How is Russia currently doing in Ukraine? Israeli Raid to Palestine, No-Confidence Vote in Greece, Pope's speak on LGBT
How is Russia currently doing in Ukraine?
Over the last few days, the Russian army has continued to make minor advances, having made advances in northern Donbass around bakhmut earlier this month, taking the towns of Salida and Chica. The Russians have now apparently refocused their efforts on southern Donbass and zaporijya, where they've made incremental but non-trivial gains in southern Donbas. The Russians have apparently entered the town of Volodar, a tiny town roughly 30 kilometers from Donetsk city. It's not clear what the strategic value of the settlement is, but it's still not good news for the Ukrainians that the Russians are making progress in the area. In zaporijya, Russian forces have made minor gains around the town of crimeansk, another tiny village that sits on the bank of the De Dnipro. Russian forces have also reached the outskirts orikiev, a city which acts as a logistical hub for Ukrainian forces in. zaporijya While neither effort has made much progress, if the Russians were to take over a Kyiv, this would be pretty bad news for the Ukrainians and could presage an attack on zaporijya city.
As always, it's important to stress the paucity of these gains. The Russians have only captured a few tiny towns and the three larger and more strategically significant settlements I've just mentioned. Vuhledar, Kamyanske and orikhiv are still under Ukrainian control. Similarly, while they've had success around bakhmut, it doesn't look like the Russians have even tried to enter the city yet. It's also worth saying that while the Russians might be making some gains, this may well be because the Ukrainians are holding back important resources and reserves for another offensive. And this is a short term cost. Ukrainian high command are happy to bear. This seems plausible given what the Ukrainian government has said recently about retaking territory and the fact the Ukrainians are so focused on stuff like tanks which are generally intended for offensive maneuvers. Nonetheless, it's something for the Ukrainian high command to keep an eye on, especially in the area where Russia has been amassing troops for some time now.
Israeli Raid to Palestine
This morning it was reported that nine Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli raid in the West Bank, specifically in Jenin. About this situation, the Palestinian health minister warned that the situation between Israel and Palestine was crucial. She additionally said that a children's ward of a hospital had been hit with tear gas. She described the situation as dire and the paramedics are struggling to reach the wounded amid the fighting. Tensions in the West Bank have risen recently following what the Israeli military calls a counterterrorism offensive. So far this year, 29 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank. In total, last year, more than 150 Palestinians were killed. Us Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to visit the region in the coming days and will likely push for steps that will improve the lives of Palestinians.
No-Confidence Vote in Greece
Greece's conservative government faces a no confidence vote on Friday as pressure continues to ramp up on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the country's wiretapping scandal. Leftist opposition leader and former Prime minister Alexis Tsipras accused the government of presiding over an Orwellian dystopia and the deepest deviation from rule of law that the country has seen in its modern history. Greek politics have been rocked by the scandal since last August, when the Prime minister revealed that the leader of Greece's third largest party had had his phone tapped by the intelligence services. Prime Minister Mitsotakis stressed that the surveillance was unknown to him and his government, and the incident led to the resignation of the intelligence chief and the prime minister's general secretary. In Parliament this week, Tsipras revealed the names of other targets listed in a report by the country's Independent Communications and Privacy Authority. Those allegedly targeted include the Labour minister, the former head of the Army and other military officials. Greek prosecutors are still investigating a whole load of claims of wiretapping of other politicians and public figures. The no confidence motion is likely to fail given the ruling New Democrat Party has a majority in Greece's 300 seat parliament and leads in polls for the upcoming election.
Pope's speak on LGBT
The pope has recently criticised laws that criminalise homosexuality as unjust, with him, saying that God loves all his children as they are. He said this during an interview on Tuesday in which he said being a homosexual isn't a crime. He did, however, refer to the issue in terms of sin. He raised the issue, at least in part, to highlight that there were Catholic bishops who support legislation that discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community. He said that they likely believe in this sort of legislation because of their cultural background and they need to undergo a process of change. Specifically, he said that they should apply tenderness, please, as God has for each of us.
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