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<keyword id="20114810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="West-Bengal-chief-minister" source="keywords">West Bengal Chief Minister</keyword> <keyword id="19909056" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mamata-Banerjee" source="keywords">Mamata Banerjee</keyword> has written another letter to <keyword id="19898052" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister-Narendra-Modi" source="keywords">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword>, expressing concern over the lack of response to her previous communication regarding the rape and murder of a PG <keyword id="22760814" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="trainee-doctor" source="keywords">trainee doctor</keyword>. In her letter, dated August 30, Banerjee emphasised the gravity of the situation and urged for prompt central intervention, highlighting the inadequacy of the reply received from the Union Minister of <keyword id="20086338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Women-and-Child-Development" source="keywords">Women and Child Development</keyword>. The letter reads, "No reply was received from your end on such a sensitive issue. However, a reply has been received from the Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India (vide their No. 1/RESC/HMWCD/2024 dated 25th August 2024), which barely addresses the gravity of the issue raised in my letter. I am of the view that the seriousness of the subject and its relevance to society have not been adequately appreciated in this generic reply." The letter was posted on her social media handle, X. In response to Union Minister Annapurna Devi's allegations regarding the state government's failure to implement essential safety measures for women and children, including Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), CM Mamata stated that the state government has approved 10 exclusive POCSO FTSCs, while 88 FTSCs and 62 POCSO-designated Courts are functioning with complete state funding. The letter mentioned, "Moreover, I would also refer to some of the initiatives in this area that our State has already undertaken, which appear to have been overlooked in the reply. Regarding Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), 10 exclusive POCSO Courts have been approved by the State Government. In addition to this, 88 FTSCs and 62 POCSO-designated Courts are functioning throughout the State with complete State funding. Monitoring and disposal of cases are entirely in the hands of the Courts." Highlighting the issue of appointing Presiding Officers in FTSCs, she further stated that this process requires examination and action from the Government of India, which, according to her, needs PM Modi's intervention. "As per Central Government guidelines, only retired Judicial Officers can be posted as Presiding Officers in FTSCs, but the Hon'ble High Court has observed that, in view of the severity of the cases, permanent Judicial Officers need to be appointed. This requires examination at the level of the Government of India and appropriate action thereafter, for which your intervention would be necessary. Moreover, Helpline Nos. 112 and 1098 are functioning satisfactorily in the State. Additionally, Dial 100 is also extensively used in emergency situations," the letter added. Urging for central <keyword id="20082569" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="legislation" source="keywords">legislation</keyword> and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes, the West Bengal CM expressed hope for very considered attention from PM Modi. Mamata Banerjee mentioned in her letter, "I would reiterate and earnestly request that a stringent Central legislation and exemplary punishment for heinous crimes of rape/rape and murder be considered, with a mandatory provision for the disposal of cases within a specific timeframe by the trial authorities. I hope this matter would receive very considered attention at your kind end in the interest of our society at large." On August 26, Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi criticised the West Bengal government for its failure to implement essential safety measures for women and children in the state. In a letter written to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, the Union Minister stated that 123 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) were allocated to the state, but none of them are functional yet. Earlier, on August 22, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the central government to bring in central legislation and set up fast-track courts for "sensitive" issues to ensure a speedy trial. Mamata, in the letter, mentioned that such "sensitive" issues need to be addressed comprehensively through stringent central legislation prescribing exemplary punishment against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. The Bengal Chief Minister suggested the setting up of "fast-track special courts" to deal with such cases, which require a speedy trial. This development comes after the trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

"No reply received, hope this matter receives considered attention": CM Mamata writes to PM Modi again on rape-murder case

