Source: OCHA

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Russia’s Belgorod region is under attack again from Ukraine. Why does it keep getting targeted?

Russia’s Belgorod region has come under increasing Ukrainian attacks this month as the invasion by Moscow grinds into its third year.

WHAT IS THE BELGOROD REGION?

The region of forests, farmland and rolling hills has a 540-kilometer (335-mile) border along Ukraine’s northeastern edge. It has an area of over 27,000 square kilometers (about 10,500 square miles), and has a population of about 1.5 million.

It holds about 40% of Russia’s iron ore and other minerals, and is home to several major industrial companies and farms.

The city of Belgorod, the provincial capital with a population of about 340,000, sits only 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the border, making it an easy target for Ukrainian artillery.

WHAT HAS THE REGION FACED?

The region was one staging ground for the invasion by Russia in February 2022. It has come under regular Ukrainian attacks ever since Russian forces retreated there from northeastern Ukraine early in the war under the brunt of a counteroffensive by Kyiv.

An attack on the city of Belgorod on Dec. 30 marked a bloody escalation. A barrage of rockets struck on a holiday weekend as residents celebrated the New Year. Officials said 25 people were killed, including five children, and over 100 were injured.

The bloodshed also forced officials to cancel celebrations for the Orthodox feast of Epiphany on Jan. 19.

Regular rocket and drone strikes have continued since then. The area can be struck by relatively simple and mobile weapons such as multiple rocket launchers from forests on the Ukrainian side.

Border villages have faced repeated incursions backed by tanks, armored infantry vehicles and other heavy weapons. Russia claimed that it has repelled the attacks and inflicted heavy losses.

The repeated Ukrainian attacks have dealt a heavy blow to President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reassure Russians that their daily lives are largely untouched by the war.

Russian border villages in the region have been targeted sporadically during the war by Ukrainian artillery fire, rockets, mortar shells and drones launched from dense forests, where they are hard to detect.

WHAT WAS PUTIN’S REACTION?

The cross-border shelling and incursions took place as Putin has cemented his grip on power for another six years in a highly orchestrated election this month that followed a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Putin says the attacks are an attempt to scare residents. “I’m sure that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to that with even greater cohesion,” he said last week.

He vowed the Ukrainian cross-border attacks “won’t go unpunished,” venting particular anger at pro-Kyiv Russians who joined Ukrainian troops in the incursions, describing them as traitors who will face imminent death.

HOW HAVE BELGOROD OFFICIALS RESPONDED?

After the New Year weekend attack, authorities expanded a network of shelters in Belgorod and reinforced bus stops with concrete blocks and sandbags. The regional government also provided assistance to those wanting to leave the city and other border areas temporarily.

Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov this week ordered the evacuation of 9,000 children from the region and ordered schools closed through Friday in Belgorod and other areas near the border. Universities in the area will switch to remote learning, and clubs and cultural and sports institutions will close.

Military checkpoints were set up to control entry to six border villages.

WHAT DO UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS SAY?

Ukrainian officials rarely comment on attacks inside Russia, but they emphasize Kyiv’s right to use all means to counter Moscow’s aggression. 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday that any military action there was “the direct consequence of the illegal and unprovoked aggression of Russia against Ukraine.”

Source: AP News

UPDATES ON INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

Europe is trying to fill a US-shaped hole in funding for Ukraine

Can Europe fill the gap left by the United States in Ukraine?

That has been on the minds of European officials for a long time, as they gaze across the Atlantic and see funds being blocked and the potential return of Donald Trump.

It’s a question the European Union is attempting to answer. At a European Council summit this week, the bloc agreed to explore new ways to raise funds for Ukraine - including by raising debt on financial markets and, controversially, using profits from frozen Russian assets.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that there was “openness, at least on our side” to new ways of funding, and pointedly added that Europe cannot “wait for the US to make up our minds.”

However, leaders stopped short of agreeing any new money for weapons. That could be a problem.

The urgency of Ukraine’s need for weapons is increasingly acute. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly told his Western allies that the biggest challenge the country faces right now is a weapons deficit that has allowed Russia to take advantage.

It would be unfair to accuse the EU of not pulling its weight on Ukraine. Despite public disagreements between the 27 member states on things like sending tanks and whether money should come directly from the EU budget, the bloc as a whole has sent more money to Kyiv than the US, according to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker.

