This Week in the World sheds light on events and personalities around the globe that may not have made the headlines
Ukraine-Russia war
A Chinese ship called the Yi Peng 3 is suspected by Danish and Swedish authorities of being involved in the deliberate sabotaging of undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea.
The Yi Peng 3 left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on 15 November. According to reporting in the Wall Street Journal, the ship dragged its anchor along the sea floor for 160km, crossing the position where the cables lie. While officials have made no claims as to who may be behind the attack, some analysts have suggested the ship may have been hired by Russian intelligence to carry out the sabotage of the cables.
The ship has been detained by Danish authorities at sea, and the crew are reportedly unwilling to talk. Sweden has asked for the cooperation of the Chinese government in the investigation.
The Norwegian government on Thursday promised to increase its financial support to Ukraine to around $3.16 billion. Around two thirds of this money will be spent on military support.
On Wednesday a joint statement was issued by the governments of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Sweden in which they promised to strengthen their support for Ukraine. They also expressed their desire to help Ukraine “prevail against Russia’s aggression, to ensure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace”.
Furthermore, these countries stated that “Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to our security in the long term”.
The joint statement was likely in response to fears that a Trump administration may cut American support for Ukraine. It is also likely in part a response to the suspected Russian sabotage of infrastructure in the Baltic.
Syrian civil war
With Hezbollah weakened by its recent conflict with Israel, and Russia ever more distracted by the war with Ukraine, Syrian rebel groups opposed to the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria launched a surprise attack against Assad’s troops near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria.
Assad’s government nearly fell to rebel forces back in 2011, but was saved by the intervention of Iran, via Hezbollah, and Russia, who stabilised his government. Assad’s forces slowly pushed back the Syrian opposition forces, which controlled the north of the country. Turkish and Qatari support for the rebels prevented their collapse. With Assad’s foreign backers weakened, it seems his enemies have seized the opportunity to strike.
It’s far too early to say for sure, but early reports suggest the rebels are making steady progress and Assad’s troops are struggling to hold back the latest offensive. According to reporting by CNN on Wednesday, rebels seized 13 villages, including the strategic towns of Urm Al-Sughra and Anjara, as well as Base 46, the largest Syrian regime base in western Aleppo.
Hungary
Since 2010, Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party (translated as the Hungarian Civic Alliance) have dominated Hungarian politics.
Orban and Hungary have become an outsized player on the international stage, supporting “nationalist” groups in America, blocking various European Union foreign policy initiatives, challenging EU migration policy and advocating for closer relations between Europe, Russia and China.
New polling, however, suggests that for the first time in 15 years, his party is electorally threatened.
The new Tisza Party (Respect and Freedom Party in English), formed by Péter Magyar, a former member of Fidesz, performed well in the 2024 European parliament election in Hungary, winning 29.60% of the vote and forcing Fidesz below the 50% mark, to 44.82%.
A poll taken in early November by Medián shows Tisza polling well ahead of Fidesz, winning 47% of the vote, with Fidesz trailing at 36%. In 3rd place on 6% were the hardline nationalist party, “Our Homeland Movement”.
If this poll is correct, it would suggest a massive drop in support for Fidesz since the 2022 election in which the party won 54.13% of the vote.
Georgia
Mass protests against the governing Georgian Dream party intensified this week in Georgia, with the opposition alleging that the Russia-aligned party stole the October elections in Georgia. A decision by the Georgian Dream government to put on hold efforts to join the EU have only intensified the protests, which claim that the Georgian Dream government has been captured by Russia.
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