It’s day one-hundred-and-thirty-two of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Russia is claiming victory in the Luhansk region after pounding Lysychansk to the point where Ukrainian troops finally withdrew. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukrainian forces will be back with more modern weapons and will reclaim the territory. It looks like Slovyansk in the Donbas Region will be Russia’s next target, while Ukrainians fighting in the region describe it in apocalyptic terms. Meanwhile, Russia has attacked two cities in the western part of Ukraine, as well as near the port city of Odessa, but Ukrainian forces are also reclaiming territory as well, in some cases using the very tanks that they captured from the Russians. Ukraine’s prime minister is spending his time drawing up a $750 billion “Marshall Plan” to help the country recover, once they force out the invaders.
https://twitter.com/Rob_Oliphant/status/1543983733488992256
Important discussion with Ukrainian Minister for Communities & Territories Development Oleksiy Chernyshov at the Ukraine Recovery Conference. Reiterated 🇨🇦’s strong support for 🇺🇦 in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion and war against Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/nNuWvBegy6
— Rob Oliphant (@Rob_Oliphant) July 4, 2022
Canada Day wound up being fairly uneventful, as the protests on the Hill didn’t amount to much, though there was a heavy police presence and they weren’t playing around this time. 121 vehicles were towed, and there were a few arrests made, though in one case, it was after someone attacked a police officer. While some voices are saying that this time around there wasn’t a “perfect storm,” the fact that police did their jobs rather than being complicit was the biggest difference. For his part, prime minister Justin Trudeau was essentially trying to reclaim the flag from the protesters and the occupation earlier in the year, talking about representing our accomplishments and desire to improve, and that it stands for compassion, hope, and justice.
A quiet, protester and paint-free Wellington Street this morning. Saw some OPP still in the area, but many of the security gates and barricades have come down. This round of the the ‘freedom convoy’ comes to #ottcity was short lived. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/U8rAP1waAw
— Rachel Aiello (@rachaiello) July 4, 2022