Rappers supported Palestine, Houthis are changing the balance – weekly digest
During the week, the first wartime parliamentary election began in Russia, and Zelenskyy announced the formation of a new alliance with neighboring countries. The situation surrounding the Yemeni Houthis took a serious turn. America announced "hellish sanctions" against Russia. Below, we recall these and other important events of the week.
Rappers supported Palestine, while the Houthis are shifting the balance – weekly digest
The first wartime parliamentary election is taking place in Russia. The voting, which began on September 18, concludes today, September 20. While a presidential election was held in Russia during the war, the parliament had been operating under a pre-war mandate. In the elections for the 9th convocation of the State Duma, Russians will choose 450 deputies. In addition, local leaders are being elected in 11 regions of the country. Elections for regional leadership are also taking place in oblasts bordering Ukraine, such as Belgorod and Bryansk, as well as in Chechnya, which is of interest to Uzbeks.
This time, the Russian opposition finally managed to unite on the eve of the election. Maxim Katz, currently considered the most popular politician among Russians, along with Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, published a list of candidates recommended for voting. This time, the opposition called for voting for the strongest opponents of the ruling "United Russia" party.
"Yabloko," the only anti-war party, was barred from the election, but some of the party's candidates are participating. Anti-war Russians are expected to vote specifically for them. After the first day of voting, "Yabloko" reported that its party observers were barred from polling stations en masse. We will focus separately on the election results.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the creation of a new cooperation organization – the "Carpathian Eight" (S8). It includes Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. The participants are expected to cooperate in the areas of security, energy, logistics, and cross-border economics. The first meeting of the organization was held in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region, attended by the leaders of Poland, Serbia, and Romania.
The sinking of a massive ferry in Indonesia has caused a major stir. The ferry met with disaster in the Java Sea and sank to a depth of 30 meters. Out of 243 people on board, 108 have been confirmed survivors, while the rest are still being searched for. There were also 89 vehicles on the ferry.
The vessel lost its balance amidst the waves while on a 20-hour journey. The captain sent a signal indicating that the ship was listing, but contact with the crew was lost later. The ferry capsized 148 km away from its destination. According to one of the crew members, everything happened very quickly, and the ship sank within 5 minutes.