Photo : AP/Republicworld
20 August 2022, Saturday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #285
War in Ukraine: Day 177
By Rishma Banerjee
War on the Ground
On 19 August, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a memorandum with representatives of Eurocities. The delegation was headed by the Mayor of Florence, Italy, Daro Nardella. Zelenskyy thanked the European cities for the shelter they provide to the Ukrainians feeling the war. Nardella expressed the solidarity with Ukraine and assured to provide support to Ukraine’s cities, communities and the people forced to leave the country temporarily. He also mentioned that the association will share their experience in the reconstruction of Ukraine’s damaged cities. Referring to the memorandum, Nardella said: “We want to start this cooperation as soon as possible, to create the largest program of interaction between cities that we have ever seen in the history of Europe.”
Presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak addressed Russia’s interests in conducting peace talks with Ukraine. He alleged that it was not a “sincere offer, but a trap," stating Russia does not intend to end the war, but is rather interested in strengthening its positions and territorial gains. Podolyak accused Russia for engaging in an “energy blackmail” to create an energy deficiency and force the EU member states to lessen their support for Ukraine. He also blamed (ICRC) for not acting as a mediator in the torture and killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Olenivka region.
On the same day, Ukraine’s armed forces reported on successfully repelling Russia’s attacks in the east, and stopped Russia’s forces from advancing in the Southern Buh region. Bakhmut and Kharkiv and Sloviansk regions where Russia’s offensive is most intense, were attacked with tanks, tube and rocket artillery. Shelling was reported in Zaporizhzhya, Kramatorsk and Avdiivka but the Russians could not improve their tactical positions in this region. Ukraine’s military successfully destroyed one of Russia’s satellite communication station known as Legend 2 and an ammunition warehouse in Mykolaiv.
On 18 August, Kyiv Post reported on the explosions in Kerch and the Belbek military base in Sevastopol, Crimea. Belbek is Russia’s largest airbase in Crimea. Ukraine is yet to take responsibility for the continuous attacks in Crimea. Russia’s authorities are still maintaining that the explosions were a result of air defence activities conducted by Russia and that there was no imminent danger. However, the self-proclaimed governor of Sevastopol, Mykhaiil Razvozhaev, said that a Ukrainian drone was shot down.
The Moscow View
Claims by Russia
On 19 August, DPR head Denis Pushilin said that Russia, Belarus and Syria will send their observers to a tribunal for the trials of foreign mercenaries. Militants from the Azov and Aidar battalions are expected to be brought before the tribunal. DPR’s foreign ministry informed that the necessary documents are being prepared.
On the same day, President Vladimir Putin spoke with France’s president Emmanuel Macron over a phone call initiated by Macron. The leaders discussed the continuous shelling at Zaporizhzhya near the nuclear power plant and the related risks. They agreed on the dispatch of the IAEA mission and Putin informed Macron on the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Russia’s telecom regulator, Roskomnadzor said that enforcement measures had been taken against TikTok, Telegram, Zoom, Discord and Pinterest, upon failure of them to remove false information as per Russian claims. Roskomnadzor said that the enforcement will remain until the companies align with the Russian rules.
On 19 August, Gazprom announced that they will halt gas supplies to the EU via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The company said that the stoppage will be from 31 August for an unscheduled maintenance. Repairs will be conducted in collaboration with Siemens and the only functioning Trent 60 gas compressor unit will thus be shut down for three days. Gazprom added: “Upon completion of work and the absence of technical malfunctions of the unit, gas transportation will be restored to the level of 33 million cubic meters per day.”
The West View
Responses from the US and Europe
On 18 August, ICJ announced EU's submission of information on the allegations of war crimes committed by Russia's soldier against Ukrainians. The application was submitted by Latvia on 26 July. Ukraine's mission to the EU thanked the EU for assisting the case of Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation). The information submitted by the EU was under Article 34, paragraph 2, of the Statute and Article 69, paragraph 2, of the Rules of Court of the ICJ.
