War against Ukraine: this is the situation

War against Ukraine: this is the situation

Russia must expect further punitive measures from the EU due to its war against Ukraine. According to the German Press Agency, these include the proposal to restrict trade in diamonds from Russia. According to the EU's External Action Service, a proposal for a twelfth package of sanctions has been submitted to the 27 member states. It is now being examined by government representatives and should ideally come into force by the end of the year.

After almost 21 months of the Russian war of aggression, President Volodymyr Selensky yesterday appealed to his compatriots' will to fight. The Ukrainians could not afford to close their eyes to the war, he said in Kiev: "We must fight." Today marks the 631st day of war for the Ukrainian military.

In Russia, the war ordered by President Vladimir Putin is supported by many people. However, as a sign of protest, several attacks have again been carried out on military muster stations in recent days.

EU launches twelfth sanctions package

According to information from Brussels, the EU intends to adopt export and import bans on further goods from Russia. The price cap on Russian oil exports to third countries, which has hardly been effective recently, is also to be tightened. Unlike the UK, the EU has not yet announced an import ban on diamonds and aluminum from Russia.

The main reason for this to date has been resistance from Belgium, where the Flemish port city of Antwerp has been one of the most important diamond centers in the world since the 16th century. Russia, in turn, is considered the world's largest producer of rough diamonds. In 2021, the state diamond miner Alrosa had revenues of 332 billion roubles (around 3.38 billion euros).

The eleventh EU sanctions package came into force in June. Among other things, it included an instrument against circumventing sanctions that had already been imposed. Import bans on crude oil, coal, steel, gold and luxury goods as well as punitive measures against banks and financial institutions have been in place for some time. The list of individuals, organizations and companies sanctioned due to the Ukraine conflict now includes around 1,800 entries.

Selenskyj: Russia can still do bad things

According to official reports, at least five civilians were killed and 17 others injured by Russian shelling in the south and east of Ukraine on Wednesday. According to civil defense officials, at least three men died in the Zaporizhzhya region after being hit by Russian missiles. Two of the dead were rescue workers who had come to help after the first hits.

"Russia is still capable of doing evil," said Zelenskyi in his video address. "We must fight. We must make our defense a top priority. And we must make our state stronger every day."

Ukraine makes war risk insurance for ships cheaper

With British help, Ukraine is reducing insurance premiums for ships that call at Ukrainian Black Sea ports despite the war. This should support grain exports from Ukraine, said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

There is war risk cover of 50 million US dollars (46.1 million euros) for each ship. In addition, there is a further 50 million dollars in protection and liability insurance for each voyage to Ukraine. The Ukrainian state banks Ukreximbank and Ukrgasbank are guaranteeing the sums, while the British reinsurers Marsh McLennan and Lloyd's of London are providing cover. The German DZ Bank is also involved.

Russia had withdrawn its guarantee for Ukrainian grain exports in July. Ukraine therefore set up its own shipping corridor to its ports on the Black Sea. Since then, around 100 ships have ventured on the risky passage; more grain has been exported again. Last week, however, the Russian air force fired on a freighter flying the flag of Liberia, which was moored in a port near Odessa. A Ukrainian pilot was killed and three Filipino sailors were injured.

Arson attacks on Russian draft offices

In Russia, there have again been several arson attacks on local draft offices. According to media reports, security forces arrested a 75-year-old woman in St. Petersburg yesterday for allegedly setting fire to a car in front of the army conscription center. On Tuesday, the Russian Telegram channel Shot reported on arson attacks on two Russian military offices in Perm in the Urals and in the city of Prokhladny in the Caucasus.

On Monday, a district military office in the town of Podolsk, around 20 kilometers south of Moscow, was reportedly attacked twice in the course of one day, as Shot reported. On the same day, a 70-year-old man threw an incendiary device at the local military authority in Obninsk, around 70 kilometers to the southwest, according to local media. There were further reports of attacks on the offices in Sevastopol in Crimea and in the Sverdlovsk region. The last major wave of arson attacks on Russian district military offices took place in July.

Russian economy grows more strongly than expected

The Russian economy grew more strongly than expected in the summer. Gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 5.5 percent in the third quarter compared to the previous year, as announced by the national statistics office on Wednesday. This is the strongest increase since the fourth quarter of 2021. Economists had expected growth of 5.1%. Growth is being supported by high government spending in connection with the war against Ukraine.

This will be important today

Russian troops are attacking on several fronts in the east and south of Ukraine. The Ukrainian military is expecting fierce battles near the cities of Kupjansk, Bachmut, Avdiivka and Marjinka.

1. Despite the EU's proposed restrictions on diamond trade from Russia due to the war against Ukraine, resistance from countries like Belgium, where Antwerp is a significant diamond center, has delayed the implementation of an import ban.
2. President Volodymyr Selensky has called upon Ukrainians to keep fighting, stating that Russia is still capable of doing evil and that their defense and state strength are top priorities.
3. In response to the EU's twelfth sanctions package, Russia has seen increased attacks on military muster stations as a form of protest, indicating that not all Russians support President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine.

Source: www.dpa.com