When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

TOPIC: war in ukraine

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

The Science Of Designing A Sanctions Model That Really Hurts Moscow

On paper, the scale of sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine is unprecedented. But opinion on the impact of sanctions remains divided in the absence of a reliable scientific foundation. A new study by Bank of Canada offers a way out.

-Analysis-

The world has never seen sanctions like those imposed against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. There have been targeted sanctions, of course, or sanctions against rogue countries like North Korea with wide support from the international community. But never in history has there been such a large-scale sanctions regime against one of the world’s biggest and most important economies.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

Here's the thing though: these sanctions were introduced in a hurry because the West needed to respond to the war decisively. No one calculated anything, they relied on generalizations and holistic visions, they were “groping in a dark room,” as Elina Rybakova, senior researcher at the Brussels think tank Bruegel, put it.

As a result, debates around the effectiveness of sanctions and how best to use them to influence Russia continue to do the rounds.

Supporters of sanctions have a clear and unified message: we must stop Russia from being able to continue this war. We must deprive them of the goods and technologies necessary for the production of weapons and military equipment, and prevent Russians from living normal lives.

Opponents argue that the sanctions backfire. They insist that Russia is a large enough economy, highly integrated into the energy market and international supply chains, and therefore has enough resilience to withstand restrictions. Those who impose sanctions will be the ones to lose markets and suppliers. They will face increased energy prices and countless other problems. Russia will be able to replace lost relationships with new and even stronger ties with other states.

Economists at the Bank of Canada have attempted to resolve this debate and figure out who is hit hardest by sanctions. They pieced together a model featuring three parties: a country imposing sanctions, a country against which they were imposed, and a third independent country.

Watch VideoShow less

Belgorod Postcard: Fear And Sandbags For Russians Going Back To School Near Ukraine Border

It's back to school in the Russian region that has felt the war more than any other. Special measures are taking place, including sandbags and explosion-proof windows. But parents are more anxious than ever.

BELGOROD — Nowhere in Russia has felt the war in Ukraine more acutely than the region of Belgorod. Nearly one out of every three Russian civilians to have died since the beginning of the full-scale invasion is from Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, according to the Russian publication “7x7”. That's an estimated total of more than 50 civilians in the region who've been killed since Feb. 2022.

Despite the ongoing danger, regional authorities have decided not to continue with online learning in educational institutions ahead of the new school year. Independent Russian news site Vazhnyye Istorii (Important Stories) has looked into how students in the border region will face the coming school year, which begins with the constant sound of explosions and classrooms that have been equipped with shatter-proof windows.

Keep reading...Show less

Meet Wanda Traczyk-Stawska: Warsaw Uprising Veteran, Nazi Survivor, Feminist Activist

Now 96, Wanda Traczyk-Stawska survived the Warsaw Uprising 79 years ago and has continued to fight for Poland. This time, however, her battles are for her fellow women.

WARSAW — Earlier this month, Poland marked the 79th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. The battle aimed to liberate the city from Nazi occupation and regain Polish sovereignty before the impending Soviet invasion. It was the single largest European resistance movement during World War II, and lasted for 63 days with little support from outside forces. The end, however, was catastrophic, with 16,000 fighters pronounced dead, 6,000 badly wounded, and an estimated 150,000–200,000 civilians killed.

Wanda Traczyk-Stawska survived the uprising after being seriously injured and taken as a German prisoner of war for three years. Afterward, she earned a degree in psychology at the University of Warsaw and started a school for children with special needs. Now, at the age of 96, she continues her work as an activist— now speaking out against Poland's current leaders.

Keep reading...Show less

Vladimir Putin, And The Cruel Art Of Disposing Of Your Enemies

Yevgeny Prigozhin is gone, two months to the day of his aborted insurrection against the Russian military. The Wagner Group chief was likely killed in a plane crash on orders from the Kremlin. A piece written after Wagner's coup offers a reminder that Russia is in the hands of a man obsessed with control, who wields his cowardice as a weapon.

This article was updated Aug. 24, 2023 at 5:40 p.m.

-Analysis-

What did Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin really want two months ago when he launched then aborted an apparent coup attempt?

At most, perhaps, Prigozhin's goal was to capture Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu in Rostov-on-Don, and force him to write a letter of resignation or parade him around the southern city like a circus bear.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

But in the end, the Wagner boss got scared. He got scared of how far he had gone. It's one thing to launch a coup; it's another to wield real power. What would he do with it? Was he aiming to become president of Russia? No, with his prison background, this would have been impossible, even in a country like Russia, and he understood this.

What forced Prigozhin to act urgently back in June was the looming deadline of July 1, the date by which the mercenaries, according to the Russian authorities, had to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry. After Prigozhin was banned from recruiting prisoners, he began to run out of personnel. The 25,000 soldiers he claims would be only enough for another two months at that rate.

