Jun 27: E-Stories
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Catching up…
EA Worldview’s Ukraine Up-date- hop over to Scott’s amazing hourly Ukraine up-date page. I’ll fill in with some bits and bobs.
Dear Readers, it’s a long one…lots to catch up on.
The E.U. officially launched membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday. Both countries applied to join the bloc shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In her statement on the opening of the negotiations, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that the process ahead will be “rigorous and demanding” but said the citizens of both countries have “demonstrated their unwavering commitment and determination” to become a part of the E.U.
President Zelensky on accession talks with the EU:
When we signed the application for EU membership on the fifth day of the full-scale war, many said it was nothing but a dream. But we made this dream a reality. We achieved this, persuaded, and dispelled every doubt. In June 2022, Ukraine's candidate status was approved despite opposition. In December 2023, European leaders supported the political decision to start negotiations with Ukraine.
Today, the negotiations begin. Between these steps, there have been thousands of meetings and calls. Conditions that Ukraine has fully met. Laws that have been enacted and implemented. And most importantly, the determination of our people, our nation. The determination that has worked, that has not failed Ukraine and all of Europe, and that proves that all Ukrainians together, all Europeans together, are capable of realizing even the biggest dreams – capable of winning.
Stories we’re following…
At least 12,000 civilians confirmed to have been killed since beginning of full-scale war, Prosecutor General says. Earlier in June, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said that over 800 Ukrainian children have been killed since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014.
Zarina Zabrisky reporting from Odesa: The warehouse of a supermarket chain Tavria V damaged by a Russian missile.
20,000 square meters warehouse destroyed
food, household chemicals, goods destroyed
estimated damages: $7.5 mn Russians claim it was the ammunition depot.
Military: Russian forces dropped 35 glide bombs on Kharkiv Oblast over past day. Russian troops attacked Kharkiv Oblast with 35 glide bombs in the past 24 hours, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, said on national television on June 23.
In occupied areas of southern and eastern Ukraine, Russia is replacing population. Ukrainians are driven into displacement elsewhere, and Moscow brings in Russians plus Central Asian worker migrants.
Jun 23: Russian attack on Kharkiv kills 3, injures 54, including children. The sounds of explosions were reported as of around 3:15 p.m. local time. The attack was carried out with glide bombs, targeting a residential area.
Russian missile and drone attacks on critical energy infrastructure damaged equipment in Ukraine’s southern and western regions over the weekend, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing Ukraine’s Energy Ministry. Also on Saturday and Sunday, Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv with glide bombs, killing at least four people and injuring around 70 others in total.
Russian attacks on infrastructure increasing risk of infectious diseases in Ukraine, health minister warns. Rusian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are increasing the risk of the spread of infectious diseases like hepatitis, as water supply often stops when electricity is cut off, Health Minister Viktor Liashko said in an interview with BBC Ukraine published on June 20.
Russia dropped a 3 ton guided aerial bomb (FAB-3000) on a hospital in Ukraine. They use against Ukraine everything they have. They are building bombs that are extremely powerful, comparable in destructive force to tactical nukes.
Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant cost Ukraine over $5 billion. Ukraine's nuclear energy agency Energoatom has lost over Hr 210 billion ($5.2 billion) due to Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Energoatom's acting head Petro Kotin said on June 18.
PACE adopts 3 resolutions on Ukraine, including on Russia's cultural genocide. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted three resolutions related to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine on June 26, said Maria Mezentseva, the head of the Ukrainian delegation.
Ukraine brings back 90 POWs from Russian captivity. The released captives include 32 personnel of the National Guard, including those who defended the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, 18 border guards, 17 personnel of the Navy, 15 soldiers of the Armed Forces as well as eight of the territorial defense, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.
US will finance printing of 3 million textbooks for Ukrainian students. The United States, through USAID, will finance the printing of over 3 million textbooks for primary school students in Ukraine, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced.
Andrew Perpetua: State Emergency Service sappers continue to clear agricultural land in Kharkiv region The video shows the operation of a mechanized demining machine when it hits an anti-personnel mine During this time, more than 503 thousand pieces of explosive ordnance have been found and destroyed. An area of about 138 hectares has been cleared.
Children being recruited by Russia to set fire to military cars, Ukrainian ombudsman says. Ukrainian children are being recruited by Russia to set fire to military cars parked in cities, Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on June 18.
A new report from Human Rights Watch details Russia’s efforts to forcibly subject children in occupied Ukrainian territory to a “Russified” education by limiting instruction in the Ukrainian language and imposing a curriculum that seeks to justify Moscow’s invasion. The 66-page document, which is based on interviews with school employees who survived the occupation of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region in 2022 as well as teachers from areas that remain under Russian occupation today, describes how Russia’s occupation authorities “retaliate against anyone, including in schools, who criticizes the invasion” and threaten parents who don’t enroll their children into “Russian” schools with fines and loss of custody of their children.
In late May, Russia and Ukraine conducted their first prisoner exchange in over three months. The swap saw 75 people released back to Ukraine, including some who had been in Russian captivity for more than two years. Ukrainian photographer Kostiantyn Liberov photographed some of the former POWs after the exchange to document what the hunger and stress of imprisonment had done to their bodies. “Right here, right now, we’re seeing the biggest genocide since World War II,” Liberov writes. “These photos are evidence.”
Combat Situation Update
POW allegedly beheaded by Russian troops identified, Ukraine says. Russia is accused of committing numerous war crimes during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including the execution of captive Ukrainian soldiers.
Russian forces have started assults at another part of the northern border, this time near Sotnyts'kyi Kozachok in the Kharkiv region. Fighting is underway.
Ukraine reports increase in Russian chemical weapon attacks on battlefield. Ukraine recorded 715 cases of Russian chemical weapons use on the battlefield in May, 271 more than in the previous month, the Ukrainian military's Support Forces said on June 24.
Russia has moved almost all ground forces from Finland's vicinity to Ukraine, media report. "On average, 80 percent of the equipment and soldiers have been transferred to the war in Ukraine," a high-ranking military intelligence source told Yle.
Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, announced that authorities have begun enforcing laws requiring new Russian citizens to register for military service. Over 30,000 migrants who recently obtained Russian citizenship have been caught and registered, with 10,000 of them already sent to the front lines in Ukraine.
Washington has told Ukraine that it can use American-supplied weapons to target “anywhere” Russian forces attack from across the border, Politico reported on Thursday, citing U.S. officials. This marks a shift since May, when U.S. officials said that the Biden administration had given Ukraine permission to strike in the area around Kharkiv, to defend against Russia’s offensive in the region.
Zelensky on strikes inside Russia: 'It works, just as we expected.' President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the success of strikes inside Russia with Western-supplied weapons, saying the ability to hit "Russian terrorists' positions and launchers near the border… truly matters."
Ukraine's 68th Jaeger Brigade says it 'destroyed entire Russian tank company.' Ukraine's 68th Jaeger Brigade released a video on June 14 purporting to show its forces taking out an entire Russian tank company during fighting in the Pokrovsk direction in the east of the country.
Source: Drone attacks on Russian oil depots in Adygea, Tambov Oblast were SBU operation. Ukrainian drones attacked the Tambovnefteprodukt fuel and lubricants warehouse in Tambov Oblast and Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt company's Enyemskaya oil depot in the Republic of Adygea, a source in security and defense forces told the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine hits 15 Russian air defense systems in occupied Crimea over past 2 months, military says. According to the statement, the Ukrainian military recently hit several S-300, S-350, and S-400 air defense systems. Ukraine also struck more than 15 radar stations and over 10 control centers stationed in the Russian-occupied peninsula.
Gas pipeline on fire in Russia's Saratov Oblast. "According to the preliminary information, the cause was an unusual heat, which led to depressurization and combustion," Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin claimed on his Telegram channel.
Ukrainian drones attack metallurgical plant, other facilities in 3 Russian regions, source says. Ukrainian "kamikaze" drones attacked a metallurgical plant and other facilities used for military purposes in Russia's Belgorod, Voronezh, and Lipetsk oblasts overnight on June 17, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) source told the Kyiv Independent.
Jun 19: Satellite images show Russian oil refinery ablaze after Ukrainian drone strike. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's investigative project Schemes, the depot in the Russian city of Azov is run by Azovproduct which can store up to 30,000 tons of oil products.
Single Ukrainian Magura drone hit 4 Russian patrol boats at once, Kyiv claims. HUR initially reported only two boats had been hit during the attack in Vuzka Bay, which lies at the Chornomorske town on Crimea's western coast.
