Shedding light on events and personalities around the globe that may not have made the headlines.
Ukraine/Russia
This week saw relatively little movement on the frontlines, with Russia capturing the small village of Urozhaine in Donetsk Oblast, Eastern Ukraine. Urozhaine, which had a population of below 1000 people before the war, was captured by Russia in the early stages of the 2022 full-scale invasion. It was recaptured by Ukraine in 2023, and now is back in Russian hands, according to the map DeepStateMap.Live.
The week also saw Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian drone attacks on targets in occupied Ukraine and within Russia itself. On 12 July Ukraine claimed to have destroyed a Russian S-300V anti-aircraft system near Mariupol. It claimed to have struck another similar system on 16 July.
On 13 July, the Russian governor of Rostov Oblast claimed an oil depot was set on fire by a Ukrainian drone strike. This is the latest attack in a Ukrainian campaign to target Russian oil infrastructure as a way of hurting Russian finances: a campaign which seems to have placed strain on Russia’s oil infrastructure over the past months.
Over the last year, Ukrainian long-range drone strike capability has been growing, with an Institute for the Study of War report claiming that this is placing major strain on Russian air defences. Reportedly seven Pantsir-1 medium-range air defence systems have within the last few months been placed close to Vladimir Putin’s residence in Valdai, Novgorod Oblast. Ukrainian targeting of Russian air defence is part of efforts to secure operational space for the arrival of F-16 fighter jets later in 2024.
Eastern Congo
The foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said that the country did not want the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers from the North Kivu province, as there were still Rwandan troops within Congolese territory.
The eastern provinces of the DRC have been ravaged for the last two years by an insurgency of the M23 rebel group, which the DRC, the United States and the U.N. have claimed is being supported by Rwanda and Uganda. Rwandan troops are even claimed to have clashed with U.N. and Congolese troops, in a recent U.N report on the conflict.
According to the U.N., between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan Defence force troops were active in Congo in April of 2024.
Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi has repeatedly threatened to declare war on Rwanda. Regardless of an official declaration, the DRC and Rwanda are de facto at war with each other.
Middle East
This week saw continued fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, as well as between Israel and Iranian allies in Lebanon and Syria. The most notable Israeli operation was an airstrike on 13 July in Al-Mawasi in Gaza, which Israel claims was targeting Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. It is unclear if the attack succeeded in killing Deif. Hamas claims Deif is still alive. Israel has not yet announced whether he is dead or alive. Deif has been a major target of Israel for 30 years, and was thought to be key in professionalising and organising Hamas’s military forces.
Sudan civil war
Sudan’s complex civil war between the Sudanese Armed forces (SAF) and their former ally the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has seen significant clandestine foreign support for one of the sides. Russia is accused of supporting the RSF, and Ukrainian special forces have been seen operating in the conflict against Russian-aligned groups. Initially the RSF achieved significant successes in the conflict, which were halted by a resurgence of SAF fortunes. In recent weeks the RSF have once again been on the offensive and have captured territory, particularly in the south of the country.
Elections
Japan’s Tokyo province on 7 July saw the re-election of Governor Yuriko Koike for a third term. Koike’s victory, however, was marked by the lowest percentage of the vote she has won in an election in Tokyo: 42.8% of the vote. Whilst technically an independent, Koike is backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic party and faced two major independent candidates.
Independent Shinji Ishimaru, who came in second with 24.3% of the vote, exceeded expectations. His relative success is credited to effective use of social media during the campaign. Coming in third was Renhō, with 18.8% of the vote, who was endorsed by Japan’s left-wing parties: the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party.
[Image: BK Tekane]
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