UKRAINE WRAP | Ukrainians sign petition to give citizenship, PM role to UK's Johnson

July 26 2022 - 21:18

Ukrainians sign petition to give citizenship, PM role to UK's Johnson

 A tongue-in-cheek petition to give outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Ukrainian citizenship and make him the country's prime minister has garnered over 2,500 signatures hours after being put up on Ukraine's official petitions site on Tuesday.

Despite losing domestic popularity and eventually having been forced to announce his resignation after dozens of ministerial departures in early July, Johnson remains a cult figure in Kyiv for his vocal support of Ukraine as it fights off Russia's invasion.

Paintings, murals, and even cakes in Ukraine's capital bear the likeness of the man some Ukrainians affectionately call "Johnsoniuk."

The petition, addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, lists Johnson's strengths as "worldwide support for Boris Johnson, a clear position against the military invasion of Ukraine, (and) wisdom in the political, financial and legal spheres."

The petition, however, does acknowledge one negative side of such an appointment: its non-compliance with Ukraine's constitution.

In an apparent coincidence, several hours after the petition was put up on Tuesday, Johnson presented Zelenskiy with the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award for what his Downing Street office described as "incredible courage, defiance, and dignity" in the face of Russia's invasion.

Zelenskiy did not mention the new petition when accepting the award, but he will be obliged to officially respond if it receives 25,000 signatures.

Accepting the award via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskiy quoted wartime British premier Churchill, saying that Johnson "had no thought of quitting the struggle" when the going got tough.

-Reuters

July 26 2022 - 19:55

Ukraine buries young soldier who planned to marry

Ukrainian soldier Mykola Zabavchuk planned to marry his girlfriend when he next returned home from the war against Russia, but never made it back.

Zabavchuk, who was 25, and two other soldiers were buried in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Tuesday after being killed in action.

"He was a very good boyfriend, a sincere one. He loved and took care of me very much. He was very devoted to me and to his friends," his fiancee Oleksandra told Reuters at the funeral.

"Before his departure, he proposed. We planned a wedding after the rotation. It was not destined (to come true)."At the funeral, a uniformed soldier held a portrait of Zabavchuk, smiling and cradling a dog under his right arm.

"We have a little dog Arei. It is in the picture. I will foster it, take care of it – he wanted this very much. He called it his son, (and) so it is.

"Led by one soldier carrying a cross and another holding the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag, mourners formed a procession behind Zabavchuk's coffin and those of two other soldiers.

Zabavchuk had planned a career in IT (information technologies) after graduating from Lviv Polytechnic National University. He fought with a territorial defence brigade.

"He volunteered for a ‘military operation’ as they (Russians) call it but which is a war against the Ukrainian nation," said his father, also called Mykola Zabavchuk.

"His callsign was ‘Bilyi’ (‘White’), so everybody called him honest, frank, and decent," he said.The Kremlin says it is engaged in a "special military operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine.

Kyiv and Western nations say the war is an unprovoked act of aggression. 

-Reuters

July 26 2022 - 17:57

Ukraine says it can save nearly $5.5bn by postponing debt repayments

Ukraine can save 200-billion hryvnias ($5.45bn) for priority needs by deferring its external debt repayments, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.

Ukraine has launched a formal consent solicitation to holders of its international bonds, proposing a two-year debt freeze on most of its bonds and giving creditors until August 9 to vote on the proposal.

Shmyhal also said the Ukrainian government had approved a request to the U.S. government for a "gas lend-lease" arrangement to help Ukraine through what he said would be the toughest heating season in its history.

Yuriy Vitrenko, chief executive of Ukraine's state oil and gas company Naftogaz, said last week the company was working with the government to raise $8bn in funds to buy 4 billion extra cubic metres (bcm) of gas needed for Ukraine's 2022/23 heating season.

Vitrenko said on July 18 that Ukraine currently had reserves of 11.5 bcm and had secured funding for imports to get reserves up to 15 bcm, but that a higher target of 19 bcm had been set by the government due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters

July 26 2022 - 17:55

Russia plans military exercises in east of country from August 30

Russia plans to hold strategic military exercises in the east of the country starting next month, the defence ministry said, thousands of miles from the war it is waging in Ukraine.

