Your Friday briefing
When will Ukraine’s counter-offensive come?
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that it needs more time to launch a counter-offensive against Russia as Ukrainian forces are still waiting for military equipment promised by the West. “We would lose a lot of people,” he said. “I find that unacceptable. So we have to wait. We need a little more time.”
For months, Ukraine’s political and military leaders have signaled they are preparing a major assault to retake territory occupied by Russia since it invaded last year, though they haven’t said exactly when or where the blow would come.
Analysts said Zelensky’s comments could be intended to put pressure on Ukraine’s allies to ramp up supplies, lower expectations for the counter-offensive or confuse the Kremlin about Kiev’s intentions. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner’s private militia, said the Ukrainian counter-offensive was already underway in the Donbas.
The last: Ukrainian forces this week made gains around Bakhmut for the first time since March, commanders on both sides say, but it’s unclear whether those reflect opportunistic, small-scale attacks or the start of something bigger.
Other news from the war:
Erdogan’s election prospects are taking a hit
Three days before Turkey’s crucial presidential and parliamentary elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chances of a quick victory have narrowed after one of his challengers dropped out of the race. The move is likely to benefit Erdogan’s main competitor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is backed by a coalition of six opposition parties.
The election, seen by some as a defining moment for Turkish democracy, will set the future course for Turkey, a major economy at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and a NATO ally of the US. wins a simple majority, Erdogan’s 20-year stint as Turkey’s most prominent politician would suddenly come to an end.
The elections may also change Turkey’s foreign affairs. Under Erdogan, the country has pursued a non-aligned foreign policy that has upset its NATO allies. While Turkey has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sent aid to the Ukrainian military, Erdogan is also seeking a closer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is blocking efforts to expand NATO.
Context: Domestically, Erdogan’s status has sunk, mainly because of extremely high inflation that has squeezed family budgets. Many economists attribute inflation, which exceeded 80 percent last year, to ill-advised financial policies.
At least 30 dead in Gaza and Israel
The Israeli army and Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group in Gaza, exchanged fire yesterday amid rising tensions in the region. Israel stepped up its campaign of targeted assassinations of Islamic Jihad commanders, killing two more to bring the toll to five in three days. Egypt and other regional powers are trying to broker a ceasefire.
Cross-border exchanges began less intensely than on Wednesday, but by evening, Islamic Jihad was firing longer-range missiles in apparent retaliation for Israel’s targeted killings. A powerful explosion at a residential building in Israel severely damaged apartments on three floors, sending shards of window frames and glass onto the road.
Toll: At least 29 Palestinians, six of them children, were killed this week, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The ministry said more than 90 Palestinians were also injured. And in Israel, one man was killed and five people were injured after a rocket fired from Gaza struck a residential building, according to the Israel Ambulance Service.
THE LAST NEWS
Around the world
More than a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western sanctions have damaged, but not crippled, Russia’s economy. And while most of the West’s leading electronics, automotive and luxury brands announced their withdrawal from Russia last year, their products are still widely available to Russia’s elites through inventive cross-border solutions.
“The rich people always stay rich,” said an employee of a luxury car showroom in Dubai. The war, she added, “didn’t affect them.”
SPORTS NEWS FROM ATHLETICS
The 20-year-old footballer compared to Messi: Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen’s extremely talented No. 10, is back from injury and make up for lost time.
JJ Watt on the advice he received from Ryan Reynolds and why he invests in football: The former NFL star talks about his plan for the English club Burnley and why he thinks retirement is exhausting.
ART AND IDEAS
A pop party
This weekend millions of viewers in Europe and beyond will be glued to the Eurovision Song Contest, a glitzy, campy celebration of pop music. Acts from three dozen countries will perform original songs, with viewers voting for their favourites.
Now known as a sprawling television extravaganza, Eurovision began in 1956 as a way to unite Europe after World War II. As the competition grew – and expanded beyond Europe, with entries from Israel and Australia – the competition often reflected wider political and social issues.
Last year the Ukrainian act Kalush Orchestra won with a cheerful song that mixed rap with traditional folk music. This year’s Ukrainian act, pop duo Tvorchi, will sing a song inspired by the soldiers who fought to defend the now-devastated city of Mariupol. They spoke to The Times about rehearsing for the match amid air raid sirens.