United News of Bangladesh

The warning messages come first, followed by explosions. For 48-year-old Robert Marian, who lives in Isaccea, a small town in Romania’s eastern Tulcea County on the Danube River, the increasing frequency of Russian drone strikes just across the border has become a constant source of fear. The town has a crossing into Ukraine, and some of the attacks take place only a few hundred meters across the river. “There are alerts warning us that something is coming,” Marian told The Associated Press. “It happened two weeks ago, maybe three. I was asleep at midnight … One was quieter, but another was really loud. I got scared and ran out of the house.” As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, drone incidents in Romanian airspace have increased sharply. Explosions across the Danube serve as a reminder of how close the conflict is to NATO territory, amid concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could test the alliance’s resolve. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sept. 1 that a Ukrainian border crossing with Romania had been “deliberately damaged ... as well as export infrastructure.” Romanian customs announced the same day that operations at the Isaccea-Orlivka crossing had been temporarily suspended. Another Isaccea resident, Alina Mihail, said the drone alerts and explosions across the border make her feel sick. “I have so many nights where I don't sleep anymore,” she said. “I live in terror, me and my husband.” Romania records sharp rise in drone incursionsFigures from Romania’s Ministry of National Defense show that drone incursions into the country’s airspace have tripled so far this year compared with all of 2025 — 27 incidents compared with nine. The number of drones and pieces of drone debris found on Romanian territory, which is part of NATO, has also more than doubled, from 16 last year to 37 this year. There have been 73 attacks near the Romanian border on Ukrainian territory this year, prompting the deployment of about 56 military aircraft to “monitor and manage the situation.” In 2025, there were 28 such attacks and 21 aircraft were scrambled. During the first year of the war, there was only one attack near the border. In May, a drone crashed into an apartment building in the eastern Romanian city of Galati, injuring a mother and her child. Last week, another drone that entered Romania from neighboring Moldova was tracked across several counties before returning to Moldova and crashing into a sunflower field. Moscow has denied sending combat drones into Romanian territory. European officials warn of Russian provocationsThe increasing number of drones entering Romanian airspace, many of which Romanian officials have blamed on Russia, has led Romania to shoot down four drones this year. It was the first time the NATO member had done so since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO members across Europe have accused Moscow of carrying out a series of “hybrid war” activities, including drone incursions, sabotage, an attempted attack at a German airport and an incident in which a Danish helicopter was fired on with flares in the Baltic Sea. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Sept. 2 that “Russia has grown increasingly reckless” as the war continues. “We have seen more drones and missiles crossing into our airspace, along our eastern flank, creating increased risk,” he said. “The dangers Russia poses are clear.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also warned last week that he had received information from CIA Director Jim Ratcliffe suggesting Europe should prepare for increased Russian provocations, including along the EU’s eastern flank. Romanian minister calls security situation ‘highly fluid’Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta told The Associated Press that Russia is considered a “primary, significant threat” to Romania and NATO’s eastern flank under both Romania’s National Defense Strategy and NATO assessments. “We are engaged in discussions regarding the capabilities needed to counter this common threat — facing the same risks as Poland and the Baltic states — and we are coordinating to ensure these capabilities are distributed in a way that allows for interconnection,” he said. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO increased its military presence along Europe’s eastern flank by deploying additional multinational battle groups to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia. However, the US reduced its troop deployments in Eastern Europe, including Romania, last year after Washington changed its military posture. US officials denied the move indicated a reduced commitment to NATO. Miruta said more than 1,000 US troops are currently stationed in Romania, which he said is more than the number there following last year’s troop rotation. “We have a solid relationship,” he said. “The security dynamics along the eastern flank are highly fluid.” Little time to respond to drone incursionsMiruta said discussions about NATO’s Article 5, under which an attack on one member can trigger a collective response, “can take various directions.” However, he said Romania currently has no information indicating that a ground invasion is imminent or likely. “From this perspective, we can rest easy,” he said. At the same time, he said Romania faces a unique threat because Russia frequently attacks Ukrainian ports along the Danube, which are only a short distance from the Romanian border. “Once the border is crossed, the distance involved is merely tens of meters, leaving very little reaction time,” he said. “In contrast, in the Nordic countries, targets are tens of kilometers away, providing a sufficiently comfortable window for various forms of intervention.” In some areas of Romania, residents can see and hear the fighting across the border, keeping communities on edge. “We see the drones coming, we see them heading toward those ports,” Miruta said. “Most stop there, bombarding port infrastructure, but we cannot know if any might cross over to the other side … If one does cross over, our communities … would be at risk.” Romania increases defense spendingAmid growing security concerns, Romania and Poland have acquired the MEROPS system, which uses short-range counter-drones to intercept incoming drones. Romania’s Defense Ministry also announced last month that it had received its first 2.5 billion euros from the EU’s Security Action for Europe program, out of a total allocation of 16.6 billion euros. In June, the ministry announced a $2 billion contract with an Israeli company to purchase short- and very-short-range air defense systems “designed to protect against aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles.” Romanian President Nicusor Dan said at the Ankara summit that defense spending would rise to as much as 3.7% of GDP this year. He also said Romania had joined NATO’s Drone Edge project, which aims to invest more than $40 billion in “counter-drone capabilities” over the next five years. Back in Isaccea, Mihail said she and her husband remain inside their home when text alerts warn of possible airspace violations. “We have no support, no one to help us,” she said.

