Russia Hits Military Institute and Nearby Hospital in Missile Attack

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a deadly Russian attack on Ukraine, anti-government protests in Israel, and overcrowding at Congo’s largest prison.

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Three Days of Mourning

Two Russian ballistic missiles hit a military institute and a nearby hospital in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava on Tuesday, roughly 190 miles southeast of Kyiv. At least 51 people were killed and around 206 others were injured, making it one of the deadliest single Russian attacks on Ukraine this year. Local media reported that some of those killed at the Poltava Institute of Military Communications were cadets.

Moscow “will definitely be held accountable for this strike,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Telegram. He ordered an immediate investigation into the attack, as local authorities declared three days of mourning. Rescuers have already contained a fire at one of the buildings and are continuing to clear rubble.

Russia’s use of ballistic missiles—which can hit targets hundreds of miles away within a few minutes of being launched—meant Tuesday’s victims had almost no time to seek shelter. Zelensky reiterated calls on Tuesday for more Western air defenses and for permission from allies for Kyiv to use Western-made long-range weapons to strike targets deeper inside Russian territory. Ukraine has received some Patriot air defense missile systems since the war began more than two years ago but argues that the number remains insufficient, citing this week’s strikes as an example.

The Kremlin has not issued any comment regarding Tuesday’s attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday to discuss boosting bilateral relations, including Moscow’s intention to build a new gas pipeline through Mongolia to China.

Putin’s trip to Mongolia is his first to a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him in March 2023 for potential war crimes over the alleged forceful abduction and relocation of Ukrainian children. As a signatory to the Rome Statute, Mongolia is obligated to arrest Putin if he appears on its soil. However, Putin said he received assurances ahead of the trip that local authorities would not detain him.

“Sandwiched between two powerful neighbors, Russia and China, Mongolia has long been constrained in its freedom of maneuver, so Putin’s choice makes ruthless sense,” said Elena Davlikanova, a democracy fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Last Friday, ICC spokesperson Fadi el-Abdallah said Mongolia has an “obligation” to comply with the arrest warrant, adding that in case of noncooperation, ICC judges may urge the Assembly of States Parties to take appropriate measures against Mongolia, though he did not specify what those measures could be. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry further urged Mongolia this week to “execute the binding international arrest warrant” and transfer Putin to The Hague. The court has no way to enforce the rule.

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What We’re Following

Anti-Bibi fervor. Thousands of Israelis staged anti-government protests this week, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of torpedoing cease-fire and hostage release talks to appease his far-right political partners. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have threatened to topple Netanyahu’s governing coalition if Israel ends the Israel-Hamas war or frees Palestinian prisoners convicted of killing Israelis.

The protests were some of Israel’s largest since the war began nearly a year ago. They coincided with the funeral of 23-year-old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of six hostages found dead over the weekend by Israeli soldiers in Gaza, apparently killed by their captors. “Hamas was the one that pulled the trigger, but Netanyahu is the one who sentenced [the hostages] to death,” said an editorial in Israel’s left-leaning Haaretz newspaper on Sunday.

In a televised news conference on Monday, Netanyahu insisted that the Israeli military must continue to hold a section of the border between Gaza and Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor. The issue is one of the main points of contention in negotiations over a truce deal.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced on Monday that the United Kingdom is suspending exports of some weapons to Israel over fears that they could be used in violation of international law. Thirty of 350 arms export licenses were affected, including parts for military planes, helicopters, drones, and items used for ground targeting. “We recognize, of course, Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods that Israel’s employed, and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure particularly,” Lammy said.

Failed prison break. At least 129 people were killed on Monday during an attempted jailbreak at the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s main prison, officials said on Tuesday. Most of those killed died in a stampede, though authorities said security officials killed at least 24 inmates after firing “warning” shots. The incident took place at Makala Central Prison in the capital of Kinshasa. Several buildings sustained damage from fires and ransacking. Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo convened an emergency crisis meeting on Tuesday in response.

Makala Central Prison has the capacity to hold no more than 1,500 people, but more than 12,000 inmates—many of whom are still awaiting trial—are currently jailed there in “appalling” conditions, according to an Amnesty International report published last year. Justice Minister Constant Mutamba called the attempted jailbreak a “premeditated act of sabotage.” He announced a ban on transferring inmates from the prison and vowed to build a new facility to address overcrowding.

Opposition crackdowns. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant on Monday for former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González after he failed to appear three times to answer questions for a criminal investigation into the country’s disputed presidential election. The court has since accused him of conspiracy, falsifying documents, and usurping powers by claiming that he won the country’s presidential election in July instead of incumbent President Nicolás Maduro.

The announcement is a major escalation in Maduro’s crackdown on political dissidents. At least 27 people have been killed and more than 2,000 others have been arrested thus far. Maduro has also called for the imprisonment of opposition icon María Corina Machado, who was barred from running on what many claim were politically motivated charges.

The United States, European Union, and several Latin American countries have refused to recognize Maduro’s win. Washington also seized Maduro’s plane in the Dominican Republic and brought it to Florida on Monday after determining that its acquisition violated U.S. sanctions. U.S. authorities said it was illegally bought for $13 million and smuggled out of the country. “We’re sending a clear message here that no one is above the law,” a U.S. official told CNN. Venezuela denounced the seizure of the Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft as an act of “piracy.”

Odds and Ends

“One can’t be too careful” may be China’s new mantra. Beijing’s State Security Ministry published a series of social media posts last month listing potential dangers to the country’s national security. These include everything from foreign agents allegedly shipping invasive species—such as alligator snapping turtles—to China to destroy its local ecosystems, to pens containing hidden cameras, to dragonflies that might actually be tiny aerial drones.

The post Russia Hits Military Institute and Nearby Hospital in Missile Attack appeared first on Foreign Policy.