Ukraine attacks 4 refineries, Shahed drone storage sites in Russia, military says. Ukrainian drones attacked four oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and Astrakhan Oblast as well as the sites where Russian Shahed-type drones are stored overnight on June 21, Ukraine's General Staff reported.
The Russian-installed authorities in Sevastopol declared a state of emergency on Sunday after a missile attack killed at least four people, including two children, and wounded 153 others.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, air defense shot down four missiles and the fifth detonated in the air, causing shrapnel to rain down on a public beach and other parts of Sevastopol.
Commenting on the attack, top Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on social media, “There are not and cannot be any ‘beaches,’ ‘tourist zones,’ and other fictitious signs of ‘peaceful life’ in Crimea. Crimea is definitely a foreign territory occupied by Russia, where there are hostilities and a full-scale war.”
Jun 22: Russia claims more than 100 drones used in attack on Crimea, Krasnodar Krai. Russia's Defense Ministry said that 70 drones had been shot down over occupied Crimea, 43 over Krasnodar Krai, and one over Volgograd Oblast. Another six naval drones were reportedly destroyed in the northwestern area of the Black Sea, the ministry said.
General Staff: Ukrainian forces hit command post in Russia’s Belgorod region. Ukraine’s military struck a command post of a Russian motorized rifle regiment in Nekhoteyevka in the Belgorod region, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported early on June 23.
Multi-story building catches fire in Moscow Oblast, at least 8 people dead. Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that the administrative building of the Platan Research Institute, where electronic devices are manufactured, was on fire at around 3:30 p.m. local time.
Behind the Lines
Evan Gershkovich has already endured nearly 15 months in a notorious Moscow prison. Yesterday, his trial began. Gershkovich, 32, is the first Western journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the 1980s. He faces up to 20 years in a penal colony on a spying charge that he, his employer and the U.S. have all called bogus and politically motivated. The Russian authorities haven’t revealed any evidence that he was a spy.
“It’s widely accepted that the Russian state regards his case as leverage to get Russians held in custody — either in the U.S. or in other Western countries,” said my colleague Ivan Nechepurenko, who is based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and has covered Gershkovich’s case.
Governor: 12 Ukrainian children returned from Russian-occupied areas. Over 19,500 children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and fewer than 400 of them have been brought back home, according to the Children of War database.
Ukrainian hackers claim responsibility for cyberattack on Russian banks, payment system. Ukraine's IT Army, a volunteer cyberwarfare group, said it had targeted Russian banks and Russia's Mir payment system on June 20, rendering a range of services "non-functional."
A Russian has been charged with conspiring to hack and destroy computer systems and data in Ukraine and allied countries including the US, the US justice department said on Wednesday, and announced a $10m reward for information. Before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Amin Timovich Stigal, 22, who remains at large, targeted Kyiv’s government systems and data with no military-related role, the department alleged. Computer systems in the US and other countries that provided support to Ukraine were targeted later, it alleged.
CNN: US may allow deploying its military contractors to Ukraine. Such a move would help the Ukrainian military maintain and repair weapons systems provided by Washington much more quickly. U.S.-supplied military equipment that has been heavily damaged in combat has to be taken out of the country to Poland, Romania, or other NATO countries for repair, which took a long time, CNN wrote.
Romanian village poised to become NATO's largest airbase in Europe. Romania's Mihai Kogalniceanu (MK) airbase, named after a nearby village honoring a 19th-century liberal politician, is set to become NATO's largest base in Europe, surpassing Ramstein in Germany.
Balloon crossed into Polish airspace from Russia, Warsaw said. A Russian balloon entered Poland's airspace in the afternoon on June 20, the Polish military said, adding it poses no threat.
Telegraph: NATO in talks to put more nuclear weapons on standby, Stoltenberg says. NATO countries are in discussions to deploy more nuclear weapons on standby, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Telegraph on June 16 as Russia continues to threaten the use of nuclear weapons.
FT: Around $855 million in Serbian ammunition reaches Ukraine. Serbian-Ukrainian relationships are complicated by Belgrade's friendly attitude toward Russia, as Serbia has refused to join sanctions against Moscow.
Denmark developing plans to curb Russia's 'shadow fleet' of oil tankers. "On the Danish side, we have assembled a circle of countries that will look at the possibilities for further measures against the shadow fleet," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said in an interview.
