Month: November 2022
Ukraine and UK agree to further coordinate efforts to restore Ukrainian economy
Prospects for cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom in various sectors of economy were discussed during a bilateral meeting between First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko and Secretary of State for International Trade Kemi Badenoch.
Yuliia Svyrydenko thanked her British counterpart for the UK’s readiness to assist in overcoming the destruction of the energy infrastructure caused by russian shelling.
“We count on your support in attracting British companies to supply the necessary energy equipment that can help us survive the winter. We are in need of equipment for repairing power grids, in particular transformers. In addition, we need generators that could support the work of critical infrastructure, hospitals, schools, mobile communication stations, the Internet and Points of Invincibility that we organize in public places. We are going to create 17 thousand Points of Invincibility across the country. They will help people to get access to the necessary services in case of power outage,” explained Yuliia Svyrydenko.
The First Deputy Prime Minister assured that Ukraine is interested in further implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on the rapid restoration of Ukraine’s infrastructure.
“We are currently working on a pilot project to rebuild 6 bridges in Kyiv region involving British companies. It is planned that this project will be financed by the UK Export Finance (UKEF). Upon completion, it will become a showcase for other companies that are already willing to work in Ukraine. We also discussed with UKEF defense and energy projects, including small nuclear reactors. But the most relevant for us today is war risk insurance for British companies that would like to invest in Ukraine,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.
She also reminded that earlier this year Ukraine and the UK agreed to mutually cancel all customs tariffs for a period of one year. The Ukrainian side proposed to extend this agreement.
“We have already discussed with the leadership of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the issue of extending the agreement for the next period, as most of the goods covered are agricultural. They seem to have no objections. Your Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy also discussed this topic. I hope that you will support this idea. It will benefit the business communities of both sides and underline support for the recovery of the Ukrainian economy,” Yuliia Svyrydenko further said.
She also thanked her colleague for approving the Digital Trade Agreement between Ukraine and the UK.
“This is the first digital trade agreement in Ukrainian portfolio. The UK’s interest in this agreement is the best incentive for the Ukrainian digital economy. You know that the IT industry is extremely mobile. Therefore, it is important that the world wants to cooperate with Ukrainian IT companies operating in Ukraine. This is a very good reason to sign this agreement now, when the war is not yet over,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.
According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, the parties will further cooperate in all aspects of the digital economy: cybersecurity, innovation, consumer protection, digital financial services, etc.
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Ukrainian theatre online: “Don Giovanni”
The theater’s doors opened on September 4th, 1900. The high artistic level of its performances has allowed the Lviv National Opera and Ballet to become the first Ukrainian theater to join the international music association Opera Europa (2008) and UNESCO’s International Dance Organization (2017). Today the theater’s repertoire includes nearly five hundred operas, operettas, ballets and concert programmes, from classic works to Ukrainian composers (D. Bortnyansky, M. Lysenko, Yu. Maytus, M. Skorik, J. Stankovich, I. Nebesny).
This unforgettable performance was inspired by W. А. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”, regarded as one of the finest operas ever composed. Staged by the Lviv National Opera, it is a story about love, sin and revenge. Vasil Vovkun’s direction wows the audience with his unique, contemporary reading of a familiar work. The costumes and the sets, the light show, the fusion of opera and ballet create a unique experience worthy of your attention.
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Operational information on 30.11.2022
The two-hundred-eightieth (280) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian military large-scale invasion continues.
The enemy concentrates its efforts on restraining the actions of units of the Defense Forces, carries out engineering equipment of defensive lines and positions, and continues to conduct offensive actions in the Bakhmut direction. The transfer of personnel and military equipment of the enemy to equip units that have suffered losses is ongoing.
During the day, the occupiers fired 2 rockets at civilian objects in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region. They carried out 20 airstrikes on our troops’ positions and on the settlement of Bilohirya in the Zaporizhzhia region. In addition, the city of Kherson was shelled from MLRS.
There is still a threat of enemy missile strikes on the objects of the energy system and critical infrastructure throughout the territory of Ukraine.
In the Volyn and Polissya directions, the situation has not changed significantly, and no signs of the formation of enemy’s offensive groups have been detected. The training of individual units of the enemy continues on the training grounds of the Republic of Belarus.
