Leading presidents and prime ministers from around the world are meeting for the annual G20 leaders’ summit in India’s capital, Delhi, from 9-10 September.

Narendra Modi is an authoritarian figure who, as India’s prime minister since 2014, has pushed his country into increasingly becoming a “de facto ethnic democracy”, in which Hindus define the national identity and non-Hindus are seen as second-class citizens. Yet as the host of the upcoming talks of the world’s 20 largest economies, Mr Modi will be feted by major global leaders – except his absent fellow strongmen Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

Mr Modi’s dangerous majoritarianism is too easily overlooked by the west, as the G20 glad-handing will show. India had been considered an exemplary liberal parliamentary democracy among developing countries. This is being slowly dismantled by Mr Modi’s brand of Hindu nationalism. State intimidation has seen civil society harassed and critics jailed. A report by a group of prominent lawyers last year warned that “the administration of law has become the means by which … the Muslim community can be kept in a state of perpetual fear”. Since May, the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur has been burning, with its valley Hindus and highland Christians sinking into bloody fighting. Mr Modi’s party blames non-Hindus for the violence.

The Indian prime minister shares the ideological viewpoint of Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen in France and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. Mr Modi claims India suffered 1,000 years of servitude: 750 years of Muslim rule, plus 250 years of British rule. Pulling down, or discarding, symbols of that history – mosques, mausoleums, Lutyens’ Delhi buildings – is excused, in this thinking, because this represents a national, Hindu resurgence. Mr Modi tellingly speaks of 1,000 years of rule to come.

The west thinks that it must keep stumm because it needs India to contain China. But at what cost to democracy and human rights? Mukul Kesavan, an Indian historian, wrote earlier this year that when the White House rolled out the red carpet for Mr Modi, “One of the more entertaining things about [his] visit has been the sight of [Joe] Biden welcoming a foreign leader who had openly campaigned for his predecessor and liberal bête noire, Donald Trump.”

Last year, Gothenburg University’s annual report on the state of global democracy warned of a wave of “autocratization” spreading around the world. Since 2020, the report said, India has not been a working democracy but an “electoral autocracy” similar to that in Russia. All is not lost. India’s next general election will provide a chance for the public to have its say – though how much remains to be seen, given that a peer-reviewed paper suggested that in 2019 Mr Modi won around 11 seats by suppressing the Muslim vote. Its author, a respected economist, quit after his university failed to back him. The arrival of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, otherwise known as INDIA, has also unsettled Mr Modi. Perhaps peeved at being opposed by “INDIA”, Mr Modi wants to respond only to the country’s Sanskrit name “Bharat”.

India’s prime minister says the G20 should let the global south shape the world’s future. As Human Rights Watch pointed out this week, “many proposed summit topics – debt crises, social protection programs, food security, climate change, internet freedom – are at their root about human rights”. Britain has its own share of democratic backsliding. But if Mr Modi desires successful outcomes then he, like all autocratic leaders, should understand why his actions at home undermine the arguments he wants to promote abroad.

Western democracies are wrong to overlook a country’s descent into electoral autocracy because they believe they need it to contain China

What is the G20?

The G20 – or Group of Twenty – is a club of countries which meets to discuss plans for the global economy.

Between them, G20 countries account for 85% of the world’s economic output and 75% of world trade. They contain two-thirds of the global population.

The members are the European Union and 19 nations – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US. Spain is always invited as a guest.

A smaller group of G20 member countries meets as the G7.

Some of the G20 member nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – have formed a separate group called Brics.

This is due to expand, having invited six other nations to join at its recent summit: Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

What does the group discuss?

The issues discussed by G20 leaders have broadened in recent years from just economics to include issues such as climate change, sustainable energy, international-debt forgiveness and taxing multinational corporations.

Every year, a different G20 member state takes over the presidency and sets the agenda for meetings.

Indonesia held the presidency in 2022, and the leaders’ summit was held in Bali.

As 2023 president, India wants the Delhi event to concentrate on sustainable development, as well as measures to spread economic growth more evenly between developed and developing countries.

The summit also provides an opportunity for one-to-one discussions to take place alongside group sessions.

The White House says that US President Joe Biden will talk to individual leaders about tackling climate change, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and getting global organisations such as the World Bank to do more to fight poverty.

However, the Kremlin says Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the summit, and it’s been widely reported that China’s President Xi Jinping will also stay away.

Are there any controversial issues for G20 countries?

Russia’s war in Ukraine is likely to cause discord at the Delhi summit.

In March 2022, the G20 foreign ministers were unable to reach agreements at their meeting because of fierce arguments over the war between the US and Russia delegations.

At the Bali leaders’ summit in November 2022, discussions were dominated by a crisis involving missiles from the war falling on Poland’s side of the border with Ukraine.

In May, China and Saudi Arabia boycotted a G20 meeting on tourism which was held in Indian-administered Kashmir because the Kashmir region contains territory claimed by Pakistan as well as India.

A row has also broken out between India and China over a long-running border dispute, after Beijing released a map which claims the state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin plateau as Chinese territory.

What does the summit mean for India?

India has been positioning itself as a leading voice of developing countries known as the Global South in recent years and G20 is seen as its chance to deliver on these promises on a bigger stage.