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Welcome back! Take extra care to pick the right outfit today, because it could affect your mood. It's called "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dopamine-dressing-how-to-feel-happier-with-clothes-2024-3">dopamine dressing</a>," and it's all about feeling better by wearing your favorite styles.In today's big story, we're looking at the people <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economy-stock-market-crash-inflation-debt-jobs-economic-collapse-reddit-2024-5">preparing for the collapse of the financial system</a>.What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: Why America <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-prices-inflation-sticking-interest-rate-hikes-stock-market-2024-5">can't seem to quit inflation</a>.</li><li>Tech: How Mark Zuckerberg <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-meta-turned-against-news-2024-5">turned against the news industry</a>.</li><li>Business: The man leading the fight to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mdma-therapy-maps-lykos-rick-doblin-fda-legalization-trials-2024-5">legalize MDMA therapy</a>.</li></ul>But first, it's the end of the world and they know it (and they feel fine).If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h3 id="7fa5f018-5b05-4a37-a8dc-d3f89138bcb3">The big story</h3><h2 id="5fd547b9-ec52-41fc-8e08-4f4b27dd8097">Preparing for the worst</h2><div type="image" title="first aid kit with gold around it" height="890" width="1190" msid="110090802" hostid="261" sizebytes="95882"></div>Opinions fluctuate on the economy, but one group has a decidedly strong take.In the subreddit r/economiccollapse, users are preparing for a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economy-stock-market-crash-inflation-debt-jobs-economic-collapse-reddit-2024-5">Soviet Union-type fall of the US economy</a>, writes Business Insider's Jennifer Sor. From investing in defense stocks to refusing to hold any savings in cash, the economic glass isn't half empty in the eyes of these users — it's almost dry.The movement is gaining popularity, with the subreddit's membership growing 80% from the end of 2021 to the end of 2023.Even passing interest in the potential downfall of the economy is on the rise. Searches for "stock market crash" and "economic crash" rose 17% and 15%, respectively, according to data Jennifer obtained.There's an element of alarmism here, but the general pessimism mirrors how many Americans feel about the economy.The middle class believes <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-cost-of-living-what-is-middle-class-housing-market-2024-4">the life they aspired to is no longer possible</a>. Further down the economic totem pole, ALICEs (asset limited, income constrained, employed) are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-typical-alice-middle-class-poverty-housing-food-benefits-2024-4">struggling to make ends meet</a>. Even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-retirement-of-peak-boomers-could-affect-economy-social-security-2024-4">those entering retirement</a> aren't financially prepared.<div type="image" title="stock market crash" height="644" width="1224" msid="110090804" hostid="261" sizebytes="16694"></div>Economic doomsayers do make you wonder about cracks in the economy.The housing market's sky-high mortgage rates have been a problem for a while. But now, with supply on the rise, it's sellers, not buyers, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-sellers-summer-disappointment-mortgage-rates-house-prices-real-estate-2024-5">who could be in trouble</a>. To make matters worse, more and more houses in the US are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mortgage-rates-seriously-underwater-home-prices-south-midwest-housing-market-2024-5">worth significantly less than the mortgages financing them</a>.The stock market's been relatively strong, but there are some caveats. We have to thank AI for a good chunk of that. And considering the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/generative-ai-exaggeration-openai-nvidia-microsoft-chatgpt-jobs-investors-markets-2024-3">healthy amount of exaggerating</a> companies have done to get on the AI bandwagon, it's easy to see how it could all come crashing down.Ok, but jobs are still good, right? The unemployment rate is incredibly low!Yes and no. Job growth slowed a lot in April, and it's hard for certain demographics, like high earners, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hiring-slump-professional-white-collar-jobs-recession-high-salary-2024-4">to switch jobs</a>.Well, at least interest-rate cuts will provide some relief!So… <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-will-fed-cut-interest-rates-powell-fomc-inflation-relief-2024-4">about that</a>.The number of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-economy-corporate-bankruptcies-fed-interest-rate-cuts-inflation-yields-2024-5">companies filing for bankruptcy is spiking</a>, cuts continue to get delayed. In fact, some experts speculate the economy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-outlook-fed-rate-cuts-delay-crash-economy-inflation-2024-5">will need to crash</a> before cuts come.<h3 id="77f31a4c-8462-4e3d-a71f-838cb79493fb">News Brief</h3><h2 id="1fcd294b-3f53-425f-9f20-4093e8623b59">Your Monday headline catchup</h2>A quick recap of the top news from over the weekend:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-multitasking-defense-hush-money-trial-falls-apart-book-checks-2024-5">Trump's 'multi-tasking' defense is falling apart in court</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraines-international-legion-is-still-fighting-but-not-many-left-2024-5">Ukraine was a magnet for foreign fighters. After 2 bruising years, many are disillusioned or dead</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-replaces-defense-minister-with-an-economist-2024-5">Putin axes defense minister, replaces him with an economist</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doctor-who-ncuti-gatwa-responds-fans-boycotting-new-episodes-diversity-2024-5">Ncuti Gatwa says he feels 'sad' for those tuning out of the new season of 'Doctor Who' because of its push for diversity</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="8120060b-ae66-48dc-b149-f0489a30ffa2">3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="dollar sign american flag" height="1000" width="2000" msid="110090805" hostid="261" sizebytes="202192"></div><ol><li>Yes, inflation is back. But there's still a path toward "economic nirvana." Neil Dutta, head of economics at Renaissance Macro Research, argues concerns over inflation are overdone. In fact, his reading of the data is that a soft landing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-prices-inflation-sticking-interest-rate-hikes-stock-market-2024-5">is still in the cards</a>.</li><li>An investing legend dies. Billionaire hedge fund manager Jim Simons <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jim-simons-dead-obituary-founder-renaissance-technologies-hedge-fund-2024-5">died Friday at the age of 86</a>. Renaissance Technologies, the fund he founded in 1982, is one of the most successful hedge funds in history with 66% in annualized returns (before fees) over a 30-year period.</li><li>The US-China rivalry could be a game changer for Big Tech. Sources told BI that <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/us-china-relations-tech-stocks-earnings-magnificent-7-chips-ai-2024-5">mega-cap earnings growth will likely come under pressure</a> from tensions between Washington and Beijing. Apple and Tesla are among the firms that could be particularly vulnerable.</li></ol><h2 id="f4b54806-7f81-450c-ba32-92560d4fae9b">3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="How Mark Zuckerberg turned against the news." height="1500" width="2000" msid="110090807" hostid="261" sizebytes="487594"></div><ol><li>How Mark Zuckerberg turned against the news. After the 2016 election, Zuckerberg held regular discussions about how to make news on Facebook more trustworthy and reliable. There was talk of buying a news outlet, or Facebook starting its own. But <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-meta-turned-against-news-2024-5">the CEO has since turned on the industry</a> — thanks in part to cost, personal animosities, and Rupert Murdoch, insiders say.</li><li>A new crop of startups wants you to make friends — IRL. In an attempt to solve Gen Z and millennial loneliness, a new wave of companies is trying to help people make friends the old-fashioned way: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/irl-social-startups-combat-loneliness-among-millennials-gen-z-2024-5">through in-person events and meetups</a>.</li><li>OpenAI is teasing something big. CEO Sam Altman promised last week that<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-gpt-4-update-monday-feels-like-magic-sam-altman-2024-5"> the ChatGPT developer will announce "new stuff" that "feels like magic"</a> today. He shot down rumors that OpenAI is poised to release a search engine of its own, but didn't deny that the company is working on a search product.</li></ol><h2 id="9260fa45-d397-4b3c-b4f8-4bb193976216">3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="card machine gif" height="900" width="1200" msid="110090809" hostid="261" sizebytes="50968"></div><ol><li>Credit cards are getting smarter. Credit-card fraud protection is still far from perfect, but banks are getting much better at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/credit-card-travel-alert-fraud-detection-american-express-visa-chase-2024-5">discerning which payments are fraudulent and which are legit</a>. That's thanks to the astounding amount of data companies have collected on their customers.</li><li>One man's mission to legalize MDMA. For decades, Rick Doblin and MAPS, the nonprofit he founded, have been pushing to legalize medical MDMA. Now, the FDA could issue its approval as soon as this summer. However, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mdma-therapy-maps-lykos-rick-doblin-fda-legalization-trials-2024-5">insiders have begun voicing concerns</a> about possible ethical lapses in clinical trials and questioning whether MAPS can effectively lead the movement into the future.</li><li>These people beat the millennial odds. The unique economic circumstances of the past few years have helped some members of the generation to surge ahead financially. Millennials that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-investments-stocks-millennial-wealth-doubled-in-pandemic-economy-2024-5">managed to buy real estate before the start of the pandemic</a> have tended to be the big winners.</li></ol><h2 id="1ad7b482-3f4b-44b4-81b6-a864aa386478">In other news</h2><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/racism-alleged-at-multiple-globe-life-affiliates-2024-5">Senior managers at Globe Life division traded racist memes</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-nfl-christmas-games-2024-5/">Netflix said it didn't want to be in sports. Now it could be streaming two NFL games on Christmas</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-voter-proved-my-pillow-mike-lindell-wrong-election-hacking-2024-5">A Trump voter proved Mike Lindell wrong. Now he wants his $5 million</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-5-dollar-meal-promotion-inflation-cheaper-burger-chicken-fries-2024-5">The $5 McDonald's meal may be making a grand comeback</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="9f5d80ac-3466-429f-a50a-2ffbb70c65ff">What's happening today</h2><ul><li>Today's earnings: BuzzFeed and other <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">companies are reporting</a>.</li><li>FOX will host its annual upfront presentation, unveiling its 2024-25 program lineup.</li></ul>The Insider Today team: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-defrancesco">Dan DeFrancesco</a>, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/jordan-parker-erb">Jordan Parker Erb</a>, editor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/hallam-bullock">Hallam Bullock</a>, senior editor, in London. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/george-glover">George Glover</a>, reporter, in London. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/grace-lett">Grace Lett</a>, associate editor, in Chicago.

Meet the group preparing for a Soviet Union-type collapse of the US economy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The EU will "probably" let <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> join "in a few years," a French minister reportedly said. </li><li>That dashes Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's hopes of his country's swift entry into the pact. </li></ul>The <keyword id="11907394" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="european-union" source="Orion">European Union</keyword> will "probably" let Ukraine join the 27-nation bloc "in a few years," France's European affairs minister said on Thursday, dashing Ukrainian President <keyword id="9393544" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="volodymyr-zelenskyy" source="Orion">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</keyword>'s hopes of his country's swift entry into the pact. "It is my deep conviction that there will be a European Union which will be in a few years, I don't know when, in a few years, probably extended to Ukraine, to Moldova, to Georgia, perhaps to other countries," French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune told radio channel France Inter, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-10-22/h_a660a41ef2587709d45547afdb61c1cb">according to CNN</a>. Beaune added that the EU granting Ukraine membership into the bloc is "is not for tomorrow."The European affairs minister made the comments ahead of a meeting of EU leaders taking place Thursday and Friday in Versailles, France, CNN reported. Zelenskyy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zelensky-officially-applied-for-ukraine-to-join-european-union-2022-2">officially applied</a> to have Ukraine join the EU last month just days after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/live-updates-russia-ukraine-crisis-2022-2">Russian President Vladimir Putin launched Russia's war</a> with the eastern European country. The Ukrainian president has urged the EU to give his country "immediate" membership into the pact amid the Russian invasion that has already left hundreds of Ukrainian civilians, including children, dead. "These days, the EU leaders will convene to discuss <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword>'s war against Ukraine. To discuss our application for EU membership," Zelenskyy said in a video message on Thursday. "We are waiting for a concrete signal. We look forward to strong support. Because it will be fair, real, human, European."Last month, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/european-commission-president-says-eu-wants-ukraine-to-join-2022-2">said the EU wants Ukraine as a member</a>. "Indeed over time, they belong to us," von der Leyen <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2022/02/27/ukraine-is-one-of-us-and-we-want-them-in-eu-ursula-von-der-leyen-tells-euronews">told Euronews</a>. "They are one of us and we want them in."The outlet reported that von der Leyen did not specify whether the process for Ukraine to join would be as quick as Zelenskyy has hoped.The process of joining the EU typically takes years, and accession requires unanimous support from current member states.

