Tag: Vladimir Putin

No Signs Of Ukraine Involvement In Moscow Attack Yet, Putin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday there are no signs so far of Ukraine’s involvement in last week’s shooting at the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk outside Moscow that left at least 139 people dead and over 180 injured.

“We know that the crime was committed by the hands of radical Islamists whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries. But we also see that the US, through various channels, is trying to convince its satellites and other countries of the world that, according to their intelligence data, there is supposedly no trace of Kyiv in the Moscow terrorist attack, that the bloody terrorist attack was carried out by followers of Islam, members of the ISIS organization banned in Russia,” said Putin.

Stressing that Moscow knows “whose hands committed this atrocity,” he said Russia is interested in knowing “who the customer is.”

“More specific, professional questions have to be answered, Putin said, adding the “terrible crime” committed in Moscow is an “intimidation act.”

“The question that arises is who benefits from this? This atrocity may be just a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 by the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime. And the Nazis, as is well known, never hesitated to use the most dirty and inhumane means to achieve their goals,” he said.

“Moreover, today, when their advertised counter-offensive has completely failed, this is recognized by everyone and is not disputed. The Russian Armed Forces hold the initiative along the entire line of combat contact, and all the measures taken by the enemy to stabilize the front do not bring success.

“Hence the attempts to enter and gain a foothold in our border territories. Shelling, including using multiple launch rocket systems, of peaceful neighborhoods, civilian objects, including energy infrastructure, in an attempt to launch missile attacks on the Crimean Bridge or the peninsula itself,” he added.

“Bloody acts of intimidation such as the terrorist attack committed in Moscow quite logically fit into this series. The goal, as I already said, is to sow panic in our society and at the same time show our own population that all is not lost for the Kyiv regime,” he said.

“You just need to follow the orders of your Western curators, fight to the last Ukrainian, obey the command from Washington and adopt a new law on mobilization, create something like the Hitler Youth in its new edition, of course,” he added.

Putin said that those backing the Kyiv regime wish to avoid complicity in terrorism and being seen as sponsors of such acts, yet numerous questions remain unanswered.

March 26, 2024
Putin Says Defeating Russia On The Battle Field Impossible

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a change of president in the US will not change the attitude of their elites toward his country.

“You asked me just now: will another leader come and change something? It’s not about the leader’s personality—it’s about the mood of the elites,” Putin said during an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in Moscow that aired late Thursday,

Stressing that defeating Russia on the battlefield is “impossible,” Putin said he has nothing to talk about with US President Joe Biden due to Washington’s supply of weapons to Ukraine and that the last time he spoke with Biden was prior to the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“By the way, I told him then — I won’t go into details, I never do this — but I told him then: I believe that you are making a huge mistake of historical proportions supporting everything that is happening there in Ukraine, pushing Russia away,” he said.

Putin said that Russia is ready to resolve the issue surrounding the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich but there are “certain conditions” being discussed through “partner channels between the intelligence services.”

“It seems to me that this can be agreed upon,” he said.

He also said that what Gershkovich did while in Russia was “espionage” because he was found to have “received secret information on a secret basis” and that he was caught “red-handed.”

Gershkovich, a US citizen who worked as a reporter at the Journal’s Moscow bureau, was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service in the city of Yekaterinburg in March last year on espionage charges.

Russia, Ukraine will come to an agreement ‘sooner or later’

Putin also commented on the situation in Ukraine, saying that Moscow and Kyiv will come to an agreement “sooner or later,” reiterating that Russia “has never refused negotiations.”

“Sooner or later, we will come to an agreement anyway. And you know what? It may even sound strange in today’s situation, but relations between the peoples will be restored anyway. It will take a lot of time, but they will be restored,” he said.

Saying that what is happening on the front lines between Russian and Ukrainian forces is, to some extent, an “element of civil war,” Putin noted that everyone in the West thinks the fighting in Ukraine has forever pulled one part of the Russian people apart from another, but “reunification will happen.”

