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.

Should Ukrainian artists avoid events where members of the Russian cultural world are present? And should they actively indulge in ‘bad diplomacy’, working to ensure Russians are excluded from the international cultural space? Why do Western curators struggle to understand the ‘allergy to Russians’ which Ukrainian artists experience, as a necessary defence of their dignity and security? This uneasy topic is covered by a provocative commentary from Ukrainian artist Alevtina Kakhidze, translated this week for you by the Europe-Ukraine Desk.

This week’s edition also looks at the delicate relationship between Ukraine and Germany’s current leaderships: "I would like to [call Chancellor Scholz a friend] but it needs more time," replied Ukrainian president Zelensky to a question by ARD TV. In Spain, El Español discovers new details about supposed Russian influence and support for Catalan separatists, with an aim to "destabilise the EU".

In the meantime, agricultural imports from Ukraine to the EU prove to be a divisive issue: in many EU countries, like France, farmers’ unions are asking for new restrictions on their free trade. In Bulgaria, though, some vegetable oil producers are asking for more Ukrainian imports in order to save their business. Also, Hungarian Forbes tries to predict the future: what would a post-war Ukraine look like? Agriculture, IT and energy were identified as its main strengths, but the lack of human resources is its biggest challenge.

Have a good read!

Francesco Martino
Editor of this week's edition

Should Ukrainian cultural figures participate or avoid panel discussions, art festivals and other international cultural events where representatives of the Russian cultural sphere are also invited? This dilemma has been widely and passionately discussed among intellectuals in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The most common approach for a while has been for Ukrainians to reject invitations if  Russians were present in the participants list. In 2023 PEN Ukraine, even released a statement explaining that sharing the same cultural space with Russians during wartime would be considered as "a betrayal to the memory of those who were senselessly killed by the Russian army."

But what if the time has come to change the strategy from "avoiding the issue of exhibiting alongside Russians, or with Russian curators, to the strategy of fighting against their participation?" In her column, translated this week by n-ost, Ukrainian artist Alevtina Kakhidze reflects on her own experience in many exhibitions abroad, as well as the experiences of almost 30 of her Ukrainian colleagues. She discovered:

"Ethics and re-traumatisation are the most common reasons why artists do not want to share a curated space with Russians. A large part of the respondents don’t participate in joint events with Russians in solidarity with colleagues who are unable to join artistic events due to injuries, death or service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine [even if this means the risk of] losing their professional connections, career and money."

The piece was originally published by UP.Zhyttia, an important and popular Ukrainian online-media focused on topics of culture, education and science.

Translated by Olesia Storozhuk.

Germany 

Can Ukraine still win the war, Mr Zelensky?

Last Sunday, ARD TV journalist Karen Miosga presented her interview with President Zelensky in Kyiv. Describing the capital, she noted, "I see many Ukrainians are tired and exhausted". Miosga asked Zelensky if he could call Chancellor Scholz a friend, "I would like to, but it needs more time," he replied. "I would like him to be a close friend of Ukraine – that is more important." Regarding German politics, Zelensky expressed regret that Germany had not taken a leading role during the occupation of Crimea. The discussion in the studio included Russia expert Sabine Fisher, SPD politician Lars Klingbeil, and Vassili Golod, the head of the ARD studio in Kyiv. (ARD) 

German public TV broadcaster ZDF faced strong criticism following its report from Mariupol. The correspondent Armin Coerper, head of the ZDF Moscow office, reported that despite massive destruction, Mariupol "is not a ghost city", and substantial investments are being made by Russia for its reconstruction (ZDF). An article in Frankfurter Rundschau accused the public TV of spreading Russian narratives. ZDF later acknowledged the criticism and admitted that the expression "the city functions" was indeed "misleading". To stress their objectivity, ZDF pointed out that in the same broadcast Anne Bruehl reported from Odesa about Ukraine's view on occupied territories, leaving no doubts about who the aggressor is.

