Newsletter 30/05/2024
Daily news digest
Photo
Top
Ukraine, U.S. to sign security agreement before peace summit - FT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden will sign a security cooperation agreement before the Global Peace Summit that will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16.
Ukrainian intel: Four Russian boats were hit in overnight naval drone attack in Crimea
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has clarified that four Russian Tunets-class boats were hit in an overnight Ukrainian naval drone attack in Crimea, and two of them were destroyed.
EU has no reason to extend Russian gas transit via Ukraine
"The transit agreement that allows to deliver gas via the Ukrainian route was prolonged in 2019. The contract was signed for five years. This means that it will expire by year-end. I visited Kyiv a couple of weeks ago, and I was very clear when I met with my counterparts, the Ukrainian Transmission System Operator, that Europe has been preparing for this moment, when the transit agreement will expire, for more than two years," said the European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
Ukraine pays up to EUR 200K per month in line with ECHR rulings - judge
"On average, one ECHR decision for each individual applicant is about thousands of euros. Some are EUR 2,000, some are EUR 3,000, and some may even reach EUR 10,000. There are about a dozen or more such people who receive monthly compensation from the ECHR. That is, roughly speaking, depending on month, the government owes people somewhere around EUR 100,000, up to EUR 200,000 per month," said ECHR judge from Ukraine, Mykola Gnatovskyy.
War
Almost fifty firefights have already taken place over past 24 hours, with Pokrovske sector being hottest
Since the beginning of the day, 49 combat engagements have already taken place at the front, with the greatest activity of Russian troops continuing to be observed in the Pokrovske sector.
Russia manipulating POW exchange issue to undermine decision-making in Ukraine - ISW
According to ISW analysts, Kremlin-appointed Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova accused Ukraine of making "far-fetched demands" that caused a pause in POW exchanges over the past several months and claimed that Russia has done its best to maintain a dialogue with the Ukrainian government and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regarding POW affairs.
Defense
Sweden’s ASC 890 plane to help Ukraine locate Russian aircraft, missiles on early approach - Air Force spox
The ASC 890 Airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft, which is part of the latest package of military aid to Ukraine announced by Sweden, will allow the defense forces to detect enemy missiles, warplanes, and radars.
Politics
Ukraine can still prevail, but only with robust support from NATO allies - Stoltenberg
"Ukraine continues to fight bravely, but the challenges they face are greater and growing. Ukraine can still prevail – but only with continued, robust support from NATO Allies. So at the NATO Summit in July, we plan to put our support on a firmer footing. Including with a greater NATO role in coordinating security assistance and training, as well as a multi-year financial commitment," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Czech FM: Ukraine should be able to defend itself with strikes against Russia
According to the Czech minister, the most important topic of the talks will be finding agreement on NATO's actions to support Ukraine.
Speaking in the Senate at a public debate dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance, Lipavsky noted that Russia is constantly waging a hybrid war, using hacker attacks, propaganda and espionage under diplomatic cover. According to the Czech Foreign Minister, Russia is "wreaking havoc" and only a strong NATO can be the antidote.
Economy
"Energy" aid from Sweden will be distributed among four regions
The coordinator of the assistance is the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The funds provided will be spent on the supply of power equipment (generators, transformers, etc.) and the restoration of the energy infrastructure of Kharkiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions
Publilcation
Posts showing graffiti in Europe about Ukraine elections spreading on Facebook
In Munich, on May 20, unidentified persons painted graffiti on the grave of Stepan Bandera with the inscription "We need elections." Two days later, unknown vandals left the same inscription on the building opposite the Ukrainian House in Warsaw. At the same time, this inscription appeared at another location in the Polish capital: on the sidewalk near the consular department of the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland. On May 24, a video from downtown Paris emerged on the internet, where a person, who is difficult to identify, left the inscription "We need elections" on the wall.
In all four cases, the source of photos and videos showing the vandals' actions is the AIinaUA Facebook page. The profile contains a photo of a girl in an embroidered dress, and a brief description states that she is allegedly a "journalist."