Ukraine Blows Up Putin’s Bridge (again)

Hello again, Global Recap readers! Today, we dive headfirst into a whirlwind of international events, featuring stories about:

• 🔥 China fuming over Taiwan’s VP

• 🇷🇺 Russia’s potential EU strike

• 🇺🇦 Ukraine’s early birthday present for Putin

• 🇮🇳 India’s ditching of USD

• 🎖️ Russian generals going rogue

Taiwan
China Fumes over Taiwan VP’s US Visit

🔥 China warns US over Taiwanese VP Lai’s planned stopover next month. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing will "closely follow the situation and take strong measures to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity."

🇹🇼 Lai, a leading candidate in Taiwan’s upcoming January presidential election, will visit the US on the way to Paraguay for the Aug. 15 inauguration of President-elect Santiago Peña.

🇵🇾 Why Paraguay? Because it is one of the few remaining countries still to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Peña also reiterated his support for Taiwan on Saturday, saying:

Poland & Lithuania
Wagners Ready to Strike EU?

🚨 WWIII on the horizon? Russia is reportedly planning to use Wagner fighters to seize a key strip of land between Poland and Lithuania, known as the Suwalki Gap. A senior Putin ally, Reservist Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov, claimed on state television that the invasion could be launched in a “matter of hours.”

As you can see on the map, the Suwalki Gap holds significant strategic importance for Russia as it connects Russia's isolated patch of land, Kaliningrad, with Belarus. This is precisely why it has been dubbed “the most dangerous place on earth” and could potentially become the initial point of contact in a global conflict.

Ukraine
Ukraine Blows Up Putin’s Bridge (again)

🌉 Explosions rock Russia's Kerch Bridge. The longest bridge in Europe and a vital supply line for its war effort in Ukraine was partially destroyed by a blast on Monday. The attack, which killed two people and injured a child, was claimed by a Ukrainian security official.

🔥 Not the first time. This was the second strike on the bridge since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and annexed Crimea. The first attack happened in October last year, a day after Putin’s birthday when a fuel tanker exploded and caused parts of the bridge to collapse. Ukrainian officials taunted Putin with a video of Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday, Mister President."

🚫 Deal off. Hours after the latest explosion, Russia announced that it is letting a deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain expires, sparking fears of global food insecurity. The deal was part of the Black Sea agreements that aimed to ease tensions between the two countries. This could mean a future of higher food prices.

India
Dollar Ditched for Rupee

📈 After India received a red carpet treatment at the White House only a few weeks ago, India has signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that will allow it to settle trade in rupees instead of dollars. This also includes oil imports of the world’s third largest oil importer, India.

This move will cut transaction costs by eliminating dollar conversions and boost India’s efforts to reduce its dependence on the US currency. Bilateral trade between the two countries was $84.5 billion in the year from April 2022 to March 2023.

Russia
Putin’s Generals Go Rogue

👮‍♂️ Putin’s generals rebel. Russia’s military commanders are not happy with their boss, and they are making it known. I'm sure you have already heard the audio of Colonel General Ivan Popov complaining directly to Putin about the frontline situation. Normally, one would have to go through the established chain of command, but he bypassed all his superiors. Consequently, he was dismissed for this.

But he is not alone. Other commanders have also voiced their discontent with the use of human wave attacks, the lack of trust and transparency in the chain of command, and the low morale among the soldiers.

Igor Girkin, a former separatist leader in eastern Ukraine, warns of a potential disaster on a national scale if the Russian army continues to be disloyal to its top command. More on his thoughts here.

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