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1 min ago
Wagner Discredits Russian Defense Ministry's Claim Of Involvement In Soledar Attack
By Mick Krever, Uliana Pavlova and Josh Pennington
Wagner, the private Russian military company, posted a video on Telegram on Thursday night directly discrediting the Russian Defense Ministry's claim that regular Russian military forces were involved in the assault on Soledar.
A day after Russia's Defense Ministry reshuffled command of its so-called "special military operation," Wagner's post reinforced chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's claim that his forces are solely responsible for Operation Soledar, which contradicts directly to the ministry.
The video shows two men, their faces obscured, in overalls and standing in what appears to be an underground bunker, illuminated by a flashlight.
"We are officers of the Airborne Forces, we declare that the Airborne Forces did not participate in the assault on the city of Soledar," says a man.
"The assault on the city of Soledar was carried out solely by the forces of the PMC Wagner. We were not even sent in that direction."
CNN cannot verify the identity of the men or the veracity of their statement, but it is significant that Wagner published it, as conflicting claims about which Russian forces are responsible for the assault in eastern Ukraine have become a flashpoint. of discord in the machinations of Russia's power structure.
8 mins ago
"It is taking too long": Putin rebukes the Minister of Industry and Commerce for the delivery of planes
By Mick Krever, Uliana Pavlova and Josh Pennington
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov touches the R-2200 helicopter drone while visiting the Aeronet 2035 Drone Exhibition on November 17, in Moscow, Russia. (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly rebuked his trade and industry minister on Wednesday for acting too slowly in completing orders for military and civilian aircraft.
"It is taking too long! Too long," Putin said in a virtual meeting with the ministers, the one of the year.
"Don't we understand the circumstances in which we find ourselves?"
Putin chastised Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov for the lack of contracts for military and civilian aircraft in 2023, and urged speeding up the process for companies to fulfill orders.
He also demanded that the contracts be completed within a month.
Manturov rejected the rebuke: "Actually, the Ministry of Defense has confirmed the figures for this year for all companies. Also, as I have informed you, Russian Helicopters companies have taken loans, we are talking mainly about helicopters, to sign contracts with their Tier two, three and four providers. So we have all the plans in place for the current year and next year."
It is taking too long," Putin reiterated. "Please, I ask you to speed up this process."
After another exchange with Manturov, Putin said: “You say that everything is ready, but there are no contracts.
This is what I am telling you.
Let's talk about this after the meeting.
It makes no sense for us to argue at this point.
I know that no contracts have been signed with the companies, the directors told me.
What are you playing for?"
Manturov replied: "We will try to do the best we can."
10 mins ago
Ukraine reports 'hot' night in Soledar as Russia steps up offensive
By Denis Lapin
Ukrainian soldiers fire a German shell near Soledar on Wednesday. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)
Fighting continued overnight in the disputed town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, a senior Kyiv official said on Friday.
Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hana Maliar said on Telegram that "the night in Soledar was hot, the fighting continued."
Russian forces have thrown "almost all the main forces in the direction of Donetsk and are maintaining a high intensity of the offensive," he added, referring to the eastern city.
Maliar also noted that this was "a difficult state of war" but Ukrainian troops were "valiantly trying to hold the line" despite Russian claims that it has gained control of the region.
12 mins ago
Russian oligarchs used investment visa scheme to settle in UK, UK government says
By Gayle Harrington
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman speaks in the House of Commons in December 2022. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Reuters/FILE)
A British visa scheme to attract investment was used by 10 sanctioned Russian oligarchs to gain residency, according to a UK Home Office review on Thursday.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said a small minority who had used the visa route "had a potentially high risk of having obtained wealth through corruption or other illicit financial activity, and/or being involved in serious crime." and organized."
Braverman said that the 10 Russian oligarchs who used the visa scheme were sanctioned after the invasion of Ukraine.
The secretary made the disclosure in a statement Thursday at the end of a long-awaited review of the so-called "golden visa" scheme for high net worth individuals.
He also said that "opening up the UK to global business carries the risk of malicious actors taking advantage of our systems to pursue corrupt and criminal ends. We must ensure that kleptocracies like Russia cannot act with impunity abroad."
Braverman said that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the UK has imposed sanctions on 1,200 people and 120 entities linked to the Russian state and froze $22 billion in Russian assets.
Some background: The Tier 1 Investor Visa route, often referred to as 'the golden visa', was introduced in 2008 to encourage wealthy people outside of the European Union to invest in the UK.
It closed last year.
In 2018, then Home Secretary Amber Rudd commissioned a review of the visa scheme following the Salisbury poisonings.
The nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skirpal and his daughter resulted in the death of a woman.
In response to the review, Braverman said that "the Government is clear that any future visa pathways to facilitate investment-based migration must not offer entry solely on the basis of the applicant's personal wealth."