CNN Follows Ukraine: Attacks on Kiev on Monday, and a Red Line in Kiev’s First Day of World War II: The Belugaczev-Kuzmin Crisis

Editor’s Note: Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) is a global affairs analyst. He is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He is a regular contributor to CNN Opinion. His own opinions are expressed in this commentary. View more opinion at CNN.

The bridge explosion came amid a surge in the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has seized key pockets ofRussian-controlled territory, including in regions Putin recently annexed.

The large-scale Russian bombardment struck several cities, including far reaches of western Ukraine close to NATO’s eastern flank, across the country almost simultaneously, propelling the conflict into a new phase and just as much of the country was starting to roar back to life.

Strikes on central Kyiv are significant, and are close to the government quarter. It should be seen by western governments as a red line on this 229th day of war.

The area around my office was quiet as of noon local time, with no reports of missiles or drones being shot down. (Normally at this time of the day, nearby restaurants would be heaving with customers, and chatter of plans for upcoming weddings and parties).

Monday’s attacks also came just a few hours after Zaporizhzhia, a southeastern city close to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, was hit by multiple strikes on apartment buildings, mostly while people slept. Several dozens of people were injured and at least 17 were killed.

In a defiant video filmed outside his office on Monday, the President said that many of the missile strikes in the country were aimed at the energy infrastructure. Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian Prime Minister said that at least 11 important infrastructure facilities in eight regions and the capital have been damaged.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, which has seen more bombardments than Kyiv, residents shifted to war footing and stocked up on canned food, gas and drinking water. Yet they also entertained themselves at the Typsy Cherry, a local bar. The owner told The Times the mood was cheerful. People had fun and wondered when the electricity would come back. (Power came back hours later.)

Indeed, millions of people in cities across Ukraine will be spending most of the day in bomb shelters, at the urging of officials, while businesses have been asked to shift work online as much as possible.

The attacks risk causing another blow to business confidence, since many asylum seekers returned home, and as many regions ofUkraine were starting to roar back to life.

The only bridge linking mainland Russia and Crimea is seen as symbolism by Putin. An attack a day after his 70th birthday can be taken as an added blow to an aging autocrat who has the ability to tolerate shame and humiliation.

Hardwiring newly claimed territory with expensive, record-breaking infrastructure projects seems to be a penchant of dictators. In 2018, Putin personally opened the Kerch bridge – Europe’s longest – by driving a truck across it. The world’s longest sea crossing bridge was built by China, after Beijing reclaimed Macau and Hong Kong. The $20 billion, 34-mile road bridge opened after about two years of delays.

The explosion lit up social media and Putin’s response to his anger at Putin: warning of the imminent arrival of Russian military missile strikes on Ukraine

The explosion lit up social media channels like a Christmas tree, with funny meme lit up on social media channels. Many shared their sense of jubilation via text messages.

For Putin, consumed by pride and self-interest, sitting still was never an option. He responded in the only way he knows how, by unleashing more death and destruction, with the force that probably comes natural to a former KGB operative.

The act of selfish desperation was that of Putin, who has been placed on thin ice by increasing criticism at home.

According to Roman Kravets, the editor of Ukrainian newspapers, Major General Budanov had told him in late August that a plan had been drawn up to enter the region by the end of the year.

It’s important that Washington and other allies use urgent telephone diplomacy to encourage China and India to avoid using more deadly weapons because they still have some leverage over Putin.

These measures will allow Putin to continue his pointless violence and will add to the humanitarian crisis that will spread throughout Europe. A weak reaction will be taken as a sign in the Kremlin that it can continue to weaponize energy, migration and food.

There are important energy infrastructure around the country and high tech defense systems are needed to protect it. With winter just around the corner, the need to protect heating systems is urgent.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/10/opinions/putin-russia-war-ukraine-strikes-crimea-bridge-bociurkiw/index.html

Vladimir V. Putin in Kiev – a warning from the United States to the Ukraine after Brittney Griner’s release from prison

Turkey and Gulf states which receive many Russian tourists need to be pressured to join the West’s effort to further isolate Russia with trade and travel restrictions.

Russia’s state media has always said that the country was only hitting military targets in eastern Ukraine, leaving out the suffering of the civilians.

