We have received reliable reports from Belarus opposition journalists that units of the Belarusian Special Operations Forces are now boarding planes headed to Ukraine. An airborne landing is being prepared, with planned landing locations at Kyiv and Zhytomir. This confirms that the Belarusian Army is a partner with Russia in invading Ukraine and that Belarusian…
Early this morning a massive invasion of Ukraine by Russian and Belarusian army units was launched by land and air. Peaceful cities in Ukraine were targeted by the blitzkrieg offensive including Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Mariupol Odessa and others. There will be civilian casualties, and massive displacement of the population leading to a flood of refugees…
The Council, which represents EU member states, has adopted restrictive measures, within the existing sanctions framework, on five more individuals. This, it says, is for “actively supporting actions and implementing policies that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.” “The persons designated are members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, who…
The Board of Directors of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) decided to reduce to zero the step-up margin accrued by Greece for the period between 17 June 2021 and 1 January 2022, as part of the medium-term debt relief measures agreed for the country in 2018. The value of this sixth successive reduction amounts…
The EU has announced that it will provide an emergency macro-financial assistance operation of €1.2 billion in the form of loans to foster stability in Ukraine. It intends to provide swift support in a situation of acute crisis and to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience. The Council finalised the adoption on Monday only 21 days after the Commission presented its proposal. The…
Commenting on Russia invading Ukraine, Reinhard Bütikofer, foreign policy coordinator of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, has spoken out against countries being under the “Soviet yoke.” He said on the sanctions policy against the new Russian aggression against Ukraine, “Putin’s official invasion of Ukraine under the pretext of having to protect the extremist separatists…
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has issued a robust statement in response to latest developments in the Ukraine crisis. She said, “EU Member States have given their political agreement for a new package of sanctions against Russia. I welcome this. Russia’s decision to recognise the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk is illegal and…
MEPs have responded to news that Russia has moved troops into the occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine’s East. ECR Coordinator on Foreign Affairs, Anna Fotyga,said: “Russia recognising its own fabrications is not only a violation of Ukraine‘s sovereignty and integrity, and a breach of international law, but also a harbinger of further…
CEOs from leading companies have called for large content platforms to contribute to the cost of the European digital infrastructure that carries their services. The plea comes in an open letter from José María Álvarez-Pallete (Chairman and CEO, Telefónica), Tim Höttges (CEO, Deutsche Telekom), Nick Read (CEO, Vodafone), Stéphane Richard (Chairman and CEO, Orange) The letter reads,…
Access Now, together with Digital Security Lab Ukraine, has called on the international community to take swift action in support of civil society in Ukraine, as well as the broader public whose human rights are being undermined by cyberattacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Following the most recent cyberattacks targeting Ukraine’s essential public service infrastructure, and the ongoing…
