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.

This week Ukraine won its first Oscar in the country's history for the documentary ‘20 days in Mariupol’, by the Ukrainian director and journalist Mstyslav Chernov. The project that recounts the Ukrainian port city, under siege for three months, had already won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023. "[It is] A symbol of Russia’s brutal invasion and occupation," states The New York Times. "I’m honoured, but I will probably be the first director on this stage to say that I wish I’d never made this film," Chernov said on receiving the statuette with co-reporters Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa Stepanenko and Lori Hinnant. "I wish to be able to exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities," he added. In this edition you can read Tagesspiegel's interview with the director, who explains how "the story of Mariupol has become much more symbolic than we [previously] thought."

In several countries support for Ukraine has become a divisive issue: in France, although the majority of the National Assembly approved the bilateral security agreement with Ukraine, there was division in the Parliament. The same is happening in Germany, where chancellor Olaf Scholz is criticised for his lack of assertiveness in supporting Ukraine; meanwhile, in Hungary, prime minister Viktor Orbán is backing Donald Trump as the next US President, arguing that he will bring the war to an end. In Italy, Pope Francis’s words, which appear to call for Ukraine to raise “the white flag” and negotiate with Russia have created a large internal and international discussion. Moreover, the outgoing Bulgarian PM assured the Parliament that the country has no intention of sending its soldiers to Ukraine.    

Finally, the issue of elections is critical. Russia’s presidential vote is due at the end of this week, while Ukraine’s presidential election, initially planned for the end of the month, is suspended due to the ongoing state of martial law. This is the topic of the Ukrainian article translated into English this week, that explains the legal justification for why Ukraine cannot organise such elections during war time. 

Marika Ikonomu
Editor of this week's edition

This weekend, 15-17 March, Russians are supposed to elect their next president. In the temporarily occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Russian authorities are forcing the local population to vote for the head of the Russian state.

If Russia hadn’t launched a full-scale war, Ukraine would also be holding presidential elections this spring. The question of whether it is possible to organise democratic elections with all the necessary attributes such as proper campaigning, hustings and safe and accessible access to voting booths for all citizens, either abroad or at the front has been widely discussed both inside and outside Ukraine. 

According to the polls, Ukrainian society is pretty united in its answer, as 81 percent of respondents believe that elections should be organised after the war. Meanwhile, think-tanks are already working on action plans for the post-war elections.

In the piece, translated by n-ost this week, Ukrainian journalists Anna Steshenko and Sonia Koshkina, provide in-depth analysis on the legal basis for the impossibility of the elections and pointed out some further issues in the constitutional system that the three branches of government should tackle soon.

The article was originally published by LB.ua, one of the most respected Ukrainian independent online-media, which is famous for its scoops on Ukrainian politics.

Translated by Tetiana Evloeva.

Hungary

"We also fight for Transcarpathia"

"Yesterday Bakhmut, today Chasiv Yar. Tomorrow Kostyantynivka. And then, if it continues like this, Transcarpathia... We fight for ourselves and our families too," says Viktor Traski, a Ukrainian Hungarian soldier from Uzhhorod, Transcarpathian region of Ukraine. Before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the total number of ethnic Hungarians in the western Ukraine region was over 120,000. Traski, a member of this minority, is a lecturer in mathematics at the National University of Uzhhorod and has been defending his country since the outbreak of the war. He cannot teach university classes at the front, but he is still a supervisor for students’ theses. (Válasz Online)

The Ukrainian army needs ammunition, drones and more advanced technology, according to a report by András Földes, who talked with Ukrainian soldiers who have defended Avdiivka. "Recently, we have had to ration a truckload of ammunition for a whole week. You can't fight like that," a soldier says. "We need good technology, to be able to compensate for the Russians' quantitative superiority" of ammunition, another soldier adds. The soldiers also mentioned they need more drones and equipment to jam Chinese drones used by the Russians. These make it more difficult for the Russians to detect Ukrainian positions. (Hvg)