However, the same tracker also shows that only $5.6bn of the EU’s total $85bn has been specifically allocated for military aid, compared to $2.2bn on humanitarian aid and $77.1bn on financial aid.

And with $60bn of US military aid to Ukraine stuck in Congress for the foreseeable future, it’s not immediately clear who could feasibly plug that funding gap.

This is where the core question, can Europe really stand in for the US, gets complicated.

Some European officials like to frame this as a purely economic question. The World Bank’s most recent data puts Russia’s GDP at $2.24 trillion, compared to the EU’s $16.75 trillion.

On paper, this means that Europe can hypothetically outlast Russia if the war becomes one of economic attrition. Or more crudely: yes, Europe does have the money to plug the American gap.

The difficulty is in how this works politically. The EU is made up of 27 sovereign states who all have an independent foreign policy. Some are members of NATO, some are not and are officially neutral. Some are comfortable with buying US weapons and sending them to Ukraine for the specific purpose of killing Russian soldiers, others are not. Some are geographically close to Russia and worry about war spilling over to their borders, others are protected by miles of land between them and Moscow and have enjoyed decades of good economic relations with Russia.

Over the course of the war, European thinking has evolved. Diplomats and officials say that earlier in the conflict, Brussels’ role had been understood as providing financial aid for things like keeping basic functions of state running and hosting refugees, while the US would sort the weapons.

It is undeniable that the EU is taking defense more seriously. It recently unveiled a plan to finally build up a European defense industry that could rival that of the US in the future. But even this long-term plan, still a long way from becoming reality, asks uncomfortable questions of member states. Should EU money be spent outside the bloc? Where should factories be built? What kind of relationship should procurement plans have with initiatives NATO already has?

That’s all for the long-term: In the short-term, Ukraine needs weapons urgently. CNN reported last week that Russia is producing three times more artillery shells than the US and Europe combined for use in Ukraine.

An initiative led by the Czech Republic - supported by a further 17 EU member states - has been put together outside of the EU’s structures to buy ammunition on the international markets that will be sent to Ukraine.

The virtue of not being an official EU plan means that they can move much faster and don’t have to worry about their fellow member states – chiefly Hungary, which has a closer relationship with Russia than the rest of the EU – vetoing or watering down plans.

The Czech initiative has already purchased 300,000 artillery rounds and it is expected they will arrive in Ukraine in June. The Ukrainians, of course, are delighted at the initiative, but also acknowledge that it won’t plug the US-shaped hole.

Earlier this month, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister said: “The Czech initiative is great but it’s far from sufficient… If, besides the Czech initiative, two more initiatives are implemented this year… the Russian troops in Ukraine will face more significant problems on the front line.” This was seen by some as a reference to the blocked US package.

So, can Europe fill the funding void in Ukraine left by Washington DC?

The answer is yes, Europe has the means. Whether it has the will is the bigger unknown.

Officials from Eastern European countries stress the importance of convincing their counterparts that Ukrainian security is the same thing as European security. While former Soviet states are often painted as hawks in Western Europe, they make the somewhat reasonable point that if Russia were to invade NATO territory, bombs would most likely fall on them, not in Athens or Rome, for example.

But it would affect all European countries, especially those in NATO. And those countries who share borders with Russia almost universally share the view that the only way to ensure Russia doesn’t expand its aggression is by making NATO so strong an attack would be unthinkable, even to President Vladimir Putin.

Making this case for dramatic increases in defense spending is hard enough even while there is a war on European borders. NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, welcomed the news last month that 18 of the allies would spend 2% of GDP on defense. It was a dramatic improvement from a decade ago, when only three NATO countries met the minimum threshold. But it still means that even during a crisis like the one in Ukraine, more than a third are not meeting this target.

The longer the war drags on, the more likely fatigue is to set in. The more pressures on domestic budgets for things like public services and pensions, the harder it becomes to justify giving another country money to fight a war.

And that is exactly the point at which European thinking can go one of two ways: ensure Ukraine defeats Russia for the sake of the wider continent, or ask, what does it have to do with us?

Yes, Europe can fill the gap left by the US - and in some respects is trying to do just that. But it all depends on whether Ukraine’s biggest allies in Europe can keep winning the argument.

