On the 100th day of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which the Kremlin still calls its “special military operation”, Russian forces have made significant territorial gains in eastern Donbass, now controlling more than 90% of Luhansk.

“Russia is now achieving a tactical success in the Donbass. Russian forces have generated and maintained momentum and currently appear to hold the initiative over the Ukrainian opposition,” wrote the British Ministry of Defense in its daily update. information on Twitter.

This came at a heavy cost in terms of resources, as his forces were heavily concentrated in one part of the campaign, the post said.

“Russia was not able to generate maneuvers or movements on other fronts or axes, which all went on the defensive,” the ministry wrote, adding that “compared to Russia’s original plan , none of the strategic objectives have been achieved”. Among these objectives was that of seizing the government centers of Kyiv and Ukraine.

“For Russia to achieve any form of success, it will need to continue to invest heavily in manpower and equipment, and that will likely take much longer,” the message added.

—Natasha Turak

OPEC+ agreed to boost oil production by 648,000 barrels a day in July and August – a bigger than expected rise as the war in Ukraine wreaks havoc on global energy markets.

The increase will advance the end of historic production cuts administered by the alliance during the pandemic.

Governments around the world, including the Biden administration, have called on producers to increase production to drive down oil prices. However, while in theory production will be higher in the future, OPEC+ is struggling to meet production quotas.

The extra barrels won’t make up for Russia’s potential loss of more than a million barrels a day as the country is hit by mounting global sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

—Chelsea Ong, Weizhen Tan, Pippa Stevens

Russia is conducting a week-long series of exercises in the Pacific Ocean involving more than 40 ships and up to 20 aircraft, according to a Reuters report citing Russian news agencies.

The drills, which begin Friday and end June 10, would include “groups of ships as well as naval aviation participating in search operations for (enemy) submarines”, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the ministry of defense.

Ukraine is thousands of miles from where the exercises are taking place in the Pacific Ocean.

—Chelsea Ong

The UN humanitarian chief was due to meet Russian officials as part of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ efforts to allow Ukrainian and Russian agricultural exports through the Black Sea amid a global food crisis.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths met with officials on Wednesday and would continue meetings on Thursday.

Guterres said there was no resolution on Wednesday, but the UN is engaged in serious dialogue with all parties concerned “in order to find a comprehensive agreement”.

Dujarric noted that Griffiths’ visit to Moscow followed a visit to the Russian capital on Monday by Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development known as UNCTAD. Grynspan focuses on bringing Russian grain to world markets. She then went to Washington.

“We have seen a lot of positive statements coming from different capitals,” Dujarric said. “We also very much appreciate Turkey’s role in all of this. If we have something concrete to announce, we will.”

— Associated Press

Sanctions-hit Russia has limited its exports of noble gases such as neon, a key ingredient for making chips, until the end of 2022 to bolster its market position, its ministry said. Trade.

—Reuters