Daily Briefs

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11 April 2022, Monday| NIAS Europe Daily Brief #172

War in Ukraine: Day 45 & 46

Climate activists disrupt fuel supplies; Pope calls for an Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia

War in Ukraine: Day 45 & 46
By Padmashree Anandhan, Ashwin Dhanabalan, and Rishma Banerjee
War on the ground: Zelenskyy meet with Boris Johnson,
Zelenskyy’s address
On April 09, Zelenskyy’s addresses came as UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv. Zelenskyy said: “This will be a hard battle, we believe in this fight and our victory. We are ready to simultaneously fight and look for diplomatic ways to put an end to this war… When tyranny begins its aggression against everything that keeps the peace in Europe, action must be taken immediately.” He further thanked Johnson for his support as the UK promised to offer additional financial and military support. This includes 120 armoured vehicles, anti-ship missiles and World Bank loans, amounting to EUR 100 million .

On 10 April, Zelenskyy said: “They have destroyed the lives of millions. They started a full-scale war and act as if we are to blame for this.” He also reiterated that Ukraine is ready for the upcoming days, and thanked the "18 defenders of Ukraine", including the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Special Communications Service, police officers and police officers for their bravery and heroism.

He also spoke to the German chancellor Olaf Scholz, about imposing additional sanctions on Russia and about more defence and financial support for Ukraine.

Kyiv after Russia's withdrawal
On 10 April, in the aftermath of the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv, a grave with dozens of civilians was found, near a petrol pump in Buzova village. Taras Dydych, head of the Dmytrivka community that includes Buzova said: “Now we are returning to life but during the occupation we had our 'hotspots', many civilians died.”

First staff rotation in Chernobyl after three weeks
On 10 April, for the first time in three weeks, a staff rotation was carried out in Chernobyl, which the Russians had taken over on 24 February. Workers recounted to the BBC the tough conditions they had to face in order to survive in the nuclear power plant, which is now back under Ukraine’s control.

Destruction in Dnipro
On 10 April, an airport in the Dnipro was destroyed by a Russian strike. The Head of the city's military administration said that the airport itself and the infrastructure around it has been destroyed by the shelling. On 09 April, a large depot of ammunition was destroyed in the central-eastern Dnipro region of Novomoskovsk.

Eastern Ukraine: Updates from Luhansk, Mariupol and Kramatorsk
On 10 April, Maxar Technologies captured imagery that showed a large military convoy stretching for more than eight miles, in north-eastern Ukraine. A researcher from the Institute for the Study of War said that it was a Russian convoy, which was heading south from Velykyi Burluk.

On 10 April, the regional governor said that the death toll due to the missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk had risen to 57.

On 09 April, the governor of Luhansk Serhiy Haidai urged civilians in Luhansk, in the eastern part of Ukraine to flee the area as soon as possible as more and more Russian forces entered the area. This comes after more than 50 civilians trying to evacuate were killed in a Russian missile attack, in a neighbouring area. Russian troops hit a nitric acid tank near Rubizhne, which is dangerous because nitric acid is a highly corrosive agent. Gaidai said: "They (Russia) are amassing forces for an offensive and we see the number of shelling has increased.” This renewal of Russian effort in the eastern and southern part of Ukraine comes after Moscow’s troops withdrew from Kyiv.

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister informed that 10 humanitarian corridors are likely to be set up, for the safe evacuation of the people from across the country, and especially from the Mariupol region. Civilians in the Mariupol, Enerhodar, Tokmak, Berdyansk and Melitopol regions can evacuate to Zaporizhzhia, and those in Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Popasna, Hirske and Rubizhne can evacuate to the city of Bakhmut. While several attempts have been made earlier to evacuate civilians from this region, they have all failed so far. The deputy prime minister reiterated that it can happen only if Russian troops maintain a ceasefire.

Other developments:
Zelenskyy thanked the Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer for his visit to Ukraine and for his support to the country. Nehammer is open to start negotiating with Russia to facilitate a conversation with Ukraine. Zelenskyy said: "It is a very important signal for us. A signal to the whole of Europe that Austria supports Ukraine, the Ukrainian people in its resistance to the aggression of the Russian Federation.”