And that was it. The coup was over — but apparently not forgotten. Prigozhin is now presumed death after his plane crashed outside of Moscow late on Wednesday. Whether Putin was his ultimate nemesis two months, the Wagner chief paid the ultimate price for even leaving a trace of ambiguity.

Keep reading...Show less
FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Sergiy Gromenko*

When Did Putin "Turn" Evil? That's Exactly The Wrong Question

Look back over the past two decades, and you'll see Vladimir Putin has always been the man revealed by the Ukraine invasion, an evil and sinister dictator. The Russian leader just managed to mask it. These questions from the beginning of the war are returning in the wake of the apparent killing of Putin's former ally Yevgeny Prigozhin.

This piece was updated Aug. 24 , 2023 at 1:20 p.m.

-OpEd-

KYIV — The world knows that Vladimir Putin has power, money and mistresses. So why, ask some, wasn't that enough for him? Why did he have to go start another war?

A related but different question is posed after the presumed death of his longtime ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in what many believe was a Kremlin-sanctioned assassination after the Wagner Group leader had challenged Putin's rule earlier this year. Why did he have to kill his old friend?

At their heart, these are the wrong questions to ask. For Putin, military expansion and targeted hits are not an adrenaline rush to feed into his existing life of luxury. On the contrary, the shedding of blood for the sake of holding power is his modus operandi, while the fruits of greed and corruption like the Putin Palace in Gelendzhik are more like a welcome bonus.

In the last year-and-a-half, we have kept hearing rhetorical questions like “why did Putin start this war at all, didn't he have enough of his own land?” or “he already has Gelendzhik to enjoy, why fight?” This line of thinking has resurfaced after missile strikes on Ukrainian power grids and dams, which was regarded by many as a simple demonstration of terrorism. Such acts are a manifestation of weakness, some ask, so is Putin ready to show himself weak?

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

However, you will not arrive at the correct answer if the questions themselves are asked incorrectly. For decades, analysts in Russia, Ukraine, and the West have been under an illusion about the nature of the Russian president's personal dictatorship.

Watch VideoShow less
In The News
Anne-Sophie Goninet and Laure Gautherin

U.S. Diplomat In Niger, Portugal Battles Wildfires, No More Zoom Calls

👋 Azul!*

Welcome to Tuesday, where a U.S. diplomat meets with Niger’s coup leaders in an effort to find a “negotiated solution” to the conflict, two Russian missiles hit residential buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk killing at least eight people and it’s time for Zoom workers to go back to the office. For our special Summer Reads edition of Worldcrunch Today, we feature three stories from around the world on education.

[*Tarifit, Northern Morocco]

Watch VideoShow less
FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Anna Steshenko

That Rare Mariupol Happy Ending: How One Ukrainian Couple Was Reunited

An estimated 700 soldiers who defended Mariupol remain in Russian captivity. As prisoner exchanges prove challenging, relatives wait nervously for news.

KYIV — Around 700 soldiers from the Azov battalion, who defended Mariupol, remain in Russian captivity. The exchange of prisoners of war is difficult, but the state and relatives are fighting for each Ukrainian soldier.

The heartache experienced by those who have lost husbands, sons, and fathers is beyond words. Equally distressing is the situation for those left waiting for their soldiers to return home. Often, they're left in the dark, with no updates on their loved ones' status. The agonizing uncertainty of whether they will ever reunite only amplifies their distress.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

Kateryna (29) and her husband, Azov soldier Valeriy (26) were born in Berdiansk — in the Zaporizhzhia region, currently occupied by Russian troops — where they dated for several years.

Before the war started, she worked as a cook, and he was a waiter in a neighboring restaurant.In 2016, he was called up for military service. He served for two years. When he returned in 2018, the young couple got married. At the same time, Valeriy decided to join the Azov.

Watch VideoShow less
FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Olena Struk

Russian Invasion Should Change How Ukraine Remembers World War II

The images of World War II have been used many times when describing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But memory can deceive — many Ukrainian victims were forgotten as the Soviet Union spun history for its own purposes.

KYIV — Tetiana Pastushenko has an interest in the fates of forgotten people.

Pastushenko — who has a Ph.D. in History, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Military and Historical Research at the Institute of History — has been researching the topics of Ukrainians in forced labor in the Third Reich, Soviet prisoners of war, and prisoners of Nazi concentration camps for many years.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

These are often people who have been left out of the official collective memory of the war. Ukraine was one of the most devastated areas in Europe during World War II. It was a principal battleground on the Eastern Front and suffered years of occupation and countless deaths.

