Weekly Exclusives
Weekly Exclusives - a newsletter that contains author publications, interviews, exclusive comments, photos and videos.
Photos of the week
Demining in a new way, socks for soldiers, and foggy Kyiv. Life during war is captured by Ukrinform photo correspondents.
Interview
European Council President Antonio Costa
The new President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, a former Prime Minister of Portugal, officially took office today, December 1, and his first step was to visit to Ukraine, which speaks volumes about his priorities in times so turbulent for the continent.
There is an opinion on the EU sidelines that the positive vibe of the experienced 63-year-old politician's relations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and negotiating skills developed over nearly 40 years in politics will allow him to ensure an effective decision-making process at the EU level for at least the next 2.5 years.
During the visit, Costa gave Ukrinform an exclusive blitz interview, in which he spoke about the challenges facing unity in the EU, including against the background of Russia's escalation in Ukraine, the change of administration in the U.S., and other factors. The politician shared his view of Ukraine’s potential contribution to addressing EU’s vulnerabilities, and reflected on the meaning of peace.
Carlo Formosa, Ambassador of Italy to Ukraine
The G7 foreign ministers met in Rome last week, dedicating the bulk of their discussions to supporting Ukraine – its issues were highlighted immediately after the introduction in the final statement. The participants condemned the use of an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile as reckless and escalatory behavior, warned North Korea against aiding Russia, and pledged to begin distributing funds from a $50 billion loan package to Ukraine by the end of the year.
The choice of venue was no coincidence, as Italy holds the G7 presidency in 2024. Ukrinform spoke with the Italian Ambassador to Ukraine, Carlo Formosa, ahead of Italy handing over this role to Canada in 2025. In his first interview with Ukrainian media, Formosa discussed the G7 meeting and Italy's support for Ukraine.
Vasyl Bodnar, Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey
Official-level relationships between Ukraine and Turkey date back to the Cossack era and the Ottoman Empire, as well as the times of the Ukrainian People's Republic. These relationships have proven to be important and effective, and are currently expanding vigorously, this due to the efforts by the country’s leaders and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the diplomatic corpse, business representatives and grassroot citizens.
The significance of the Turkish track in Ukraine's foreign policy is also evidenced by personnel appointments to positions at Ukraine’s Embassy. During the past three years, the Embassy of Ukraine in Ankara has been headed by Vasyl Bodnar, preceded by a deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and earlier still by Andriy Sybiha, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs who chose Turkey as the destination for his first foreign visit in this capacity. Vasyl Bodnar, the current Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey will now have to be replaced after having been appointed to the ambassadorial position in Warsaw.
Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar, in an interview with Ukrinform ahead of his departure to Poland, told about the results of his three-year tenure at Ankara, about the contents of Ukrainian-Turkish relationships and Turkey's role in bolstering Ukraine's defense capabilities and in recovery and rebuilding projects.
Publication
Anti-Russian Sanctions: How to Make Them Work as Desired and Expected to Prevent Russia Making Billions to Sustain its War Effort
Ukrainian analysts are deliberating here about the measures that urgently need to be undertaken to make the anti-Russian sanctions more effective and painful for Moscow, including but not limited to updating the oil price cap mechanism, blocking Russia’s “shadow” fleet of oil tankers, as well as imposing restrictions on Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy state corporation.
Potentialities for intensifying the pressure of sanctions against the aggressor state and for anti-circumvention measures were discussed last week at the “1000 days under the pressure of restrictions: successes and failures of anti-Russian sanctions since the onset of the Great War. How to step up the pressure?” conference in Kyiv. The sanctions have cost Putin’s regime hundreds of billions of dollars. That was the key conclusion made by conference speakers, including Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, and members of the Public Council on Sanctions. That said, however, Moscow still earns enough to sustain its war efforts in Ukraine, this due to the international community’s hesitancy to expand the restrictions to include all of the export-critical sectors of Russia’s economy, absence of effective control over enforcement of the sanctions, as well as loopholes in sanctions that allow the Russian Federation and its partners to bypass restrictions and minimize their impact. Ukraine suggests partner countries new approaches to their policy of sanctions.
President Zelensky: "NATO welcoming Ukraine into the alliance could halt ‘the hot stage’ of the war, while Russia would temporarily keep the territory it overtook”
Ukraine Latest: Weekly Digest for November 25 – December 1, 2024
Fact Checks
Russian propaganda spreading fakes about captured European military women accused of torturing Russian POWs
Pro-Russian propaganda channels have recently circulated false claims that European female soldiers captured by Russia tortured Russian prisoners of war. These fabrications exploit the stories and photos of deceased Ukrainian heroines, misrepresenting them as foreign fighters.
One such claim involves a supposed French sniper with the call sign "Whiskey." According to the propagandists, she was wounded by a Russian drone and captured near the village of Vishnevka in Russia's Kursk region. Russian propagandist Alexander Sladkov released an audio message "confirming" her capture, asserting that she had already been "punished" for allegedly torturing Russian POWs.
