Latest news with #WagnerGroup
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
Al-Qaida affiliate attacks Mali army bases as junta struggles to contain jihadist threat
An al-Qaida linked group has launched an assault on a Malian army base in Timbuktu, according to military sources and local officials, a day after it claimed responsibility for another attack near the border with Burkina Faso. 'The terrorists arrived today in Timbuktu with a vehicle packed with explosives,' a local official told Agence France-Presse. 'The vehicle exploded near the [military] camp. Shooting is currently continuing.' Residents of the ancient city also told journalists that they had heard gunfire. The news came as the group Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for an attack on an army base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso. The Malian authorities are yet to give casualty figures from Sunday's attack, but sources have told Reuters that as many as 30 soldiers were killed. Since 2012, a swarm of jihadist groups including most notably the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and JNIM have been fighting Malian security forces. When Mali's junta seized power in 2020, it cited the deteriorating security situation as a major reason for its coup and promised to act decisively to stabilise the country. Experts and civil society figures say there has barely been any improvement in the situation, while indiscriminate killings by Malian security forces have increased in tandem with the arrival in the country of Russian mercenaries operating at first under the banner of the Wagner group and then Africa Corps. Armed groups have also continued attacks in the Liptako-Gourma region where Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger converge. In February, Human Rights Watch reported 34 people were killed when an armed group ambushed a civilian convoy travelling from Gao to Ansongo in the north-east o Mali, despite the vehicles being escorted by five military pickup trucks. Similar attacks have taken place across the Sahel, which now accounts for more than half of all deaths worldwide from terrorism. Recent attacks have targeted military formations including the 2019 killing of dozens of soldiers at a Boulkessi base and raids on army camps in north-east Nigeria in March. Last July, Malian authorities made the rare admission that 'significant' losses had been suffered after clashes pitting the army and Russian-backed mercenaries against jihadists near the desert town of Tinzaouaten. Since the start of May, more than 400 soldiers have reportedly been killed by insurgents in military bases and towns in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In January, the trio announced their exit from the regional Ecowas bloc – which turned 50 this May – to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), partly to enhance military cooperation.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Ukraine's surprise strike deep in Russia — an excellent way to push Putin to talk peace
Hand it to the Ukrainians: They're not only fighting heroically on, more than three years after Moscow launched its savage and utterly unprovoked war to destroy their nation, they're fighting with cheek and style. The latest, of course, is Sunday's surprise drone strikes on airbases deep inside Russia, targeting strategic warplanes that have been pummeling mostly-civilian targets in Ukraine. It counts as an intelligence coup, too: The drones were infiltrated to near their final targets over months, with Vladimir Putin's massive internal-surveillance agencies left utterly in the dark. Advertisement Then again, Vlad's secret police were caught clueless back when the Wagner Group launched its aborted coup two years back: Putin should be losing sleep over what else his minions might be missing. And any Russian patriots looking to save their country from his disastrous misrule can only be emboldened. Nor can Moscow complain that Kyiv launched these strikes on the eve of a fresh set of peace talks: Putin is the one who's refusing any kind of ceasefire, and he's had his forces in overdrive ever since President Donald Trump launched his diplomatic drive to stop the slaughter. Advertisement Kyiv was entirely right not to let Washington know these strikes were coming, by the way: As the Israelis will tell you, the DC defense establishment has a recently-proven track record of broadcasting our friends' war plans against even mutual enemies like Iran. A single American loose lip could've alerted Moscow to the operation — turning it into from a Russian humiliation into a bitter loss for Ukraine. Adding to Kyiv's panache points here, the damaged planes — $7 billion worth, the Ukrainians estimate even as the Russians of course claim the whole thing failed — included many of the strategic bombers central to Moscow's ultimate 'doomsday' deterrent. Advertisement That is: Putin and his spokes-toads have spent the last three years pointedly hinting they'd go nuclear if the West helps Ukraine 'too much'; it's pure poetic justice if his refusal to make peace has now left Russia vulnerable to a nuclear first strike. It's more clear than ever that Putin won't make peace unless and until continued his warmaking threatens him. Ukraine's audacious attack had done just that; the Senate should double down on the message by passing the bipartisan secondary-sanctions bill ASAP. Make Putin fear for his own survival; it's all he truly cares about.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Russian novels brainwashing teens into enlisting
A new sinister genre of nationalistic fantasy fiction is on the rise in Russia, targeting the country's most impressionable demographic. Teenagers and young men are being pulled into patriotic fervour by 'Z literature', which delivers a simple message: Enlist, fight, and glorify the Russian state. The books, a reference to the 'Z' symbol used to promote the invasion of Ukraine, have echoes of the heavy-handed propaganda of the Soviet Union. 'What the state is trying to do to create a culture in which everyday life is militarised,' Dr Colin Alexander, senior lecturer in political communications at Nottingham Trent University, told The Telegraph. 'It is normalising the idea that to be a good citizen, a good patriot, a good man, you go and fight in the war, because Russia is surrounded by enemies.' 'Z literature' books have illustrated covers showing soldiers mid-charge, framed by firestorms, tanks and Russian flags. They purport a world where Russia is surrounded by enemies, its soldiers the only hope in the face of Nazis, with tales of brotherhood and glory in death as plot lines. The books are stocked in mainstream bookstores, discussed in Russian media, appear in schools, and have even been shared by the deceased Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. 'The environment, the culture, is just suffused with this material,' said Ian Garner, Assistant Professor of Totalitarian Studies at the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw. 'Militarism becomes normalised. And for some young Russians, it becomes pretty much all they ever see.' In the Soviet era, posters and busts of figures like Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and heroic workers or soldiers were part of everyday life. Children were targeted with toys and figurines depicting Red Army soldiers or cosmonauts. Today, the focus is on shaping teenagers and young people with media, be it in paperback or online. According to Dr Alexander, 'Z literature' is targeted specifically at young men and teenagers who will soon be the focus of enlistment drives to boost Russia's presence in Ukraine. He added that the content especially appeals to those who might be disenfranchised and vulnerable to ideologies that promise strength, belonging and a sense of purpose. In the novel Colonel Nobody, by Alexei Sukonkin, a down-and-out young man changes his life for the better by joining the Wagner Group upon his release from prison, where he follows a redemption arc, finding a new sense of brotherhood and ultimately sacrificing his life for the cause. 'There is often a sense of brotherhood, that you can turn into a good citizen, a good patriot, a strong man, a man who can provide for his family, a man who defends the country and the community,' said Dr Garner. The books often carry the message that Russia is the only country fighting for a better world, and that it is completely alone in doing so. 'The message is very clear in these books: Russia is fated to be attacked by outside powers,' explained Dr Garner. Mikhail Mikheev's White Z on the Front Armour follows this theme, with a brutal Russian agent, posing as a liberal journalist, infiltrating Ukraine after the full-scale invasion. He travels across the country, killing evil characters and delivering one-liners like, 'You wanted Crimea, pigface?' 'The underlying narrative is always that Russia as a state, as a country, has been wrong in the past, and through these heroes, we can rectify Russia's greatness and its destiny,' said Jaroslava Barbieri, a doctoral researcher into Russian foreign policy and post-Soviet affairs at the University of Birmingham. The characters in 'Z literature' are often a mirror image of iconic heroes in Western action films. Crimean Cauldron by Nikolai Marchuk reads like a fever-dream rewrite of the 1985 film Commando, where a lone Russian hero, in true Arnold Schwarzenegger style, kills the enemy by the dozen to emerge in glory. It depicts a world where everyone, including North Korea, has turned against Russia, who is fighting against Nazis in Crimea and ultimately ends the war by seizing the Capitol Building in Washington DC. In PMC Chersonesus, by Andrei Belyanin, a group of heroes join together to undertake a mission to return artefacts and museum treasures to Crimea. During the mission the trio - modelled upon the Greek gods Aphrodite, Heracles, and Dionysus - encounter evil figures and even zombie Nazis. The final mission involves stealing Scythian gold from the Netherlands, referencing real treasures awarded to Ukraine by Dutch courts and never returned to Russian-occupied Crimea. 'The most extraordinary aspect of this sub-genre of science fiction is that we have these characters that travel back in time intending to rewrite history,' said Ms Barbieri, commenting on PMC Chersonesus. 'Imagine you've read about these artefacts, and then it will pop up somewhere in the news about cultural items that they claim are Russian. 'In this is a very subversive way, the sub-genre reinforces broader propaganda, disinformation narratives that will then be amplified through the media landscape.' The books are part of a larger propaganda ecosystem that includes patriotic education, youth military clubs, and pro-war digital content, all aimed at fostering support for the war in Ukraine. Experts warned that the long-term outcome could be detrimental to ever achieving peace with Russia, as the youth is trained to see violence as the answer to conflict. 'It means that Russia can't be liberalised. It can't be democratised overnight,' said Dr Garner. Ms Barbieri added: 'Five years from now, these readers will be soldiers. The Kremlin isn't trying to appease aggression - it's cultivating it.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Russian novels brainwashing teens into enlisting
A new sinister genre of nationalistic fantasy fiction is on the rise in Russia, targeting the country's most impressionable demographic. Teenagers and young men are being pulled into patriotic fervour by 'Z literature', which delivers a simple message: enlist, fight, and glorify the Russian state. The books, a reference to the 'Z' symbol used to promote the invasion of Ukraine, have echoes of the heavy handed propaganda of the Soviet Union. 'What the state is trying to do to create a culture in which everyday life is militarised,' Dr Colin Alexander, senior lecturer in political communications at Nottingham Trent University, told The Telegraph. 'It is normalising the idea that to be a good citizen, a good patriot, a good man, you go and fight in the war, because Russia is surrounded by enemies.' Z literature books have illustrated covers showing soldiers mid-charge, framed by firestorms, tanks and Russian flags. They purport a world where Russia is surrounded by enemies, its soldiers the only hope in the face of Nazis, with tales of brotherhood and glory in death as plot lines. The books are stocked in mainstream bookstores, discussed in Russian media, appear in schools and have even been shared by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the deceased Wagner leader. 