Author: Steven Sahiounie

The main military developments of the last days of fighting in Ukraine were the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev and Chernihiv regions and their advance in the East of the country, taking full control of the strategically important town of Izyum in the Kharkiv region. In the Kiev region, in the North-Western direction from the capital, the AFU took control of several towns, where fierce fighting continued for weeks. The Kiev grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed control over the cities of Borodyanka, Bucha, Vorzen, Gostomel, Ivankov. The Ukrainian Armed Forces unblocked the Kiev-Zhytomyr highway as…

According to the spokesman, the new US aid package includes laser-guided rocket systems, Switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems, Puma unmanned aerial systems he US Department of Defense [DoD] will allocate another $300 million in military aid to Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. “Through USAI [Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative], DoD will provide up to $300 million in security assistance to bolster Ukraine’s capacity to defend itself,” the spokesman said in a statement. In his words, the United States has now committed more than $2.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration (since January 2021),…

The restrictions are meant to ensure that RT and Sputnik “will not be able to find [their] way back on UK televisions” A new round of sanctions on Russia announced by UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Thursday will target state funded TV-Novosti, which runs RT, and Rossiya Segodnya, which runs Sputnik News. The sanctions were imposed against what London described as “Russian propagandists and state media who spread lies and deceit about Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.” Earlier in March, UK media regulator Ofcom stripped broadcasting licenses from Russian media, claiming that they were in no position to cover the…

The mopping-up of Mariupol continues. On 30 and 31 March, DPR and Russian Federation units achieved significant success in destroying the manpower and equipment of the Azov regiment’s defending units. Russian Armed Forces reconnaissance units launch operations at Azovstal plant. The AFU grouping in Mariupol is dissipated and operates in isolated fortified areas. In their turn, separate units of the Azov regiment continue active defence operations in the heavily fortified industrial area of the Azovstal plant. Casualties on both sides are reported. On the morning of 31 March, another attempt was made to evacuate the Azov Regiment commanders from the…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the US dollar dominance as the global trading currency could be threatened by the sweeping sanctions taken against Russia from the late February ‘military operations’ undertaken in Ukraine.  The IMF is worried that using currencies as a weapon will fragment the world economy while making it less efficient. There are now countries rushing to find ways of transacting and storing money that circumvent the US currencies and financial markets, as well as those of their allies. Some countries are renegotiating the currency in which they get…

Early on March 31, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) raided the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, setting off a gun battle in which two Palestinians were killed and 15 others were wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry said. In a statement, the IDF said that a commando force that entered the Palestinian city to conduct arrests was fired at. According to the IDF, the force “shot back and struck the armed men.” One Israeli soldier was lightly wounded and taken to the hospital for treatment. Videos circulated online showed smoke rising from the center of the…

The decree comes into force on March 31 Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin has ordered the formation of a city administration in Mariupol, according to a decree published on the DPR head’s website on Thursday. “A local administration of the Donetsk People’s Republic is to be formed in the city of Mariupol,” the document reads. Pushilin also handed instructions to the chief of the Mariupol city administration to ensure the development and approval of a regulation related to the city’s administration, its structure and staffing. The decree also orders the creation of district administrations in Mariupol,…

S&P Dow Jones Indices conducted a consultation with market participants S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) said on Wednesday it has decided to remove Russian and Belarusian bonds from its 11 indices. “S&P Dow Jones Indices (“S&P DJI”) conducted a consultation with market participants on the potential removal of Russian bonds and announced the results on March 15, 2022, indicating that all bonds from issuers whose Country of Risk is Russia or Belarus will be removed from the impacted indices,” it said in a press statement posted on its website. According to S&P, the bonds will be removed from the…

The tit-for-tat move comes after Washington placed similar restrictions on Chinese officials, citing “human rights abuses” China has decided to restrict visas for a number of US officials in response to similar measures introduced by Washington earlier this month over alleged human rights abuses. “The Chinese side decided to impose retaliatory visa restrictions on certain US officials who spread lies on the issue of human rights, imposed sanctions against China and harmed China’s interests,” stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday. Wang said the move was made “to protect the sovereignty, security and development interests of the PRC. “The spokesperson…

Mateusz Morawiecki says it has become an obvious reality in the country What was once called Russophobia has now become mainstream in Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during a press conference on Wednesday. The PM claims that in light of the situation in Ukraine, Poland has set “some standards” when it comes to anti-Russian sentiment. “Ladies and Gentlemen, in the context of this terrible event which is the war in Ukraine, Poland sets some standards, and what was previously called Russophobia is now mainstream, it is already accepted as a reality,” Morawiecki said. The statement came as the PM announced Poland’s decision…