Russian military

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Putin Changes Defense Ministers
Putin Removes
Defense Minister
May 12, 2024 4:05 PM CDT

Putin Removes Defense Minister

Andrei Belousov, former vice prime minister, is nominated for the job

(Newser) - Days into his fifth term, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ousted his longtime defense minister. Sergei Shoigu has been nominated to instead lead a council that advises Putin on defense and security, the Washington Post reports. The announcement on an official government Telegram channel says Putin has nominated Andrei...

Russia Announces Nuclear Weapons Drills

Kremlin blames 'threats' by UK, France

(Newser) - Russia said Monday that because of statements made by UK and French officials, its military has begun planning for drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons near Ukraine. A Kremlin statement said the exercises are planned "in response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against...

To Dodge Charges, He Fled US, Joined Russian Military

Wilmer Puello-Mota left the US days before trial in January

(Newser) - A former city councilor and member of the Massachusetts National Guard who fled the country in January, days before he was to be tried for child pornography in Rhode Island, has apparently defected to Russia and joined the military. Wilmer Puello-Mota, a former city councilor in Holyoke, Mass., was first...

US Report: Russia Has Lost a Stunning Number of Troops

Putin reportedly believes battered Russian military will outlast Western support for Ukraine

(Newser) - Russia has lost 87% of the ground troops and 62% of the tanks it had at the start of its war with Ukraine, according to a declassified US intelligence assessment. It paints a picture of Russia's military as struggling, though it's pushing forward despite the losses in the...

Russian General Says the Truth Got Him Fired

Ivan Popov reports dismissal over complaints about how the war in Ukraine is going

(Newser) - The commander of Russia's 58th Army, which has been deployed in Ukraine's southern region of Zaporizhzhia, said he had a choice when briefing his superiors about the battle situation. Maj, Gen. Ivan Popov suggested he knew which option was more likely to preserve his job, the BBC reports....

Putin Meets With Mothers of Soldiers, Blames Media

Other troops' families say the government ignores them

(Newser) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday hit out at what he said were skewed media portrayals of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine as he met with mothers of Russian soldiers fighting there. "Life is more difficult and diverse that what is shown on TV screens or even on...

Russia's Struggling Military Turns to General With a Temper

Sergei Surovikin has a reputation, analysts say

(Newser) - With its failures in the Ukraine fight mounting, and public criticism along with them, Russia's military has selected a new commander. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, 55, who's been in charge of the operation in the southern district, will be in charge of all Russian forces in Ukraine, the Defense...

In Intercepted Calls, Russian Troops Describe War Crimes, Low Morale

'Putin is a fool,' one soldier said in March call from Bucha

(Newser) - In calls made to partners, relatives, and friends at home in the weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian troops admitted committing apparent war crimes, including killing civilians and looting—and criticized their president. The New York Times says it has obtained recordings of thousands of calls Russian troops made from...

Putin Orders Russian Military to Beef Up Its Forces

President decree takes effect Jan. 1

(Newser) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the Russian military to increase its number of soldiers by 137,000 to a total of 1.15 million servicemen amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. That's a roughly 10% increase in combat personnel, notes NBC News . Putin’s decree, which...

Russian Soldier Shares War Journal, Flees Country

'I don’t see justice in this war. I don’t see truth here,' says Pavel Filatyev

(Newser) - A Russian soldier injured in the early weeks of the war in Ukraine has published a damning journal of his war experiences—and fled the country. Pavel Filatyev, a 34-year-old paratrooper, posted the 141-page journal on social media, describing his experiences after his unit was ordered to march into southern...

China's Military Is Joining Russian War Games

PLA confirms it is taking part in massive 'Vostok' joint exercises

(Newser) - Chinese troops will be taking part in Russian war games starting later this month—a not unprecedented move, but one that is getting extra attention because Russia is taking part in a real war in Ukraine and China has been threatening military action against Taiwan. China's defense ministry has...

Report: Russian Inmates Being Asked to Fight in Ukraine

Relatives say Wagner Group has been visiting St. Petersburg-area prisons

(Newser) - Russia is making gains in its relentless assault on eastern Ukraine's Donbas region—but at a heavy cost. With the Russian military low on manpower due to casualties, and with Vladimir Putin reluctant to declare the "special military operation" a war (which would allow the mobilization of fighting-age...

Russians Claim Victory in Crucial Holdout City

Lysychansk, last holdout city in Luhansk province, appears to have fallen

(Newser) - Russian forces took control Sunday of the last major Ukrainian-held city in Ukraine's Luhansk province, Russia's defense minister said, bringing Moscow closer to its stated goal of seizing all of Ukraine's Donbas region. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that Russia's troops together with...

Tanks' Role in Modern Warfare Is Being Questioned

Russia has lost hundreds of them to missiles, drones in Ukraine

(Newser) - One of the most enduring sights from early in Russia's war in Ukraine was wrecked Russian tanks, which were destroyed or captured by the hundreds as Russian forces tried to press toward Kyiv. The "woeful" performance of Russia's tanks, especially the T-72 workhorse of the Russian military,...

Nicaragua Agrees to Host Russian Troops, Ships

Putin's government points out US forces also are permitted for emergency responses, joint campaigns

(Newser) - The government of President Daniel Ortega has authorized Russian troops, planes, and ships to deploy to Nicaragua for purposes of training, law enforcement, or emergency response. In a decree published this week and confirmed by Russia on Thursday, Ortega will allow Russian troops to carry out law enforcement duties, "...

Russia Removes Maximum Age for Military

Putin decides to take recruits over 40, with the stated goal of adding specialists

(Newser) - With his forces sustaining heavy losses in the fighting in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken the age limit off military service. Russians and foreigners older than 40 will be allowed to sign up as contract service members, CNN reports. Tass, the state news agency, said that the Duma...

Hypersonic Cruise Missile Hit Its Target in Test, Russia Says

Zircon is intended to be added to warships this year

(Newser) - Russia announced Saturday that its navy conducted a successful test firing of a new hypersonic cruise missile, another demonstration of its advances in missile technology even as losses in the Ukraine war mount. The defense ministry said the Zircon was fired from a frigate in the Barents Sea, the Admiral...

Russia May Be Upending Military Command

Zelensky says Donbas 'completely destroyed'

(Newser) - Russia has shaken up its military leadership after some high-profile failures in Ukraine, though the changes may not lead to more battlefield success, according to a British intelligence assessment. Britain's Ministry of Defense tweeted Thursday that senior commanders had been fired or suspended as punishment for setbacks including the...

Report: US Is Helping Ukraine Target Russian Generals

They're being killed off at an almost unprecedented rate

(Newser) - In Ukraine, Russian generals are being killed at a rate the country's military hasn't seen since the most intense fighting of World War II, and officials say American intelligence has helped target some of them. Ukrainian officials say around a dozen Russian generals have been killed since the...

Putin: New ICBM Should Make Foes 'Think Twice'

Russia announces Sarmat passed its first test

(Newser) - Russia has had the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile since 2018 . But it wasn't until Wednesday, after launching its offensive in eastern Ukraine, that Russia said the Sarmat had been successfully tested—an announcement packaged with a warning, the New York Times reports. Analysts and other nations have raised the...

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