In the Siverskyi direction, the enemy carried out mortar and artillery attacks on the settlements of Seredyna Buda, Bilopillya, Budky and Krasnopillya of the Sumy region.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, the enemy continues to hold military units in the border areas of the Bilhorod region. Areas of Veterynarne, Kozacha Lopan, Vysoka Yaruga, Strilecha, Hlyboke, Starytsa, Ohirtseve, Budarky, Chuhunivka, Petro-Ivanivka and Dvorichna settlements of Kharkiv region were shelled by mortars, barrel and rocket artillery.
The enemy is defending in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions. Tanks and artillery of various calibers shelled the areas of the settlements of Pershotravneve, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Tabaivka, Krokhmalne, Berestove and Druzhelyubivka in the Kharkiv region and Stelmakhivka, Makiivka, Ploshchanka, Nevske and Chervonopopivka in the Luhansk region.
In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations. Objects in the areas of Verkhnokamyanske, Spirne, Vyimka, Bilohorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Opytne, Klishchiivka, Pivnichne, Zalizne and New York areas were shelled.
The occupiers are trying to improve their tactical position in the Avdiivka direction. The areas of Avdiivka, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka settlements of the Donetsk region were hit by fire from tanks and artillery of various types.
The enemy is conducting defensive operations in the Novopavlivsk direction. Areas of the settlements of Vuhledar, Bohoyavlenka, Prechystivka and Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk regino were hit by artillery fire.
The enemy is also on the defensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction. It shelled the areas of the settlements of Zahirne, Orihiv, Novoandriivka, Mali Shcherbaky and Plavni of the Zaporizhzhia regino. The city of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, came under direct fire.
The enemy is conducting a positional defense in the Kherson direction. It fired tanks, mortars, barrels and rocket artillery at the positions of our troops. The enemy does not stop shelling the suburbs and the city of Kherson.
In order to replenish the current losses of units of the Russian occupation forces, the early graduation of cadets from higher military educational institutions of the Russian federation is planned in the first quarter of 2023.
In addition, preparations for the next wave of mobilization scheduled for January-February 2023 are ongoing on the territory of the Russian federation.
In the city of Khrustalnyi in the temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk oblast, the Russian occupation authorities announced the end of mobilization. At the same time, the occupiers continue to patrol the city, at the exits from the settlement, a thorough check is carried out on all those who wish to leave.
It has been confirmed that enemy units were hit in the Zaporizhzhia region during November 28-29 of this year. Thus, in the area of Inzhenerne, Polohy and Tokmak settlements, the enemy lost about 100 people wounded, 5 pieces of military equipment were destroyed.
During the current day, the aviation of the Defense Forces made 15 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons, and military equipment, as well as 2 strikes on the positions of the enemy’s anti-aircraft missile systems.
During the day, Ukrainian rocket launchers and gunners hit 2 areas of concentration of enemy personnel and anti-aircraft missiles and an important object of the occupiers.
Glory to Ukraine!
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Soviet regime tried to destroy all traces of the Holodomor, but thanks to the archives of the Security Service of Ukraine, there are new significant finds
The Soviet authorities tried by all means to destroy the traces of the Holodomor and mass artificial famines in Ukraine, but, despite the KGB efforts, many materials survived. Part of this massif has not yet been fully studied, but it is kept in the archives of the Security Service. Therefore, in the future, the Ukrainian and world communities may learn new significant facts about this genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Andrii Kogut, director of the Sectoral State Archive of the SSU, stated this in an interview for the “KP in Ukraine” publication on the Day of Remembrance of the Holodomor Victims.
“After the Holodomor, the archives were purged. Documents that could testify to an artificially created famine were destroyed en masse or changed so that it was impossible to establish what actually happened. Today, there is nothing secret left, but not all funds have yet undergone a full complex of scientific and technical processing, so perhaps new significant discoveries are waiting for us,” Andrii Kogut emphasized.
According to him, the Archive has currently prepared detailed catalogs on the history of the Holodomor. At the same time, the analytical processing of this information by historians and researchers is the next step. “That is, the entire complex of tasks is not yet completed, if we are actually talking about scientific research,” adds Andriy Kogut.
