F-16 Training Still Being Discussed
G7 countries to freeze Russian assets until Russia pays reparation costs to Ukraine
More meetings and discussions as the latest Ramstein is held in Brussels at the NATO headquarters. There is war fatigue and I feel it, with allies countries saying one thing but then procrastinating on action. With the war in Israel dominating the headlines, the democratic countries are now having to fund aid to both wars. This is great news for Putin, because that means the allies will have less funding for Ukraine, hence why there are strong suspicions that Russia has aided Hamas in the attack on Israel.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has adopted a resolution demoting the Holodomor of 1932-33 as an act of genocide of the Ukrainian people. What this means is that it sets a standard and precedent for what acts can be deemed genocide when a special tribunal is convened to hold Russia accountable for the alleged war crimes that have been carried out since February 2022.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack civilians and appear to stockpiling weapons for a large scale attack on the energy infrastructure. The question is whether Ukraine has enough weapons to defend themselves?
595 (11 Oct)
Xerox is selling its operations in Russia and is finally leaving the country due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Diamond trade has not been part of the EU sanctions, and trade in diamonds as generated revenue in Russia that has funded the war. Belgium, along with the G7 and the EU are in the process of a system to ban Russian diamonds from being traded.
The death toll in Hroza is 59 which is all those who attended the wake. The SBU have charged Volodymr Mamon and Dmytro Mamon who were former Ukrainian law enforcement officers from the village, who fled to Russia when the village was de-occupied. They retained relationships with the villagers and obtained information about what was happening, and passed the information to the Russians. The attack on the wake was planned and intentional from this information.
Zelenskyy arrives at the NATO headquarters in Brussels of the latest (16th) Ramstein (Ukraine Defence Contact Group) meeting where the allies countries discussed further military aid to Ukraine and of course the jet coalition. Lithuania, Germany, and Czechia are among the countries who are preparing additional military aid packages.
Russia attacks Avdiivka and reports states that the Russians suffer heavy losses.
The International Donor Conference on Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine was held in Zagreb, Croatia, allowing partners to work together on defining Ukraine. $530 has bene pledged to date.
596 (12 Oct)
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted a resolution demoting the Holodomor of 1932-33 as an act of genocide of the Ukrainian people. This paves the way for Ukraine to state that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russians is an act of genocide, which means the case can be heard at the ICC and contravenes the The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan, the first time he has travelled outside of Russia since the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest. Kyrgyzstan is not a party to the Rome Treaty and has no obligation to arrest Putin.
NATO will carry out their annual Steadfast Noon nuclear testing exercises that will include the use of fighter jets that can carry nuclear warheads, and refuelling and surveillance aircraft.
More Russian drone wreckage has been found in Romania, in Plauru which is near the Danube River across from the Ukrainian port of Izmail.
597 (13 Oct)
There is no freedom of religion in Russia as Jehovahs Witnesses are imprisoned for refusing to renounce their faith.
To date, 11 countries are working on the jet coalition to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16s. Training will take place in a centre in Romania, as the Netherlands and Denmark agree to start training and will send jets to Romania for training.
In occupied Melitopol, Russia stages sham trials of men who were forced to make false confessions of terrorism. Artur Nesterenko, and Roman Zarubaiev have been held and tortured.
A bridge connecting Horlivka to Yasynuvata and Donetsk City has been destroyed. This is part of the Ukrainian counteroffensive to immobilise Russian military transportation as Ukraine protects Avdiivka that Russia is attacking. Reports say that Russia has captured 4 square km around Avdiivka.
The G7 is to hold Russian assets until it pays Ukraine reparation costs. Currently that is about $280 billion, and some countries (Belgium) are looking at using the interest generated from the frozen assets and to transfer them to Ukraine, by setting up a fund for the country. Estonia has said it will transfer frozen assets to Ukraine to help pay for reparations if the draft law is passed by parliament.
Stenbock House, 12 October 2023 – Today, the government approved and will send to the parliament an amendment to the International Sanctions Act, which, among other things, provides for domestic rules on the use of assets of sanctioned persons which have been frozen in Estonia to compensate Ukraine for war damage. Under the draft Act, the Estonian legal framework will be more generally streamlined so that the competence and powers of the authorities in the implementation and supervision of sanctions would be clearer and more effective.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister (Szijjarto) has made his 5th visit to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. Hungary has also been silently supporting Russia while being a member of the EU and NATO, and this has been an issue that neither alliance has addressed.
I notice my earlier comment does not appear; I must have been posted incorrectly; I'll try again. I've always been suspicious of Putin's involvement in the Middle East and suspect this latest attack has his fingerprints on it, coming at a time which will undoubtedly take the focus off the war in Ukraine. Very unsettling and dangerous times we are living in with so many protests throughout the world both pro and con. Like so many cities throughout the world, our local police are concerned about public safety and have stepped up security, especially around places of worship. I fear the latest news re the invasion spells just the beginning of war in the region, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine.