During the military meeting in Kherson, Putin emphasized the importance of hearing the opinions and exchanging information with the commanders while acknowledging that he did not want to distract them from their duties. Russian forces had retreated from the city of Kherson towards the end of last year, losing the only regional capital they had captured since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Nonetheless, Russia still controls some parts of the region. In a video released by the Kremlin, Putin is seen disembarking from a helicopter and being greeted by a man in military uniform, believed to be military commander Col Gen Oleg Makarevich.

Later in the video, Putin is shown sitting in a control room between Col Gen Makarevich and Col Gen Mikhail Teplinsky, the head of Russia’s airborne forces. Col Gen Teplinsky was reportedly removed in January but has now returned to the front line, as reported by American military experts and British intelligence.

“Teplinsky is likely one of the few senior Russian generals widely respected by the rank-and-file,” the UK Ministry of Defence wrote on social media on Sunday.

“His recent turbulent career suggests intense tensions between factions within the Russian General Staff about Russia’s military approach in Ukraine.”

In the video, Putin is also shown presenting what is claimed to be a copy of an icon belonging to one of the most successful defense ministers of the Russian Empire. The footage then shows a road sign with the words “see you later in the Kherson region” and aerial shots of a coastal village, followed by Putin getting off a helicopter once again.

In a subsequent scene, Putin is seen wearing different clothes as he is taken into a bunker and is shown speaking with Col Gen Alexander Lapin, chief of staff of Russia’s ground forces. The Kremlin stated that Putin also visited the Vostok headquarters, which is a part of Russia’s National Guard, in occupied Luhansk. As of now, there has been no comment from Ukrainian authorities on the footage.

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Vladimir Kara-Murza: Russian opposition figure jailed for 25 years

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Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is a former journalist and politician of Russian-British descent, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in Russia. He has been convicted of charges related to treason and criticism of the war in Ukraine. Kara-Murza has denied the charges and has been openly critical of his trial.

He played a crucial role in persuading Western governments to impose sanctions on Russian officials for corruption and human rights abuses. His arrest took place a year ago in Moscow, initially for disobeying a police officer, and more severe charges were levied against him once he was in custody. His sentence is the harshest given to an opposition figure to date.

During his trial, one of the charges against Vladimir Kara-Murza was related to a speech he gave in the US, where he accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine by using cluster bombs in residential areas and targeting schools and hospitals.

Although these claims were independently verified, Russian investigators dismissed them as false, stating that the defense ministry did not allow the use of prohibited methods in warfare and that Russia did not target Ukrainian civilians.

Another charge against Kara-Murza was related to an event for political prisoners, during which he criticized Russia’s alleged repressive policies, as deemed by investigators.

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Pentagon Leaks Reveal Discord Among Russian Officials Over Ukraine War’s Death Toll

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Recently leaked US documents have brought to light that disputes within Russia’s security apparatus have led to the country’s defence ministry being accused of intentionally undercounting the number of casualties resulting from the Ukraine conflict.

Publicly, Russia has been reticent about disclosing the extent of its losses during the conflict. However, according to the leaked files, the FSB security service claimed that officials were neglecting to include the deaths of various groups, including the Russian National Guard and Wagner mercenaries. The Russian government has dismissed the leaks as potentially fabricated and purposely disseminated by the US.

Nevertheless, the documents provide additional evidence to support the already established notion that there have been frequent disagreements between Russia’s military and security entities regarding the management of the Ukraine war and that Russia has refrained from publicising the actual figures regarding deaths and injuries.

The FSB’s estimation of nearly 110,000 casualties in February, as reported in the leaked documents, is still considerably lower than the figures disclosed in previous US leaks this week.

According to those documents, the number of Russian losses ranges between 189,500 and 223,000, with 35,500-43,000 men killed in action. Russia’s most recent official casualty count dates back to September 2022, when officials confirmed the deaths of 5,937 servicemen.

The leaked documents suggest that the military’s reluctance to communicate negative news to higher-ups is demonstrated by its underreporting of casualties within the system. This has led some commentators to speculate that President Vladimir Putin has been shielded from the true extent of Russia’s losses on the battlefield.

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Ukraine conflict: President Zelensky condemns beheading video

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The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has urged world leaders to respond after a video emerged showing a Ukrainian soldier allegedly being beheaded by a Russian serviceman. The Ukrainian security service is investigating the incident as a “war crime”, while the Kremlin has called the video “awful” but said that its authenticity and the identity of those involved must be verified.

