Daily: 04/21/2022

Case Against Turkish Women’s Rights Group Provokes Outrage

Turkey has one of the worst records in Europe when it comes to the number of women murdered, or femicides. One of the most prominent groups challenging this phenomenon is called the “We Will Stop Femicide Platform.” But a court case could soon shut the group down, prompting outrage and protests across Turkey. For VOA, Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

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Russia Demands Return of Jerusalem Church as Tensions Rise

Tensions between Jerusalem and Moscow are rising over the contested Alexander Nevsky Russian church property in Jerusalem’s Old City. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently sent a personal letter to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett demanding Israel immediately hand over control of the church. The issue is one of the latest flashpoints in the increasingly contentious relations between the two countries during the Russian war against Ukraine. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. Camera – Ricki Rosen.

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Нова військова допомога США: у Пентагоні уточнили, яку зброю передадуть Україні

Ця техніка разом із 18 гаубицями з попереднього пакета забезпечує достатньо артилерійських систем для оснащення п’яти батальйонів

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Данія надасть Україні близько 90 мільйонів доларів військової допомоги – Фредеріксен

Прем’єр-міністерка також запропонувала допомогу Данії у відбудові звільнених від російських військ територій України

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Байден: США нададуть Україні 500 млн доларів прямої економічної допомоги

Україна зможе використати ці гроші на стабілізацію своєї економіки

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Cameroon Blames Fuel Shortage on Russia Sanctions

Cameroon’s energy ministry has said Western sanctions on Russia have driven up the cost of fuel imports and led to a fuel shortage.  The lack of diesel fuels this week left hundreds of trucks taking goods to the neighboring Central African Republic and Chad stranded at the borders. 

Cameroon says thousands of buses, trucks and cars have been stranded in the central African country for two weeks by diesel fuel shortages.  The shortage has left them unable to deliver goods to Cameroon’s landlocked neighbors.

Brilliant Chaba, a 43-year-old truck driver, said his truck transporting computers imported by Chad’s government through Cameroon’s Douala seaport has been stuck in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde for three days because of lack of diesel fuel. He said he is not sure he will arrive in the Chadian capital, N’djamena, within a week as expected. Chaba said he is running short of money to settle parking fees for his truck, buy food and pay for his lodging in Yaounde.

Moise Vokeng, president of the Cameroon Professional Transporters Network, said transporters are surprised that the government of Cameroon has not been able to provide diesel in the country for close to two weeks. He said perishable goods are going bad on their way to Chad and the Central African Republic.  He added that the government should immediately import fuel, or the economic consequences of a fuel shortage will be difficult to contain.

Cameroon says Western sanctions on Russia imposed because of its invasion of Ukraine have created the fuel shortage. 

The sanctions hindered Cameroon’s trade with Russia, which normally supplies more than half of Cameroon’s gasoline imports. 

The government has not revealed the extent of the fuel shortage, but said it will import the necessary quantities from Africa and Europe. 

Simon Pierre Omgba Mbida, an international relations specialist at Cameroon’s External Relations Ministry, said most African countries will be victims of the war of influence between Moscow and European nations, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have disastrous consequences on Africa’s economy. He said some European countries erroneously think that the 57 member states of the African Union and the 27 member states of the European Union should take common positions on topical issues affecting the world. He said each African state, like European nations, has its interests that guide decisions it takes.

The United Nations says since the start of the year, oil prices have gone up by more than 60% and natural gas and fertilizer prices have more than doubled because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.N. says the war risks tipping up to 1.7 billion people, over one-fifth of humanity, into poverty, destitution and hunger.

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Сейм Латвії дозволив позбавляти громадянства за підтримку воєнних злочинів

Нові правила діятимуть щодо осіб, які мають подвійне громадянство

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US Visit Highlights Poland’s Rising Military Capabilities 

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak stressed his nation’s plans to increase its defense capabilities during a visit Wednesday to Washington, where he was greeted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.

During a meeting at the Pentagon, Austin commended Poland for its humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, saying it has not only provided “much-needed security assistance to the Ukrainian military to help it continue to successfully fight back invading Russian forces.” It is also performing “the absolutely essential role of facilitating the delivery of security assistance from the United States and other NATO Allies and partners from around the globe” to Ukraine,” he said.

“Perhaps most importantly, the Polish people have opened their hearts and their homes to millions of Ukrainians fleeing the violence, and you’ve done it with grace,” Austin said in his welcoming remarks.

Since Russia started the war in Ukraine about two months ago, nearly 3 million people fleeing Ukraine have entered Poland.