On 09 April, Iryna Vereshchuk announced that Ukraine and Russia had conducted their third prisoner exchange. Due to the deal, 12 soldiers and 14 civilians are coming home to Ukraine. However, she did not mention the number of Russians who had been released.

On 10 April, Ukraine’s top prosecutor Iryna Venediktova said that the authorities had evidence to claim 5,600 alleged cases of war crimes, and had 500 suspects being monitored.

Also on the same day, according to a UNHRC report released, around 4.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

The Moscow view:
Claims by Russia
Kyiv trying to provoke Russian troops
On 10 April, Russia’s National Defense Management Center claimed that Kyiv was plotting with the West to provoke Russian forces by blaming them for a staged massacre of civilians in the Lugansk People’s Republic region. Chief Mikhail Mizintsev said that reporters of foreign mass media outlets were arriving in the area to record the staged actions by the Ukrainian army. He also mentioned how the Ukrainian nationalists were mining reservoirs with Chronire at a water utility to blow them up when the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) forces approached the city.

Anatoly Antonov on Russia’s operation in Ukraine
On 10 April, Russia’s ambassador to the US said that the West was inciting further bloodshed in Ukraine as it continued its supply of weapons. He said: “The special military operation in Ukraine is a result of the Kyiv regime’s unwillingness to stop the genocide of Russians through the implementation of its obligations under international agreements.” On the US’ supply of weapons, he reiterated that its actions were dangerous and provocative as those weapons were being used against Russia. Antonov questioned the Pentagon’s role in the biological laboratories in Ukraine and he further raised concerns about establishing bio-laboratories along the Russian border.

He also stated that Moscow was taking necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilians and maintain the normal operations of the nuclear facilities in Ukraine. He said the strikes made by Russian forces were high-precision weapons that only struck military targets. Antonov reiterated that Russia’s goal was to “…put an end to the genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime and ensure a nuclear-free and neutral status of Ukraine.”

Evidence of a US defence funded biological program
On 10 April, Russia’s defence ministry spokesperson said evidence was unearthed during Russia’s military operation that Kyiv tried to eliminate traces of a US Department of defence-funded military biological program in Ukraine. He added that Ukrainian laboratories’ staffers testified that diseases like plague, tularaemia, cholera and other diseases were urgently eliminated before 24 February.

Prisoner exchange
On 09 April, Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova confirmed that Russia and Ukraine held a prisoner exchange. Moskalkova said four employees of the state atomic energy corporation Rosatom along with soldiers and civilians, were returned to Russia. On the same day, an exchange of 32 Russian truck drivers and 20 Ukrainians took place; on its sidelines, Belarusian nationals were also exchanged. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk added that 14 civilians were returned to Ukraine as a part of the exchange.

Head of Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill calls on people to rally with Russia
On 10 April, Kirill called on the people of Russia to rally with the authorities in Moscow as they continued their military intervention in Ukraine. In his prayers Kirill mentioned: “Let the Lord help us unite during this difficult time for our Fatherland, including around the authorities.” Kirill is a close ally of Putin, and his calls show the Orthodox Church’s support for the Kremlin.

Attacks and ammunitions
On 10 April, Russia’s attack helicopters said they destroyed a convoy of Ukraine’s armoured vehicles and anti-aircraft equipment. Reuters noted that the ministry even published video footage of the attack. The video clearly shows how the KA-52 helicopters flew at low altitudes and launched missiles and bullets at the targets on the ground.

On 09 April, Russia said it had destroyed the ammunition depot at the Myrhorod Air Base in central-eastern Ukraine. Russia’s spokesperson said a MiG-29 fighter and a Mi-8 helicopter were also destroyed in the attack. Furthermore, Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot near the city of Novomoskovsk.