The summit also comes ahead of the 2024 general elections in India and could bolster Mr Modi’s image as a leader who commands respect on the global stage.

The government has held hundreds of meeting across some 50 cities in the run-up to the summit in Delhi.

For months, cities and towns have been dotted with shiny billboards featuring the G20 logo and Mr Modi’s photos, framing the event as the prime minister’s earnest attempt to bring the world to India.

Mr Modi also appears to share a personal rapport with many of his G20 counterparts, including President Biden who accorded him a coveted state visit in June.

That said, the summit is not expected to be a breeze for India, given the current complex geopolitical situation.

Many economies are still struggling to recover from the pandemic and have grown increasingly anxious about the war and its economic impact, with global surges in food and energy prices.

Why is there a ‘family photo’?

At the end of key summits, the heads of government often pose for a group photograph, known as the « family photo ».

However, the diplomatic discord revealed by the image sometimes makes headlines in its own right.

In 2018, following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was largely ignored, and made to stand at the far end of the group.

What has the G20 achieved?

At the 2008 and 2009 leaders’ summits, during the financial crisis, leaders agreed a host of measures to rescue the global economic system.

But some critics argue that subsequent summits have been less successful, often as a result of tensions between rival world powers.

However, bilateral meetings at the summit have often proved constructive.

In 2019, at Osaka, then-US president Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume talks to settle a major trade dispute.

Do G20 summits attract protests?

Big demonstrations often take place around the leaders’ summits.

Anti-capitalist protesters demonstrated at the 2010 summit in Toronto and the 2017 summit in Hamburg.

Thousands of demonstrators marched during the 2018 summit in Rio de Janeiro to protest against the G20’s economic policies.

In 2009 Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper seller, died after he was caught up in protests during the G20 summit in London.

World Opinions +The Guarasidian + BBC NEWS + Agencies

L’article View on India’s G20 summit: a backsliding democracy gets to play host est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says an “armed mutiny” by the Wagner Group is treason, adding that “decisive action” will be taken against them.

The authorities in Moscow and the surrounding area say they have declared a “counterterrorism” state of emergency after Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his forces were in control of military sites in Rostov.

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has accused the Russian military of attacking his advancing troops.

In a previous post (below), we reported on a Wagner convoy that was spotted north of Voronezh, a city in which Wagner has reportedly seized military facilities.

« We were fired upon: first artillery strikes, and then from helicopters, » Prigozhin said in a Telegram post, without giving evidence or specifying where the alleged attack happened.

Wagner took city without firing a single shot – Prigozhin

We’ve been reporting that the rebelling Wagner Group mercenaries have claimed they now control Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia.

In a new audio message posted on Wagner’s Telegram page, Yevgeny Prigozhin claims his troops took the city « without a single shot being fired [by us] ».

He also claims residents of Rostov-on-Don were supporting his troops because of their continuing « justice march ».

Russia’s state-run media has broadcast footage apparently showing Rostov residents arguing with Wagner troops and urging them to obey orders by President Vladimir Putin.

The claims have not been independently verified.

Our BBC Verify team has verified a video showing a Wagner convoy of armed vehicles travelling on the M4 motorway, which links Voronezh and Moscow through the region of Lipetsk. The picture above is taken from the video.

As we’ve mentioned, the governor of the Lipetsk region has asked residents to stay home and avoid travelling, either with public vehicles or on public transport.

Regional authorities in Lipetsk have said that all bus services in the region are cancelled until further notice.

Voronezh is one of two cities – the other being Rostov-on-Don, further south – in which Wagner mercenaries have reportedly seized key sites.

The situation in the region is fast moving, and we’ll bring you more updates shortly.

We’ll return to the latest developments from the ground in a second, but first, let’s take a step back.

In February, David Aaronovitch and guests discussed the Wagner group in detail in an episode of BBC Radio 4’s The Briefing Room.

The mercenary group has been responsible for much of Russia’s military success in Ukraine.

Earlier this year, the group took control of Soledar, a salt mine town in the east of the country.

But the battle for Soledar also showed the first signs of an emerging rift between Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the Kremlin.

World Opinions + BBC News

L’article Russian mercenaries seize military sites as Putin vows to punish rebellion.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on a tour of European capitals, tells leaders at a summit in Brussels that Europe’s freedom depends on Ukraine’s.

Russian forces have significantly stepped up attacks in eastern Ukraine and are trying to break through defences near Kreminna, says the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk.

The Russian embassy in London warns of “military and political consequences” after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “nothing is off the table”, including combat aircraft for Ukraine.

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group says it has stopped recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine.

He was earlier given a standing ovation at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Czech Republic to repair damaged Ukrainian armoured vehicles

The Ukrainian army’s armoured vehicles will be repaired in the Czech Republic, the Czech Defence Ministry said.

The ministry said that state-owned company VOP CZ signed a memorandum of understanding with Ukraine’s government arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom on the repairs on Monday.

“The memorandum … contains a specific plan and timetable for the repairs or securing of spare parts,” said Ales Vytecka, director of the Czech government’s AMOS agency for military cooperation, who co-signed the memorandum.

The Czech Republic has been one of the top weapons providers to Kyiv among NATO allies, supplying Ukraine with armoured personnel carriers, tanks or howitzers.

Russia may take legal action over Nord Stream investigation

Russia might take political or legal action in response to a report alleging that the US was involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines last year, the TASS news agency reported, citing a foreign ministry official.

In a blog post, Pulitzer Prize-winning American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh cited an unidentified source as saying US navy divers had planted explosives on the pipelines in the Baltic Sea on the orders of President Joe Biden.

The White House dismissed the report as “utterly false and complete fiction”, and Norway, which is investigating the explosions, said the allegations were “nonsense”.

Mr Zelensky said Germany and France had the potential to be « game-changers » in the war. The sooner Ukraine received heavy, long-range weapons and modern planes, « the quicker this Russian aggression will end », he explained.

Although President Macron has previously signalled some openness to providing fighter jets, Mr Scholz has not.

The French leader vowed Ukraine could count on his support, with France « determined to help Ukraine to victory and the re-establishment of its legitimate rights ». Chancellor Scholz added: « The position is unchanged: Russia must not win this war. »

Because of the 11-month long Russian invasion, Mr Zelensky rarely leaves his own country and a senior Ukrainian official said that the purpose of his trip was to obtain results.

He argues that fighter jets and long-range missiles are important in addition to the Leopard 2 tanks that Western nations have recently committed to supplying. While Mr Zelensky said he had discussed the issue of combat planes in Paris, he warned there was « very little time » to provide much-needed weaponry.

The Dutch prime minister said that many sensitive issues had to be discussed before a decision could be made on supplying fighter jets. « The pros and cons – you have to make absolutely sure that you are not getting into an Article Five direct confrontation between Nato and Russia, » Mr Rutte told the BBC.

Moscow has repeatably warned the West against weapons deliveries since the war began, frequently threatening to retaliate against what it calls « provocations ».

Asked by reporters in Moscow about the growing debate over sending warplanes to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia saw it as evidence of the growing involvement of the UK, France and Germany in the conflict.

« We regret this and state that such actions of these countries lead to the escalation of tension around this conflict, prolong it and make it more painful and torturous for Ukraine, » said Mr Peskov.

Chancellor Scholz agreed only recently to allow German Leopard tanks and has warned against getting involved in a « public bidding war » of weapons systems for Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky had earlier addressed a joint session of the UK Parliament in Westminster Hall, underlining his plea for fighter jets: « Freedom will win – we know Russia will lose. »

Downing Street said UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was investigating what aircraft could potentially be offered, but emphasised this was « a long-term solution » and that training pilots could take years.

World Opinions – agencies

L’article Analysis. Zelenskyy lobbies EU leaders as battles rage est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Russia has strongly criticised the visit to Washington by Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing the US of fighting an indirect war against it.

Tonight, the fourth night of Hanukkah, we honor the timeless miracle of a small band of warriors fighting for their values against a much larger foe.

That story of resilience reminds me of Ukraine. Even in the darkest days of the year – light will always prevail. pic.twitter.com/4Xqavk1zMA

— President Biden (@POTUS) December 22, 2022

President Joe Biden has pledged $1.85bn (£1.45bn) of military aid for Ukraine – including an advanced missile system to help guard against Russian attacks.

In a defiant address to US lawmakers, Mr Zelensky welcomed the assistance.

But Russia’s US ambassador said these « provocative actions » would lead to an escalation with severe consequences.

In Ukraine's fight against Russia's unprovoked, unjustified war, I’m proud to say they have not stood alone.

And on my watch, they never will. pic.twitter.com/2RV8dyXHxr

— President Biden (@POTUS) December 21, 2022

Anatoly Antonov told Russian state media that Moscow was « trying to appeal to common sense at all levels », but talk of delivering the Patriot missile system to Kyiv was « deeply disturbing ».

Patriot missiles are capable, effective and expensive. The White House says they will help defend Ukrainians against « Russia’s barbaric attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure ».

I adore this man & hope that this war comes to an end swiftly in the new year. #Zelenskyy & #Ukraine need peace & time to rebuild. #Vladimir is reaping karma. It's a sad loss of life on both sides. Some #Russians were lied to & died for nothing, while others deserved death https://t.co/3gKLd1OAph

— Riscie L (@Riscie81) December 22, 2022

Moscow has complained that no calls for peace were heard during President Zelensky’s trip to Washington – with spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing this as proof that the US was fighting a proxy war with Russia.

Mr Peskov added that delivering Patriot missiles would not prevent Russia from « achieving its goals during the special military operation ».

« The talks in Washington have shown that neither Ukraine nor the United States is seeking peace. They are simply intent on continuing the fighting, » said Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

#Zelenskyy in Poland https://t.co/EEdVhsk3Qo

— chris wynnyk wilson 🫐🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@CWynnykWilson) December 22, 2022

Russian commentators have echoed this – repeatedly accusing the US of « pumping Ukraine full of weapons ».

Some media reports from Moscow ridiculed the Ukrainian leader – with state TV’s Channel One comparing him to a stripper begging for money. On Wednesday, he was likened to a toilet brush.

Marking his first foreign trip since the start of the invasion, Mr Zelensky told Congress his country was « alive and kicking » and would never surrender to Moscow.

