Russian Businessmen Keep Dying in Mysterious Ways

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At least eight prominent Russian businessmen have died under unusual circumstances this year, including by apparent suicide or unexplained accidents.

Six of the men were connected to Russia’s two largest energy companies, Gazprom and Lukoil. The most recent death occurred Thursday when Lukoil’s chairman, Ravil Maganov, fell out of a hospital window. Lukoil released a statement afterward claiming that Maganov’s death followed a serious illness.

“Lukoil’s many thousands of employees mourn deeply for this grievous loss and express their sincere condolences to Ravil Maganov’s family,” the company said, according to Reuters.

In May, another manager from Lukoil, Alexander Subbotin, was found dead near Moscow, according to the Russian news agency TASS. . .

Leonid Shulman, the former head of transport at Gazprom, was the first businessman to die this year. Police near Leningrad, where Shulman was found, are investigating the death as a suicide after a note was discovered on the scene, CNN reported. (Read more from “Russian Businessmen Keep Dying in Mysterious Ways” HERE)

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Poland Puts Its World War II Losses at $1.3 Trillion, Demands German Reparations

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Poland estimates its World War II losses caused by Germany at 6.2 trillion zlotys ($1.32 trillion), the leader of the country’s ruling nationalists said on Thursday, and he said Warsaw would officially demand reparations.

Poland’s biggest trade partner and a fellow member of the European Union and NATO, Germany has previously said all financial claims linked to World War II have been settled.

Poland’s new estimate tops the $850 billion estimate by a ruling party lawmaker from 2019. The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has repeated calls for compensation several times since it took power in 2015, but Poland hasn’t officially demanded reparations.

“The sum that was presented was adopted using the most limited, conservative method, it would be possible to increase it,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Law and Justice (PiS), told a news conference. (Read more from “Poland Puts Its World War II Losses at $1.3 Trillion, Demands German Reparations” HERE)

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Taliban Parades US Military Gear in Celebration of Afghanistan Withdrawal Anniversary

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Taliban fighters on Wednesday paraded captured U.S. military vehicles and weaponry in celebration of the one-year anniversary of the United States’ withdrawal from the country.

At the Bagram air base, where a year earlier Afghan civilians died falling from U.S. military planes evacuating Kabul, the Taliban displayed a show of force, marching infantry and parading dozens of U.S. aircraft and vehicles.

The Taliban’s victory celebration comes a year to the date after President Joe Biden called his administration’s withdrawal a “success” and a “wise decision.”

Footage of the parade broadcast by Taliban media shows the jihadist force piloting American Black Hawk helicopters and driving Humvees and armored personnel carriers.

(Read more from “Taliban Parades US Military Gear in Celebration of Afghanistan Withdrawal Anniversary” HERE)

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Germany Sending Warships to Indo-Pacific as Tensions With China Escalate: Report

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German General Eberhard Zorn said Wednesday the Bundeswehr will send warships to the Indo-Pacific and join allies in drills as China ramps up operations around Taiwan.

“We do not want to provoke anyone with our presence but rather send a strong sign of solidarity with our allies,” Zorn told Reuters. “We stand for the freedom of navigation and the safeguarding of international norms.”

Germany, which has been frugal on military spending in the second half of the 20th century, pledged to hike defense spending above 2% of its total GDP in February after Russia invaded Ukraine. . .

Now, the country is also turning its attention to China, which has sent warplanes across the Taiwan Strait median line and fired missiles over the island in recent weeks. (Read more from “Germany Sending Warships to Indo-Pacific as Tensions With China Escalate: Report” HERE)

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Final Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev Dies at 91

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Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, Russian news agencies cited hospital officials as saying.

Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany.

When pro-democracy protests swept across the Soviet bloc nations of communist Eastern Europe in 1989, he refrained from using force—unlike previous Kremlin leaders who had sent tanks to crush uprisings in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968.

But the protests fuelled aspirations for autonomy in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union, which disintegrated over the next two years in chaotic fashion.

Gorbachev struggled in vain to prevent that collapse. (Read more from “Final Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev Dies at 91” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Russian Forces ‘Under-Manned’ as Ukraine Begins Counteroffensive: U.K.

