Russia says it has shot down 42 Ukrainian drones in Crimea

Belarusian President Can’t Imagine Putin as Prigozhin’s Killer and Wants to Keep Wagner

Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday he “couldn’t imagine” that his ally Vladimir Putin had ordered the killing of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and planned to keep 10,000 mercenaries from the group in the country. “I know Putin,” Alexander Lukashenko was quoted as saying by state news agency Belda.

He is a thoughtful man, very calm. […] So I can’t imagine he was the one who did this

According to Alexander Lukashenko, the crash of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane was a “very brutal and amateurish job”, he argued in defense of Vladimir Putin, although he said he “cannot say” who was responsible for the crash. He also said that Wagner’s “hard core” will be in Belarus, according to a plan he says he “constructed” with Yevgeny Prigogine before the accident. “The system is built to handle everything,” he added.

Wagner: A brand in suspense, a model to last

With the loss of three of its most influential leaders on Wednesday, Russian group Wagner finds its brand significantly weakened. There is, however, a model of an active paramilitary community, implicitly linked to the Russian state, that must survive.

Along with his charismatic leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner lost his right-hand man Dmitri Utkin and his logistics expert Valery Chekalov. What significantly changes its function. Russian far-right movements within the military sphere on the Internet now strongly mourn the group, notes analyst Lucas Webber, one of the co-founders of the Militant Wire Research Network.

They describe a political and military elite that is decadent, corrupt and disconnected from the reality of the front. In contrast, they respected Prigogine as a courageous character who was not afraid to criticize the military hierarchy and often met his men in battle.

He met Turkish Foreign Minister Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced. “Our minister was received in Kyiv by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,” the ministry said on social media.

By decree, Vladimir Putin forces members of paramilitary groups to swear an oath

Two days after the alleged death of the Wagner boss, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a decree requiring members of paramilitary organizations to swear an oath to Russia, as regular military personnel do.

According to the decree, published on the government’s website, they must specifically swear “loyalty” and “loyalty” to Russia and “strictly follow the orders of commanders and superiors.” They undertake to “sacredly respect the Constitution of Russia”, “conscientiously fulfill the tasks entrusted to them” and “bravely defend the freedom and constitutional order” of the country.

Estonia’s prime minister is in turmoil over her husband’s Russian ties

Estonia’s opposition and mainstream media called on Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to resign on Friday after it was revealed that a company owned by her husband continued to operate in Russia. The Center Party announced on Friday that it would begin discussions on a no-confidence motion against Kaja Kallas, while another opposition party, Isama Kaja Kallas, felt it had “no choice but to resign immediately,” saying the scandal had “caused considerable damage.” Estonia’s interests and reputation”.

The Kremlin denies ordering Prigogine’s death

The Kremlin denied on Friday that it had ordered the death of Yevgueni Prigojine, head of the paramilitary group Wagner and an adversary of Vladimir Putin, who is presumed dead after his plane crashed. “This is a complete lie, we have to solve this issue (of the accident) based on the facts,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the provocations of Western leaders, according to which the Kremlin ordered the assassination of the head. Wagner’s.

92 strikes in 23 cities in Zaporizhia region

In A message was posted on Telegram, the head of Zaporizhia’s military administration, Yuri Malachko, reports 92 strikes in 23 cities in the region. “Seventeen reports were received regarding the destruction of residential buildings, agricultural buildings and infrastructure,” he said.

The Heineken brewer formalizes its complete exit from Russia

Dutch brewer Heineken is formalizing the sale of all its operations in Russia. “Heineken SA has sold its operations in Russia to the Arnest Group. The sale completes the process for Heineken’s withdrawal from Russia in March 2022, following receipt of the necessary approvals,” the group announced in a press release.

Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky talk about the training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16.

The White House has announced that US President Joe Biden has spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart about US training Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 fighter jet. “Presidents Biden and Zelensky discussed resuming training for Ukrainian fighter pilots and obtaining expedited approval for other countries to transfer their F-16s to Ukraine,” the US executive said in a statement.

Dozens of Ukrainian drones intercepted from Crimea

The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down 42 Ukrainian drones overnight in Crimea, describing a rare attack on the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. . 33 drones were neutralized by electronic warfare and crashed without reaching (their) target,” Russian Defense said in a Telegram.

“According to preliminary data, several drones were destroyed at sea in the Cape Chersonese region,” the Russian administration in Crimea previously pointed out.

Russia says Ukrainian missile shot down near Moscow

Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian missile aimed at “civilian targets” in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said. “The missile was detected and destroyed by air defense systems.” Russian defense did not provide further information on the locations targeted and did not specify whether the missile’s destruction caused any damage or casualties. Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported that Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports were closed to air traffic early Friday, citing airline services. The Kaluga region borders Moscow, which has been targeted several times in recent days by Ukrainian drones, according to Russian officials.