As well as the $1.85bn package that has already been announced, another $45bn of US emergency assistance is currently before the Senate.

Mr Zelensky expressed hope this extra funding would be approved, to « help us to defend our values and independence ».

But there are signs that US support is likely to face greater political scrutiny. Republican support for continued assistance has been eroding.

In a survey conducted in November, just over half of Republican voters supported aid to Ukraine – down from 80% in March.

The party, which will take control of the House of Representatives in January, has warned it will not write a « blank cheque » for Ukraine.

But President Biden has vowed to stick by Ukraine « for as long as it takes ».

Mr Zelensky, who travelled on a US Air Force jet from the Polish city of Rzeszow, said that « regardless of changes in the Congress », he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country.

He made his plea in emotive terms before a joint session of Congress – a speech that was interrupted 18 times with standing ovations by nearly all members of Congress, with the exception of some Republican lawmakers who did not clap.

Speaking in English, he told them his country was still standing « against all odds » and predicted « a turning point » in the conflict next year.

To illustrate the brutality of the war, Mr Zelensky evoked US troops fighting the Nazis during World War Two.

« The Russians’ tactic is primitive. They burn down and destroy everything they see. They sent convicts to the front lines, to the war. They threw everything against us, similar to the other tyranny, which in the Battle of the Bulge threw everything it had against the free world.

« Just like the brave American soldiers who held their lines and fought back Hitler’s forces during the Christmas of 1944, brave Ukrainian soldiers are doing the same to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s forces this Christmas, » he said. « Ukraine holds its lines and will never surrender. »

Concluding his speech, Mr Zelensky presented Congress with a battle flag signed by the defenders of Bakhmut, a frontline city in the east of Ukraine that he visited on the eve of his Washington trip.

At a joint news conference, Mr Biden told reporters he was « not at all worried » about holding the international coalition together.

Despite concerns some allies may be feeling the strain of the conflict’s cost and disruption to global food and energy supplies, the US president said he felt « very good » about the solidarity of support for Ukraine.

As Ukraine’s most important ally, the US has already committed $50bn (£41bn) of humanitarian, financial and security assistance – far more than any other country.

On his way home from Washington, Volodymyr Zelensky stopped in Poland where he met Polish President Andrzej Duda, one of his strongest allies.

The two discussed the US visit as well as their « strategic plans for the future », Mr Zelensky said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the US military estimates that at least 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured, along with some 40,000 civilian deaths.

The UN has recorded 7.8 million people as refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia. However, the figure does not include those who have been forced to flee their homes but remain in Ukraine.

By Phelan Chatterjee – BBC News – World Opinions

L’article Analysis. Zelensky’s visit shows neither Ukraine nor US want peace, Russia says.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

​The longer this war lasts, the higher the chances that it will spill over into Nato territory. Last night’s missile explosions that reportedly killed two people in the Polish village of Przewodów, 20km from the border with Ukraine, are testimony to a dangerous trend of miscalculation that could lead to escalation. As long as Russia continues its desperate tactic of missile barrages against civilian infrastructure, this risk is high.

But while attention is focused on Russia’s indiscriminate long-range strikes, and the emerging G20 and Nato reactions, Moscow’s position on the ground is weaker than it has been in months. The loss of Kherson last week was a major blow – to the point that even senior Russian commanders have acknowledged setbacks for the first time.

Kherson was a key strategic asset for the Russian invasion: it is a regional capital, an important Black Sea hub and home to a major shipbuilding industry. The region is also the location of the North Crimean canal, a major source of fresh water for Crimea. Russia’s advances in the south of Ukraine earlier this year were aimed at creating a land corridor to Crimea, asserting control over this important trade route and establishing a launch pad for the occupation of Odesa. Now, that is all in jeopardy.

Once Ukraine establishes its positions in the area it will be able to target northern Crimea and put further pressure on Russian supply lines in the south. ​The Ukrainian army is already attacking positions around the Kinburn Spit on the left bank of the Dnipro river. This could in turn put the Russian occupation of Melitopol and Mariupol at risk and ultimately render the isthmus of Perekop – the narrow strip of land connecting the Crimean peninsula to the rest of Ukraine – vulnerable. Perekop is the door to Crimea. This is significant for the outcome of this war, as it will further weaken Russian capacity to maintain control over the peninsula; Gen Sergei Surovikin, Vladimir Putin’s commander in Ukraine since early October, may need more troops to reinforce defences of Crimea, forcing the Russians to downsize the area of their military campaign.

The operation to retake the city was the result of a carefully planned counteroffensive – the kind of operation many analysts would have considered unthinkable just a few months ago. It began in September as Ukraine targeted bridges and ferry routes, cutting off Russian supply lines over the Dnipro river. The plan to trap Russian formations on the right bank worked. The Kremlin was forced to choose between retreating to save manpower and a part of its military equipment, or leaving both to capture or elimination due to lack of essential supplies and Kyiv’s growing firepower. It opted for the first.

The scale of the loss can be seen in official Russian communication: it is the first defeat officially acknowledged by the senior military leadership. As the only large regional centre captured by Russia without sustaining major destruction, Kherson was an important propaganda tool for Putin’s domestic audiences. From day one the Kremlin presented its “special operation” as a campaign to liberate Russian-speaking “compatriots” from Kyiv’s oppression. The annexation of four Ukrainian regions – including Kherson – after sham referendums in September was meant to bring these territories into the Russian fold permanently.

Putin insisted people in these regions were joining Russia for ever, and billboards reading “With Russia for ever” popped up on many streets of Kherson. Losing Kherson shows that for ever is a short-term notion, and that Putin is not infallible.

The Russian president himself has stayed silent on the retreat, trying to distance himself from failure. His propagandists, however, explain the “disastrous” turn of events with reference to the “unexpected” coalition of more than 50 countries backing Ukraine against Russia. To calm the panic, Putin’s frontman and deputy chair of Russia’s security council, Dmitry Medvedev, has declared that the land will be returned to Russian control. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insists it is still part of Russia despite the retreat. This gap between rhetoric and reality will surely slowly sink in with the wider public in Russia. Combined with Russia’s staggering human and materiel losses to date, this will only increase pressure on Putin.

The G20 summit in Bali further isolated Russia, hitting its international reputation. Russian attempts to cement its own coalition in opposition to the G7 and fuel anti-US sentiments are failing. The global south is unlikely to stick with the losing side for long. President Zelenskiy’s appeal to world leaders provided a clear road map for ending the war: a withdrawal of all Russian forces and the return of Ukraine’s territories.

For Ukraine the liberation of Kherson is also a boost for continued resistance and evidence of the strength of its armed forces. It is further proof that Russia’s forces, the so-called “second army in the world”, are – at best – the second army in Ukraine. Since the start of the war, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians have believed in their ability to repel Russian aggression. Victories such as Kherson reinforce that conviction.

Despite the celebratory mood, the Ukrainian leadership is cautious. Russia is still a dangerous adversary. Surovikin managed to preserve most of the approximately 30,000 Russian troops who were in Kherson. It is difficult to predict next steps, but the Kherson contingent will probably be redeployed to strengthen Russia’s presence in the eastern military theatre. Russians desperately need a victory and Donbas could now become their main focus. Taking control of the major railway hubs around Pavlivka and Vyhledar would enable the extensive and rapid supply of artillery munitions to the battlefield. Depending on the weather, the war could either continue at the current pace or, if it gets too wet, turn into a heavy artillery duel across large parts of the existing frontline.

For Ukraine to maintain and strengthen its current strategic initiative, western resolve and assistance remain key. Kherson is yet more proof that military aid to Ukraine is effective. Ukraine has liberated about 50% of the territory taken by Russia since the start of the war. A premature push for negotiations would allow Putin to consolidate his positions and mount new attacks.

Kherson proves that Ukraine can win this war. Video footage of local people greeting Ukrainian soldiers in surrounding villages and in Kherson’s central square speaks volumes. Old ladies hand out apples and abandoned bullets to Ukrainian soldiers; residents dig up Ukrainian flags hidden in glass jars in their gardens. Those flags flying again over Kherson must serve as a constant reminder that this outcome is attainable as we face new challenges in the months to come.

By Orysia Lutsevych is the head of Ukraine Forum at Chatham House – Theguardian

L’article Russia’s relentless strikes may escalate the war – but Kherson shows Ukraine is winning est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Ukrainian soldiers have been welcomed into Kherson by jubilant residents, after Russia said it had fully withdrawn from the key southern city.

Video showed locals on the streets, flying Ukraine’s national flag and chanting as Kyiv’s troops arrived.

Some sang patriotic songs around a large camp fire well into the night.

Kherson was the only regional capital taken by Russia after February’s invasion. The retreat has been seen as one of its biggest setbacks of the war.

Moscow said 30,000 personnel had been taken out of the area – as well as around 5,000 pieces of military hardware, weaponry and other assets.

The White House hailed what it called an « extraordinary victory », while Ukrainian President Zelensky called it an « historic day ».

But Ukraine’s foreign minister said the « war goes on ». Speaking in Cambodia on the sidelines of a summit of Asian countries, Dmytro Kuleba said: « We are winning battles on the ground. But the war continues. »

An evening update on Friday from the Ukrainian side said troops had pushed as far forwards as the western bank of the Dnipro river.

Images also emerged showing that the main river crossing – the Antonivsky Bridge – had partially collapsed. It remains unclear how the damage was caused.

The Russian troops who occupied Kherson are thought to be taking up new positions on the eastern side of the river.

A Kherson resident described his « overwhelming » emotions as people emerged singing and dancing onto the streets.

Alexei Sandakov revealed his full name to the BBC, having previously referred to himself only as « Jimmy ». He said Kherson was « free now. It’s different. Everyone is crying since this morning ».

He added that « everybody wanted to embrace » the arriving Ukrainian soldiers.

The city’s change of control followed a rapid Ukrainian counter-offensive in recent months, in which Kyiv said it had recaptured 41 settlements near Kherson.

In his evening address, President Zelensky said the people of Kherson « were waiting » and « never gave up on Ukraine ».

He added that residents had been working to remove « any traces of the occupiers’ stay » from the streets, including Russian symbols.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the move represented a humiliating defeat.

For weeks, the Kremlin has regarded Kherson and its locality as its own territory, after running so-called « referendums » in four occupied provinces of east and south Ukraine.