Norwegian ships reportedly helped Russian fishing company transport cargo, Norwegian broadcaster reports. The Dutch government ruled in May to end exemptions that allowed Russian fishing companies to offload their products in the Netherlands, which has typically been one of Europe's largest importers of Russian seafood.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will build a 700-kilometer defense line for €2.5 billion on the border with Russia and Belarus, — Reuters. The countries said the project aims to protect the bloc of 27 countries and 450 million inhabitants and will therefore require financial support from all EU members.
An Estonian court has sentenced Russian citizen Viacheslav Morozov, who worked as a political science professor at the University of Tartu until his arrest in January, to six years and three months in prison for engaging in activities directed against Estonia on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency, according to Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR).
The ICC issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for Russia’s former defense minister and a high-ranking general for war crimes in Ukraine.
The Hague-based court accused former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of attacking civilian targets during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in a bombing campaign that “intentionally caused great suffering or serious injury.”
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects bear responsibility for missile strikes carried out by the Russian armed forces against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure,” between October 2022 and March 2023, the court said in a statement.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Russia is guilty of committing systemic human rights violations in Crimea since it annexed the peninsula a decade ago.
In its official decision, which comes in response to a complaint filed by the Ukrainian government in 2014, the court said that the Russian-backed occupation authorities in Crimea have overseen documented cases of disappearances, cruel treatment, unlawful detention, and forced citizenship changes, as well as “prosecution and conviction of Ukrainians for their thoughts, expression of views, political stance, and pro-Ukrainian activity, on politically motivated grounds.” Ukraine’s representative for the ECHR, Margarita Sokorenko, called the decision a “crushing decision for the aggressor.”
Meanwhile in Russia
Another record rise in inflation in Russia for 15 months: it is now at 8.61% Annual food inflation 9.84% fruit and vegetables 20% beef 7.2% lamb 18.8% apples 29.4% cabbages 35.1% potatoes + 82.5% since the beginning of the year.
Putin makes his conditions for peace clear: Ukrainian troops must withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, which Russia will annex, and Ukraine must be nuclear free and reject NATO accession plans.
Strategic battlefield defeat would be end of Russia's statehood, Putin claims. "Then the question arises: why should we be afraid? Isn’t it better to go to the end?" Vladimir Putin said at a press conference at the end of his state visit to Vietnam.
As financial analyst, C.A. Carnevale-Maffé, put it: The mother of all sanctions.
The West is finally realizing the impact that the financial blockade, imposed by the USA, has on the Kremlin and the triangulations of Chinese banks used to circumvent the bans.
Without access to the dollar area, the Russian regime is forced to submit to Beijing even financially. A late choice on the Western side, but one that puts Moscow's economy in check, totally dependent on the export of commodities traded in US currency.
For over half a year, Russian companies have been facing difficulties in processing payments with China. Fearing secondary sanctions, banks are refusing to transfer funds, leaving importers unable to bring goods into the country.
Russian subsidiary of Bank of China stops accepting payments from Russian banks, sources say. According to Kommersant's sources, Bank of China will refuse to accept payments from any sanctioned Russian bank starting on June 24.
The Moscow Exchange suspended trading in dollars and euros after it was sanctioned by the U.S. On the streets of Moscow, Russians largely shrugged off the latest sanctions.
Major banks in Kyrgyzstan suspended money transfers to and from Russia amid exchange rate volatility and issues with payment systems.
After the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Moscow Exchange and its subsidiaries this June, the exchange had to stop all trading in dollars and euros, effectively shifting these transactions to the over-the-counter market.
Russians have traditionally used foreign currency for savings; at the beginning of the year, the population had accumulated nearly $100 billion in cash. In its March report, Russia’s Central Bank noted that 81 percent of the foreign currency bought by the public was in dollars and euros. Though the Central Bank has stopped publishing this data, preferences seem to be shifting in favor of the yuan, especially as the latest sanctions only strengthen the Chinese currency’s reliability in the Russian context. Meduza explains whether the yuan can replace the dollar for ordinary Russians and how safe an option it is for savings.
Inflation is rising in Russia. At the same time, banks are increasingly denying citizens’ loan applications. As a result, Russians are turning more and more to payday lenders to buy basic necessities like food and clothing — and this doesn’t bode well for the country’s economy. Journalists from the independent Russian outlet Holod spoke to two economists and a lawyer about how Russia’s payday loan services work and what their rise could bring in the future. Meduza shares an English-language summary of their reporting.
