In the 100 days since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Deutsche Welle writes about five ways the war has changed the world. First, the flood of refugees is enormous, with an estimate of 6.8 million Ukrainians fleeing outside of Ukraine and about 8 million displaced internally. Only Poland became a temporary home for over 3.5 million Ukrainians due to war. Second, as Ukrainian ports are blocked, warfare and climate change are causing a global food crisis. Third, the energy market is rapidly changing, following western intention to end dependence on Russian energy. This leads to both looking for other energy exporters and using the opportunity to invest in renewable energies. Fourth, global prices increase, and inflation emerges caused by the food and energy crisis. According to the International Labor organization, inflation has more than doubled worldwide since March 2021. Finally, the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to NATO’s renaissance: the alliance profile was receiving over the years, and now it has one of its central roles in supporting Ukrainian defense.
Politico published a piece featuring stories of Ukrainians affected by the recent Russian offensive in Donbas – those who have evacuated and those who have decided to stay. Russian tactics in the region are the scorched-earth campaign, leaving rubble and destruction to capture as much of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Yet, tens of thousands of people were caught under fire with nowhere to go. A paramedic volunteer, Mark Holtsyev, is among those who are risking their lives to evacuate as many people out of the hot areas as possible. Sometimes they are able to rescue up to 500 people, sometimes just 100 - depending on how intense the fighting is. Thousands of civilians in Ukraine’s east have been living in basements and garden cellars for months now. Following conversations with the evacuees, Politico writes that life under Russian assault is measured in minutes, steps, and millimeters. The way out is dangerous as well: people whom Politico talked to shared stories of despair, shells, and mines on their way. For many, there are little to no prospects of coming back as their home cities are destroyed to the ground. One family the outlet talked to said their lives are now in four duffel bags, and they did not come up with a plan of where to go and what to do next. While many seem disappointed with how Ukrainian authorities deal with the region, almost no one wants to take their chances with Russians.
The Washington Post writes about the increasing irritation of Bejing with Russia’s frustrated requests for greater support. The outlet cites anonymous Chinese officials who mentioned at least two occasions when Moscow pressed Bejing to offer more economic support, including “maintaining trade commitments” predating February 24 and financial and technological support. The latter is currently on the list of western sanctions. As of now, Xi Jinping is looking for only those ways of helping Russia that do not violate the US and other countriesʼ sanctions. According to a senior U.S official, “this is insufficient from the Russian standpoint”. Chinese public support for Russia remains stable – the country’s foreign minister reassured of Chinese commitment to work with Russia to promote “real democracy” and counter “U.S hegemony in global politics”. According to the outlet, China is willing the Russo-Ukrainian war to end sooner. It would have more tools to oppose sanctions against Russia and grow business ties inside Russia in the wake of the departure of foreign firms.