May 24, 2022

*) Russia presses Donbass offensive as fighting enters fourth month Russian forces have stepped up their offensive on the last pocket of resistance around Luhansk in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region, as the conflict enters its fourth month. In his nightly address on Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the coming weeks will be challenging. He added "the most difficult fighting situation today is in Donbass", which is currently the focus of Russia’s offensive. The governor of Luhansk has said Russia has sent thousands of troops to capture his entire region. *) Ukraine jails Russian soldier for life at 'war crimes' trial A court in Kiev has sentenced a 21-year-old Russian soldier to life in prison for killing a Ukrainian civilian. The court found Vadim Shishimarin, a Russian sergeant, guilty of killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in north-east Ukraine in the first days of Moscow's offensive. It was the first guilty conviction for what Ukrainian authorities describe as “war crimes” by Moscow's forces. Shishimarin's lawyer said he will appeal the verdict. *) Kishida: Quad plans $50B infrastructure investment in Asia-Pacific The United States, Japan, India and Australia plan to invest at least $50 billion into infrastructure projects in the Asia-Pacific, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida has said. Leaders of the four countries have met in Tokyo for a summit of the Quad grouping. It looks to counter China's growing military and economic influence in the region. After the summit, Kishida said that Russia's offensive against Ukraine is shaking the fundamental principles of the international order. Unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force will never be tolerated anywhere, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, Kishida added. *) Sri Lanka increases fuel prices to address economic crisis Cash-strapped Sri Lanka has sharply hiked fuel prices to a record high, causing further pain to the country's 22 million people in its worst crisis since independence. Energy Ministe