Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska, Anna Dovha
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov and Vlada Liberova
Human rights.
At the Russian checkpoint in Vasylivka, the occupiers demand from people who want to leave the occupied regions of southern Ukraine, from 100 to 500 dollars for leaving. The occupiers let civilian cars pass very slowly, and therefore people are forced to wait under the scorching sun, because of which some even die in line. Currently, according to Fedorov, there are 1,200 cars waiting in three separate queues at the checkpoint.
The prosecutor’s office is asking for a sentence of ten and a half years for the Russian tanker driver Mykola Kulikov, who is accused of shelling a new building on the outskirts of Chernihiv in February. This crime was classified as a violation of the laws and customs of war.
The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the commander of the combat vehicle of the Russian Federation, which tortured and simulated the execution of civilians, was informed of the suspicion.
Russia is working on fabricating evidence of the attack on the colony with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka, Donetsk region, in order to place the blame on the Armed Forces. U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russia is looking to plant false evidence to make it appear that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the attack on Olenivka Prison.
In a report, the human rights organization Amnesty International stated that the Ukrainian military is endangering the civilian population in an attempt to repel the Russian occupiers. ‘Throughout these investigations, Amnesty found evidence of Ukrainian forces launching strikes from within residential areas as well as basing themselves in civilian buildings in 19 towns and villages in the regions. Amnesty’s Crisis Evidence Lab analyzed satellite imagery to further corroborate some of these incidents,’ according to the Amnesty International report. The President’s Office called it a discredit to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Malyar said that Ukraine is open to investigations, but the report does not take into account the context of the war. ‘If international organizations have such facts, our law enforcement agencies are ready to find out the circumstances. It is necessary to pay attention, such studies do not take into account a number of factors, the fact that the Russians use the tactics of capturing and holding settlements. While we wait for the Russian enemy in the field, as they advise us, the Russians will occupy all our houses, Ukrainian cities and villages,’ Hanna Malyar emphasized. The director of Amnesty International Ukraine condemned the publication and the ‘bureaucracy, misunderstanding of the local context, inflexible work system, ignoring the opinion of the Ukrainian team and the position of the human rights community in Ukraine’. The position of Amnesty International has been also widely condemned in Ukraine as being extremely colonial and one that is missing the local context.
Cities under attack.
Around four in the morning, powerful explosions thundered in Mykolaiv. Two districts of the city came under fire. In one district residential buildings were damaged and a fire was reported in another. Russian troops struck Zaporizhzhia. An infrastructural facility, a high-rise building and several private houses were damaged. One person is injured. Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration, informed that Russian occupying forces shelled the city of Toretsk in Donetsk region with artillery. The Russian invaders shelled and damaged the bus stop, damaged the church and wounded the priest there, and damaged the surrounding high-rise buildings. Eight people died and four more were injured. Three children are among the wounded. Russian troops shelled Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region. One house was destroyed, almost 50 were damaged, and over three dozen farm buildings were affected. There were fires in two private yards, according to the Head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Valentin Reznichenko.
Cities under occupation.
According to Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, the occupying authorities of Mariupol ordered to urgently start collecting firewood for the winter period. In the absence or insufficient number of damaged or emergency trees, the green area of Mariupol should be used. ‘The Azov Regiment is no longer in Mariupol. There are no more hostilities. But the irreversible destruction of the city does not stop. Simply because of Russia,’ he said.
Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Gaidai informed that in occupied Bilovodsk, a car with local occupied authorities was fired upon by partisans. The so-called ‘mayor’ and his ‘deputy’ were in the car. Both are wounded.
During the week, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the villages of Mazanivka and Dmytrivka in the Donetsk region. Mazanivka is located 140 km from Donetsk, and Dmytrivka – 61 km from Donetsk.
Foreign policy.
Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov and US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin held a conversation during which they discussed Ukraine’s needs in the security sphere. Reznikov said that the future security assistance package was also discussed. The Japanese government announced a new aid package for Ukraine.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania signed a joint proposal to the EU for a broader commemoration of the crimes of communism. The statement underlines that Russia’s war in Ukraine makes it necessary for the EU to pay closer attention to condemning the crimes of all totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century and commemorating the victims of those regimes. The heads of state call on the EU to take a coordinating role to address the issue more broadly in EU Member States, especially at a time when Russia is intensively targeting Europe with misinformation.
Energy security.
Russia had found a new route to the oil market via a tiny Egyptian port, according to Bloomberg. The media noted that Russia mixes its oil with local oil in Egyptian ports, making it difficult to establish its origin. Journalists, in particular, paid attention to a shipment of 700,000 barrels of Russian oil, which was delivered by the Crested tanker on July 24. A few hours later, the vessel Chris took all or part of the oil from the port. ‘The unusual move makes the cargo’s ultimate destination harder to track, adding to a trend of Russian oil shipments becoming increasingly obscured since European buyers began to shun them following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine,’ Bloomberg reported.
After ceasing supplies to most European countries, Gazprom began to burn gas in industrial volumes on the Russian-Finnish border. Gazprom burns gas near the compressor station ‘Portova’ and the LNG terminal. Fires indicating gas burning at the ‘Portova’ gas station began to appear on June 17. Then, within a few days, the daily pumping of gas by the Nord Stream was reduced from 167 million cubic meters to 67 million cubic meters.
