Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin ‘stays away’ from Wagner group ‘due to leadership threats’

Vladimir Putin is weaning himself off reliance on Wagner’s mercenary group fighting in Ukraine, according to military observers.

The Russian president may intend to rely on conventional Russian forces after the recent appointment of General Valery Gerasimov as the new commander-in-chief, the Institute of War Studies (ISW) said in its latest update on the conflict in Ukraine.

ISW said Mr Putin may have felt threatened by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s political ambitions in Moscow and what he claimed was the importance of his mercenaries to the Russian election campaign.

The Kremlin was caught in an embarrassing situation earlier this month when Mr Prigozhin claimed his fighters had seized the Ukrainian town of Soledar just days before Russia made a formal declaration of the same.

A former senior FBI counterintelligence official who investigated Russian oligarchs has been indicted on charges that he secretly worked for the oligarchs in violation of U.S. sanctions. In a separate indictment, the officer is also accused of taking cash from a former foreign security official.

Charles McGonigal, the special agent who ran the FBI’s counterintelligence division in New York from 2016 to 2018, is charged in an indictment unsealed Monday on behalf of Russian billionaire Oleg Oleg Deripaska works with a former Soviet diplomat turned Russian interpreter. Allegedly referred to as “big shots” and “clients” in the code.

The Justice Department said McGonigal, who oversaw and participated in investigations into Russian oligarchs including Deripaska, worked to lift sanctions against Deripaska in 2019 and take money from him in 2021. Investigate rival oligarchs.

The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Germany had not blocked the export of German-made Leopard 2 tanks.

Berlin is under increasing pressure to supply Ukraine with these tanks.

“It appears that Germany will not ban the export of these weapons if some EU member state that possesses them wants to send them,” Borrell told a news conference on Monday.

According to Borrell, the EU has approved a €500 million Ukraine support package, bringing total military support to $3.9 billion.

He also said that the EU’s current support for Ukraine is $53 billion, including military, financial, economic and humanitarian aid.

Latvia’s prime minister reiterated his support for Ukraine and urged that Russia can only be stopped if the West supplies arms.

On Monday, the European Union approved 500 million euros in military aid to Ukraine. However, Berlin remained under pressure to supply German-made Panther tanks.

“If Ukraine doesn’t win, then everyone has a big problem because there’s no sign that Russia will stop or be interested in stopping,” Krisjanis Karins told sky news.

“We have to help Ukraine stop Russia, and that can only be done by providing arms.”

Kalins added that it was “very important” that Germany “fully agrees” with other EU countries to supply German-made Panther tanks.

The European Union has launched a civilian mission to monitor the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, an area the Kremlin considers Russia’s backyard.

The initiative extended the 40-man mission deployed in 2022 for a period of two months at the request of Armenia.

The new mission, which will have a two-year mandate, will carry out “routine patrols and situation reports”, the EU statement confirmed.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought for control of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s, which Armenia won. 30,000 people were killed.

Armenia accused Russian soldiers of failing to stop the fighting and prevent the Azerbaijanis from blocking the only route to Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region in 2021 following a conflict that left 6,500 dead.

Poland has stepped up pressure on Berlin to supply Ukraine with weapons, saying it would send German-made Leopard tanks to Kyiv if other countries did the same.

President Vladimir Zelensky’s government hopes the widespread use of tanks will help it break through Russian defenses and retake territory.

But Germany, which must approve re-exports of Leopard missiles, has reservations, fearing a move that could lead to Moscow escalating and saying other NATO countries have not formally sought permission to supply Kyiv.

Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers agreed to allocate a further £440m in military aid to Ukraine and a further £30m in “non-lethal equipment” for military training of Ukrainian, Swedish and Czech officials.

Alastair Jamison reports:

Dealing with concerns over the Northern Ireland deal is “not rocket science” and a solution must be found, a former Irish prime minister says.

Bertie Ahern said the current impasse, which has roiled Stormont council, is “incomprehensible”.

He emphasized that with a little flexibility, this problem can be solved.

“I really, really believe it’s not rocket science,” he said.

“When you think about the things we’ve solved, we’ve had the IRA disarm them, we’ve released prisoners … we’ve reformed the old RUC into what is now a very competent international PSNI.”

Mr Hoare concluded the meeting by saying the horrors of the war in Ukraine had “contextualized” the magnitude of the problem.

“If the complex, sophisticated statecraft of Brussels, Westminster and Dublin doesn’t solve this problem, then I think we all have to start wondering what the hell we’re doing,” he said.

One of Russia’s richest tycoons, billionaire metals executive Vladimir Potanin, has called on authorities to tolerate Russian workers fleeing the Ukraine war.

“People who work for our economy from abroad – remotely or otherwise – should not be punished,” Potanin told Online red blood cells news portal.

He also called for an end to punitive measures against fleeing workers, many of whom do so to avoid being drafted or because they morally disagree with the war.

Potanin is estimated to be Russia’s richest or second-richest person, with his wealth derived from his stake in metals giant Nornickel.

Boris Johnson makes a surprise visit to Ukraine as he comes under pressure over claims he held talks with BBC chairman Richard Sharp that cost him £800,000 in 10th place line of credit.

Sir Bob Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, said there appeared to be “no doubt” a conflict of interest – describing reports of Mr Sharp’s involvement in the negotiations as a “significant departure from what should really be happening”.

The former prime minister was seen walking on the outskirts of Kyiv on Sunday, despite warnings from top military officials that he should stay away and stop “seeking propaganda”.

The Department of Defense has released the latest intelligence on Ukraine.

Notably, it reported that Russian forces “continue to endure operational stalemate and heavy casualties”. Along with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, General Valery Gerasimov was seen as “out of touch and focused on performance rather than substance”.

Russia’s chief of general staff and newly appointed Ukrainian commander Gerasimov began his visit to improve the daily discipline of deployed troops, the update went further.

Since he took office, officers have cracked down on substandard uniforms, rides in civilian vehicles, cellphone use and substandard haircuts. The measures have been met with questionable feedback.

The Ministry of Defense also stated that since February 24, 2022, 54% of Russia’s largest territorial area has now been liberated.

It also revealed that 18 percent of internationally recognized areas of Ukraine are still controlled by Russia.