World Affairs International

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv, pledging his support of Europe’s new stance on the war in Ukraine. In particular, he suggested a training program ready to train Ukrainian soldiers to handle Western equipment, modernizing large swathes of Ukraine’s army mid-war.

With Ukraine drawing nearer to European Union candidate status, mixed reactions have been given by the Kremlin. Though Putin claimed that Ukraine’s accession would mean little as the EU is not a military alliance (though the EU does employ a mutual defense clause), other officials, including former President Dmitry Medvedev, continue to rage on social media prophesying the end of Ukraine in “two years.” As for Lavrov, who has continued to defend the special operation’s asinine goals despite Putin’s stated intent of conquering territory, defending Russia’s credibility has become harder than ever.

In Sievierodonetsk, fighting has become very reminiscent of Mariupol, with the battle for the city itself effectively over after credible reports of a Russia establishing control. However, a separate siege of the ‘Azot’ industrial plant seems to be developing, similar to the siege of Azovstal in Mariupol. About 500 civilians are in the Azot plant, even as it faces constant shelling from Russian forces with no immediate sign of an evacuation.