March 28, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:35 Drones attack Kharkiv +++
Russian drones attack Kharkiv again during the night; air defenses are active. According to the mayor, there are several explosions. Previously, one person was killed and several injured in a drone attack in the city, including four children.
+++ 00:27 Putin: F16 fighter jets for Ukraine won’t change anything +++
According to Russian President Putin, the delivery of F16 fighter jets to Ukraine will not change the situation on the battlefield. Several Russian news agencies quoted the president as saying these words as he delivered a speech to military pilots at a meeting north of Moscow. However, the fighter jets could carry nuclear weapons, which Moscow must take into account in its military planning, says Putin. He raised the issue after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that the planes would arrive in Ukraine in the coming months.
+++ 23:30 War opponents in Russia sentenced to six years in prison +++
In Russia, a man was sentenced to six years in prison for criticizing the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. As local media report, a military court in the northern Russian region of Komi convicted the 35-year-old of “public incitement to terrorist acts.” According to the non-governmental organization (NGO) Memorial, the man ran a Telegram channel in which he openly expressed his opposition to the military conflict. The public prosecutor’s office had accused the man of using “videos and messages” to call for setting fire to Russian army recruiting offices. According to Memorial, the man had already been fined in October 2022 for “discrediting” the army because he pointed out the killing of Ukrainian children.
+++ 9:05 p.m. Insider: Russia increases gasoline imports from Belarus +++
According to insiders, Russia increased gasoline imports from neighboring Belarus in March to counteract the risk of shortages on the domestic market. The reason for the move was unscheduled repairs in Russian refineries that arose after drone attacks, say four insiders. Typically, Russia is a net exporter of fuel and a supplier to international markets. However, the interruption of the Russian refineries forced the oil companies to import. After repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries since the beginning of the year, Russia banned gasoline exports on March 1 in order to ensure enough fuel for the domestic market.
+++ 20:26 US media: Scholz and Biden discussed prisoner swap for Navalny +++
As part of negotiations on a prisoner exchange between Russia and the USA, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden discussed a possible deal in February that could have freed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny – a week before his death in Russian custody. This reported the Wall Street Journal. Accordingly, Russian President Vladimir Putin was interested in former FSB officer Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of murder in Germany. It would have been “one of the most difficult exchanges since the Cold War.” As a result of the meeting, the governments of both countries agreed to continue discussing the idea of exchanging Krasikov for Navalny. However, the White House did not make an official offer to the Kremlin at that time.
+++ 20:10 Gas reserves in EU countries show record levels +++
The EU will have sufficient gas reserves next winter. Some Central European countries are still buying Russian pipeline gas but are working on alternative sources of imports in case transit through Ukraine stops. Gas prices in Europe hit a three-year low in February as warm weather and high electricity production from renewable sources reduced demand for gas. The agreement signed in 2019 between Ukraine’s Naftogaz and Russia’s Gazprom allowing the flow of Russian gas through Ukraine expires at the end of the year. According to Gas Infrastructure Europe, Europe’s gas storage facilities are 59 percent full just days before the end of Europe’s winter gas season, which ends March 31, a record for this time of year.
+++ 19:36 EU agrees on stricter tariffs for Ukraine +++
Because of pressure from farmers, a majority of EU states want stricter customs regulations for certain foods from Ukraine. The ambassadors of the EU states are now agreeing on a new compromise. According to diplomats, this stipulates that fewer goods than originally planned may be sold duty-free into the EU. This is likely to be a disadvantage for Ukrainian agriculture: products such as eggs, poultry, sugar and corn are affected. The tightening of the requirements also requires a majority in the European Parliament. Goods affected by the rules should only be allowed to be imported into the EU duty-free up to a certain amount. When this amount is reached, tariffs will be due again.
You can read all previous developments here.