Putin also defined Ukraine as a “satellite” of the US and an “artificial state” created by the Soviet Union, saying Ukraine’s leadership refused to negotiate with Russia based on “instructions from Washington” and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy legally prohibited himself from talking with Russia.

“He signed a decree prohibiting everyone from negotiating with Russia. But how will we negotiate if he forbade himself and forbade everyone?” he said.

Putin went on to say that the US needs to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine if it wants to stop the conflict, adding that this will “end everything within a few weeks.”

He stressed that Moscow has no territorial claims to Poland, Latvia or any other country while not ruling out a reaction to a possible attack launched by Warsaw.

February 9, 2024
Russia’s Putin Speaks After Botched Coup Attempt

(AP)-Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the nation on Monday for unity after an armed rebellion over the weekend was aborted less than 24 hours after it began. Earlier in the day, the mercenary chief defended his short-lived insurrection in a boastful statement.

In his first appearance since the rebellion ended, Putin also thanked most of the mercenaries for not letting the situation deteriorate into “bloodshed.” He said all necessary measures have been taken to protect the country and the people from the rebellion.

He blamed “Russia’s enemies” and said they “miscalculated.”

The Kremlin also tried to project stability on Monday when authorities released a video of Russia’s defense minister reviewing troops in Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary group, said he wasn’t seeking to stage a coup but was acting to prevent the destruction of Wagner, his private military company. “We started our march because of an injustice,” he said in an 11-minute statement, giving no details about where he was or what his plans were.

The feud between the Wagner Group leader and Russia’s military brass has festered throughout the war, erupting into a mutiny over the weekend when mercenaries left Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city. They rolled seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.

The Kremlin said it had made a deal for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and receive amnesty, along with his soldiers. There was no confirmation of his whereabouts Monday, although a popular Russian news channel on Telegram reported he was at a hotel in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

Prigozhin taunted Russia’s military on Monday, calling his march a “master class” on how it should have carried out the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He also mocked the military for failing to protect Russia, pointing out security breaches that allowed Wagner to march 780 kilometers (500 miles) toward Moscow without facing resistance.

The bullish statement made no clearer what would ultimately happen to Prigozhin and his forces under the deal purportedly brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Prigozhin said only that Lukashenko “proposed finding solutions for the Wagner private military company to continue its work in a lawful jurisdiction.” That suggested Prigozhin might keep his military force, although it wasn’t immediately clear which jurisdiction he was referring to.

The independent Russian news outlet Vyorstka claimed that construction of a field camp for up to 8,000 Wagner troops was underway in an area of Belarus about 200 kilometers (320 miles) north of the border with Ukraine.

The report couldn’t be independently verified. The Belarusian military monitoring group Belaruski Hajun said Monday on Telegram that it had seen no activity in that district consistent with construction of a facility, and had no indications of Wagner convoys in or moving towards Belarus.

Though the mutiny was brief, it was not bloodless. Russian media reported that several military helicopters and a communications plane were shot down by Wagner forces, killing at least 15. Prigozhin expressed regret for attacking the aircraft but said they were bombing his convoys.

Russian media reported that a criminal case against Prigozhin hasn’t been closed, despite earlier Kremlin statements, and some Russian lawmakers called for his head.

Andrei Gurulev, a retired general and current lawmaker who has had rows with the mercenary leader, said Prigozhin and his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin deserve “a bullet in the head.”

And Nikita Yurefev, a city council member in St. Petersburg, said he filed an official request with Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office and the Federal Security Service, or FSB, asking who would be punished for the rebellion, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed in a Saturday morning address to punish those behind it.

It was unclear what resources Prigozhin can draw on, and how much of his substantial wealth he can access. Police searching his St. Petersburg office amid the rebellion found 4 billion rubles ($48 million) in trucks outside the building, according to Russian media reports confirmed by the Wagner boss. He said the money was intended to pay his soldiers’ families.

Russian media reported that Wagner offices in several Russian cities had reopened on Monday and the company had resumed enlisting recruits.

