Conflict and Peace

A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region was quoted by AP on Monday saying that Moscow’s forces have overrun all of it, one of four regions Russia annexed from Ukraine in September 2022. If confirmed, it would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war with international peace efforts led by the US failing to make progress on halting the fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn’t budged from his demands, which include Moscow’s control over the four illegally annexed regions. 

A Berlin government spokesperson said on Monday (30 June) that Germany expects the EU’s plans for an 18th sanctions package against Russia to be adopted this week.

According to the news channel Al Jazeera and the Palestinian news agency Wafa, at least ten Palestinians who were desperately seeking aid from a controversial and heavily criticised United States–backed organisation have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the last 48 hours, according to the besieged enclave’s Government Media Office.

According to experts from Yale University and Ukrainian groups, Russia’s forced removal of Ukrainian children during the war constitutes the largest abduction of children in a conflict since World War II. Such a violation has been described as a clear war crime.

On Thursday (27 June), the Masam Project, led by Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief, cleared more than 4,600 explosive devices in Yemen’s Abyan governorate. The recent operation in the Wadi Dufs area near Zinjibar targeted explosive ordnance dating back to years of conflict to the east of Aden.

Tensions between the two countries continue to rise. Cambodia has accused Thailand of exacerbating the conflict by closing almost all border crossings. This has made it virtually impossible for tourists to enter or leave the country by land.

On Wednesday (25 June), the Iranian parliament approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog. This was reported by the Iran International news network. However, the proposal must also be approved by the Iranian National Security Council and Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, before it can take effect.