Weekly newsletter
Combat weekdays on the front line; Fakes about Olena Zelenska; U.S. may allow Ukraine to strike targets up to 300 km inside Russia and more in the Weekly newsletter
Photo of the week
Wheat harvesting of the agricultural production cooperative "Dnieper Waves" in the north of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Interviews:
Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Premier, Minister of Economy
The practical steps being undertaken as part of "Made in Ukraine" governmental initiative include the launch of the same-name platform, which overarches all government programs financing and providing preferential support to domestic business and the consumer market; the opening of 14 "Made in Ukraine" regional offices, which have already given nearly 1,500 consultations. And, most importantly, this includes tens of billions of hryvnias in loans and grants provided to thousands of Ukrainians so far this year, along with UAH 3 billion-plus worth of the export facilitating support funding provided via the Export Credit Agency.
Ukrinform met with Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, on the sidelines of the 4th session of the Mixed Ukrainian-Spanish Intergovernmental Commission on Economic and Industrial Cooperation to talk about the interim results achieved by "Made in Ukraine" initiative and the prospects for its expansion and growth.
Petro Beshta, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Lithuania
Petro Beshta was appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to Lithuania two and a half years ago, following a tenure as head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Political Directorate. A reasonable decision was made in anticipation of the 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit: to appoint to that position a person with this broad-ranging knowledge of foreign policy and relations.
In an Ukrinform interview, the ambassador was talking about the importance of the results achieved at the end of last year's NATO summit, shared his expectations from the NATO 75th anniversary summit, which will be held in July 2024 in Washington D.C., and elaborated on cooperation between Ukraine and Lithuania, one of our closest partners.
Publications:
South Korea looking at Ukraine as Moscow, Pyongyang sign strategic defense alliance
South Korea is one of the world’s leading defense tech countries. Ukrinform has explored how that country can be meaningfully helpful to Ukraine
Against the backdrop of Putin and Kim Jong-un’s controversial alliance (North Korea and Russia inked a strategic defense pact during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang on June 19, pledging to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event the other is attacked), the South Korean leadership came out with an encouraging statement that they are considering lifting a ban on weapons supplies to Ukraine. Let's hope that it won’t be long before words will be followed by concrete actions. After all, South Korea’s defense-industrial potential is powerful and diverse.
Fact Checks
Russian propaganda spreading fake about Olena Zelenska's purchase of exclusive car for EUR 4.5M
Pro-Russian English- and French-language accounts on the social media platform X, as well as Telegram channels, are actively spreading information claiming that First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska purchased a new Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar for 4.5 million euros during her visit to France in early June 2024. The primary source cited by the propagandists is the French-language website Verite Cachee France. As "proof", the authors of the article on the website cited a video in which Jacques Bertin, an employee of the Bugatti dealership in Paris, allegedly shares the details about a private presentation of the new car. He claims that the Ukrainian president’s wife placed an order and became the owner of the first of 250 cars. In addition, the publication shared a car sales invoice issued to Olena Zelenska.
Propagandists spread photo fakes and invented fines amid growing demand for generators
After power outages caused by Russian shelling of energy infrastructure became more frequent in Ukraine, Kremlin propagandists resorted to a new wave of related fakes. Through Russian Telegram channels and pro-government media outlets, they launched another campaign regarding the purchase and use of generators by Ukrainians. The other day, a number of channels began to share photos from a Ukrainian home appliance store. It displays a sign with the inscription "Generators are not for sale. Everything has been reserved for the National Police and Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers."
Top Videos:
Combat weekdays on the front line of the assault brigade of the National Police "Liut"
Dnipro is recovering after the Russian missile attack on June 28
An exhibition of fragments of Russian weapons in the war against Ukraine opened in Berlin
News:
War
Not a single Kinzhal missile has reached Ukraine's capital since May 2023 – Air Force
All Russian Kinzhal ballistic missiles that were launched at Ukraine's capital after the country received the Patriot air defense system in May 2023 have been successfully intercepted. In total, the enemy has launched more than 20 Kinzhals at Kyiv.
Russia's new defense minister in the focus of ICC's attention - Prosecutor General's Office
Russia's new defense minister, Andrei Belousov, is in the focus of attention of the International Criminal Court, as under his leadership Russia continues to commit war crimes for which his predecessor, Sergei Shoigu, and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov received arrest warrants.
PGO: Ukraine did not exchange Russian soldier Shishimarin, first person to be convicted of war crime
Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin, the first person to go on trial for a war crime - the murder of a civilian in the Sumy region, is still serving his sentence in Ukraine, although there was an offer to exchange him.
U.S. may soon allow Ukraine to strike targets up to 300 km inside Russia – ex-Polish minister
Washington may soon reconsider its previous decision and allow Kyiv to use U.S.-made weapons to strike targets up to 300 kilometers inside Russia.
Defense
NATO to strengthen Russia's deterrence in Black and Baltic Seas - vice admiral
NATO is working to strengthen defense capabilities and deter potential Russian aggression in the Black and Baltic Sea region amid Russia's ongoing armed aggression against Ukraine.
NATO studying Ukraine's experience in Black Sea to adapt to changes of modern combat - admiral
Ukraine's successful experience in the destruction of a significant part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet through the effective use of naval drones and other technologies is the subject of study by NATO countries in the context of the development of modern tactics of combat operations at sea.
Politics
Expert: Kallas and Rutte can form powerful tandem against Russian aggression
The set of professional and personal qualities of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who has been nominated for the post of EU High Representative, suggests that she and the newly appointed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will form a powerful tandem against Russian aggression.
MP: We need to speak honestly with public about real terms of Ukraine's accession to EU
Ukrainian society needs to be told honestly about the real terms of the country's accession to the European Union and the difficult decisions that may have to be made in the process of preparing for membership.
Expert on U.S. presidential debate: None of candidates said clearly how U.S. will support Ukraine
None of the future candidates for the position of the U.S. president said clearly during the first televised debate how the United States would support Ukraine.
Human Rights
ICC investigating torture of Ukrainian POWs by Russians
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating the torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians in places of detention in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia.
Europe must force Russia to stop torture for Ukrainian hostages to live to see their return - Coordination Center
It is necessary to put pressure on Russia to at least stop torturing and abusing prisoners so that Ukrainian hostages, both civilian and military, can live to see their return home.
Economy
Zhytomyr region’s entrepreneurs obtain over UAH 9B under Affordable Loans program
Small and medium-sized enterprises in the Zhytomyr region have obtained more than UAH 9 billion in loan funds since the government program ‘Affordable Loans at 5-7-9%’ was launched.
See you next Friday!