She spoke to Ukrainian news outlet Livy Bereg about the stereotypes that still need to be overcome in the European research community, the importance of memory, and how the latest war will affect the global interpretation of World War II.

Watch VideoShow less
FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Polina Uzhvak

Of Death And Disillusion: Tales Of Young Russians Lured By Glory To The Frontlines

Many Russians have tried to avoid being conscripted to join the war in Ukraine, but many others believed deeply in the constant campaign of state propaganda. Here are some of the stories of the lucky ones who made it back — and those who didn't.

For two years now, Russian citizens have been relentlessly encouraged to embrace a so-called "true man's profession" by joining the military and heading to the frontline as a simmering war in eastern Ukraine turned into a full-scale invasion. They were enticed with promises of handsome salaries, social security benefits for their families and the esteemed status of a hero.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

These men and women in uniform, along with their families, recount how they once placed unwavering faith in their government's call, only to be disillusioned and let down.

There was, for example, Andrey...

Watch VideoShow less
Russia
Important Stories

What Awaits The Ex-Prisoners Recruited By Wagner? For Now, Drinking Poolside

The last of the former convicts who served under the Wagner mercenary are heading home. According to private Telegram chats of the soldiers' relatives, many are currently staying in resorts and hotels along the Black Sea awaiting pardons, and behaving badly. Some may end up staying on with Wagner in Belarus.

Before launching its aborted mutiny last month, the Wagner Group mercenaries stirred controversy by recruiting Russian convicts to serve on the frontline of the war in Ukraine. Thousands of often dangerous criminals signed up for at least a year on the front in exchange for their freedom, with a pardon from their jail sentences after their service.

But this infamous practice appears to have ended recently, with Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin now having to decide what to do with all former prisoners who served as mercenaries.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

“Project K is closed,” a Wagner representative wrote in a Telegram chat, referring to the name of the convict-recruiting program

Many of the former convicts are now in hotels in or near the coastal town of Anapa on the Black Sea, waiting for official pardons or their contracts to expire. Vazhnyye Istorii learned about this after identifying messages of relatives of mercenary ex-convicts and representatives of the group in their private chats.

Watch VideoShow less
Geopolitics
Pierre Haski

Reading Biden In Vilnius: NATO Is About To Make Ukraine Stronger Than Ever

Ahead of the Vilnius NATO summit, Joe Biden said Ukraine joining NATO while the war is on is a non-starter. But it's also a done deal once Kyiv has vanquished its Russia invaders.

-Analysis-

PARIS — NATO has 31 members, but in the end, it's Washington that decides. All suspense about Ukraine joining the transatlantic defense organization was lifted by President Joe Biden as he left the White House for this week's NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The U.S. President told CNN that Ukraine was not ready to join the organization immediately. The die was cast.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

This was to be expected, despite the over-the-top hopes expressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his most ardent supporters on NATO's eastern flank. Giving membership to Ukraine in the middle of its war was unthinkable: it meant, in effect, that the military alliance would go to war with Russia — this is something nobody wants, as Biden reminded us in so many words.

But that's not the end of the story. President Zelensky, who is expected to be in Vilnius on Wednesday, will not be leaving the summit empty-handed.

Watch VideoShow less
FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Benedict Fuest

Blitz Build: How Germany's Rheinmetall Is Cranking Up 24/7 Production To Arm Ukraine

Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard 2 tanks, thousands and thousands of rounds of ammunition: the armament company Rheinmetall is running flat-out, around-the-clock to supply Ukrainian forces. For the first time, Die Welt was granted access to the production floor at the Rheinmetall factory, which is churning out arms as quickly as it did during the depths of the Cold War.

UNTERLÜSS A former Bundeswehr Marder armored personnel carrier is being given a new life in Hangar 391. The carrier and its fellow brothers-in-arms had been taken out of service, abandoned and left to rust and rot, with mould growing on its upholstery. But the retired warrior has to undergo one more mission — Ukraine is in dire need of armored personnel carriers.

That's why armament tank specialists at German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall are taking the carriers apart, piece-by-piece, replacing rubber seals, sanding rusted parts down and replacing optical equipment and gun barrels.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

Inside the vehicle, over-the-counter dehumidifiers are tackling the mould, while the hull receives a fresh coat of dark green paint. Outside Hangar 391, old tank turrets are waiting to be given a new lease on life, with another score of Marder hulls sitting next to a Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery gun, covered in camouflage paint.

Instead of the brown and green camouflage painting employed by the Bundeswehr, yellow bands decorate the hull – a camouflage design used by Ukrainian forces. Thousands of people work in three around-the-clock shifts here at the Rheinmetall site in Unterlüss, Lower Saxony, to guarantee the rearmament of Ukraine.

Watch VideoShow less