Ukraine

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the war “has weakened the international collective security system we have all pledged to uphold”, the top UN political affairs official told the Security Council on Friday, briefing ambassdors on the current situation on the ground. … The impact of the intensifying violence on civilians remains “our gravest concern”, she said, adding that Russian missile barrages and drone attacks across Ukraine nearly tripled in May. Citing latest reports, she said the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 24,862 civilian casualties to date, but “the actual figures are likely considerably higher”.

The UN has worked to extend critical humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine since day one of the invasion, the Organization’s development chief told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on Wednesday.

European Union member states plan to train as many as 30,000 members of Ukraine’s armed forces this year, including from territorial defense units, Kyiv said on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday gave African leaders seeking to mediate in the war in Ukraine a list of reasons why he believed many of their proposals were misguided, pouring cold water on a plan already largely dismissed by Kyiv.

As Ukraine’s counteroffensive ramps up, Russia announced plans to conduct local elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine, where active fighting is taking place.

Others have tried and failed, and now six African leaders are heading to Moscow and Kyiv in the coming days to try to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict. South Africa — leading the delegation — has been accused of favoring Russia, despite its officially neutral stance on the war.

Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in February 2022, the OSCE has been virtually blocked on all fronts. … In an attempt to overcome this paralysis, OSCE participating states have made increasing use of an instrument that does not require consensus: the so-called OSCE Moscow Mechanism, which has been invoked a record five times in the 16 months since the start of the war.

President Cyril Ramaphosa (of South Africa) along with six African Heads of State will in the coming weeks travel to Ukraine and Russia on an African Peace Initiative concerning the war in Ukraine. … The Presidents involved in the African Peace Initiative include the President of the Comoros Islands and current President of the African Union Othman Ghazali, President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Senegal Macky Sall, President of Uganda HE Yoweri Museveni, and President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema.

The catastrophe happened early Tuesday when explosions tore through the colossal Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine — draining one of the Continent's largest artificial reservoirs. It forced the evacuation of thousands of people downstream, polluted land, destroyed a large electricity generator and will cause future problems with water supplies.

The EU agriculture commissioner says it is necessary to extend Ukraine grain-import restrictions until at least the end of October, despite fierce opposition from Kyiv. The restrictions followed complaints from EU countries that surplus Ukrainian grain was driving down local prices and impacting local farmers.