Blaszczak said in Washington that his country considers the U.S.’s active defense policy and leadership as crucial and that Poland is “proud to host American troops” and would like to “maintain this momentum.” He added that closer collaboration between the two countries in the political and military domain will bear fruit in the industrial and economic sectors.

Since the war in Ukraine started, an additional 5,000 U.S. troops have gone to Poland, adding to the 5,000 on rotation there.

On the eve of the Polish delegation’s visit to Washington, Pentagon spokesperson John F. Kirby announced that Ukraine has received additional fighter jets and parts “to be able to increase their aircraft fleet size,” without giving details as to how these jets and parts were delivered.

Asked by a gathering of mainly Polish media reporters what role Poland may have played in that delivery, Blaszczak declined to comment.

Ray Wojcik, a retired U.S. Army colonel who served as an attache at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw from 2014 to 2018, said it made good sense to keep the details of the delivery secret. Earlier publicity about a Polish proposal to transfer MiG-29s to Ukraine, which was rejected by the United States, amounted to a media “blunder,” he told VOA.

Standing alongside Austin, Blaszczak said “Poland considers its security very seriously; thus, in the view of Russian invasion on Ukraine, we have already implemented a new law which will facilitate the strengthening of our armed forces. It will increase our defense budget up to 3% GDP from the next year on.”

In his remarks to the Polish reporters, Blaszczak said, “We will soon talk about assault helicopters,” adding that “manned vehicles are an important component of the Polish armed forces.” The minister made similar pronouncements on social media.

 

During his talks with Austin, he said, he had “emphasized the fact that the strengthening Poland’s defense capabilities equals to strengthening defense capabilities of NATO’s entire eastern flank.”

Wojcik said he believes Poland is “on the cusp” of announcing plans to purchase Apache attack helicopters, which the U.S. so far has made available to only a small number of allies.

The Apaches work “hand and glove” with the latest U.S. Army Abrams tanks, a prized procurement Poland secured just last month, according to Wojcik, currently a senior fellow at the Transatlantic Security and Defense program at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington. “It’s a key capability” badly needed by the Polish military, he said.

Poland’s new defense spending law will enter into force on Saturday, giving the defense ministry new funds to beef up the nation’s armed forces and equipment.

Blaszczak told reporters the Polish delegation was scheduled to meet Thursday with U.S. defense manufacturing firms Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Boeing. U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters are manufactured by Boeing.

The 3% GDP figure catapults Poland to the top of all European nations in defense spending other than Russia and leaves it second only to the U.S. among NATO members, according to Wojcik.

Poland is also doubling its armed forces to 300,000, with 250,000 active duty, Wojcik said, noting that all in all, Poland will rise to be a military powerhouse in Europe and in NATO in a few years’ time.

“Poland will indeed be the best equipped military in the region and among the top six in NATO” as a result of its increase of defense expenditure and planned procurements, Wojcik said.

Judging by land force alone, he said, “in about five years’ time after major acquisitions and integration of new gear,” Polish armed forces’ strength will be exceeded within NATO only by the U.S., Britain and France.

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Естонія визнала війну в Україні геноцидом українського народу

Естонія стала першою країною, яка визнала дії Росії в Україні геноцидом. 

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Москва закриває консульства країн Балтії у двох російських містах

Рішення ухвалене «на основі принципу взаємності, а також з урахуванням надання владою цих країн військової допомоги київському режиму»

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Голови урядів Іспанії та Данії прибули до Києва для зустрічі з Зеленським

«Щойно приїхав до Києва. Україна має підтримку, солідарність і відданість Іспанії» – Педро Санчес

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Україна не отримувала винищувачів від Заходу – Зеленський

При цьому президент заявив про потеплішання відносин із Заходом: «ми бачимо намагання збільшити підтримку й у напрямку важкої техніки»

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US Preparing New Military Aid for Ukraine   

The United States is imposing new sanctions on dozens more individuals and entities accused of evading financial penalties imposed on Moscow

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У США заявили, що завдяки поставкам деталей Україна змогла підняти в небо ще 20 літаків

Зараз українські військові мають більше літаків, ніж три тижні тому, сказав посадовець зі сфери оборони

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Turkey’s Top Diplomat to Visit Israel on May 24 Amid Efforts to Mend Fences

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he will visit Israel on May 24 amid increasing efforts between the regional rivals to mend ties, four years after they expelled ambassadors.

Turkey and Israel have in recent weeks been working to mend their long-strained ties, and energy has emerged as a potential area of cooperation.

