Russia is looking for recruits to its war in Ukraine
Russian forces We urgently need more soldiers. Already, the government is using what some analysts call a “stealth mobilization” to bring in new recruits without resorting to a politically risky national draft. “Russia has a problem with recruitment and mobilization,” said Kamil Galeev, an analyst specializing in Russia. “It is basically desperate to get more men using any means possible.”
The Kremlin uses impoverished people to make up for the deficit Ukrainians, ethnic minorities, mercenaries, and militarized National Guard troops to fight the war are some of the beneficiaries. The government promises generous cash incentives to volunteers. Analysts have expressed doubts that Russia’s offensive in Ukraine can be sustained without mobilization.
For now, avoiding a draft for adult males allows the Kremlin to maintain the fiction that the war is a limited “special military operation,” while minimizing the risk of the kind of public backlash that spurred the end of previous Russian military debacles, like the one in Afghanistan and the first Chechen war.
Casualties: Both sides keep the numbers of battlefield wounded and dead secretly. According to the British military, there were 25,000 Russians killed and tens of thousands more injured in the recent invasion of Russia. This was a figure that included support units.
Other news about the war:
The Russian military has now turned its attention to Luhansk Province after securing control Donetsk, a neighboring province.
Brittney Griner is the W.N.B.A. Since February, a player has been held in Russia on drug-related charges. Her fellow players were proud to recognize her during the league’s All-Star Game in Chicago yesterday.
Sri Lanka is experiencing political turmoil
Ranil Wickremesinghe (the prime minister) and Gotabayarajapaksa (the president of Sri Lanka) After massive protests rocked Colombo this weekend, they are now hiding.. Others have stated that the two will resign and it is unclear who will be running the country. Analysts predict that the new leader will inherit a crashing economy and a furious public, and they will face a crisis.
Opposition leaders clamored to decipher Rajapaksa’s intentions: whether he would indeed quit or whether his silence is a sign that he is gauging his options for a protracted fight. The speaker of Parliament was seen as the most likely candidate for interim president.
Sri Lanka’s downward spiral has played out against a backdrop of global instability. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the economic sanctions against Moscow that followed, inflation, high energy prices and food shortages have afflicted much of the world. Before that, the pandemic had already disrupted the supply chains.
Scenes: The British colonial-era building serving as Rajapaksa’s official residence has effectively become a free museum. A stream of visitors have packed into the halls and stairways, and activists have put out calls encouraging people to visit the other top compounds they had overrun: the president’s offices and the prime minister’s residence.
A U.S. military contractor’s attempt to buy Pegasus
L3Harris, an American military contractor, has hired executives Visited Israel In recent monthsNSO Group was purchased.. This cyberhacking company has been placed on an American government blacklist. Its spyware, Pegasus was used to penetrate phones of politicians, rights activists, and journalists.
In talks in Israel, American intelligence officers quietly supported the plans for NSO’s purchase. Officials at the White House said they were shocked to hear about the negotiations and that any American defense companies would face serious opposition if they tried to buy a blacklisted firm. L3Harris stated then that it had abandoned its plans.
Questions remain about whether parts of the U.S. government had hoped to bring control of NSO’s powerful spyware under U.S. authority. It left unresolved NSO’s fate, whose technology was a tool of Israeli foreign policies even as it has come under intense criticism for how its spyware has been used against citizens.
Context: The episode was the latest skirmish in an ongoing battle among nations to gain control of some of the world’s most powerful cyberweapons, and it reveals some of the headwinds faced by a coalition of nations — including the U.S. under the Biden administration — as it tries to rein in a lucrative global market for sophisticated commercial spyware.
THE LATEST NEWS
Around the World
“Africa Fashion,” a landmark exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, charts the influence of Africa’s fashion scene.
“There is not one singular African aesthetic, nor is African fashion a monoculture that can be defined,” said Christine Checinska, the museum’s first curator of African and African diaspora fashion. Instead, the show focuses on the ethos of Pan-Africanism embraced by many of the continent’s designers and artists. “It centers on abundance, not on lack,” she added.
ARTS & IDEAS
Tips for Surviving Travel
Kristie Koerbel is a veteran flight attendant who says that in two decades of flying things have never been more stressful. “Historically, summer is always a challenging time to fly, but this summer is much worse,” she writes. It is important to travel smart. All her tips are here.
Fly direct. That way if you are delayed, you don’t need to worry about making your next flight. If you can’t avoid connecting, don’t book the shortest layover: A one-hour layover is not enough anymore. Three hours is the safest time in most cases.
Fly as early as possible. Rarely do the first flights cancel. Thunderstorms increase as the day warms, flight crews reach the limit of their duties later in the afternoon and congestion builds at busy airports. You will have more options to book a new flight if your flight is cancelled.
You should think twice about the cheapest airfares. You may not be able sit with your family if you purchase the cheapest seat. You should also be aware of the fact that if there is a flight that is sold out, no one will give up their seat. The family that used a bargain website to save a few bucks may be the first to be bumped.
Wear a sweater Here’s a tip for flight attendants: We keep airplanes cold sometimes intentionally. Heat can make it worse for people who suffer from airsickness. We don’t want anyone to use those sick sacks.
More: Here’s what to know if your bag doesn’t arrive when you do.
PLAY, WATCH and EAT
What to Cook
That’s it for today’s briefing. Thank you for being here. — Natasha
P.S. P.S. Joe Rennison will be joining The Times to cover the financial reporter Joe Rennison Markets and trading.
The latest episode of “The Daily” is on Boris Johnson’s resignation.
Natasha and her team can be reached at briefing@nytimes.com.
