World Briefing Plus: From MH17 to Odesa Port: Russia's War on Civilians Who Move

Twelve years after the Buk missile, Moscow runs the Hormuz playbook against the port that feeds the world - plus, Kyiv's cabinet crisis

Another commercial vessel struck at Odesa today by Russian drones and missiles - and the world barely blinked. In this week’s subscriber video, I explain why that silence is so dangerous: this is the port that feeds the world, and Moscow appears to be borrowing straight from Tehran’s Strait of Hormuz playbook - deliberately targeting commercial shipping to scare off carriers, drive up insurance rates, and assert control over a crucial artery. In the Black Sea, that artery means food.

Then, to Kyiv, where Zelensky has dismissed his hugely popular defence minister. I unpack why this moment differs from last year’s anti-corruption crisis - when it wasn’t just nationwide protests that forced a reversal, but concerted pressure from G7 ambassadors and strong backing from their capitals. That pressure is conspicuously absent this time.

Finally, a personal reflection. Twelve years ago today - July 18, 2014 - our OSCE Special Monitoring Mission arrived at the still-smoldering crash site of MH17, the Boeing 777 shot down by a Russian Buk missile with 298 souls on board. I retell some of what we witnessed that day, and I share practical advice - as I did in this week’s briefing - on how to travel smart when planning your next long-haul flight, especially when conflict zones are involved.

The full video analysis is available exclusively to World Briefing Plus subscribers. If you value field-grounded reporting from the places that matter - not recycled wire copy - this is the moment to upgrade. It takes less than a minute, and it keeps independent journalism like this on the ground.