WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy visits Ukraine's embattled Kharkiv as Russian pressure mounts in east

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Thursday to boost morale and reinforce troops in the region where Russian forces are trying to press their new offensive beyond border areas.

Moscow has made inroads of at least several kilometres into the north of Kharkiv region since Friday, forcing Kyiv's outmanned troops to try to hold the line on a new front as Russia mounts more pressure on the front in the east.

"The direction remains extremely difficult - we are strengthening our units," Zelenskiy said after holding a meeting in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with his top commander and senior military leaders.

Later, in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said that thanks to the actions of Ukrainian forces "we have achieved more certainty" near Vovchansk, 5 km (three miles) inside the border.

"But the Russian shelling is not stopping, threats persist." he said.

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, speaking on national television, said Russian forces were still bent on capturing the town.

"While we cannot say that our soldiers have yet stabilised the front line, they have already stopped the active advance of the enemy in Kharkiv region," he said. In some places, he said, Ukrainian troops had regained earlier positions.

The Ukrainian leader, who has cancelled his upcoming foreign trips as the battlefield situation deteriorates, met wounded soldiers recovering at a medical facility and posed for photographs with troops at another location.

TROOPS STRETCHED OVER LONG FRONT LINE

Apart from inflicting devastation on frontline settlements and dealing a blow to Kyiv's morale, Russia's Kharkiv push is a headache for Ukrainian war planners whose troops are already stretched over a more than 1,000-km line.

Ukraine's military said late on Wednesday that its forces fighting near the town of Kupiansk - some 85 km southeast of Kharkiv - were pulling back to more "advantageous positions".

In a statement on Thursday, the General Staff said Russia was directing its most intense assaults on the front near the cities of Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia's offensive has been unrelenting for months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow's forces were improving their positions "every day" along the front in Ukraine and that the advance was going to plan.

After reporting fighting in Vovchansk, some 45 km from the city of Kharkiv, the Ukrainian General Staff said its troops had launched a counterattack to hit back at the invaders.

Kyiv, whose shortages of manpower have been compounded by delays to Western arms supplies, has warned that Russia may be preparing for a big offensive in the coming weeks. It has flagged a Russian buildup of small units near its Sumy region.

Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Black Bird Group, told Reuters that Moscow's Kharkiv push looked aimed at drawing in Kyiv's limited reserves into battle before an offensive begins.

"If Ukraine overcommits in Kharkiv and Sumy, they may preserve some territory there, perhaps prevent Kharkiv civilians from suffering artillery bombardments, perhaps even push back the enemy back to the border," he said.

"But it may cost them the war, if the reserves are not available to respond to crises during the Russian summer offensive."

Kharkiv, 30 km from the border, has been pounded for months by airstrikes that defenders struggle to stop with depleted air defences.

Russian forces have pressed two thrusts into the region, one towards Vovchansk and the other towards the village of Lyptsi, 17 km from the northern outskirts of Kharkiv.

Ukraine has scrambled to evacuate civilians from the town and other border areas - about 9,000 people have left so far.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko accused Russian forces of killing a resident in Vovchansk who tried to escape on foot and refused to obey their orders.

Serhii Bolvinov, head of the investigative department of the regional police, said in televised comments that Russian troops had taken up to 40 civilians captive. Local prosecutors reported four dead and 12 injured in the area.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify Klymenko's or Bolvinov's accounts.

Russia says it has taken control of 12 villages since it launched its attack. Russia's defence ministry said on Thursday its forces had advanced into Ukraine's defences and inflicted personnel and hardware losses near Vovchansk and Lyptsi.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Zelensky blames ‘whole world’ for Ukraine’s failures in Kharkov

The whole world is to blame for Ukraine’s failure to stop Russia’s recent advances in Kharkov Region and must now help Kiev to change the situation, President Vladimir Zelensky told ABC News in an interview on Thursday.

It comes after Russian forces managed to capture several settlements near Ukraine’s second-largest city over the past week. Top military officials in Kiev have admitted that the situation is now “extremely difficult,” and that Ukrainian troops are struggling to hold ground due to being outgunned and outnumbered.

