Photo : Louiza Vradi/Reuters
23 June 2023, Friday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #550
War in Ukraine: Day 484
By Sreeja JS
War on the Ground
On 22 June, Ukrinform reported that the Chongar Bridge that connects Crimea with mainland Ukraine was struck, blocking the traffic. According to Ukrinform Crimean Governor Serhii Aksonov said on Telegram that no casualties were reported.
On 22 June, according to president.gov.ua, Zelenkyy said: “Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.” On 20 June, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov told national television that the nuclear plant was additionally mined, including the cooling pond. He added that if Russian forces blow it up, it could lead to significant problems. On 22 June, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba remarked that the best way to prevent tragedies is to provide Kyiv with all the necessary ammunition to expel Russian forces from Ukrainian territory. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that they are following the matter with great attention.
On 22 June, according to The Kyiv Independent, the Ukrainian forces made gains in the south and east directions and advanced up to one kilometre in Melitopol and Berdiansk. A spokesperson for Ukrainian Military Valeriy Shershen remarked that the towns of Avdiivka and Marinka witnessed intense fighting and Ukrainian forces have not lost their positions in these areas. According to Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar, Ukrainian forces slightly advanced near Lyman in northern Donetsk between the towns of Dibrova and Bilohirivka.
On 22 June, The Kyiv Independent reported on the overnight missile attacks in Ukraine by Russia. According to The Kyiv Independent, Russia sent three Kh-22 cruise missiles and four loitering munitions overnight. Ukrainian military reported downing three Shahid kamikaze drones over Odesa. The Air Force also reported that Russian forces missed their targets in Dnipropetrovsk, says The Kyiv Independent.
The Moscow View
Claims by Russia
On 22 June, RT News reported that IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi denied the Ukrainian government’s claim that the cooling pond of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is rigged with mines.
The West View
Responses from the US and Europe
On 22 June, Politico reported on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s comment that the upcoming NATO Summit must focus on strengthening Ukraine’s military power instead of starting the process for Kyiv to join NATO. He further added that EU and G7 countries would work parallelly to provide “effective and long-lasting security guarantees” for Ukraine. He said that Germany would continue to support Ukraine “for as long as is necessary” and would increase defence expenditure. According to Deutsche Welle, he said that German military and economic aid to Ukraine totalled EUR 16.8 billion which clearly shows that Germany stands firmly at Ukraine’s side.
References
“Chongar Bridge traffic blocked - occupiers reports about strike,” Ukrinform, 22 June 2023
Alexander Khrebet, “Ukraine war latest: Zelensky warns of possible Russian terrorist attack at Zaporizhzhia plant; IAEA spots no new mines at site,” The Kyiv Independent, 23 June 2023
“President of Ukraine: Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia NPP with radiation leakage, the world must act,” president.gov.ua, 22 June 2023
“IAEA debunks Ukrainian claim about Europe’s largest nuclear plant,” RT News, 22 June 2023
“Germany: Scholz hails 'more active' defense role,” Deutsche Welle, 22 June 2023
Hans Von Der Burchard, “Scholz to NATO: Focus on boosting Ukraine’s military power, not membership,” Politico.eu, 22 June 2023
In Brief
By Sneha Surendran
GERMANY
Rail union in Germany calls for strikes
On 22 June, Germany’s EVG Rail workers union said that they were planning to hold strikes after the failure of wage talks with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn. On 21 June, the EVG had rejected the rail operator’s proposed offer for a salary hike of up to 12 per cent on the premise that it was too low, too late and its term of 27 months was too long. Deutsche Bahn responded, calling the strikes “absolutely unnecessary” and that the two sides had been “very close to a deal.” (“Germany's EVG rail union plans strikes after wage talks collapse,” Reuters, 22 June 2023)
GREECE
Greece elections: New Democracy set for a comfortable victory