Russians who have fought in Ukraine are playing a prominent role in this week's parliamentary election, appearing on party tickets, in campaign videos and in televised debates. Election officials say nearly 200 candidates have served in Ukraine. The Kremlin has promoted the veterans as part of what it calls Russia's “true elite,” seeking to portray them as people who will receive an honored place in civilian life after the war. However, analysts say few of the veterans are likely to gain significant influence among Russia's ruling elite. They view the campaign as partly an effort to encourage more men to join the military. Independent Russian media have frequently reported cases involving returning veterans in assaults, drunken fights and killings. Some of those involved were recruited into the military from prison. The election for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, begins Friday. It is the first parliamentary vote since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and will also include areas of Ukraine that Russia seized and illegally annexed. The Kremlin is closely controlling the election as it seeks to demonstrate public support for the war and strengthen the legitimacy of its actions. Most Kremlin-aligned parties allowed to participate have candidates identified as participants in the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine. One of the prominent candidates is Vladislav Golovin, 29, of the ruling United Russia party. He fought in the battle for the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and lost part of his leg. President Vladimir Putin has appeared with Golovin at events and awarded him the Hero of Russia title, the country's highest honor. Golovin participated in Putin's “Time of Heroes” program in 2024, which prepares war veterans for careers in government. He now leads the Young Army, a military and patriotic youth organization. He has also been placed on Western sanctions lists. United Russia has several dozen candidates with backgrounds in the Ukraine war. Another prominent candidate is Yevgeny Poddubny, a state television war correspondent with close ties to the authorities who was wounded by a Ukrainian drone. The ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party's leading candidate, Alexei Vereshchagin, is described as having joined Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and later led a volunteer brigade. “We are the ones our homeland has called upon to fight for the ‘Russian World,’ and we will fight,” Vereshchagin, who was born in Kyiv, says in a campaign video, referring to a term promoted by Putin, particularly since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Ukrainian police said in March that they were investigating Vereshchagin over alleged home invasions and threats against civilians in the Kyiv region in 2022, before Ukrainian forces regained control of the area. Police said he had fought against Ukraine for more than a decade. Vereshchagin has not publicly commented on the allegations. Kremlin seeks to encourage more enlistmentBy giving veterans a prominent role in the election campaign, the Kremlin wants to demonstrate to potential recruits that fighting in Ukraine can lead to future career opportunities, said Nikolay Petrov, a senior research fellow at the NEST Centre, founded by exiled Russian businessman and opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Petrov said Russia also appears uncertain about how to reintegrate soldiers returning from the battlefield. He said many are offered positions with limited influence, while greater attention is given to people who already held government positions. Former Putin speechwriter and political analyst Abbas Gallyamov described the approach as “empty talk.” He said the government needs to offer potential recruits promises of financial rewards and praise about their importance and contribution to building a “new Russia.” Many veterans face difficult return to civilian lifeReturning to civilian life can be difficult for many veterans. Most soldiers who signed military contracts cannot end their service under Putin's 2022 “partial mobilization” decree. Those drafted under the decree have also not yet been demobilized. Some soldiers can leave the military because of serious injuries or age, while certain special units reportedly provide limited periods of service. Presidential administration official Sergei Novikov said in December that about 167,000 servicemen had returned from Ukraine. Russian media reports and experts, however, say the actual figure is likely higher. Competition for the Time of Heroes program is also intense. Applicants must have higher education and management experience. Of more than 65,000 applicants in 2024-25, only 168 were accepted, according to the program's website. About 80 were subsequently appointed to positions at national, regional or municipal levels. Independent Russian news outlet Meduza reported in June that at least 1,300 veterans had been appointed to government positions, elected to local legislatures or councils, or hired by state-backed companies and institutions. About 850 of those veterans had previous government or related experience before serving in Ukraine, Meduza reported, suggesting that many of the beneficiaries were already connected to the ruling establishment. The Associated Press could not independently verify the findings. However, reports of government officials and lawmakers serving in Ukraine and later returning to their civilian positions are common. Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlyov, who leads the Rodina, or “Homeland,” party, has said he served at the front while retaining his parliamentary seat, as have some of his colleagues. Zhuravlyov recently criticized a YouTube blogger who questioned why he was not serving full time in Ukraine. He later said he spends “more time on the front line than in the Duma.” Tambov regional Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov, a United Russia candidate and former mayor of Krasnodar and Duma lawmaker, served in Ukraine in a special military unit in 2022. The British government said in 2024 that the unit had “an unusually high number of United Russia party members and sons of Kremlin VIPs.” Britain's Defense Ministry said on X that the unit was mainly involved in drone operations away from the front, allowing prominent political figures to avoid the usual requirements of military service while remaining relatively safe. After serving for less than a year, Pervyshov entered the Time of Heroes program. He was later appointed acting governor of Tambov and elected governor in September 2025. Enthusiasm over Putin's “new elite” promise fadesIvan Filippov, who studies propaganda and monitors military and pro-war bloggers, said such cases have contributed to growing disappointment among supporters of the war. He said many initially welcomed Putin's promise that veterans would form a new elite, but soon concluded that the policy did not primarily benefit ordinary veterans. Some, he said, served briefly, obtained veteran status and then returned to government positions. Filippov said supporters of the war now recognize that many returning soldiers could face difficult lives at home. “They understand clearly that no one will let them into power,” he said. Novikov, the Kremlin official, said in December that “tens of thousands” of returning veterans remained unemployed, describing the situation as a potentially dangerous risk. Petrov said the Kremlin is more likely to favor experienced bureaucrats who have served in the military when selecting veterans for positions of influence. “The authorities don't at all need bandits that come back from there,” he said.

On a granite cliff overlooking a river about two hours west of Kyiv, hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts gathered for Ukraine's largest climbing and music festival, where adventure, live performances and community spirit provided a brief escape from the realities of war. Held last week in the Zhytomyr region, the Stoned Climbers festival brought together more than 500 participants for rock climbing, camping, swimming and stand-up paddleboarding during the day, while live bands and DJs entertained crowds in the evenings. Despite the festive atmosphere, reminders of the ongoing war were never far away. Visitors received repeated air raid alerts on their phones, soldiers on leave quietly mingled with the crowd, and organizers donated all proceeds from this year's event to support Ukraine's Azov Brigade. Unlike last year, however, no Russian drones or missiles flew over the campsite on their way to Kyiv. The volunteer-led festival was launched in 2023 by around 15 friends inspired by the climbing culture of Yosemite National Park in the United States, where rock climbing has long been associated with camping, outdoor living and a close connection with nature. Festival co-founder Dmytro Isaienko said they wanted to show that climbing is more than a competitive sport. "We realized climbing could be much more than just a sport. It's a lifestyle connected to nature, camping and the mountains," said the 39-year-old. The founders also wanted to make climbing more accessible rather than something only for elite athletes. Their first festival attracted around 150 people. This year, attendance grew to more than 500, most of them beginners or amateur climbers. Isaienko said the festival has taken on greater meaning during the war by giving people a chance to reconnect, learn new skills and take a break from the pressures of daily life. "People need to step away from the war for a while, leave Kyiv and spend time together," he said. At the climbing site, instructors helped first-time participants put on harnesses, prepare their equipment and make their way up the 25-meter-high granite wall. Whenever someone reached the top, fellow climbers and spectators applauded their achievement. Among the newcomers was 21-year-old Liliia Karpach, who traveled from Ukraine's western Lviv region to attend her first Stoned Climbers festival. She said she wanted to climb on real rock again and meet members of the climbing community. Karpach described climbing as both a physical and mental challenge and encouraged others to give it a try. "If you're nervous about coming alone, bring some friends. Even if none of you has climbed before, you'll still enjoy the experience together," she said. Instructor Andrii Lamei said helping beginners overcome their fears is one of the most satisfying parts of the festival. While guiding a young woman through her first climb, he encouraged her to pause and enjoy the view after she successfully reached the top. "Look around. Enjoy the moment. You made it," he shouted. Lamei said climbing teaches people how to cope with stress and remain calm in difficult situations. Although he dreams of climbing in places such as Yosemite and Norway, wartime travel restrictions prevent most Ukrainian men from leaving the country. "I'd love to visit Yosemite and Norway's mountains, but I can't. Maybe this has taught me to appreciate what we have here," he said. Isaienko believes that is exactly why events like Stoned Climbers are important. Even as the war continues, he hopes the growing climbing community shows that people can still build new traditions and enjoy life together. "This is a festival for everyone, including those who have never climbed before," he said. As more first-time climbers reached the top of the cliffs to loud applause, the festival reflected the steady growth of Ukraine's outdoor climbing community despite the challenges of war.