He reminded that the Branch Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine today houses one of the largest documentary complexes, which directly or indirectly testify to artificially created famines.
According to Andrii Kogut, they can be conditionally divided into at least two categories. On the one hand, these are cases that testify to repression against those who tried to prevent the Holodomor, spread information that the Soviet authorities wanted to starve Ukrainian peasants, rebelled against the measures carried out by the communists in the village.
Another category is the so-called archival-criminal cases that were opened later: including those from whom various testimonies about the Holodomor were found.
The Security Service of Ukraine not only ensures a free and impartial study of them, but, for the most part, it is the initiator of the large-scale work of archivists to process and rethink existing documents together with scientists, researchers, and journalists.
We will remind that the state archive of the SSU is one of the most open among all post-Soviet countries. And everyone who is interested in the period of the totalitarian communist regime can use it.
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Volodymyr Zelensky met with singer Jamala on the eve of her trip to the USA to participate in public and cultural events
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with the Ukrainian singer and songwriter, the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest Jamala, who is going to the United States of America, where she will take part in cultural events and meet with high-ranking American officials.
Jamala told the Head of State about the planned events and expressed her belief that the cultural front is extremely important in Ukraine’s current struggle for its freedom and independence.
The President supported the singer and noted that signals from well-known figures of culture and art definitely have an impact.
“Your voice is heard everywhere. And this is a great opportunity to remind everyone once again that there is a war going on in Ukraine,” he said, addressing Jamala, who is the recipient of the 2022 “Outstanding Artist Leadership Award” from the US Atlantic Council.
Zelensky emphasized that the most pressing problem today is Russian attacks on energy infrastructure facilities and the threat of a blackout, and the whole world should be aware of this problem. In this regard, there are corresponding needs to ensure normal living conditions for the civilian population.
The issue of protecting the Ukrainian sky from missiles and drones is directly related to this challenge. For this, it is necessary to strengthen the air defense of Ukraine.
“It is important for us to get through this winter. We can win and we are winning. But without the help from the USA, which is the leader in supporting Ukraine, and which we will need in the future, it would have been very difficult for us,” the Head of State said.
The President also emphasized the importance of the issue of political prisoners, among whom are many residents of Jamala’s native Crimea, in particular Crimean Tatars.
“We have repeatedly handed over lists to the United States, Türkiye, etc. It is very important when leaders and high-ranking officials of such countries pass on information and accelerate this process. We are engaged in exchanges, but so far, unfortunately, the greatest difficulty is with political prisoners. They must be returned,” said Zelensky.
Jamala noted that every artist has his own story, and her own begins in the Ukrainian Crimea, in the house that was taken from her.
“And that is why, no matter where I am, the first priority for me is to remind that foreigners came to my house to kill and mutilate life, to destroy and rewrite my culture. It happened in 1944, and then in 2014, and now again. Now everyone in Ukraine understands that this can happen to anyone, if evil is not stopped and brought to justice for crimes,” the singer stressed.
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Losses of Russia for the period from FEB 24 to NOV 30
The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 30.11 were approximately:
- personnel ‒ about 88880 (+500) persons were liquidated,
- tanks ‒ 2914 (+3),
- APV ‒ 5872 (+6),
- artillery systems – 1902 (+1),
- MLRS – 395 (+0),
- Anti-aircraft warfare systems ‒ 210 (+1),
- aircraft – 280 (+0),
- helicopters – 261 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level – 1562 (+7),
- cruise missiles ‒ 531 (+0),
- warships / boats ‒ 16 (+0),
- vehicles and fuel tanks – 4429 (+6),
- special equipment ‒ 163 (+0).
Data are being updated.
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Diia.Business has won the European Enterprise Promotion Awards
Ukraine has won the international competition European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2022 (EEPA) for the first time. The project of the Ministry of Digital Transformation was awarded in the category “Supporting the Internationalization of Business”.
“The Government, together with partners, is implementing a number of large-scale programs and providing grants for entrepreneurs throughout Ukraine so that no one is left behind. The Diia.Business project is highly inclusive, and the people who work with us are true visionaries. We are grateful to our foreign and domestic partners for their ongoing support, which is so important for us in this difficult time. The EEPA award means a lot to us, because the Diia.Business project has a high goal – to make life easier for entrepreneurs and support them under any circumstances,” said Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration Valeriia Ionan.
