World Briefing: August 24, 2024

Ukraine’s surprise ground assault in Russia has “sown doubt” inside the country about Vladimir Putin, the UK’s Defence Secretary has said. In an article for The Telegraph, John Healey said the Russian president’s “cabal” may be facing growing internal pressure. The intervention comes after Volodymyr Zelensky sent thousands of troops into Russia as part of the surprise ground assault that has captured almost 500 sq miles of enemy territory. Mr Healey said the Kursk operation on Aug 6, the largest foreign attack on Russian territory since the Second World War, had caused the Russian people to question their president, exposing his increasingly fragile grip on the country. It has led to a crackdown on social media and messaging apps by the Kremlin to stop dissenting voices over Ukraine’s counter-strike. In what are the first comments by a senior government figure on the impact of Kyiv’s counter-strike within Russia, Mr Healey wrote: “Ukraine’s defensive operation in Kursk is a reminder to all Ukraine’s supporters that wars can shift at short notice, and continued military support for Ukraine remains as crucial as ever. “It has sown doubt inside Russia, exposing Putin’s Kremlin cabal to the consequences of their aggression.” Writing as Ukraine marks 33 years since its Declaration of Independence, Mr Healey said: “Putin’s complaints that Ukraine’s offensive is a ‘provocation’ are akin to a playground bully protesting because his smaller victim has had the temerity to fight back.

In the first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history, Narendra Modi yesterday urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war. He called for an “innovative solution” that’s broadly acceptable to all parties as best way to bring peace. According to foreign minister S. Jaishankar, the conflict formed the center piece of bilateral talks. Delhi hopes Zelensky will visit India soon

With the Olympics over, French President Emmanuel Macron has been forced to walk a tightrope in the search for new prime minister. A political whirlwind summer saw Macron dissolving parliament, calling snap elections, and then facing a hung National Assembly. It is now time for him to undo the political Gordian knot he has tied and choose the next prime minister. A handful of potential picks are under scrutiny in talks that began Friday and should conclude in a white smoke announcement as soon as Monday evening – if all goes well, France 24 reports. The outlet said: “It is the first time a French president has taken this much time to choose a prime minister and form a government following parliamentary elections.” And so many political parties unwilling to work together, “it will be difficult to build a majority”, said Jean-Yves Camus, of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS).

In the second such incident this summer, four prison employees have been killed after prisoners staged a revolt in a Russian penal colony and took several hostages, federal authorities say. Special forces stormed the IK-19 Surovikino facility in the southwestern Volgograd region after knife-wielding prisoners, who identified themselves as Islamic State (IS) militants, claimed to have taken control of the sprawling complex. Authorities said the special forces operation had freed some hostages and "neutralised" all the attackers, but later confirmed that four prison employees died in the attack. An unverified image posted on social media appeared to show an inmate holding a knife standing above a bloodied prison guard during the revolt. - BBC

‘We gotta get out of here’: Pokrovsk residents flee strategic Ukrainian city. Residents of eastern Ukraine's Pokrovsk resisted leaving home for months as fighting raged in the villages near the strategic Donbas city. But as Russian forces advance on the transport hub, many residents are now choosing to flee - France 24

The U.S. imposed sweeping sanctions Friday on hundreds of firms in Russia and across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, accusing them of providing products and services that enable Russia’s war effort and aiding its ability to evade sanctions, the AP reported. Among those sanctioned by the Treasury Department were 60 Russian-based technology and defense companies, including three Russian financial tech companies. Also sanctioned were firms in Turkey, France and Hong Kong that act as suppliers to Russia-based Promtekh, a wholesale distributor of transportation equipment, and an ammunition procurement network connected to Italian and Turkish nationals, who also face sanctions. As AP correctly pointed out: The effectiveness of the sanctions has been questioned, especially as Russia has continued to support its economy by selling oil and gas on international markets.

In the most recent poll in Israel asking ‘who would you vote for if elections were held today’, the opposition would receive a majority of 67 seats. Meanwhile, beleaguered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition 48, and the Arab parties sitting in the middle with five seats.

Temperature and visual screening will be conducted for certain inbound travellers and crew at Singapore Changi Airport as a precautionary measure against mpox. The checks will target those arriving on flights from places which may be exposed to the risk of mpox outbreaks, said the city state’s Ministry of Health (MOH). WHO in August declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that spread to neighbouring countries. Thailand on Thursday afternoon confirmed Asia's first known case of the new, deadlier Clade 1b strain. - CNA

The Committee to Protect Journalists has found that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations in Nigeria, one of several countries across sub-Saharan Africa that have experienced anti-government protests in recent months. Last year, CPJ found that more than 40 Nigerian journalists were detained, attacked, or harassed while reporting on presidential and state elections. In 2020, at least a dozen journalists were attacked during the #EndSARS campaign to abolish Nigeria’s brutal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit.

The 31 Abrams tanks that Ukraine received from the US in the fall of 2023 arrived without the latest top-secret armor upgrades - according to the Zelensky Administration’s information channel, United24. The apparent reason was to protect US military technology from falling into Russian hands. As the tank deliveries have been slow, Ukrainian soldiers are said to have taken matters into their own hands and added additional protection to help shield the tanks from Russian drone attacks. Nicholas Drummond, a former British Army officer, was quoted by United24 as saying that that the US withheld the depleted uranium armor from these tanks due to its classified nature.

The Philippines called on Beijing on Saturday to "immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions" after accusing it of "unjustifiably" deploying flares from China occupied Subi Reef on Aug. 22 while a Manila aircraft was conducting patrols. The same aircraft also "faced harassment" from a Chinese jet fighter while it was conducting a surveillance flight near Scarborough Shoal on Aug. 19, the Philippines' South China Sea Task Force said in a statement. "Such actions undermine regional peace and security, and further erode the image of the PRC (People's Republic of China) with the international community," the task force said. There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila about the incidents, which happened the same week Manila and Beijing accused each of ramming vessels and performing dangerous manoeuvres in the South China Sea. - Reuters

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