Asked if he believes Ukraine’s failures on the battlefield to be the fault of the US, Zelensky told ABC reporters that “it’s the world’s fault,” and accused the international community of giving “the opportunity for Putin to occupy.”

The Ukrainian leader said the country “cannot afford to lose Kharkov,”and that “the world can help” Kiev to hold on to the vital city in the country’s northeast.

“All we need are two Patriot systems,” Zelensky said, suggesting that “Russia will not be able to occupy Kharkov if we have those.”

The president also complained that funding that has been approved by the US for Kiev is not actually reaching the country and is instead being spent “in American factories, creating American jobs.”

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Kiev this week, assured the Ukrainian leadership that Washington was “actively and urgently” trying to source billion-dollar Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine. Last month, Zelensky insisted that Ukraine needs 25 such batteries but later revised that number to “at least seven.”

Each Patriot battery comprises a power plant, radar and control stations, truck-mounted missile launchers, and support vehicles, and costs around $1 billion. Ukraine is currently believed to possess at least three Patriots, one of which is stationed near the capital. Last year, one of these batteries was reportedly damaged or destroyed in a Russian hypersonic missile strike.

Moscow, meanwhile, has repeatedly stated that no amount of Western weapon systems can change the inevitable outcome of the conflict, and has warned that continuing to arm Ukraine will only prolong the bloodshed and increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.

Reuters/RT

I was chatting with a friend last week, who, mid-speech, redirected our conversation to the situation in the Middle East. She wanted to know what the mood in the US was. Over 6,000 miles away in Nigeria from where she was calling, she didn’t quite trust the media accounts. Since I was visiting the US, she thought I might have a better reading of the pulse.

Her call coincided with the decision by Israeli President, Benjamin Netanyahu, to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, in spite of warnings about compounding the current humanitarian disaster in Gaza where over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed, not counting bodies still under the rubble.

No one is sure how many more dead would be counted before Netanyahu finds the last Hamas, but is there still a chance – just one chance – that the dog in this deadly hunt will hear the hunter’s restraining whistle? Is the US unable or unwilling or both unable and unwilling to call Netanyahu to stop?

Calling America

I told the caller that the honest answer was I don’t know. The mood on US campuses was clear. Students from Columbia to Yale and from Harvard to New York and University of Texas at Austin, pitched tents outside for days in running battles with the police to demand an end to the war. They wanted the Biden administration to call Netanyahu to order. 

There were counter-protests, alright, but the overwhelming majority of students across US college campuses made their voices loud and clear: Israel had gone too far in avenging October 7. 

That was the mood on the campuses. 

It wasn’t very different on the streets, too. You could say that is to be expected. Two of three cab drivers I used were persons with Arab roots who wore their grief on their sleeves. 

They were not all Hamas sympathisers; just ordinary folks who might still have remained in Palestine under better leadership, but in whose eyes the worst Palestine leaders now look like saints, thanks to Israel’s ruthless war in Gaza. But you don’t have to be Arab or Jew or Greek to ask, who can stop Netanyahu? You just have to be human to see that if two wrongs don’t make a right, a third only compounds it.

So, who does the US listen to and why does it matter in the war in Gaza? In politico-speak those who move the hand that moves the most powerful country in the world are called the “military-industrial complex.” 

Who’s the Complex?

This is how Meta AI defines it: “The military-industrial complex (MIC) refers to the interconnected network of relationships between the military, defense contractors, and the federal government. It involves the collaboration and cooperation between these entities to produce and profit from military weapons, equipment and services.

“The term was first used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address in 1961, where he warned of the potential dangers of an unchecked alliance between the military, defence contractors and politicians.”

If there’s anyone who ought to know that a threesome involving the military, defence contractors and politicians can hardly end in any good, it was Eisenhower. He was on two of the three sides; and Dick Cheney who became Vice President decades later, was on the last two - defence contractor and politician. 

Eisenhower led two of the most consequential military campaigns in the Second World War, before he later became president.

This Complex is not large. In number terms, it would be a tiny fraction of the number of college students who besieged dozens of campuses last week, calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Statistics in 2009 suggested that it includes around 1,100 lobbyists who represent about 400 clients from the defence sector, mostly companies that make losses from peace.  

