Welcome to this edition of What about Ukraine?, a newsletter that helps you keep updated about what has been said recently about Ukraine in Ukraine, and in the international media.

The discovery of a weapon corruption scheme amounting to nearly 40 million USD was announced by Ukraine’s Security Service (BRU) at the end of January, putting the issue of graft in Ukraine back in international headlines. To understand how this major topic is covered by the Ukrainian media, the Europe-Ukraine Desk translated this week an article about another big case in Ukraine: the delivery of low-quality clothing for a high price to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, by the Lviv-based Hrynkevych family’s company, resulting in excessive profits, and how the suspect and his family tried to protect their assets. You can read it below.

European farmers’ protests against the import of Ukrainian agricultural products (and other issues) are still in the news, as they reach Brussels. Meanwhile Hungary finally agreed not to veto the EU’s 50 billion euros aid package for Ukraine. Also in this newsletter are articles about Russian media manipulation in Catalonia, the freezing of a Ukrainian soldier’s sperm and a play about the ongoing war premiering at the Berliner Schaubühne.

Next week, What about Ukraine? will take a break, and for a good reason: the Europe-Ukraine Desk will be travelling to Kyiv along with 18 fellows from Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain and France. It’s our second study trip of that kind, and a way for EU media professionals to learn about a country they cover without ever having visited. It is also a chance for them to see the Ukrainian point of view on foreign coverage of the Russian war against Ukraine, like Suspilne (Ukrainian Public Broadcaster) which recently listed professional violations spotted in a report by Germany’s ZDF.

If you miss us next Thursday, we suggest you listen to the first episodes of our podcast Covering Ukraine detailing the expectations, misunderstandings and discoveries in our last year trip from May 2023. It should feel like you were on board with us!

Have a good read (and listen),

Sarah-Lou Lepers
Editor of this week's edition

In the first months following Russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine, investigative journalists focused their efforts on war coverage, including, for example, identifying names of Russian servicemen who committed war crimes in Ukraine. 

As time passed, Ukrainian journalists returned to investigating corruption cases. Many of them were connected to different divisions of the Ministry of Defence or other institutions close to the Ukrainian army. As an example the article translated by n-ost this week was written by Illya Lukash, and goes deeper into one of the biggest recent corruption cases in Ukraine: the arrest of Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych, a major clothing supplier to the Ministry of Defence, who is accused of supplying low-quality military clothing at inflated prices, causing the Ukrainian state to lose at least 25 million euros.

"As early as 11 January, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) announced the seizure of the Hrynkevych family property and bank levies on the businesses controlled by the family. However, there was an almost two-week-long gap between the arrest of Ihor Hrynkevych and 11 January, when the SBI finally placed a levy on their assets. During this period, the most interesting things transpired."

The article probes into how the Hrynkevych family tried to prevent the seizure of its assets by the SBI. This piece was originally published by hromadske, an independent Ukrainian online-media, that was founded by a group of journalists in 2013, just a few days before the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity. Since then the media focuses on reporting from Ukrainian hotspots — be it the Maidan during the revolution, or the frontline of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Translated by Tetiana Evloeva. 

Hungary

Hungary’s posturing on EU Ukraine aid distracts from domestic woes

All EU states finally agreed to the 50 billion euros aid package for Ukraine - including Hungary, which vetoed the decision in December. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has gained nothing by giving up his position, an analysis says. Yet in the field of political communication he could gain an advantage: while Hungarian domestic politics is concerned with Orbán's position on world policy "there is no time to worry about what is happening at home", according to the article we share. (Válaszonline)

Months earlier, in a closed-door meeting, Viktor Orbán argued against Ukraine's EU accession in a different way than in public: according to the investigative portal Direkt36 he had said that Ukraine's accession to the EU would upset the balance of power in Europe and give the United States too much influence in the region. (Direkt36)

Opposition parties across Europe are trying to jump on the bandwagon of the protests by farmers, who complain that Ukrainian imports are driving down prices. Viktor Orbán joined this wave, visiting protesting farmers in Brussels and saying that imports of Ukrainian products should be stopped. The European Commission's extension of the duty-free regime is opposed by Hungarian farmers, who have organised a demonstration on Friday - although an import ban on Ukrainian grain in Hungary is still in force. (Telex) 

