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Russia Names New Air Force Chief After Mutiny-Related Disappearance of ‘General Armageddon’ 

This pool photo distributed by Sputnik agency taken on December 31, 2022, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shaking hands with commander of Russia's military operation in Ukraine General Sergei Surovikin (L), awarded with order of Saint George of the Third Class, during visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia. (AFP)
This pool photo distributed by Sputnik agency taken on December 31, 2022, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shaking hands with commander of Russia's military operation in Ukraine General Sergei Surovikin (L), awarded with order of Saint George of the Third Class, during visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia. (AFP)
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Russia Names New Air Force Chief After Mutiny-Related Disappearance of ‘General Armageddon’ 

This pool photo distributed by Sputnik agency taken on December 31, 2022, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shaking hands with commander of Russia's military operation in Ukraine General Sergei Surovikin (L), awarded with order of Saint George of the Third Class, during visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia. (AFP)
This pool photo distributed by Sputnik agency taken on December 31, 2022, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shaking hands with commander of Russia's military operation in Ukraine General Sergei Surovikin (L), awarded with order of Saint George of the Third Class, during visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, at an unknown location in Russia. (AFP)

Russia has appointed a new acting head of its aerospace forces to replace Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon", who vanished from view after a Wagner mercenary mutiny against the top brass, the RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday.

During the June 23-24 revolt, Surovikin, who once commanded Russia's overall war effort in Ukraine, appeared in a video, looking strained and without insignia, urging Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin to abandon his march on Moscow.

Since the mutiny, which was ended by negotiations and a deal, some Russian and foreign news outlets have said that Surovikin, who was often publicly praised by Prigozhin in the run-up to the revolt, was being investigated for possible complicity in it and being held under house arrest.

His reported removal suggests the authorities found fault with his behavior, but the details of his alleged wrongdoing remain unknown.

Russian news outlet RBC and Rybar, a Telegram channel close to the Ministry of Defense, on Tuesday reported that Surovikin had been removed from his position as the head of Russia's air force.

On Wednesday, RIA cited an unnamed source as saying: "Ex-chief of the Russian Air and Space Forces Sergei Surovikin has now been relieved of his post, while Colonel-General Viktor Afzalov, head of the Main Staff of the Air Force, is temporarily acting as commander-in-chief of the Air Force."

Reuters could not independently verify the report and there was no official confirmation.

Surovikin earned the nickname "General Armageddon" during Russia's military intervention in Syria for the brutal tactics he employed there.

He was placed in charge of Russian military operations in Ukraine last October, but in January that role was handed to General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, and Surovikin was made a deputy to Gerasimov.

Afzalov was previously deputy to Surovikin and has been chief of staff of the Aerospace Forces for at least four years, according to British military intelligence.

During Surovikin's absence from public view, Afzalov was shown on television briefing Gerasimov last month.

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World

Trump to Attend Ceremony to Witness Return of US Personnel Killed in Syria

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media - Reuters
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media - Reuters
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Trump to Attend Ceremony to Witness Return of US Personnel Killed in Syria

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media - Reuters
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media - Reuters

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will attend a ceremony on Wednesday to honor US personnel killed in Syria over the weekend by a suspected ISIS attacker.

Trump and his wife will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to be present for what the Air Force calls the "dignified transfer" of the bodies from overseas back into the United States in the presence of their families. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 1:15 p.m. EST (1815 GMT), Reuters reported.

Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed on Saturday in the central Syrian town of Palmyra by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead, according to the U.S. military.

Trump called the incident terrible, vowed retaliation and referred to the three that were slain as "great patriots."

Three US soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

US presidents, vice presidents and dignitaries regularly attend the solemn transfer ceremonies at Dover during times of war or conflict that result in the deaths of US troops. Flag-draped transfer cases are brought off of a military plane with the bodies of the fallen and put with precision in an awaiting vehicle as officials and family members watch and often weep.

World

Putin Says Russia will Achieve War Goals, Keep Expanding 'Buffer Zone'

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Kazbek Kokov, head of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, in Moscow, Russia December 16, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Kazbek Kokov, head of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, in Moscow, Russia December 16, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS
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Putin Says Russia will Achieve War Goals, Keep Expanding 'Buffer Zone'

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Kazbek Kokov, head of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, in Moscow, Russia December 16, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Kazbek Kokov, head of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, in Moscow, Russia December 16, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine by diplomatic or military means, and would seek to expand a "security buffer zone" there.

"First, the goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved. We would prefer to do this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomacy," Putin said.

"If the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means. The task of creating and expanding a security buffer zone will also be consistently addressed."

Of the regions of Ukraine that Russia has claimed as its own territory, it currently controls Crimea, around 90% of the Donbas region and 75% of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Reuters reported.

In addition, Russia holds some territory in the adjoining regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv. Putin's comments signalled that Moscow would seek further gains on some of these fronts.

With the war at a key juncture as US President Donald Trump pushes hard for a quick peace agreement, Putin said Russia was advancing on all fronts.

But his defense minister, Andrei Belousov, acknowledged that Ukrainian forces were trying to take back control of the northeastern town of Kupiansk - an effort he said was not succeeding.

Ukraine said on Wednesday it had taken 90% of the town, which Russia said it had captured in November.

Putin said people in Europe were being indoctrinated with fears of a war with Russia, and accused their leaders of whipping up hysteria.

"I have repeatedly stated: this is a lie, nonsense, pure nonsense about some imaginary Russian threat to European countries. But this is being done quite deliberately," he said.

Putin has said Russia is not seeking war with Europe, but is ready for war if that is Europe's choice.

World

Pakistan Says ‘Hostile Countries’ behind False Online Claims Linking it to Australia Shootings

A man waves Pakistan's flag as he along with others gather in support of Pakistan Army, day after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 11, 2025. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
A man waves Pakistan's flag as he along with others gather in support of Pakistan Army, day after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 11, 2025. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
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Pakistan Says ‘Hostile Countries’ behind False Online Claims Linking it to Australia Shootings

A man waves Pakistan's flag as he along with others gather in support of Pakistan Army, day after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 11, 2025. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
A man waves Pakistan's flag as he along with others gather in support of Pakistan Army, day after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 11, 2025. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Pakistan’s information minister said Wednesday that his country has been the victim of a coordinated online disinformation campaign following the mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach.

Attaullah Tarar accused “hostile countries,” including India, of spreading false claims that one of the two attackers was a Pakistani national.

Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, Tara said Pakistan's leadership strongly condemned Sunday's attack, which killed 15 people in an antisemitic shooting targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah, The AP news reported.

The minister said misleading information began circulating almost immediately after the attack, with social media posts falsely identifying one of the suspects as a Pakistani national named Naveed Akram. He said the claims spread rapidly across digital platforms and were repeated by some media outlets without verification.

Tarar said subsequent findings, including confirmation by Indian police, established that one of the attackers, Sajid Akram, was from India, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram — who was also involved — was born in Australia.

The minister said the misinformation appeared to stem from a case of mistaken identity, as a Pakistani man living in Sydney shares the same name as one of the two suspects.

“How do we restore the situation to where it was before the Bondi Beach attack?” Tarar asked, adding that the Pakistani man — also named Naveed Akram — had released a video denying any involvement and urging the public not to associate him with the attack.

Tara said the Pakistani man was “a victim of a malicious and organized campaign” and that the disinformation effort originated in India.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials.

Tarar called on media outlets that published the false reports to issue apologies and said Pakistan had not yet decided whether to pursue legal action.

Pakistan and India, nuclear-armed rivals, have a long history of strained relations and have fought three wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947, most of them over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. The two sides came close to war in May before US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire.