* Ukraine’s bloody invasion by an authoritarian punk has roused and rallied NATO. Or most of it. You can bet the autocrats of Hungary and Turkey, who can see a kindred, imperious spirit in Moscow, are not winning “allied” friends with equivocation. Once this Russian-Ukrainian calamity is officially over, NATO will have to look long and hard at countries whose politics have enabled the problematic, despotic leadership of Viktor Orban and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who have used their leadership roles to erode democratic norms.
* To date, India has remained neutral toward Russia—resulting in concern from NATO and praise from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
* For what it’s worth, May 9 is Russia’s self-imposed deadline for Ukraine operations.
* Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 600 companies have abandoned Russia.
* Vadym Boychenko, the mayor of Mariupol, where more than 10,000 civilians have been killed, said that Russian forces have brought mobile cremation equipment to the city to dispose of the bodies.
* Oxford Economics estimated that that $9.3 billion was injected into Russia’s economy in March alone from its energy giant Gazprom because of soaring energy prices and gas export revenues.
* “One thing seems certain: Any coup attempt against Putin would probably be the most perilous, high-risk operation in Kremlin history.”–Amy Knight, author of “Orders To Kill: The Putin Regime and Political Murder.”
* Venezuelans have become the main new settlers in Spain. Madrid now rivals Miami as a haven for Latin Americans—and their money.
* From October through February, 47,000 Cubans arrived at the U.S./Mexico border. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection stats, the total for the previous fiscal year was 39,000. (The majority of Cubans arriving at the border have been admitted to the U.S.–unlike most Cubans who are stopped at sea.
* Cuba is first. The context: That’s where Johns Hopkins University’s international “Misery Index” ranked Cuba. ¡Qué tristeza!