'The environment, the culture, is just suffused with this material,' said Ian Garner, assistant professor of totalitarian studies at the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw. 'Militarism becomes normalised. And for some young Russians it becomes pretty much all they ever see.' In the Soviet era, posters and busts of figures such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and heroic workers or soldiers were part of everyday life. Children were targeted with toys and figurines depicting Red Army soldiers or cosmonauts. Today, the focus is on shaping teenagers and young people with media, be it in paperback or online. According to Dr Alexander, Z literature is targeted specifically at young men and teenagers who will soon be the focus of enlistment drives to boost Russia's presence in Ukraine. He added that the content especially appeals to those who might be disenfranchised and vulnerable to ideologies that promise strength, belonging and a sense of purpose. In the novel Colonel Nobody, by Alexei Sukonkin, a down-and-out young man changes his life for the better by joining the Wagner Group upon his release from prison where he follows a redemption arc, finding a new sense of brotherhood and ultimately sacrificing his life for the cause. 'There is often a sense of brotherhood, that you can turn into a good citizen, a good patriot, a strong man, a man who can provide for his family, a man who defends the country and the community,' said Dr Garner. The books often carry the message that Russia is the only country fighting for a better world and that it is completely alone in doing so. 'The message is very clear in these books: Russia is fated to be attacked by outside powers,' said Dr Garner. Mikhail Mikheev's White Z on the Front Armour follows this theme, with a brutal Russian agent, posing as a liberal journalist, infiltrating Ukraine after the full-scale invasion. He travels across the country, killing evil characters and delivering one-liners including: 'You wanted Crimea, pigface?' 'The underlying narrative is always that Russia as a state, as a country, has been wrong in the past, and through these heroes, we can rectify Russia's greatness and its destiny,' said Jaroslava Barbieri, a doctoral researcher into Russian foreign policy and post-Soviet affairs at the University of Birmingham. The characters in are often a mirror image of iconic heroes in Western action films. Crimean Cauldron by Nikolai Marchuk reads like a fever-dream rewrite of the 1985 film Commando, where a lone Russian hero, in true Arnold Schwarzenegger style, kills the enemy by the dozen to emerge in glory. It depicts a world where everyone, including North Korea, has turned against Russia, which is fighting against Nazis in Crimea and ultimately ends the war by seizing the Capitol Building in Washington DC. In PMC Chersonesus by Andrei Belyanin, a group of heroes undertake a mission to return artefacts and museum treasures to Crimea. The trio, modelled upon Greek gods Aphrodite, Heracles, and Dionysus, encounter evil figures and even zombie Nazis. The final mission involves stealing Scythian gold from the Netherlands, referencing real treasures awarded to Ukraine by Dutch courts and never returned to Russian-occupied Crimea. 'The most extraordinary aspect of this sub-genre of science fiction is that we have these characters that travel back in time intending to rewrite history,' said Ms Barbieri, commenting on PMC Chersonesus. 'Imagine you've read about these artefacts, and then it will pop up somewhere in the news about cultural items that they claim are Russian. 'In this very subversive way, the sub-genre reinforces broader propaganda, disinformation narratives that will then be amplified through the media landscape.' The books are part of a larger propaganda ecosystem that includes patriotic education, youth military clubs and pro-war digital content, all aimed at fostering support for the war in Ukraine. Experts warned that the long-term outcome could be detrimental to ever achieving peace with Russia, as young people are trained to see violence as the answer to conflict. 'It means that Russia can't be liberalised. It can't be democratised overnight,' said Dr Garner. Ms Barbieri added: 'Five years from now, these readers will be soldiers. The Kremlin isn't trying to appease aggression – it's cultivating it.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
UK intelligence reveals that Russian General Surovikin has been found in Algeria
UK intelligence has learned that Russian General Sergei Surovikin who has not been seen in public for many months is likely in Algeria. Source: UK Defence Intelligence update dated 27 May on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: The update relays reports from the Russian media that General Surovikin was spotted in a photo from the Russian Embassy in Algeria, taken during Victory Day events on 9 May, where he appeared in the role of "head of a group of Russian military specialists". [Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 – ed.] This is one of Surovikin's first public appearances since Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed mutiny in 2023. [Prigozhin was the financier of the Wagner Private Military Company. He led a failed mutiny in June 2023, during which he accused Russia's military leadership of betraying Wagner fighters and briefly advanced towards Moscow before standing down after negotiations – ed.] Surovikin previously commanded the Russian Group of Forces in the war against Ukraine and later headed the Russian Aerospace Forces. He was known to be close to Prigozhin, notably due to involvement in operations in Syria. Quote from UK intelligence: "Reports of Surovikin's arrest and detention in relation to the June 2023 Wagner Group mutiny were not publicly confirmed. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MOD) did not officially announce Surovikin's resignation. However, in September 2023, references to him were reportedly removed from the Russian MOD's website." Details: Analysts suggest that the Kremlin has viewed Surovikin with suspicion due to his long-standing ties to the Wagner Group dating back to the Syrian campaign. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