A Russian oil facility was reported on fire in the Perm region on Wednesday following what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as another long-range drone strike by Kyiv deep inside Russia. Russian media said the blaze broke out at an industrial site in the Ural Mountains region, more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine. Some unconfirmed reports suggested it was a pumping station and storage complex. Perm regional governor Dmitry Makhonin said only that a drone hit an unspecified industrial facility, triggering a fire. Russian authorities have not provided detailed information about Ukraine’s claims of expanding long-range drone operations or the growing precision of domestically produced drones. The war has increasingly been shaped by drone warfare as Russia continues its large-scale invasion that has entered its fourth year. Ukraine has been focusing on expanding its drone capabilities for both strikes and defense. Zelenskyy on Wednesday shared a video on Telegram showing thick black smoke rising near a populated area, though he did not confirm the location or target. He said Ukraine was extending the range of its long-distance strikes, calling it a new phase aimed at weakening Russia’s war capability by targeting its oil revenues. He said the distance of the reported strike exceeded 1,500 kilometers and added that Ukraine would continue increasing the reach of its attacks. He also thanked Ukraine’s Security Service for what he called the precision of its operations. The reported strike came a day after Ukraine hit the Tuapse oil refinery and terminal on Russia’s Black Sea coast for the third time in under two weeks. The attack prompted evacuations and raised concerns over environmental risks. Russian authorities said the fire there had been contained by Wednesday. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, aiming to disrupt revenue flows that support Moscow’s war effort. A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Ukraine is taking advantage of Russia’s vast territory and stretched air defenses to intensify such strikes, supported by increased domestic drone production. Russia’s defence ministry said its air defenses intercepted 98 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions and in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is now producing a surplus of some weapons and is preparing to expand cooperation with international partners on drone and missile production. He said discussions are underway with countries in the Middle East, Gulf, Europe and the Caucasus, and that Kyiv has also submitted proposals to the United States for joint defence cooperation. Russia, however, continues its own long-range strikes on Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported injuries and damage in several regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy and Odesa. Eight people were injured in Kharkiv region overnight, while a woman died in Sumy due to carbon monoxide poisoning linked to an attack. In Odesa, infrastructure and a hospital building were damaged. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 154 of 171 drones launched by Russia overnight.

President Donald Trump announced that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. This potential breakthrough comes after Trump expressed growing frustration over the lack of progress in stopping the conflict. While the Kremlin has yet to confirm the meeting, both the U.S. and Russia had indicated that a summit could take place soon. The war, now more than three years old, has caused tens of thousands of deaths since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Speaking at the White House before officially confirming the date, Trump suggested any peace deal might involve a territorial exchange, though he did not offer specifics. Some analysts believe Russia may consider giving up parts of Ukraine it controls outside the four regions it claims to have annexed. Trump said he plans to meet with Putin before any talks involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — a decision that has raised concerns in Europe about Ukraine potentially being excluded from key negotiations. Hosting Putin on U.S. soil is also a surprising move, as meetings of this nature are typically held in neutral locations. The decision could be seen as a diplomatic win for Putin, who has long faced efforts by the West to isolate him over his actions in Ukraine. Putin hasn’t visited the U.S. since 2015, when he attended the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The last major U.S.-Russia summit was in 2021, when President Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva. Trump announced the Alaska summit on social media shortly after revealing a separate peace initiative between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He said the “highly anticipated meeting” would take place on August 15 and that more details would follow. Trump Suggests Territory SwapsTrump told reporters that the meeting would have happened sooner, but “security arrangements” delayed it. He claimed both Putin and Zelenskyy want peace and hinted at a possible land exchange between the two sides. “It won’t be easy,” Trump said, “but there will be some land switched. It’ll be to the benefit of both sides.” Pressed on whether this was the last chance for a peace deal, Trump declined to say so, adding that once violence escalates, it's hard to stop. Two weeks ago, Trump threatened new sanctions and tariffs against Russia — especially targeting nations that continue buying Russian oil — if Moscow didn’t take steps toward peace. That deadline was Friday, but following the announcement of the upcoming meeting, the White House declined to comment on whether those sanctions would still go ahead. Until now, Trump’s pressure campaign hadn’t yielded results. Russia continues to make slow but costly gains in Ukraine while heavily bombing civilian areas, and both sides remain