On 19 August, according to a memorandum published by the White House, US president Joe Biden allocated an additional USD 775 million as a military aid to Ukraine. The new package will include munitions for HIMARS, 16 105 milimeter howitzers, 15 Scan Eagle spy drones, HARM high-speed anti-radiation missiles, anti-rocket systems and mine-clearing vehicles. As per the memorandum, military education and training is also a part of the package.
On 19 August, POLITICO reported that Greece and Cyprus expressed their supported to Germany over the visa ban. Since Cyprus has a significant Russian-speaking expatriate community, the foreign minister pointed that they believe in “people-to-people contacts” and that such a move would be a “decision in the wrong direction.” Greece, being one of the top tourist destinations for Russians also said that it was not considering to change its decision. The EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss on the tourist ban in Prague by August.
On 18 August, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Zelenskyy in Lviv along with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres. Erdogan aiming to be the mediator between Russia and Ukraine, assured Zelenskyy that Turkey firmly supports Ukraine. He said: “While continuing our efforts to find a solution, we remain on the side of our Ukraine friends.” Though he said that Turkey will assist Ukraine in their rebuilding efforts, Erdogan also reiterated that he was willing to host Russia and Ukraine for negotiation talks
The Global Fallouts
Implications of the Ukraine war
On 19 August, in an interview, Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo told Bloomberg News that China's president Xi Jinping and Russia’s president Putin might attend the Group of 20 summit in November. For Russia, this will be the first global summit since its invasion of Ukraine. For China, this will be the first time Xi travels outside the country since China shut its borders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Previously the US had called for the G20 member-states to remove Russia’s membership and withdraw the invitation to Putin. However, Widodo said: "The rivalry of the big countries is indeed worrying… What we want is for this region is to be stable, peaceful, so that we can build economic growth."
References
“In the presence of the President, a Memorandum was signed with Eurocities on support for the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities,” president.gov.ua, 19 August 2022
“Declaring its readiness for negotiations, Russia is trying to buy time to prepare for the continuation of its aggressive policy towards Ukraine - Mykhailo Podolyak,” president.gov.ua, 19 August 2022
“Armed Forces of Ukraine repulse all enemy assaults and attacks,” Ukrinform, 19 August 2022
“Ukrainian Army Destroys Huge Russian Complex in Mykolaiv Region,” Kyiv Post, 19 August 2022
“Crimea Rocked by Overnight Explosions at Russian Facilities,” Kyiv Post, 19 August 2022
“Russia, Belarus, Syria to send observers to tribunal against mercenaries — DPR leader,” TASS, 19 August 2022
“Russian Munitions Depot Ablaze Near Ukraine Border,” The Moscow Times, 20 August 2022
“Macron calls Putin,” RT, 19 August 2022
“Telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron,” Kremlin.ru, 19 August 2022
“Russian watchdog to mark TikTok, Telegram, Zoom, Discord and Pinterest as violators of law,” TASS, 19 August 2022
“Russian gas transit to EU via Nord Stream to be halted – Gazprom,” RT, 19 August 2022
“Case of genocide against Ukrainians: EU furnishes information at ICJ,” Ukrinform, 19 August 2022
“Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation),” International Court of Justice, 18 August 2022
Patricia Zengerle, Idrees Ali and Steve Holland, “Biden administration readies about $800 mln in additional security aid for Ukraine –sources,” Reuters, 19 August 2022
Nektaria Stamouli and Lili Bayer, “Cyprus and Greece oppose ban on Russian tourist visas,” POLITICO, 19 August 2022
“Erdogan Throws Turkey’s Support Behind Ukraine,” Kyiv Post, 18 August 2022
Melissa Zhu, “Xi and Putin to attend G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia's Jokowi says,” BBC, 19 August 2022
IN BRIEF
By Sai Pranav
GREECE
Athens to clear out its last refugee camp
On 19 August, a skirmish between Greece’s authorities in Athens and people at the Eleonas refugee camp took place where the riot police forces tried to evict migrants who lived there. The police were reported to have used tear gas against the migrants and the activists who had set up barricades before the confrontation. An NGO named Solidarity With Migrants reported that only 30 people were evicted after the operation and the government is trying to relocate them to Schisto by the end of 2022. Greece had been accused by NGOs of pushing back refugees illegally. Solidarity With Migrants said that they will not move from the Eleonas camp until the Greek authorities secure housing for the migrants in the city. (“Clashes as Greek riot police storm Athens camp to evict migrants,” euronews, 19 August 2022)
MONTENEGRO
Prime minister Dritan Abazovic faces no confidence motion
On 20 August, Montenegro’s prime minister Dritan Abazovic’s cabinet lost a no-confidence motion by the country’s parliament. The reason for the no-confidence motion was that Abazovic had signed a deal with the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church which the party of President Milo Djukanovic, the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) opposed to. It was the second no-confidence motion in 2022 after the previous prime minister Zdravko Krivokapic had aligned himself with the same church. DSP had initiated the motion with the support of 50 of 81 deputies of the parliament. According to Abazovic, the division between pro-Russian Serbian supporting citizens and the ones who want to be independent Montenegrins have let criminal groups run the country. (“Montenegro's parliament passes no-confidence motion on cabinet,” Reuters, 20 August 2022)
THE UK
London transport system halted due to strike by transport workers
On 19 August, workers of Transport for London (TfL) held a strike over an increase in wages to keep up with the double-digit inflation. London’s transport network was stopped due to the strikes. The UK already saw strikes oraganized by unions leading to rail disruptions in 2022. Soaring energy prices, the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and rising food costs are said to contribute to the high inflation rate of 10.1 per cent the UK seen in July. The government is worried about the scenario where there is an increase in both wages and inflation that might lead to the collapse of the economy. TfL will have prolonged negotiations with the government to reach a solution. (“Strikes bring London's transport network to a halt,” Reuters, 19 August 2022)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
French archaeologists discover ways to decipher ancient Elamite script
On 18 August, Deutsche Welle reported that French archaeologist Francois Desset and his team had found a way to partially decipher the previously unknown Elamite script. Characters of the script named Linear Elamite were discovered in artefacts in the ruins of the city Susa in modern-day Iran. Ancient Elamite was said to be as antique as Mesopotamian cuneiform, Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Harrapan scripts. Desset and his team said that they deciphered the Elamite language by comparing the same passage on silver cups that were unearthed in Susa to the already known Mesopotamian cuneiform. A lot of researchers disagree with Desset’s findings saying that they might be inconclusive. Desset also said that the characters were phonographic, syllables that have sounds rather than logographic, letters that are complete words. (Katrin Ewert, “Archaeological mystery: Ancient Elamite script from Iran deciphered?,” Deutsche Welle, 18 August 2022)
REGIONAL
A large number of migrants recorded to have crossed the English Channel
On 19 August, euronews reported that more than 250 migrants were rescued from crossing the English Channel in just four days. The UK had been criticized for having a controversial deal with Rwanda to send illegal migrants to the east African state and the European Court of Human Rights had even halted the first deportation by its ruling. France’s Navy and coastguards have been rescuing more asylum seekers that wish to cross the English Channel to go to the UK in 2022 than in previous years. The UK government released figures on 14 August that suggests that the number of migrants illegally crossing the English Channel to the country is reaching a record level. (“Hundreds of UK-bound migrants rescued from sea in just four days,” euronews, 19 August 2022)
INTERNATIONAL
Turkey and Israel restore diplomatic ties by mutually appointing ambassadors
On 19 August, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israel’s leader Isaac Herzog had a telephone conversation about deepening their bilateral relations and regional issues. Turkey is looking forward to friendly relations with Israel on the basis of respect for mutual sensitivities. Both states announced that they would be appointing ambassadors at the same time which would be an important first step towards a positive restoration of diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel following decades of agitation. (“Turkish-Israeli ties will gain new momentum, Erdoğan tells Herzog,” Daily Sabah, 19 August 2022)