Impact of the war on Russia’s science and research
On 10 April, Russia’s remote Northeast Science Station on the banks of the Kolyma River in Siberia will have fewer/no international scientists visiting this year. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry froze its funding used to pay personnel at the station. The station was crucial for understanding climate change in the Arctic environment. Russian environmental scientist Dmitry Shchepashchenko said: “Emotionally, I can understand this suspension…This is a lose-lose solution. Global issues like climate change and biodiversity ... can hardly be solved without Russian territory [and] the expertise of Russian scientists.”

Russia accuses the EU of closing borders to cargo vehicles
On 10 April, Russia claimed that the EU had closed its countries' borders, affecting the movement of cargo vehicles registered in the two countries. This comes as the EU had adopted sanctions against Russia, which also prevented vehicles and vessels from entering the bloc. Russia’s customs office said that vehicles were used as international transport but had been registered in the two countries would also not be allowed to move goods on EU territory.

Russia stages war games in Kaliningrad
On 09 April, Russia mentioned that it had staged war games in the enclave of Kaliningrad. Russian Baltic Fleet Command’s press service said: “Up to 1,000 military personnel... and more than 60 military equipment units were involved in the control checks.” At the same time, 20 Su-27 fighters and Su-24 front-line naval aviation bombers conducted their combat training. They simulated wartime exercises and simulated attacking low-speed air and ground targets.

The West view:
Responses from the US and Europe
The US
On 09 April, an official from the West revealed the replacement of a Russian war commander from Ukraine operations. The reason behind the decision was due to the new general’s extensive experience. According to the official, the war tactics of Russia are observed to be limited and predicted that it might lose in short in attempting to succeed in the objectives.

The EU
In the fifth set of sanctions adopted by the EU, it targets 216 individuals, freezing their assets and imposing a travel ban, which includes Putin’s daughters. Along with the ban on coal imports, it has not extended to wood, vodka, and chemical products which comprise 10 per cent of imports from Russia. Apart from given, additional sanctions have been brought on jet fuel, transportation equipment, quantum computers, advanced semiconductors and trucks from both Russia and Belarus.

On 10 April, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pledged EUR one billion to aid Ukraine in terms of treating refugees. The aid will be divided into two parts, where 600 million will be sent to Ukraine and the UN. The remaining 400 million will go to those states receiving refugees at the front. Apart from this global government, business leaders, and banks vowed to send EUR 10.1 billion to Ukraine for dealing humanitarian crisis.

The EU after 44 days of the war, opened back its embassy in Kyiv after previously shifting it to Poland. On the same, Italy has also planned to reopen its embassy in the capital city post easter.

Germany
On the phone call with president Zelenskyy, German chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that those responsible for the killings in Bucha to be held guilty for committing war crimes. He said: “We cannot overlook that this is a crime. These are war crimes we will not accept... those who did this must be held accountable.”

Finland
On 09 April, the Foreign Ministry of Finland announced the sending back of Russian paintings, status and antiques which were blocked by Finnish customs from entry. The items worth EUR 42 million were categorised as luxury goods that will be subject to economic sanctions. Hence the goods will be freed after the EU releases the regulations for artefacts.

On 10 April, Finland and Sweden's governments have come forward to apply for NATO membership before may 2022. Finland’s prime minister said: “We will have very careful discussions but not take any more time than we have to.”

NATO
On 10 April, in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, NATO's general secretary Jens Stoltenberg disclosed the plans of installing a permanent military at the border to deter Russia. He also added that the focus will remain to ensure NATO and its allies meet the minimum target of two per cent expenditure towards Ukraine.

The UK
On 10 April, during the visit to Ukraine, UK prime minister Boris Johnson assured to send 120 armoured vehicles, along with an anti-ship missile system to help Ukraine. In the statement released by Johnson after the meeting with Zelensky: “It is because of President (Volodymyr) Zelensky's resolute leadership and the invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people that (Vladimir) Putin's monstrous aims are being thwarted.” Apart from the military aid, the UK has also agreed to provide USD 500 million to World Bank to lend to Ukraine with a loan guarantee of USD one billion.