Weekly magazine Magyar Narancs summarises what life must be like in Russian-occupied Mariupol based on information leaked to the Western press and Telegram channels. According to Magyar Narancs, the situation is "clearly reminiscent of the Soviet Union in the 1930s". While the cult of Putin is being built, many Russians are reported to have settled in the city. This and the repression, the article concludes, could lead some of the population to reconcile with Russian rule. (Magyar Narancs)

Italy

Zelensky: a “reset” of country’s leadership is needed

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in a long interview, published in Rai 1, defines Ukraine as "different" nowadays, as well as "closer to Europe", "with a stronger army", "equipped with Western [military] supplies", and "more experienced". Zelensky admits there is stalemate on the ground, due to delays in the supply of equipment: there are not enough munitions, and the Ukrainian army needs modern technical means. Thanks to former PM Mario Draghi and current PM Giorgia Meloni, he adds, "Italy is on our side". Both heads of Government were able to influence Ukraine’s path towards the EU. Concerning the dismissal of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny, Zelensky discloses "a reset", not only in the military, but also with other leading figures. (Rai1)

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni is claiming credit for the EU Council agreement with Hungarian president Viktor Orbán, who removed the veto on the EU’s 50 billion euros funding for Kyiv. According to Meloni’s declarations, an article by Domani highlights, her "dialogue skills" had Orbán change his mind on the aid for Ukraine. But there are other interests hidden behind the deal: it gives Orbán a chance to come out from isolation and reconnect his party Fidesz with decision-making positions in the EU, by aiming to join the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the EU parliament. (Domani)

An article by New Eastern Europe, re-published by Meridiano 13, focuses on in vitro fertilisation, required by many Ukrainians. Polish journalist Agnieszka Zielińska explains that before the full-scale invasion "Ukraine had one of the lowest fertility rates in the world", and was set to lose one fifth of its population by 2050. War, emigration and fertility problems due to injuries have worsened the situation. Therefore assisted insemination clinics have been very active in collecting and storing soldiers’ sperm. This is an expensive process, but clinics and public institutions are helping with funding and assistance. The main problem is a lack of regulation in case the soldiers die. (Meridiano 13)

Spain

Kremlin changes propaganda technique from state media to independent titles

A tumultuous week unfolded in Spain and across Europe following the revelation of Putin's regime's alleged plan to destabilise the EU by backing the Catalan independence movement, as detailed in our last edition. "Why did Russia choose Catalonia?" asks Nicolás de Pedro, a foreign analyst specialising in Russian disinformation campaigns. He explains Moscow's interest in undermining Spain, citing its strong ties with Latin America - a region of strategic importance to the Kremlin. Additionally, de Pedro highlights the significance of visits by a high-ranking GRU agent to Spain. The Russian intelligence unit under his command has orchestrated clandestine sabotage operations in several Western nations over the past decade and could have placed Spanish stability "much closer to the abyss" than the public believed until now. (El Mundo)

But the dangers are not in the past. A new Russian interference network with a presence in Catalonia has been unveiled by declassified U.S documents, that would have pushed news against the Spanish state "to undermine support for Ukraine and propagate an anti-US and anti-NATO mentality". Compared to interference during the illegal independence referendum of 2017, which used the Russian state-run portals RT and Sputnik, Moscow now operates differently, using opaque Russian entities, with content disseminated by small media that seem independent, like Pressenza and El Ciudadano. (ABC)

Amid the noise, Spain remains steadfast in its military and economic support for Ukraine. In a bid to bolster bilateral relations, the Spanish government announced an upcoming trip to Kyiv in March with businesspeople. The main Ukrainian needs are transportation, renewable energy, weapons and infrastructure (El País). A sector in which Spanish technology is already being tested is to change the gauge on Ukrainian trains, so they can connect to the European network. (El Confidencial)

Germany 

Cooperation boost for healthcare promised

German federal health minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Liashko signed a joint declaration to agree on closer cooperation in healthcare between the countries. "Germany takes in more severely injured people than any other country," said Lauterbach, in addition to providing medical on-site support. However, Liashko emphasised that the need for further assistance in Ukraine is enormous. They announced the introduction of a network of 30 German and 50 Ukrainian hospitals and medical facilities, and a focus on mental healthcare, especially for children and adolescents. (Ärzteblatt)