far from agreeing on peace terms. Fighting Intensifies Across UkraineUkraine’s military is engaged in fierce battles along a 620-mile front. The eastern Donetsk region, especially around Pokrovsk, is seeing some of the heaviest fighting, as Russia tries to push into neighboring regions. Ukrainian commanders remain skeptical about peace. A drone unit leader in the Spartan Brigade, identified only by his call sign "Buda," said he believes Russia has no interest in negotiating. “The only option is to defeat them,” he said. In southern Zaporizhzhia, another Ukrainian commander using the call sign "Warsaw" said their only option is to keep defending. “We are on our own land. We have no choice but to stand our ground.” Putin Makes a Round of Diplomatic CallsOn Friday, the Kremlin said Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, updating him on a recent meeting with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff. China, which the U.S. says has supported Russia militarily, expressed support for a long-term solution to the Ukraine conflict. Putin also spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following Trump’s executive order this week placing a 25% tariff on India over its purchases of Russian oil. Other recent calls included leaders from South Africa, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus — a move analysts believe signals that Putin may be preparing his allies for a possible settlement. “This might be the first sign of a real peace agreement,” said Sergei Markov, a Moscow-based analyst with ties to the Kremlin. Analysts Remain SkepticalDespite the upcoming summit, many experts doubt Putin’s willingness to end the war. The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, said Putin is still trying to extract concessions from the West without seriously engaging in peace talks. “Putin believes time is on his side — that he can outlast Ukraine and the West,” the institute stated in its latest report.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during their call on Tuesday to seek a limited ceasefire against energy and infrastructure targets in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the White House. The White House described it as the first step in a “movement to peace” it hopes will eventually include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full and lasting end to the fighting. The White House said negotiations would “begin immediately” on those steps. It was not immediately clear whether Ukraine is on board with the phased ceasefire plan. Trump to meet Putin for talks on U.S. ceasefire proposal Putin also called on Trump to end foreign military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine as the U.S. looks to bring an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone conversation on Tuesday as the White House pushes for Russia to sign off on its 30-day ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since the first shots were fired in February 2022, the war in Ukraine has affected the Bangladesh economy in a number of ways, and most of these can be described as supply chain disruptions. The most direct impact was felt in the energy sector, as prices skyrocketed on the international energy markets. Global oil prices soared to more than $120 a barrel amid concerns about a shortfall in global supplies from Russia, up from $70 a barrel before the war. Although prices fell back again to pre-war levels by the end of 2022, they have been rising again over the summer, and are headed back towards the $100 mark. Bangladesh, Indonesia keen to work together in energy, agriculture, health sectors in line with signed bilateral agreementsBrent crude, the oil price benchmark, rose to a 10-month high last week of almost $94 a barrel, up from $72 a barrel at its lowest point in June – heading for its biggest quarterly increase since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The price of LNG had arguably the most direct impact on the Bangladesh economy. The war drove gas prices to historic highs, with spot prices in August 2022 up more than 640 percent over the price a year earlier. Thereafter though, prices fell and returned to their 2019-2021 average. By June 2023, they sat 92 percent lower than the 2022 peak, even though the war persisted, and Bangladesh, having been forced to abandon purchases on the spot market, was able to resume LNG supplies on the spot market.During the time that it was forced to go off the spot market for LNG, Bangladesh’s dependence on coal increased. But this traditionally cheap fuel has also seen prices rise through the war. The Coal from Russia/Ukraine region in world market stopped due to the ongoing war resulting in world wide shortages and disruption in various Industries including Steel which uses large amount of Coal. Russia/Ukraine which were major exporters of Steel and alloying elements required for making higher grade steel used in various applications couldn’t supply due to war (Force Majeure) which resulted in disruptions in Steel availability. Nurul Alam joins Energy Division as new secretary Australian coal, that the country has been purchasing for its power plant in Godhra, India, soared to its highest closing price since the war in August of 2022, exceeding $400. Imports of coal from Russia were completely halted under sanctions that came into effect on August 10 in 2022. Now however, they are back to pre-war levels. Coal supplies for its power plants in Rampal and Godhra have both witnessed disruptions due to unpaid bills.As a result of all this, the Bangladesh government had to raise both the gas and power prices as a major part of power generation depends on imported fuels.Besides, the war had a negative impact on all kinds of imports due to shipping restrictions and increased insecurity on navigation routes.The war also continues to disrupt the global trade of key foods such as wheat and vegetable oils, along with fertilisers, and the impact is falling heavily