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Russian forces are likely “under-manned” in Kherson, the U.K. Ministry of Defense has said, as Ukraine on Monday said it had started its counteroffensive in the southern region of the country that was taken by Moscow in the early days of the war.

Ukraine has been carrying out strikes on bridges in the region, key supply lines for the Russian army from the occupied Crimean Peninsula to southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said Monday that they have been using the U.S.-supplied HIMARS weapons to carry out successful strikes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also vowed to take back Russian-held Crimea and Kherson. The Black Sea peninsula has been occupied by Russia since it illegally annexed the region in 2014.

Kyiv on Monday said its forces had “broken through” Russian defenses, while the latter’s military said it had successfully repelled an offensive by Ukrainian troops, who suffered “heavy losses.” Newsweek has not been able to independently verify these claims. (Read more from “Russian Forces ‘Under-Manned’ as Ukraine Begins Counteroffensive: U.K.” HERE)

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Air Force Sees ‘Incredibly’ Large Missile Buildup by China

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China‘s military is engaged in a large-scale expansion of both nuclear and conventional missiles described in a U.S. Air Force Air University report as “incredibly” large and rapidly increasing.

The report by the China Aerospace Studies Institute at the university said the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, formerly the 2nd Artillery, is expanding both in the sophistication of its missiles and size of its arsenal. The growth in both missiles and launchers was based on increasing numbers of Rocket Force brigades and highlights the rapid buildup.

From 1980 to 2000, the PLA added four new missile brigades, including three armed with the latest weapons. (Read more from “Air Force Sees ‘Incredibly’ Large Missile Buildup by China” HERE)

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Biden Announces Additional $3 Billion Security Package to Ukraine

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The U.S. will ship Ukraine $3 billion worth of missiles, artillery rounds and drones in the latest military aid package intended to help Kyiv defend itself following Russia’s invasion six months ago.

The package includes six more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and munitions; up to 245,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition; and up to 65,000 rounds of 120 mm mortar ammo, Pentagon officials told reporters on Wednesday.

Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for policy, said the latest Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) program represents a multiyear investment to help Kyiv fend off Russia.

“We will stick with Ukraine over the long haul,” Mr. Kahl said.

The latest plan represents a change in the way the Biden administration has helped supply Ukraine’s forces. In the past, the Pentagon pulled military equipment from its own stock to supply Ukraine with lethal hardware. Under USAI, the government will be able to procure Ukraine’s needs directly from private industry suppliers. (Read more from “Biden Announces Additional $3 Billion Security Package to Ukraine” HERE)

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Car Bomb Kills Daughter of Highly Influential Russian Known as ‘Putin’s Philosopher’

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The daughter of a highly influential Russian philosopher who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin was killed over the weekend by a car bomb. . .

[Daria] Dugina is the daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, 60, a self-educated philosopher who has a jingoistic mindset when it comes to foreign policy and his desire for Russia to expand its borders.

The New York Times reported that he is often referred to as “Putin’s philosopher” or “Putin’s brain.” Dugina shared her father’s views and was widely viewed as a propagandist working in the media. (Read more from “Car Bomb Kills Daughter of Highly Influential Russian Known as ‘Putin’s Philosopher’” HERE)

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Biden, World Leaders Discuss Need for Ukraine Nuclear Plant Inspection

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President Joe Biden spoke to the leaders of close allies about the tense situation surrounding the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine, according to the White House.

With international concerns about the nuclear power plant being the epicenter of a major disaster escalating in recent weeks as both Russian and Ukrainian forces accuse each other of shelling the plant, Biden spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, affirming “their continued support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russian aggression,” said a readout from the White House press office on Sunday.

“They also discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, including the need to avoid military operations near the plant and the importance of an IAEA visit as soon as feasible to ascertain the state of safety systems,” the readout added. Iran’s nuclear program and stability in the Middle East were also discussed, per the readout.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned earlier this month that shelling the plant is “suicidal” and expressed hope that the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, will be able to access the plant. (Read more from “Biden, World Leaders Discuss Need for Ukraine Nuclear Plant Inspection” HERE)

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