0554GMT//Argentina accuses Russia of plot to destabilise; Putin gives top soldier 'order of courage' award
ARGENTINA ACCUSES RUSSIA OF MEDDLING: Russia's foreign ministry summoned Argentina's ambassador to Moscow to complain about comments made by Argentine National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, who accused the Kremlin of trying to destabilise Argentina. Bullrich said Russian agents had wiretapped the Presidential Palace in Argentina. (COMMENT: Argentinian officials have previously accused Russia of trying to destabilise the country. In 2024, the US also accused Russia of trying to destabilise Argentina. In June this year, the Argentinian security service arrested people they said were working for Russia, spreading disinformation. For decades, the Kremlin has tried to influence politics in South America, which it sees as the "US' backyard". Argentine Pres. Javier Milei has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine.)
AWARD FOR PUTIN'S TOP SOLDIER: Vladimir Putin has awarded Valery Gerasimov, the head of his military, the Order of Courage on his 70th birthday. The International Criminal Court has an arrest warrant out for Gerasimov for war crimes. (COMMENT: Gerasimov has headed Russia's military throughout the war in Ukraine. He trained under the Soviet Union and has used Soviet-style mass infantry tactics in the war. Despite criticism of his tactics, Putin has remained loyal to his most senior military officer. Gerasimov has been head of the Russian military since 2012.)
ANOTHER TECHNOCRAT IN THE DEFENCE MINISTRY: Vasily Osmakov, a deputy industry minister, will be appointed deputy defence minister, the Vedomosti newspaper reported by quoting two Kremlin sources. Osmakov, 42, is a career ministry of industry official and has been deputy minister since 2021. (COMMENT: If the appointment of Osmakov is confirmed, it will highlight the increasingly technocratic nature of Russia's defence ministry. Andrei Belousov, a career Kremlin economist with no military experience, was appointed Russia's defence minister last year in a move that was widely seen as a nod to the long-term "spreadsheet" nature of the war in Ukraine.)
TOP PROPAGANDIST IS ILL: Margarita Simonyan, head of the Kremlin's RT media group, has undergone surgery for breast cancer, Russian opposition media sources said. (COMMENT: Simonyan is one of the most important propagandists for the Kremlin. She has a close personal connection with Putin and has been unwavering in her support for the war in Ukraine.)
STATE BAILOUT: Putin has approved a 450 billion rouble ($5.5 billion) bailout for power producer RusHydro, according to the Kommersant newspaper. (COMMENT: RusHydro is just the latest Russian company to need a state bailout. International sanctions and high interest rates have squeezed the Russian economy to the breaking point. The Kremlin has thrown money at almost every sector of its economy to keep it alive.)
CEO MURDERED: The headless body of Alexey Sinitsyn, the CEO of potash producer K-Potash Service, was found under a bridge near Kaliningrad, Russia's European exclave. Russian security services told Telegram channels that a tow rope had been connected to his body. (COMMENT: No motive for what appears to be a murder, rather than a suicide, has been given.)