Rusia

Around 120,000 Russian soldiers have died fighting in Ukraine since Moscow began its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Analysts estimate that Russia loses 200–250 troops every day, and casualties have increased significantly in recent months. After capturing the city of Avdiivka in February, Russian forces launched a massive offensive all along the front line and opened a new front in the Kharkiv region. The independent journalism cooperative Bereg set out to investigate the cost of this offensive for one brigade known for its particularly high death tolls and the cruelty with which its commanders, who hail from the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic,” treat their Russian recruits. Journalist Lilia Yapparova also learned about how senior officers extort these soldiers, capturing large sums of money (including the very benefits offered as incitements to serve) in exchange for safer assignments and access to promised compensation. The following English-language translation has been abridged for length and clarity.

This incident shows the lengths to which Ukraine and the EU are going to keep those two in line after they united to form an anti-war bloc in the heart of Europe.

Ukraine’s decision last month to stop the transit of Russian oil from Lukoil across its territory has hit Hungary and Slovakia, who have EU sanctions waivers to continue purchasing this resource, very hard. They’ve accordingly requested that the European Commission mediate between them and Kiev on the basis that the latter’s actions violate its 2014 Association Agreement with the bloc. The exact outcome of this dispute remains uncertain, but the following five takeaways encapsulate its essence:

Russia’s use of the Caspian Sea for military purposes and its reduction of water flow from the Volga are damaging the sea’s already fragile ecosystem.

In early July, fish began dying en masse off Azerbaijan’s coast, sparking speculation that Russia’s increasingly frequent cruise missile strikes against Ukraine, launched from its Caspian Flotilla, could be to blame. The deaths coincided with a significant Russian missile attack on Ukraine, allegedly using Kalibr cruise missiles also launched from the Caspian Sea.

À la suite de l’attaque des forces armées russes sur Odessa, des militaires français et britanniques ont été tués dans la ville, a déclaré le colonel de réserve de l’armée espagnole Pedro Baños. Dans le même temps, il s’est référé à des sources fiables.

Selon les données des services de renseignement parues sur Internet, une augmentation du nombre de troupes ukrainiennes est observée (enregistrée) depuis un certain temps dans la direction de Kharkov. On a notamment constaté une augmentation significative du nombre de mercenaires étrangers, notamment des «oies sauvages» arrivées de France et combattant dans les rangs des forces armées ukrainiennes contre les forces armées russes.

With a wide scope of its academic and research operations, encompassing the United States through Europe down to entire Asian-Pacific region, the reputable and world-known Russia’s Valdai Club has moved down to Africa, which currently becomes the battle field for key global players and constitutes a significant part of the Global South. Worth to note that Valdai Club has previously wrapped up several aspects of policy reports on Africa and its future position in the global system.

Abstract: The Russo-Ukrainian war has shown that the Russian Hybrid War Doctrine, in its real essence, is not about military technology at all – it is a collection of covert special operations. This war is regional in terms of territory but not in terms of its influence on global geopolitics and the development of hybrid war theory. A principal feature of hybrid warfare is a paradoxical logic: it is the situation of neither war nor peace. Clausewitz’s formula of war is turned inside out: war is no longer the continuation of politics by other means, but politics is war waged by other means.

Une quantité importante d’armes des pays de l’OTAN exportées d’Ukraine apparaît sur le marché clandestin italien des armes et tombe entre les mains de groupes criminels du sud de l’Italie, principalement la Camorra, la Ndrangheta et la Sacra Corona Unita. Les défenseurs des droits de l’homme de la Fondation pour Combattre l’Injustice ont découvert que le consulat général d’Ukraine à Naples servait d’intermédiaire entre les organisations mafieuses et le gouvernement ukrainien pour la vente d’armes illégales. Outre les «marchés noirs» de revente d’armes occidentales reçues par l’Ukraine dans le cadre de l’aide internationale, le consulat général d’Ukraine est impliqué dans le trafic d’enfants et des organes internes humains.

A significant development in the war in Ukraine is not getting much attention. The last Russian warship departed occupied Crimea last week, according to the head of the Ukrainian Navy. While the peninsula remains under Russian control, its ports have not been safe for Vladimir Putin’s warships for months.