French minister says the EU will 'probably' let Ukraine join the pact 'in a few years'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is presumed dead after his plane crashed on Wednesday.</li><li>His apparent death comes two months after he staged a failed mutiny against the Russian military.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-yevgeny-prigozhin-russian-tycoon-and-vladimir-putin-confidant-2022-10">Yevgeny Prigozhin</a>, the bombastic Wagner Group leader who led a short-lived uprising against Russia's defense ministry earlier this summer, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wagner-group-yevgeny-prigozhin-russian-plane-crash-state-media-2023-8">is presumed dead after his business jet went down in a fiery crash</a> outside of Moscow on Wednesday.It was not immediately clear if Prigozhin was on the downed plane, though his name was on the flight manifest. <a target="_blank" href="https://tass.com/emergencies/1664395">Russian state media outlet TASS</a> later appeared to confirm that Prigozhin and his second-in-command Dmitry Utkin, were among those dead, citing the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency.Wagner-affiliated social media said Prigozhin was killed in the crash, blaming "traitors of Russia." The Russian defense ministry did not immediately comment on the matter.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-breaks-silence-prigozhin-plane-crash-2023-8">Russian President Vladimir Putin</a> on Thursday broke his silence on the suspected death of Prigozhin, his former ally. "I've known Prigozhin for a long time, since the early '90s. He was a man of complicated fate and he made serious mistakes in his life," Putin said, adding Prigozhin was "a talented man, a talented businessman."Even as the immediate chaos of the situation dissipates and official statements are issued, few are likely to ever learn the full scope of the saga due to Russia's winding web of propaganda.There is a chance this was an accident: but a warlord going rogue, stabbing his political benefactor in the back, so to speak, and then apparently dying in a freak plane crash seems like a bit of a stretch compared to some other alternatives.Here are three possible explanations experts have put forward on what could have happened to Prigozhin based on what we know so far.<h2>Scenario 1: Putin ordered Prigozhin's death</h2>An assassination ordered by Putin represents the "best explanation" for Wednesday's catastrophic plane crash, Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, told Insider.Putin, a notoriously unforgiving leader, had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/08/23/yevgeny-prigozhin-death-crash-accident-putin-security/">plenty of reasons</a> to want Prigozhin dead after the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-could-happen-to-wagner-after-failed-rebellion-experts-2023-6">mercenary leader led a mutiny against Russia's defense ministry</a> in June seeking to oust top-level officials after he spent months publicly criticizing the Russian military's strategy in Ukraine. The uprising was short-lived but nonetheless represented the most prominent threat to Putin's regime in decades."It's no surprise that Putin would take his revenge," Robert English, a professor at the University of Southern California who studies Russia, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe, told Insider. "In fact, we Putin-watchers have been expecting it, and today it happened — on exactly the two-month anniversary of the Wagner mutiny."In the months since the mutiny, international officials and <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AricToler/status/1694395584902217766">academic experts</a> alike have been predicting Prigozhin's death. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cia-director-predicted-putin-revenge-yevgeny-prigozhin-2023-8">CIA Director Bill Burns suggested just last month that Prigozhin was living on borrowed time</a>.<div type="image" title="Putin and Prigozhin" height="3510" width="5000" msid="103000663" hostid="261"></div>"Putin is someone who generally thinks that revenge is a dish best served cold," Burns said at an annual security forum in Aspen. "In my experience, Putin is the ultimate apostle of payback so I would be surprised if Prigozhin escapes further retribution for this."A seemingly uneasy truce emerged between Putin and Prigozhin after the uprising. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wagner-leader-prigozhin-exiled-to-belarus-after-putin-rebellion-2023-6">Prigozhin was apparently exiled to Belarus</a> for his role in the attempted rebellion, but seemed to spend much of the last two months traveling between St. Petersburg and Moscow, and even appeared to take a trip to Africa to visit his Wagner troops, Miles said.Soon after the exile agreement was made public, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed he was the one who stopped Putin from "wiping out" Prigozhin immediately after the uprising, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lukashenko-says-putin-wanted-wipe-out-prigozhin-during-mutiny-attempt-2023-06-28/">Reuters reported</a>, indicating Putin's desire for blood may have been brewing for months.In the aftermath of the plane crash, an <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/juliaioffe/status/1694422276895101125">undated interview clip of Putin circulated on social media</a> highlighting the president's distaste for disloyalty such as Prigozhin's revolt, which Putin expressly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-calls-armed-rebellion-by-wagner-mercenary-group-a-betrayal-and-vows-to-defend-russia/">called </a>a "betrayal.""Does one need to be able to forgive?" the interviewer asks Putin."Yes, but not everything," the president replies."What can't be forgiven?""Betrayal," Putin says without hesitation.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/list-of-people-putin-is-suspected-of-assassinating-2016-3">The Russian president has a long history of making his enemies "disappear."</a> At least 14 individuals linked to Putin's government have died under violent or mysterious circumstances since he took the presidency.Following the Wednesday plane crash, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-one-surprised-yevgeny-prigozhin-died-russia-plane-crash-us-2023-8">US President Joe Biden</a> suggested Putin could be behind the crash in comments to reporters."I'd be careful what I rode in," he said. "There is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind."Former MI6 leader, Sir John Sawers, appeared to agree with Biden, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-66599774">telling BBC Radio 4's Today program on Thursday</a>: "You can never fully be certain of the facts in places like Russia but all the indications point to the fact that Putin has taken him out — he's reasserted his control."Sawers also said it was possible the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prigozhin-plane-may-have-been-downed-device-former-mi6-boss-2023-8">jet was brought down by a "device" on board</a>.Even Kremlin insiders <a target="_blank" href="https://meduza.io/feature/2023/08/23/bylo-oschuschenie-chto-posle-bunta-on-ploho-zakonchit-takogo-ne-proschayut">told Russian independent media outlet Meduza</a> that they weren't surprised when they saw news of the crash. "There was a feeling that he would end up badly after the mutiny," one unnamed source told Meduza. "Such things are not forgiven in the Kremlin."<h2>Scenario 2: Someone else ordered Prigozhin's assassination</h2>Up until his ill-fated uprising, Prigozhin remained a close ally of Putin. The mercenary leader's grievances were exclusively directed at the Russian defense ministry — not the president himself.It is not "inconceivable" that people within the military who were on the receiving end of Prigozhin's abuse could have taken action against the Wagner leader without Putin's approval, Miles told Insider.British intelligence sources <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-66599774">told the BBC</a> on Thursday that Prigozhin's plane was most likely brought down by Russia's FSB domestic intel agency, in a move to strengthen the position of Russia's military leaders: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, whom Prigozhin publicly criticized."It's very hard at this early stage to put together an explanation for what we've seen that does not involve some state assets being used to knock this plane out of the sky," Miles said. It's unclear at this point what specifically caused the plane to crash, though some Wagner-affiliated social media channels suggested it was shot down.It's the military that has access to such capabilities, he said, adding that the level of command needed to launch such an attack within the Russian military is "very low."<div type="image" title="Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin." height="1440" width="2560" msid="103000664" hostid="261"></div>This possibility could also account for Prigozhin's two months of seeming freedom following the rebellion, Miles said.Why allow Prigozhin to live for weeks, flaunting his apparent immunity, if there were top-level plans to kill him, Miles posited. An immediate strike against Prigozhin would have sent a louder message and illustrated the immediate consequences awaiting traitors."He was running around basically unmolested since the coup attempt," Miles said of Prigozhin. It's possible members of the defense sector found that reality unacceptable, especially after members of the Russian armed forces were <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shocking-images-wrecked-russia-plane-shot-wagner-revolt-2023-6">killed</a> in his mutiny, and "decided to take matters into their own hands."There is substantial evidence of dysfunction within the Russian government. Russia this week, for instance, fired Gen. Sergei Surovikin weeks after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/27/us/politics/russian-general-prigozhin-rebellion.html">The New York Times</a> reported he had advance knowledge of Prigozhin's mutinous plans, posing questions of whether the mercenary leader had help from within the military.English, however, rejected the idea that someone within Putin's military would act without the president's explicit permission. But in ruling out a Russian defense perpetrator, English raised another potential culprit."Who else might want Prigozhin dead and have the capability to carry it out? Of course, the Ukrainians!" he told Insider.Both English and Miles noted the "unnecessarily dramatic" and "aggressively public" manner of the plane crash — a stark departure from the mysterious deaths of other Putin foes from poison and falls out of windows."If so, it's a stroke of genius," English said of Ukraine's possible role in the incident. "Dramatically assassinate the killer of many Ukrainians. Pull off another brilliant strike inside Russia. Humiliate Putin. And all on the eve of Ukraine's independence day."<h2>Scenario 3: Prigozhin is not dead</h2>The most conspiracy theory-driven possibility of all is that the mercenary leader is not dead, and yet a Prigozhin fake death plot cannot be entirely ruled out, given the Wagner leader's affinity for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kremlin-photos-appear-to-show-wagners-prigozhin-in-bizarre-disguises-2023-7">disguises</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prigozhin-possibly-used-body-double-russia-whole-time-us-official-2023-7">doubles</a> coupled with Russia's less-than-trustworthy media landscape.Matthew Schmidt, an associate professor of national security and international affairs at the University of New Haven, said in comments shared with Insider that it is "prudent to be skeptical" of Russian government updates on the situation given "how Byzantine Russian politics is.""People I know seriously argue it might not be the real Prigozhin," Schmidt said.In the early hours following the plane crash, some on social media considered the possibility that Prigozhin had somehow faked his death, perhaps sending a double in his place.Even Kremlin officials have their doubts. Some of them told the Russian independent news outlet Meduza that they are waiting for more information before ruling out this theory because Prigozhin is a known "trickster" and "troll."A Pentagon official told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/07/06/world/russia-ukraine-news?smid=url-share#prigozhin-is-in-russia-lukashenko-says-in-contrast-with-his-earlier-claims">The New York Times</a> in July that Prigozhin was known to have used body doubles in the past, and photos of Prigozhin donning bizarre disguises were circulated by pro-Kremlin Telegram channels following his failed mutiny.But the likelihood that Prigozhin managed to escape death seems to have lessened in the hours since the crash as more information becomes available and people turn to the most probable perpetrator: Putin.Sawers, the former MI6 boss, told the BBC on Thursday: "All the indications point to the fact that Putin has taken him out, he has reasserted his control, he is making clear to everyone both inside Russia and outside he is not going to brook any challenge.""So if there is a slim chance that he is not dead, that he wasn't on that plane, he will be soon."August 24, 2023: This story has been updated with additional comments from Putin and other government officials.