President Tayyip Erdogan said last month he was “very, very hopeful” for energy cooperation with Israel, and he hoped to discuss the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

On Tuesday, Erdogan said he told his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog that he was “very upset” by Palestinians injured or killed in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The two countries expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Palestinian conflict, Turkish support of the Hamas militant group, which runs Gaza, and other issues.

Speaking to broadcaster CNN Turk, Cavusoglu said he will travel to Israel and Palestine with Energy Minister Fatih Donmez on May 24 and would discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit.

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Biden Convenes Top Military Leaders to Discuss Ukraine

As Russia launched new attacks Wednesday on the embattled Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, President Joe Biden convened his military leadership to get the latest assessment of the Russian invasion.

“I want to hear from all of you and your assessments on what you’re seeing in the field and across our forces,” Biden said to his top military brass at the White House before his meeting. “The strategic environment is evolving rapidly in the world, but that means our plans and force posture have to be equally dynamic.”

Biden met with combatant commanders, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and approximately two dozen other military leaders and national security advisers.

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. slapped fresh sanctions on dozens more individuals and entities accused of evading ongoing financial penalties imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

“The Department of Treasury sanctions Transkapitalbank — a key Russian commercial bank that has offered services to banks globally to evade international sanctions, and more than 40 individuals and entities that are part of a Russian sanctions-evasion network led by Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

Psaki said Washington also has imposed sanctions on companies in Russia’s virtual currency mining industry and applied visa restrictions on more than 600 individuals in response to human rights abuses by Russia and Belarus.

A day earlier, reports emerged that Biden’s administration was preparing another large military aid package for Ukraine. The size would be similar to the $800 million package announced just last week and is expected to include more artillery and tens of thousands more artillery rounds, which will likely be critical to the fighting in the eastern Donbas region.

Earlier in the week, Biden confirmed to reporters that he will send more artillery to Ukraine.

“Out of the $3.5 billion in drawdown authority Congress granted for this fiscal year, we have used over $2.4 billion to provide Ukraine the military equipment and capabilities they need to defend themselves,” a senior administration official told VOA. “We are continuing to look at additional security assistance we can provide to Ukraine, and there are additional authorities we can draw on if needed.”

The $3.5 billion is part of the $13.6 billion Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act that Congress approved in March.

Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, told VOA that in addition to military assistance and economic sanctions, Washington must start thinking about plausible end states of the conflict.

“And then, think of what we can do to encourage the parties, working with other outside actors, even the Chinese perhaps, to try to get to some kind of a place we can all live with, compared to the alternative of this turning into a multimonth or even multiyear conflict,” O’Hanlon said. “But for the short term, we’re just trying to help the Ukrainians not lose.”

Battle for Mariupol

More than 100,000 Ukrainians are believed to be trapped in Mariupol, where 400,000 people lived before Russia invaded the country Feb. 24.

“The conditions there are truly horrific,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday at a diplomatic conference in Panama. He underscored that attempted humanitarian corridors to allow Mariupol residents to escape “have fallen apart very quickly.”

The fight over Mariupol is part of a broader Russian offensive in the strategically important Donbas region, where Moscow has been boosting its military presence.

On March 25, following losses in northern Ukraine, Moscow announced a major shift in strategy and removed forces from the north, including the suburbs of the capital, Kyiv, to consolidate military gains in the Donbas and establish a land bridge to Crimea.

Analysts say if Russian forces gain complete control of the Donbas, their diplomats will hold a stronger hand in peace negotiations and be in a better position to demand autonomy for the region.

U.S. Defense Department analysts say the battle for the Donbas region, where fighting has been ongoing since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, could last for months more.  

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Макрон і Ле Пен провели дебати перед другим туром виборів у Франції

Макрон розкритикував Ле Пен за її зв’язки з Росією, вказав на кредит, взятий її партією у 2014 році в російсько-чеському банку

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Росія випробувала міжконтинентальну балістичну ракету «Сармат»

Росія заявила про успішне випробування міжконтинентальної балістичної ракети «Сармат». Запуск відбувся на космодромі Плесецьк і став першим у програмі державних випробувань.

Навчальні бойові блоки ракети досягли полігону на Камчатці. Президент Росії Володимир Путін заявив, що аналогів «Сармату» немає у світі. За попередніми даними, бойове чергування вони почнуть наприкінці року.

Випробування міжконтинентальної ракети пройшли на тлі російського вторгнення в Україну та безперервних бойових дій. При цьому Міноборони США повідомило, що випробування були рядовими і не загрожують Вашингтону. Пентагон уточнив, що Росія належним чином повідомила США про запуск.

