Welcome to the latest 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.

Europe's security is likely to be a top issue in the European press for many years to come. Soon, EU countries may also be confronted with the issue of military preparedness, which is an acute question for Ukraine today. In Ukraine, Basic General Military Training for all adults aged 18 will begin this September, and the details are becoming increasingly visible to the public. The training is compulsory for men and voluntary for women, and this week's Ukrainian article, translated by n-ost, seeks answers to questions raised by the new measure.

Military training has also become a hot topic in France. Although French president Emmanuel Macron ruled out a revival of conscription, the government is now preparing a military service reform, and the French press is asking society its views on the subject. France Info spoke to three generations of a family about how the situation in Ukraine has changed their thoughts on war, security and conscription. 

Military aid to Ukraine also occupies the headlines in EU countries. As reported in El Periódico, Spain’s position has surprised European foreign ministers, as the country joins Italy in opposing a doubling of military aid to Ukraine this year. Meanwhile, Italy’s Corriere reports that two Samp-T anti-aircraft batteries that Italy and France delivered to Ukraine have run out of missiles, while the Italian reserves of such weaponry have almost reached critical level.

Ukraine's war-torn daily life is echoed in a report by Radio Free Europe's Hungarian edition: their reporter accompanied the Ukrainian editor-in-chief Alexei Pasyukha to the Russian border, where he risks his life every week to distribute the local newspaper Vorskla from the boot of his car. 

Have a good read!

Kornelia Kiss
Editor of this week's edition

Despite negotiations on peace in Ukraine sparked by Donald Trump and his engagement with Russia, 59 percent of Ukrainians still believe Ukraine can win on the battlefield and 74 percent of them favour fighting even without support from the US. Most of the Russian-desired concessions that appear to be on the table, like the shrinking of Ukraine's army or the international recognition of Russia’s territorial gains, are not supported by Ukrainians. This was shown by the results of a poll conducted for The Economist in early March. The majority of Ukrainians do not want to weaken their army and defence capability. How is this issue discussed in society?

For a piece translated by n-ost this week, journalist Maya Orel talks to service men and women to discover how Ukraine organises the military training of civilians. Most believe it should be equally compulsory across genders, and comprehensive for every citizen, regardless of their gender or age. The author also analyses the extent to which a citizen has to defend their country, according to the constitution. Viktor Shyshkin, a former judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, suggests:

"The current situation where women are limited in their choices of a military career stems from, let’s put it that way, a not entirely correct understanding of the Constitutional norms by the State officials. Should a woman wish to become, say, a member of a tank crew, the State must give her proper training for that profession. Discrimination of women in the Army is based on the belief that women’s health is more fragile than men’s. However, men’s health is just as important."

This piece was originally published by hromadske, an independent online-media focused on frontline coverage and investigations.

Translated by Tetiana Evloeva.

Bulgaria

Sale of Russian-built Bulgarian reactors to Ukraine close to completion

After Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on 14 March that allows the purchase of two Russian-made Bulgarian nuclear reactors, Ukraine is now waiting for a decision from Sofia on their final sale. The two reactors were purchased by Bulgaria for its never-built Belene nuclear plant, and are now slated to be installed in the Khmelnytskyi plant in Ukraine, to increase its capacity. The deal is expected to cost at least 600 million USD. The Ukrainian opposition, civil society and many energy experts are opposed to the deal, pointing out the risks of corruption and the continual use of Russian technology. (BNR)

"Bulgaria is ready to contribute to achieving peace and security [for Ukraine]," Bulgarian prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said during the 15 March online meeting of European and NATO leaders on Ukraine. The government reiterated its support for the ceasefire proposal that emerged from the meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia last week. Sofia said the US must remain engaged in collective efforts for security in Europe and Ukraine, because without Washington, "Europe is weaker," said the PM. During the meeting, Zhelyazkov said that Bulgaria is ready "to synchronise its growth in the defence sector" to contribute to Europe's strategic independence. (Club Z)

Bulgaria's wait-and-see policy on the international stage puts the country in a "deep risk" situation, argues a commentary for DW Bulgaria by political scientist Veselin Stoynev. The analyst pinpoints the hesitation of Bulgarian politics regarding European security and peace in Ukraine "with the president in favour of Russia and the prime minister in favour of Ukraine", and "the pockets directed to the West and the heart to the East", and calls on Bulgarian politicians to make courageous decisions. The only hope, Stoynev argues, would be the participation of the reformist and pro-Ukrainian opposition into the current government, which is highly unlikely at the moment. (DW Bulgaria)

France

When a French ‘oligarch’ starts promoting the Russian narrative

French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, an influential player in France's media landscape, has been promoting a pro-Russian narrative through his media outlets since Donald Trump’s inauguration this year (Le Monde). Also, Xenia Fedorova, former head of Russia Today France, which was banned in 2022 under EU sanctions, has started appearing across Bolloré's outlets. Fedorova has published a book calling for "more press freedom" in France, launched a newspaper, appeared on TV, and produced a documentary on Orthodox churches. She frames Russia's war as a "special operation" and Crimea's annexation as a "reunification," echoing Kremlin narratives and further polarising the French media space. (Libération)

The French Parliament has passed a symbolic resolution supporting Ukraine, with 288 votes in favour and 54 against. Marine Le Pen’s far-right party RN abstained, citing concerns over Ukraine's EU membership, which they believe could harm French agriculture. Jean-Luc Melenchon’s far-left party LFI and the communists voted against the resolution, advocating for diplomatic solutions and criticising what they see as a "warmonger" discourse (Le Monde). The resolution also symbolically endorsed seizing over 210 billion euros in Russian assets to fund Ukraine's defence and reconstruction. French public figures are increasingly advocating for this move, despite the government's concern this could frighten foreign investors. (Le Monde)

Russia’s war against Ukraine has sparked a sense of urgency in French society, prompting discussions about Europe's role and military preparedness. France Info presents a report on three generations of one French family, none of whom have experienced war firsthand, and believed it belonged to the history books. However, Russia’s invasion has changed their perspective. Guy (72), who inherited WWII stories from his father, now fears a global conflict. Michaël (48) who narrowly avoided conscription when it was abolished in 1996, feels the invasion of Ukraine is a wake-up call for France. Alexandre (20) believes a revised type of conscription could be beneficial, as president Emmanuel Macron prepares the reform of military service. (France Info).

