Russia’s War in Ukraine Comes to Moscow

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a rare drone assault in Russia, Turkey’s post-election economic woes, and Uganda’s anti-gay law.

 A spate of drone attacks targeted civilian and residential areas in Moscow on Tuesday, marking the first such assault on civilian areas in the capital city since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago. The Kremlin described the assault as a Ukrainian “terrorist drone attack”; Kyiv denied direct involvement, but an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was “pleased to observe” the attacks and forecast additional strikes. The drone assault coincided with a barrage of Russian aerial strikes on Kyiv.

At least eight drones were involved in the Moscow attack, and all were either shot down or rerouted, according to Russian officials. But the fallout damaged multiple buildings, hitting a residential structure and two high-rises, including an apartment block, the BBC reported. As of Tuesday afternoon, two injuries were reported.

The assault reflects how the costs of war have mounted for the Kremlin. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sapped Russia’s domestic morale, fueled a mass exodus from the country, and left its economy facing a raft of punishing sanctions. Now, with Tuesday’s attack, a military battle that has mostly unfolded in Ukrainian territory is increasingly encroaching on the Russian capital. Earlier in May, Russian forces intercepted two drones over the Kremlin in what they claimed was a thwarted Ukrainian assassination attempt of President Vladimir Putin.

On Tuesday, a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said that Washington is gathering information and does not support strikes within Russia—while adding that Kyiv has experienced 17 Russian attacks just this month. “We have been focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training they need to retake their own sovereign territory, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” the spokesperson said.

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Turkey’s economic slump. The value of the Turkish lira sunk to a record low on Tuesday, just days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan triumphed in a heated runoff election and entrenched his authority into a third decade. In Sunday’s vote, Erdogan ultimately secured 52.16 percent of the vote, beating out his opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who came away with 47.84 percent.

Yet the lira’s latest plunge reflects the uncertainty surrounding Erdogan’s unorthodox economic approach and commitment to slashing interest rates—as well as the challenges that he faces in steering the country’s economy forward. Over the past decade, the lira has been in free-fall, losing some 90 percent of its value while inflation has skyrocketed. Last October, the country’s inflation rate catapulted past 85 percent.

Diplomatic snub? The world’s top defense officials are set to discuss key global issues this Friday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major annual security summit in Singapore. But two of the most important players—U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu—won’t be getting direct face time with each other on the sidelines. Citing U.S. sanctions against Li, Beijing rejected Washington’s request for the two officials to meet, even after Austin wrote a letter to Li.

“Overnight, [China] informed the U.S. that they have declined our early May invitation,” the Pentagon said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news. “The Department believes strongly in the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication between Washington and Beijing to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning hit back on Tuesday, saying, “The US should show sincerity, take concrete actions and create necessary conditions for dialogue and communication between the two militaries.”

Anti-gay bill becomes law. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed a harsh new anti-gay law, putting the country’s already persecuted LGBTQ communities at even greater risk. Uganda has long criminalized homosexuality, but under the new legislation, those convicted of same-sex relations could face a life sentence, while “aggravated homosexuality”—which includes offenses such as having gay sex with a minor—could result in the death penalty.

The legislation sparked widespread outcry from human rights organizations, activists, and Western leaders, who warned of unchecked discrimination, safety threats, and shrinking freedoms. U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the move as a “tragic violation of universal human rights” and said he was mulling sanctions and restrictions on “anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption.”

When a beluga whale named Hvaldimir first appeared off Norway’s northern coast wearing a Russian harness four years ago, some feared that he could be part of a Russian spy program. After disappearing, he’s now surfaced again—this time near Sweden—and scientists think he’s looking for friends. “He is a little lonely whale who hopes to find other white whales that he can hang out with,” Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist at OneWhale, a nonprofit organization focused on protecting Hvaldimir, told Swedish television network TV4.