on countries such as Bangladesh.Dependent on imports of those items to feed its large population, many poor and vulnerable to shocks, the country faces the prospect of rising food insecurity. Efforts on to invite int’l bidding within a month for gas exploration: Energy SecretaryAccording to an International Food Price Research Institute study, the proportion of rural households facing moderate or severe food insecurity rose from 15% in early 2020 to 45% in Jan. 2021, then returned to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021.Now that 2021 recovery is in danger: Bangladesh saw a record rise in prices of staples in March 2022, along with volatility in the fertiliser market. In this post we discuss Bangladesh’s trade exposure to several commodities facing export restrictions, the fiscal impact of rising imports, and potential measures for easing food security pressures.Eminent economist and CPD executive director Dr Fahmida Khatun pointed out that the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place at a time when the world was just starting to recover from the fallout caused by more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the world came out of COVID pandemic, China took much longer and the Chinese supplies were absent for various critical items.But the recovery is facing inflationary pressure due to supply shortages in the face of higher demands as countries are beginning to expand economic activities.While the impact of the pandemic was a once-in-a-century shock for the world economy, the ongoing war has come as a new shock. Supply disruptions and financial sanctions pose serious economic challenges. With no signs of reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine, the global economic implications will remain severe for some time to come, according to Dr Fahmida.She said major countries including the US, the UK, Japan and the European Union (EU) have all suspended economic ties with Russia. Sanctions have been enforced on the Russian financial institutions with the objective to disrupt transactions with the country.As Russia is the third largest oil-producing country in the world, the global economy is suffering as a result of high oil prices. Though developed countries are sourcing their requirements from other oil-producing countries, small and poor countries are finding it difficult with their limited financial abilities to meet their energy requirement. In addition, high oil prices have a knock-on effect on other prices, leading to further inflationary pressure.The ramifications of these challenges are seen through higher commodity and oil prices. Food prices have skyrocketed. The CPD executive director said the global sanctions on Russia implies that Bangladesh's trade with Russia is going to be affected.Russia is a market for Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) products. In FY2021, Bangladesh's export to Russia was to the tune of $550 million, and import from Russia was $480 million. Bangladesh imports wheat and maize from Russia. Sanctions mean Bangladesh will have to import these items from somewhere else.Rampal 1320 MW Power Plant has been impacted due to Coal shortages. Russia is also implementing several projects in Bangladesh. The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is a large project being implemented by Russia that involves USD 12.65 billion and is scheduled to be completed by 2025.The ongoing war and economic sanctions against Russia could delay this expensive project, which means cost escalation in Bangladesh. This implies higher loans and burden on the country, she observed.

Eight Filipinos were nailed to crosses to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a bloody Good Friday tradition, including a carpenter, who was crucified for the 34th time with a prayer for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to end because it has made poor people like him more desperate. The real-life crucifixions in the farming village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province north of Manila resumed after a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. About a dozen villagers registered but only eight people showed up, including 62-year-old carpenter and sign painter Ruben Enaje, who screamed as he was nailed to a wooden cross with a large crowd watching in the scorching summer heat. In a news conference shortly after his crucifixion, Enaje said he prayed for the eradication of the COVID-19 virus and the end of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has contributed to gas and food prices soaring worldwide. "It's just these two countries involved in that war, Russia and Ukraine, but all of us are being affected by the higher oil prices even if we’re not involved in that war,” said Enaje. Ahead of the crucifixions, Enaje told The Associated Press that the steep increases in oil and food prices after Russia invaded Ukraine made it harder for him to stretch his meager income from carpentry and sign making. Thousands of people, including foreign tourists, came to watch the annual religious spectacle in San Pedro Cutud and two other nearby rural villages. Kitty Ennett, a veterinarian from Ireland, said the crucifixions were “a very religious experience” and they were worth the long trip from her home in the United Kingdom. “When I was seeing the young man doing the flogging and going up to the cross, it’s very moving to see how much they sacrifice for their faith,” Ennett told The AP. “They really put themselves in the shoes of Jesus.” Enaje survived nearly unscathed when he fell from a three-story building in 1985, prompting him to undergo the ordeal as thanksgiving for what he considered a miracle. He extended the ritual after loved ones recovered from serious illnesses, one after another, turning him into a village celebrity as the “Christ” in the Lenten reenactment of the Way of the Cross. Ahead of their crucifixion on a dusty hill, Enaje and the other devotees, wearing thorny crowns of twigs, carried heavy wooden crosses on their backs for more than a kilometer (more than half a mile) in the brutal heat. Village actors dressed as Roman centurions later hammered 4-inch (10-centimeter) stainless steel nails through his palms and feet, then set him aloft on a cross under the sun for about 10 minutes. Other penitents walked barefoot through village streets and beat their bare backs with sharp bamboo sticks and pieces of wood. Some participants in the past opened cuts in the penitents’ backs using broken glass to ensure the ritual was sufficiently bloody. The gruesome spectacle reflects the Philippines’ unique brand of Catholicism, which merges church traditions with folk superstitions. Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for their sins, pray for the sick or for a better life, and give thanks for miracles. Church leaders in the Philippines have frowned on the crucifixions and self-flagellations, saying Filipinos can show their faith and religious devotion without hurting themselves and by doing charity work instead, such as donating blood. Robert Reyes, a prominent Catholic priest and human rights activist in the country, said the bloody rites reflect the church’s failure to fully educate many Filipinos on Christian tenets, leaving them on their own to explore personal ways of seeking divine help for all sorts of maladies. Folk Catholicism has become deeply entrenched in the local religious culture, Reyes said, citing a chaotic annual procession of a black statue of Jesus Christ called the Black Nazarene, which authorities say draws more than a million devotees each January in one of Asia’s largest religious festivals. Many bring towels to be wiped on the wooden statue, believing it has powers to cure ailments and ensure good health and a better life. “The question is, where were we church people when they started doing this?” Reyes asked, saying the clergy should immerse itself in communities more and talk with villagers. “If we judge them, we’ll just alienate them.” The decadeslong crucifixion tradition, meanwhile, has put impoverished San Pedro Cutud — one of the more than 500 villages in rice-growing Pampanga province — on the map. Organizers said more than 15,000 foreign and Filipino tourists and devotees gathered for the cross nailings in Cutud and two other nearby villages. There was a festive air as villagers peddled bottled water, hats, food and religious items, and police and marshals kept order. “They like this because there is really nothing like this on earth,” said Johnson Gareth, a British tour organizer, who brought 15 tourists from eight countries, including the U.S., Canada and Germany, to witness the crucifixions. “It’s less gruesome than people think," Gareth told The AP. "They think it’s going to be very macabre or very disgusting but it’s not. It’s done in a very respectful way.”

A court in Moscow sentenced a student activist to 8 1/2 years in prison for social media posts criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest step in a sweeping crackdown on dissent unleashed by the Kremlin. Dmitry Ivanov, 23, was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian army, which was made a criminal offense under a new law that Russian lawmakers rubber-stamped a week after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. The legislation has been used to prosecute individuals who deviate from the government’s official narrative of the conflict that the Kremlin insists on calling “a special military operation.” Prominent opposition politicians, such as Ilya Yashin, who is serving an 8 1/2 prison term, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is in jail awaiting trial, also were charged with spreading false information about the military. Also Read: A year into Ukraine war, bodies dug up in once occupied town Ivanov was charged over a number of social media posts in his Telegram channel that called Russia’s campaign in Ukraine a “war” and talked about Russian forces attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, committing war crimes in the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Irpin, and targeting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Most were reposts from other sources. At the time of his April 2022 arrest, Ivanov was a student at Lomonosov Moscow State University, one of Russia’s top universities also known as the MSU. He ran a popular Telegram channel called Protest MSU, which was launched in 2018 to cover student protests against the construction next to the university’s main building of a fan zone for the Russia-hosted World Cup soccer tournament. Ivanov initially was jailed for 10 days on the charge of organizing an unauthorized rally. Authorities jailed him again on the same charge for 25 days, and then he was arrested over the social media posts. Also Read: Russians mark Ukraine war anniversary with flowers, arrests While in custody, the student missed his final exams and failed to submit his final dissertation. He was expelled from the university. During Ivanov’s trial, in an unusual twist the court approved a defense request to subpoena Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov and Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya. Ivanov’s lawyers argued that since the authorities had used the officials’ statements to prove that Ivanov’s social media posts contained false information, they should be deposed in court. However, neither of the three complied with the subpoenas to appear in court. In his final address to the court last week, Ivanov rejected the charges against him as “looking absurd” and said the crime he was prosecuted for “shouldn’t exist at all.” “The investigation, in trying to accuse me of spreading ‘fakes,’ has built one big fake (itself). Literally the entire indictment, from the first to the very last word, contradicts the reality,” Ivanov said. “I, in the meantime, stand by every word I wrote a year ago.”