In a return to at least superficial normality, Moscow’s mayor announced an end to the “counterterrorism regime” imposed on the capital Saturday, when troops and armored vehicles set up checkpoints on the outskirts and authorities tore up roads leading into the city.

The Defense Ministry published video of defense chief Sergei Shoigu in a helicopter and then meeting with officers at a military headquarters in Ukraine. It was unclear when the video was shot. It came as Russian media speculated that Shoigu and other military leaders have lost Putin’s confidence and could be replaced.

Before the uprising, Prigozhin had blasted Shoigu and General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov with expletive-ridden insults for months, accusing them of failing to provide his troops with enough ammunition during the fight for the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, the war’s longest and bloodiest battle.

Prigozhin’s statement appeared to confirm analysts’ view that the revolt was a desperate move to save Wagner from being dismantled after an order that all private military companies sign contracts with the Defense Ministry by July 1.

Prigozhin said most of his fighters refused to come under the Defense Ministry’s command, and the force planned to hand over the military equipment it was using in Ukraine on June 30 after pulling out of Ukraine and gathering in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. He accused the Defense Ministry of attacking Wagner’s camp, prompting them to move sooner.

Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said on Twitter that Prigozhin’s mutiny “wasn’t a bid for power or an attempt to overtake the Kremlin,” but a desperate move amid his escalating rift with the military leadership.

While Prigozhin could get out of the crisis alive, he doesn’t have a political future in Russia under Putin, Stanovaya said.

It was unclear what the fissures opened by the 24-hour rebellion would mean for the war in Ukraine, where Western officials say Russia’s troops suffer low morale. Wagner’s forces were key to Russia’s only land victory in months, in Bakhmut.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense said Monday that Ukraine had “gained impetus” in its push around Bakhmut, making progress north and south of the town. Ukrainian forces claimed to have retaken Rivnopil, a village in southeast Ukraine that has seen heavy fighting.

U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of several of Ukraine’s European allies discussed the events in Russia over the weekend, but Western officials have been muted in their public comments.

Biden said Monday that the U.S. and NATO were not involved in the short-lived insurrection. Speaking at the White House, Biden explained that he was cautious about speaking publicly because he wanted to give “Putin no excuse to blame this on the West and blame this on NATO.”

“We made clear that we were not involved, we had nothing to do with it,” he said.

Biden said the U.S. was coordinating with allies to monitor the situation and maintain support for Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg concurred Monday that “the events over the weekend are an internal Russian matter.”

And Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy had contacted Russian representatives Saturday to stress that the U.S. was not involved in the mutiny.

The events show the war is “cracking Russia’s political system,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“The monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him now,” Borrell said. “The monster is acting against his creator.”

June 26, 2023
The Unintended Rival: Yevgeny Prigozhin Challenge to Putin’s Presidency

Vladimir Putin, the long-standing ruler of Russia, has faced numerous challenges throughout his political career. However, perhaps one of his most unexpected adversaries has emerged in the form of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the enigmatic owner of the Wagner Group, a notorious private military contractor.

Prigozhin’s trajectory from a loyal supporter to a potential presidential contender showcases a remarkable turn of events, with Putin unknowingly playing a pivotal role in creating his own enemy.

The Rise of Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Prigozhin, often dubbed “Putin’s Chef,” initially gained prominence through his catering business, which became a favorite of Russia’s political elite.

His proximity to power allowed him to establish connections with influential figures within Putin’s inner circle.

However, it was his foray into the private military contracting industry that set the stage for his transformation into a formidable opponent.

The Wagner Group and Military Expertise

Prigozhin’s ownership of the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization known for its involvement in conflicts such as Ukraine and Syria, provided him with invaluable military expertise. The group’s operatives, often former Russian soldiers, demonstrated considerable tactical acumen, causing concern both domestically and internationally.

Prigozhin’s close association with the Wagner Group allowed him to accumulate a wealth of knowledge in military affairs and covert operations, further solidifying his position as a potential threat to Putin’s regime.