Did Putin kill Prigozhin? It's one of 3 possible explanations Russia watchers came up with for the deadly plane crash

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11909347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="putin" source="Orion">Putin</keyword>'s two adult daughters have been sanctioned by the European Union.</li><li>Maria Vorontsova and Ekaterina Tikhonova had previously been sanctioned by the US.</li></ul>The European Union announced a sweeping fifth round of <keyword id="12754126" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sanctions" source="Orion">sanctions</keyword> on Friday, targeting the two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and hundreds of others. Putin's daughters Maria Vorontsova, a medical researcher, and Ekaterina Tikhonova, a gymnast, were named by the EU in the latest round of sanctions."We are not targeting ordinary Russian people," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell <a href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/04/08/fifth-package-of-sanctions-in-view-of-russia-s-military-aggression-against-ukraine-eu-adopts-restrictive-measures-against-an-additional-218-individuals-and-18-entities/">said in a statement</a>. "We are targeting the Kremlin, the political and economic elites supporting Putin's war in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword>."He added: "The aim of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhuman, and aggressive behavior of the Russian troops and make clear to the decision makers in the Kremlin that their illegal aggression comes at a heavy cost."The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-daughters-due-us-eu-sanctions-ukraine-wsj-2022-4">US had slapped sanctions on Putin's adult daughters</a> on Wednesday."These individuals have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people," the White House said in a press release. "Some of them are responsible for providing the support necessary to underpin Putin's war on Ukraine.""This action cuts them off from the US financial system and freezes any assets they hold in the United States."The latest penalties come after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/in-bucha-ukraine-more-bodies-were-pulled-from-a-mass-grave-2022-4">hundreds of civilians</a> were found dead last weekend in Bucha after Ukrainian forces captured the city from retreating Russian troops who had occupied it for weeks. On Friday, Putin's forces attacked a train station in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 50 fleeing civilians and wounding dozens of others.Two hundred and seventeen other individuals were also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-are-sanctions-russia-ukraine-invasion-us-eu-uk-nato-2022-3">sanctioned</a> by the EU, including Russian oligarchs, high-ranking Kremlin officials, prominent businesspeople, and proponents of Russian propaganda. Four major Russian banks and companies that provide defense technology to Russian forces were also hit with sanctions.The US and its allies have been sanctioning <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword> — from restricting <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> travel to seizing superyachts belonging to Russian oligarchs — in a bid to cripple the country's economy in the wake of its invasion in Ukraine in late February.Despite the waves of widespread Western sanctions, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-pm-sanctions-storm-didnt-cripple-economy-despite-inflation-2022-4">Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin</a> said Russia's financial system has "withstood" the "sanctions storm," according to a translation by <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/russia-ukraine-war-live-updates-ukrainian-foreign-minister-joins-nato-rcna23357">NBC News</a>."Unfriendly countries have not come up with anything better than to return to the typical pirate practice," the Russian prime minister said. "By freezing assets, they actually robbed the country."