Size matters not

But you would be mistaken to judge its influence by its size. Although it accounted for about three percent of the US GDP two years ago, these folks famous mostly for their notorious exploits, with strong ties to the Jewish lobby, have been linked with nearly every bad thing from the overthrow and murder of radical Chilean president Salvadore Allende Gossens to the Vietnam War and from the Iran-Contra Affair to Gulf War I & II. 

As bad things go, the last one was the baddest. This Complex instigated the US invasion of Iraq in spite of all evidence to the contrary. It made up its own convenient evidence, bomb after bomb, as hundreds of lives were destroyed and centuries of civilisation in Mesopotamia was pillaged and ruined.

After the war, one of the last surviving White House peaceniks, Barack Obama, said, in a declassified document: “ISIS (Islamic State), is a direct outgrowth of Al Qaeda in Iraq that grew out of our invasion, which is an example of unintended consequences – which is why we should generally aim before we shoot.” Unfortunately, even Obama the Dove shot before aiming in Libya.

In the Middle East, the Complex has President Biden by the balls. That was what I told the caller from Nigeria. It doesn’t matter what the students are saying on college campuses or what the cab drivers think; the Complex has Biden by the balls. And what a hold they have on him and on anyone in the White House in an election year! The Complex has got Israel’s back. Biden is damned if he calls out Netanyahu. Damned if he doesn’t. 

Owners of America

That’s what I told the caller. The Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria have a profound way of saying it that is lacking in the English language: “Ana enwe obodo enwe!” A town is owned and the owners call the shots. It’s a hard thing to say, even harder, perhaps, to accept. Because the logic of accepting that the Complex owns America and has its ear, is to deny the agency of actors within the system who may hold different, even stridently opposing views.

But think of it this way: why would America, a beacon of the rule of law, conveniently hide under its non-signatory status to ICJ to allow Israel to continue bombarding Gaza in spite of warnings by the court and the UN of an impending humanitarian catastrophe? Why would Biden, who regretted voting for the War in Iraq, and who as President, has prioritised diplomacy, become so impotent over Gaza? It’s the Complex, folks! They’ve got him by the balls in an election year!

And Netanyahu knows this, as does large sections of the Western media largely controlled by vested interests in the Middle East conflict. Netanyahu knows that Israel’s invincibility is an American yarn. The students said that much in their placards and graffiti last week, but who’s listening? 

Certainly not Biden, who along with his British ally, Rishi Sunak, scrambled military assets to defend Israel on April 15, when Iran launched what might otherwise have been a devastating retaliatory attack on Israel? The yarn of Israel’s invincibility, largely overplayed in the Western media, continues to feed the war. For how long? How many more lives before enough is enough?

What price, peace?

On the whole, the world is in a far more peaceful place today than it was in the 20th century when millions of people died from senseless, bloody conflicts over ego and territory. Yet, it has taken bloody hard work to bring us here, where prosperity is not only measured by the Complex’s profit from wars, but also by how many ordinary folks around the world have bread on their table and milk for their babies.

Now, it seems like from South Sudan to Yemen and from the meat grinder in Ukraine to Gaza, the world is adrift again, one war at a time, as America defies the voices of its own children.

Someone must stop, listen and act. If not Biden, then who?

** Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP

On Friday afternoon, on the floor of the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, I ran into my seatmate from the flight from Washington, D.C. to Omaha — a lovely woman working the Geico booth.

“Bill Murray is here,” she told me. I told her I’d keep my eyes peeled.

Of course, to the tens of thousands of shareholders who flock each year to Nebraska, Murray, or any other celebrity, is second fiddle to the real star of the show, Warren Buffett, and in years past his right-hand man Charlie Munger, who died in 2023.

Around these parts, the honchos at Berkshire do have one key thing in common with Murray: everyone who’s met them seems to have a story.

Earlier on Friday, I attended VALUEx BRK one of the many gatherings of investors that crop up around Omaha as sort of satellite Berkshire meetings. Run by Guy Spier, manager of the Zurich-based Aquamarine Fund, the event featured talks from a wide array of value investing enthusiasts, from investment managers to academics to authors to Munger’s longtime assistant Doerthe Obert.

Just about everyone who had encountered one of the Berkshire luminaries shared some of the wisdom they imparted. Here’s what you can learn from their stories.

Choose the right partner

Monsoon Pabrai, managing partner and portfolio manager of Drew Investment Research, recalled a lunch where she and her sister — both young girls at the time — sat on either side of Buffett. She took careful note of the three-and-a-half-hour conversation, but tends to return to one piece of advice.

“The one that always stuck with me was that he looked me and my sister in the eye, because we’re women, or young girls, and said, ‘The most important decision you make is who you marry,’” she said. “I think that goes for both partners in a marriage. It’s really important who you pick to be your life partner.”

Indeed, it’s advice that Buffett echoed at the shareholder meeting on Saturday.

In response to a question about advice everyone needs to hear, Buffett urged shareholders to think about the way they’d like their obituaries to read and to pursue life accordingly. “Certainly in my day it would have been marrying the person who could help you do that,” he said.

Give yourself some inspiration… and accountability

William Green, author of “The Great Minds of Investing” spoke alongside photographer Michael O’Brien about the experience of profiling and photographing Munger.

An encounter with his friend, Berkshire board member Chris Davis, reminded him of a key piece of advice from Munger: surround yourself with images of your idols.

“Charlie told him very early on, put photos of people you admire in your office, because they’re people you don’t want to disappoint.”

Munger famously owned a bust of his hero, Benjamin Franklin, Green noted. Green, in turn, has a bust of Munger.

“I think this idea of structuring your physical environment to have pictures of people you admire is a really good hack. It’s tilting the odds of you behaving decently,” Green said.

Make time for yourself

Gillian Segal, author of “Getting There: A Book of Mentors” spoke about her persistence in nailing down an interview with Buffett. After failing to get through to him remotely, she pinned him down at a charity event, where he agreed to lend her a few minutes of his time.

When it came time to schedule their meeting, Segal was in for a surprise.

“Once I had gotten in past [Buffett’s assistant], she was telling me all of the available times, and it was like, ‘OK, this week he’s available Monday,’ and it was a huge block of time. Tuesday, huge block of time, Wednesday, he has this. Thursday, huge block of time,” she says. “And I just realized he is who he is because he guards his time. And he has time to do the important things. He’s not overscheduled.”

Chances are, you don’t have nearly as many people as Buffett does asking for your time – or an assistant who is an expert at guarding it. But it’s an example that’s useful for anyone: To be successful in your career, you’ll need time to give it your undivided attention.

Stay in your lane

Munger’s longtime assistant Doerthe Obert told a litany of charming, personal stories about Munger, from his focus on his work to his attempts at dieting.

Her recollections of her working relationship with Munger are instructive for anyone who has employees. “We had such a good working relationship, and he just trusted me completely,” she said. “You’ll handle it – whatever it was. You’ll get it done.”

Trusting his assistant to do her work let Munger do his.

And when it came to the working relationship, Munger was happy to stay in his lane, too.

When I asked her what, if anything her boss taught her about investing, Obert demurred.

“He never talked to anybody about investing once,” she told me.

Never? Not even in passing?

“No. Because if he gave some advice and it [might not] work out,” she said. “If he loses some money, it’s not so bad. But if I would lose a lot? He didn’t want that responsibility.”

CNBC

The federal government has announced a strategic plan to utilize the N20 trillion pension fund, alongside other domestic resources, for infrastructure development in Nigeria. This initiative was disclosed by Wale Edun, the coordinating minister for the economy and finance, after a federal executive council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Edun emphasized the government's focus on leveraging domestic financial resources, particularly pension and life insurance funds, to foster national growth. He highlighted the potential to channel over N20 trillion available domestically into critical sectors like housing and long-term mortgage provision.

As part of the plan, the government aims to address Nigeria’s estimated 20 million housing deficit by providing significant housing and mortgage loans at 12 percent interest rates, with 25-year repayment plans. Edun pointed out that before seeking foreign investments, it is prudent to utilize the available long-term funds within Nigeria’s pension and life insurance sectors.

