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Russian mercenaries withdraw from Burkina Faso amid Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk region
Russian mercenaries from the "Medvedi" Private Military Company (PMC) have returned to Russia after a mission in Burkina Faso where they provided security for the junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore.
The "Medvedi" Brigade, also known as the Bear Brigade, arrived in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, earlier this year to support Captain Traore, who seized power in 2022. Initially deployed to Crimea, these mercenaries later moved to Russia’s Kursk region as Ukrainian forces pressed their …
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Kazakh banks sever ties with sanctioned Russian payment system Zolotaya Korona
In an unexpected move, several major Kazakh banks, including HalykBank, Bank RBK, and Eurasian Bank, have suspended transactions through the "Zolotaya Korona" payment system. The abrupt suspension of transactions comes "for technical reasons," according to a report from Russian news agency TASS on Thursday.
Freedom Bank was the pioneer in this wave of suspensions, citing "technical work" as the reason for halting operations with the payment system. The bank emphasized that future steps will be …
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Kremlin dismisses concerns over Putin’s potential arrest in Mongolia amid ICC warrant
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there are no concerns regarding Vladimir Putin's trip to Mongolia, which acknowledges the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). "No, no concerns," Peskov said on Friday, August 30, when asked by reporters if the Kremlin is worried about Putin's upcoming visit.
Peskov emphasized that the Kremlin has a "wonderful dialogue with our friends in Mongolia." When questioned about any negotiations with Mongolian authorities regarding the ICC …
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Russia establishes volunteer brigade in Kursk region to counter Ukrainian attacks and ensure regional safety
In the Kursk region, a volunteer brigade is being created to "maintain law and order" in areas occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "We discussed the formation of the 'Bars-Kursk' volunteer brigade. This new unit will be a crucial element in maintaining law and order in the Kursk region. The primary function of the brigade is to ensure safety in eight evacuated districts as well as in other territories of the Kursk region," acting governor of the region, Alexei Smirnov, wrote on his …
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Putin's approval ratings hit new low amid Ukrainian incursion into Kursk region
Trust in President Vladimir Putin has dipped to levels not seen since October last year following the Ukrainian army's incursion into the Kursk region. Only 45% of respondents in August cited Putin among politicians they trust, according to a study by Russian sociologists at the "Levada Center" , reports the news outlet Agenstvo Novosti. This figure is down 3 percentage points from July.
The last time trust levels were this low was in October of the previous year, recovering from a significant …