European Union slaps sanctions on Putin's two adult daughters

<ul><li>Union Minister <keyword id="26680" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nitin-gadkari">Nitin Gadkari</keyword> on Monday said "dead assets" who neither take decisions nor allow others to work, will be shown the exit door and red-tapism will not be tolerated.</li><li>Those officials who compromised on road safety by not taking timely decisions or are accountable for faulty DPRs (detailed project report) or road engineering will have to face stringent actions. </li><li> India topped the list of accidents globally with 65% of victims falling in the age range of 18-35 years.</li></ul>In a clear warning to "non-performing" officials in the ministry, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said "dead assets" who neither take decisions nor allow others to work, will be shown the exit door and red-tapism will not be tolerated.
 Addressing the 'Road Safety Stake-holders Meet,' Road Transport and Highways Minister made it clear that "there is a limit to testing one's patience" and those officials who compromised on road safety by not taking timely decisions or are accountable for faulty DPRs (detailed project report) or road engineering will have to face stringent actions.
 India is a country where more people die on roads than in militancy or extremism related incidents, he said and termed the scenario as "unfortunate and painful".
 The minister further noted that notwithstanding the the massive efforts to curb accidents there has been an increase in this space and India topped the list globally with 65 per cent of victims falling in the age range of 18-35 years.
 "Those non-productive, non-performing, dead assets in the Government ... should be shown the exit door. There should not be any hesitation. They lack sensitivity, they lack decision making, they make wrong DPRs and sit on the file for years. They neither take decisions nor allow others to take decisions. ... There is a limit to testing one's patience," Gadkari said.
 The Minister said: "We can not allow this to function. The government needs to take instant decisions. Those who do not work, those who do not take decisions and those who are involved in red-tapism... will be shown the exit."
 He said huge work has been done for building roads and adding highways but now was the time to weed out unproductive people from the system as was stressed by Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>. "We will touch 30 km a day road building this year. The Prime Minister asked what steps have been taken against those who do not work. How many of such people were given retirement. I have asked my Secretary about how many people were shown the doors for not working," the minister said.
 Reiterating government's commitment to road safety, the minister said 22 driving centres have been opened and another 1,000 are on the anvil as there is a shortage of 22 lakh drivers.
 He said massive work was being done on accidents spots with Rs 7,000 crore assistance from the World Bank, Rs 7,000 crore from ADB and urged automobile manufacturers also to come forward in this direction.
 He also called upon teachers to join the crusade for imparting education among students on road safety.
 The Minister urged states to follow the example of Tamil Nadu which has reduced its accidents by 24.4 per cent in the last 2-3 years on the back of various initiatives.
 He said that Tata Trust NGO has proposed helicopter services at high accident spots and organ donation could be promoted in those cases where victims can not be saved.
 Defence Minister <keyword id="6355121" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnath-Singh">Rajnath Singh</keyword> said it was a matter of concern as to why road safety was lagging behind and wondered why Indians "who could know the way of reaching to the Moon or Mars, failed to learn the ways of safety in reaching homes and offices." He urged the youth to use social media platforms like Whatsapp, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for creating awareness among masses.
 Crediting Gadkari for massive works in this direction he reiterated Gadkari's words to imbibe sensitivity and said it was shocking to come across incidents where people instead of saving victims had been found making videos.
 He stressed the need to fight "terrorists" within oneself to tackle <keyword id="84827" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Road-rage">road rage</keyword> issues and safe driving. NAM DRR

Transport minister Gadkari says that officials who are 'dead assets' will be shown the door

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dutch-owned supertrawler FV Margiris deposited 100,000 <keyword id="13116974" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dead-fish" source="Orion">dead fish</keyword> off the French coast on Thursday.</li><li>Images of the incident show a carpet of dead blue whiting in the Atlantic Ocean.</li></ul><keyword id="11964539" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="france" source="Orion">France</keyword> and the European Commission have launched inquiries into how a Dutch-owned supertrawler deposited more than 100,000 dead fish in the Atlantic Ocean off the French coast on Thursday.The FV Margiris, the second-biggest <keyword id="6360728" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fishing" source="Orion">fishing</keyword> vessel in the world, deposited the fish carcasses in the Bay of Biscay early on Thursday morning.Images of the spill show a carpet of dead blue whiting, a sub-species of cod used to mass-produce fish fingers, covering a surface area of over 32,000 square feet, said conservation group Sea Shepherd France, per <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/05/france-dead-fish-margiris-spill-sea-shepherd/">The Washington Post.</a>The French minister for <keyword id="12765617" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fisheries" source="Orion">fisheries</keyword> and maritime issues, Annick Girardin, called the images <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnickGirardin/status/1489284024795377675?s=20&amp;t=pBxbaBlKDztq6-PNq5JXig">"shocking."</a>In <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnickGirardin/status/1489284024795377675?s=20&amp;t=pBxbaBlKDztq6-PNq5JXig">a tweet</a> posted on Thursday, the minister said she had ordered France's national fishing surveillance authority to begin an inquiry."France defends sustainable fishing and this isn't reflected here," the tweet continued. "If an infraction were to be proven, sanctions would be taken against the responsible shipowner who will be identified."The EU Commissioner for <keyword id="11901561" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="environment" source="Orion">Environment</keyword>, Oceans, and Fisheries said on Twitter that the EU Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, is also launching an inquiry.The fishing industry group PFA, which represents the trawler's owner, is attributing the spill to a rupture in the supertrawler's net, according to a statement."This is a very rare occurrence," the PFA added.But Sea Shepherd France, which shared the initial images of the spill, has accused the vessel of depositing the fish intentionally and illegally, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anger-as-supertrawler-fv-margiris-deposits-100-000-dead-fish-off-french-coast-jzzx0jjjg">The Times reported.</a>The group said it believes the vessel orchestrated the spill as it wanted to dump a type of fish it did not want to process — a practice banned under European Union fishing rules.Trawlers like the Margiris typically use giant drag nets to catch fish and then process them on-board. Environmentalists are critical of the practice as they say it depletes fish stocks and damages marine life, according to The Washington Post.Lamya Essemlali, the chairperson of Sea Shepherds France, told <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/super-trawler-spills-100000-dead-fish-off-french-coast-triggering-inquiry-12533274">Sky News:</a> "It has an impact on the fish population itself but also it has an impact on the predators, like dolphins, because the fish that these super trawlers are fishing are the main preys of dolphins and sharks. And basically, we are driving dolphins to starvation."The Margiris,owned by the Dutch company Parleviliet &amp; Van der Plas and sails under the flag of Lithuania, was forced to leave Australian waters in 2012 after environmentalists protested.