There is no visible success so far in the German programme 'Jobturbos', which aims at helping refugees, many from Ukraine, to integrate into the workforce quickly. Three months after the launch of the programme by the Federal Ministry of Labour, only 17 percent of refugees who took the integration course have found a position. According to Daniel Terzenbach, the Federal Labour Agency’s special envoy for the programme, main causes of the high unemployment rate are the weakened economy and the lack of German language skills among job-seekers. (Spiegel)

The play 'Postcards from the East' about the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine premiered at the Berliner Schaubühne last week. Directed by Ukrainian Stas Zhyrkov, the play revolves around four friends who meet in Mariupol in 2014 and meet again ten years later for dinner. Ukrainian and German are spoken in parts and two of the four actors are from Ukraine. According to Süddeutsche, the play depicts "the torn friendship between mourning, war trauma, and looking forward is thought-provoking and lingers even after the visit to the theatre". (Süddeutsche)

Bulgaria

Bulgaria lays legal basis to try Russian elite

Sofia intends to introduce the crime of "international aggression" into its penal code, the Bulgarian Justice Minister Atanas Slavov tells the Mediapool website. This law would allow the Russian political and military leadership to be prosecuted for their aggression against Ukraine. "The key element is to be able to start judicial processes using universal jurisdiction," declares Slavov, "also keeping in mind the large number of Ukrainian refugees present in Bulgaria today, who would be able to testify". According to the minister, the reform will help Bulgaria contribute to the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine set up by the EU judicial hub Eurojust. (Mediapool)

After several months of waiting, Bulgaria has finally sent to Ukraine the 100 decommissioned armoured personnel carriers that the Sofia parliament voted to make available to Kyiv as military aid. Although the decision was definitively approved last November, the vehicles remained blocked due to high transport costs. As reported by Sega, "the export was now made possible thanks to the support of the British government", as stated by the president of the parliamentary defence commission, Hristo Gadzhev. (Sega)

"The unofficial organ for Putinism in Bulgaria," website Pogled.info, is probed by analyst Georgi Lozanov in the Bulgarian edition of Deutsche Welle. The site claims a Russian victory in Ukraine "will allow the construction of a more harmonious world". "In reality an unhappy fate awaits the countries that should fall under such an order again […]," writes Lozanov, "made up of an oligarchic dictatorship with an immovable leader, an opposition in prison and a population in poverty." (Deutsche Welle)

France

Military support is about quality not quantity

Paris doesn’t agree with the EU diplomatic services ranking France in 15th position in EU countries' military support to Ukraine, above Spain, but below Italy and far below Germany, which has delivered 48 tanks, while France has delivered none. French authorities argue that unlike Germany, France hasn’t communicated the details of its deliveries, and according to a military source: "France prides itself on supplying equipment that is immediately operational, which is not always the case with our partners" (Le Monde). Another article shows new training delivered by France to Ukrainian soldiers on the laws of warfare. (Le Monde)

Far-right candidate in the upcoming European election Marion Marechal says in a interview that accepting Ukraine in the EU would mean "the suicide of French agriculture", adding "I don't think we can hope to bring into a common market an agricultural giant with a median monthly salary of around 200 euros" (Le Monde). The candidate is surfing on the ongoing wave of farmers’ protests in the EU (Libération), that reached Brussels last week, with thousands of farmers gathering outside the European summit dedicated to Ukraine, and protesting against "free trade agreements that weaken us". (Libération)

Arte broadcasted this week the documentary ‘Ukraine, on the trail of the executioners’. An hour and a half of witnesses, archives and maps demonstrate how the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine was premeditated, and that "in addition to the mass crimes it has perpetrated in Ukraine over the last two years, Moscow is undertaking to annihilate the identity of an entire people," reviews Telerama (ARTE, or watch on Youtube). The French-Russian journalist Ksenia Bolchakova, co-author of the documentary along with French-British Manon Loizeau, explains in an interview that "Russia is descending into madness." (Le Figaro)

The Europe-Ukraine Desk curated this newsletter. This week's edition has been composed by our team all over Europe: Marika Ikonomu, Kornelia Kiss, Katarina Kukla, Sarah Lou Lepers, Oksana Mamchenkova, Francesco Martino, Antonina Rybka and Fermin Torrano.
Michael Bird was our proofreader. 

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