RUSSIA'S WAR ON UKRAINIAN EDUCATION
As part of its ongoing assault, the Kremlin is taking aim at the bedrock of Ukrainian society: schools. More than 390 educational institutions have been either damaged or destroyed in Russia's offensive since September 1st, the country's Education and Science Minister, Serhii Shkarlet, outlined in a post on Telegram. That, moreover, is just a small part of a larger – and grim – total. According to Shkarlet, more than 2,800 schools and universities have been targeted by Russia's offensive since its start in late February. (UKRINFORM, December 9, 2022)
ANOTHER KREMLIN CRITIC JAILED
Against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, Russia's government has intensified its crackdown on critics of the Kremlin, seeking to silence all forms of dissent. The latest target of official persecution is opposition activist Ilya Yashin, an ally of jailed anti-Putin crusader Alexei Navalny who has been a vocal critic of the Russian government's war effort (and its excesses) in Ukraine. Yashin was arrested in June on grounds of "spreading false information" about the Ukraine war – something that has become a punishable offense under Russian law.
The 39-year-old Yashin is far from the only Kremlin critic to run afoul of the Kremlin's new – and onerous – speech restrictions. Some 20,000 anti-war dissidents are estimated to have been punished by Russian authorities to date. Nevertheless, Yashin's case is notable because it is the harshest such punishment to have been meted out to date. Under the sentence rendered by a Moscow court in early December, the activist will serve 8 years and 6 months in prison. For his part, Yashin has remained defiant. "It's better to spend 10 years behind bars as an honest man than to quietly burn in shame over the blood spilled by your government," he has declared. (Washington Post, December 9, 2022)
RUSSIA'S FAR RIGHT EYES FUTURE TARGETS
The Kremlin's campaign against Ukraine may not be going well, but that has not stopped far-right nationalist elements in the country from agitating in favor of additional Russian acquisition. According to London's Guardian newspaper, a neo-Nazi paramilitary group with connections to the Russian government has issued an appeal to its members to track and report on border and military activities in the Baltic states. The group in question is called "Task Force Munich," elements of which are currently fighting in Ukraine and have been linked to the notorious Wagner mercenary outfit. The request, issued via the group's official Telegram channel, has raised concerns "over whether far-right Russian groups are planning an attack on Nato countries," the Guardian reports. (Guardian, December 11, 2022)
TAKING THE FIGHT TO WAGNER
As part of their counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces have taken aim at one of the Kremlin's key force multipliers: the Wagner Group helmed by the oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. According to Serhiy Haidai, the governor-in-exile of Ukraine's Luhansk oblast, Ukrainian forces recently struck a hotel in the city of Kadiivka that was serving as a headquarters for a contingent of Wagner forces. The Wagner forces suffered "significant casualties" in the attack, Haidai said, and casualties are expected to mount further in coming days because of a lack of available medical treatment. (BBC, December 12, 2022)
A HELPING HAND FROM CAPETOWN?
In prosecuting its military offensive against Ukraine, Russia's government has been able to count on precious few foreign allies. While both Belarus and Iran have figured prominently in the Kremlin's calculus, other countries (including China and assorted Central Asian states) have stopped short of providing Moscow with either military materiel or personnel for its unpopular war effort. Russia, however, may have found new military assistance – in South Africa. Recently, the Russian-flagged container vessel Lady R was seen docking at the South African port of Simonstown, prompting an inquiry from members of the country's parliament about whether the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa has begun providing weaponry to Russia – particularly in light of the clandestine fashion by which cargo was loaded onto the ship. For its part, the South African Ministry of Defense has not commented on the incident. (mil.in.ua, December 10, 2022)
VIKTOR BOUT'S SECOND ACT
Infamous arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was freed earlier this month as part of a prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow, has wasted no time becoming involved in Russian politics upon his return to the country. Just days after landing back in Moscow, Bout formally joined Russia's far-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) in what many view as a precursor to the man who has been called "the merchant of death" seeking a seat in the Russian parliament. (Guardian, December 12, 2022)