Wagner Group – Johnson's Russia List

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s top mercenary leader turns on Kremlin. What’s behind rift?” – Christian Science Monitor

May 17, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine

Yevgeny Prigozhin file photos, adapted from images at fbi.gov

“Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has been engaged in very public criticism of Russia’s war effort. Experts say that it’s not a challenge to Vladimir Putin, but positioning for the post-war order.” “Russia’s most successful military leader in the Ukraine war … is not [even] a soldier …. Yevgeny Prigozhin is a former convict and Kremlin-connected entrepreneur whose private … […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “A continent divided over response to war: Ukraine: the view from Africa” – Le Monde Diplomatique

February 2, 2023 JRL Russia List Africa, Europe, EU, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, United Nations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“The UN General Assembly’s 2 March 2022 resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calling for … immediate withdrawal … was adopted by … 141 votes out of 193[]. However … 17 of the 35 countries that abstained – and one that voted against – were African, and eight African countries did not vote at all. …. European commentators’ simplistic […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “To Fix Its Problems in Ukraine, Russia Turns to the Architect of the War” – New York Times

January 30, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine

File Photo of U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, left, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accepts a gift from his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, during a meeting in Brussels, Jan. 21, 2014. Photo adapted from image at defense.gov.

“President Vladimir V. Putin is on his third overall commander in Ukraine. But his military’s fundamental issues have not been addressed, Western officials say.” “Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, … architect of … Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, [reportedly] took over the day-to-day running of Russia’s war effort this month by convincing his boss that his predecessor was too passive …. Promoting […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia, Seeking to Bolster its Influence, Steps Up Intervention in Libyan Conflict” – CNSNews/ Dimitri Simes

June 11, 2020 JRL Russia List Arms Trade, Mideast, North Africa, Syria, Egypt, Libya

U.S. Africa Command Screenshot from Defense Department Video of Russian Fighter Jet in Flight

“Russia is reportedly stepping up … involvement in the Libyan civil war … in recent years … a heated proxy conflict drawing in numerous foreign players … [with] a range of motives. … U.S. Africa Command issued a statement, … with satellite imagery, accusing Russia of deploying 14 fighter jets to Libya in support of the Wagner Group, a Russian […]