These votes were widely discredited by the international community, and Ukraine kept up its efforts to take back the affected land.

Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson was announced on Wednesday by the country’s commander in Ukraine, who said it was no longer possible to supply the city.

Although there was little evidence of any Russian retreat on Thursday, Ukraine claimed advances of up to 7km on two axes as its troops pushed forwards.

Events continued to move quickly on Friday. Initial reports that the Russians had abandoned Kherson came from locals.

Crowds of flag-waving civilians were later filmed in Freedom Square, greeting Kyiv’s soldiers and chanting: « Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine! »

On Friday afternoon, Alexei Sandakov appeared to be still adapting to the new situation on the ground, commenting: « No-one is going to sleep tonight. »

The local television service in Kherson was also reconnected to Ukrainian broadcasts.

Shortly after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT), a Ukrainian official said his troops were « almost fully in control » of Kherson, as well as the wider tranche of land to the west of the Dnipro river.

Troops were treading carefully amid fears of Russian traps, said Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the defence minister.

Mr Sak told the BBC that some enemy soldiers were believed to be lingering in the city, had cast off their uniforms and were trying to disguise themselves as civilians. He urged them to surrender.

He hailed Kherson’s recapture as a major win comparable to his side’s successful efforts earlier in the war to drive Russian troops away from other urban centres – namely Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kharkiv.

But he said he remained « cautious », citing the possibility of Russian retaliations, and referring to a missile attack in Mykolaiv earlier in the day, which allegedly killed at least seven people.

Mr Sak vowed to retake further territory from Russia, including land that has been occupied by the neighbouring country since 2014.

In Russia, the exit from Kherson has been played down by officials and styled as a « redeployment » – despite criticism from pro-war commentators on social media.

Mr Putin was notably absent from Wednesday’s announcement by the military that Russian forces were leaving the city they had snatched, virtually unopposed, in the early stages of the war.

World Opinions – BBC News

L’article Ukraine. Celebrations as Kyiv takes back key city Kherson est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Putin’s message to the West, East and South is to focus on the global crises they face and let him have Ukraine.

As Vladimir Putin was finishing his first term in office in 2004, he sought to develop modern channels of communication with the world, especially the West. That is why the Valdai Club was launched, along with its annual conference in which the president would participate. It became one of the main venues where Russia’s leader would address the rest of the world.

From the mid-2000s to the early 2010s, he would spend hours at the conference answering the questions of top Russia experts, talking about the country’s unique democratic development and openness to the world.

What we heard on October 27, at this year’s Valdai event, was a radically different rhetoric.

Ahead of the event, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov promised that people “will read and re-read” Putin’s Valdai speech. This was likely what the president wished would happen, as he finds himself in a moment in history that will define his legacy and in which he certainly believes he is not going to be the loser.

But that was not how many saw his speech. Most of the address was full of complaints about the West, which led some Russia watchers to dismiss it as yet another rant by a bitter leader who is out of touch with reality.

But it is important to dig through Putin’s quite direct and at times vulgar rhetoric to understand what his global strategy is. He delivered several messages directed at different audiences, trying to drive one key idea through: it is not about Ukraine, it is about much more than that.

Putin’s main and most popular narrative directed at the international audience is the “end of the unipolar moment” and the “coming of multipolarity”. He has been preaching about it for most of his presidency, picking it up from the writings of Russia’s former prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, the late Yevgeny Primakov.

Unsurprisingly, it dominated much of his speech at Valdai. He accused the West and the United States of triggering crises and sowing chaos around the world, and reiterated his conviction that the rise of other powers necessitates respect for their interests and participation in drawing the rules of how the world is governed.

His key message – directed at other powers like China and India – was that the end of American hegemony should lead to the end of the Western promotion of democracy and institutions of governance, universality of human rights and what has become known as the “liberal world order” in general.

It should also give space for a non-Western financial architecture to emerge – an idea that Russia has been running with for at least a decade. That is already taking place to a certain degree in the form of dedollarisation, but clearly not at the pace that Putin needs to fight the negative consequences of Western sanctions.

The Russian president also addressed the Global South with an updated version of Soviet messaging: that Moscow respects the sovereignty and the right of every nation to “follow its own path”, unlike Western colonial powers which historically have not. He also drew attention to continuing Western economic dominance and exploitation of developing countries through “neocolonial” globalisation.

Putin also did not miss the opportunity to talk about the “ills” of Western societies, seemingly directing his words to those who oppose their governments in the West or disagree with mainstream cultural and societal norms.

He specifically seemed to play on the sentiments of Western conservatives, bringing up “cancel culture” and presenting it as a despotic erasure of what is deemed wrong or no longer tolerable by liberal elites. He spoke about the traditional, Christian core of the Western civilisation, dismissing “strange ideas” like “dozens of genders and gay pride parades”. Putin emphasised that his problem is with the Western “elites” not the people of the West.

The Russian president even tried to appeal to environmentalists, proclaiming that because of conflict with Russia, the West is ignoring climate change.

In a nutshell, he gave everyone in the West, East and South a broad enough reason to think of their own problems and of global crises and to see the war in Ukraine through that prism: it is not about Ukraine; it is about much more.