The EERA Award is annually bestowed to organizations and projects that promote entrepreneurship and small business at the national, regional and local levels. This year, about 200 projects from 26 countries competed for the award in six categories.
In October, the second stage of the EERA competition took place, where the European jury selected a shortlist of the best projects. The three finalists in the nomination “Supporting the Internationalization of Business” included projects from Ukraine, Sweden and Estonia.
It is worth reminding that Diia.Business is a national project for the development of entrepreneurship and exports, created by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and implemented by the state institution Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office.
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Abbas Gallyamov: The Russians are tired of all this endless talk about the Americans, NATO, and they began to look at the situation inside the country
The political scientist and political technologist spoke about how Vladimir Putin tried to shift the focus of people’s dislike for himself with the help of the war against Ukraine.
Abbas Gallyamov expresses the idea that from the point of view of building a stable democracy in Russia, “the longer Putin sits, the better.” He explains this by the fact that the Russian ruler, by his actions, discredits authoritarianism as such and demonstrates the exhaustion of this option for the country’s development.
“That is, if he is quickly overthrown,” says Gallyamov, “Putin’s supporters can say that he turned out to be weak and another strong leader is needed. But no, guys, make sure that all the talk about a strong leader, enemies around, and a course built on confrontation with the outside world is all a dead end in itself.”
The political scientist is convinced that the more troubles and ordeals Vladimir Putin brings to Russia, the more obvious it will become that his system does not work.
“Of course, it is blasphemous to say this because people are dying, but war is also good in the long run. She showed all these militarists that everything is a lie.
The Russian army, about which they raved that “Russia has only two allies – the army and the navy”, in fact turned out to be a paper tiger. And the vertical of power, to which they prayed and fetishized, is not even capable of organizing mobilization – recruits go to war, equipping and arming themselves at their own expense, as in Europe in the Middle Ages. And this discrediting should become obvious,” sums up Abbas Gallyamov.
The political scientist and former speechwriter for Vladimir Putin also suggest that if the Belarusians succeeded in putting Alexander Lukashenko to rest in 2020, this would further increase the likelihood of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“In this case, the war would definitely happen. Because the overthrow of Lukashenko would greatly increase the protest mood in Russia.”
The growth of foreign political tension, and the escalation along the outer perimeter, is exactly the way Putin is fighting against the growing protest moods in Russia.
In other words, according to Gallyamov, Vladimir Putin needed war and escalation because his approval rating had been falling since 2018.
“He became less and less legitimate president since the Russians were no longer interested in foreign policy, but began to be interested in domestic,” the expert notes. “They were tired of all this endless talk about the Americans, NATO, and they began to look at the situation inside the country. And nothing good happens there: neither in the economy, nor in politics, nor in the cultural sphere – nowhere. There are stagnation and degradation everywhere.
That is, as a result, the Russians suddenly saw the light, and Putin’s ratings went down. Putin needed a nosebleed from rising tensions on the outer perimeter to get them interested in foreign policy again and to turn Putin’s criticism into an act of hostility towards the country again.”
Thus, one of the reasons for the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Abbas Gallyamov, names the fact that at some point, the criticism of the Russian ruler within the Russian Federation “ceased to look like an act of betrayal, but he needed it to look like that.”
“So that the security forces feel that their hands are untied, so that people themselves are afraid, and the captain of the besieged fortress, as they say, is not criticized. He intensely created tension and at some point could not resist, believed in his greatness and broke into a real war.”
Gallyamov does not rule out that a real war was not initially included in Vladimir Putin’s plans at all – he just needed the escalation process itself.
“By issuing an ultimatum and starting saber-rattling at the borders, he was sure that Zelensky would break down and at least partially accept his ultimatum, and Putin would look like a kind of a winner of NATO.
But Putin suddenly found himself in the situation of a hooligan who terrorizes everyone, and then suddenly someone comes up to him and says, “Get out of here.” Well, how not to hit after that? If you turn around and leave, you will not be respected by your own people. So I had to hit.”
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