The German Foreign Office has uncovered a Russian disinformation campaign with more than 50,000 fake accounts on the platform X (formerly Twitter). This was reported by news magazine Spiegel, citing a confidential analysis from the ministry. According to the analysis, the campaign posted more than one million German-language tweets, aimed at increasing dissatisfaction among Germans with the coalition government and undermining their support for Ukraine. A common claim in the campaign was that the German government overlooks the needs of its own population by supporting Ukraine. (Zeit)

Spain

Moscow offered Catalan separatists "soldiers and cash" to destabilise EU

Russian interference in the Catalan separatist process is becoming more evident. The Spanish judge presiding over the ‘Voloh’ case into connections between separatists and Putin’s regime has stated that Moscow offered Catalonia thousands of soldiers and millions of euros to support independence "to destabilise the EU", and has extended the investigation for a further six months. The Kremlin intended to turn the northeast Spanish region into a crypto haven and requested the separatist leaders not to criticise Putin for the persecution of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny (El Español). It has also come to light that one of the main Catalan supporters in the European Parliament, Latvian MEP Tatjana Zdanoka, worked for more than a decade for the FSB. (El Confidencial)

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who was born in Catalonia, is famous for his strong stance against the Putin regime. In an opinion column, he reviews the EU role after two years of invasion. "Today the whisper of appeasement resurfaces and, again, we hear voices claiming that the victory of Ukraine is not possible and that Western support will not last," he wrote. "These assessments are as wrong today as they were two years ago, so we must not allow them to condition our policy." (El País)

Still, there are difficulties for Kyiv, especially in the recruitment of soldiers. Correspondent Olha Kosova interviews several Ukrainians to address this issue that hovers over every region of the country, in the face of the possible mobilisation of 500,000 people: "If we send the entire generation of 18-25 year olds to serve,” says one of those interviewed, “who is going to rebuild the country? What are we fighting for?" (20 minutos)

Hungary

Ukraine’s FM Kuleba meets Hungarian counterpart Szijjártó

The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Hungary held their first official meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 on 29 January. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said the talks were "characterised by openness, constructiveness and honesty". The news portal Telex published detailed coverage about the press conference in English (Telex). The weekly newspaper Hvg believes that while the meeting creates an opportunity to improve bilateral relations, however, "for real progress, Hungary would need to stop its pro-Moscow policy" (Hvg). Hungary is the only country in the European Union that has not agreed to provide 50 billion euros in aid to Ukraine. This will put the issue back on the agenda for the extraordinary EU summit on 1 February.

The Hungarian healthcare system could learn from Ukraine, according to a Hungarian GP. Bernadett Révész is a family doctor in two Hungarian villages near the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. She considers what she has heard about the Ukrainian health system to be effective: in each village a nurse, a so-called ‘paramedic’ performs many tasks, such as giving injections and taking blood pressure. In small Hungarian villages, these services are carried out by the doctor. According to Bernadett Révész, a similar strong network of paramedics could also help Hungarian GPs. (Magyar Hang)

Leading Ukrainian economists were interviewed by Hungarian Forbes about what a post-war Ukraine would look like. Agriculture, IT and energy production were identified by the experts as important future strengths, while the lack of human resources would be the biggest challenge of post-war times. "We must prove to expats that they can have a good life in Ukraine too: a well-developed infrastructure, schools, hospitals, a restored economy, job opportunities and, of course, security," says Valerii Pekar, a co-founder of ‘The New Country’ Civic Platform, which unites experts working on reforms in Ukraine. (Forbes)

Bulgaria

The long journey from Ukraine to Sofia’s "Cinecittà"

Two Ukrainian women have undertaken a long and difficult journey from their homeland to Sofia’s Kinotsentar, one of the largest film studios in central-eastern Europe, with over 400 Hollywood productions in the last two decades. Yaroslava Kuzmenko and Alyona Altuhova, who are currently working in the centre, tell their story in the documentary Kyiv-Sofia-Hollywood: The Unexpected Journey of Ukrainian Refugees. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, according to the Vesti website, over thirty Ukrainian refugees have found work in the Kinotsentar, with tasks ranging from directing to video editing and special effects. (Vesti)

