Monday Briefing: Russia pushes into Ukraine’s north

Plus, a colorful northern sky.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 13, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering fighting in Ukraine and Gaza. Plus: A rare celestial light display. Evacuees arriving in Kharkiv on Sunday. Emile Ducke for The New York Times Russia pushed into Ukraine's north After launching a complex offensive on Friday, Russian troops have poured across Ukraine's northeastern border. At least nine villages have been seized, and Russia has taken more square miles per day than at almost any other point in the war. Now, some Ukrainian troops are retreating, and some commanders have taken the unusual step of blaming each other. Thousands of civilians have fled to Kharkiv, about 20 miles from the border and the nearest big city to the villages. For now, it is safe — but approaching machine gun fire is increasingly audible, those on the ground say. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine's top military commander, conceded that the situation had "significantly worsened." But he said that Russian attempts to break through Ukrainian defensive lines had been unsuccessful so far. Toll: Villagers in the Kherson region slowly rebuilt their lives after Ukraine pushed back Russia. Now residents are braced for a fresh assault. In Russia: President Vladimir Putin moved Sergei Shoigu, his minister of defense, to a position running the national security council, the first shake-up for Putin's national security team since the invasion began. In Ukraine: Seaborne grain and oilseed exports are now approaching prewar levels, according to data shared with The Times. Northern Gaza on Sunday. Amir Cohen/Reuters Fighting raged in northern Gaza The Israeli military has stepped up pressure on the southern city of Rafah, describing it as Hamas's last stronghold in Gaza. But close-quarters ground combat between Hamas fighters and Israeli troops in Gaza City and nearby Jabaliya over the weekend was a reminder that the militants might remain a force for a long time to come. It has become a familiar scenario over the seven-month war: Israel declares an area clear of Hamas, only to return after the militants rebuild their forces. Military analysts said that Hamas has been able to reconstitute itself in some areas because Israel has declined to administer those territories itself, and has also declined to transfer them to non-Hamas Palestinian control. U.S.: Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, said he was concerned that Israel's failure to lay down a template for the governance of Gaza meant that its victories might not be "sustainable" and would be followed by "chaos, by anarchy and ultimately by Hamas again." Quotable: "I am deeply distressed by the fast-deteriorating conditions in Gaza," the United Nations' human rights chief, Volker Türk, said in a statement about the fighting in the north. In other news: Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's leader in Gaza, is considered an architect of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. As mediators seek a cease-fire, a deal depends on him as well as his Israeli foes. Graduates across the U.S. showed their opposition to the war in Gaza, including by walking out of commencement speeches or draping themselves in Palestinian flags. Many student protesters, distrustful of coverage by major U.S. outlets, have turned to the Arab news network Al Jazeera. The Socialist leader in Catalonia, Salvador Illa, center, celebrating in Barcelona. Lluis Gene/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Socialist Party triumphed in Catalonian elections Spain's governing Socialist Party emerged yesterday as the winner of regional elections in Catalonia but did not clinch enough seats to govern alone. The vote had been widely seen as a litmus test for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's polarizing amnesty measure for separatists. The Socialists now most likely face weeks of bargaining and possibly a repeat election. But for the first time in years, they may be able to form a regional government led by an anti-independence party. ADVERTISEMENT MORE TOP NEWS Samiullah Popal/EPA, via Shutterstock Afghanistan: Flash floods have killed more than 300 people, destroyed thousands of homes and engulfed entire villages, officials said. Donald Trump: Michael Cohen, the U.S. president's former fixer, is expected to testify today in Trump's Manhattan criminal trial. South Africa: The former president Jacob Zuma has founded a new party, which is quickly gaining support. Burkina Faso: The military has repeatedly targeted civilians suspected of cooperating with — or simply living near — jihadists. In February, soldiers killed more than 223 people in two villages, a rights group said. Medicine: The first person to receive a kidney from a genetically modified pig has died about two months after the procedure. Eurovision: Switzerland won, in a night that included onstage fireworks and pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the arena. Opinion President Biden's electoral strategy — firming up his political base on the left but leaving behind centrist swing voters — is mistaken, Mark Penn writes. China's dead-end economy is bad news for everyone, Anne Stevenson-Yang writes. Jessica Bennett asks: What kind of husband behaves like Donald Trump? "A lack of accountability has helped produce a crisis." Read The Times's editorial board on the campus protests. MORNING READ Ben Wiseman The documentary "Super Size Me" led to a backlash against McDonald's. Twenty years on, not only is McDonald's bigger than ever, with nearly 42,000 global locations, but fast food in general has boomed. Lives lived: A-list stars and directors got their starts with the B-movie director Roger Corman, who died on Thursday at age 98. These are his best movies. CONVERSATION STARTERS Matt Tyska, via Reuters Aurora borealis: The lights appeared much farther from the poles than usual this weekend. See photos. Mona Lisa: At least one mystery about Leonardo da Vinci's enigmatic subject seems to have been solved: the location of the painting. Filling the silence: Talking to yourself is normal, experts say — and useful. ADVERTISEMENT SPORTS NEWS Celebration time: Why Manchester City fans do the "Poznan." 'It was personal': The complicated etiquette of celebrating a soccer goal against a former club. Olympics: Concerns are growing that the World Anti-Doping Agency is failing at its mission to keep sports free of illegal drugs, months before the Summer Games in Paris. Ben Shelton: The American tennis star who wants to be different. ARTS AND IDEAS Harry Satloka A very British fight for apostrophes A British regional council caused consternation — and even some punctilious vandalism — with the decision to remove apostrophes from street signs for thoroughfares like St. Mary's Walk and King's Road. Officials said that the decision would make the streets easier to search for in databases. And some experts said that the apostrophes served no real purpose; one linguist said they could be decorative and confusing, like the "fish forks" of punctuation. But some proponents are furious. The chairman of the Apostrophe Protection Society, a tiny group in Britain, said that phasing out apostrophes was "cultural vandalism." "What's next?" a former teacher said, adding, "We just use emojis?" We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Christopher Testani for The New York Times Mix: An Aperol spritz is easy to make at home. Tidy: Clean up your phone's camera roll. Compete: Take our newest history quiz. Read: Adultery gets weird in "All Fours," Miranda July's new novel. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today. See you tomorrow. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018