Deadly and disposable: Wagner’s brutal tactics in Ukraine revealed by intelligence report
Wagner Group fighters have become the disposable infantry of the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, but a Ukrainian military intelligence document obtained by CNN sets out how effective they have been around the city of Bakhmut – and how difficult they are to fight against.
Wagner is a private military contractor run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been highly visible on the frontlines in recent weeks – and always quick to claim credit for Russian advances. Wagner fighters have been heavily involved in taking Soledar, a few miles northeast of Bakhmut, and areas around the town.
The Ukrainian report – dated December 2022 – concludes that Wagner represents a unique threat at close quarters, even while suffering extraordinary casualties. “The deaths of thousands of Wagner soldiers do not matter to Russian society,” the report asserts.
Yevgeny Prigozhin: the hotdog seller who rose to the top of Putin’s war machine
After nearly a decade in prison, the Wagner group founder’s ascent was extraordinary. But where does the ceiling of his ambition lie?
by Shaun Walker and Pjotr Sauer
Tue 24 Jan 2023 14.23 GMT
At the height of Russia’s first, covert invasion of eastern Ukraine, in summer 2014, a group of senior Russian officials gathered at the defence ministry’s headquarters, an imposing Stalin-era building on the banks of the Moskva River.
They were there to meet Yevgeny Prigozhin, a middle-aged man with a shaven head and a coarse tone whom many in the room knew only as the person responsible for army catering contracts.
Now, Prigozhin had a different kind of demand. He wanted land from the defence ministry that he could use for the training of “volunteers” who would have no official links to the Russian army but could still be used to fight Russia’s wars.
Why is India arming villagers in Jammu and Kashmir?
India has revived its village defense program in Kashmir following a recent spate of deadly attacks. The decision to send weapons into the contentious region has been condemned.
Authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir are once again arming and training thousands of residents along the border region to defend themselves from attacks by "armed insurgents." But leaders in the restive region have slammed the move.
Many villagers have been equipped with automatic rifles and given defense training for "terrorist attack" scenarios, according to officials. It comes amid a recent uptick in violence against the region's Hindu minority.
The decision to revive the groups — originally set up in the 1990s — was taken by the authorities in March last year, but the training was ramped up following an attack in Dangri, a remote village in the Rajouri district in southern Jammu.
Protecting Amazon a tough task, says Brazil's environment minister
Brazil's environment minister Marina Silva knows she has her work cut out to protect the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest that is shared among nine countries.
"It will be difficult," Silva acknowledged in an interview with AFP on Monday night.
Just three weeks into the job, Silva said the environmental situation in her country, which is home to more than 60 percent of the Amazon, was "worse than expected."
When left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appointed this emblematic figure in the environment struggle to her position, he signaled that the planet was a clear priority for the new administration after four years of far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro's governance, which saw deforestation hit record levels.
Japan planning to establish zones to give vacant homes new life
Japan plans to establish zones that will simplify procedures for repurposing vacant homes into cafes and lodging facilities in an effort to utilize the growing number of uninhabited properties across the country, according to a draft bill.
According to the bill designed to revise the law on special measures for vacant houses, the government is aiming for municipalities to establish 100 such zones within five years of the law taking effect. The bill will be submitted to the current parliament session.
The changes will also simplify procedures for municipalities to demolish properties at risk of collapse, while vacant houses not adequately maintained will be made ineligible for preferential property tax treatment, encouraging owners to take prompt action.
North Korea issues 'extreme cold' weather alert
North Korean authorities have warned of extreme weather conditions in the country as a cold wave sweeps the Korean peninsula.
Temperatures are likely to dip below -30C in the northern regions, which are also the poorest part of the country, the state radio broadcaster said.
Coastal areas are also expected to see high winds, according to state media.
South Korea too has issued a cold wave warning and northern China has been experiencing record low temperatures.
Temperatures are also expected to drop to their lowest in a decade in Japan this week.
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