The Hungarian prime minister’s visit to the Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump attracted considerable international press coverage. In an interview with the Hungarian state television channel (M1), after the visit, Orbán said that if Trump were elected president, the war in Ukraine would end, because Trump would not give any support to Ukraine. The interview was summarised in English by Telex: "Donald Trump has detailed plans on how to end the war and these coincide with Hungary's interests," Orbán said. (Telex)

Spain

Madrid pushes arms sales, after providing faulty rifles to Ukraine 

No water, temperatures below zero and mice everywhere – this is the life of a soldier at the front. Last year, the Spanish public broadcaster interviewed 50-year-old architect Antin Kolomiiets before his deployment to Bakhmut. 200 days later, the TV station returns to the same protagonist for an update on his progress. Now entrenched on the country's eastern front, Antin recounts his transformed existence from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kyiv to the Ukrainian army: life on the battlefield, his work firing the cannon, and how donations of money enable the unit to continue its work. This story is among the weekly personal stories collected by RTVE from Ukraine. (RTVE)

Men and women who want to follow Antin’s example need training, but Ukraine does not have enough training areas or instructors. That is why some of the recruits are trained abroad with Western armies. France 24 entered a training centre in Spain and made a 15-minute video report. Spain has trained more than ten percent of the 35,000 military personnel instructed in European countries. Soldiers have five weeks to learn the basics of shooting, urban combat and mine clearance. Nevertheless, there are two main obstacles: the language barrier and the age of the soldiers, who are, on average, 40 years old. (France 24)

The Spanish minister of defence has welcomed the commanders of the Ukrainian Military Border Guard (DPSU), and informed them about the capabilities of the Spanish military industry. During the visit, the delegation held meetings with various national companies to learn first-hand about the technologies they could offer for use on the battlefield. However, the track record is not promising. InfoBae informs how a Ukrainian unit received 2,000 defective Spanish rifles at the beginning of the Russian invasion. Spain never previously exported these rifles, and they were retired in 1999 due to barrel deflection, loss of accuracy after repeated shots, and issues with the cartridge ejection system. (InfoBae)

Germany 

"The chancellor's catastrophic defeatism" on display

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's lack of assertiveness and unwillingness to stand up to Putin's aggression is criticised by a FAZ guest contribution by Bundestag representatives Anton Hofreiter and Norbert Röttgen. The article argues that Germany's actions, particularly in terms of arms deliveries and rhetoric "risk an escalation" not only for Ukraine's security but also undermine European stability. The authors take aim at Scholz's reluctance to provide heavy weapons to Ukraine and his communication strategy, which is seen as detrimental to Europe in the face of Russian aggression. (FAZ)

Recent peace overtures from global leaders like Pope Francis, China's Li Hui, and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan are discussed in light of the ongoing war against Ukraine by SZ Ukraine correspondent Florian Hassel. However, despite diplomatic efforts, recent remarks from Russian political figures like former president Dmitry Medvedev suggest that Russia plans to "further subjugate Ukraine and annihilate any form of independence". Allegations of Russian atrocities in occupied Ukrainian territories, including terror tactics and ethnic cleansing, further complicate the path to peace. The overall prospects for successful negotiations "remain bleak". (SZ)

‘20 Days in Mariupol’ director Mstyslaw Chernov, one of the last journalists in besieged Mariupol, won the Best Documentary Oscar, which is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history. The film depicts harrowing scenes from the besieged city of Mariupol in 2022, which serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing suffering in Ukraine. An interview with Tagesspiegel depicts "a discussion about the moments [Chernov] did not film and the discomfort that silence triggers within him." Chernov highlights how "the story of Mariupol has become much more symbolic than we [previously] thought. It represents all the tragedies that have occurred in Ukraine since the start of the large-scale war of aggression." (Tagesspiegel)

Italy

Pope Francis’ words on "the courage of the white flag" shock Ukraine supporters

In a recent interview not yet broadcast for Swiss TV, Pope Francis refers to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among other issues, and declares that "the part who cares for the people and has the courage of the white flag is stronger" (Ansa). Though the Vatican press office has clarified that he did not mean a surrender by Ukraine, the Ukrainian embassy to the Holy See replied: "Did anyone talk about peace negotiations with Hitler?" International leaders, Biden and Scholz have reiterated their support for Ukraine. (Skytg24) In Italy some journalists called his words "inhuman" (La7), and others consider them contradictory, like Lucio Caracciolo, editor-in-chief of geopolitical review Limes, who argues that surrender prevents negotiation. (La7) 

