💡 SPOTLIGHT
Ukraine should stop dreaming about the Russian Federation falling apart under Putin
While Ukrainians may be hoping for Russia to disintegrate, history shows otherwise. Only when Putin's authoritarian regime will come down, will it be possible for Chechens, Dagestanis, Buryats, Yakuts, or Bashkortostans to gain any kind of autonomy or democracy vis a vis Moscow, writes Mykhailo Dubynyanskyi in Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.
The dream that the Russian Federation breaks apart into several independent nations is one shared by millions of Ukrainians. In 2022–2023, predictions of the Russian state's disintegration were as common as discussions about enjoying a cup of coffee in Crimea after its liberation. Even in January 2024, this aspiration resurfaced briefly during protests in Bashkir.
The impressive defiance of Kremlin authority exhibited by the people of Chechnya, Dagestan, Buryatia, Yakutia, and Bashkortostan appears to offer a promising blueprint for overcoming Russian authoritarian dominance.
But it’s time to approach the situation with pragmatism and assess the likelihood of such a scenario unfolding.
Many of us are convinced of the swift disintegration of the Russian Federation, drawing inspiration from the remarkable achievements of national liberation movements and the demonstrated capacity of peoples to secure independence. Our confidence is further buoyed by the substantial successes of decolonization through the 20th century.
Between 1950 and 1980, the number of UN member states surged from 60 to 154, underscoring the momentum of independence movements. It's important to note that many of these movements primarily challenged European colonial powers. By the mid-20th century, Europe had shifted significantly towards liberalism and democratic principles, facilitating the triumph of anti-colonial struggles in Asia and Africa.
Most British colonies, including India, attained liberation through non-violent means. Had figures like Gandhi faced a less liberal and rigid adversary, achieving peaceful victory would have been unimaginable.
The French attempted to quell armed struggles for independence through force, but their harsh suppression lacked sufficient backing in the metropolis. The use of torture by the French army in Algeria sparked significant outrage, despite the atrocities committed by merciless terrorists who spared neither women nor children.
Portugal's colonial empire endured the longest among European powers, largely due to the presence of a dictatorial regime in Lisbon well until the 1970s. This regime was willing to engage in prolonged conflicts with rebels in Angola and Mozambique. The democratic "carnation revolution" in Portugal ultimately brought an end to this era.
But if we are looking beyond the former European metropolises to the east, we find a notable absence of the once formidable force of national liberation movements. [...]
— Read the full article by Mykhailo Dubynyanskyi for Ukrainska Pravda, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Shooting deaths in Gaza hospitals: At least three people were shot dead by snipers while sheltering inside southern Gaza’s largest hospital, while an Israeli drone attack left two journalists in critical condition. More than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the war.
• Erdoğan and Sisi to meet: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is set to welcome his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after years of fractured ties between the two countries. In addition to discussing efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, the two leaders are expected to discuss economy, trade, tourism and energy. Read about Erdoğan’s view on Hamas, and the Western reaction.
• Ex-army strongman leads Indonesia election, early polls say: Prabowo Subianto, a former army general with a controversial past, is the frontrunner ahead of Indonesia’s election, according to unofficial results. Indonesia’s election agency will not publish results until March. Read more about Subianto here.
• Ukraine claims it has destroyed Russian warship in Black Sea: A Russian landing warship off the coast of occupied Crimea was destroyed by Ukraine in an operation with naval drones, said Kyiv’s military spy agency and armed forces. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the latest attack.
• U.S. House votes to impeach homeland security secretary: The House of Representatives has narrowly voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for allegedly not enforcing border security. Mayorkas — the first cabinet member to face impeachment in nearly 150 years — is expected to keep his job, with the Democrat-controlled Senate almost sure not to convict on the charges sent from the House.
• Pakistani coalition agrees to form a government, shutting out Imran Khan’s party: a joint government formed by two smaller coalition partners has agreed to “take Pakistan out of difficulty” ensuring that the party of former prime minister Imran Khan will not take power despite getting the most votes in the election. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party confirmed at a press conference in Islamabad that Shehbaz Sharif will take up the prime minister role, nominated by the coalition uncontested.