Images show 100,000 dead fish carpeting the Atlantic Ocean after a super trawler says it 'ruptured' its giant dragnet

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is believed to have died in a plane crash on August 23. </li><li>Without Prigozhin, Wagner's key operations, finances, and future are unclear, experts told Insider.</li></ul>With the group's top boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, presumed dead in a plane crash, Russia's mercenary Wagner forces are facing an unprecedented period of uncertainty — moreso than after a failed mutiny against Russian military leadership in June severely weakened the group. But while it's too early to tell what exactly the future holds for Wagner, it's unlikely that the group — including its murky power structure, operations across African countries, and complex finances — will completely collapse into chaos without Prigozhin at the helm."This does not mean Wagner has been decapitated," assistant professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations Simon Miles told Insider. It's likely not "a chicken with its head cut off," Miles said because Wagner's local operations "are still in play." On Wednesday, Russian state-run news agency <a href="https://tass.com/emergencies/1664311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TASS reported</a> that Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a business jet that went down in the Tver region just outside of Moscow. All 10 people, which appears to include Prigozhin and his associate Dmitry Utkin, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wagner-group-yevgeny-prigozhin-russian-plane-crash-state-media-2023-8">were killed</a>. While the cause of the crash is unclear, even baffling US intelligence, and confirmation of Prigozhin and Utkin's deaths is still murky at best, the news shocked Wagner-affiliated social media channels and raised plenty of questions about the future of the group.It's the latest drop of chaos in what has already been a rather tumultuous time for Wagner.Just two months ago, Prigozhin and his forces <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/images-wagner-troops-descend-rostov-don-apparent-armed-rebellion-2023-6">invaded Russia</a> with intentions of overthrowing the military leadership, namely Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defense Valery Gerasimov, both of whom Prigozhin had long been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-military-trying-to-take-control-of-wagner-mercenary-group-2023-6">feuding with</a> over Russian military failures and inadequate supply and ammunition support for Wagner troops in the war in Ukraine, especially as Wagner paid in blood as a front-line assault force during the battle of Bakhmut.During the armed rebellion, which came as a shocking escalation, Wagner captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and nearly marched on Moscow, but Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stepped in and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lukashenko-humiliating-putin-brags-stopped-wagner-group-armed-rebellion-experts-2023-6">brokered a uneasy truce</a> between the mercenary group and the Kremlin.The negotiations resulted in Prigozhin calling off his short-lived mutiny and being cast into exile in Belarus, though the details were always a little unclear. His mercenaries were given the choice to join the ranks of the Russian military, leave for civilian life, or join Prigozhin in Belarus. Many chose the latter. Since then, Prigozhin has been spotted in Russia a few times, including at a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yevgeny-prigozhin-spotted-summit-russia-wagner-group-2023-7">critical Russia summit</a> with African leaders, and seen in photos and videos at the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-image-prigozhin-wagner-group-boss-maybe-at-belarus-camp-2023-7">new Wagner camp</a> in Belarus, where his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wagner-mercenaries-train-belarus-troops-russia-putin-grip-power-slipping-2023-8">fighters were training</a> Belarusian soldiers. In a video shared online in July, Prigozhin said Wagner forces would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prigozhin-resurfaces-in-belarus-addresses-wagner-fighters-at-camp-2023-7">remain in Belarus</a> for some time before heading to Africa, joining their local operations in several countries there.Some of those mercenary networks have been involved in government combat operations and training programs aimed at defeating rebel groups, as well as disinformation campaigns in the region. Wagner forces in Africa have been accused of committing human rights violations and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wagner-russian-mercenaries-linked-to-killings-of-african-civilians-2022-9">atrocities</a>. <div type="image" title="Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin." height="1440" width="2560" msid="103034904" hostid="261"></div>With Prigozhin's apparent death in Wednesday's plane crash, the fate of Wagner's vast networks in <a href="https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/what-russias-wagner-group-doing-africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Africa</a> and Latin America, as well who will take control of the group's operations and finances, remain the big questions.Ultimately, it's unlikely "Russia would abandon its PMC [private military company] model altogether given that it provides significant benefits at relatively low financial or political cost," Associate Director and Associate Fellow with the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Catrina Doxsee, <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-does-death-yevgeny-prigozhin-mean-russia-and-wagner-group">wrote in a blog</a> shortly after Prigozhin's plane crash.When Wagner was founded in 2014 during Russia's annexation of Crimea and began operating as a sort of state proxy in Ukraine, Syria, and Libya, it gave Russia a way to increase its influence abroad while maintaining plausible deniability and limited accountability for the group's actions. Since then, its personnel and operations have only expanded, and Wagner has gained political capital, actual capital, and broader influence in certain areas and with certain governments, which favors Russia's geopolitical ambitions. Moscow has looked at expanding its PMC network, but none have the footprint that Wagner does. And "without a clear successor organization, Moscow is unlikely to dismantle Wagner's operational infrastructure in host countries, as it would be difficult to rebuild the same relationships, knowledge, and systems that Wagner personnel have established over the years," Doxsee added. There's also evidence that Wagner's reach in some countries such as Mali has grown since its June mutiny, suggesting the group's influence is not only still intact, but potentially growing. Miles told Insider the networks appear to be "pretty siloed," meaning that Prigozhin's absence wouldn't majorly impact their activities. "A lot of the key decisions still ran through him and his immediate group, but Prigozhin was not an operational commander."In other words, "he was good at holding a gun and screaming curse words into the TV camera, but not so much at actually leading men in combat. That was something that other people did," he added. But the impact of losing both Prigozhin and Utkin still majorly impacts the group in a larger context, namely their brand and power. "Prigozhin and Utkin were undeniably the faces of Wagner, and their assassinations will have dramatic impacts on Wagner's command structure and the Wagner brand," said Institute for the Study of War Russian analyst Kateryna Stepanenko."But it is too early to tell how this will materialize," she added. "Wagner commanders and fighters may begin to fear for their lives or become demoralized. The Russian MoD's [Ministry of Defense] and Kremlin's inroads into Wagner's operations and the absence of Prigozhin — who would fight for new opportunities for Wagner personnel — may further lead to the degradation of the Wagner grouping." <div type="image" title="A mural depicting Russia's Wagner Group that reads: &quot;Wagner Group - Russian knights.&quot;" height="978" width="1500" msid="103034906" hostid="261"></div>While time will shed light on the impact of what Prigozhin's absence may mean, there's a good chance that Wagner will continue to exist — just with a rebranding of sorts."Instead of a dissolution or replacement of Wagner, Russia is likely to install new Wagner leadership — with stronger loyalty to the Kremlin and kept under tighter supervision than Prigozhin — while maintaining as much continuity as possible at the operational level," Doxsee wrote. That Russian-installed leadership makes sense given a lack of a clear successor to either Prigozhin or Utkin. As of this time, no Wagner commander has released a statement regarding Prigozhin's death or the future of the group, likely indicating there's little to speculate about a potential power structure. Perhaps a reformed Wagner will be an example of Russia tightening the leash, which began happening before Prigozhin's presumed death. In August, ISW <a href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-14-2023">noted</a> reports on efforts from the Russian Ministry of Defense to form new private military companies beyond Wagner and recruit Wagner personnel for those groups. But if Russia does intend to keep a closer eye on Wagner, it could have consequences, Miles told Insider. "I would imagine what you would see is at least an attempt by the Kremlin to exercise more central government control over those forces," he said, "but the utility of Wagner was always plausible deniability, so if that is what they do, they erode that."