UN Secretary General António Guterres called on governments to tax oil and gas superprofits. António Guterres said it was ‘immoral’ that major oil and gas companies are reporting ‘record profits’, while prices soar.
The American Nuclear Society calls for the withdrawal of Russian missiles from the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. ‘We urge Russia to give the International Atomic Energy Agency immediate, full and open access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and to plant personnel,’ The American Nuclear Society President Steven Arndt stated.
Healthcare.
USAID is providing an additional $1.8 million to WHO to support continuity of health care in Ukraine, namely: strengthening infectious disease surveillance and reporting in Ukraine. In particular, this assistance should target the most vulnerable groups, including people with special needs, those living in remote areas and internally displaced persons.
Food Security.
A court in Lebanon lifted the seizure of a vessel transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from occupied territories of Ukraine. The arrest was lifted in accordance with “Lebanese legal principles based on sovereignty over our land and sea.” Already in the morning, the ship left the port of Tripoli and headed for Syria.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba announced that the next ships with grain are ready to depart from Ukrainian ports. ‘If Russia holds to its commitments under the UN-brokered grain initiative, they will reach foreign customers and help tame food prices and avert hunger. Ukraine remains committed to combating global food insecurity,’ he emphasized.
The first caravan with Ukrainian food left the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, as part of the implementation of the Initiative on safe transportation of grain and food products. Three bulk carriers NAVI STAR, ROJEN and POLARNET have 57,000 tons of Ukrainian corn on board, which is destined for buyers in Turkey, Great Britain and Ireland
Sanctions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland obliged the country’s stores to refuse sales if it becomes obvious that the buyer intends to take sanctioned goods to Russia. According to the Legislative Affairs Secretary Michael Ruotsi, the ban applies to everyone.
The EU Council introduced new sanctions against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the Council of Europe, the pro-Russian former President of Ukraine Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych were added to the list of persons, entities and bodies subject to restrictive measures for their role in undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and the state’s stability and security, as well as – in the case of Oleksandr Viktorovych Yanukovych – for conducting transactions with the separatist groups in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
Technologies.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine plans to provide all schools with bomb shelters with Wi-Fi Internet access over the next month. ‘In the next month, we plan to connect all schools with bomb shelters to the Internet. We have already received 3,500 Wi-Fi routers from our partners, businesses. We will receive another batch in the near future. So we have the resources to connect all such schools to the Internet,’ Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mikhail Fedorov said.
Education.
According to the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, Ukrainian students will continue to study the works of some Russian writers whose works are related to Ukraine as part of the ‘World Literature’ school course. The program will include works of Mykola Gogol, Volodymyr Korolenko, Anatoly Kuznetsov, Ilya Ilf and Yevhen Petrov, as well as Mikhail Bulgakov.
The European Union has adopted a new anti-crisis measure of 16 million euros to support access to education and help victims of sexual violence in Ukraine. The funds will be used to support teachers and the government’s ‘All-Ukrainian School Online Platform’, and to meet the needs of safe learning spaces and materials for children. In addition, part of the funds will also be directed to help local civil society organizations and emergency services, as well as specialized investigative groups under the leadership of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine working with people who have experienced sexual violence.
Recent polls.
Sociological group ‘Rating’ conducted a survey of opinions regarding cynicism in Ukraine. According to the results of the surver, 55% of the respondents completely or mostly demonstrate opinions about the presence of cynicism in the society, 29% completely or mostly demonstrate undefined opinions about this issue, while 16%, on the contrary, completely or mostly demonstrate opinions about the absence of cynicism. Positive changes have been observed in the estimates of the prevalence of cynicism in Ukrainian society for the first time over the years of research. First of all, this is demonstrated by the fact that the share of the respondents who completely or mostly believe in the prevalence of cynicism decreased by 12 percentage points (from 67% to 55%). The share of those who hesitate about their position has increased by the same amount (from 17% to 29%).
Culture.
The movie by director Zaza Buadze ‘Mother of Apostles’ received ‘Best Film’ award at Asia Film Art International Film Festival (AFAIFF). The military drama ‘Mother of the Apostles’ tells of immeasurable maternal love. When the son is in danger, the mother rushes to the rescue as soon as possible. For the sake of saving a child, she is capable of anything, even going through the hell of war. The film is based on true events that took place in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Reading corner.
- Months into war, Ukraine refugees slow to join EU workforce | Associated Press – A recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report looking at the potential impact Ukrainian refugees will have on the EU workforce projected it will be about twice as large as the 2014-2017 inflow of refugees, which included many fleeing war in Syria […] Still, the influx is unlikely to drive down wages or boost unemployment in European countries, many of which face labor shortages due in part to their aging populations.
- By how much will the war in Ukraine reduce global growth? | The Economist – The world’s GDP was expected to increase by 3.9% in 2022, after a stellar 2021. Just nine days after publication, however, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. The economic reverberations from the war have since been felt across the world. It has put pressure on global commodity prices, aggravated supply-chain disruptions and contributed to soaring inflation in much of the world.
Statistics.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., August 05, 2022: personnel – around 41 650, tanks ‒ 1792, APV ‒ 4032, artillery systems – 950, MLRS – 260, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 123, fixed-wing aircraft – 223, helicopters – 191, operational-tactical level UAV – 742, cruise missiles – 182, boats and light speed boats – 15, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 2964, special equipment – 83.
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