• $10 toll to enter Bali: Starting today, foreign tourists must now pay 150,000 rupiah ($10) to access Bali, one of the world’s most popular destinations. This tourist tax, launched by the government to help handle the some 4.8 million tourists visiting the paradisiac island each, can be paid before arrival through the “Love Bali” website.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
On Valentine's Day, Bogotá-based El Espectador dedicates its front page to its flower market which is particularly flourishing for the occasion. Indeed, Colombia is the second biggest exporter of cut flowers, after the Netherlands. Around Feb.14, it represents up to 15% of total exports, with 650 shipments leaving the El Dorado airport daily to reach more than 100 countries.
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Gùsto! How • What • Where locals eat (& drink) in Verona
The city of love, where Romeo and Juliet fell dramatically in love, is one of Italy's popular tourist destinations. Here's a quick guide on where to find the best spots to eat, drink and have an aperitivo, based on a local's favorite.
☕ Start your day off on the right foot and take your chérie to taste typical caffè and brioche at Pasticceria Flego. This pastry shop has two locations in the heart of Verona: one next to Piazza delle Erbe and one close to Juliet's house. The latter, on Via Stella, is the best option if you want to enjoy la dolce vita: take a seat inside the old and elegant bar or sip your cappuccino while people-watching on one of the main shopping streets.
🍝 There are so many good places in Verona to taste the real homemade cuisine but this local's favorite is Osteria Verona Antica. The location itself is one reason why: along the Adige river, facing the San Pietro castle and the Roman theater. If you're graced with a sunny and not-so-hot day, eating outside on the terrace is a joy for the eye. The authentic Veronese menu includes cheeses from the nearby Lessinia alpine hut and with fresh cut meat and charcuterie. The pasta shape that nonnas make in Veneto is called bigoli and is best enjoyed with donkey meat ragù.
🍦 If breakfast and lunch have still left a little hunger in you, gelato is the answer to your needs. There are many good gelaterie in the city center, but try one that is not part of a big chain and head to Zeno Gelato e Cioccolato. Situated in a truly nice context, you can grab your gelato here and then have a seat on the riverside next to one of the best views of the city, Ponte Pietra. It will feel like you've escaped from the city for a little while, in a very lovely way.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
➡️ Watch the video: THIS HAPPENED
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
$2.2 trillion
A report from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) revealed global defense spending jumped 9% to a record $2.2 trillion last year. The current conflicts in Europe and Middle East, as well as growing unease in the Arctic, North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, concerns over China and the rise of military regimes in the Sahel region of Africa have plunged the world into “a highly volatile security environment,” according to the British think tank. And with Israel’s war on Gaza, the continuing conflict in Ukraine and rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, defense spending is set to rise in 2024.
📣 VERBATIM
“Military operations in Rafah could lead to a slaughter in Gaza.”
— Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations, warned in a statement about the “catastrophic” consequences of an invasion of Rafah by Israeli forces. The British diplomat said Palestinians in Gaza already faced an “assault that is unparalleled in its intensity, brutality and scope” and that over a million people were now “crammed in Rafah, staring death in the face.” For Beirut-based, Arabic-language independent digital media platform Daraj, Mustafa Ibrahim asks two burning questions about Rafah: Where to Now? And where is home?
📸 PHOTO DU JOUR
In Makassar, on the eastern island of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, a woman looks at ballot papers for Indonesian presidential candidates. Vote counting has started after some 200 million Indonesians went to the polls to pick a successor for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. — Photo: Herwin Bahar/ZUMA
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• The Rafah Invasion And That Old Yitzhak Rabin Dream: "Gaza Sunk Into The Sea" — DARAJ
• London-Vienna, Caribbean-Côte d'Azur: How A Putin Crony Funds A Western Life Of Luxury — VAZHNYYE ISTORII/IMPORTANT STORIES
• No Housing, No Help, No Word On The Missing: Turkey's Earthquake Nightmare Continues — OKSIJEN
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