Source: CNN

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IMF approves $880 million loan payment for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday approved a third review of Ukraine’s $15.6 billion loan program, allowing the embattled country to draw budget support of $880 million and bringing total disbursements to $5.4 billion.

The global lender said Ukraine’s economy showed “remarkable resilience” in 2023 but noted that risks remain from Russia’s ongoing onslaught. However, Ukraine mission chief Gavin Gray told reporters the fund still expected the war in Ukraine to wind down by the end of 2024, according to Reuters.

The IMF funding, which is due to arrive in the coming days, follows a tranche on EU funding received Wednesday. It comes as a U.S. funding bill remains held up in Congress.

Source: CNBC

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European Commission disburses first €4.5 billion of bridge financing to Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility

The Commission has disbursed the first €4.5 billion of support under the EU's new Ukraine Facility.

Through this exceptional bridge financing, the EU is providing much needed liquidity to Ukraine, to help finance the functioning of the state, such as public wages, pensions, and the provision of basic public services, so that the country can continue focusing efforts on winning the war. Today, Ukraine has also submitted its official Ukraine Plan, that paves the way for regular payments under the Facility conditioned to the reform and investment agenda of Ukraine for the next four years. As a next step, the Commission will now swiftly assess the Ukraine Plan and submit a proposal for a Council implementing decision to approve it as conditions to access regular payments.

Following her meeting with Ukrainian Primer minister Denys Shmyhal, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Today is a good day for Ukraine, as more EU funds are flowing to meet urgent needs. The Commission has just paid to Ukraine a first tranche of 4.5 billion Euro from the Facility. This payment, in the form of bridge financing, is crucial to help Ukraine maintain the functioning of the State in this difficult moment. Ukraine has also delivered the Ukraine Plan. This success is all the more impressive, since it is only 19 days ago that the Ukraine Facility entered into force. The plan maps out how Ukraine can get back to rapid growth and start to recover the losses that the war has caused. With it, Ukraine has laid a solid foundation for the EU's support, right up until the end of 2027”.

The Ukraine Facility of up to €50 billion will provide stable and sustainable financing to support Ukraine's recovery, reconstruction, and modernisation, including key reforms necessary on its EU accession track for the period of 2024-2027. This amount is composed of up to €17 billion in grants and up to €33 billion in loans.

On the ‘exceptional bridge financing'

As provided for in the regulation establishing the Ukraine Facility, exceptional support to Ukraine to support the macro-financial stability of the country for a limited period of time can be provided by the Commission in case the Ukraine Plan is not yet adopted or the Framework Agreement between the Commission and Ukraine is not yet signed. This is subject to the fulfilment of policy conditions as well as reporting requirements to ensure the transparent and efficient use of the funds. Policy conditions are linked to important reforms in the fight against corruption, money laundering and sound financial management, among others.

If the Commission assesses in April the positive fulfilment of these policy conditions and reporting requirements, the Commission will be able to disburse an additional €1.5 billion to Ukraine in bridge financing.

On the Ukraine Plan

As the next step, the Commission will assess the Ukraine Plan, which focuses on structural reforms, investments and measures to promote convergence with the EU, and shall submit a proposal for a Council implementing decision to assess it. The Commission will review whether the Plan responds to the objectives of the Ukraine Facility to support the recovery, restoration, reconstruction, and modernisation needs caused by Russia's war of aggression and if it is consistent to address relevant challenges in the context of Ukraine's accession path. Finally, the Commission will also assess if Ukraine's proposed measures can ensure an adequate level of protection of the financial interests of the Union.

The Council will have one month to assess the Plan. A Council Implementing Decision will detail the indicators of reforms and investments that Ukraine must fulfil for the disbursement of the financial support for each quarter of the year for the next four-year period.

Once the Ukraine plan, the Framework Agreement between the European Commission and Ukraine, as well as the financing and loan agreements are in place, Ukraine could benefit from the disbursement of a pre-financing of €1.9 billion. This would then be followed by regular quarterly payments if the agreed indicators for reforms and investments have been met.

The European Union has demonstrated unprecedented unity in condemning Russia's actions and in providing support to Ukraine. So far, the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions have together provided wide-ranging support to Ukraine and its people, amounting to almost €98 billion since the start of Russia's war of aggression. This includes support made available to cater of the needs of around 4 million Ukrainian refugees in EU Member States.

This also includes the first payment of €4.5 billion under the Ukraine Facility, which entered into force on 1 March 2024, one month after the political agreement on the MFF revision reached in the special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024.

Source: European Commission

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EU to impose tariff of up to 50% on Russia grain imports

Proposal aims to stop Kremlin flooding bloc with cheap wheat to destabilise European market.

The EU is set to impose a tariff of up to 50% on Russia grain imports amid fears the Kremlin could flood the bloc with cheap wheat to destabilise the European market.

The proposal, announced by the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, follows a plea on Thursday to EU leaders by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to do something about grain “stolen” by the Russians from occupied territories.

The measure is intended principally to head off a potential illegal dumping of grain as the Kremlin seeks to weaponise as much as it can in its war against Ukraine.

A senior European official said: “The main reasons for the proposal is to prevent the risk of destabilisation of the EU market through potential future significant redirection of Russian grain into the EU market, including by Belarus.

Russian grain attracts low or no customs duties when sold in the EU but the proposal would lead to the imposition of a tariff of €95 (£82) per tonne of grain, which currently sells for up to €220, depending on the quality of the wheat.

Zelenskiy complained to EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday that Russian grain was still freely available in the bloc but Ukraine’s own grain was also being stolen, while Polish farmers obstructed legitimate Ukrainian grain getting into the EU for transit to other countries, including poorer nations in Africa and Asia.

“When Ukrainian grain is thrown on the roads or railway tracks, Russian products are still being transported to Europe as well as goods from Putin’s controlled Belarus. This is not fair,” he told leaders in a video address at their summit.

Russian grain exports to the EU had gone up from 960,000 tonnes in 2022 to 1.5m tonnes in 2023, while at the same time production had rocketed from 35m tonnes to 50m tonnes between 2022 to 2023, EU officials said.

The European Commission proposal needs to be finally approved by the European Council of member states but it could be rubberstamped within days or weeks by qualified majority.

Under the proposal, the EU would invoke the “security exception” in World Trade Organization agreements on the basis of the emergency situation arising from the war in Ukraine, officials said.

Source: The Guardian

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UK government's humanitarian response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Updated 20 March 2024)

What the UK government is doing

Since Russia’s brutal invasion in February 2022, the UK government has committed a total of £357 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region. This includes funding to UN agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Red Cross.

The UK’s initial funding of £220 million helped the international response to reach 15.8 million people in 2022. This included £25 million in matched funding to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal – our largest ever aid-match contribution.

During the Prime Minister’s visit to Ukraine in January 2024, he announced a new winter support package for Ukraine. This brings the total humanitarian support in the 2023 to 2024 financial year to £137 million. It demonstrates the UK government’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine, and to supporting its people in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

In February 2024 the UK pledged £8.5 million in humanitarian funding to the Red Cross Movement and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. The Foreign Secretary announced this at the United Nations in New York, to mark 2 years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A priority for UK funding is to protect the most vulnerable people, including women and children, the elderly and those with disabilities, in Ukraine and Moldova.

The UK also carries out humanitarian diplomacy, working with the Ukrainian government and our partners to ensure the international response reaches and protects the most vulnerable people. For example, Foreign Secretary David Cameron met with some of our humanitarian partners in Odesa on his first visit to Ukraine in November 2023.

UK assistance inside Ukraine

Our funding for 2023 to 2024 includes: 

• £16 million to support Ukraine’s response to the Nova Kakhovka Dam disaster. Funding to the Red Cross movement, Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, managed by UN OCHA and International Organization for Migration (IOM), supported people affected by the dam’s destruction. This included rapid response equipment, along with shelter and other essential supplies

• £34 million for the UN and other organisations to provide shelter and warm winter clothing announced by the Prime Minister in October 2023. Funding for the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, and distributed through local partners, and to Mercy Corps and the IOM, will help Ukrainians get through winter

• £17 million announced by the Foreign Secretary during his November 2023 Ukraine visit to support Ukrainians directly impacted by the invasion. This includes support with essential winter supplies and for evacuation from front line areas. Part of this funded the Ukraine Red Cross Society (URCS) providing medical supplies to directly-affected communities, and the Nonviolent Peaceforce supporting volunteer organisations delivering humanitarian assistance in dangerous front-line locations

