Ukraine's war enters its 107th day marked by escalating diplomatic tensions and international condemnation. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski announces new sanctions against Putin and his Kremlin allies, the pro-Russian Donetsk region has issued death sentences against two British fighters and a Moroccan combatant who fought alongside Ukrainian forces, according to rtve.es.

A "show trial" that violates international law

Ukraine has branded the trial of the three foreign fighters a "farce" and is working actively to secure their release. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has argued that these men, as combatants, are protected by international humanitarian law and should be treated as prisoners of war.

The Kremlin's position is radically different: Moscow refuses to classify them as prisoners of war and calls them "mercenaries," a classification that would strip them of international legal protections. Britain and Ukraine have jointly condemned the judicial proceedings, with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss backing calls for their immediate release.

The Black Sea blockade and the threat of hunger

As fighting intensifies, Zelenski has warned the international community of an imminent humanitarian crisis. Russia continues to block Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, preventing wheat exports and putting "millions" of people worldwide at risk of starvation, warns the Ukrainian president.

Moscow has conditioned access for Ukrainian ships on Kiev first demining the ports, a proposal Ukraine considers unacceptable given the wartime situation. This blockade has global consequences: Ukrainian wheat is crucial for international food security.

The battle for Severodonetsk and forced Russification

On the ground, Russia is intensifying its offensive in the Donbas, with the fiercest fighting concentrated in Severodonetsk. Ukraine is fighting simultaneously against two adversaries: the Russian military and what it considers a strategy of forced Russification of the local population, according to RTVE special correspondents in the area.

Less than two kilometres from Russian positions, Ukrainian units face continuous fire. "Sometimes they don't stop shooting for an hour," combatants report from the Kherson front, where tension is constant and Russian presence omnipresent.

Russia isolated on the world stage

Meanwhile, Moscow continues its isolation from the international arena. This Friday, the Russian Government has formalized its withdrawal from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), from which it was suspended in April for its invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed the official order.

In parallel, diplomatic pressure on Russia grows. Lithuania warns that NATO must consider Russia a "long-term threat," while Estonia has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest Putin's praise for an 18th-century ruler who conquered territories that today belong to Estonia.

An eleventh prisoner exchange

In a glimmer of humanitarian hope, Ukraine and Russia have carried out their eleventh prisoner exchange, though full details have yet to emerge. Kuleba has stressed that both nations agree that "no one in the world has the right to grow tired of this war until Ukraine prevails."

The war that began over three months ago continues to reshape Europe's geopolitical map, with consequences extending far beyond the battlefield: from the global food crisis to Russia's isolation from the international system. How much longer can this escalation be sustained before reaching an irreversible breaking point?