Hungary

Bringing local news to the frontline from the boot of a car

Ukrainian editor-in-chief Oleksei Pasyukha risks his life every week by distributing the local newspaper Vorskla to the Russian border. Every Friday he sets off from Okhtyrka in the Sumy region to Velyka Pysarivka, a village of 4,000 people. With no electricity or internet, the only source of news for locals who don't want to rely on Russian radio is the weekly newspaper, which the editor-in-chief distributes from the boot of his car. Hungarian reporter Boldizsár Győri accompanied him on a trip. "For us, Vorskla is like a statue, a monument. We've been reading it since we were kids. …We buy every issue, so that one day we can show our children and grandchildren what the war was like," says one reader. (Szabad Európa)

Official military updates from Ukraine have made it into Hungarian public media's war coverage only half as often as similar updates from Russia, despite both sides issuing daily battlefield reports. Since February 2022, Hungary’s state-funded news portal has cited official Russian sources 633 times in war-related articles. Ukrainian sources were referenced only 325 times according to an analysis by the fact-checking portal Lakmusz, published in English. (Lakmusz)

Born in Kyiv and working as a TV producer in Moscow in the 2000s, Peter Pomerantsev has since become one of the best-known researchers into Vladimir Putin's propaganda strategies. During his visit to Budapest, he said in an interview that the Hungarian government's foreign policy could leave Hungary "defenceless and vulnerable to Russian despotism." He added that PM Viktor Orbán "wants to increase his room for manoeuvre to squeeze more money out of Brussels," through his foreign policy, but paradoxically the country "could miss out on the biggest investment of the current generation," if it does not have access to the European funds for defence development. (Válaszonline)

Italy

Present and former PMs strike opposing views on rearming Europe

In a speech in the Senate ahead of the European Council, prime minister Giorgia Meloni specified that "support for the Ukrainian people has never been in question". She endorsed Donald Trump’s efforts for negotiating a peace, adding that strengthening European defence doesn’t mean only buying weapons. "Italy doesn’t intend to divert a single euro from the EU cohesion funds to defence," she said (FanPage). On the contrary, during a speech in the Parliament, former prime minister Mario Draghi stated that Russia is a "concrete threat", and that Trump has put the EU’s security into doubt. Draghi said that 800 billion euros for the EU’s plan for rearmament ReArmEu might not be enough, and that joint debt between EU nations is needed to finance defence. (Linkiesta) 

Two Samp-T anti-aircraft batteries which Italy and France have delivered to Ukraine have run out of missiles. Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the two countries to send at least fifty more projectiles. The problem is that the Italian reserves have almost reached a critical level, and the remaining missiles are needed to ensure the protection of sensitive targets on national territory (Corriere). Moreover, the Wall Street Journal has already reported that the performance of these weapons had been disappointing, and far below the standards offered by the American Patriots. 

A conclusion to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could have positive effects on the Italian economy, according to a survey by the business organisation Unimpresa of 100,000 companies. According to 82 percent of the companies, the end of hostilities would have the primary positive effect of a significant reduction in inflation and the stabilisation of energy and raw material prices. Furthermore, 76 percent of the companies emphasise that the end of the conflict would lead to a marked improvement in commercial prospects, facilitating the recovery of Italian exports to Russia and Ukraine. (Repubblica)

Spain

Madrid reluctant to double military aid to Ukraine 

Spain has been reluctant to support EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s proposal to double military aid to Ukraine this year. The stance, shared with Italy, came as a 'surprise' at the European foreign ministers' council on 17 March, where opposition was expected from Hungary rather than Madrid and Rome. Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares stated that Spain is "not in a position" to increase support due to budgetary constraints. If the contribution were based on gross national income, Spain would be expected to provide approximately 8.68 percent of the total, amounting to around three billion euros. Kallas had proposed a total EU contribution to Kyiv of 40 billion euros. (El Periódico)

Three days before this shock announcement, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov visited Madrid to meet with his Spanish counterpart, Margarita Robles, and executives of a dozen Spanish arms manufacturers. Spain "is a reliable partner in these dark moments," Umerov said on 14 March. The two officials also signed an agreement to continue the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Spanish territory. (El País)

Eight months after being released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, Pablo González (AKA Pavel Rubstov), the Spanish agent for Russian military intelligence (GRU), has broken his silence. Arrested in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he spent more than two years in pre-trial detention in Poland. Now, he is living in Moscow. In an opinion column published in Naiz, a media outlet with close ties to Basque separatism, which he once used as a journalistic cover, González claimed he was targeted for arrest for being "left-wing, Basque, and not sympathising with the Kyiv regime." However, he avoided addressing any of the accusations against him, including that he spied on NATO officials, reported on Alexei Navalny’s visits to Spain, and travelled with known GRU agents. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, González appears to be positioning himself for a return to the media bubble. (El Mundo)

The Europe-Ukraine Desk curated this newsletter. This week's edition has been composed by our team from all over Europe: Lidia Baratta, Kornelia Kiss, Clara Marchaud, Oksana Mamchenkova, Francesco Martino, Antonina Rybka and Fermin Torrano. Michael Bird was our proofreader.

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