State television showcased the suffering on Monday. There was smoke and carnage in central Kyiv and an empty store shelves with a long-range forecast promising months of freezing temperatures there.

The sharp shift was a sign that domestic pressure over Russia’s flailing war effort had escalated to the point where President Vladimir V. Putin believed that a brutal show of force was necessary — as much for his audience at home as for Ukraine and the West.

Ukrainian authorities have been stepping up raids on churches accused of links with Moscow, and many are watching to see if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy follows through on his threat of a ban on the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Norwegian prime minister are in Paris for a dinner with the French president.

Also in France, on Tuesday, the country is set to co-host a conference with Ukraine in support of Ukrainians through the winter, with a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Following Brittney Griner’s release from Russian prison, fans, friends and family are celebrating the basketball player’s return to the U.S. Some Republican politicians complained about the prisoner swap and still held by Russia.

State of Ukraine: A Year in the Life of the Oscillations, Changing Faces, and Living Under Influence of Russia

The new measures targeting Russian oil revenue took effect on December 5. They include a price cap and a European Union embargo on most Russian oil imports and a Russian oil price cap.

Zelenskyy said that the city of Bakhmut was burned to the ground by Russian forces. Russia has been trying to gain access to the city in the eastern Donbas region.

President Zelenskyy had a phone call with President Biden on Dec. 11, as well as the leaders of France and Turkey, in an apparent stepping up of diplomacy over the 9 1/2-month-long Russian invasion.

You can read past recaps here. You can find more of NPR’s coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR’s State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.

The world witnessed a lot of news events in one year. It was a year in which significant moments were captured, causing disbelief and despair. Yet some days offered joy and pride. Russia’s war in Ukraine, the U.S. elementary school shooting, and the death of Queen Elizabeth II are some of the remarkable stories of the year. The year started, calmly, as the world slowly began to come out of a long, drawn-out pandemic hibernation. However, consistent with the brittleness of these modern times, a full-blown war erupted in Ukraine in February as Russia invaded the country, ending and upending the lives of many, including civilians and children. A photo of a pregnant woman being carried on a stretcher after a bomb was thrown at a maternity hospital in Mariupol, was captured by a photographer for the Associated Press. The woman and baby died within days of each other. The image has become a symbol of the Russian atrocities during the war in Ukraine. The attack on March 9, just 13 days after the war started, was one of the most brutal days of the conflict that continues to this day. In June, the United States once again witnessed a school shooting, this time in Uvalde, Texas. Photographer Pete Luna of the Uvalde Leader-News photographed the chaotic scene outside the school as young elementary students ran for safety while the gunman was still inside. On September 8 the death of Queen Elizabeth II was felt around the world. The queen had worked with 15 British prime ministers. She died two days after inviting him to form the new government. The Queen’s funeral drew crowds by the tens of thousands as they paid their last respects to a monarch who reigned for an unprecedented 70 years. This was the first year in which there were many new things. The United States saw the confirmation of the country’s first Black woman Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. At the Winter Olympics, American Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win an individual medal in speedskating. And history was made with the first all-female refereeing crew at a men’s World Cup. Another notable moment this year was the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that guaranteed the federal constitutional right to an abortion in the United States. This year the court made a decision that triggered protests by abortion rights activists and celebrations by anti-abortion groups, further segregating an already divided country. In November, Americans went to the polls, producing election results that defied polling expectations. As all these moments unraveled, the Earth continued to warm up, melting and separating glacial ice ridges while much of the Northern Hemisphere dealt with a historic drought that scorched soil, dried up rivers and triggered mass crop failure. The James Webb Space Telescope captured great images of space far above the Earth. On the other end of the news spectrum was the bizarre moment at this year’s Academy Awards when Will Smith brazenly slapped Chris Rock in the middle of the show, irked by what the comedian said about his wife. The moment was witnessed live on television by millions around the globe. A number of sports fans got into the act this summer when Judge broke Roger Maris’ American League home run record. Snapshots of daily life remind people of the quiet, funny, and beautiful moments in and out of their lives. Striking photos this year are behind the hard work of photojournalists. They document wars away from the safety of their homes. It is thanks to their perseverance and dedication that these images come to light, offering a window to the world and helping us understand it through photography. CNN Digital has a story about the year in pictures.