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08 June 2022, Wednesday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #222

War in Ukraine: Day 104

Christian Schmidt allocates funds for Bosnia’s elections; Berlin releases draft on wind energy; Supreme court cracks down on corruption issues in Slovakia

Photo : Guardian graphic/The Institute for the Study of War

War in Ukraine: Day 104
By Rishma Banerjee

War on the Ground
On 07 June, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that there was no chance of Ukraine agreeing to a battlefield stalemate. They would rather aim to gain control of all of the territory that Moscow controls. Zelesnkyy said: “We have already lost too many people to simply cede our territory… We have to achieve a full deoccupation of our entire territory.”

The regional governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, reported that Russians in Sievierodonetsk seem to have redoubled their efforts after Ukraine’s counterattack. He said that situation is evolving every day, till now Ukraine’s forces have been successful in holding Russia off.

On 07 June, Kyiv experienced renewed violence after a month of relative peace, Kharkiv too suffered a similar fate. The situation in the city had calmed down to a degree with the retreat of Russia’s forces. However, the local mayor, Ihor Terekhov, reported a Russian strike, which resulted in one person dying, and three getting injured. He also said that the people lived in constant fear.

On 07 June, adviser to Ukraine’s minister of agrarian policy and food, Markiyan Dmytrasevych said that thousands of mines infest the water near the ports in Ukraine. This comes as a blow to Turkey’s plans to coordinate the mass-scale supply of Ukraine’s grains to the global market. However, Turkey said that they have been able to make progress in their talks with Russia and Ukraine, about the same.

Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom condemned the IAEA’s plan to send a mission to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant. It said that Ukraine had not solicited such a visit and mentioned how such a mission would further legitimize the presence of the occupiers in the plant and not acknowledge the acts of aggression by Russia committed at the plant.

The Donetsk People's Republic, the separatist, pro-Russian faction in Ukraine reported that Ukraine’s forces have shelled the Petrovsky district in Donetsk with 15 millimetres of artillery, a weapon typically used by NATO states. The Russian-appointed administration in Kherson also announced that a Russian bank is all set to open a branch in the region. However, the head of the Kherson region’s “military-civilian” administration, Kirill Stremousov did not specify which bank it will be.

The Moscow View:
Claims by Russia
On 07 June, TASS provided an update about the soldiers captured from the Azovstal Steel Plant, in Mariupol. The report said that more than 1000 soldiers were transferred to Russia for investigation. This comes amidst some Russian lawmakers suggesting that they need to be put on trial. While TASS did not report anything further on what would happen to the soldiers, there is a chance that this might further sour the chances of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu also referred to the rising food security crisis and said that the two ports of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, Berdyansk, and Mariupol were ready to start operations. However, he blamed Ukraine for the delay and said that they needed to determine the ways to the port, in order for them to be functional again.

The lower house of Russia voted on a bill that will further tighten the law against people. At its first reading, the bill was passed by 346 votes to 17, and introduced a new category of “persons affiliated with a foreign agent.” In other news, the parliament also passed two bills that will end the European Court of Human Rights’ jurisdiction in the country. As per the bill, 15 March has been set as the cut-off point. As a result, rulings made against Russia after that will not be considered.

The military prosecutor of Russia’s Western Military District said that Russia will be prosecuting 12 Russian officers for sending about 600 young conscript soldiers to Ukraine. He also mentioned that disciplinary measure has already been taken against them and that some officers have been dismissed from service.

The West View:
Responses from the US and Europe
On 07 June, UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson addressed his top officials and said that Ukraine should not accept a badly negotiated peace deal under any circumstances. He also said: “the world must avoid any outcome where Putin's unwarranted aggression appears to have paid off.”

The farming minister of the UK called to initiate an investigation into the alleged thefts of Ukraine’s grains by Russia. Victoria Prentis, the minister, said this while addressing a conference at the International Grains Council in London, and mentioned that these allegations were serious and should be looked into.

Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz during his visit to Vilnius, spoke about Russia’s military capabilities. He said that given the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia by the West, it will be difficult for Russia to maintain their military capability at the level at which they are operating now. In a meeting with Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nausea, Scholz also promised that Germany will be ramping up their military support to Lithuania, especially due to the Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the resultant fallouts.

Germany’s former chancellor, Angela Merkel, recently commented that during her tenure, she had tried hard to prevent the situation in Ukraine from escalating. Referring to the 2014 Minsk Agreement, she further said: “It's a great sadness that it didn't work out, but I don't blame myself for not trying.” She also mentioned that she had been against the idea of Ukraine joining NATO for this very reason.

The Global Fallouts:
Implications of the Ukraine war
On 07 June, UNICEF issued another warning about the situation in Somalia. The conflict in Ukraine and the blockades on Ukraine’s ports have intensified the global food security crisis. Somalia faces a bleak future with projections of a severe famine. The children’s agency said that the country already has 386,000 children with life-threatening malnutrition and only a third of the USD 250 million needed to stave off the famine has been raised so far. Rania Dagash, the deputy regional director of UNICEF said that in order to solve this crisis, the world needs to look away from the Ukraine crisis and act with immediacy.

The IAEA, UN’s nuclear watchdog said that the radiation detectors in the Chornobyl nuclear power plant’s exclusion zone were back. As per the data collected by the 39 detectors in the region, the radiation levels in the region are in line with the condition before the conflict.

The World Bank approved an additional USD 1.49 billion in funds for Ukraine. They said that this was to help pay wages for the government employees and the social workers. This additional fund increases World Bank’s total pledged support to over USD 4 billion. They also reported that this is being supported by guarantees from Britain, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, and the newly formed multi-donor trust fund.

A court in Fiji has ordered the removal of the Russian-owned superyacht that has been docked at Queens Wharf in Lautoka, since 13 April. It had been seized by Fiji, after they granted a US warrant which linked the yacht to Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who has been sanctioned. The Supreme Court said that the vessel has been costing the government dearly after it floated into the Fiji waters without any permits.

IN BRIEF
By Padmashree Anandhan and Ashwin Dhanabalan

BOSNIA
International envoy Christian Schmidt allocates funds for upcoming elections
On 07 June, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s high representative stated that he had allocated USD 6.8 million to ensure the elections happen on 02 October. Issues arose when the government set a date for the elections but did not allocate the funds needed to carry it out. He added: “It is obvious to me that the planned allocation is neither sufficient nor implementable.” Serbian and Croatian politicians obstructed the decision on financing the elections as they were not extended exclusive rights through the election law. (“Bosnia’s international envoy imposes decision on financing general election,” Reuters, 08 June 2022; “Bosnian Envoy Imposes Funding Decision For Elections,” Radio Free Europe, 07 June 2022)

GERMANY
Olaf Scholz promises a special fund to boost security in eastern Europe
On 07 June, German chancellor Olaf Scholz made his first visit to Lithuania for a discussion with the Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania leaders. The discussion focused on boosting the security of the eastern front, where Scholz pledged to allocate EUR 100 billion as a special fund to strengthen the armed forces. He assured to make Germany’s forces the best at the Europe and NATO levels. After the meeting, the Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda commented that with increasing levels of security and violation of international norms by Russia, there should be no space for dialogue or cooperation, or concession with Russia. He called it a terrorist state. (“Germany's Scholz vows to strengthen NATO's eastern flank,” Deutsche Welle, 07 June 2022)

Berlin accelerates its shift from Russian fossil fuels to wind energy
On 08 June, Germany’s economy and climate ministry stated that it would be presenting a package to expedite the expansion of wind energy. The law additionally gives the country a framework for the national standard for species protection assessment for the species that would be affected by the wind farms. According to the draft law, the wind farms would also have to contribute to financing the species protection. This comes as Germany aims to fulfill its 2030 goals of fulfilling 80 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable sources. (“Germany to introduce bill to accelerate wind energy expansion -document,” Reuters, 08 June 2022)