Insufficient transport infrastructure, and the poor mobility of military hardware in southeast Europe and Bulgaria in particular are currently NATO's Achilles' heel in the event of a war with Russia. For the weekly Capital the priority is to effectively connect the ports of the Mediterranean with those of the Black Sea, and strengthen transport corridors in the region, this time not only for economic development purposes, but also for defence. "The construction of a new bridge over the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania is also fundamental," concludes the weekly. (Capital)

Vegetable seed oil producers in Bulgaria have announced their intention to protest against the de facto embargo on sunflower imports from Ukraine. According to the Bulgarian Association of Vegetable Oil Producers, cited by online magazine Mediapool, many companies are destined to fail within a few months if the raw material does not restart to be imported from Ukraine. However, the Bulgarian sunflower producers, who feel threatened by cheap Ukrainian imports, take an opposite position: at the end of January many took to the streets to ask for new restrictions and subsidies, and to denounce heavy economic losses due to imports from Ukraine. (Mediapool)

France

"Three Euro a kilo" Ukrainian chicken enrages farmers

Thousands of French farmers are protesting against production costs and free trade agreements, especially with Ukraine. The head of France’s main Farmers’ Union understands the decision to "open up to Ukraine at a very specific time" but now denounces this move because "from an agricultural point of view, [it] raises questions" (TF1). As an example, one farmer explains his chicken is worth seven euros per kilo, while Ukrainian chicken sells for three euros: "There can be imports, but they have to meet our standards," he says (TF1). Another article, by the historical left-daily L’humanité, details the increase of imports from Ukraine and their impact on the agricultural economy in the EU. (L’Humanité)

Russian allegations concerning the death of "French mercenaries" in a strike in Donbas have been proven wrong by French authorities. A pro-Russian French association shared lists of the names of French volunteers fighting in Ukraine: some were real, but others were false, and at the moment "there is no proof that any French died" in the supposed Kharkiv strike, says a source close to French security services (Le Monde). A long fact-checked article by RFI contacted some of the French fighters declared dead by Russia: one of them came back to France months ago. (RFI)

France Musique focuses on Ukrainian music in its five episode series Music in Ukraine: a silenced history. The presenter traces the history of Ukrainian music from its origins to the present day: such as popular songs, hymns and the importance of the kobzar stringed instrument. The first episode asks: "Is there such a thing as Ukrainian music? And how should we view composers born in Ukraine when the country was part of the Russian Empire?" (France Musique)

Italy

Italian G7 presidency plays "crucial role" in supporting Ukraine

"Italy’s coordinating role in the G7 presidency is crucial," says Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba, interviewed for the TV program In Mezz’ora. Kuleba underlines the opportunity Italy has to "lead a global effort to repel the Russian invasion". Russia still has the possibility of purchasing spare parts, including chips, for the production of weapons: that’s why Kuleba solicits Western countries to tighten their sanctions system, fight circumvention and track trade agreements that allow Russia access to these goods, and introduce inspections on the final buyers. (Rai 3)

The Government authorisation of the supply of military equipment for Ukraine has to be confirmed by both chambers of the Italian Parliament. The eighth aid package was approved by the Chamber of Deputies and recently by the Senate, where there has been a brief political crisis among the right-wing parties, which constitute the ruling majority. MPs from Lega (which has long-standing relations with Moscow) were about to disclose a document urging Italy to take a "diplomatic initiative for a rapid solution to the conflict", underlining the "impossibility for Ukraine of a military victory". But PM Meloni managed to prevent a crisis within the government by having some parts of the text deleted. (Il Manifesto)

A piece by Il Corriere offers data and visualisation about the right to education of Ukrainian children: ten percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed and only 26 percent of students can currently go to school. 1,300 schools are in Russian-occupied territories: the authors highlight the pressure teachers and families face if they try to pursue Ukrainian education, including risking imprisonment. Children are forced to learn Russian and the Russian anthem, wear traditional clothes and write letters to Russian soldiers. Moscow offers high salaries for Russian teachers who move to the occupied areas of Ukraine. (Corriere)

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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