Putin fired four deputy defense ministers and appointed Anna Tsivileva, the daughter of his first cousin, as one of their replacements, according to a presidential decree published online Monday. Tsivileva’s husband, Sergey Tsivilev, was appointed Russia’s energy minister in May 2024, after previously serving as governor of the country’s Kemerovo region. Additionally, Putin appointed Leonid Gornin, who had been serving as first deputy finance minister, to the post of first deputy defense minister. Oleg Savelyev and Pavel Fradkov, the latter of whose father served as Russia’s prime minister back in the aughts, were tapped to fill the remaining two posts. Tsivileva, Gornin, Savelyev, and Fradkov will serve under Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, who replaced Sergey Shoigu last month.
China's support for Russia's war machine 'has to stop,' says Blinken. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China was providing support that enables "Russia to keep that defense industrial base going, to keep the war machine going, to keep the war going."
A Russian nuclear-powered submarine and other naval vessels arrived in Cuba for exercises. Experts told MT that the visit is intended to project an image of Russia as a global power with influence far beyond its waters. Experts told The Moscow Times that the arrival of three Russian ships and a nuclear-powered submarine is aimed at projecting an image of Moscow as a global power with influence far beyond its waters.
Hundreds of Russian draftees who have opted to face prison time rather than return to the war in Ukraine are being systematically imprisoned and then forcibly sent back to the front, according to new reporting from the independent outlet Verstka.
Reuters: Russia is displacing traditional allies like France and the United States and is emerging as the security partner of choice for a growing number of African governments as it seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich section of the continent.
Moscow has aggressively expanded its military cooperation with the nations by using the private security company Wagner and its likely successor, Africa Corps, with Russian mercenaries protecting African leaders and helping states fight extremists. Russia offers security assistance without interfering in politics, making it an appealing partner in places like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, all ruled by military juntas that seized power in recent years.
Russia has taken advantage of political unrest and discontent in coup-hit nations, capitalizing on popular frustration and anger with former colonial power France. Military coups have ousted governments seen as close to the West and doing little to alleviate grinding poverty and unemployment.
In return, Moscow seeks access to minerals and other contracts as well as political support, or at least neutrality, over its invasion of Ukraine. Africa is rich in minerals, oil, and other resources, which are increasingly central to economic and national security. African nations also make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other group on resolutions criticizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Niger revoked the operating permit for a uranium mine from French state-owned mining company Orano. Russia aims to assume operations based on an early June Bloomberg report that Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom is in talks to acquire Orano's Nigerien assets.
Over 3,000 Nepalis joined Russian army, captured POW estimates. "I guess around 3,000 to 4,000 Nepalis joined the Russian army," Rai Bikash, the captured POW said, after estimating that he saw around 200 Nepalis with his own eyes during his short time in the Russian military.
Washington Post: New trade data reveals increased North Korean munitions transfers to Russia. New internal Russian trade data obtained by the Washington Post shows that Russia may have received 1.6 million artillery shells from North Korea over the course of six months. Putin promised to build trade and security systems with North Korea that are not controlled by the West as he heads to Pyongyang for the first time in 24 years.
Mass shooting in Russia's Dagestan region, 15 police officers killed, 25 injured. A counterterrorism regime was instituted after militants allegedly fired on an Orthodox church and a police post in Russia's Dagestan region, according to local authorities.
Russia’s Dagestan is in mourning after at least 20 people were killed in a series of attacks targeting religious buildings and a police post in the southern region.
The Islamic State Khorasan, which claimed responsibility for a deadly terrorist attack at a concert in suburban Moscow earlier this year, praised Sunday’s attacks in Dagestan but did not claim responsibility.
Russia turns to blackmail, big money in effort to recruit German spies, Berlin officials say. Russia is "working hard" to counter the expulsion of diplomats from Germany by turning to blackmail and the lure of big payouts to recruit spies, Berlin officials said on June 18.
3 people arrested in Germany for allegedly spying on person from Ukraine. Three men were arrested in Germany on suspicion of cooperating with a foreign secret service, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office reported on June 21.
US to ban sales of Kaspersky antivirus software, Reuters reports. The Biden administration will soon announce a ban on Kaspersky antivirus software due to its alleged ties to the Russian government, Reuters reported on June 20.