SLOVAKIA
Supreme court cracks down on corruption issues in Bratislava
On 02 June, Euronews reported on the surfacing of corruption issues in Slovakia as a man tasked to tackle corruption was himself found guilty. Slovakia’s court also upheld a conviction against Dušan Kováčik for accepting bribes. Kováčik was the former head of the elite prosecutor's office and was involved in releasing criminals and leaking classified information. With cases against high-ranking public officials coming to the forefront, analysts have called this a “groundbreaking” decision to “cleaning out the house”.(David Hutt, “Slovakia makes slow progress in tackling corruption,'' Euronews, 02 June 2022)

REGIONAL
Moscow and Ankara plan to export Ukraine’s wheat to Syria
On 07 June, Russia’s and Turkey’s defence ministers discussed possible corridors to export wheat from Ukraine to Syria. Turkey’s defence minister Hulusi Akar spoke to Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu saying: “all measures that can be taken regarding the safe shipment of grains, sunflower, and all other agricultural products.” Akar added that Turkey was coordinating the efforts between Russia and Ukraine, but no formal agreement has been reached yet. Ukraine’s embassy reiterated that if the coordination did not consider Ukraine’s interests, it would be rejected by Kyiv. (“Russian, Turkish defence ministers discuss Syria, grain exports from Ukraine,” Reuters, 08 June 2022)

EU announced provision for a common phone charger for all electronic devices
On 07 June the EU provisionally approved the adoption of a common phone charger cable throughout the EU by 2024. It has planned to make a USB type-C charger as a uniform charger for all electronic devices from mobile phones, tablets, headphones, video game consoles, portable speakers, and laptops. The rule will be applicable to Apple and its devices, previously the company had argued in 2021 when the plan was initiated stating it will challenge innovation. Although it’s perceived as a bar to innovation, the EU seems to be sturdy on the decision as it aims to reduce electronic waste. It found that the ban on different varieties of chargers, it will cut down consumer costs by EUR 250 million and 11,000 tonnes of e-waste. (Tom Gerken, “EU sets date for common phone charge cable,” BBC, 07 June 2022)

EU proposes a new deal to impose equal minimum wages across the member states
On 07 June, the EU proposed an agreement to equate minimum wages given with the standard of living. Of the 27 member states, six states Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Sweden which depend on “collective pay bargaining,” and do not follow minimum wages will be affected by the new deal. The EU estimated that one out of 10 workers were earning under the minimum wage, but with each country, the amount varied. At the highest range, Luxembourg has set the highest minimum wage at EUR 13.05 per hour, which is followed by Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. In the lower range Bulgaria, followed by Hungary and Romania with EUR 2.19 per hour has been set as the minimum wage. (Paul Kirby, “EU deal links minimum wage to decent standard of living,” BBC, 07 June 2022)

ENVIRONMENT
Ukraine lagoons and marine life are under threat due to the Ukraine war
On 07 June, Guardian reported on the damaging effect caused on the oceans and wetlands due to the Ukraine war. The Tuzly Lagoons national park on the Black Sea is known for being dug by environmentalists to ensure the flow of water bodies. They dug channels will be the path to numerous small fishes, which come to the lagoons for breeding. With the war in place, the digging cannot be done and the beaches are now being filled with mines to keep the Russian forces away. The digging has been in practice for the last 30 years and it was seen as a way to restore the marine life, environmentalists warn that this was only one affected area brought into light while many other wetlands have been impacted due to the continuity of war. Ukraine’s deputy minister of environmental protection and natural resources said: “Almost 400,000 hectares and 14 Ramsar sites [wetlands designated to be of international importance by Unesco] along the coastline and lower reaches of the Dnipro river are under threat.” (“Dead dolphins: how nature became another casualty of the Ukraine war,” The Guardian, 07 June 2022)

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