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Three regional signals before 18 July 2023
Summary
A look back at what the reports from 12 to 16 July 2023 showed about Russia's relations with its neighbours and partners.
What did the reports reaching newsrooms by 18 July 2023 say about Russia's wider neighbourhood? Three separate items, dated between 12 and 16 July, pointed in different directions, and each is worth reading on its own terms.
Transnistria: an assassination
On 16 July 2023, Oleg Khorzhan, a Transnistrian communist and opposition leader, was assassinated in a stabbing attack in his office. The reports described him as an opposition figure, which made the killing a notable event for politics in the breakaway region.
Russia and North Korea: a missile query
On 15 July 2023, Russia announced that it would investigate whether the North Korean Hwasong-18 missile had landed in its exclusive economic zone. The announcement placed a question about a North Korean launch directly on the agenda of Russia–North Korea relations.
Serbia: Washington's sanctions
On 12 July 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on Aleksandar Vulin, a top Serbian official considered "Moscow's man". The measure tied Serbia–United States relations to Serbia's links with Russia.
What the items add up to
The three reports are not connected by any stated cause. Taken together, they show that in mid-July 2023 Russia's name surfaced in a killing in Transnistria, a missile inquiry involving North Korea and sanctions on a Serbian official. Each was a separate development, and the reports did not link them.
