- Russian gas flows to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline edged lower on Tuesday morning ahead of an expected cut in capacity from Wednesday, while flows through transit routes via Ukraine remained steady. Exit flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German border stood at 2,836,230 kWh/h on Tuesday morning versus levels over 3,000,000 kWh/h for most of the previous day, data from pipeline operator Gascade showed
- Russia’s top diplomat said Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime.” Lavrov said “We are determined to help the people of eastern Ukraine to liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime,” at an Arab League summit in Cairo late on Sunday, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy’s government
- Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is on a first-ever visit to the Republic of Congo as part of a four-nation tour of Africa to seek support against Western pressure over its invasion of Ukraine and soaring food prices that threaten famine in parts of East Africa. The Russian foreign minister met Monday with the Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso at his residence in Oyo
- Poland’s fleet of PT-91 battle tanks have arrived in Ukraine, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak. Through his Twitter account, Yermak assured the Polish government that Ukrainians were very thankful for the aid sent by Polish friends, writing: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”
- Both French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are currently in Africa. Joseph Olivier Mendo’o, the co-founder of the China-Africa Youth Federation, says their visit is a result of the Ukraine conflict, which has caused the cost of living in Europe to rise
Advertisement
- A week before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, where cannabis oil vape cartridges were found in her luggage. Moscow’s harsh drug laws are under the spotlight following the American basketball star’s arrest
- After Russia invaded Ukraine, Zvartnots International Airport in Armenia’s capital Yerevan was flooded with Russians, among them a growing number of tech workers. Fearing flight cancellations, exit bans, and border controls, many booked their tickets at exorbitant prices, wiped their phones, and arrived in the small country nestled in the Southern Caucasus. IT job listings in large cities like St. Petersburg dropped by almost a third as of May, compared to listings posted in January. At least 1,000 foreign companies have stopped or limited their activities in Russia, many of which moved their staff abroad
- The war has been raging for five months – six months if we count the noisy leadup. It has not gone as Russia hoped. Moscow’s initial offensive, a three-pronged attack on Kyiv, Odesa and Donetsk, failed for a variety of reasons: the limits of Russian logistics, the difficulty of coordinating an armored system at distance, and above all Ukrainian tactics and American weapons. The Ukrainians fought an infantry battle with a decentralized command structure and tactical mobility, and they did so with weapons such as Javelin missiles that were ideally suited for combatting the Russian army
- Since 2019, Vladimir Putin has supercharged his plan to separate Russia from the global Internet. The country’s sovereign Internet law, which came into force that November, gives officials the power to block access to websites for millions of Russians. The law was used to hit Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with blocks and followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February
- Ukraine’s Security Service detailed the tactics it says Moscow is using to simulate local support to join Russia—and they apparently involve tacky T-shirts, scripted appeals, and free food for anyone willing to play along. The campaign is reportedly being led by the pro-Russian group “Donetsk Republic,” which is now expanding beyond occupied Donetsk and calling itself “Big Russia,” according to the SBU
Advertisement