On 23 June, Politico reported that Greece’s New Democracy party is heading for a victory in the elections that will be held on 25 June. With this, the party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis will return as Prime Minister. Mitsotakis has pledged to cut back the public sector and bring reforms in the health and education sectors. Additionally, the pro-investor outlook of his party has raked up support in a country that faced a debt crisis, followed by the negative impact of the pandemic. Wolfango Piccoli, the co-founder of risk analysis company Teneo, raised the question of a weakening opposition, stating: “The opposition is extremely weak, and it will take a very long time to recover. The Prime Minister will have to pay attention to this aspect, because we have seen in other countries that a weak opposition could become a problem for the government, for the quality of policymaking for accountability and transparency.” (Nektaria Stamouli, “Greek election looks set to strengthen Mitsotakis’ power,” Politico, 23 June 2023)
TURKEY
Interest rate raised
On 22 June, Turkey’s central bank announced an increase of 6.5 per cent to the interest rate, thereby raising the interest rate for commercial lenders from 8.5 per cent to 15 per cent. Turkey has increased its rate for the first time since March 2021 in an effort to combat inflation.. The central bank statement said: “Monetary tightening will be further strengthened as much as needed in a timely and gradual manner until a significant improvement in the inflation outlook is achieved.” The move is being seen as a return to conventional economic policies under the new government led by Erdogan. (“Turkey's central bank hikes interest rates sharply,” Deutsche Welle, 22 June 2023)
MIGRATION
Migrant boat capsizes near Canaray Islands in the Atlantic Ocean
On 22 June, BBC reported that the sinking of a boat off the Canary Islands may have resulted in the death of more than 30 migrants. Reuters cited Spanish state news agency EFE which reported that on 20 June, a Spanish rescue service ship called the Guardamar Caliope had only been an hour away from the migrant boat. However, they only sent a patrol boat to the area on the morning of 21 June. (Oliver Slow, “At least 30 migrants feared dead in Canary Islands disaster,” BBC, 22 June 2023)
ECONOMY
New digital law set to make big tech firms comply to cyber rules
On 22 June, Europe's Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton met Elon Musk and Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino to conduct a “stress test” on Twitter’s services to show how the firm will work under the new Digital Services Act (DSA). Breton is on a two-day visit to the US to remind major tech firms that the EU’s DSA will come into effect in late August. Once in effect, the law will require major tech firms to take action against online hate speech, illegal content, cyberbullying and disinformation. On 23 June, Breton is expected to meet Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of ChatGPT’s OpenAI Sam Altman and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang to pitch a new initiative called the AI Pact which is a part of the proposed EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, an upcoming law that deals with transparency, security and human oversight for AI tools. (Clothilde Goujard, Gian Volpicelli, “Europe’s digital ‘enforcer’ takes EU tech rulebook to Silicon Valley,” Politico, 22 June 2023)
REGIONAL
EU talks fail to break Kosovo-Serbia tensions
On 22 June, the EU hosted leaders from Serbia and Kosovo for talks to defuse the border tensions that have increased fears of direct conflict. The two leaders held separate talks with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borell but refused to meet each other. There were no results to the meeting as Borell stated that the two sides have “different interpretations of the causes and also the facts, consequences, and solutions.” Serbian troops have already been stationed at the border on the highest alert. A series of clashes have been seen between Kosovo Serbs on one side and Kosovo police and NATO peacekeepers on the other. However, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg promised that the peacekeepers “will continue to act impartially.” (Lorne Cook, “No breakthrough after EU summons Kosovo and Serbia leaders for emergency talks,” AP News, 22 June 2023)
INTERNATIONAL
France’s backing of Saudi Arabia raises concerns
On 22 June, Politico reported that France has endorsed Saudi Arabia as the host for the 2030 World Expo in a move that has sparked anger across Europe. Italy, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Ukraine had placed the bid to host the event. The French President’s support for Saudi Arabia over Italy has concerned human rights activists and other EU countries. He is thought to be backing Saudi Arabia in hopes of pursuing trade and diplomatic ties with them. In response, Ahmed Benchemsi from Human Rights Watch said: “The Expo 2030 bid is just part of a string of huge dollar spending activity that Saudi Arabia has been engaging in for the past years to distract the attention of the world from the gruesome human rights violations.” (Giorgio Leali, “Riyadh not Rome: Anger rises over Macron’s backing for Saudi World Expo bid, Politico, 22 June 2023)