(posted from Haneda Airport - Tokyo, Japan)

July 4 - Russia has taken all of Luhansk.

Russia’s capture of the strategic cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk is a significant victory for Moscow’s campaign in eastern Ukraine. The fall of the two cities gives Russia complete control over Luhansk, the part of the Donbas region that has been the focus of Russia’s military campaign following its defeat around Kyiv in the spring.

July 4 - Putin ordered his troops involved in capturing Luhansk to rest and “increase their combat capabilities.”

Ominously, this appears to be Putin’s saying to his troops, “take a break and regroup” before heading out to neighboring Donetsk, the other province in the Donbas. The Donbas has one of the largest coal deposits in the world.

July 4 - Russia has increased arrests of Russian dissidents.

The New York Times reported, “They came for Dmitri Kolker, an ailing physicist, in the intensive care ward. They came for Ivan Fedotov, a hockey star, as he was leaving practice with a film crew in tow. They came for Vladimir Mau, a state university rector, the week he was re-elected to the board of Gazprom…None of the targets of the recent crackdown was an outspoken Kremlin critic. But each represented an outward-looking Russia that Mr. Putin increasingly describes as an existential threat. And the ways they were taken into custody appeared designed to make waves.”

(posted from Anshin, Hudson Valley - New York)

July 8 - Russia’s faux McDonald’s runs out of French fries and won’t get new ones until the Fall. Uh Oh.

Well, if you thought that Russia’s new Vkusno i Tochka (Tasty and That’s It), the fast food chain that replaced McDonald’s, was going to be just like the old McDonald’s - I am afraid there is trouble in Russia’s burgerville. Remember McDonald’s pulled out of Russia in protest of the War against Ukraine? See Ukraine Perspectives March article, “UKRAINE, RUSSIA & MCDONALD’S.”

It’s only a month after opening, yet the FRIES of the BURGER and FRIES is missing. Honestly, I prefer dining that is more local than an American food chain, but what is McDonald’s (or even McDonald’s-look-a-like) with out French fries?

The Russian news agency Tass reported that in 2021 Russia had a weak harvest for McDonald’s type potatoes. And - no surprise - the rest of the world is not exporting potatoes to Russia. Sanctions hurt on the local level. According to McDonald’s, “Our World Famous Fries® are made from quality potatoes, including Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet, Umatilla Russet and the Shepody - varieties known for producing a flavorful fry that's crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.”

BTW: This isn’t the first time running out of fries looks like a geo-political crisis. In 2015, the-real-McDonald’s ran out of fries in Venezuela. According to the New York Times, “In Venezuela, where a deepening economic crisis has led to food shortages, the curious disappearance of McDonald’s fries has sparked suspicion of a Western conspiracy.” (Hmmmm. This looks like a new topic for an article for Ukraine Perspectives - “The Missing French Fries Conspiracy.”)

July 9 - U.S. Secty of State, Antony Blinken met 5 hours with the Chinese foreign minister and urged China to join in a stand against Russia.

China claims to be neutral, not joining in any global sanctions - but also continues to buy oil and gas from Russia, and in May held a joint bomber exercise with them.