Your Thursday Briefing: War displaces millions of Ukrainians

July 7, 2022

By Matthew Cullen

Good morning. We're covering the plight of displaced Ukrainians and Boris Johnson's effort to hold onto his job.

As the front line of the war in Ukraine has moved, many who fled have returned home. But for those from the country's east, the prospect of returning has only become more uncertain and remote.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

War has displaced a third of Ukrainians

An estimated third of Ukraine's population has been forced from home since Russia invaded in February, including an often unseen group of more than six million people who have been displaced within the country.

The internally displaced people — a larger population than the nearly five million who have fled into Europe — are mostly women and children, many of whom face shortages of food, water and basic necessities. They also are, in large part, from the country's east, which has become the focus of Russia's attacks.

Across the Donbas region, many Ukrainians first fled with only a few documents and underwear, thinking they would be back soon. Now, five months into the war, many have started to fear they will never go back. The few who remain are typically caring for ailing family members, are too poor to move or have stayed to protect property. Some support Russia's advance toward their towns — a group known as the zhduny, or the waiting ones.

The war's path: Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, recently outlined three plausible scenarios in Ukraine. The Morning examined each of the paths.

Corporate impact: Often called "the coolest company in Russia," Yandex, the Russian version of Google, employed more than 18,000 people. Its founders were billionaires, and, at its peak last November, it was worth more than $31 billion. Then Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and the company all but collapsed.

American detainee: Pushing back against the U.S. government's assessment that the W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner is "wrongfully detained," Russia's Foreign Ministry said Griner could appeal her sentence or ask for clemency once the court delivers its verdict.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced pressure from members of his own party to resign. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Allies turn on Boris Johnson

Support for Boris Johnson, Britain's prime minister, rapidly eroded yesterday as more than 30 government ministers or aides quit their posts and several members of Johnson's own party called on him to resign.

The renewed pressure came just one day after Johnson suffered two shattering defections by senior ministers from his cabinet. Those defections broke open a movement for his removal that had been building for months, fueled by embarrassing reports of social gatherings at Downing Street that violated the government's coronavirus lockdown rules.

Johnson has vowed to fight on, trying to deflect the focus to new tax cuts. But in back rooms across Westminster, lawmakers have held meetings about ways to force him out, possibly within days. The BBC reported that Michael Gove, an influential cabinet member, told the prime minister that it was time to go. Johnson responded by firing Gove.

What's next: If Johnson were to resign, there would not automatically be a general election to replace him. Instead, the Conservative Party would select its own next leader, who would then become prime minister.

The most recent scandal: Johnson promoted a lawmaker, Chris Pincher, despite previous allegations of misconduct; Pincher resigned after new accusations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking emerged. Ministers were sent out to offer denials about what the prime minister had known of the allegations, but those claims unraveled quickly.

Members of the European Parliament argued that gas and nuclear energy remained important in the transition to a carbon-neutral future.Patrick Hertzog/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Europe says gas and nuclear energy are green

In a vote, the European Parliament affirmed yesterday that some gas and nuclear energy projects should be considered "green" — a controversial decision that is likely to reverberate around the world.

The move is part of a broader new E.U. law that classifies various types of energy investments as environmentally friendly and lays out detailed rules for how to assess them. The "green" label would allow some gas and nuclear projects access to cheap loans and even state subsidies.

European officials conceded that gas and nuclear energy were not perfectly aligned with environmental goals but argued that they remained important in Europe's transition from its current energy mix toward a carbon-neutral future. Critics said that Europe's vote — which is likely to be seen as a benchmark elsewhere — countered the bloc's efforts to slash carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Details: The new classification for gas is likely to make it far more difficult to meet a climate goal championed at the last international climate negotiations: cutting methane, which is more potent in its ability to warm the planet than carbon dioxide emissions are.

Global politics: Europe has used its shifting energy policies to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. So far E.U. nations have banned Russian coal, and most will phase out Russian oil, but they remain especially dependent on Russian natural gas for electricity and heating.

Related: France said that it would renationalize its state-backed electricity giant to help ensure the country's energy sovereignty.

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ARTS AND IDEAS

Fashion's shock factor

Clothing used to have the ability to jolt viewers with concepts that today feel quaint, like a flash of flesh or an absurd idea. At this summer's Paris couture shows, fashion houses have tried to prove that their industry still has the ability to shock.

One effort has stood out, writes Vanessa Friedman, The Times's chief fashion critic: Iris van Herpen's use of 3-D printers and laser cutters, which makes her clothes look like organic life-forms.

"They rewrite the physics of dress and reimagine the body without erasing it, not in a cartoonish way but in an utterly convincing way," Vanessa writes.

See photos from the show.