European Union countries agreed a sanctions package against Belarus on Wednesday, EU diplomats and Belgium said, to try to close off a route to avoiding restrictions on Russia. “This package will strengthen our measures in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including combating circumvention of sanctions,” Belgium, which holds the EU presidency until the end of June, said on X.
Allied Support
Nato’s 32 nations on Wednesday appointed outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte as the alliance’s next head. Rutte will take over from secretary general Jens Stoltenberg on 1 October after major powers – spearheaded by the US – wrapped up his nomination ahead of a summit of Nato leaders in Washington next month.
Defence of Ukraine: Denmark has become the first NATO country to invest invest in the production of weapons in Ukraine. Minister Rustem Umerov, and his Danish counterpart Troel Slundp, signed a Memorandum regarding the purchase of weapons and equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers. We are grateful to Denmark for its vital support on the way to protect freedom and democracy.
Zelensky: All parts of the world represented at peace summit. Zelensky meets leaders of Argentina, Kenya on sidelines of global peace summit.
US announces $1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine, including support for energy infrastructure. The U.S.-Ukraine Bilateral Security Agreement that Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy signed on the margins of the G7 Summit in Puglia on June 14.
Orban approached president Zelensky, and shook his hand. This happened after the signing of Ukraine's security agreements with the EU. You can't hear what they were talking about, but you can see that the communication was emotional exchange.
Ukraine to receive profits from Russia's frozen assets in 2 tranches starting next week, Borrell says. "We have a process in order to make this work quickly. The first tranche of money will come next week, in July. The second will come some months later," Josep Borrell said during the press briefing in Luxembourg.
The European Union is set to begin transferring profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine before its institutions take their summer recess, E.U. Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said at a press conference on Jun 21.
EU, Ukraine finalize text of security deal. The EU is expected to join 16 countries, including the U.S., Japan, U.K., Germany, and France, that have signed similar bilateral treaties to help Kyiv repel Russia's aggression.
Estonian PM Kallas will take over as next EU foreign policy head, sources tell RFE/RL. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will reportedly succeed Josep Borrell, who has held the position since 2019.
High Representative of the EU on Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas: Signed a bilateral agreement on security co-operation with president Zelensky today in Brussels. The fight for Ukraine’s freedom is a fight for freedom in Europe and for a world where might doesn't make right. Ukraine must win, and with the long-term help of the free world it will. (Me: It’s so good to see her here!)
Ukraine must win the war first before joining NATO, White House says. His statement came a few days after Kyiv and Washington signed a 10-year bilateral security deal at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, which is recognized by the parties "as supporting a bridge to Ukraine's eventual membership in NATO."
EU Council announced 14th round of sanctions against Russia on Jun 25. The new package adds 116 individuals and entities to the sanctions list, and adds a number of additional measures, including the prohibition for any EU facilities to be involved in the transshipment of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) to any third-party countries. Work on 15th sanctions package against Russia to 'start immediately,' Finnish FM says.
EU devises workaround for possible Hungary veto of funds for Ukraine, FT reports. The EU has developed a legal workaround to prevent Hungary vetoing a move to use profits from frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on June 24.
Politico: The EU hit Russia with unprecedented sanctions against its lucrative gas sector, according to the Belgian EU presidency — a once-unthinkable step that could drain hundreds of millions from Moscow’s war chest.
The decision, which EU ambassadors reached Thursday morning, came after stiff opposition from Germany and Hungary stalled a deal for weeks — though over different parts of the package.
The penalties won’t hit the majority of Russia’s liquid natural gas (LNG) exports to the EU. Instead, they will ban EU ports from reselling Russian LNG after it arrives and block financing for Russia’s planned Arctic and Baltic LNG terminals.
The US added Russia and Belarus to its list of countries sponsoring human trafficking. The list includes 13 countries documented for human trafficking, forced labor, sexual slavery in government camps, and the recruitment of child soldiers.
Japan sanctions China-based companies, other entities over support for Russia's aggression. Japan on June 21 for the first time announced sanctions against China-based companies over their support for Russian aggression.
Czech PM confirms Ukraine received first batch of shells under Prague-led initiative. "The first shipment of ammunition from our initiative arrived in Ukraine some time ago. We are doing what it takes," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on 25 June.