This is the message Putin and the Kremlin are trying to convey to the world and especially the West – the cost of supporting Ukraine is too much, and its importance – too negligible, when compared with what the world is dealing with. It can be resolved simply with “dialogue on an equal footing”.

Moscow is, of course, playing an important role in stoking these crises: from waging a gas war on the European Union to undermining the United Nations grain deal, curbing Ukrainian wheat exports and exacerbating food shortages in the Global South. The goal is to distract the world from the war in Ukraine, to present it as a small, regional – if not domestic – issue.

Indeed, for those that do not follow the war in Ukraine closely, who do not understand the context and who mistrust the news of war crimes, what Putin is saying may seem reasonable enough. But unfortunately, what he envisions as a “dialogue” or a “solution” is, in fact, a full surrender of Ukraine – the West agreeing to step back and turn a blind eye to the horrors of the Russian war and occupation.

This is the multipolarity Putin is preaching – a world order that enables those that have the power to do what they want and to bend international laws.

And while Putin wants the world to forget Ukraine, he is obsessed with it. For him this is a personal affair; it is about delivering “historical justice” in his Russian imperial understanding of it.

Anton Barbashin – Political analyst / Aljazeera

L’article Analysis. Putin wants the world to forget Ukraine est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Unlike those that return to base once missiles are launched, suicide drones are destroyed in an attack.

A new wave of deadly Russian air strikes on Ukraine has killed more than 25 people and wounded over 100, according to authorities in Kyiv, in the most extensive attacks since the early days of the war.

The current strikes, which began on October 10, have targeted at least 10 regions across the country and have been carried out using Russian missiles as well as Iranian-made drones, Ukrainian authorities have said.

Swarms of explosive-laden, unmanned aircraft called “kamikaze” drones targeted Kyiv on Monday, killing at least four people and targeting energy facilities.

Among the victims was a young couple expecting a baby in three months, according to the mayor of Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it destroyed at least 37 drones in one day.

For their part, officials in Tehran deny supplying Russia with the weapons.

Why are they called ‘kamikaze’ drones?

Unlike drones that return to base once missiles are launched, “kamikaze” or “suicide” drones are destroyed in an attack.

Al Jazeera’s defence analyst Alex Gatopoulos said these munitions can hover above an area to identify a target before diving to destroy it.

Like cruise missiles, they can strike targets hundreds of kilometres away, but cruise missiles are expensive, and Gatopoulos said “kamikaze” drones are a cheaper yet precise alternative.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had bought 2,400 “kamikaze” drones but its fleet is being depleted quickly.

Where do they come from?

Ukraine says Russia imported the drones from Iran, where they are known as Shahed-136, which could be translated as “witness of faith” but also as “martyr”.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, accused Tehran of being responsible for the “murders of Ukrainians”. The Kremlin did not comment.

Iran, which has called NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe the root cause of the war, has denied supplying Russia with arms.

Gatopoulos said the drones are unlikely to be Russian-made because Moscow “has been behind in developing low-end tactical drones, especially armed ones”.

Samir Puri, an analyst at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that some form of a sales agreement is likely to have taken place between Moscow and Tehran.

These drones were “bought off the shelf from Iran, moved to the war zone and being used, I think, very much as a weapon that will continue to confuse Ukrainian air defences by adding something else in the mix,” Puri said..

World Opinions + Al jazeera News

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Those whom the Russian president may perceive as allies do not seem to be eager to back his brutal war in Ukraine.

On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashed a cri de coeur, a simultaneously blistering and blathering speech. Quoting fascist philosopher Ivan Iyin, Putin cast himself as the hero leading a global fight against the West in general, and American hegemony in particular. But rather than mark the start of a new epochal conflict, the speech instead laid bare the extent to which the Russian president has lost touch with reality.

The declaration was intended to mark a high point in the “success” of his “special operation” against Ukraine, namely the attempted annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions – though Russian forces are not in full control of any of them. What Putin planned in February as a blitzkrieg has instead come to be mocked as а bly*tkrieg, substituting blitz, the German word for lightning, with a Russian curse word whose translation is not publishable here.

While the horrors of the conflict are no laughing matter, that Putin is blind to the tragicomic reality of the fighting was made clear when Ukrainian forces retook the city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast within 24 hours of his diatribe. Lyman has been of strategic importance due to its position as a railway juncture, but now it has also taken on a symbolic significance – all thanks to the fact that Putin could no longer keep his anger to himself.

A week later, an explosion struck the Kerch Bridge which Putin had ordered built to link the Russian mainland with the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. The bridge was arguably the project which the Kremlin had used to propagandise its occupation regime more than any other and which pro-Kremlin media had previously painted as impervious to attack.

Putin has long been critical of the so-called “rules-based order” and US hypocrisy on the use of force abroad. He first brought up these ideas in his 2007 speech at the Munich Security Conference. Back then, he was still willing to call the US and other Western states “partners” – language he has now explicitly cast aside. His descent into hyperbole continued with two essays, published in 2020 and 2021, reimagining World War II to blame the West for Hitler’s attacks on Eastern Europe while absolving Russia of sin for the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and denouncing Ukrainian nationhood.