The "Vostok" (East) exercises will take place from August 30 to September 5 and will include military contingents from other countries, the ministry said, without naming them.The drills will send a message that Russia, despite the costly five-month war in Ukraine, remains focused on the defence of its entire territory and capable in military terms of sustaining "business as usual".

As if to underline that point, the ministry said in a statement: "We draw your attention to the fact that only a part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is involved in the special military operation [in Ukraine], the number of which is quite sufficient to fulfil all the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief."

It added that Russia had not cancelled any training activities or international cooperation, and the exercises would be supplied with all necessary personnel, weapons and equipment.

Reuters

July 26 2022 - 17:52

Tetra Pak packs up operations in Russia after 62 years

Privately owned packaging company Tetra Pak on Tuesday said it would exit its remaining Russia operations after 62 years in the country and would divest its business there. It said local management would run the operation as an unaffiliated entity under a new name.

Scores of Western companies have left Russia or announced their intention to do so after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 in what it calls a “special military operation”, drawing widespread sanctions and condemnation.

July 26 2022 - 15:25

US basketball star Griner returns to Russian court in drugs trial

US basketball player Brittney Griner appeared at a Russian court on Tuesday for the fifth hearing of her trial on drugs charges that could carry a jail sentence of up to 10 years.

Griner, a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star who has played in Russia during the league's offseason, was escorted into the defendant's cage at a courtroom at the Khimki District Court outside Moscow, bending down to avoid banging her head against the door frame. Wearing round-rimed glasses and a black sweatshirt, Griner shook hands with her lawyers before taking a seat in a packed courtroom.

The two-time Olympic champion was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were found in her baggage.

Griner, who appealed to US President Joe Biden to secure her release, has pled guilty but denied she intended to break Russian law. Her case comes at a time when ties between Washington and Moscow are at their worst in decades over Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. US officials and prominent athletes argue the 31-year-old has been wrongly detained and have called for her to be released immediately. Russian authorities do not consider Griner's detention illegal and say the case against her is not political despite Moscow's fraught relations with Washington.

Reuters

July 26 2022 - 15:20

German ex-chancellor Schroeder in Moscow, meeting possible: Kremlin

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it believes German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is in Moscow, and did not rule out possible contact with him. In a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "as far as we know" Schroeder, who sat on the supervisory board of Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft after he left office, was in the Russian capital on Tuesday. – Reuters

July 26 2022 - 15:05

Macron, on trip to Cameroon, says food is Russian weapon of war

French President Emmanuel Macron described the global food crisis as one of Russia's "weapons of war" during a visit to Cameroon on Tuesday, dismissing suggestions Western sanctions were to blame.

Cameroon, like many developing countries, is grappling with sharp increases in prices for oil, fertiliser and foodstuffs. Severe fuel shortages hit the capital Yaounde last week leading to long queues at petrol stations.

Macron is on a three-leg tour of Africa, a trip meant to strengthen political ties with the continent and help boost agricultural production amid the growing food insecurity linked to the war in Ukraine.

African governments have largely avoided taking sides and refused to join Western condemnation and sanctions. At the same time, anti-French sentiment is rising in France's former West African colonies, where security concerns following a string of coups are stoking frustration and swinging public opinion in favour of Russia.

"We are blamed by some who say that European sanctions (on Russia) is the cause of the world food crisis, including in Africa. It is totally false," Macron said during a meeting with the French community in Cameroon. "Food, like energy have become Russian weapons of war ... We must help the African continent to produce more for itself."

Many African nations are dependent on Russian grain and energy, but they also buy Ukrainian grain that has been disrupted by the conflict.Moscow denies responsibility for the food crisis, blaming Western sanctions for slowing its food and fertiliser exports and Ukraine for mining the approaches to its ports.

Cameroon, a mineral-rich central African nation, is a major food producer for the region and Macron's delegation will seek investment opportunities in the agricultural sector.He is meeting Cameroon's President Paul Biya in the capital Yaounde before heading to Benin on Wednesday and Guinea-Bissau on Thursday.

The trip — Macron's first in Africa since his re-election in April — coincides with visits by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer to different countries across the continent. 

Reuters

July 26 2022 - 15:01

Turkey's Erdogan to hold one-day visit to Russia's Sochi on Aug 5 - presidency

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will hold a one-day visit to the Russian resort of Sochi on August 5, his office said on Tuesday. No further details were immediately available. – Reuters

July 26 2022 - 13:21

Monitoring centre for Ukrainian grain exports to open in Istanbul on Wednesday - Turkey

A joint coordination centre (JCC) for Ukrainian grain exports under a UN-brokered deal will be opened in a ceremony in Istanbul on Wednesday, Turkey's defence ministry said on Tuesday.

Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations signed the accord last week to resume Ukraine's grain exports, which had stalled after Russia's invasion of its neighbour. All parties will appoint representatives at the JCC to monitor the implementation of the plan. 

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 13:17

Russia fines Google $34m for breaching competition rules

Russia's competition watchdog fined Alphabet's Google 2-billion roubles ($34.2m) on Tuesday for abusing its dominant position in the video hosting market, the regulator said in a statement.

The decision is the latest multimillion-dollar fine as part of Moscow's increasingly assertive campaign against foreign tech companies. 

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 12:49

Kremlin: We hope Nord Stream 1 turbine will be installed 'sooner rather than later'

A gas turbine for Russia's Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline has not yet arrived after maintenance in Canada, but Moscow hopes it will be installed "sooner rather than later", Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

He also said that the sanctions against Russia complicate the work of Nord Stream 1, which is lowering gas supplies to Europe to just 20% of its capacity amid maintenance. 

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 12:42

Europe agrees compromise gas curbs as Russia squeezes supply

European Union countries approved a weakened emergency plan to curb their gas demand on Tuesday, after striking compromise deals to reduce the cuts for some countries, as they brace for further Russian reductions in supply.

Europe faces an increased gas squeeze from Wednesday, when Russian's Gazprom has said it would cut flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to a fifth of capacity.

With a dozen EU countries already facing reduced Russian supplies, Brussels is urging member states to prepare by saving gas and storing it for winter for fear Russia will completely cut off flows in retaliation for Western sanctions over its war with Ukraine.

Energy ministers approved a proposal for all EU countries to voluntarily cut gas use by 15% from August to March. The cuts could be made binding in a supply emergency, but countries agreed to exempt numerous countries and industries, after some governments had resisted the EU's original proposal to impose a binding 15% cut on every country.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the agreement would show Russian President Vladimir Putin that Europe remained united in the face of Moscow's latest gas cuts."You will not split us," Habeck said.

Hungary was the only country that opposed the deal, two EU officials said.

Russia's Gazprom has blamed its latest reduction on needing to halt the operation of a turbine — a reason dismissed by EU energy chief Kadri Simson, who called the move "politically motivated".

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 11:44

Russia plays down Jewish Agency flap, raps Israel on Ukraine

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it is up to the Ministry of Justice to decide whether the country's branch of the Jewish Agency, which helps Jews emigrate to Israel, should be dissolved, and hit out at Israel's stance over the Ukraine conflict.

Relations between the two countries have become strained in recent months, after Israel condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and summoned the Russian ambassador over comments made by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

In an interview on Russian TV, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Israel's leadership had taken a biased, anti-Russian stance on the conflict, and dismissed suggestions that her department had a hand in proceedings against the Jewish Agency.

"It's a question for the Ministry of Justice, that's the information I have. It definitely is a legal matter," Zakharova said when asked about the fate of the organisation.

"Unfortunately, in recent months we have heard, at the level of statements, completely unconstructive and, most importantly, biased rhetoric from Tel-Aviv. It has been completely incomprehensible and strange to us," Zakharova said.

The Ministry of Justice earlier requested the liquidation of the Russian branch of the Agency. Authorities have alleged breaches of privacy laws by the Agency, and are expected to present more details before a Russian court on Thursday.

The remarks appeared to signal an effort by Moscow to distance itself from the case, which has stirred worries in Israel about a crisis with Russia, home to a large Jewish community and the big power with clout in next-door Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who as foreign minister in March condemned Russian actions in Ukraine, said in a statement on Sunday that a closing of the Agency branch would be "grave, with ramifications for (bilateral) relations".

But on Tuesday, Lapid's office said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had exchanged "written greetings". The office did not immediately expand on that correspondence.

Lapid has put a team of Israeli jurists on standby to fly out to resolve the Agency issue, once Moscow agrees to admits them. As of Tuesday morning, they had not departed. Israel's immigration minister voiced hope they would not prove crucial.

"We will resolve this matter through the diplomatic channel, even if they (delegates) do not go," the minister, Pnina Tamano-Shata, told Ynet TV.