He explained that pension funds are long-term savings, which makes them suitable for funding infrastructure projects. The initiative will be executed in collaboration with the private sector, ensuring the expertise and capacity necessary for such projects are harnessed.

Initially, the government will offer support, especially during periods of high interest rates, but as rates decline, its involvement will decrease. This plan aims to leverage substantial domestic funds in partnership with the private sector to drive economic growth.

The construction industry will benefit from funded housing projects, and Nigerians will gain access to affordable mortgages through their pension savings. This comprehensive approach aims to boost the construction industry and provide significant economic benefits.

This initiative echoes a similar plan by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who also aimed to use pension funds for infrastructure development. However, Buhari’s proposal faced significant resistance from the Nigerian labour movement and other stakeholders. Concerns were raised about the security and safety of workers' retirement savings, with critics arguing that mismanagement or failure of infrastructure projects could jeopardize these funds.

Despite these challenges, the current administration is pressing forward, seeking to address past concerns through robust safeguards and collaboration with the private sector. Edun concluded by expressing confidence in the initiative, highlighting the collaboration of Nigeria’s top talents in achieving these infrastructure and economic growth goals.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over the announcement by the federal government regarding the use of pension funds for infrastructure development. Speaking out against the initiative, Abubakar warned that tapping into the N20 trillion pension fund could breach the Pension Reform Act of 2014.

The controversy arose following a statement by Wale Edun, the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on May 14. Edun disclosed the government’s plan to unlock pension funds and other domestic resources to finance critical infrastructure projects across Nigeria. He emphasized the focus on domestic savings, though he mentioned the potential for attracting foreign investment in the future.

Abubakar criticized the lack of specifics in Edun's disclosure, particularly the absence of details on the percentage of pension funds to be allocated for these projects. He argued that such a move is not only misguided but could have severe consequences for retirees who rely on their pension savings.

“This move must be halted immediately! It is a misguided initiative that could lead to disastrous consequences on the lives of Nigeria’s hardworking men and women who toiled and saved and who now survive on their pensions having retired from service,” Abubakar stated.

He urged the government to adhere strictly to the Pension Reform Act and the revised Regulation on Investment of Pension Assets issued by the National Pension Commission (PenCom). According to these regulations, pension funds can invest no more than 5% of their total assets in infrastructure projects. With total pension fund assets around N18 trillion as of December 2023, Abubakar noted that a significant portion is already invested in federal government securities.

“There is NO free Pension Funds that is more than 5% of the total value of the nation's pension fund for Edun to fiddle with,” he emphasized.

Abubakar concluded by calling on Edun to find alternative solutions for funding infrastructure without compromising pension funds. He stressed the need for economic reforms to restore investor confidence and leverage private resources, skills, and technology for sustainable development.

Abubakar served as Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 and was the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party in 2023.

On Wednesday, organized labour representatives walked out of a minimum wage committee meeting with the Federal Government in protest over the proposed new wage of N48,000. The labour unions, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), had initially demanded a new minimum wage of N615,000 and set a deadline of May 31 for the government to finalize the negotiations.

The Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage resumed negotiations on Wednesday. Sources from Vanguard reported that representatives of the NLC and TUC were furious over the government's offer. Theophilus Ndubuaku, one of the NLC representatives, expressed the union’s frustration, questioning whether the N48,000 was intended to cover transport, food, clothing, or housing.

"We told them that since they are not serious, we better just leave, so we stormed out of the place," Ndubuaku stated. The offer was presented by the Permanent Secretary from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation's office.

NLC President Joe Ajaero emphasized that the government has until the end of the month to make a decision, warning that the labour unions will take action if their ultimatum is not met. TUC Deputy President Tommy Okon, who was also present at the meeting, co-signed a joint statement with Ajaero. The statement criticized the government's proposal of N48,000 as an insult to Nigerian workers, highlighting the disparity between this offer and the N54,000 proposed by the Organized Private Sector (OPS), where the least paid workers receive N78,000 per month.

