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More Than 30 Russian Officials Calling For Putin’s Resignation

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More than 30 Russian city officials have risked prison sentences to call for the resignation of Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday.

The petition, signed by dozens of officials after it was posted by Xenia Torstrem, a municipal deputy in St. Petersburg’s Semyonovsky District, condemned Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted for nearly seven months.

“We, the municipal deputies of Russia, believe that the actions of President Vladimir Putin harm the future of Russia and its citizens,” a translation of the petition reads. “We demand the resignation of Vladimir Putin from the post of President of the Russian Federation!”

The petition was mostly signed by municipal deputies in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but city officials from Samara and Yakutsk, among others, have also signed the petition. Approximately 84 additional signatures have been added to the petition, though they are still being verified, according to Torstrem. (Read more from “More Than 30 Russian Officials Calling For Putin’s Resignation” HERE)

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Russian Energy Exec Falls From Boat in Latest Mystery Death

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A high-level executive in Russia’s energy sector has died after apparently falling off a boat over the weekend, becoming the latest Russian powerbroker to perish under mysterious circumstances.

Ivan Pechorin, 39, managing director of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (ERDC), was sailing off the coast of Russky Island in the Sea of Japan on Saturday when he fell overboard from the speeding vessel.

His body was recovered from the water on Monday following an extended search.

Only days earlier, Pechorin had attended the Eastern Economic Forum, which was hosted by President Vladimir Putin in Valdivostok.

“Ivan’s death is an irreparable loss for friends and colleagues, a great loss for the corporation,” ERDC said in a statement posted on its website. (Read more from “Russian Energy Exec Falls From Boat in Latest Mystery Death” HERE)

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Putin Faces Backlash From Russian Bloggers Amid Retreat: ‘Horrible Failure’

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing backlash from pro-Kremlin bloggers amid his military’s “horrible failure” in Ukraine.

Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, banking on his vast military to propel him to a quick victory. However, Ukraine met his troops with a stronger-than-expected defense effort, bolstered by aid from allies including the United States. In recent days, Ukraine has ramped up counteroffensives in Russian-occupied territory, allowing Kyiv to make massive gains more than six months into the conflict.

Ukraine launched a surprise counteroffensive in the areas around Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city. In recent days, Ukrainian forces seized control of key cities such as Izyum and Kupyansk, forcing Russian soldiers to retreat as experts see Ukraine building momentum.

Despite worldwide condemnation due to alleged human-rights abuses committed by the Russian military and a lack of justification for the war, many in Russia rallied around Putin. However, these Ukrainian victories have seen some hardline pro-Russia bloggers, who for months cheered on the Russian leader’s invasion, turn on him. (Read more from “Putin Faces Backlash From Russian Bloggers Amid Retreat: ‘Horrible Failure'” HERE)

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Ukrainian Forces ‘Outsmarted the Russians’ With U.S. Artillery

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An ongoing counteroffensive has reclaimed “more than a thousand square kilometers” from invading Russian forces over the last week, according to an update from Ukraine’s president released hours after a visit from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Within the ongoing defense operations, our heroes have already liberated dozens of settlements,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his latest update. “And today this movement continued, there are new results. In total, more than a thousand square kilometers of our territory have been liberated since September 1.”

Blinken vouched for the “clear and real progress” that Ukrainian forces have made without corroborating the specific amount of land that Zelensky touted. But his arrival evinced the growing optimism in Western circles about Ukraine’s battlefield prospects amid a multipronged operation in both the prized southern region of Kherson and the city of Kharkiv farther north.

“It’s very early, but we’re seeing clear and real progress on the ground, particularly in the area around Kherson but also some interesting developments in the Donbas in the east,” Blinken told reporters in Kyiv. “But again, early days.” (Read more from “Ukrainian Forces ‘Outsmarted the Russians’ With U.S. Artillery” HERE)

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Ukraine Accuses Russia of ‘Preparing for a Decisive Energy Attack on All Europeans’ This Winter

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using energy as a weapon by keeping a critical pipeline to Germany shut down in recent days, exacerbating electricity and natural gas shortfalls ahead of the winter months.

“Russia wants to destroy the normal life of every European — in all countries of our continent,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Saturday.

“Where Russia cannot do it by force of conventional weapons, it does so by force of energy weapons. It is trying to attack with poverty and political chaos where it cannot yet attack with missiles. This winter, Russia is preparing for a decisive energy attack on all Europeans.”

Russian energy company Gazprom has blamed technical problems for this week’s shutdown of Nord Stream 1, saying that oil leaks in turbines must be fixed before natural gas flows resume. (Read more from “Ukraine Accuses Russia of ‘Preparing for a Decisive Energy Attack on All Europeans’ This Winter” HERE)

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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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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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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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To Avoid Sanctions, Countries Are Ditching the US Dollar

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Russia, China and other countries have escalated efforts to ditch transactions made with U.S. dollars in 2022, helping them bypass Western sanctions and keep their economies afloat.

Since Western countries levied heavy sanctions on Russia in punishment for its invasion of Ukraine, India has increased its imports of Russian coal and natural gas, paying in Chinese yuan, United Arab Emirates dirham, Hong Kong dollar, and euro, Reuters reported Wednesday. Turkey and Iran have also forged agreements with Russia to base bilateral commerce on the Russian ruble, an effort to divest from dependence on the “toxic” U.S. dollar while easing the effect of sanctions on the Russian economy.

“The current round of turbulence is likely to increase … momentum in the creation of a rival reserve currency or currencies to help supplant the oversized role of the dollar,” Anthony Kim, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation specializing in international economic issues, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The dollar comprised 60% of countries’ foreign exchange reserves, used to trade with one another, in 2021, and dominates international transactions, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. U.S. sanctions cut off countries from accessing dollars for international trade. (Read more from “To Avoid Sanctions, Countries Are Ditching the US Dollar” HERE)

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Elon Musk Gives Scalding Take On Biden’s Push to Free Brittney Griner (VIDEO)

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Elon Musk questioned President Joe Biden’s ongoing effort to release WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison while thousands are locked up in the US for the same offense.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russia for cannabis possession and Musk noted others locked up on American soil aren’t getting the same attention from the White House.

“If the president is working so hard to free someone who is in jail in Russia for some weed, shouldn’t we free people in America?” the Tesla CEO asked on an episode of the “Full Send” podcast this week.

“There are people in jail in America for the same stuff. Shouldn’t we free them too? My opinion is that people should not be in jail for non-violent drug crimes.”

(Read more from “Elon Musk Gives Scalding Take On Biden’s Push to Free Brittney Griner (VIDEO)” HERE)

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