Weekly newsletter
This is a newsletter of exclusive materials of "Ukrinform" for a week
Photo of the week:
Pots with plants lie on the floor in the greenhouse of the botanical garden of Odesa National University. I.I. Mechnikov, damaged as a result of a Russian missile attack, Odesa, March 27, 2024.
Мaterials and Interviews:
War
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces under a Ukrainian presidential decree in February 2024. This appointment, as well as subsequent changes in the country's military leadership, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka, a lasting offensive by Russian invaders and Ukraine's transition to strategic defense became a matter of close attention, and not only in Ukraine. Western allies and partners started expressing alarming thoughts that Ukraine is losing ground and capabilities to continue the fight against the enemy. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, told Ukrinform how justified such assessments are, what the real battlefield situation is, and what a new strategy of the Ukrainian forces means.
World
Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma, Dutch politician
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma is a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (2012-2023), MP with the D66 political force. He became one of the most ardent supporters of comprehensive military support for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Among other things, he vocally advocated the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine at an early stage of the war.
It should also be noted the resolutions on support for the creation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and the possibility of having it based in The Hague (October 19, 2022), on the recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism (November 24, 2022), and on the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people (July 6, 2023).
Sjoerdsma continues to actively support Ukraine and urges to continue to do everything for Ukraine's victory.
Heroes
Vakhtang Nagler: My attitude towards Ukraine is shaped by you, Ukrainians
"After the invasion, which terrified me, I realized that I wanted to speak Ukrainian and help Ukraine, so I just started listening to Ukrainian songs and reading your telegram channels, so in two years I learned Ukrainian, which is actually enough to speak," Vakhtang says.
Vakhtang Nagler, a half-Austrian, half-Georgian citizen, who we will talk about below, is a student of international relations at the University of Latvia, only 26 years old. And he is an incredible example of how much a young person who is outraged by the crimes of Putin's Russia can do. It seems that this is what distilled, unadulterated sincerity looks like. And besides, we are all interested in seeing Kyiv and Ukraine through the eyes of this wonderful young man.
We're talking to Vakhtang on Zoom, he's in Latvia right now, and I ask him which language he prefers. And he, a philologist of Slavic languages by training, who until 2022 spoke Russian and Polish in addition to his native German and Georgian, smiles and says: Ukrainian is best, because he has already forgotten Russian
Recovery
Restoring Ukraine: "We will rebuild school in Avdiivka as well!"
Only in recent days, the Mykhailo Boichuk Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design in Kyiv has been destroyed, and the school of the Velykopysarivska community in Sumy region...
In total, more than 3,000 educational buildings in Ukraine have been seriously damaged or destroyed as a result of Russia's criminal aggression. But this is not a reason to give up: in difficult wartime conditions, Ukrainian children continue to study, and joint efforts with international partners are restoring lyceums and gymnasiums in Ukraine where the security situation allows.
Meanwhile, applications for participation in the architectural competition "School of the Future for Ukraine" are being accepted, which is being held at the initiative of the Lithuanian government in partnership with the State Agency for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine with the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Science. Ukrinform talked to the organizers and expert architects about the project's progress. While noting the urgency of reconstruction and the undeniable benefits of such a competition, practitioners warn against high expectations of typical projects.
Current Events
Explaining complex things in simple words:
Attacks on Russian oil refineries;
sky protection;
NATO anniversary.
Top Videos:
Landmine Clearance
Demining the fields of Mykolaiv Region using an unmanned system
Life During the War
Underground school in Kharkiv
In Kharkiv, the first underground school was demonstrated in one of the districts of the city. The educational process will begin in the near future.
Society
"Boychukivska Toloka": a cleanup event was organized in the territory of the Boychuk Academy of Arts in the capital.
Approximately 200 volunteers took part in the cleanup event. It's worth mentioning that on March 25, as a result of a rocket strike by Russian occupiers, the buildings on the territory of the Mikhail Boychuk Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design suffered significant damage from rocket fragments.
News that may affect events in the country:
International Damages Registry
Deputy Head of President’s Office explains how International Register of Damages will work
The International Register of Damages caused by Russian armed aggression has started to receive the first applications via the Diia app. So far, this refers to compensation for the destroyed or damaged housing property.
Russia Tribunal Setup
Mudra on being appointed to President’s Office: work on setting up tribunal for Russia will continue
Iryna Mudra, who was recently appointed to the position of Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, said that in her new position, she would do everything necessary to help the country recover, bring it closer to European standards, and hold the Russian Federation accountable.
Combating Extremist Narratives
Russian church spreading neo-Nazi narratives - Ukraine’s envoy to UN
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, appealed to the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with a proposal to deprive the World Russian People's Council of its special consultative status for spreading xenophobic, neo-Nazi, and neo-colonial narratives.
International Support
Coalition of armored vehicles for Ukraine includes 15 countries
Poland initiated the creation of a so-called coalition of armored vehicles to support Ukraine in January of this year and it currently consists of 15 countries, including Ukraine.
See you next Friday!