UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
πͺπΊ The EU has extended sanctions over the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol until June 2026.
The sanctions were first imposed in June 2014. They include a ban on importing goods from the illegally annexed territories into the EU, as well as a ban on infrastructure and financial investments and the provision of tourism services in these regions.
The European Commission will present a plan this week to permanently ban EU countries from signing new gas contracts with Russia, the Financial Times reported, citing a summary of the proposals.
The plan relies on trade law mechanisms and would immediately ban all new contracts for Russian gas.
Existing short-term contracts would end in 2026, and long-term contracts in 2028.
Companies would be required to provide customs authorities with detailed information about gas contracts to prove the gas is not imported from Russia.
This approach would let Hungary and Slovakia bypass the veto they had threatened to impose on including the ban in a new sanctions package against Russia.
As a concession, these countries would reportedly be given an extra yearβuntil 2027βto terminate short-term contracts.
At the same time, the publication notes that reducing dependence on Russian nuclear technologies remains more challenging.
The EU has 101 nuclear reactors, 19 of which are Soviet-type VVER reactors located in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Finland. These are particularly reliant on Russian fuel and technical support.
Overall, Russia supplies 20β25% of the EUβs uranium needs.
Building an independent nuclear supply chain is expected to cost the EU β¬241 billion.
The EU plans to phase out Russian nuclear energy in the 2030s.
Another 1,245 bodies have been returned, marking the completion of the repatriation phase of the Istanbul agreements. In total, Ukraine has received 6,057 bodies.
The Russian Federation has received 78 bodies of its servicemen from Ukraine, according to the head of the Russian delegation.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs said Russia is deliberately complicating the identification process: the bodies are severely mutilated, and body parts are often placed in separate bags.
There are cases where the remains of a single person are returned in different repatriation rounds.
Moreover, during recent transfers, Russia has sent back the bodies of its own soldiers mixed with the remains of Ukrainians.
A reduction of the price cap on Russian oil to $45 and the introduction of secondary sanctions against shipowners and oil traders could shut down Russiaβs remaining paths to bypass sanctions, The Moscow Times reports.
Tatyana Mitrova, a research fellow at Columbia Universityβs Center for Global Energy Policy, told journalists that such a low ceiling would significantly tighten conditions for Russian exporters.
This could lead to the discount on Russian oil widening to $20 below Brent, especially if traders and shipowners begin refusing Russian shipments over fears of secondary sanctions and insurance issues.
The Russian Urals crude blend is sold at a discount to Brent due to its higher sulfur content and heavier composition, which make it harder to refine.
Urals is Russiaβs main export benchmark. Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it typically traded $2β4 below Brent. After the invasion, the gap widened sharply, peaking at $30 in March 2022.
Europe is preparing hospitals for a possible war with Russia, Politico reports.
On NATOβs eastern flankβin Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estoniaβmedical institutions are getting ready for a military scenario. They are training personnel, relocating operating rooms to basements, buying bulletproof vests for doctors, and stockpiling medicines and field hospital supplies.
Amid the threat from Russia, former Soviet states no longer see war as an unthinkable possibility. In Lithuania and Estonia, joint exercises with the army are held regularly. In Latvia, doctors are required to stay on duty in case of an alert. At the same time, studies show that many healthcare workers may leave the country if war breaks out.
The concerns go beyond military conflict and include a potential rise in casualties, an influx of refugees, and attacks on civilian infrastructureβalready a reality in Ukraine.
βοΈRussia attacked Ukraine throughout the night with 32 missiles and 440 drones, President Zelenskyy said.
One of the most devastating strikes hit Kyiv. Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv region, Zhytomyr region, Kirovohrad region, Mykolayiv region, and Kyiv region were also targeted during the night.
Russians attacked 27 locations across different areas of Kyiv, damaging or destroying residential buildings, educational institutions, and critical infrastructure, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported.
Severe fires have been recorded on the eastern and western outskirts of Kyiv.
The data comes from NASAβs satellite-based fire monitoring system. Air quality in the capital is currently very poor.
βοΈKyiv: Two SES helicopters are operating at the sites of the Russian strikes.
So far, they have carried out over 50 water drops, totaling more than 100 tons.
Rescue teams are working at three locations, continuing firefighting and search-and-rescue operations.
βοΈThe number of victims in Odesa has risen to 17, including a pregnant woman and a 17-year-old girl, the Regional Military Administration reports.
The body of a 60-year-old woman was found under the rubble. Another woman is still being searched for.