Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska, Anna Dovha
Foreign policy.
The Fifth Ukrainian-German Economic Forum took place in Berlin, Germany, on October 24. During the forum, discussion panels were held on the topics of sustainable development in the reconstruction of Ukraine, the German-Ukrainian energy partnership, logistics and infrastructure, agriculture and food, cyber security and digital solutions. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, during his speech, stated that Ukraine has significant potential for the supply of ‘clean’ energy and the largest gas storage facilities in Europe, and emphasized that the investment potential of Ukraine’s agricultural sector is at least $34 billion. During the conference, Prime Minister Shmyhal estimated the volume of investments needed for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction at USD 400 billion and the damage done by the war at USD 750 billion.
The following day, on October 25, the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine took place in Berlin. The conference intended to decide how to proceed with Ukraine’s reconstruction after the war, now in its ninth month. The idea behind the conference envisaged elaboration of the recommendations that will be taken into account when decisions are made on the provision of assistance to Ukraine. The German Chancellor called for a ‘Marshall Plan for the 21st century – a generational task that must begin now’.
On October 25, the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier made his first visit to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, after canceling his trip last week due to security concerns. Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Kyiv and Koriukivka, Chernihiv region, where the largest and most brutal Nazi punitive operation took place during the Second World War.
Crimea.
First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform took place on October 24 in Zagreb, Croatia. The event touched on the issues of de-ocupation as well as reintegration of Crimea, along with prospects of bringing Russia and Russian officials to justice for international crimes committed in the occupied peninsula. Tamila Tasheva, the permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, presented a new strategic direction of work regarding the priority steps of restoring Ukrainian statehood after the de-occupation of Crimea. Among the priority areas, the expert groups identified and work on aspects of restoration of the functioning of public power and creation of military and military-civilian administrations during the transition period, prosecution of persons who committed crimes against Ukraine and its citizens in Crimea, amnesty and lustration, verification of occupation documents and decisions of occupation courts, as well as review of decisions that violate the rights and legitimate interests of Ukrainian citizens or Ukraine, issues of humanitarian policy and demilitarization and other. Emine Dzhaparova First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated during the summit that the security guarantees in the Budapest Memorandum did not work, and in 2014 the world took a weak position regarding Russian aggression, therefore, there are no other alternatives for Ukraine than NATO membership.
Cities under attack.
Donetsk region. At night on October 24, massive shelling of the Lyman community continued. As a result, 1 person was killed in the settlement of Zarichne. Also, the Russian invaders shelled the Toretsk community where a local canteen in Shcherbynivka was destroyed by the missile attack. Over the day, 7 people were killed in Bakhmut, 3 people were injured in the region.
Mykolaiv region. At night on October 24, the Bashtansk district was attacked. As a result, a power line, three private houses, and an educational institution were damaged. No casualties were reported. Also, the settlements of the Bereznehuvatska community, located on the demarcation line, remain under constant fire.
Kharkiv region. On October 25, the Russian occupiers fired at the cities of Kupiansk, Vovchansk and the settlements of 5 districts of the region. As a result of the missile attack on Kupiansk, the administrative building was damaged. Over the day, 4 people were hospitalized due to injuries.
Dnipropetrovsk region. On October 25, the Russian invaders attacked Nikopol district. As a result, houses, cars, a food enterprise and water supply were damaged. On the same day, the Russian military shelled the city of Dnipro. Due to the shelling, 2 people were killed and 3 people were injured, a fire broke out at the petrol station.
War crimes prosecution.
Investigators from The Insider, Bellingcat and Der Spiegel have found a secret unit within the Main Computer Center of the Russian Armed Forces and identified 30 military engineers directing missiles at civilian targets in Ukraine. The function of the Main Computation Centre of the General Staff has been opaquely described in military publications as ‘providing IT services’ and ‘automation’ to Russia’s armed forces, says the report. In fact the main task is the direction of three types of missiles targetting Ukraine. The team involved includes some who had prior military service as navy captains or ship engineers. Others had prior civilian work experience as corporate IT specialists or game designers.
Human rights.
The Red Cross of Ukraine calls on its partners from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to implement strict measures due to the violation of the principle of neutrality by the Russian Red Cross, which supported the political campaign #МЫВМЕСТЕ (eng. We are together) initiated by the leadership of the Russian Federation to fundraise money for support of families of Russian military personnel. Also, the Commissioner of the Parliament of Ukraine for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, calls to exclude the Russian Red Cross from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and ban the use of the emblem.
According to the National Information Bureau, 4,600 Ukrainian children were deported directly to the Russian Federation by the occupiers, and only 96 children were returned.
Ukraine and Russia held another round of the exchange of the bodies of fallen soldiers, during which 25 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were returned to Ukraine.
Energy security.
The European Union will provide 1 billion euros to Ukraine to repair the energy infrastructure, and also will provide 400 electricity generators, Ursula Von Der Leyen reported.
During the last week, the Russian occupiers have been carrying out unauthorized construction works on the territory of the dry cask storage of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Such actions are a violation of the terms of the station’s operating license and international requirements in the field of nuclear and radiation safety.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, in response to Russia’s statements about the development of a “dirty bomb” by Ukraine, invited the IAEA to immediately send experts to peaceful facilities in Ukraine, which the Russian Federation claims to be developing a dirty bomb. The IAEA agreed to visit Ukraine. Meanwhile, Oleksiy Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine, after the communications with the international colleagues, stated that Ukraine is open for any monitoring mission in this regard.
Food security.
Starting from October 14, 2022, Russian inspectors of the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul have significantly delayed the inspection of vessels within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Corridor. As a result of the actions of the Russian Federation, more than 165 ships are currently stuck in the queue near the Bosphorus, and their number is increasing every day.
Destructions.
As of 24 October, UNESCO has verified damage to 207 sites in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion: 88 religious sites, 15 museums, 76 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, 18 monuments, 10 libraries.
Media.
During the eight months of the full-scale war, Russia committed 457 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine, According to the monitoring data of the Institute of Mass Information.
Public Broadcasting of Ukraine ‘Suspilne’ appealed to the European Court of Human Rights about the alleged violation of the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as well as international protocols due to the broadcaster’s inability to disseminate information as a result of shelling, missile and airstrikes by Russia on TV towers, seizure of objects infrastructure, etc.
Recent polls.
According to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, despite Russian shelling that destroys infrastructure and takes lives, 86% of respondents said that the armed fight should still continue, even if there is shelling from the Russian side. In particular, among them, 71% completely agree with this opinion (the remaining 16% rather agree). Only 10% of respondents answered that it is necessary to proceed to negotiations to stop the shelling as soon as possible, even if it means making concessions to Russia.
Statistics.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., October 26, 2022: personnel – around 68900, tanks ‒ 2628, APV ‒ 5351, artillery systems – 1686, MLRS – 379, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 192, fixed-wing aircraft – 271, helicopters – 248, operational-tactical level UAV – 1379, cruise missiles – 350, boats and light speed boats – 16, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers – 4076, special equipment – 149.
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