A deadly plane crash appears to have killed Wagner's top boss, but even without Prigozhin, the group likely isn't a 'chicken with its head cut off,' expert says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In March, <keyword id="11906679" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vietnam" source="Orion">Vietnam</keyword>'s government commemorated a deadly 1988 clash with <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> in the <keyword id="12063094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-china-sea" source="Orion">South China Sea</keyword>.</li><li>The ceremony was a rare one, as Hanoi has long avoided public discussion the battle with its larger neighbor.</li></ul>In March, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh <a href="https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/battle-anniversary-03142022161026.html" target="_top">paid homage</a> to several dozen Vietnamese sailors and marines who were killed in a <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/learning-from-the-battle-of-the-spratly-islands/" target="_top">battle with Chinese naval forces</a> at <keyword id="14020847" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="johnson-south-reef" source="Orion">Johnson South Reef</keyword> in 1988.In <a href="https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnam-pm-pays-tribute-to-soldiers-who-died-defending-spratly-reefs-4438040.html" target="_top">a ceremony</a> at a memorial to the battle in Khanh Hoa province, Chinh laid a wreath, burned incense, and wrote a tribute to those killed in the fighting. The ceremony was accompanied by a front-page editorial in Nhân Dân, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam.The actions may seem unremarkable, but they were actually unprecedented.Vietnam has long avoided officially discussing or commemorating the battle, which was a stinging defeat and remains a source of anti-Chinese sentiment. In previous years, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/vietnamese-activists-remember-1988-spratly-islands-clash-with-china/a-19114754" target="_top">citizen-organized</a> memorial events and demonstrations marking the battle have even been <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/vietnamese-police-harass-detain-citizens-at-ceremony-observing-south-china-sea-skirmish-03102017151625.html" target="_top">suppressed</a> by Vietnamese authorities.The official reticence stems largely from a desire to keep that anti-Chinese sentiment from growing and to avoid antagonizing Beijing, which is Vietnam's largest trading partner.But the high-profile commemoration this year, along with Vietnam's recent actions in the South China Sea and its own military investment plans, may be a message from Hanoi to its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-military-is-improving-but-us-has-more-combat-experience-2020-7" target="_top">larger, better-armed neighbor</a>.<h2>A complicated history and long-standing dispute</h2><div type="image" title="Chinese outpost in Spratly Islands South China Sea" height="1382" width="1842" msid="91777449" hostid="261"></div>Johnson South Reef is part of the <keyword id="14020848" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="spratly-islands" source="Orion">Spratly Islands</keyword>, a group of over 100 islands, rocks, reefs, and other features in the South China Sea about 500 miles west of Vietnam's southern coast.With a total area of about 7.2 square kilometers, Johnson South Reef only has a few stretches that are naturally above water for a few hours a day during low tide. Johnson South Reef and several other features make up an area known as Union Banks, which forms the southwestern part of the Spratly Islands.The Spratly Islands, like other islands in the South China Sea, have long been the subject of intense territorial disputes.Beijing has made sweeping claims over the region that have been challenged by its neighbors, many of which have their own claims. An <a href="https://www.cfr.org/councilofcouncils/global-memos/hague-tribunals-south-china-sea-ruling-empty-provocation-or-slow-burning-influence" target="_top">international tribunal</a> has also ruled that Beijing's claims to rights within what it calls "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-nine-dash-line-at-the-heart-of-the-south-china-sea-conflict-2016-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the nine-dash line</a>" were without legal basis.<div type="image" title="anti-China protest Hanoi Vietnam" height="1529" width="2000" msid="91777451" hostid="261"></div>China and Vietnam's history make their South China Sea disputes unique. As a fellow single-party communist state, China was Vietnam's biggest supporter as it fought France, South Vietnam, and the US — but historical divisions kept Beijing and Hanoi from forming an ironclad alliance.In 1974, China <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2014/01/lessons-from-the-battle-of-the-paracel-islands/" target="_top">attacked and seized</a> the all of the Paracel Islands from South Vietnam in a <a href="https://www.historynet.com/battle-paracel-islands/" target="_top">days-long naval battle</a> that killed or wounded about 100 South Vietnamese soldiers, sank 1 corvette, and damaged three frigates.Despite being at war with the South, Hanoi protested Beijing's actions because it had its own claims on the Paracels but ultimately did nothing because it faced more pressing matters on the mainland.Sino-Vietnamese relations didn't get much better after Hanoi defeated South Vietnam in 1975. In 1979, the two countries <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-china-war-with-vietnam-means-for-its-next-war-2021-3" target="_top">fought an intense border war</a> that lasted less than a month but caused large casualties and intermittent clashes in the area until 1991.<h2>Johnson South Reef</h2><div type="image" title="Johnson South Reef Union Banks Spratly Islands South China Sea" height="1485" width="1980" msid="91777452" hostid="261"></div>Following the 1979 war, tensions between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea increased.By the late 1980s, China began to assert its claims to the Spratly Islands more aggressively, and in 1988 it began deploying soldiers and maritime militia on some of the islands, such as Fiery Cross Reef.Vietnam vigorously protested and began deployments of its own, a number of which were to the islands and reefs of Union Banks.Between March 11 and March 13, 1988, two armed Vietnam People's Navy transport ships and a landing ship were sent with some 100 soldiers and building materials to make outposts on Johnson South Reef, Collins Reef, and Lansdowne Reef.The Chinese had deployed to nearby Hughes Reef, which was under their control. By March 14, three Chinese frigates were in the area, monitoring the Vietnamese.<div type="image" title="Johnson South Reef Union Banks Spratly Islands South China Sea" height="1361" width="1815" msid="91777454" hostid="261"></div>It remains unclear how battle erupted on the morning of March 14.The Vietnamese claim that their landing parties, who had placed multiple flags on the then-submerged Johnson South Reef, were confronted by Chinese soldiers who demanded that they leave. After an attempt to dislodge them failed, the Chinese frigates opened fire with 37mm anti-aircraft and 100mm naval guns.The Chinese claim that the Vietnamese on the reef and on one of the transport ships fired on them first.Regardless of how it started, the battle was a total defeat for the Vietnamese. Unable to hide or move on the submerged reef, 62 Vietnamese sailors and naval infantry were mowed down in a matter of minutes. The Chinese frigates then turned to the VPN ships and sunk the transports, killing two more Vietnamese sailors.The Vietnamese landing ship was damaged and its crew beached it on Collins Reef, where it was destroyed. By the end of the day, 64 Vietnamese were killed, nine were captured, three ships were sunk or destroyed, and Johnson South Reef was under Chinese control.<h2>Preparing for the future</h2><div type="image" title="Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy patrol near a sign in the Spratly Islands, known in China as the Nansha Islands, February 9, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer " height="533" width="800" msid="91777456" hostid="261"></div>Vietnam's official commemoration of the battle at Johnson South Reef this year <a href="https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/battle-anniversary-03142022161026.html" target="_top">was seen as</a> an assertion of sovereignty and as a reminder of how Hanoi had defied its larger neighbor in the past — a message made necessary by Russia's attack on Ukraine.In the years since the battle, China has worked to turn the reefs and islands that it controls in the South China Sea <a href="https://amti.csis.org/chinas-new-spratly-island-defenses/" target="_top">into small fortresses</a>. Through land reclamation, China has expanded existing features and built artificial islands to which it has deployed weapons and troops.Today, Johnson South Reef <a href="https://amti.csis.org/johnson-reef/" target="_top">has</a> a 27-acre artificial island with a port, helipad, a radar station, and close-in weapon systems for air and missile defense.<div type="image" title="Vietnam navy Kilo class submarine" height="1347" width="2000" msid="91777457" hostid="261"></div>Vietnam still claims all of the Spratlys, and it has tried <a href="https://amti.csis.org/vietnam-shores-up-its-spratly-defenses/" target="_top">to bolster the defenses</a> on the islands still under its control.Hanoi has also been <a href="https://amti.csis.org/tracking-vietnams-force-build-south-china-sea/" target="_top">modernizing its military</a>, including by <a href="https://e.vnexpress.net/interactive/2017/vietnams-new-found-submarine-power-and-where-it-came-from" target="_top">acquiring</a> six Kilo-class submarines and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-vietnam-military-idAFKBN0NL0B220150430" target="_top">Kalibr land-attack cruise missiles</a> from Russia.Vietnam has also improved its relations with its neighbors in recent years, likely with the goal of countering China. Hanoi has joined naval exercises with <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-vietnam-naval-exercise-south-china-sea-1842437-2021-08-18" target="_top">India</a> and <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1913923/japans-maritime-force-conducts-joint-drills-vietnams-navy-south" target="_top">Japan</a>, <a href="https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/navy-visit-09202021155539.html" target="_top">hosted</a> Australian navy ships, and <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/09/united-states-vietnam-relations-quiet-victory-trade-war-legacies/" target="_top">improved ties</a> with its old enemy, the US.Though China and Vietnam have close economic ties, their tensions have never <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2022/05/vietnam-protests-chinas-imposition-of-annual-south-china-sea-fishing-ban/" target="_top">truly faded</a>. As Beijing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-pentagon-maps-show-the-chinese-military-growing-reach-2022-3" target="_top">continues to bolster its military and grow its reach</a>, Vietnam is looking to make sure it can defend its interests and avoid a repeat of the events in 1988.