• a £29 million winter humanitarian response package, plus £7.75 million for humanitarian activities, announced during the Foreign Secretary’s USA visit in December 2023. The £7.75 million is for the needs of the most vulnerable, such as women, girls, older people and people with disabilities. The winter funding goes to the Red Cross movement, Mercy Corps, IOM and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund

UK assistance in the region around Ukraine

The UK is also providing assistance to Moldova, to assist in supporting its refugee population which is one of the highest in Europe per person. In May 2023, we announced £10.5 million that will support Ukrainian refugees and the Moldovan communities that host them. This funding is going to UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). We are also providing technical advice to the Government of Moldova on providing social protection for vulnerable people. 

Source: The UK Government

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EU and Ukraine continue strengthening Solidarity Lanes and cooperation on connectivity, safety and sustainability of transport

The third high-level meeting of the EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue took place yesterday in Kyiv, focusing on efforts to keep Ukraine's exports and imports moving via the Solidarity Lanes, improving connectivity, safety and security as well as sustainability.

Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “EU-Ukraine cooperation is already very close and occurs daily on the Solidarity Lanes, logistic routes that help Ukraine import and export its goods. We are in the process of firmly anchoring Ukraine's transport network into that of the EU, and as a consequence, our commercial exchanges have increased significantly. This high-level dialogue also allows us to discuss long-term priorities for our cooperation, working together on Ukraine's reconstruction, including its transport sector and network. These will be concrete deliverables on Ukraine's path to EU accession.”

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has significantly impacted global trade routes, which has led to an unprecedented cooperation to improve Ukraine's connections to the world. The Solidarity Lanes, established in 2022, have allowed Ukraine to export 126 million tonnes of goods valued at around €47 billion and import around 47 million tonnes of goods valued at around €96 billion.

Additionally, the meeting addressed the need to prioritise transport safety and security through the alignment of regulations, sharing best practices and expertise, and discussed cooperation on reducing transport emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. Both parties also expressed their intention to continue working towards full membership for Ukraine in the Transport Community Treaty.

Source: European Commission

HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE

Angelus - March 24, 2024 (Sunday)

Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble and peaceful king; let us open our hearts to Him! Only He can free us from wickedness, hatred, and violence, because He is mercy and the forgiveness of sins. Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters who suffer as a result of war; in a special way, I think of tormented Ukraine, where so many people find themselves without electricity because of the intense attacks against infrastructure, which, besides causing death and suffering, bring the risk of an even greater humanitarian catastrophe. Please, let us not forget tormented Ukraine! And let us think of Gaza, which is suffering a great deal, and so many other places of war.

Cari fratelli e sorelle, Gesù è entrato in Gerusalemme come Re umile e pacifico: apriamo a Lui i nostri cuori! Solo Lui ci può liberare dall’inimicizia, dall’odio, dalla violenza, perché Lui è la misericordia e il perdono dei peccati. Preghiamo per tutti i fratelli e le sorelle che soffrono a causa della guerra; in modo speciale penso alla martoriata Ucraina, dove tantissima gente si trova senza elettricità a causa degli intensi attacchi contro le infrastrutture che, oltre a causare morti e sofferenze, comportano il rischio di una catastrofe umanitaria di ancora più ampie dimensioni. Per favore, non dimentichiamo la martoriata Ucraina! E pensiamo a Gaza, che soffre tanto, e a tanti altri luoghi di guerra.

General Audience - March 20, 2024

Let us also entrust to Saint Joseph the people of tormented Ukraine and the Holy Land — Palestine, Israel — who are greatly suffering the horror of war. And let us never forget that war is always a defeat. One cannot move forward in war. We must make every effort to negotiate, to negotiate, to end the war. Let us pray for this.

A San Giuseppe raccomandiamo anche le popolazioni della martoriata Ucraina e della Terra Santa – la Palestina, Israele –, che tanto soffrono l’orrore della guerra. E non dimentichiamo mai: la guerra sempre è una sconfitta. Non si può andare avanti in guerra. Dobbiamo fare tutti gli sforzi per trattare, per negoziare, per finire la guerra. Preghiamo per questo.

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