The statement also condemned the government's failure to provide data to support their offer, accusing them of lacking transparency and good faith, which undermines the credibility of the negotiation process. The unions argued that accepting the proposed N48,000 wage would effectively reduce the income of federal workers, who currently receive a total of N77,000 when including Buhari’s 40% Peculiar allowance and the N35,000 wage award.

The NLC and TUC reiterated their proposal for a N615,000 minimum wage, citing the high cost of living in Nigeria as the basis for their demand. This proposal was made on April 14 following consultations between the NLC and TUC. The unions pointed out that the current minimum wage of N30,000 is insufficient to support the average Nigerian worker, noting that many governors are not even paying the current minimum wage, which is set to expire five years after the Minimum Wage Act of 2019.

The unions have repeatedly called on President Bola Tinubu's administration to expedite the review of wage awards to reflect contemporary economic demands. In January, the Federal Government established a 37-man Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country. Initially, the NLC proposed a minimum wage of N1 million, due to rising inflation pushing many Nigerians into poverty.

Nigeria has experienced 15 consecutive months of rising inflation, with the rate reaching 33.69% in April, according to the latest consumer price index report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released on Wednesday. This represents a 0.49% increase from the March inflation rate of 33.2%.

On a month-on-month basis, April 2024's headline inflation rate was 2.29%, 0.73% lower than the 3.02% recorded in March 2024. This indicates that the rate of increase in the average price level in April was slower than in March.

The food inflation rate in April 2024 soared to 40.53% year-on-year, a significant rise of 15.92 percentage points compared to April 2023's rate of 24.61%.

Several factors are driving this persistent inflation, including the high cost of transportation, which saw a 79.17% increase in March. Insecurity, particularly in the northern regions, has prevented farmers from accessing their fields, leading to food shortages.

Additionally, high energy costs due to increased fuel and diesel prices, an unreliable power supply forcing manufacturers to depend more on diesel, multiple taxation as the government seeks to boost revenue, and a high exchange rate have all contributed to the inflationary pressures.

The continuous rise in the prices of household items has subjected Nigerians to severe hardship, exacerbating the economic challenges faced by many in the country.

President Bola Tinubu has requested the Senate's approval for the reimbursement of over N15 billion to the Kebbi State Government for the construction of Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi and N9 billion to the Nasarawa State Government for the construction of Lafia Cargo Airport.

The request was outlined in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary session. In his letter, President Tinubu explained that the federal government had assumed control and ownership of the two airports, necessitating reimbursement to the state governments.

The president cited the 1999 Constitution, which places aviation, including airports and air transport, under the federal government’s jurisdiction as specified in item three of the second schedule. This constitutional provision gives the federal government exclusive authority over aviation matters, including the ownership and management of airports.

Tinubu also noted that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the reimbursement in its meeting last May through the issuance of promissory notes. The letter detailed the specifics of the reimbursement:

- A promissory note of N9,000,542,651,786.11 to be issued to the Nasarawa State Government for the Lafia Cargo Airport.

- A promissory note of N15,137,336,95.88 to be issued to the Kebbi State Government for Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport.

The letter emphasized the constitutional mandate that places aviation under the federal government's control, reiterating the need for Senate approval to formalize the reimbursement through promissory notes.

“In light of the above, I urge the Senate to consider and grant concurrent approval for the establishment of the promissory notes program in favor of Kebbi and Nasarawa state governments, respectively,” Tinubu concluded.

Gaza fighting intensifies, Israel asks why armed men were at UN site

Israeli troops battled militants across Gaza on Wednesday, including in the southern city of Rafah that had been a refuge for civilians, in an upsurge of the more than seven-month-old war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Antagonism between Israel and the United Nations worsened as the Israeli army sought an explanation for footage showing armed men next to U.N. Palestinian relief agency vehicles. Separately, India was working to bring home the body of a U.N. staffer killed in Rafah by what the global body said was tank fire.

Israeli forces have in recent days pressed into the east of Rafah in pursuit of what they say are four Hamas battalions despite warnings by Israel's main ally, the United States, to hold off to avoid mass civilian casualties.

The U.S. also wants Israel to produce a clear plan for Gaza's future, a position that Secretary of State Antony Blinken underlined by saying neither Israeli occupation nor Hamas governance were acceptable.

