August 15th on nwsTrail: Ukraine liberates lands, Hormuz boils and Trump wants his name on the wall

Here are two stories today concerning the war in Ukraine, which fit together all too well. On the one hand, a long-term operation to destabilize Moldova is described: elections, energy supply, and hindering integration with the European Union are Moscow's usual tactics there. The logic is simple and dangerous: if Southern Ukraine were to be conquered, a land corridor would be created, linking Russia directly to Moldova.

At the center of this operation, alongside Vladimir Putin, are Sergei Kiriyenko and the fugitive banker Ilan Shor, who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in Moldova for the 2014 billion-dollar bank fraud. Before the 2025 parliamentary elections, over 150,000 Moldovans, or about 4.5 percent of registered voters, were recruited and paid for supporting specific candidates and participating in staged protests. Ahead of the 2024 referendum on integration with the European Union, nearly $20 million was distributed over four months to 38,000 recruits to post anti-government content and vote against Maia Sandu, her party, and joining the EU. If we add the training camps in Serbia, Bosnia, and near Moscow, where they taught how to break police lines, commit arson, and make explosives, then this is no longer merely influence activity, but an attack against the government of a democratically elected country.

There was also good news from the war in Ukraine. Over 26 settlements were liberated in the Oleksandrivka area of southeastern Ukraine in an operation lasting more than six months. Of these, 12 are in Dnipropetrovsk, 10 in Donetsk, and four in Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Ukraine reports that over 745 square kilometers have been reclaimed; a more conservative estimate based on open sources is about 627 square kilometers, but even this is no small feat after years of grueling and often static warfare. The operation reduced Russian pressure on the Dnipropetrovsk oblast and forced Moscow to divide its forces between the defense of Oleksandrivka and offensives on other front lines. If Moscow's dream is a corridor stretching from Southern Ukraine to Moldova, then every liberated settlement is a concrete answer to that dream.

In the Strait of Hormuz, everything seems to be moving towards one of the world's energy market nerve centers remaining paralyzed for a long time. A vessel belonging to the UAE's national oil company ADNOC came under attack on Friday; no injuries were reported, and the situation was said to be under control. But this was the third similar incident involving ADNOC vessels in less than a week. In previous attacks, the Emirates have blamed Iran; no official stance was given for Friday's attack.

To this was added Donald Trump's promise to soon declare the Strait of Hormuz as US territory. A White House official later clarified that the president was joking. Tehran did not take it as a joke. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that the Strait of Hormuz has been Iran's, is Iran's, and will remain Iran's, and it will be closed and opened only at Iran's command. The strait, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas moved before the conflict, is already disrupted after the US and Israeli war with Iran broke out on February 28. When diplomacy is stalled and ships are attacked, it is not the best time for territorial jokes.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a familiar pattern emerges. Settlers act, Palestinians suffer, the army arrives later, and world diplomats choose their words carefully or say nothing at all. Only the US ambassador to Israel stated directly that the harassment of Palestinians is a "horrific act of terror." In the village of Qusra, Jewish settlers surrounded the home of an American-Palestinian family, threw stones, broke a stone wall, and prevented people from leaving the house. According to the homeowner, his brother and nephew were stuck there for several days without food or water. The Israeli army announced that it had demolished two illegal settler outposts, detained one Israeli, and sent additional soldiers to the area. There is nothing new about this: the army's intervention is yet another belated gesture after the damage has already been done.

In India, Narendra Modi delivered a major speech on a great future at the Red Fort on Independence Day. He presented a seven-part reform plan, with which India is expected to become one of the developed economies by 2047. Manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, Gati Shakti (a comprehensive digital infrastructure planning and coordination initiative), defense capabilities, green economy, and soft power were to give the country a new pace of development and a magnificent scale.

But the second half of the same speech showed that the future nation must start with a very mundane problem. Young people do not trust the examination system, and there are not enough jobs. Modi promised free online exam preparation and artificial intelligence training for 10 million young people. This came after protests by hundreds of thousands of young people, prompted by leaks of papers for highly competitive exams and a scarcity of secure jobs. The protests were led by the Cockroach Janta Party, which emerged as a satirical movement after the Chief Justice of India called unemployed youth "cockroaches." When nearly 40 percent of 20-24-year-olds with higher education are unemployed and the police use tear gas and batons against protesters in Delhi, a 2047 vision is not enough. Young people want to know what will happen in 2026.

In Indonesia, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake near the coast of Flores island struck people in their sleep early in the morning. At least five people died under the rubble as buildings collapsed, and officials estimate the death toll could rise. Within half an hour, three strong aftershocks followed, with magnitudes of 5.9, 5.6, and 6.1. Power and communication outages hinder the flow of information and complicate rescue efforts; some areas are difficult to access for aid. A tsunami warning was issued and later canceled, but aftershocks could continue for several days. This is the kind of disaster where the initial death toll never tells the whole truth.

In Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany, five people were injured in a fire in a 21-story high-rise building. All residents of the building were evacuated, some people considered jumping out of windows to escape the flames, and one person had to jump into a fire engine's lifting basket. The fire broke out in an apartment on the 11th floor, spread to an apartment above, and was brought under control in less than three hours. The cause was not initially known, but the rescue operation was justifiably described as dramatic.

In the United Kingdom, an academic dispute came to a tragic end. Former Cambridge professor Jason Arday was found dead in Battersea, South London. Police are currently treating the death as unexpected but not suspicious. Arday had resigned from his position as Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge following accusations of plagiarism and questions about his achievements. He denied plagiarism but admitted to errors in his work. His family said that the misinformation campaign was too much for him. In the case of this story, those who are quick to judge should remember that every accusation thrown into the air comes with a price.

From the USA, however, came a whole host of stories showing a country grappling simultaneously with military fatigue, gun violence, personality cults, and an old virus. The families of the approximately 5,000-strong crew of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon. The ship has been deployed for over 260 days, and there are reports of food shortages, plumbing failures, moldy showers, broken toilets, lack of hot water, scarcity of fresh fruits and vegetables, equipment deficiencies, and severe fatigue. There have also been reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard. If the president says about such a deployment that 260 days of service is not nearly long enough, then it is no wonder that soldiers' families are angry.

Six people, including the suspected shooter, died in a shooting near Cadillac, Michigan. One person was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The investigation involves at least three crime scenes. Such news from America is so repetitive that it tends to get lost in statistics, although every such event is tragic for someone.

In Washington, the Kennedy Center board is trying to re-associate the performing arts center with Donald Trump's name. They want to add text under the building's sign stating that the center was restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump, and they wish to name the surrounding area President Donald J. Trump Plaza. An earlier attempt to rename the center "Trump Kennedy Center" failed in court, and the legal validity of the new decisions is also unclear. Meanwhile, polls show that many voters believe Trump has gone too far in changing cultural institutions. When politics starts changing signs on buildings, it's always worth asking whether it's the building that's being renovated or history that's being rewritten.

And finally, Covid, which nobody really wants as their primary concern anymore, but which hasn't gone anywhere. In the USA, the summer Covid-19 wave is growing, although infection rates remain low and the wave appears milder than previous ones. Hospitalizations and deaths are fewer, likely due to increased immunity, but the disease can still ruin a vacation, incapacitate a person for a week or two, and threaten older people, infants, and those with weakened immune systems.