Another Telegram channel claims the capture of a servicewoman with the call sign "Groza," said to be from an elite Italian special forces unit. She was similarly accused of cruelty toward Russian soldiers. Propagandists allege that together, these women killed more than 250 Russians and were subjected to "harsh interrogations." The posts were accompanied by photos falsely claimed to depict the captured women, along with links to other channels featuring further abuse allegations.
These stories are completely fabricated. The women shown in the photos have no connection to foreign military service or the alleged crimes. The image of the supposed French sniper "Whiskey" was published as early as 2016, well before Ukraine allowed foreign nationals to join its armed forces. The woman in the photo is visibly wearing the chevron of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The propagandists drew their story about "Whiskey" from the real-life account of Kateryna Shynkarenko, who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2022 and served as a sniper in the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Volodymyr Monomakh. She died on February 22, 2024, during the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Avdiivka in the Donetsk region.
To support their narrative about the Italian servicewoman "Groza," Russian propagandists used the photo of another Ukrainian heroine, Olha Samarska-Semydianova, a military medic from the Dnipropetrovsk region. Olha died on March 3, 2022, at the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. A mother of six biological children who also adopted six more, she was recognized as a mother-heroine in Ukraine.
This disinformation campaign is yet another attempt by Russian propaganda to fabricate evidence of NATO troops in Ukraine, aiming to shape public opinion into believing that Western countries are directly involved in the war against Russia. Russia, in turn, positions itself as "actively" fighting foreign soldiers.
Video
Consequences of the shelling in Tsarychanka, Dnipropetrovsk region, November 30
Enemy strike claims four lives
A mobile police station has been deployed at the site of the attack in the village of Tsarychanka to receive applications and provide assistance to people. Police and all emergency services are working at the site of the attack.
The head of the Dnipro District Military Administration, Vyacheslav Mamonov, spoke about the consequences of yesterday's enemy attack on the village of Tsarychanka.
The aggressor state launched a missile strike on civilian infrastructure. All windows were broken in a 16-apartment residential building and the roof was destroyed. About 300 windows in nearby buildings were also shattered.
People whose apartments were damaged as a result of the attack will be provided with assistance from the territorial community and international organizations.
A mobile police station has been deployed to receive applications for damaged property.
The German-Ukrainian Society has started operating in Germany
A new platform was officially presented in Berlin, the purpose of which is to strengthen relations between Ukraine and Germany and disseminate information about Ukraine in Germany.
The establishment of the German-Ukrainian Society – For Our and Your Freedom e.V. (DUG) marks an important step in the development of strategic partnership between Germany and Ukraine at various levels in the two countries, said the president of the society Lyudmila Melnyk.
The new organization was welcomed by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Oleksiy Makeyev and the Bundestag deputy, head of the interparliamentary friendship group with Ukraine Robin Wagener.
On the first day of work, the first panel discussion took place, in which translator and publisher Kateryna Mishchenko, professor of history Andriy Portnov and political scientist and security expert Nico Lange took part.
The event was accompanied by music from Trio4Ukraine, which performed famous Ukrainian musical works, and Yuriy Hurzhii.
News:
War
Around 700 groups facilitating illegal border crossings for draft dodgers exposed during war – SBGS spox
Russia does not need 'new weapons' to strike Kyiv - military analyst
German expert explains why Crimean bridge still stands
Over 2,000 volunteers enlisted in chosen military units since Oct 1 without recruitment centers – General Staff
Politics
Russia at UN set to present guide on protecting energy from terrorism, Ukraine urges resistance
Ukraine to become full member of ICC Assembly starting Jan 1, 2025
MEP on Putin's nuclear threats: Assessments must be approached with caution
NATO must act pre-emptively – expert
Without Ukraine's NATO membership, peace will remain elusive - German expert
Ukraine's appeal to Budapest Memorandum could sway U.S. - expert
World
Russia seeks to make Afghanistan ally against West – former Estonian ambassador
Call to become "Churchill of our era" could positively influence Trump – diplomat
NATO must establish naval patrols to protect transatlantic cables – expert
Economy
Polish minister: Warsaw committed to preventing farmers from blocking Ukraine border
Poland must address border blockade issue - Minister Koval
Prices at filling stations now at lowest possible levels – expert
‘Firewood law’ does not differentiate between household storage and illegal timber for commercial use - Bolokhovets
‘Forests of Ukraine’ plant almost 5,000 ha of new trees this year
International reserves to exceed $40B by year-end - NBU
Amendments to tax legislation should not affect fuel prices – expert
Society
‘Education Voucher’: UAH 300M earmarked for Employment Service’s program in 2025
Registry of losses to open category death of close relative
See you next Friday!