Italian street artist Jorit travelled to a Youth Festival in Sochi, Russia, where he had his picture taken with Putin, to "show Italy that [Putin is] a human being like everyone else." The artist had already shown his support to the Russian regime by creating a mural in Mariupol during the Russian occupation. (Il Post) Minister of foreign affairs Antonio Tajani calls this Russian propaganda, and adds "we don’t want the Russian army to invade Ukraine". (Open) An EU MP has asked the Commission to add Jorit to the list of sanctioned people. (Ansa)

The populist Five Star Movement posted an image against the government, suggesting that a recent increase in taxes of two billion euros was to cover the 2.2 billion euros military expenditure on Ukraine. "This is where the Italians’ money goes," the movement declares. Pagella Politica defines these words as "misleading and incorrect," explaining there is no direct connection between the two figures: the 2.2 billion euros does not mean "more spending", but it’s the total value of the aid donated so far by Italy. (Pagella Politica)

France

Support to Ukraine has become a divisive topic in politics 

Despite the National Assembly’s approval of the bilateral security agreement between France and Ukraine on 12 March, the discussion in Parliament confirmed the extent of the divisions in French politics over the response to the Russian invasion. "To vote against is to send a message to our allies that France is turning its back on its commitment and its history. (...) To abstain is to shirk our responsibilities to history, to betray what is most dear to us," said Prime minister Gabriel Attal. The leftist Insoumis and the Communist party voted against the measures, and the far-right National Rally abstained. (Le Monde)

Reporters without Borders has launched Svoboda, a Russian-language satellite broadcast service. Thanks to a French satellite, the bouquet can reach audiences in Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine. "Until now, almost all the Russian-language content available [in these regions] emanated from Russia, where the Kremlin exercises strong control over the media," explains Jim Phillipoff, director of the project for RSF. Many exiled Russian journalists are taking part in the project, including the editors of Novaya Gazeta Europe, Echo, iStories and Holod Media. (La Croix)

As shared in our edition last week, Paris has published details of the amount of military aid it has provided to Kyiv. This is a larger amount than what has previously been leaked "but it does not fundamentally change France's very low position in the donor rankings", explains an article by the fact-checking team at the daily Libération (Libération). Similarly, Mediapart titles a report with ‘How France is inflating the figures for its military aid to Ukraine’. The article explains that France shared the replacement value of the supply they provided to Ukraine, rather than the actual price of the items sent to Ukraine (which is lower). (Mediapart)

Bulgaria

Sofia will not sent troops to Ukraine

After French president Emmanuel Macron floated the idea of deploying western troops in Ukraine, the resigning Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov reiterated in parliament there is no intention to send Bulgarian soldiers to Ukraine. Denkov, responding to a request for clarification from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which is considered close to Russian positions, also denied that Bulgarian troops could be sent to Moldova as part of a NATO mission. However, Denkov reiterated his support for Kyiv: "Russia is the aggressor, and we must protect and help those who have been attacked." (BNR)

Greater European involvement in the war in Ukraine is inevitable is the conclusion of an editorial published on the Bulgarian online news media Investor.bg. The current situation in Ukraine resembles "Europe in 1916", when, in the third year of the war, the continent had to cope with a war of attrition. After listing the numerous challenges that the Western world faces in the face of Russian aggression, the authors conclude that, despite the divergences, the awareness of greater European involvement is becoming increasingly stronger. (Investor.bg)

Leading Bulgarian figures face attacks by Russian hackers for their pro-Ukraine positions. Recent incidents targeted Professor Kliment Naydenov, of the Geography Faculty of Sofia University, and the writer Severina Markova. Both were part of the delegation invited by the Bulgarian consulate in Odesa, which celebrated the Bulgarian national holiday on 3 March with meetings with the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of the Bulgarian minority in Ukraine. The attack was an attempt to steal sensitive data, and is now being investigated by the Bulgarian police, who are looking for the existence of a pro-Russian bot network in the country. (24Chasa)

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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