Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk and Maryana Zaviyska
Recovery.
Agreements worth almost $1.9 billion to support Ukraine were reached at the International Conference in Lugano, says Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. The contributions include 600 million dollars for financial support, more than 500 million dollars for the development of the agricultural sector (storage, improvement of logistics, liquidity for enterprises, etc), more than 500 million dollars to prepare for the heating season and almost 250 million dollars for the development of digital transformation projects in our country.
The Civil Society declared common principles and a framework for the future Ukraine in the Civil Society Manifesto as the result of the Lugano Conference. Therefore recovery process of Ukraine shall must meet the six criteria – Ukraine is a state with a European identity, a representative democracy with a competitive political process, open market economy with equal rules, protected area for the development of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar cultures, as well as of the present diversity of different cultures and identities. All decision-making processes are transparent and participatory. Civil society is an important tool for citizens to participate in public life. National and local governments are open to interaction with civil society.
Foreign policy.
The Prime Minister of Ireland, Micheál Martin visited Ukraine. Before the meeting with Ukraine’s President and Prime Minister, he visited Borodyanka, Irpin and Bucha in the Kyiv region. The Prime Minister Martin assured that Ireland will further support Ukrainians and will look for mechanisms for financial assistance within the European Union. The Prime Minister of Ireland added that they would work with Irish business to attract as many stakeholders as possible to the process of rebuilding Ukraine.
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the Birmingham declaration, condemning the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, demanding an immediate ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Russian troops.The Birmingham Declaration also ‘expresses support for the work of the independent international commission of inquiry mandated by the UN Human Rights Council and the ongoing proceedings at the International Criminal Court, which is conducting an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by any party to the conflict on any part of the territory of Ukraine.’ It also urges OSCE participating States to phase out imports of Russian fossil fuels and stresses that ‘enhancing and diversifying energy supplies towards clean energy sources is instrumental to achieve carbon-neutrality, alleviate energy dependency, and make energy more accessible.’
Food security.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba cast doubt on a near-term breakthrough in talks to unblock crop exports from the Black Sea ports, Bloomeberg reports. However, the negotiations are underway as a number of logistical details need to be worked out in talks brokered by Turkey and United Nations between Ukraine and Russia, though breaking the deadlock will be difficult. Kuleba said talks, being held at government-agency level, are centered on thrashing out delivery itineraries and mechanisms to secure cargo vessels. Negotiators haven’t yet reached an agreement on securing Odesa, Ukraine’s largest seaport, from Russian attack, as well as foreign patrols guarding non-military cargoes, Kuleba said.
Ukraine has asked Türkiye to help investigate how Russia exports grain from the occupied territories. Ukraine suspects three Russian-flagged vessels – Mikhail Nenashev, Matros Pozynich and Matros Koshka. In a previously unreported letter dated June 13, the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office asked the Ministry of Justice of Türkiye to conduct an investigation and provide evidence. The letter states that the ships departed from the main grain terminal of occupied Crimea in Sevastopol in April and May. Therefore, Kyiv asks Ankara to provide documentation about their cargo and the time they arrived at Turkish ports.
Cities under attack.
Russians burn wheat fields with phosphorus bombs in Polohy community on Zaporihzhzhia region. The community is located at the contact line in the Zaporizhzhia region, therefore faces threats of the regular battles nearby. The report notes that the Russian military first hits residential neighborhoods and then burns out entire fields of wheat. While the harvest is approaching, this looks like a deliberate shelling. Governor of Luhansk region underlined that not all of Luhansk region is occupied, as Ukraine still controls some of the territories. Battles for the region still continue in the suburbs. In Donetsk region, battles continue. Due to the shelling, within a day, 35 objects were damaged and 7 civilians were killed (including a child), 2 people were wounded. In the morning, Russian forces attacked one of the districts of the Odesa region with two rockets. Two agricultural warehouses were hit, 35 tons of grain were destroyed. Over the night, the occupiers attacked a boarding school in Kharkiv. As a result of the explosions, windows were broken. There are no victims or injured.
Sanctions.
The European Commission is considering a legal framework for the transfer of frozen Russian assets and assets of businessmen from the Russian Federation for the reconstruction of Ukraine — President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. ‘I think it is a matter of justice to consider this issue. We are working on the legal framework so that the assets of Russia and partly the assets of oligarchs can be used to restore Ukraine,’ von der Leyen said.