Vietnam's rare commemoration of a deadly South China Sea battle is a quiet but direct message to Beijing

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword> attacked <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> early Thursday in what Ukraine called a "full-scale <keyword id="12587281" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="invasion" source="Orion">invasion</keyword>."</li><li>Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian troops, and at least eight Ukrainian civilians, were reported dead.</li></ul>Russian forces attacked Ukraine early Thursday morning, with Ukraine reporting dozens of deaths on both sides.Ukraine said at least 40 of its soldiers and 50 Russian troops were killed early in the fighting, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-attack-a05e7c4563ac94b963134bba83187d46?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=AP">Associated Press</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-50-russian-troops-killed-four-tanks-destroyed-2022-02-24/">Reuters</a>.At least eight Ukrainian civilians were killed and nine were wounded by Russian shelling, a Ukrainian internal affairs ministry advisor said, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-says-least-8-people-071105923.html">according to Reuters</a>.Russia's offensive threatens to kill thousands of people, force millions more to flee, and destabilize much of Europe, with the consequences certain to reverberate across the world.<h2>'Full-scale invasion of Ukraine'</h2>Ukraine's foreign minister <a href="https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1496695889401896964">called</a> Russia's actions "a full-scale invasion of Ukraine," with his ministry saying Russian forces were "launching attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities from different directions."Starting early Thursday, blasts were heard from Kyiv, the capital, to the eastern city of Kharkiv about 280 miles away, with reports of outgoing artillery fire from Russian forces across the border. Missile strikes and explosions were heard across Ukraine, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-60454795">the BBC reported</a>.Ukraine's interior ministry said early Thursday that Russian tanks were <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1496717309163020293?s=20&amp;t=ZcfeVa9YybHNEQtaSKY2UQ">pouring over the border</a> from Belarus as well as from <a href="https://twitter.com/phildstewart/status/1496721233395781635">occupied Crimea</a>, with Russian troops attacking Ukrainian security forces with artillery and small arms.Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, declared martial law and said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-president-zelensky-will-provide-weapons-to-citizens-2022-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">the country would arm</a> any citizen willing to defend it."We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country," he said. "Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities."<div type="image" title="Ukraine officers inspect missile remnants" height="1353" width="2000" msid="89797732" hostid="261"></div>Ukraine's border guard said early Thursday that Russian military columns had entered the Ukrainian regions of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Luhansk, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/feb/24/russia-invades-ukraine-declares-war-latest-news-live-updates-russian-invasion-vladimir-putin-explosions-bombing-kyiv-kharkiv">according to Reuters</a>.People have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/videos-huge-traffic-jams-people-flee-kyiv-after-russia-invasion-2022-2">fleeing</a> Kyiv and <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-23-22/index.html">using</a> the city's subway stations as bunkers.Ukraine announced on Thursday that it was cutting diplomatic ties with Russia, and it called on allies to do the same. It also said it was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-officially-severs-diplomatic-ties-with-russia-invasion-2022-2">evacuating</a> its embassy staff from Moscow.<div type="image" title="Ukraine subway bunker" height="1390" width="2000" msid="89797734" hostid="261"></div>NATO was due to hold an emergency session Thursday, and the UK and the European Union promised to impose more sanctions against Russia.Thursday's invasion was preceded by a <a href="https://tass.com/politics/1409091">formal request</a> for military intervention from Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, where rebels backed by Russia have been fighting Ukrainian troops for eight years.On Wednesday evening, Zelensky took to the airwaves in a last-ditch appeal for peace — while pledging that Ukrainians would "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zelensky-appeals-peace-but-our-people-will-fight-if-attacked-2022-2">fight back</a>" against any further Russian incursion.Hours later, in an early-morning address that coincided with an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin effectively declared war, insisting that Russian forces would strive for the "demilitarization" and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-tries-justifying-ukraine-war-denazification-zelensky-jewish-president-2022-2">"denazification" of Ukraine</a>, whose president is Jewish.<h2>The road to war</h2>Tensions had been mounting for months as Russia amassed troops, tanks, and amphibious ships near Ukraine's borders.Late last year, Russia began amassing tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's borders, with an estimated <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-up-to-190000-troops-near-ukraine-us-ambassador-osce-2022-2">190,000</a> deployed by the time of the <keyword id="12035132" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="attack" source="Orion">attack</keyword>. This buildup prompted US President Joe Biden to conclude an invasion was nearly certain.Russia in mid-February <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-says-pulling-back-some-troops-from-ukraine-border-2022-2">claimed to be withdrawing</a> some of its troops from Ukraine's borders, but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-nato-arent-buying-russia-claims-its-pulling-troops-away-from-ukraine-2022-2">the US and NATO didn't buy it</a>, citing intelligence that the Kremlin had actually deployed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-deploys-more-soldiers-to-ukraine-border-us-official-says-2022-2">thousands more troops</a>.Biden warned last week that he believed Russian forces would ultimately besiege Ukraine's capital, which has a population of nearly 3 million people. Earlier this week, he unveiled a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-sanctions-gas-prices-biden-says-defending-freedom-has-costs-2022-2">new round of sanctions</a> against Russian officials in response to Moscow deploying troops to the eastern Donbas region, which he characterized "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine."Over the past few months, the US and its allies worked to find a diplomatic solution to prevent a broader confrontation, but Russia made demands for binding security guarantees to which they would never agree. This included permanently barring Ukraine and Georgia from NATO, a request the alliance and Washington repeatedly made clear was a nonstarter.Ukraine has sought to join NATO for years, and it maintains robust ties with the alliance. The US since 2014 has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars' worth of military assistance, including lethal aid like Javelin anti-tank missiles.Other NATO members have also provided Ukraine with weapons. That said, Ukraine is not on track to become a NATO member in the near future, despite suggestions from the Kremlin to the contrary.For years, Putin offered hints of his ambitions when it comes to Ukraine. In 2008, he told President George W. Bush that Ukraine was "not even a country," and he's referred to Ukrainians and Russians as "one people."In short, Putin has been clear he wants Ukraine under Russian sway and the US out of the region he perceives as being in Russia's sphere of influence.Putin, a former KGB operative, during his 20 years in power has moved to reestablish Moscow's hegemony in countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. The military operation he just ordered in Ukraine shows he's committed to this course, despite the risks that it will damage his economy or provoke a more robust NATO presence.

You Searched For "union minister dead" and got 11 results

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