Image Daily News Brief August 16, 2024 - Ukraine in Russia's Kursk region and more...

 

Daily News Brief August 16, 2024

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Top of the Agenda Ukraine Says It Set Up Military Office in Russia’s Kursk Region Kyiv has established a command center in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s top commander said yesterday, with ambitions to hold it as Russia scrambles to reinforce its border defenses in the broader area. Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk began earlier this month and amounts to the largest foreign territorial advance inside Russia since World War II. More than 130,000 residents have fled or evacuated the area, Russian officials said.  While Ukraine’s attack put Moscow on the back foot inside Kursk, Russian troops have separately been making their own advances on a front line hundreds of miles to the east, the Wall Street Journal reported. Russian troops are pushing toward the Ukrainian logistical hub of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian officials told residents yesterday to evacuate. (Reuters, NYT, WSJ)

Analysis “[The incursion into Kursk] allows Kyiv to address its partners from a position of strength and puts the growing debate about potential cease-fire negotiations in a different light,” the Public Interest Journalism Lab’s Nataliya Gumenyuk writes for Foreign Affairs. “Ukrainian troops have shown that they are capable of planning and unleashing a surprise large-scale offensive in total secrecy despite the presence of drones and satellites on the battlefield that can see almost everything.”    “Ukraine’s incursion underlined Kyiv’s ability to use its nimble forces and Western weaponry to steal some of Russia’s initiative,” the New York Times’ Anton Troianovski and Alina Lobzina write.

Pacific Rim Thailand Selects Youngest-Ever Prime Minister Thailand’s parliament chose Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of a former prime minister and leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, for the post. If approved by the king, she would be the country’s youngest-ever prime minister at age thirty-seven and the second-ever woman to serve in the role. The leadership change comes days after a surprise court ruling that removed the previous premier. (Nikkei, CNN)   Australia/U.S./UK: The United States, Australia, and United Kingdom (UK) have aligned their export control regimes in order to facilitate the technology-sharing crucial to a trilateral defense pact, the U.S. State Department told Congress yesterday. The pact will allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines, hypersonic missiles, and other advanced weapons. (Reuters)   This In Brief by Lauren Kahn explains how the trilateral pact will shape Indo-Pacific security.

South and Central Asia Pakistan, Sweden Register First Mpox Cases Outside Africa Pakistan said a case of mpox had been detected in someone who arrived “from a Gulf country,” while Swedish health authorities said they detected a case in someone who traveled to “the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak.” The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency on Wednesday, at which point cases had only been reported in Africa. (AFP) Bangladesh: Student protesters who helped drive the demonstrations that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said they are considering founding their own political party. Control of Bangladesh has alternated between two parties for most of the past thirty years. (Reuters)

Middle East and North Africa Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Extend Into Second Day An Israeli delegation is meeting with U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari negotiators in Doha today to discuss the gaps remaining for a potential cease-fire and hostage release deal. While Hamas is not participating in the talks directly, they suggested they were open to weighing new proposals. (NYT) Iraq: Iraq and the U.S.-led military coalition in the country have postponed an announcement on a deal to wind down the coalition’s presence “due to recent developments,” Iraq’s foreign ministry said yesterday. While it did not specify which developments it was referring to, the delay comes amid U.S. preparations for a potential retaliatory attack on Israel by Iran. (CNN)

The World Next Week CFR’s Carla Anne Robbins and Miriam Elder discuss Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, the upcoming Democratic National Convention, the foreign hacking attempts on Trump’s and Harris’s presidential campaigns, and more. Listen Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images

Sub-Saharan Africa Zimbabwe to Host Regional Economic Summit Amid Crackdown on Dissent Saturday will be the first time in more than a decade that the Southern African Development Community will meet in Zimbabwe. Ahead of the summit, security officials have detained dozens of opposition activists in a crackdown that has prompted criticism from rights groups such as Amnesty International. (Al Jazeera) South Africa: The deputy leader of the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters announced he will resign to join the party of former President Jacob Zuma. It’s a boost for Zuma’s recently formed party, uMkhonto we Sizwe, which already proved influential in taking votes from the ruling African National Congress party in elections earlier this year. (Reuters)

Europe Russian Court Sentences Russian American Woman to Twelve Years for $51 Donation Ksenia Karelina donated the money to an aid charity supporting Ukrainian citizens affected by war in 2022 and was convicted of treason. Karelina aims to appeal the verdict, which was announced after a closed-door trial. A White House spokesperson called the sentence “absolutely ludicrous.” (RFE/RL, CNN)

Americas Hurricane Ernesto Downs Utilities in Puerto Rico, Heads to Bermuda Hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico were cut off from water and power due to the storm, which strengthened into a category 2 hurricane last night. Forecasters expect it will pass near or over Bermuda tomorrow. (AP)   This Backgrounder by Amelia Cheatham and CFR’s Diana Roy unpacks the U.S. territory in crisis. Venezuela: Mexico’s president said he would step back from efforts to mediate a post-election crisis in Venezuela, while the leaders of Brazil and Colombia suggested a new vote could solve the impasse. Prominent Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado rejected that suggestion. Venezuela’s opposition say they have proof they won the July 28 presidential election while election authorities assert that President Nicolás Maduro won, though they have not presented detailed vote data. (FT)

U.S. Campaign 2024 Government Agencies Resume Coordination With Tech Platforms on Foreign Disinformation The FBI and other federal agencies quietly resumed coordination with tech companies earlier this year after a pause amid legal challenges, the New York Times reported. Last month, social media platform X removed accounts the Department of Justice linked to Russia’s security service and state television network RT, while Meta said yesterday that a government tip led to the takedown of a web of inauthentic accounts criticizing Poland, Ukraine, and the European Union. (NYT) This Expert Brief from National Intelligence Fellow Dana S. LaFon discusses how the United States can counter disinformation from China and Russia.

Friday Editor’s Pick The Wall Street Journal reports that Ukrainian operatives used a small sailing boat and a six-member crew to sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe.