May 30 Buonasera Mag
100 days of war, EU, US weapons, Turkey, Russian gas, loot, Bulgaria and Russian propaganda
100 days of War
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.
Here are some of the stories we’re following…
>Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed EU leaders in Brussels via video-link, saying that Europe must show “greater unity”.
>"It is time for you to be not separate, not fragments, but [be] one whole," he said, calling for a new set of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on Russian oil.
>EU leaders struggle to resolve their differences over a proposed ban on Russian oil imports, with Hungary opposing the move. “We’re not there yet," says EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the two-day leaders' summit in Brussels.
>The US appears close to sending a long-range multiple-rocket system to Ukraine but Joe Biden says it's not one "that can strike into Russia".
>Fighting in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk is "very fierce" and the "situation is very difficult", the regional governor says.
>In addition to a phone call with Vladimir Putin today, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the phone, in which they discussed food security and sea ports. Reuters is reporting that Erdoğan specifically told Zelenskiy that he placed value on a project to create a safe sea route for exporting Ukrainian agricultural goods.
>Russia will cut off gas supplies to the Netherlands on Tuesday, the Dutch-backed trader GasTerra said on Monday after the company refused to pay supplier Gazprom in roubles, in the latest escalation of the energy payments row with the west.
>Russia is considering paying Eurobond holders by applying the mechanism it uses to process payments for its gas in roubles. The scheme would allow Moscow to pay bondholders while bypassing western payment infrastructure. Investors, however, said the move would not enable Russia to avoid a historic default on debt.
BBC: Conditions on the front line in Ukraine's east
Recent images from Getty photojournalists have revealed the desperate conditions for civilians in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk - two besieged eastern cities which are on the front line of the Russian offensive.
The Moscow Times, Russian Soldiers Send Home 58 Tons of Looted Items from Ukraine — Investigation
Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine have sent home at least 58 metric tons of looted goods since the start of the invasion in late February, according to an investigation published by independent news site Mediazona.
Tony Wesolowsky, Despite Doomsday Predictions, Bulgaria Proves There Is Life After Russian Gas
Sofia has proved it is not only possible, but due to Gazprom's price manipulation to exert pressure on the EU, it makes economic sense, explains Georgi Angelov, an analyst at Sofia's Open Society Institute.
Alex Orlowski, Mapping the pro-Russian propaganda on Italian Twitter
An investigation by cyber propaganda expert Alex Orlowski sheds light on the Italian-language Twitter network amplifying the Kremlin’s disinformation, unveiling their behaviour and the convergence with anti-vax and extremist movements.
Reuters, Russian hackers are linked to new Brexit leak website
A new website that published leaked emails from several leading proponents of Britain's exit from the European Union is tied to Russian hackers, according to a Google cybersecurity official and the former head of UK foreign intelligence.
The website - titled "Very English Coop d'Etat" - says it has published private emails from former British spymaster Richard Dearlove, leading Brexit campaigner Gisela Stuart, pro-Brexit historian Robert Tombs, and other supporters of Britain's divorce from the EU, which was finalized in January 2020.
Just a note to all our readers:
Today’s edition is in a reduced form due to our Uni obligations. I’m personally dealing with end-of-course exams, stressed out students and a lack of air conditioning in the faculty.
We’ll be back in full form in a couple of days and appreciate your patience.
100 days of war…just a reminder
February 23: Video shared on social media on Feb. 24 shows helicopters and smoke rising over Hostomel airfield outside Kyiv as Russia began its invasion. Source
We’re signing off…thanks for reading…
Mo & Scott
👍🏻