The UK Ministry of Defence, intelligence unit revealed evidence, that Russia found to be targeting the civilians. According to the Ministry, Russia’s moving away from the North showed the mass graves and how it has used humans as shields. Apart from this it also found that Russia had been developing weapons to increase casualties and limit the freedom of the Ukrainian movement. It is also estimated that 7,000 to 15000 Russian soldiers have died in the war. The Defence Intelligence also warned about Russia's airstrike which was likely to occur in south and east, it remarked although the Russian forces were moving towards eastern Donbas, Ukrainian forces have been maintaining a strong block in not letting Russia establish a link from Crimea.

The Global Fallouts:
International implications of the Ukraine war
World Bank
On 10 April, the World Bank released a report stating Ukraine’s economy to fall by 45.1 per cent. The major reasons for the decline are the shutting of businesses, cut down in exports due to the Russian invasion, blocking of Black Sea shipping and financial sanctions. The economists have added to this by saying the GDP of eastern Europe will also fall by 30.7 per cent.

The UN
The UN raised a concern about the rising food prices which have risen due to the Ukraine war. Basic commodities such as cereal, vegetable oil, and sugar have been added as part of the UN Food Prices Index where the table shows a hike of 13 per cent which is the highest rate in the last 60 years. This has resulted in creating fear amongst politicians as it will be a challenge to deal with social unrest coming out of a crisis situation.

Japan
Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida announced the expelling of eight Russian diplomats and the ban on importing of coal from Russia. He said: “Russia has repeatedly violated international humanitarian law by killing civilians and attacking nuclear power plants. These are unforgivable war crimes.”

Football
Shakhtar Donetsk, which is Eastern Ukraine's biggest football club has announced a peace tour in Greece calling for a friendly match against league leaders Olympiakos. The aim of the tournament is to raise money from the match and to provide for people affected by the war in Ukraine. The manager of the club said: “We want to talk about war and peace in Ukraine in these matches. The need to end this madness and return to normal life and to rebuild the country.”

UNHCR
UNHCR confirmed that close to 4.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the war. Amongst the composition, 90 per cent are counted to be women and children. Along with this IOM also reported that 210,000 non-Ukrainians seem to have left Ukraine. Till now Poland has been the only country with the highest number of refugees, hosting 2,593,902.

IAEA
The director-general of the IAEA reported on the current staff rotation that took place in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It was found from the workers that, they faced critical challenges in keeping the plant running to keep the generator on power. On the damages, IAEA said: “destroyed and the analytical instruments stolen, broken or otherwise disabled.”

IN BRIEF
By Emmanuel Royan and Sai Pranav

FRANCE
Fake news runs amok during the election
On 08 April, The French presidential election saw misinformation spreading around over the usage of Dominion voting systems. The Canadian company had already been under scrutiny during the 2019 US elections. There have been rumours going on on social media that electoral fraud was committed in the election by the usage of the Dominion Voting Systems. The people believe that the election is totally rigged. The Interior Ministry of France debunked the claims stating that France uses its own vote-counting system and denied any connection with the Canadian company. In a statement released by the ministry said "The results of the counting of the votes in each municipality are communicated in real-time ... by means of computer systems for centralising the results developed by the [ministry] computer services for several years." President Emmanuel Macron warned the people about misinformation and fake news. He also said that how they are a threat to democracy. (Matthew Holroyd, “French election 2022: Misinformation spreads online ahead of the first round vote,” Euronews, 11 April 2022)

SPAIN
Largest raid of Illegal stuffed animals in Europe
On 10 April, Spanish police conducted the largest taxidermy haul that Europe has seen. The Guardia Civil seized around 1000 specimens of illegal stuffed animals at an industrial warehouse in Betera, Valencia. The collection included extinct animals like scimitar oryx, endangered species like the Bengal tiger, and as well as other animals such as polar bears, lions, etc. The collection was found by Valencia police’s Nature Protection Team, who were investigating because of a suspicion. The worth of the collection is estimated to be around 29 million EUR(32 million USD). (Jessica Jones, “Lions, tigers and bears - Spain seizes one of Europe's biggest taxidermy hauls,” Reuters, 11 April 2022)

