China Breaks Silence on Ukraine's Kursk Offensive 中国打破对乌克兰库尔斯克攻势的沉默

乌克兰越境入侵俄罗斯库尔斯克州，始于 8 月 6 日。中国打破对乌克兰库尔斯克攻势的沉默。中国外交部发言人周一呼吁“各方”遵守缓和局势的“三项原则”：“不扩大战场、不升级战事、不火上浇油”。 (新闻周刊) 自 2022 年 2 月 24 日俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰以来，联合国估计至少有 11,520 名平民丧生，至少 23,640 人受伤。(Google Translate)  

Трансграничное вторжение Украины в Курскую область России началось 6 августа. Китай нарушает молчание по поводу наступления Украины на Курской дуге. Представитель МИД Китая в понедельник призвал «все стороны» соблюдать «три принципа» деэскалации: «не расширять поле боя, не обострять боевые действия и не подливать масла в огонь». (Newsweek) По оценкам ООН, с момента полномасштабного вторжения России на Украину 24 февраля 2022 года погибло не менее 11 520 мирных жителей и не менее 23 640 получили ранения. (Google Translate) 

China Breaks Silence on Ukraine's Kursk Offensive & Related Events

08/12/2024 China Breaks Silence on Ukraine's Kursk Offensive. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday called on "all parties" to abide by the "three principles" for de-escalating the situation: "no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no fueling the flame."  (Newsweek) Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the U.N. estimates that at least 11,520 civilians have been killed and at least 23,640 injured.  (Independent)

08/11/2024 A reported fire at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was likely started by the Russian military. (Independent)

08/10/2024 Ukrainian forces have begun "to push the war out into the aggressor's territory," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. This statement marks Mr. Zelensky's most public acknowledgement of Ukraine's cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, which began on Aug. 6. (Independent) 

08/09/2024 Russia declared a “federal level” emergency in the Kursk region following a large-scale incursion from Ukraine. (AP)

Russia had evacuated tens of thousands of people from its border region and launched a "counter-terror operation" as it struggled to contain a major Ukrainian incursion. (AFP)

05/17/2024 China has repeatedly denied allegations that it supplies Russia with weapons. But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken points out that about 70% of the machine tools and 90% of the microelectronics for war machine Russia imports come from China. (BBC)

02/23/2024 China has called for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Moscow and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal to end the conflict, meanwhile, China abstained when the U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces. The resolution passed 141-7 with 32 abstentions. (NBC News)

01/11/2024 China's 2023 two-way trade with Russia hit $240 billion, setting yet another new record. (Reuters)

08/21/2023 Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as China’s largest oil supplier in the first half of 2023 and retained pole position in July. (Oilprice.com)

02/24/2022 The Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. (Independent)

Credit BBC.

Putin urges women to have >7 children 普京呼吁女性生育7个以上孩子

大西洋理事会的一份报告显示，俄罗斯正面临严重的人口危机，到本世纪末，俄罗斯人口可能会减少一半。该智库警告称，乌克兰持续不断的战争大大加速了俄罗斯长期以来的人口下降趋势。普京敦促俄罗斯妇女生育八个或更多孩子，并让大家庭成为“常态”。

Russia is grappling with a severe population crisis that could halve its population by the century's end, according to a dire report from the Atlantic Council. The think tank warns that the nation's long-standing demographic decline has been drastically accelerated by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Thus, Vladimir Putin has urged Russian women to have eight or more children and make large families “the norm”.

The conflict has resulted in significant losses for Russian forces, with estimates suggesting hundreds of thousands of casualties. This, combined with over a million Russians fleeing the country, has exacerbated an already dire situation. The war is effectively a demographic issue for Russia, fueling a population decline that threatens to cripple the economy.

A shrinking workforce, already evident in a record 5 million job vacancies, is hindering economic growth and forcing Russia to rely on unsustainable measures like migrant and prison labor. The Kremlin's apparent indifference to the crisis is alarming, with experts warning of dire consequences including decreased productivity and economic stagnation.

Unless Russia can drastically reverse its population decline through effective policies, the country faces a bleak future. The report suggests that immigration and territorial expansion could be the only viable solutions, highlighting the immense challenges facing the nation.

Key Population Decline Issues:

• Rapid population decline: Russia's population is projected to halve by the century's end.
• War-induced acceleration: The Ukraine war has significantly worsened the demographic crisis.
• Severe workforce shortage: A shrinking population is leading to a critical labor deficiency.
• Economic consequences: Population decline threatens economic growth, productivity, and overall prosperity.
• Government inaction: The Kremlin's apparent disregard for the crisis is a major concern.

SOURCE

Russia's economy faces a demographic disaster and risks seeing its population reduced by half by the end of this century, think tank says, Harley Balzer / Jennifer Sor, Market Insider, 8/9/2024.

Putin urges Russian women to have ‘eight or more’ children amid soaring deaths in his Ukraine war Shweta Sharma, Independent, UK, Thursday 30 November 2023

Vladimir Putin asks Russian women to have '8 or more' children, says it should be 'way of life'

乌军离莫斯科仅 7 小时车程 Ukraine Troops are Just 7-Hour Drive Away from Moscow

八月八日，乌克兰军队抵达距莫斯科仅七小时车程的俄罗斯城镇 

Ukrainian forces have reached the town of Korenevo in Kursk, just 48 hours after launching an armored assault into the western Russian region. Since the cross-border raid began on Tuesday, Kyiv’s forces have occupied at least 11 settlements, including the Sudzha gas measuring facility, which plays a crucial role in the flow of Russian gas to Europe. By Wednesday evening, Russia had lost control over an area of approximately 350 square kilometers (about 135 square miles) to Ukraine’s forces—roughly equivalent to the size of Atlanta. The situation remains fluid, and there are ongoing reports of clashes and territorial shifts in the region. （Newsweek 8/8/2024）

Ukraine war: Ukrainian troops make unprecedented incursion into Russia's Kursk region Sky News 8/8/2024