Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk and Maryana Zaviyska
Photo: Natasha Pisarenko
100 days of Ukraine’s resistance.
February 24 has started a new timeline for people in Ukraine, who are now counting every day of resistance and loss. 100 days of Russian war in Ukraine have hardly left any aspect of Ukrainian life untouched and undamaged. Check some of the key numbers of the Russia-Ukraine war in our new factsheet.
Cities under attack.
Russian forces shelled border communities of Chernihiv region. Within a day, 22 explosions were recorded near the village of Mykhalchyna Sloboda. Severe battles continue all across the Luhansk region. About 800 people are hiding in shelters underneath the chemical plant Azot in Severodonetsk, says Head of Luhansk Military Administration Serhiy Haidai. The plant remains a frequent target for Russian shelling. Meanwhile, 60% of Lysychansk is reported to be destroyed, says head of Lysychansk city administration. In Severodonetsk, where fighting is taking place in the city center, nine houses have been damaged. In Lysychansk – two, as well as infrastructure and fire department transport. In Sloviansk, Donetsk region, there is no electricity due to the damage to a high-voltage power line after a Russian attack. Within a day, Donetsk region encountered 17 shelling attacks from all types of weapons (small arms, tanks, artillery, mortars, MLRS “Grad”, aviation) on the 14 settlements. 23 structures were damaged, including 20 residential buildings and the premises of Krasnohorivsky Refractory Plant and Avdiivka coke plants. Three people were killed and 8 were injured. The communities of Mykolayiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions are suffering further under attacks coming from neighboring districts of occupied Kherson region.
Cities under occupation.
A member of Russian collaboration authorities in Zaporizhzhia region, self-proclaimed head of the Zaporizhzhia military-civil administration, Yevhen Balytskyi, signed a decree on the nationalisation of Ukrainian state property. Russian media outlet RIA explains that the decree was signed in order to meet the state’s needs to improve the overall efficiency and social orientation of the economy, as well as to preserve the national heritage for the residents of Zaporizhzhia region.
Russians reinstated the death penalty in the occupied Mariupol. So-called “DPR” court obtained powers to issue the sentence of execution or imprisonment to volunteers and officials who refused to cooperate with the occupying authorities, says Mariupol city Mayor Boychenko. At least one civil servant was executed and the head of one of the coastline villages was imprisoned for 10 years. The occupiers are holding dozens of volunteers in the Olenivka prison, who in March-April helped evacuate Mariupol residents and also brought humanitarian aid. Advisor to the mayor of Mariupol Andriushchenko says self-proclaimed authorities in Mariupol do not issue death certificates and withhold the right to be buried in a separate grave in case of death due to the shelling. This right is granted only in case of death from natural causes.
Oleshky boarding school for children with disabilities in the Kherson region is in an extremely difficult situation, as reported by the head of the Kherson Military Administration Hennadii Lahuta. Children remained trapped in the region since there are no official evacuation corridors from there. According to our sources in Oleshky boarding school, the employees of the institution have not received salary, and there are also difficulties with food, hygiene products, medicines.
Food security.
In the light of growing food crises in the world, talks with Russia are underway. The chair of the African Union, Senegal’s President Macky Sall, will meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday. The visit to Sochi comes as an effort to “free stocks of cereals and fertilizers, the blockade of which particularly impacts African countries”. Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator has arrived in Moscow to discuss clearing the way for exports of grain and other food from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, Reuters reports. Griffiths will meet Russian officials days after another senior UN official, Rebecca Grynspan, had “constructive” talks in Moscow on expediting Russian grain and fertilizer exports. Ukraine is working with international partners to create a United Nations-backed mission to restore Black Sea shipping routes and export Ukrainian farm produce, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Spokesperson. Meanwhile, Russia assures that vessels carrying grain can leave Ukraine’s ports in the Black Sea via “humanitarian corridors” and Russia is ready to guarantee their safety.
