Your Monday Summary – The New York Times

Russia looking for recruits for the war in Ukraine

Russian forces really need new soldiers. Currently, the government is using what some analysts call “stealth mobilization” to bring in new recruits without the need for a politically fraught national draft. “Russia has a recruitment and deployment problem,” said Kamil Galeev, an analyst specializing in Russia. “Basically desperate to get more men by any means possible.”

To make up the shortfall, the Kremlin is relying on ethnic minorities, Ukrainians from separatist territories, mercenaries and military units of the National Guard to fight. Volunteers are promised huge cash incentives. But analysts have cast doubt on how long Russia can sustain its offensive in Ukraine without a general mobilization.

For now, avoiding the draft for adult males allows the Kremlin to maintain the hypothesis that war is a limited “special military operation,” while minimizing the risk of the kind of public backlash. they prompted the end of previous Russian military offensives, such as the one in Afghanistan and the First Chechen war.

Casualties: The number of dead and wounded on the battlefield was a secret of both sides. The British Army recently estimated the number of Russians killed at 25,000, with tens of thousands more wounded, of the 300,000 invaders, including support units.

In other news from the war:

• After taking control of Luhansk province, the Russian military turned its attention to neighboring province of Donetsk.

• Brittney Griner, the WNBA player who has been detained in Russia on drug charges since February, has honored by her fellow players during the tournament’s All-Star game in Chicago yesterday.

Political instability deepens in Sri Lanka

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka, and Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister, are in hiding after massive protests rattled the capital Colombo this weekend. Other officials said both intend to resign and it is unclear who is running the country. Whoever takes power will face a crisis, inherit a collapsed economy and an exhausted and angry public, analysts say.

Opposition leaders tried to decipher Rajapaksa’s intentions: whether he really gave up or was his silence a sign that he was evaluating his options for a revolt. protracted war. Discussions about his possible successor are also taking shape, with the speaker of Parliament seen as a possible choice for the interim presidency.

Sri Lanka’s downward spiral comes amid global uncertainty. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent economic sanctions on Moscow, inflation, high energy prices and food shortages have affected many parts of the world. Even before that, the pandemic disrupted supply chains.

Scene: The British colonial building that served as the official residence of Rajapaksa has effectively become a free museum. Large numbers of visitors flocked to the halls and stairwells, and activists issued appeals to encourage people to visit the other top complexes they passed: the president’s office. and the Prime Minister’s Palace.

A US military contractor’s attempt to buy Pegasus

CEO of US military contractor L3Harris visited Israel in recent months in an attempt to buy NSO Group. This hacking company has been blacklisted by the US government because its spyware, Pegasus, has been used to infiltrate the phones of political leaders, human rights activists and others. and journalists.

US intelligence officials have quietly backed the plan to buy NSO, executives said during talks in Israel. However, White House officials said they were outraged to learn of the negotiations and that any attempt by US defense companies to buy a blacklisted company would be met with backlash. serious resistance. L3Harris later said it had completed its plans.

Questions remain about whether parts of the US government have any hope of controlling NSO’s powerful spyware under US authority. It also unsettles the fate of NSO, whose technology has been instrumental in Israeli foreign policy even as the company has been the target of fierce criticism for the way governments use the software. spyware against their own citizens.

Text definition: The episode is the latest skirmish in an ongoing war between nations for control of some of the world’s most powerful cyberweapons, and it reveals some of the difficulties the alliance of nations – including including the US under the Biden administration – as it tries to rein in the lucrative global market for sophisticated commercial spyware.

“African Fashion”, a landmark exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, influence chart of african fashion background.

“There is no single African aesthetic, nor is African fashion a single culture that can be single,” says Christine Checinska, the museum’s first curator of African and African fashion. is defined. Instead, the program focuses on features of Pan-Africanism embraced by many of the continent’s designers and artists. “It focuses on abundance, not deficiency,” she added.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Tips for surviving while traveling

In two decades of flying, things have never been as stressful as they are now, writes Kristie Koerbel, a veteran flight attendant. “Historically, summer has always been a challenging time to fly, but this summer was much worse,” she wrote. The key is to travel smart. Read all her tips here.

Always fly direct. That way, if you get delayed, you don’t have to worry about making your next flight. If you can’t avoid the connection, don’t reserve the shortest pause time: One hour pause isn’t enough anymore. In most cases, three hours is safe.

Fly as early as possible in the day. The first flights of the day are rarely canceled. Thunder builds as the day warms, crews reach their mission limits later in the day, and traffic increases at busy airports. If your early flight is cancelled, there will be more options to rebook another flight.

Think twice about the cheapest fares. If you buy the cheapest chairs you probably won’t be able to sit with your family. Also, be aware that if a flight is oversold and no one is volunteering to make room, the first people affected will be the family who saved a few dollars using a bargain website .

Bring a sweater. Here’s a flight attendant’s secret: Sometimes we keep the plane cold on purpose. For those who struggle with air sickness, the heat makes it worse. We don’t want anyone using those sick sacks.

For more: Here’s what to know if Your bag doesn’t come when you do.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

What to cook?

That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for joining me. – Natasha

PS Financial reporter Joe Rennison is joining The Times for coverage market and trading.

The latest episode of “The Daily“About Boris Johnson resigning.

You can contact Natasha and the team at riefing@nytimes.com.