Вперше про міжконтинентальну балістичну ракету «Сармат» з ядерним двигуном стало відомо з виступу Володимира Путіна перед Федеральними зборами у березні 2018 року.

Пізніше з’ясувалося, що для ілюстрації дії міжконтинентальної балістичної ракети «Сармат» у виступі Путіна використали кадри з комп’ютерного ролика 11-річної давності, де зображено, як ядерна ракета вражає штат Флорида. Американські ЗМІ тоді писали, що всі чотири випробування ракети, проведені з листопада 2017 по лютий 2018 року, закінчилися невдало.

 

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Пентагон: в Україну з США прибули ще 4 рейси з допомогою, в тому числі – гаубиці

Також, за словами чиновника  Міноборони США, українські інструктори вже розпочали навчання на такому типу зброї

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Зеленський: 934 населені пункти звільнені від військ РФ

Президент закликав громадян, які повертаються у звільнені громади, бути дуже уважними

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Wimbledon Bans Russian, Belarusian Entrants Because of Ukraine Invasion  

The Wimbledon tennis tournament announced Wednesday it is banning Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s matches starting in late June because of what officials said was Russia’s “unjustified” invasion of Ukraine.

The ban will keep some of the world’s top players from competing at one of the world’s premier tournaments at London’s All England Club.

Among them are Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, currently ranked second globally, and No. 8 Andrey Rublev in the men’s draw and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, ranked 15th on the women’s side.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, No. 4 in the world, was a Wimbledon semifinalist last year. Her compatriot Victoria Azarenka is a former top-ranked player and currently is No. 18.

“It is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts of government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible,” the All England Club said in a statement. “In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players” with the Wimbledon championships.

The officials said they would reconsider the ban “if circumstances change materially between now and June.”

Wimbledon begins June 27 and runs through July 10.

The ban on the Belarus contenders was included because the country is a key staging area for the Ukraine attack, which Russia calls a “special military operation” rather than an invasion or war.

Wimbledon has not banned athletes from countries since after World War II, when players from Germany and Japan were not allowed to compete.

The French Open has decided to let Russian and Belarusian players compete at its tournament starting May 22, but as neutral athletes not aligned with their homelands.

Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpischev told the country’s Sport Express newspaper that there was nothing it could do about the Wimbledon ban.

“I think this decision is wrong, but there is nothing we can change,” Tarpischev said. “The [Russian] Tennis Federation has already done everything it could.”

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Ethiopians Line Up at Russian Embassy as Officials Deny Recruitment Effort

Hundreds of Ethiopians reportedly have been been lined up for days outside the Russian embassy in Addis Ababa this week in hopes of being recruited to fight for Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine. But the embassy has dismissed claims it is recruiting foreign fighters and says the Ethiopians are there to show their solidarity with Russia.   

Witnesses say the embassy is not bringing the hopefuls inside but say staffers have come outside to take documents. 

Feleke Gebrekidan was among the Ethiopians who have spent long hours waiting outside the embassy. He has military experience, he said, having served in the Ethiopian military for over a decade.

He said the would-be recruits are former members of the Ethiopian army, who do not have jobs at the moment. Having heard that the Russian embassy is currently recruiting, he said he and other came with their credentials. He said he even brought the clearance he received after serving in the military.  

 

Feleke said he has been at the gate of the embassy for three days but has not managed to get inside. He said he plans to come back and try again.  

Tewodros Sime, who lives next to the Russian embassy in Addid Ababa, said he is not happy to see his fellow citizens volunteering for the war.   

“Why would I fight on behalf of a foreign nation?” he asked. “I was so angry when people poured in for registration to the embassy. Many did not show up when the Ethiopian ministry of defense was calling [men] to join our army. They are now bowing for Russians and I am so sad about it. We should prioritize peace in our country.”

Some of the volunteers are motivated by economics.  They are desperate to get a job, even a potentially deadly job overseas, because they are unemployed.

Also, most Ethiopians see Russia as a friendly nation politically.  In the 1980s, Ethiopia was under communist leadership, and there are thousands of Ethiopian military personnel who were trained in what was then the Soviet Union. 

Maria Chernukhina, the press attache for the Russian embassy in Addis Ababa,  speaking to VOA, acknowledged that some of those in line are carrying documents but said that this reflects their own willingness and hope. She said the Russian embassy is not recruiting people for any purpose, as that would not comply with its responsibility as a diplomatic mission.  

Since the war began, she added, Ethiopians have been calling and emailing the embassy to voice their solidarity with Russia. Chernukhina said the line outside the embassy is also part of that.  

Contacted by VOA, the Ukrainian embassy in Addis Ababa declined to say anything about the lines. The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

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