Russia

With the illusions of a reconquest of the peninsula gone, Kiev is wondering about the possible scenarios, amidst the allies' uncertainties about support to the bitter end. Zelenskyj needs victory to confirm himself as the leader of an exhausted and devastated country, while Chief of Staff Zalužnyj paints a more realistic picture and would like to limit himself to defending the rest of the territory.

Today's news: Tibetan Buddhist monk arrested by Chinese police for publishing books of the exiled community; Yemen's foreign minister is the new premier of internationally recognised government; Singapore wants to keep 'dangerous' prisoners in jail even at the end of their sentences; Tokaev dismisses the entire Kazakh government, appointing a new interim premier.

Today's news: at least 10 police officers killed in an attack (unclaimed) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province; Israel ready to welcome 65,000 more workers from India, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan; A huge dam being planned threatens to cause Luang Prabang to lose its Unesco designation; Appeals to the Taliban government for the release of two Afghan activists.

Internationally, 27 January is Holocaust Remembrance Day, but in Russia it also commemorates the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad. Now for Russians, the Holocaust is no longer about the extermination of the Jews, but as a Nazi crime against various peoples, starting with the Soviets. In Kirill and Putin’s version, Moscow is presented as the bastion against the "hegemonic genocide" of the West.

He has condemned the war in Ukraine and has already collected over 200,000 signatures to participate in the presidential elections on 17 March. Many see his candidacy as a classic move by the Kremlin to give the impression of a genuine democratic contest, but his growing popularity is beginning to arouse perplexity and annoyance in the circle of power.

Russian state media depict Lenin as "the inventor of Ukraine", therefore the real culprit of the ongoing conflict, as opposed to the enlightened leadership of Stalin. In reality, Putin is the inventor of a new mythological Russia, who rereads ancient and recent stories in his own way to impose a new empire.

Today's news: An archaeological report finds that the Varanasi mosque in India was allegedly built on the ashes of a Hindu temple; Chinese industrial profits fell by 2.3% in 2023; The director of the WHO described conditions in Gaza as 'hellish'; General strike in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan over rising wheat prices; Vladimir Putin visits the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on Polish territory on 'Russian Students' Day' (Tatjanin Den). Malaysia increases water tariffs.

The administration of the territory annexed by Russia in 2014 flaunts the results of its plan to improve the condition of the population. But beyond the numbers (all to be proven) on the fight against alcoholism and the '700 mass cultural events', the numbers speak of a decrease of more than 15 thousand inhabitants by 2023.

Today's news: India won't withdraw troops from the Maldives, after archipelago's president seeks relations with Beijing; Seoul court approves seizure of funds from a Japanese company to compensate for wartime labour exploitation; Israel denies the attack on the UN shelter in Gaza that also drew a rebuke from Washington; Fuel runs out in Laos.

Today's news: progress on the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, but Hamas wants an end to the war; In Islamabad, a Belucian garrison was removed and protesters were booked; As Beijing forges alliances in the Pacific, Taiwan asks Biden to join the US-led 'Indo-Pacific economic framework'; Modi's India expels French journalist Vanessa Dougnac, correspondent of the Catholic newspaper La Croix.

The Russian military has demanded the return of part of the river of war material supplied to Myanmar in recent years, now needed for the "victory" in Ukraine. Supplies to which Naypyidaw also added locally made mines and mortar shells, which appeared in some videos released by the Russians.

Today's news: In Pakistan, suspected bombing led to the closure of schools and universities in Islamabad; A 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China. Large-scale attacks by the United States and Britain against the Houthis in Yemen; Relatives of hostages break into parliament in Jerusalem, 21 Israeli soldiers killed in a single day in Gaza. In Russia over 400 attacks on military bases and logistical facilities to sabotage the war in Ukraine.