The US and its allies have discussed trying to cap the price on Russian oil between $40 and about $60 a barrel, Bloomberg reports. Allies have been exploring several ways to limit Russia’s oil revenues while minimizing the impact on their own economies in discussions that began in the run-up to the Group of Seven summit.
Human rights.
Up to 12 000 people remain in the temporarily occupied city of Lysychansk, Luhansk region, says Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories. Most of the population evacuated from the city, however some remained. The situation in the city is difficult for those who remained, says the Minister. The Russians take them to filtration camps, carry out a meticulous check for patriotism or belonging to the Armed Forces, beat and torture them. At the filtration camps civilians are checked whether any of their relatives fought, whether there are any tattoos, or a post on Facebook that closely resembles the Ukrainian position.
As of 3 July we have documented over 10 000 civilian deaths or injuries across Ukraine, with 335 children among the 4 889 documented as killed, reports UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. Most of the documented civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Shelling from heavy artillery, such as multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes, including weapons that can carry cluster munitions, were used repeatedly. Also 28 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including cases of rape, gang rape, torture, forced public stripping, and threats of sexual violence have been verified by the team of UNCHR. The majority of cases were committed in areas controlled by Russian armed forces, but there were also cases committed in Government controlled areas. In addition, the team reported 17 cases of deaths of journalists, media workers and bloggers from hostilities, and recorded 14 cases of injured journalists. Last but not least, the mass displacement of the civilian population – including over 8 million within the country – has had a disproportionate impact on women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
Environmental security.
Plan of environmental recovery was presented at the Lugano conference. The environmental component counts 76 nature protection projects with a required funding of 25.5 billion euros. According to Minister Ruslan Strilets, the strategic goal of post-war reconstruction is a clean and safe environment, further movement along the European ‘green course’ and reconstruction of the economy according to the principles of sustainable development. Therefore, Ukraine needs to implement 9 urgent reforms: in the field of waste management, state environmental control, regulation of industrial pollution, comprehensive environmental monitoring, management of nature conservation areas, etc. Among the practical results to be achieved, the Ministry aims at the creation of more than 100 modern waste management facilities, 10 exemplary national parks in accordance with EU standards, 10 rehabilitation centers for wild animals, 15 biotransitions on the way of animal migration, 9 forest seed centers for growing tree seedlings, as well as the use of modern technologies to rebuild industry and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 times.
Energy security.
As of July 6, about 837 settlements, a total of about 605,800 consumers, remain without electricity in Ukraine due to damages caused by hostilities. In particular, there are about 351.6 thousand consumers in Donetsk region, over 128.2 thousand in Luhansk region, about 32.8 thousand in Kharkiv region, 31.5 thousand in Zaporizhia region, and 31.4 thousand in Mykolaiv region. About 180 000 subscribers remain without gas supply.
Russian forces turn Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, one of Europe’s biggest nuclear plants, into a military base, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Russian military keeps hundreds of its troops and equipment on the territory of the plant and creates trenches around it. Last month, Russian troops deployed multiple launch rocket systems ‘Smerch’, missile launchers ‘Grad’, tanks, and armored personnel carriers near the Zaporizhzhia NPS. The land around the plant is riddled with trenches, and senior specialists of Rosatom placed the base in a guarded bunker beneath the plant.
Decolonisation reading.
‘Culture Is something that defines the state’s place in the conventional hierarchy of world leadership. It’s binding for a culture’s self-presentation to have its cultural product represented in world museums and theaters, shaping the cultural canon. Creating great museums/theaters and being accepted in world museums/theaters means having one’s place in high culture, a place at the world’s round table, says Oksana Dovgopolova, curator of culture memory platform Past / Future / Art, Doctor Habilis in Philosophy of History, professor of the Philosophy Department, Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University. About this and more read in our new article ‘The Two Russias: a Variety Turn at the Mariupol Drama Theater’.
Reading corner.
Statistics.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., July 7, 2022: personnel – around 36 650, tanks ‒ 1602, APV ‒ 3797, artillery systems – 815, MLRS – 247, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 107, fixed-wing aircraft – 217, helicopters – 187, operational-tactical level UAV – 667, cruise missiles – 155, boats and light speed boats – 15, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 2665, special equipment – 66.
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The team provides medical aid in the hot spots. Recently, their evacuation car was destroyed, thus the team is fundraising for a new mobile hospital vehicle.
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Thank you for supporting Ukraine! Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine!