There are 600,000 Russians eligible to immigrate to Israel, she said, adding that there had been a rise in applications since the Russian justice ministry's announcement about the Agency, which is based in Jerusalem and is the world's largest Jewish non-profit organisation.

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 10:35

Russia-EU gas flows via Nord Stream dip, flows via Ukraine remain steady

Russian gas flows to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline edged lower on Tuesday morning ahead of an expected cut in capacity from Wednesday, while flows through transit routes via Ukraine remained steady.

Physical flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline were at 27,749,860 kilowatt hours an hour (kWh/h) for 0800-0900 CET (0600-0700 GMT), down from levels above 29,000,000 kWh/h over most of the previous day.

Russian energy giant Gazprom said it needs to halt operation of a turbine which will mean the pipeline will operate at just 20% of capacity from July 27.

Gazprom had previously cited the delayed return of another turbine being serviced in Canada as the reason to reduce flows to 40% in June before halting them altogether for 10 days of scheduled maintenance this month which ended on July 21.

Nominations for Russian gas flows into Slovakia from Ukraine via the Velke Kapusany border point were at around 36.8-million cubic metres (mcm) per day, little changed from the previous day, data from the Ukrainian transmission system operator showed.

Gazprom said its supply of gas to Europe through Ukraine via the Sudzha entry point was seen at 41.9-million cubic metres (mcm) on Tuesday versus 41.7 mcm a day earlier.

Eastbound gas flows via the Yamal-Europe pipeline to Poland from Germany decreased slightly, data from pipeline operator Gascade showed.

Exit flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German border stood at 2,836,230 kWh/h on Tuesday morning versus levels over 3,000,000 kWh/h for most of the previous day, data from pipeline operator Gascade showed.

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 09:57

Russian gas cut to Europe hits economic hopes, Ukraine reports attacks on coastal regions

Russia said it will cut gas supplies to Europe from Wednesday in a blow to countries that have backed Ukraine, while missile attacks in Black Sea coastal regions raised doubts about whether Russia stick to a deal to let Ukraine export grain.

The first ships from Ukraine may set sail in days under a deal agreed on Friday, the United Nations said, despite a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian port of Odesa over the weekend, and a spokesperson for the military administration in the saying another missile had hit the Odesa region on Tuesday morning.

Soaring energy costs and the threat of hunger faced by millions in poorer nations show how the biggest conflict in Europe since World War 2, now in its sixth month, is having an affect far beyond Ukraine.

July 26 2022 - 07:30

'No indication' Ukraine warship was at location of Russia strike in Odesa port, Britain says

Britain said on Tuesday there was "no indication" that a Ukrainian warship and a stock of anti-ship missiles were at the dock-side in Odesa port on Sunday, after Russia earlier said it had destroyed those targets with high-precision missiles.

"Russia will continue to prioritise efforts to degrade and destroy Ukraine's anti-ship capability. However, Russia's targeting processes are highly likely routinely undermined by dated intelligence, poor planning, and a top-down approach to operations," the British Ministry of Defence said in a regular intelligence update.

Ukrainian military has said two Kalibr missiles fired from Russian warships hit the area of a pumping station at the Odesa port and two others were shot down by air defence forces. 

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 07:20

Russian forces strike Mykolaiv port infrastructure - mayor

Russian forces have struck port infrastructure in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said on Tuesday.

"A massive missile strike was launched on the south of Ukraine from the direction of the Black Sea, and with the use of aviation," he told Ukrainian state television, providing no details on the aftermath of the strike.

Last Saturday, Russia struck another southern Ukrainian port of Odesa, casting doubt on a plan to restart Ukrainian grain exports.

The grain deal aims to allow safe passage for grain shipments in and out of Ukrainian ports, blockaded by Russia since its Feb. 24 invasion. Russia has blamed Ukraine for stalling shipments by mining the port waters.

Reuters 

July 26 2022 - 06:20

Russia's Lavrov defends Odesa missile strike

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Congo Republic, defended a missile attack on the Ukrainian port of Odesa that came a day after Moscow and Kyiv signed a deal to allow grain exports across the Black Sea.

July 26 2022 - 06:00

Russian gas? No thanks, says German district

As Germany scrambles to avert a fuel crisis this winter, the energy-self-sufficient rural district of Rhein-Hunsrueck has become a role model for how the country might wean itself off dwindling imports of Russian gas.