The graphic video, filmed on a mobile phone during the summer months, shows a man wearing a yellow armband, commonly used by Ukrainian soldiers, being beheaded by a man in military uniform wearing a white band, which is used as identification by Russian soldiers. The men can be heard speaking Russian, but it is unclear whether they are Russian soldiers or Ukrainians who speak Russian.

The graphic video shows a man with a yellow armband being beheaded by a man wearing a white band around his leg. The victim’s body armour has a trident mark, which is the state symbol of Ukraine, and also features what appears to be the Punisher symbol, a comic-book character. The location and date of the video remain unclear, as there are few visual clues to identify it.

However, it appears to have been filmed during the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, where white and yellow armbands have been used as identification by opposing sides. The leaves in the video suggest that it may have been filmed in late spring or summer of last year. The video began circulating on Telegram after a pro-Kremlin blogger shared it with his followers.

After a pro-Kremlin blogger shared the video on Telegram, it spread to Twitter, and the authenticity of the video was called into question by the Kremlin, which said it needed to be verified. The EU foreign affairs spokeswoman emphasized that Russia must comply with international humanitarian law, and perpetrators of war crimes must be held accountable. Another video has also been circulating, showing a destroyed military vehicle and two bodies without heads or hands, which may suggest an alleged beheading. The victims appear to have been fighting on the Ukrainian side, and at least three soldiers can be seen standing over the bodies in the video.

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Vladimir Putin Suffers From “Blurred Vision And Numb Tongue”, Doctors Panic Over His Health: Report

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Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has been in the news frequently since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict last year. According to a fresh report, the Russian President’s health has gotten worse, causing “great pain in his brain, blurred eyesight, and paralysis of the tongue,” according to Metro. This puts doctors in a state of worry.

The latest development occurs while many rumours regarding the Russian President’s declining health condition are circulating.

The General SVR Telegram channel, a Russian publication that has been making allegations about Putin’s ill health, issued the most recent assertions regarding the Russian President’s health.

Putin also claimed “partial loss of sensation in his right arm and leg,” according to the report, necessitating immediate medical attention. Also, a council of medical professionals administered first aid and gave Putin the go-ahead to take medication and take a few days off.

The Russian president reportedly declined to take a nap and requested information about his country’s invasion of Ukraine.

”The president’s relatives were more worried, For them such a sharp deterioration in Vladimir Putin’s health caused a nervous reaction, more like panic. The temporary sharp deterioration in the president’s health has already made those closest to him tense. The sudden death of Putin will put them all in front of the unknown, or rather, on the brink of survival,” said General SVR.

A video showing the President moving his feet in an odd way in February 2023 added to health worries. As seen in various videos posted on social media, the Russian President struggled to control his twitching feet during his meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.

Both Parkinson’s disease and cancer are reportedly being treated for by the Russian president, according to the Spanish news outlet Marca. In stolen Kremlin emails, a security service insider provided confirmation of this “I can affirm that he has Parkinson’s disease in its early stages, but it is already advancing. This reality would be concealed and denied in every manner imaginable “According to the site, the insider had stated in the emails.

The Russian minister and the Kremlin, however, have repeatedly refuted medical assessments and asserted that the Russian president is in excellent condition.

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“Putin Called Me A War Criminal So He’s Not My Best Friend”: Elon Musk

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Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, clarified that Vladimir Putin labelled him a “war criminal” and added that he is “not exactly my greatest friend” with Putin. The second-richest person in the world tweeted this in response to a user who questioned why Russian authorities were permitted to use the social media site. The user, Anonymous Operations, provided a screenshot of Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president, who claimed that Ukraine will “vanish” because “no one needs it” in a tweet. The user tagged Elon Musk and questioned why he had permitted Russian officials to re-enter the site.

“I’m told Putin called me a war criminal for helping Ukraine, so he’s not exactly my best friend. All news is to some degree propaganda. Let people decide for themselves,” Mr Musk said in his reply.

The tweet divided users, with some arguing “it’s important to allow everyone to speak freely” and others saying “truth in its pure form is only found in mathematics and empirical engineering”.

Twitter is no longer limiting the reach of Russian official media organisations, according to a story published by The Telegraph on Friday.

Additionally, it noted that Twitter’s timeline, search results, and recommendation tools “are showing Mr. Putin’s presidential account, the Russian Foreign Ministry, and its UK Embassy – all of which had restrictions placed on them when hostilities broke out.”

Mr. Musk has repeatedly shared his thoughts on the war in Russia and Ukraine throughout the crisis. He received credit from Mr. Putin’s advisors for putting out a peace proposal that the West rejected but was seen as favourable by the Russians.
Yet, Mr. Musk received criticism from Russian media in January after his business, SpaceX, gave the Ukrainian military more than 20,000 Starlink satellites.