"We also can't have anarchy and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos," Blinken said during a visit to Ukraine.

The remarks drew an apparent Israeli riposte, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying post-war planning was impossible without first completing the demolition of Hamas.

Netanyahu was later publicly challenged over post-war plans for Gaza by his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, who said he had tried to promote a blueprint for an alternative Gaza administration made up of Palestinians, but "got no response" from various decision-making cabinet forums under Netanyahu.

"I call on the prime minister to announce that Israel will not rule over Gaza militarily," Gallant said. "An alternative to Hamas governance should be established"

In an apparent response, Netanyahu said any move to establish an alternative to Hamas as the government of Gaza required that the Palestinian Islamist group first be eliminated, and demanded this goal be pursued "without excuses".

RISING DEATH TOLL

Since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, Israel's Gaza offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, with at least 82 killed on Tuesday in the highest single-day toll for weeks.

Hamas-led gunmen killed some 1,200 people and abducted 253 in their Oct. 7 raid into Israel, according to Israeli tallies.

With fighting picking up across Gaza, residents said Israeli tanks had destroyed clusters of homes in the northern Jabalia district but faced heavy resistance from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad.

Islamic Jihad said it had killed some foot soldiers in Jabalia. Israel's military said it had eliminated many gunmen in the area, where it declared major operations over months ago.

Israeli tanks have been massed around the eastern edges of Rafah and in recent days have been probing into built-up areas of the city, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have been sheltering from fighting elsewhere.

Residents said Israeli forces had pushed into three neighbourhoods and Palestinian gunmen were trying to prevent soldiers and tanks moving towards the centre.

Israel reported one death in southern Gaza which public broadcaster Kan said was the first such fatality since the start of the Rafah ground operation last week. Netanyahu told the broadcaster CNBC that the operation could last weeks.

In the north, Israel said it had concluded an operation in the Zeitoun area, killing "dozens of terrorists". Residents said tanks had pulled back from the area, with dozens of homes destroyed or damaged, while Palestinian medics said dozens of civilians had been killed and wounded.

An Israeli strike hit a gathering of people outside a Gaza City shop that provides an internet signal for customers to call and check on relatives and friends, killing at least three people and wounding more than 20, medics said.

An Israeli air strike killed a local journalist, Hayel Al-Najar, and three of his family in his house in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, medics and fellow journalists said.

INVESTIGATION INTO U.N. FATALITY

Israel said its troops had identified fighters in the central logistics compound of the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA east of Rafah, demanding an explanation. Reuters verified the location of video released by the Israeli army but could not verify when it was filmed or the identity of the men.

"The U.N. has in part become a terrorist entity in itself because it cooperates with Hamas and covers for it," Israel's ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan told Army Radio.

UNRWA has denied cooperating with Hamas.

An UNRWA spokesperson said the agency could not verify the authenticity or content of the video or the exact timing or location, but it was likely that the video showed an UNRWA warehouse in Rafah that staff left in the week of May 6.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the men were there to protect aid distribution.

"These are false allegations and lies. This is a police force tasked with securing aid centres against acts of theft and looting," Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

The U.N. is investigating a strike on a car in Rafah this week that killed its first international staff member since Oct. 7, a retired Indian army officer en route to the European Hospital. It blamed tank fire in an area where only Israeli tanks were present.

The Israeli military said an initial inquiry had concluded the vehicle, whose route it was unaware of, had been hit in an active combat zone and the incident was under review.

Some 254 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began, including 191 U.N. staff, according to the U.N..

As the fighting intensifies, ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt are at a stalemate, with Hamas demanding a permanent end to attacks and Netanyahu's government saying it will not stop until the group is annihilated.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces advancing daily in special op, everything going according to plan — Putin

Russian forces are moving forward according to plan, this year making daily advances in all areas, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with commanders of troops of military districts.

"Work is being carried out according to the plan approved and drawn up by the command of the battlegroup, by the General Staff. All the assigned tasks are being accomplished," the president said.

"Not only last year were - I want to say it again - all enemy counterattacks repelled, but also starting this year, our troops are constantly, daily, improving their position in every area," the supreme commander-in-chief said.

