War in Ukraine

For the second time, Ukraine has hit the ‘Rostov-on-Don’ Russian submarine. This time the damage is critical.

Since March 2024, Russia has returned to its strategy of shelling Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In Ukraine, 90% of thermal generation, 75% of coal, and 40% of hydro generation have been destroyed, the shelling of energy facilities in each oblast continues, and the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is under occupation.

On July 27th, footage emerged on social media showing the aftermath of an ambush of a military convoy in Mali. The scene depicted dozens of bodies and destroyed vehicles, mostly belonging to the Wagner mercenary group. This raises a lot of questions about the Wagner Group's activities after their leader Evgeny Prigozhin failed coup attempt and death.

The war in Ukraine shows that defense technologies are no longer exclusively the domain of large defense companies and government contracts. Increasingly, teams of enthusiasts are emerging with technological solutions that significantly enhance the combat capabilities of units. In Kyiv, Defence Vision Day was held to showcase how military projects based on virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies can simplify the training process for units.

Ukraine is one of the leading nations in grain export globally, known as the breadbasket of the world. Russia, since the full-scale invasion, has been exploiting Ukraine’s grain through illegal exportation, targeting Ukraine’s farmland. It has even broken a signed UN initiative agreement. What impact has this had globally and what is being done to combat ‘weaponised grain’?

Today, July 29th 2024, marks two years since an explosion killed 51 and injured at least 139 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) held by Russian forces in the Olenivka penal colony, in the temporarily occupied region of Donbas. A survivor of Olenivka tells us what she knows about the attack, what life was like for her inside the prison, and how, she says, the Red Cross failed to fulfill their duties.