The DSR Daily Brief Newsletter – Tuesday, May 31, 2022

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Ukraine

As of Tuesday morning, Russian troops reportedly control two-thirds of Sievierodonetsk, now described as a ‘bombed-out wasteland.’

Over the weekend, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Kharkiv to honor troops and assess the damage to its infrastructure. He also fired the security service chief in the region, Roman Dudin, for failing to work on the city’s defense. 

One motive for poor Russian soldiers to stay in the fight seems to be the spoils. A reported 58 tons of items ranging from clothes to an Orlan-10 military drone have been sent to Russia from Ukraine.

The Americas

Biden will not send rocket systems capable of reaching Russia to Ukraine. Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted opposition to the decision. In his capacity as Director of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), McFaul also recently hosted President Zelensky in a video address to students. 

With no plans for military intervention to ‘assist in the movement of grain outside Ukraine,’ the USDA will allow farming on land earmarked for conservation. 

Colombia finds a buyer for its ‘dirty’ coal: Germany.

Europe and Central Asia

The EU gave in to Hungary in order to move the Russian oil embargo forward. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called the deal, ‘the best we could get.’ The deal exempts pipelined-delivered oil to landlocked Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine in a show of support. Zelensky thanked Marin for Finnish support, including defense aid and sanctions against Russia.

Lithuanians crowd-funded a Bayraktar TB2 armed drone for Ukraine. 

The Indo-Pacific

Japan will not invite Russian representatives to annual remembrances of nuclear devastation in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. A Russian official called the decision ‘politically rude,’ but Japanese officials remained firm in keeping the solemn events from being ‘used as a political football.’ 

Mastercard is pivoting to Southeast Asia. Following its exit from Russia and ban in India, the company is seeking new markets.

The Middle East and Africa

Syria received another shipment of stolen Ukrainian grain, estimated at 30,000 tons.

Iran seized Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. This was reportedly a ‘punitive’ action for Greece’s plan to ship Iranian oil seized from a Russian tanker to the US.

The UAE is dismantling a Soviet-era Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane used by arms dealer Viktor Bout – a.k.a. ‘Merchant of Death.’ The decision is not ideological, rather it’s to make way for luxury real estate.

DSR Exclusives

For in-depth analysis, check out our sister podcasts on the DSR Network and stay tuned to the DSR Daily podcast for new and evolving stories from around the world. 

The DSR Network Team (Chris Cotnoir, Grant Haver, and Katherine Hill)