President Zelenskyi in his address at the GLOBSEC indicated that the Russian maritime blockade and its war in Ukraine will lead to a “catastrophic” rise in the price of food and basic goods, which in fact will cause protests, famine and migration around the world.
Foreign policy.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU should support Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, while maintaining compliance with all standards and requirements. The President said the EU has a duty to support Ukraine on its way to the EU, calling it a “historic responsibility”.
G7 Ambassadors to Ukraine stressed their support of the institution of the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, whose independence must be protected during martial law. The statement comes in the light of the recent dismissal of the Ombudswoman of Ukraine, Lyudmyla Denisova, by the Parliament of Ukraine. The parliamentarians had cast a vote of no confidence due to the accusations of Denisova in her poor performance in times of war.
Sanctions.
The European Commission signed the sixth sanctions package. This package includes, in particular, a partial ban on the export of Russian oil. It does not concern oil delivered by pipelines. The import of Russian oil to the European Union may be reduced by 90% by the end of the year.
Economic security.
Ukraine’s central bank (NBU) more than doubled its benchmark interest rate on Thursday. NBU increased the rate from 10% to 25% in one move for the first time in 100 days of the Russian war in Ukraine. The officials explain this as a “resolute step” to tackle inflation, which had risen up to 17% in May and is expected to double by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Tymofiy Mylovanov, the economist and President’s Advisor, says it is a very rapid increase and a more gradual approach would be preferred.
Energy security.
Russian invading forces stole 698 computers, 344 vehicles, 1500 radiation dosimeters, unreplaceable software and almost all firefighting equipment from Chernobyl power plant nuclear laboratories. The total damage exceeds $135 million, says the Washington Post. After occupying the nuclear power plant for a month, Russian forces looted the equipment while leaving.
Prosecution.
Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation has completed a pre-trial investigation into pro-Russian politician and Putin’s close friend Viktor Medvedchuk. Medvechuk is accused of treason by providing the Russian leadership with assistance in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine, including by collecting information about the location of military units. Also, he is accused of illegal production of oil and gas in the Black Sea: in the area of the occupied Crimea, along with another MP from their Opposition Party for Life. According to these charges, Medvedchuk could receive up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Recent polls.
Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation released the results of the survey “The struggle in the information and cultural spheres: what Ukrainians think about the state language policy and propaganda against the background of Russian aggression”. On the language issue. Only 7% of residents of the West and Center of Ukraine consider the issue of the use of different languages in Ukraine to be one of the most acute in the country, while 70% do not see language issue as a problem. 85% of residents of the Center and the West of Ukraine support the introduction of mandatory use of the state Ukrainian language in the service sector. On the freedom of speech and disinformation. The majority of the respondents (51%) disagree that freedom of speech could be temporarily restricted in order to restore order in the country (35% agreed). This result reaffirms the need to strike a balance between security and freedom of expression, as well as the need for civil society, even in wartime, to monitor government action and prevent unjustified restrictions on freedom of expression.
25 photos of 100 days of war.
See the selection of the 25 photos portraying the last 100 days in Ukraine.
Reading corner.
- Ukraine Tells Story of War in Museum Show | The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- Volodymyr Zelensky on War, Technology, and the Future of Ukraine | WIRED
- The Truth About Ukrainian Nationalism and Claims It’s Tainted by Nazism | Haaretz — In light of Russian propaganda, Haaretz is delving into the concept of Ukrainian nationalism, to better understand its historical and contemporary meaning, and find out where the Azov Battalion fits in.
Statistics.
- Since the beginning of the war, Russia has launched 5722 operational-tactical aircraft flights and 551 launches of “Iskander” and “Kalibr” cruise missiles, says General Staff of Ukraine.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., June 2, 2022: personnel – around 30 950, tanks ‒ 1367, APV ‒ 3366, artillery systems – 661, MLRS – 207, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 95, fixed-wing aircraft – 210, helicopters – 175, operational-tactical level UAV – 535, cruise missiles – 121, boats and light speed boats – 13, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 2329, special equipment – 51.
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