How unhinged Putin has become from reality has also been laid bare by one particular point of emphasis in his latest speech, namely: his claim that Russia is leading the charge to resist US hegemony and that the rest of the world is choosing to side with it. But some of the countries that he perhaps perceives as allies – those that have refused to “bow” to US pressure and made the “reasonable choice to cooperate with Russia” – may not be so eager to align with the Kremlin.

Take Iran, which itself is now facing a wave of anti-government protests. The current hardliners in charge in Tehran have not stopped engaging with the West. In fact, they are negotiating with the US and its Western allies a deal to lift the sanctions that former US President Donald Trump unilaterally – and thus hegemonically – re-imposed on the regime.

Meanwhile China – another power that Putin has sought the support of – is also distancing itself from Russia’s war effort. It has no interest in joining Putin’s attempt to upend the global international financial order, dominated by the US dollar, which suits Beijing just fine. It seeks to ultimately displace the US as the dominant player whereas Putin hopes to collapse the present system entirely.

And though Chinese President Xi Jinping too is a fierce critic of the US’ geopolitical power, Beijing has not only been circumspect in its approach to the conflict in Ukraine but has refused to endorse Putin’s position on annexing Ukrainian territory. While the Kremlin often likes to invoke the US-Chinese disagreement over Taiwan as akin to its invasion of Ukraine, there is little chance that Beijing will do the same, let alone recognise Russian sovereignty over the “annexed” territories.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has his own issues with the West that he blames for the 2016 coup attempt against him, has so far refused to join Western sanctions on Russia. But of late Turkish banks – some of which have been accused of skirting the sanctions on Iran – have begun to think better of skirting US sanctions on Russia.

A day before Putin’s speech, it was reported that Turkish state banks were no longer willing to use Russia’s MIR payment system, an alternative to the Belgium-based SWIFT interbank messaging system from which most of Russia’s largest banks have been barred.

Ankara has rejected Putin’s annexations explicitly as well, labelling it a grave violation of international law. Meral Aksener, leader of Turkey’s opposition IYI party – which is currently polling third – has also ramped up her rhetoric against the Kremlin, lambasting Putin as destabilising the wider region in the aftermath of his speech.

A similar situation is found in India, which has been willing to boost its imports of Russian oil and other commodities in recent months, but has increasingly shown signs that Moscow’s demands it go further in its support are grating. Oil companies and the Indian government have reportedly been reluctant to adopt a rouble trade mechanism for oil imports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also made his most significant criticism of the war to date at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan on September 16, stating that “today’s era is not an era of war”.

Putin even stands at risk of losing what had been one of Russia’s closest security allies – Armenia – after the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) refused to support Yerevan following border clashes with Azerbaijan and attacks on its territory. Some senior Armenian officials have even hinted at leaving the bloc altogether.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has sought to distance himself from Putin as well, although Russian forces intervened in the country just this January to help put down a series of protests that were labelled a coup attempt. As some 200,000 Russians have fled Putin’s draft for Kazakhstan over the last two weeks, Tokayev called the crisis in Russia a “hopeless situation”. Meanwhile, amid Russian efforts to draft guest workers from Central Asia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have warned their nationals against fighting in the conflict.

Even Tajikistan, whose president was just awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland in the third degree by Putin himself, has shown reticence to risk violating Western sanctions on Russian payment systems.

Nor are Putin’s military atrocities and economic mismanagement winning him friends in Africa and the Middle East, where countries have heretofore largely abstained from inveighing on the conflict. But there are signs that the horrors of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are pushing this neutrality to its limits.

In the Middle East, two large energy exporters, Qatar and Kuwait, have condemned the use of force to settle disputes between countries and have called for respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In Africa, too, there has been criticism of Russian aggression. In late September Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo told the UN that “Every bullet, every bomb, every shell that hits a target in Ukraine, hits our pockets and our economies in Africa”.

Despite his hopes, Putin fights alone. That may make him even more dangerous. But that in turn will only isolate him further. His war in Ukraine is no civilisational or epochal struggle for the future, but one man’s maniacal desires brought bare because he has systematically and often brutally eliminated the ability for any voice in Russia that speaks out against him to rise up. But his desire to intimidate the world into acquiescing to his barbarity and craven worldview is nothing more than a fantasy. And therein lies hope.

By Maximilian Hess – Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute / Aljazeera

L’article Analysis. Putin is fighting alone est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Russia says it’s re-opened the undamaged section of road on a key bridge to occupied Crimea that was hit by an explosion this morning.

Only cars and buses, undergoing full inspection procedures, will be able to use the road. Lorries are being directed to the nearby ferry crossing.

Russian investigators say they believe a lorry was blown up causing parts of the road to collapse and set fire to a fuel train on the parallel railway bridge. That link is still out of action.

Investigators say at least three people were killed in the blast.

The 19km (12-mile) bridge is an important supply route for Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine.

It was opened by President Putin in 2018 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence has named General Sergei Surovikin as the new commander of its troops fighting in Ukraine

His appointment follows a string of Russian defeats in the country.

Until now, Surovikin, who commands Russia’s Air Forces, was also in charge of Russian troops in southern Ukraine.

World Opinions + agencies

L’article Officials re-open section of damaged Crimean bridge – Russia est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.