Drone attacks over the Kremlin in Russia

On Wednesday, two drones were shot down over the Kremlin, the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The attack has led to accusations by Russia claiming that the drone attacks were a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate Putin. Experts believe that Ukraine has the capacity to conduct a drone strike on the Kremlin, but Ukraine has denied all responsibility for the attack. Ukrainian officials have denied this claim, asserting that they fight in their own territory. Ukrainian officials say that Russia may use the incident to justify harsh attacks against Ukraine. Some analysts think this could be a staged incident by Russia, either to weaken international support for Ukraine or bolster domestic support in Russia.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s home raided by police

Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, had his home raided Wednesday by Brazilian police as part of investigations regarding his vaccine record. Police seized his and his wife’s phones and arrested several of his aides. The former president has been vocally opposed to vaccines and has made public statements insisting that he has never been vaccinated. Bolsonaro did not make his vaccine records public through his tenure as president. When Brazil elected a new president, who took office in January, officials in the new administration deemed sharing the records to be in the public interest. Records show that the former president was vaccinated. Bolsonaro made diplomatic visits to the United States during periods where all foreign visitors had to be vaccinated, though Brazilian police suspect that vaccination data was falsified when Bolsonaro was president so that he could enter the United States.

Iran seizes U.S. Oil Tanker

On Wednesday, Iran seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker headed toward the United States in gulf waters. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stopped the ship in busy waters in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship is a part of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, a fleet under the United States Navy based in the Middle East. This is the second ship stopped by Iran this week. The Department of State has called for the release of this ship, and the U.S. government maintains that this was an unlawful seizure. Tehran’s prosecutor said that the ship was seized in response to a judicial order after a plaintiff made a complaint. Western media maintains that the ship was seized in response to the United States previously seizing an oil tanker to enforce unilateral sanctions on Tehran.

Conflict in Sudan Unlikely to Resolve Peacefully

Conflict erupted in Sudan April 15 as rival camps fought for power. The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces are both vying for control, with the Armed Forces being backed by Egypt and the RSF having backing from the United Arab Emirates. Each side is fighting for control of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. The two camps had agreed to a seven day ceasefire, but this was violated and violence continued. This week, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence spoke at a Senate hearing, stating that neither side seeks to negotiate and that there will be prolonged conflict in Sudan. The U.N.’s top aid official Martin Griffin also sees a potential prolonged conflict after visiting the country and speaking to the generals. In an interview, he noted that the parties at war are keen to continue the conflict.