Vladimir Solovyov, a host on Russian official television, referred to Elon Musk as a “war criminal” during the same conversation. The Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs’ advisor Anton Gerashchenko shared a translated version of the video on Twitter.

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Ukraine to export electricity again after months of Russian attacks

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After being repeatedly attacked by Russia for months, Ukraine is now able to export electricity for the first time in six months. Last October, Russia started its protracted and planned assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Power outages and planned blackouts resulted, putting villages and cities in the dark during the winter. Ukraine will be able to sell its excess electricity once more after being ordered to halt exports.

Although domestic clients are still given precedence, energy minister Herman Halushchenko issued an executive order authorising the shipments. Since almost two months, the system has been producing surplus capacity, according to him, and Ukrainians are not subject to any limits.

“The most difficult winter has passed,” Mr Halushchenko said on Friday.

“The next step is to start exporting electricity, which will allow us to attract additional financial resources for the necessary reconstruction of the destroyed and damaged energy infrastructure.”

He also praised the “titanic work” of engineers and international partners to restore the system.

Last month, residents across Ukraine that power supplies were becoming more reliable.

“The city has transformed,” said Inna Shtanko, a young mother in Dnipro. “Finally, street lights are back, and it’s no longer scary to walk the city streets.”

Ukrenergo, the company in charge of running the nation’s energy grid, has cautioned that Ukraine cannot rely on Russian attacks ceasing. On Saturday, Ukrenergo reported that Russia has so far throughout the war launched more than 1,200 missiles and drones at its energy installations.

The attack, according to the business, was the biggest attempt to bring down the electricity infrastructure of a European nation. During winter, with power outages and frigid temperatures, some residents were forced to use “resilience centres” in cities around Ukraine to stay warm. Power, heat, and essential supplies like food and medications were all delivered by the hubs.

Every one of Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric power plants has been damaged since Russia began targeting energy infrastructure.

Kyiv has also lost control of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, which is in Russian hands.

In June 2022, Ukraine had said it was hoping to bring in €1.5bn (£1.33bn) from electricity exports to the EU – its main export market for energy since the war began – by the end of the year.

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Macron counting on Xi to ‘bring Russia to senses’

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Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has pleaded with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, to assist in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

He told Mr. Xi in Beijing, “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.” China and France, according to Mr. Xi, have the “capacity and obligation” to preserve world peace.

Moscow, meanwhile, declared that the onslaught will carry on since there were currently “no prospects for a peaceful conclusion.”

After years of deteriorating relations between the West and China, which has hesitated to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Macron is in China on a state visit that is being closely watched.

Also, Mr. Macron wants to improve business connections. He is joined by a sizable business group as well as Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who he asked to participate in meetings with the Chinese leadership.

In the late afternoon on Thursday, Mr. Macron was treated to a lavish military display in Beijing before meeting Mr. Xi for private talks that were described as “frank” and “warm” by Chinese and French officials.

Following the meeting, Mr. Xi addressed the media and urged “reasonable restraint” from the international community, stating that China “advocates for peace talks and wants a political settlement.”

He also reaffirmed the prohibition against using nuclear weapons in the conflict. Earlier this week, Russia declared its intention to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, close to the ally’s western border with Nato countries.

Mr Macron said “we can’t have a safe and stable Europe” as long as Ukraine remained occupied, and that it was “unacceptable” that a member of the UN Security Council had violated the organisation’s charter.

The French president addressed Mr. Xi directly throughout the press conference, striking a friendly tone throughout his statement. It contrasted with Mr. Xi’s lethargic press conference delivery.

Later, in a different press conference, Ms. von der Leyen emphasised that it would be against international law and “seriously undermine” the relationship between the EU and China if Beijing sent weapons to Russia.

She said that she wanted Beijing to play a role that “promotes a just peace” and that she “firmly” supported Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of Ukraine, in his peace proposal, which asks for the complete departure of Russian soldiers.

China has released its own peace plan which Western nations have been generally dismissive of, saying it sides too much with Russia. But Mr Zelensky has expressed interest in it and called for direct talks with Mr Xi – who has yet to publicly respond.

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Russia cafe bomb suspect charged with terrorism

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Russian officials have charged Darya Trepova with terrorism in connection to the killing of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. Trepova was arrested in St Petersburg and appeared in court in Moscow, where she was ordered to remain in custody until June 2.

Tatarsky was killed in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday in a blast that injured over 30 people. A video released by authorities showed Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette to the cafe that later exploded, but she did not admit to knowing about the explosion or any further involvement.

She was accused of “a terrorist attack carried out by an organised group inflicting purposeful death” and “illegal possession of explosive devices by an organised group,” according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes into significant crimes.