Patriot missiles on their way: Patriot missiles intended for Switzerland to go to Ukraine, Swiss outlet reports.
Romania to send Patriot defense system to Ukraine. Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense members decided to donate the Patriot system to Kyiv in view of the "deteriorating security situation" in Ukraine amid Russia's intensified attacks, the statement read.
Netherlands to supply Patriot system to Ukraine together with another country. Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren announced that the Netherlands will supply another Patriot air defense system to Ukraine together with another country, Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP) reported on June 21.
Italy approves Ukraine aid. The hearing for Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto at Copasir today is the final step before the publication of the ninth aid package in the Official Gazette, which includes military assistance to Ukraine. The only known aspect of the package is the provision of an air defensive battery Samp-T, the second provided by Italy. He added, “We are convinced that it is essential to strengthen Kyiv’s defensive capabilities by providing the military aid it needs.”
Finland's Gasum to cease Russian LNG imports in compliance with EU sanctions. Finland's Gasum, a major gas supplier to the Nordic region, announced on June 25 that it will cease purchasing and importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in July in accordance with new European Union sanctions.
June 16: NATO defense ministers met in Brussels to prepare for the upcoming Washington Summit. In a background briefing for reporters, a NATO official reiterated that Russia has committed numerous “acts of sabotage, arson, vandalism, disinformation, election interference, political influence, [and] even assassination attempts on NATO soil.”
While these acts are often collectively referred to as “hybrid activity,” in his view, Russia has “crossed the threshold” and is conducting “sabotage.” As examples, he listed Moscow’s reported hacking attacks against Czechia’s railway operator, its alleged vandalism of an Estonian minister’s car, and the arrests over suspected sabotage plots in Germany and Poland in recent months.
Ukraine has said it has no plans to extend the current contract for Russian gas transit through the country, which expires at the end of this year. Nevertheless, European officials are in talks with Kyiv to find ways to continue transit in 2025, reports Bloomberg. The goal is to reduce direct interaction between Moscow and Kyiv by involving an intermediary, like Azerbaijan, or by forming a consortium of European companies to buy gas at the Russian-Ukrainian border before moving the gas through Ukraine.
Politico: Poland’s nationalist Law and Justice Party (PiS) is considering quitting its alliance with Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy in the European Parliament and is in talks with populist right parties about forming a new group.
The other parties include Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz, Andrej Babiš’ Action of Dissatisfied Citizens in the Czech Republic, and Janez Janša’s Slovenian Democratic Party.
“It’s quite obvious that we could be united on a geographical platform and not [an] ideological platform. I’m less and less interested in all those ideological elements of the jigsaw,” former Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki told POLITICO in the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday. Morawiecki added he is in touch with representatives of other delegations.
UK Elections: John Oliver explains why the Tories shouldn’t even be considered, and he’s right. I’ve been following UK politics for years and it amazes me how the British have a short-term memory about the damage the Tories have wrecked over the past 14 years.
Iran intends to expand its nuke programme: The report issued on June 14 by the IAEA makes clear that Iran aims to continue expanding its nuclear program in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose.
Politico: EU leaders condemned an unsuccessful attempt by the military to overthrow the Bolivian government in La Paz last night. “The European Union stands by democracies,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.
NYT: The U.S. surgeon general called for a warning label on social media platforms that says they may damage teens’ mental health. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the nation’s top health official, cannot unilaterally require warning labels. Congress would have to approve such an action, and no such legislation has yet been introduced in either chamber.
EU blocks access to 4 Russian media outlets. The four outlets are Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, and Izvestiya.
Jun 26: Russia’s Foreign Ministry has announced it will block domestic access to 81 E.U.-based media outlets in retaliation for a new E.U. ban on four Kremlin-backed outlets that went into effect on Tuesday.
Julian Assange reached a tentative plea deal with the U.S. government. The WikiLeaks founder pled guilty to a single felony for obtaining and publishing government secrets from 2009 to 2011, new court filings show.
The plea was entered Wednesday morning in federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific. The deal resolves a criminal case involving the receipt and publication of war logs and diplomatic cables that detailed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Julia Davis: Russian state TV propagandists couldn't be less pleased with Assange's "humiliating" release. State TV host Evgeny Popov said he was "squashed" and Putin's former advisor Sergey Markov raged that Assange "kissed the boot of America's deep state."