THE UK
Climate activists disrupt fuel supplies and caused traffic jams
On 10 April, climate activists continued their demonstrations on oil refineries and disrupted their supplies. Clean energy protesters claimed to have interrupted supply from three oil terminals in the Midlands and southeast of England, leading to a few stations running out of fuel. In addition, extinction Rebellion protestors halted vehicles crossing Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges in central London, causing traffic jams. Hundreds of climate activists marched to Lambeth Bridge and played music, creating a festive atmosphere of protest. Cars and buses came to a halt, but protestors dispersed to let ambulances pass. The police stated that they had made 38 arrests. (Helen Pidd, “Climate activists ‘disrupt supplies from three oil terminals in England,” The Guardian, 10 April 2022)

Opinion polls on wind farms and nuclear energy
On 10 April, following the release of the UK’s energy security plans, the Guardian reported on the findings of its opinion poll on the favorability of wind farms and nuclear energy. According to the opinion poll, 79 per cent of conservative voters favoured wind farms being built in the UK, compared to 83 per cent of Labour supporters, and 88 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters. Two-thirds of voters stated they would welcome the construction of a wind farm near their homes. In comparison, only 46 per cent of all voters supported the construction of new nuclear power plants and only 32 per cent voted for gas power plants. These findings indicate that government reasoning differs from the public’s understanding of the necessity to secure energy security while striving toward net-zero emissions. (Toby Helm and Robin McKie, “Three-quarters of Britons back expansion of wind power,poll reveals,” The Guardian, 10 April 2022)

Coloured representation missing in Commonwealth Games
The committee for Commonwealth Games were accused of excluding the people of colour in their executive position. The committee consisting mostly of white complained about not including the people of colour in any of the decisions taken for the Commonwealth Games. For the game scheduled to take place in July in Birmingham, people voiced their concerns over their representation. They said that any petitions or letters sent to the Commonwealth Games have gone unnoticed, as no one is taking any action about the issue. The people want to showcase the vibrant nature of the city and want to reflect diversity. The committee replied that they will look into the issue. (Jessica Murray, “Commonwealth Games cultural festival accused of sidelining people of colour,” The Guardian, 11 April, 2022)

VATICAN CITY
Pope Francis calls for an Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia
On 10 April, Pope Francis called for an Easter truce in Ukraine and questioned the worth of raising a victory flag "on a mound of debris" in an apparent allusion to Russia. He said: "Put the weapons down! Let An Easter truce started. But not to re-arm and resume combat but a truce to reach peace through real negotiations open to some sacrifices for the good of the people." Pope Francis spoke at the end of a Palm Sunday service in St. Peter's Square for about 50,000 people. This is the first time the public has been allowed to attend the service since 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. A few individuals in the congregation wore Ukrainian flags on the tips of their olive branches, and a woman who recited one of the prayers near the altar was clothed in the blue and yellow of the flag. (“Philip Pullelle, “On Palm Sunday, pope calls for Easter truce in Ukraine,” Reuters, 10 April 2022)

INTERNATIONAL
Meta and Tiktok compete for growing their user base
On 09 April, the Guardian reported on the robust growth of TikTok, a Chinese-owned video platform worrying the biggest social media platform Facebook. TikTok is expected to catch up with YouTube by 2024, when both are said to earn USD 23.6 billion in ad income. The startup is winning the battle for the "sweet spot" of social network users, those aged 18 to 25, who are leaving Facebook, with parent company Meta attempting to halt the migration by luring them to Instagram. While Meta is a considerably more significant business, Zuckerberg has been compelled to mount a counter-offensive to strengthen and diversify his ad-based business model. Meta's strategy aims to capitalise on the Trump administration's allegation that Chinese corporations constitute a national security concern as possible conduits of personal data to Beijing. (Mark Sweney, “The rise of TikTok: why Facebook is worried about the booming social app,” The Guardian, 09 April 2022)

01 May 2024, Wednesday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #822

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War in Ukraine: Day 45 & 46

Climate activists disrupt fuel supplies; Pope calls for an Easter truce between Ukraine and Russia

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