Putin opened his meeting with commanders of troops of military districts by extending his greetings on the occasion of Victory Day.

"I wished to do it in person, as I know that on [May] 9th, all of you must be and were at your workplaces, marking this holiday in a combat situation," the president said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces shell central Kharkiv, two injured, governor says

Russian forces shelled the central Shevchenkivsyi district of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, on Wednesday, injuring two people and damaging a five-storey building, the regional governor said.

Oleh Syniehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the two men were being treated in hospital.

Reuters was unable to independently verify battlefield reports.

Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian forces in recent weeks. Russian troops pushed their way across the border last week in northern parts of Kharkiv region and military officials say they have captured 12 villages.

** Zelenskiy postpones travel abroad as Russian troops enter Ukraine border town

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed all his foreign trips as Ukraine's battlefield situation continued to deteriorate on Wednesday and Kyiv said fighting raged in the northeastern border town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region.

The capture of the town, 5 km (3 miles) from the border, would be Russia's most significant gain since it launched an incursion into the region on Friday, opening a new front in its invasion and forcing Kyiv to rush in reinforcements.

The assault keeps Ukraine's forces, also holding the 1,000- km (600-mile) front line in east and south, off balance ahead of what Zelenskiy has said could be a big Russian offensive. Moscow has been slowly making ground in the east for months.

"The situation is extremely difficult. The enemy is taking positions on the streets of the town of Vovchansk," Oleksiy Kharkivskyi, Vovchansk's patrol police chief, said on Facebook.

Dmytro Lazutkin, a spokesman for the defence ministry, said "some" Russian infantry groups had entered the town. Ukrainian troops later managed to "partially" push them back, the general staff said, but "defensive actions" raged in the north and northwestern outskirts.

A late-night report issued by Ukraine's General Staff said its troops had repelled four Russia attacks along the border, but fighting was raging near a string of villages. Troops "continued to carry out stabilising moves" near Vovchansk.

The report said heavy fire had prompted the military to reposition some troops near Kupiansk to the southeast, an area that has seen heavy fighting in recent months.

On Tuesday, the General Staff said troops had pulled back to new positions in the Vovchansk and Lukyantsi areas due to "a consequence of enemy fire and storming action".

Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday its forces captured two more settlements in the region, bringing the total count to 12 since Friday. The latest were Hlyboke and Lukyantsi, it said, both about 25 km from Kharkiv's outskirts.

Police remained in Vovchansk and were continuing to evacuate people, Kharkivskyi said. Nearly 8,000 people have been evacuated from Vovchansk and border areas since Friday's assault.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

Zelenskiy has postponed all his foreign travel planned for the coming days, his spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov said, after the Ukrainian leader held a daily conference call with senior military figures to discuss the situation in Kharkiv region and the supply of weapons.

Zelenskiy later confirmed the postponements himself in a post on the Telegram messaging app, saying that "all attention now is focused on our current defence operations".

Ukraine is trying to snuff out the assault in Kharkiv region, while holding the line against Moscow's main thrust in the eastern Donbas region and guarding against potential new border incursions.

The top military spy has warned that Russia had small groups of forces located to the north of Kharkiv region along its border with the Sumy region.

Ukraine's shortage of troops is compounded by months of delayed weapons deliveries, in particular from the United States, after Congress took six months to approve a major aid package.

"For Russians, now is actually a window of opportunity. ... The Russians feel it, they have accumulated enough resources," Serhii Rakhmanin, a lawmaker and member of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee for security and defence, told Reuters.

He said he expected the next three months to be the most critical for Ukraine, but anticipated that the situation would improve due to fresh weapons supplies, if they arrive in time.

The deteriorating situation in Kharkiv region coincided with a visit to Kyiv by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said the U.S. was aiming to ensurethe speedy delivery of much needed weapons.

"We're rushing ammunition, armoured vehicles, missiles, air defences - rushing them to get to the front lines to protect soldiers, to protect civilians," he said.

Kyiv says the Russian assault into the northeast does not present an imminent threat to the region's city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest, which is home to 1.3 million people.

Tass/Reuters