European Security Body Details Russian Abuses in Ukraine
Russian forces targeted civilians and medical facilities (WaPo) and carried out rapes, executions, and looting in Ukraine, the U.S. envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said. The OSCE released a report [PDF] accusing Russia of breaking international humanitarian law. U.S. President Joe Biden accused Russia of committing “genocide” (NYT) but said lawyers would have to decide if Russia’s actions constitute genocide under international law.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to release detained pro-Russia politician Viktor Medvedchuk in exchange for Ukrainians captured by Russian forces. The leaders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland are visiting Zelenskyy in Kyiv today.
Analysis
“Genocide is extremely difficult to prove before an international criminal court. That said, this does look like a pattern of ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity,” Washington University in St. Louis’s Leila Sadat tells NPR.
“Seen in light of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s evolving style of rule at home, however, the assault on Ukraine fits into an emerging pattern—one that features anti-Western nationalism; angry, self-justifying speeches; and increasingly open uses of force,” the University of California, Los Angeles’s Daniel Treisman writes for Foreign Affairs.
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan to Pull Back Forces After Border Clashes
The agreement came after the countries’ border guards reportedly exchanged fire (Reuters) twice yesterday.
Sri Lanka: Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said he is ready for talks (ANI) with demonstrators who have been calling for his government’s ouster.
Middle East and North Africa
Israeli Military Exports to Abraham Accords Countries Reached $791 Million in 2021
Israel’s 36 percent year-on-year rise in defense exports was partly due to a jump in exports (Bloomberg) to countries it normalized relations with under the Abraham Accords.
Egypt/Switzerland: Swiss authorities are concluding a decade-long probe into alleged money laundering by former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak without charges. They plan to release some $430 million (AP) frozen in Swiss banks.
For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin discusses the uncertain prospect of Ethiopia’s truce.
East Africa: Insurer Allianz Group became the latest backer to pull out (AP) of the $5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline amid protests by climate activists. The pipeline is due to stretch from Uganda to Tanzania.
Europe
British Police Fine Prime Minister, Finance Minister for Partying During Lockdown
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak both apologized (Politico) for violating coronavirus lockdown measures to attend parties but resisted calls to resign.
Americas
UN Envoy Warns of Rising Violence in Colombia
Briefing the UN Security Council, the head of the UN mission in Colombia warned that armed groups are targeting (UN News) Black and Indigenous communities, which were the most victimized during Colombia’s half-century civil war.
Chile: The country’s finance minister announced plans to allow Chileans to make limited withdrawals (Bloomberg) from their pension savings as inflation rises at its fastest pace in nearly fourteen years.
United States
New York Police Identify Person of Interest in Subway Shooting
Police continued their search (NYT) for a gunman who shot ten people on a Brooklyn subway train during rush hour yesterday morning.
