- Russia-Ukraine Daily News
- Posts
- Daily Briefing
Dear Reader, if you find this email interesting, helpful or of value, please do consider forwarding it to your friends or colleagues and encouraging them to subscribe. Thank you.
Morning Headlines
AP News: Disruptive digital attacks, many of which have been traced to Russia-backed groups, have doubled in the European Union in recent months and are also targeting election-related services, according to the EU’s top cybersecurity official.
Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Wednesday, the first stop of a brief Europe tour during which he will aim to solidify the Western support for Ukraine across NATO allies and neighboring countries.
ISW: Russian allegations about Zelensky's lack of legitimacy are a known Kremlin information operation that Kremlin officials have been promoting extensively in recent weeks, in part targeted at foreign audiences.
More News
Reuters: France and Germany's leaders said on Tuesday Ukraine should be allowed to hit military sites inside Russia from which missiles were being fired at Ukrainian territory, but not other targets.
Bloomberg: A disturbing number of Russian weapons are powered by electronic components from companies in the US and allied nations, a Biden administration official said Tuesday, as he appealed for firms to stem the flow of parts being used to wage war in Ukraine (archive).
AFP: Ukraine in the coming days will get the first 155-millimetre shells bought outside Europe through a Czech-led initiative, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday.
Reuters: Germany and the Czech Republic are pushing the European Union to hold talks on how to eliminate the remaining energy sources Europe imports from Russia.
Meduza: Russia's Finance Ministry has drafted legislation that will restore progressive taxes on personal income, acting on a proposal from Putin in February to shift the nation's tax burden “towards those with higher personal and corporate incomes.”
The Guardian: Russia’s shift towards a full-fledged war economy requires the west to extend its sanctions policy, including by sanctioning third-party entities that trade with Moscow, a senior White House official signalled on Tuesday.
Reuters: European Union defence ministers on Tuesday debated the idea of training Ukrainian forces inside the country but did not reach a common position on the sensitive issue, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's President and Portuguese Prime Minister said at a news conference on May 28 that they had signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement. Under the agreement, Portugal will allocate at least 126 million euros in military aid for Ukraine in 2024.
Bloomberg: Telegram, the messaging platform being harnessed by peddlers of Russian disinformation, risks being hit by the European Union’s crackdown on online platforms being used to funnel illegal and harmful content (archive).
Reuters: Sweden is pausing plans to send Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine in order to allow for the introduction of F-16 fighter jets, the Swedish defence minister told news agency TT in Brussels on Tuesday.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia has significantly intensified the recruitment of mercenaries from Africa for the full-scale war against Ukraine, Ukraine's military intelligence said. Mercenaries from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Uganda are being recruited as assault troopers by a specially created unit of the Russian Defense Ministry.
Meduza: Since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian courts have become 1.5 times more likely to seize suspects’ property. According to a new investigation by Novaya Gazeta Europe, judges froze nearly 1.3 trillion rubles ($14.7 billion) in felony cases in 2022 and 2023.
Reuters: Ukraine will receive its first supplies of F-16 fighter jets "very soon", but around half of its desperately needed foreign military aid is arriving late, Kyiv's defence minister has said.
The Swedish government on May 28 announced a new energy aid package for Ukraine worth 650 million Swedish krona (around $60 million).
The Kyiv Independent: Belgian arms which are to be supplied to Ukraine under the recently signed security agreement, including F-16 fighter jets, are intended for use only on Ukrainian territory, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said.
Reuters: Switzerland's upper house of parliament has backed a motion to toughen measures to expel spies, taking particular aim at Russian intelligence agents as Bern prepares to host a major summit aimed at paving the way for peace in Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent: The Netherlands wants to deliver an additional Patriot air defense system to Ukraine in the short term in cooperation with other countries, the Dutch Defense Ministry said.
AP News: Poland’s foreign minister says the NATO nation should not exclude the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and should keep Putin in suspense over whether such a decision would ever be made.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's President and Belgian Prime Minister signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement in Brussels on May 28. Under the agreement, Belgium will allocate around $1 billion in military aid for Ukraine in 2024. The document also says that Belgium will supply Kyiv with 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028, with the first planes expected to arrive already this year.
worth mentioning
Growing up under fire: Ukraine’s children adapt to survive Russia's invasion
Russia's human rights chief slams chatbots for dodging Ukraine war questions
Civil society groups ask YouTube and Google to ‘stop helping Russian censorship’
Reuters: India's Reliance to buy Russian oil in roubles
Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please. They can also sign up here
Please do support my work