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• Russian troops retreated from Lyman, a Ukrainian city in the Donetsk region, on Friday.
• The retreat came one day after Putin claimed the region was part of Russia.
• Powerful allies to Putin said Russian military leaders should be punished over the retreat.

Powerful supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the military’s retreat from a city in Ukraine on Saturday, one day after the president claimed to have annexed the region.

Putin on Friday signed decrees claiming four regions in Ukraine were now part of Russia in a move that was widely rejected by the West as illegal and invalid. However a day later, Ukrainian troops entered the city of Lyman, forcing Russian troops to retreat from an area Putin just declared part of Russia. Lyman is located in the Donetsk region, which Putin claimed to annex.

In a post on Telegram, Ramzan Kadyrov — leader of Chechnya and an ally of Putin’s — said Russian military leadership had “covered for” an “incompetent” general that should be “sent to the front to wash his shame off with blood,” according to The New York Times translation.

Another prominent supporter and close confidant of Putin, oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, echoed those sentiments in a statement. Referring to Russia’s military generals, he said, “Send all these pieces of garbage barefoot with machine guns straight to the front,” The Times reported.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei K. Shoigu has come under fire recently and been accused of military failings, especially after Ukraine’s successful counteroffensives in September. Following Ukraine’s advances, Putin escalated the war by mobilizing troops, which also prompted complaints and even protests in Russia.

Putin also appears to be on uncertain ground with key international partners, including China and India. In a United Nations Security Council vote to condemn Putin’s “illegal” annexation of Ukraine on Friday, both countries abstained from voting.

Russia was the sole veto vote.

• China and India, key partners to Russia, have recently expressed concerns to Putin about the war.
• Putin on Friday declared four regions of Ukraine part of Russia, a move rejected by the West.
• In a UN vote condemning the annexation as illegal, China and India both abstained.

China and India on Friday abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution condemning Russia for claiming it had annexed parts of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on Friday signed decrees claiming four regions in Ukraine were now part of Russia, a move that was widely rejected by the West as an illegal annexation.

The UN’s 15-member Security Council held a vote on a resolution declaring Putin’s actions illegal and invalid and recognizing the regions are still part of Ukraine, not Russia.

The resolution passed in a 10-1 vote, with Russia being the sole veto vote, the Associated Press reported. China, India, Brazil, and Gabon abstained.

China and India have been powerful partners of Russia during the war, declining to institute sanctions as the West has done. But the UN vote came only weeks after Putin acknowledged his counterparts in both countries expressed concerns about the war.

During a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Uzbekistan on September 15, Putin acknowledged Xi had “questions and concerns” regarding the war. The following day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the war during a face-to-face meeting with Putin.

“I know that today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this,” Modi told Putin, Reuters reported.

Putin responded: “I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine, and I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible.”

One expert previously told Insider that pressure from Xi and Modi — and a fear of losing them as partners — may have partly motivated Putin’s recent escalation of the war by mobilizing troops and threatening nuclear action.

“The evidence of criticism of allies like China or neutral states like India clearly put more pressure on him,” Robert English, a professor at the University of Southern California who studies Russia, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe, told Insider.

• Activists are parading a statue of Ron Johnson covered in cow poop around Milwaukee.
• The manure-covered statue made its first appearance in the city on Thursday.
• The statue is meant to call out Johnson for claiming in 2021 that climate change is “bullshit.”

A manure-covered statue of Sen. Ron Johnson is making its rounds around Milwaukee, a city in his home state of Wisconsin.

Progressive activist groups NextGen PAC and MoveOn unveiled the statue — which they call a “scatue,” per Associated Press journalist Scott Bauer — in Milwaukee on Thursday.

According to NextGen PAC, it is part of an attempt to get “climate-motivated voters” to have Johnson voted out at the upcoming midterm elections.

The statue is meant to call out Johnson for the comments he made at a GOP luncheon in 2021. At the event, he downplayed the effects of climate change while citing Lord Christopher Monckton — a British conservative pundit and climate change denier.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I think climate change is — as Lord Monckton said — bullshit,” Johnson was seen saying at the time. In a video obtained by CNN, Johson can be seen silently mouthing the word “bullshit” but not saying it out loud.

“By the way, it is,” Johnson quipped in the video.

The activists have taken the poop-covered statue of Johnson to his home state to protest his remarks.

“Ron Johnson thinks the climate change devastating communities across the country is ‘bullshit.’ We disagree, and think he’s actually projecting,” MoveOn wrote in a tweet on Thursday.

In a separate tweet that day, MoveOn posted photos of climate activists gathered around the dung-plastered statue, demanding that Wisconsinites “deserve a senator who will act on climate change.”

NextGen also posted some snaps of the “scatue,” saying that the group was joining MoveOn to “call out Ron Johnson’s bullsh*t… literally.”

Representatives for NextGen, MoveOn, and Johnson did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.

• A UK defense source says the Nord Stream pipelines were likely attacked with remote explosives.
• The source told Sky News the bombs could have been planted years before the leaks occurred.
• This comes the same day Western intelligence sources said Russian navy ships were spotted near the leaks.

A source within the British defense force said that the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were likely attacked with remotely-detonated explosives.

Speaking to Sky News, the unnamed source said the leak in both pipelines was likely the result of a pre-planned attack.

The source told the outlet that mines could have been planted along the underwater pipelines using a long line, by dropping them from a boat, or with a drone, months or years before the attack.

The British source’s message to Sky News came the same day that CNN reported on new information regarding the pipeline leaks.

Citing two unnamed Western intelligence officials, the outlet reported that European security officials knew of Russian Navy support ships being spotted near the leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines.

One of the intelligence officials told CNN that Russian submarines were also seen near the area last week.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline systems deliver natural gas from Russia to Europe. A military video from Denmark has shown that the natural gas leaking from the pipelines has been erupting like geysers in the Baltic Sea.

Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out a “terrorist attack” and causing damage to the pipeline.

Meanwhile, German news outlets reported that the country’s officials believe the leaks were not coincidental and resulted from sabotage. Two senior German lawmakers on Wednesday pointed the finger at Russia, calling the leaks an deliberate act meant to threaten Europe.

The Kremlin has dismissed any claims that Russia attacked the pipelines, describing the speculation as “quite predictable and also predictably stupid.”

However, analysts said that the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines could signal an escalation to hybrid warfare, with Russia weaponizing energy to choke off Europe and escalate the continent’s energy crisis.

The US is supporting efforts to investigate what national security adviser Jake Sullivan called “apparent sabotage” of the key pipelines.

• Y Combinator-backed Numida has raised $12.3 million in debt and equity funding. 
• The fintech startup, founded in 2015, provides loans to small and medium-sized businesses in Uganda. 
• The startup’s new funding round was led by Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures. 

Numida, a Ugandan fintech that offers credit to small businesses, has raised $12.3 million in new funding.

The startup, which was founded by three Canadian Y Combinator graduates in 2015, wants to expand access to working capital for businesses across Africa. Numida believes there are 20 million small and micro businesses lacking working capital, an opportunity it values at around $5 billion.

“Our initial process was simple: How do we provide the best form of working capital to excluded people?” Mina Shahid, Numida’s CEO and cofounder told Insider.

“It’s important because these people have been forgotten by traditional financial services and the major challenge for economic development is financing for businesses.”

Shahid cofounded the business alongside Catherine Denis and Ben Best. The trio worked in Sub-Saharan Africa for a number of years prior to setting up Numida. Much of the challenge comes from a lack of a centralized credit scoring system but also a general lack of documentation with transactions often done in cash, they said.

Numida’s platform offers loans of between $100 to $5,000 via its mobile app with its proprietary tech used to make credit scoring decisions.

“It’s been a fascinating experience building a tech product for people who have never used a computer before,” Shahid said. “Everyone can understand an interface in the valley but we’ve had to unlearn what a user interface is and have spent a lot of time on improving our UX and customer journey.”

Serena Williams’ fund Serena Ventures is leading a $7.3 million portion of equity funding alongside Breega, 4Di Capital, Launch Africa, Soma Capital,  Y Combinator, and MFS Africa. The rest of the funding comes in the form of $5 million in debt from Lendable Asset Management. 

Numida claims to have advanced more than $20 million in funding since April 2021 and is growing its team to cater for future growth. The company’s teams are split between Kampala, Uganda, and various remote locations on the west coast of the US. Funding will go towards further hiring on Numida’s product development team in Uganda alongside a CFO and potentially a head of credit risk, Shahid said. 

Further expansion into another African market like Nigeria, Ghana, Egyptian, or Kenya is also under consideration. 

Check out Numida’s 10-slide pitch deck below: 

China has the world’s largest navy, with more than 355 vessels in its fleet, according to a 2021 report by the United States Naval Institute.

Jiang Shan/Xinhua/Getty Images

The US, China’s primary rival, has the second-largest navy in the world, with 296 ships, per a 2022 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Though it is smaller than China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, the US Navy is still widely considered the most powerful in the world today given its presence, partnerships, experience, and technology. 

China, though, is determined to build a world-class military able to fight and win wars. While China already has the lead in terms of navy size, it continues to expand its naval force. The Congressional Research Service predicts that the country’s fleet will grow to as many as 400 vessels by 2025 and 425 by 2030. And it is also investing heavily in improved combat capabilities for its ships.

China has been strengthening its navy over the past decade to bolster its military presence around Taiwan, according to a March report by The Japan Times. The report stated that “increasing capabilities of Chinese warships” like destroyers is crucial to the country’s military plans.

China relies on its growing navy to enforce its will and advance its national interests in the East China Sea, South China Sea, parts of the Western Pacific, and potentially farther as its force grows and improves.

The Chinese navy’s growing fleet of destroyers is comprised of 41 active ships, which belong to eight classes, according to a 2022 estimate by military data site Global Firepower.

In addition to China’s newest class, the Type 055, there are six other locally made active destroyer classes: Type 052A, Type 051B, Type 051C, Type 052B, Type 052C, and Type 052D(L), per a 2018 report by CRS. Only one class, the Type 956E(M), is foreign-made.

Keep reading for a look at all eight of China’s destroyer classes. The classes are ranked according to when they were commissioned, from the most recent to the oldest.

• Trump slammed DeSantis in private, wrote New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman in her new book.
• Citing sources, Haberman wrote that Trump had called DeSantis “fat” and “whiny.”
• He also said Chris Christie, another rival, had a “weight problem,” per Haberman’s book.

Former President Donald Trump has been making rude comments in private about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, according to a new book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.

In an excerpt from “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” published by The Atlantic on Sunday, Haberman detailed a meeting she had in the summer with Trump at the latter’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

During the meeting, she spoke with Trump about Christie, one of his 2016 election rivals.

“I was compared to him? Why? I didn’t know I had that big of a weight problem,” Trump told Haberman, per her account. He also called Christie an “opportunist.”

Haberman also wrote that she had heard of Trump using similar terms to describe DeSantis. She also recalled learning from sources that Trump had called DeSantis “fat,” “phony,” and “whiny” while also taking credit for the latter clinching the governor’s seat in 2018.

Per the excerpt, Trump told Haberman that the question he most often received was whether he would be running for president again.

“The answer is, yeah, I think so. Because here’s the way I look at it. I have so many rich friends and nobody knows who they are,” Haberman wrote of Trump’s response.

She added: “Reflecting on the meaning of having been president of the United States, his first impulse was not to mention public service, or what he felt he’d accomplished, only that it appeared to be a vehicle for fame, and that many experiences were only worth having if someone else envied them.”

Representatives for DeSantis and Christie and an aide at Trump’s post-presidential press office did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.

DeSantis and Trump have been posited as leading contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential ticket, though neither has made a formal declaration about running in the next election.

In July, a DeSantis representative told Insider that DeSantis remains “focused on Florida and running for reelection as governor this year.” However, the governor has been boosting his political profile — launching a fundraising blitz that included selling a gold “Florida First Fighter” card that appeared to resemble the Trump Card.

DeSantis also has high-profile supporters, such as podcast host Joe Rogan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and billionaire and Trump megadonor Peter Thiel.

Trump has reacted harshly to the idea that DeSantis might be a potential competitor for the 2024 GOP ticket.

In July, the former president slammed “Fox & Friends” for reporting on polls that showed DeSantis taking the lead over him, accusing the show’s hosts of having “gone to the dark side.” Earlier this month, Trump took a swipe at DeSantis, sharing an Insider story about his polling lead over DeSantis via his Save America political action committee.

Rolling Stone also recently reported that Trump was irritated that DeSantis was stealing his limelight with a political stunt that involved two planeloads of migrants being flown to Martha’s Vineyard, a Democratic enclave.

Meanwhile, Trump also fat-shamed Christie on Truth Social after Christie gave an unflattering interview to ABC News’ “This Week” about the Mar-a-Lago raid.

• Liz Cheney called out Republican party members who continue to defend Donald Trump.
• Speaking at Texas Tribune Fest, Cheney said members of the GOP are “going through contortions.”
• Cheney said it shows how “fundamentally destructive Donald Trump has been.”

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney said Republicans continuing to defend Donald Trump in the midst of his storing highly classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate shows how “fundamentally destructive” the former president has been to the GOP.

Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, Cheney called out senior members of the GOP who are “going through contortions” to support Trump, such as those who slammed federal agents who executed a search warrant at his Florida residence on August 8.

“I think it’s the latest example of how fundamentally destructive Donald Trump has been and part of the destruction that he’s caused is the behavior that my party apparently now will accept,” she told Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune.

The vice chair of the Jan 6 committee has been one of the few outspoken GOP critics of Trump. In August, she lot her congressional seat to Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman.

During the interview, Cheney hinted that new information and evidence will be heard during the televised meeting on Wednesday in Washington, DC.

When asked by Smith whether former Vice President Mike Pence would testify, Cheney said she is hopeful.

“The vice president played a crucial role that day,” she said, referring to the events of January 6, in which Pence resisted pressure from Trump to reverse the outcome of the election: “What Donald Trump was pressuring Mike Pence to do was illegal and was unconstitutional and Mike Pence refused to do that and so we owe him a huge gratitude because he did the right thing that day.”

On Monday, in one of her first speeches since her primary defeat in August, Cheney said Pence was “essentially the president for most of that day.” 

• ‘Fat Leonard’ fled to Venezuela after pleading guilty to involvement in a US Navy bribery scandal.
• The US has 30 days to request the extradition of the former military contractor.
• Venezuelan President Maduro may use Leonard as a bargaining chip for US recognition, AP reported.

The capture of a fugitive former military contractor who escaped to Venezuela may be a key to Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to win official recognition from the Biden administration. 

‘Fat Leonard’ Glenn Francis was caught in Venezuela Tuesday after escaping US custody, having cut his ankle monitor after pleading guilty to involvement in a US Navy bribery scandal.

With his capture, experts are speculating whether disputed Venezuelan President Maduro will use the prisoner as a bargaining chip to win recognition from US President Joe Biden’s administration, AP reported.

Francis, a 350-pound man nicknamed ‘Fat Leonard,’ was arrested by Venezuelan police while trying to board a flight at the Simon Bolivar International Airport, AP reported. US authorities now have 30 days to formally request his extradition.

Francis was three weeks away from sentencing for his role in bribing Navy officials when he escaped. 

Prosecutors argued Francis tried to bribe Navy officials with hundreds of thousands of dollars — as well as Cuban cigars, Spanish suckling pigs, tickets to Lady Gaga concerts, and “a rotating carousel of prostitutes” — in exchange for classified information and work opportunities for his firm, The Guardian reported.

He also overcharged the Navy by over $35 million for services, NBC reported,

With his arrest, experts told AP Francis’ conditional return may be used as leverage to prompt official recognition from the Biden administration. 

“I have no doubt the Venezuelans will make hay of (Francis’ arrest), especially because they have felt the effects of the long arm of the U.S. justice system,” David Smilde, a longtime expert on Venezuela who teaches at Tulane University, told AP.

A law enforcement official in Venezuela told AP the extradition is seen as unlikely because the Biden administration recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaidó — not Maduro — as the country’s legitimate ruler.

Guaidó declared himself interim president of Venezuela in January 2019 amid nationwide protests against authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro. The US and its allies still officially recognize Guaidó as Venezuela’s leader, despite Maduro’s current control of the government.

Under Maduro’s rule, Venezuelan citizens are fleeing a government that has engaged in “crimes against humanity,” including torture and sexual violence used to repress dissent, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday.

Immigrants from the country, like those recently flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, account for a new wave of migration in the US, Insider reported earlier this month. 

• Donald Trump was once paid in gold bars for the lease of a parking garage, per a new book.
• New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman wrote that the gold bars were sent to Trump Tower.
• Trump didn’t know how to handle the bars and it is unclear what happened to them, per Haberman.

During his days as a businessman in New York, former President Donald Trump was once paid with a pile of gold bars in lieu of cash. 

This anecdote was shared in a new book by New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman titled “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.” According to an excerpt provided exclusively to CNN, this odd form of payment was given to Trump to cover the price of leasing a garage at the General Motors building in New York, which Trump bought in 1998. 

Per CNN, Haberman wrote that Trump didn’t know how to handle the dozens of gold bars sent to him. They were eventually wheeled up to his apartment at Trump Tower, though it’s unclear what happened with the gold bars afterward.

Haberman also recalled in the excerpt seen by CNN that Trump was asked about the gold bars and responded by calling it a “fantasy question.”

A representative at Trump’s post-presidential press office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

The account from Haberman adds to the list of odd revelations about Trump’s past business dealings that have emerged in recent months.

This month, for example, an excerpt from a book by New York Times reporter David Enrich — titled “Servants of the Damned: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump and the Corruption of Justice” — recounted how Trump once tried to pay an attorney $2 million in legal fees with the deed to a stallion. 

According to Enrich, Trump — who was then a real-estate businessman — had failed to pay his bills. When confronted by his irate lawyer, Trump t pulled out a “deed to a horse” and told the lawyer that it was “more valuable” than the fees he owed. 

Meanwhile, Trump and his three adult children are facing a $250 million civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Leticia James. The suit seeks to bar the Trump family from conducting business in New York and accuses the former president of inflating his net worth by billions.