Dropping of Treason Charges and Exile

In a surprising turn of events, the Russian government dropped all treason charges against Prigozhin, effectively granting him a reprieve. The decision to abandon these charges, whether influenced by political calculations or other factors, inadvertently provided Prigozhin with a sense of invincibility.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, Prigozhin made the strategic move to seek exile in Belarus, a country known for its close ties with Russia, but one that maintains a certain level of independence.

Yevgeny Prigozhin: Presidential Ambitions and Military Tactics

Given Prigozhin’s intimate knowledge of military tactics acquired through his involvement with the Wagner Group, his potential return to challenge Putin in the 2024 presidential elections poses a credible threat.

Prigozhin’s experience in managing covert operations, combined with his shrewd understanding of the Russian political landscape, could position him as a formidable candidate.

The prospect of a self-made adversary, who has honed his skills on the battlefield, presents a unique challenge for Putin’s regime.

Yevgeny Prigozhin and Implications for Putin’s Presidency

Should Yevgeny Prigozhin decide to return to Russia and vie for the presidency, it would undoubtedly present a pivotal moment in the country’s political history.

Prigozhin’s military background and connections within the power corridors could attract disgruntled factions within the Russian elite who have grown disillusioned with Putin’s regime.

Furthermore, his populist rhetoric and promises of change could resonate with a significant portion of the Russian population dissatisfied with the status quo.

Conclusion

Vladimir Putin, unwittingly, played a crucial role in shaping Yevgeny Prigozhin into a potential rival for the presidency. Prigozhin’s ownership of the Wagner Group and subsequent exile in Belarus, coupled with his understanding of military tactics, have set the stage for a potentially dramatic showdown in the 2024 elections.

Whether Prigozhin will indeed challenge Putin or if Putin’s regime will take preventive measures to neutralize this threat remains to be seen.

However, one thing is certain: the emergence of Yevgeny Prigozhin as a political contender exemplifies the unpredictability and complexity of Russian politics.

June 25, 2023
Zelensky Says WWIII Is Assured If Talks With Putin Fail

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he’s “ready for negotiations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that if they break down, it will lead to World War III.

“I’m ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war,” Zelensky told CNN‘s Fareed Zakaria.

“I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War.”

“You cannot reverse this situation anymore. You cannot demand from Ukraine to recognize some territories as intended for conflicts, and these compromises are simply wrong.”

Zelensky’s comments come as Turkey claims Moscow and Kiev are close to an agreement on key points – despite the Kremlin turning to “more destructive artillery” after revealing it used hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles at least twice on Ukrainian targets.

In a Saturday video message, Zelensky called for talks “without delay,” warning that Russia would suffer “huge” losses if they don’t come to the table.

“We have always insisted on negotiations. We have always offered dialogue, offered solutions for peace,” he said. “And I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. It’s time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s priorities are: “The end of the war, security guarantees, sovereignty, restoration of territorial integrity, real guarantees for our country, real protection for our country.”

Russia’s priorities – laid out in a call with Turkey last week – consist of two categories of demands; Ukraine must remain neutral and not apply to join Nato, a point Zelensky has already conceded. Ukraine would also need to undergo a disarmament process to ensure it isn’t a threat to Russia, as well as ‘de-Nazify’ its armed forces.

The second category of Russian demands is where more difficulty will lie, according to top Turkish government adviser Ibrahim Kalin, and will require face-to-face negotiations between Putin and Zelensky.

Mr Kalin was much less specific about these issues, saying simply that they involved the status of Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, parts of which have already broken away from Ukraine and stressed their Russianness, and the status of Crimea.

Although Mr Kalin didn’t go into detail, the assumption is that Russia will demand that the Ukrainian government should give up territory in eastern Ukraine. That will be deeply contentious. -BBC

On Sunday, Zelensky told CNN that if Ukraine “were a NATO member, a war wouldn’t have started.”

“I’d like to receive security guarantees for my country, for my people. If NATO members are ready to see us in the alliance, then do it immediately. Because people are dying on a daily basis,” he continued, adding that he’s been grateful for NATO’s aid since the invasion began.

March 20, 2022
Biden, Macron Prepared To Sound Out Putin Urge Citizens Not To Panic, Warns Of Ukraine Way ‘Any Day’

(AFP)-US President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron prepared to sound out Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Saturday and Ukraine urged its citizens not to panic after Washington warned that an all-out invasion could begin “any day”.

Weeks of tensions that have seen Russia surround its western neighbour with more than 100,000 troops revved up another notch when the Kremlin launched its biggest naval drills in years across the Black Sea.

The exercises off the coast of Ukraine’s Odessa added urgency to a hastily arranged call Saturday between Biden and Putin aimed at defusing one of the gravest crises in East-West relations since the Cold War.

The Russian leader is also due to speak later Saturday with Macron. The talks come after a week of frantic shuttle diplomacy by the French leader and European officials did little to ease fears of war breaking out in eastern Europe.

Russia on Saturday added to the ominous tone by pulling some of its diplomatic staff out of Ukraine.

The foreign ministry in Moscow said its decision was prompted by fears of “possible provocations from the Kyiv regime”.

But Washington and a host of European countries cited the growing threat of a Russian invasion as they called on their citizens to leave Ukraine as soon possible.

Germany became the latest European country to advise its citizens to leave Ukraine while the US embassy in Kyiv ordered non-emergency staff to leave Ukraine.

The prospect of frightened Westerners fleeing their country prompted Ukraine’s foreign ministry to issue an appeal to its citizens to keep calm.

“At the moment, it is critically important to remain calm, to consolidate inside the country, to avoid destabilising actions and those that sow panic,” the ministry said.

“Ukrainian diplomats are in constant contact with all its key partners, swiftly receiving the information needed to prepare a well-timed response.”

– ‘Any day now’ –

Washington on Friday issued its most dire warning yet that Russia had assembled enough forces to launch a serious assault at any moment.

“Our view that military action could occur any day now, and could occur before the end of the Olympics, is only growing in terms of its robustness,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned.

US military assessments had earlier said the Kremlin may want to wait for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games to end on February 20 before launching an offensive so as not to offend Russia’s ally China.

Sullivan stopped short of saying that the United States has concluded that Putin has made the decision to attack.

But some US media cited intelligence sources and officials as saying that Washington believes that a war could begin at some point after Putin concludes talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow on Tuesday.

The German leader is due to travel to Kyiv on Monday and then visit Putin as part of Europe’s efforts to keep the lines of communication open with Moscow.

Russia is demanding binding security guarantees from the West that includes a pledge to roll NATO forces out of eastern Europe and to never expand into Ukraine.

Washington has flatly rejected the demands while offering to discuss a new European disarmament agreement with Moscow.

Russia has called the US proposal woefully insufficient.

– ‘Pivotal moment’ –

The diplomatic push will continue on Saturday with talks between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Blinken told a press conference in Fiji that the crisis had entered “a pivotal moment”.

“If Russia is genuinely interested in resolving this crisis of its own making through diplomacy and dialogue, we’re prepared to do that,” Blinken said.

He added that dialogue would only be possible if accompanied by “de-escalation.”

“So far, we’ve only seen escalation from Moscow,” he said.

Blinken said the United States was also still waiting for a response to “some of the ideas” floated by Washington.

Macron’s talks with Putin came after a visit to Moscow last Monday during which he said he had secured a pledge “that there will be no degradation nor escalation” from the Kremlin.

– Western, NATO unity –

Sullivan repeated warnings that Russia risks severe Western sanctions and said that NATO is now “more cohesive, more purposeful, more dynamic than any time in recent memory.”

The Pentagon announced it was sending 3,000 more troops to bolster ally Poland.

European leaders also resolved to punish Russia with severe economic sanctions if it attacks.

“The aim is to prevent a war in Europe,” Scholz’s spokesman said after a call between US and European leaders.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the sanctions would target the financial and energy sectors.

Sullivan spoke to von der Leyen’s chief of staff by video call to coordinate “the details of a potential transatlantic response, including both financial sanctions and export controls,” the White House said.

February 12, 2022