She should be kept in detention, according to the court’s recommendation. Judge Valentina Levasheva was quoted by Russian media as saying following the court session that the investigators’ request for Darya Trepova to be kept in confinement had been approved and that she would be held until June 2.

The group also stated that it had proof the attack had been planned by Ukrainian security forces with assistance from the Anti-Corruption Foundation of imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

But Kyiv presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak described the blast as part of a Russian “internal political fight”

Tatarsky, 40, was a guest speaker at a patriotic gathering with supporters in the cafe late on a Sunday afternoon. Tatarsky’s real name is Maxim Fomin.

A young woman with a brown coat was seen entering the cafe in a video that went viral on social media. She appeared to be carrying a cardboard box.

Before the woman sat down, the box was seen being placed on a table in the cafe in the images. A statue was presented to Tatarsky in another film. With more than 500,000 followers, Tatarsky was a well-known blogger with a troubled history.

He said that he joined the separatists supported by Russia after they freed him from prison, where he was serving time for armed robbery. He was born in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

He belonged to a pro-Kremlin military blogging group that has gained somewhat of a reputation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine got underway in February 2022.

Tatarsky is one of many who has gone so far as to criticise the Russian government, blaming President Vladimir Putin, the military, and even the generals for defeats on the battlefield.

But, Mr. Putin presented him with the posthumous Order of Courage on Monday.

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Darya Trepova: Russia releases video of suspect in cafe killing of Vladlen Tatarsky

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In their search for the perpetrators of the stabbing death of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky at a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russian investigators have apprehended a lady.

Darya Trepova is heard admitting she handed over a figurine that later blew up in a video that the authorities published, which was probably filmed under duress. She does not, however, claim in the video that she was aware of the impending explosion. She also denies any additional roles.

Authorities claimed they had proof the assault had been planned out of Ukraine. Officials in Kiev claimed that it was a case of Russian intramural conflict.

Injuries from the blast in Russia’s second-largest city exceeded 30. Late on Sunday, Tatarsky had been a guest speaker at a patriotic gathering with supporters in the cafe.

Images showed the box being placed on a table in the cafe before the woman sat down. Another video showed a statue being handed to Tatarsky.

In a brief excerpt of her interrogation released by the ministry, Darya Trepova, 26, appeared under duress as she sighed repeatedly.

When her interrogator asked if she knew why she was detained, she replied: “I would say for being at the scene of Vladlen Tatarsky’s murder… I brought the statuette there which blew up.”

Asked who gave it to her she responded: “Can I tell you later please?”

The “terror strike” was allegedly planned by Ukrainian special forces “with people cooperating with” Alexei Navalny, according to Russia’s anti-terrorism commission.

Later on, the investigation committee said that it had proof that it was “planned and organised from Ukrainian territory.” It stated that it was attempting to identify the “entire chain” of parties involved.

It was “extremely handy,” according to Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, for the Kremlin to point the finger at its critics since Navalny was about to face an extremist trial. The foundation has published a number of exposés on corruption involving the Putin entourage.

After his arrival back in Russia from Germany in January 2021, Navalny has been imprisoned. He survived a nerve toxin attack in Russia in August 2020 that the Russian FSB security was accused of carrying out.

Ivan Zhdanov, the head of the Foundation, claimed that all evidence pointed to FSB agents. Certainly, we have nothing to do with this, he continued, adding that Moscow needed both a local adversary in Navalny’s group and an external opponent in the form of Ukraine.

According to Russian media, Ms Trepova was detained in a St. Petersburg flat belonging by her husband’s acquaintance. She reportedly spent a couple of days in detention on the day of Russia’s complete invasion last year for taking part in a pro-war demonstration.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who heads Russia’s infamous Wagner mercenary force and has participated in much of the fighting in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, once operated the café, Street Food Bar No 1 along the River Neva.

Cyber Front Z, a group that describes itself as “Russia’s information troops,” claimed to have rented out the cafe for the evening, according to Prigozhin, who claimed to have given it to them.

Tatarsky, whose true name was Maxim Fomin, was honoured by Prigozhin in a late-night video that he claimed was shot at Bakhmut’s town hall.

He waved a flag that read, “in good memory of Vladlen Tatarsky,” and he did so.

Tatarsky was neither a Russian official nor a military officer, despite being a vociferous advocate of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. He had a criminal record like Prigozhin and was a well-known blogger with more than 500,000 subscribers.

Born in the eastern Ukrainian province of Donetsk, he claimed to have joined separatists who were supported by Russia when they released him from jail, where he was serving time for armed robbery.

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