Ukrainian military leaders are determined to hold onto Bakhmut, Kyiv officials said Monday, even as Russian forces continued to encroach on the devastated eastern Ukrainian city that they have sought to capture for six months at the cost of thousands of lives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said he chaired a meeting with military officials during which the country’s top brass advocated strengthening Ukrainian positions there. Intense Russian shelling targeted the Donetsk region city and nearby villages as Moscow deployed more resources there in an apparent bid to finish off Bakhmut’s resistance, according to local officials. “Civilians are fleeing the region to escape Russian shelling continuing round the clock as additional Russian troops and weapons are being deployed there,” Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Russian forces that invaded Ukraine just over a year ago have been bearing down on Bakhmut for months, putting Kyiv’s troops on the defensive but unable to deliver a knockout blow. More broadly, Russia continues to experience difficulty generating battlefield momentum. Moscow’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, soon stalled and then was pushed back by a Ukraine counteroffensive. Over the bitterly cold winter months, the fighting has largely been deadlocked. Its importance has become psychological — for Russian President Vladimir Putin, prevailing there will finally deliver some good news from the battlefield, while for Kyiv the display of grit and defiance reinforces a message that Ukraine was holding on after a year of brutal attacks to cement support among its Western allies. Read more: Russian shelling hits Ukrainian town; Bakhmut battle rages U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin endorsed that view Monday, saying during a visit to Jordan that Bakhmut has “more of a symbolic value than … strategic and operational value.” He added that Moscow is “continuing to pour in a lot of ill-trained and ill-equipped troops” in Bakhmut, whereas Ukraine is patiently “building combat power” elsewhere with Western military support ahead of the launch of a possible spring offensive. Even so, some analysts questioned the wisdom of the Ukrainian defenders holding out much longer, with others suggesting a tactical withdrawal may already be underway. Michael Kofman, the director of Russia studies at the CAN think tank in Arlington, Virginia, said that Ukraine’s defense of Bakhmut has been effective because it has drained the Russian war effort, but that Kyiv should now look ahead. “I think the tenacious defense of Bakhmut achieved a great deal, expending Russian manpower and ammunition,” Kofman tweeted late Sunday. “But strategies can reach points of diminishing returns, and given Ukraine is trying to husband resources for an offensive, it could impede the success of a more important operation.” Ukrainian officials have previously raised the possibility of a tactical retreat. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, noted that urban warfare favors the defender but considered that the smartest option now for Kyiv may be to withdraw to positions that are easier to defend. In recent days, Ukrainian units destroyed two key bridges just outside Bakhmut, including one linking it to the nearby hilltop town of Chasiv Yar along the last remaining Ukrainian resupply route, according to U.K. military intelligence officials and other Western analysts. Demolishing the bridges could be part of efforts to slow down the Russian offensive if Ukrainian forces start pulling back from the city. “Ukrainian forces are unlikely to withdraw from Bakhmut all at once and may pursue a gradual fighting withdrawal to exhaust Russian forces through continued urban warfare,” the ISW said in an assessment published late Sunday. The Bakhmut battle has also served to expose Russian military shortcomings and bitter divisions. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the millionaire owner of the Wagner Group military company that spearheaded the Bakhmut offensive, has been at loggerheads with the Russian Defense Ministry and repeatedly accused it of failing to provide his forces with ammunition. On Sunday, he again criticized top military brass for moving slowly to deliver the promised ammunition, questioning whether the delay was caused “by red tape or treason.” Putin’s stated ambition is to seize full control of the four provinces, including Donetsk, that Moscow illegally annexed last fall. Russia controls about half of Donetsk province, and to take the remaining half of that province its forces must go through Bakhmut. The city is the only approach to bigger Ukrainian-held cities since Ukrainian troops took back Izium in Kharkiv province during a counteroffensive last September. But taking at least six months to conquer Bakhmut, which had a prewar population of 80,000 and was once a popular vacation destination, speaks poorly of the Russian military’s offensive capabilities and may not bode well for the rest of its campaign. “Russian forces currently do not have the manpower and equipment necessary to sustain offensive operations at scale for a renewed offensive toward (the nearby cities of) Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, let alone for a years-long campaign to capture all of Donetsk Oblast,” the ISW said. Bakhmut has taken on almost mythic importance to its defenders. It has become like Mariupol — the port city in the same province that Russia captured after an 82-day siege that eventually came down to a mammoth steel mill where determined Ukrainian fighters held out along with civilians. Moscow looked to cement its rule in the areas it has occupied and annexed. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Mariupol and toured some of the city’s rebuilt infrastructure, the Defense Ministry reported Monday. Shoigu was shown a newly built hospital, a rescue center of the Emergency Ministry and residential buildings, the ministry said.