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.

Along with human casualties and destruction, Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought a staggering number of landmines, which today cover a very large area of ​​the country. As well as posing a danger to humans, when mines explode they contaminate the soil, potentially for decades. 

In an interview with The Ukrainians, translated by n-ost, environmental expert Oleksii Vasuliuk outlines how to deal with this emergency in the long term, between awareness of the gravity of the current situation and the hope that, one day, nature can heal today's wounds.

Many risks created by the invasion are even more immediate: a report by Hungary’s 444 takes us to Kherson, where people live under the constant threat of Russian drones, Italy’s Linkiesta writes about the problems created for Ukrainian refugees by delays in Italian bureaucracy, while a comment piece by Bulgaria’s OFFNews fears the conflict could spread to the Balkans.

This week, Germany’s FAZ tells us about the violence towards Ukrainian army recruiters, while Spain’s El Cronista analyses yet another suspicious accident at a factory that produces weaponry for Ukraine.

And finally, we bring you stories of hope and resilience: in Osservatore romano, Italian restorer Barbara Caranza, shows a commitment to protecting the Ukrainian cultural heritage in peril, and new funds that - according to the Spanish media - Madrid has provided to Kyiv to develop film projects.

Have a good read!

Francesco Martino
Editor of this week's edition

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-fledged invasion, Ukraine is often tagged as the most mined country in the world. Approximately a quarter of its territory might be contaminated with explosives. These will take decades and a huge investment to clear. But what does this kind of pollution actually mean and how does it influence one of Ukraine’s most significant assets, food production?

In a piece translated by n-ost this week, journalist Yuliya Surkova addresses these questions to Oleksii Vasyliuk, head of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group. The scientist explains that explosions have already killed Ukraine’s fauna and damaged the quality of the plants cultivated on its soil. Some natural areas have been so seriously destroyed that they should not be used for decades. Oleksii says:

"We will have to restrict the areas with the highest contamination levels and let nature reclaim them for recovery. The easiest way would be to abandon them altogether, as we did with the Chornobyl area, which became one of the largest wild forests in central Europe. Of course, it was a hard decision to make, and yes, nobody back then expected the residents of the exclusion zone would need to be permanently resettled. However, it went as it went, and nature recovered without any human intervention."

This piece was originally published by The Ukrainians, an independent online-media focused on conversations with experts in specific domains on issues key to Ukraine’s present and future.

Translated by Tetiana Evloeva.

Bulgaria

Would peace in Ukraine trigger war in the Balkans?

The regional consequences of a potential ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia promoted by US President Trump is discussed by OFFNews. Such an armistice would be "unfair, short and insincere", and would open the doors to new conflicts promoted by the Kremlin. "The next target would probably be the Balkans," OFFNews claims. "Moldova, Kosovo and Bosnia are the most fragile countries in Europe, and Bulgaria is the weak link in NATO and the EU." In the event of an unsatisfactory solution to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, "Bulgaria will face the real risk of war on its own territory, or in that of neighboring countries," OFFNews adds. (OFFNews)

Russian priest Nikolay Balashov, deputy director of the Moscow Patriarchate's foreign relations office and sanctioned by the Kyiv authorities for his support of the invasion of Ukraine, recently visited Bulgaria. The priest crossed the border with help of Patriarch Danail of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, who personally invited the prelate. Danail recently met with the Russian ambassador to Sofia, expressing his desire to "give voice to the interests of all parties involved in the conflict". With his recent actions, the patriarch has once again raised criticism from those in Bulgaria who accuse him of having an explicitly pro-Russian position. (Svobodna Evropa)

Speaking to ambassadors accredited to the country, Bulgarian president Rumen Radev reiterated his belief that only diplomatic negotiations can end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The war in Ukraine has no military solution and diplomacy should be given a chance," Radev said. "We wasted valuable time, in which hundreds of thousands lost their lives, and Ukraine's economy was ruined." A former commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian air forces, Radev has repeatedly expressed positions against a military solution to the ongoing conflict, even at the cost of painful compromises. (Bulgaria OnAir)

France

A bullet-riddled Ukrainian ambulance tours France 

As Ukraine enters its third year of war, a compelling France 24 report explores the nation's growing fatigue and division over mobilisation. It follows the trial of Serhiy Hnezdilov, a soldier who publicly went absent without official leave and now faces legal action, and shares his wife Olena's protest in support of her spouse, who has been at the front for months without time off. In Kharkiv, recruiters face a lack of prospects, while one deserter’s story highlights the strain on troops. Commander Siver, leading an assault battalion, acknowledges soldiers' exhaustion, advocating for better preparation and rest. Despite these challenges, the report stresses the importance of continued Western support. (France 24, English version here)

Oksana Soukhoroukova, a 45-year-old music teacher from Kryvyi Rih, was killed by Russian missile shrapnel on 17 January - the day of her stepson Stasik's 12th birthday. She had become a beacon of hope for Igor Stepanenko, a widowed father of four who had fled from occupied Kherson, and his children, who had started calling her "mama". She was preparing a special French-style roast dinner for Stasik's celebration when the missile struck their car during a grocery run. This heart-wrenching story illustrates how Russia's intensified bombing campaign continues to shatter Ukrainian families. (Le Monde)

A bullet-riddled Ukrainian ambulance, bearing 402 holes and marks, is touring France as a powerful symbol of war atrocities. The humanitarian project, supported by 45 associations including NGO Pharmacists Without Borders, showcases the vehicle that was targeted by Russia in Kharkiv in 2022. During its stop in Sucy-en-Brie near Paris, the NGO’s Patrick Angelvy poignantly described the ambulance as "a silent cry, alerting us to the drama these people are living through, just two hours flight from us." This initiative aims to collect funds for new emergency vehicles before continuing its journey to Spain in April. (RFI)

Germany 

A red line crossed? Violence kicks off against army recruiters

Instances of violence against Ukrainian army recruiters have been increasing as Ukraine turns to conscription to meet its urgent need for soldiers. A FAZ article highlights a case in Poltava, where a man killed a recruitment officer at a petrol station, after he was drafted. Ukrainian military officials condemned the violence, calling the attacks "a red line that must not be crossed", while also stressing their efforts to improve the recruitment process. Despite the need for soldiers, widespread corruption and forced conscription have stoked resentment, with some recruits resorting to violence to resist. (Frankfurter Allgemeiner)

Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has been linked to businesses supplying Russia's military, including payments from a Russian chemical company that provided materials for military systems to a company under EU sanctions. "While Putin's rockets hit Ukrainian cities, civilians, and critical infrastructure last year, Raiffeisen made a net profit of over one billion euros from its Russian operations in the first three quarters of 2024," reads a Handelsblatt report. Moreover, RBI's Russian operations generated nearly half of its total profits in 2024. The bank faces increasing regulatory pressure as it struggles to exit Russia, where capital controls prevent it from transferring profits. (Handelsblatt)

The harrowing case of a Ukrainian woman and her mother, allegedly murdered by a German couple in a bid to obtain a baby, is explored by Max Polonyi in Spiegel. The story is told through the perspective of the grandmother, Walentyna Stezenko, who mourns the loss of her daughter Maryna and granddaughter Ryta. They were buried in their hometown near Poltava, Ukraine, after their murder on 6 and 7 March 2024. Ryta's baby was born in Germany, where both women had planned to stay for the child's safety. The German couple confessed to the crime on the first day of the trial in Mannheim, which is still ongoing, stating they wanted a baby girl for their family. (Spiegel)

Hungary

New study: high number of Hungarians believe Russian disinformation

Hungarians are especially receptive to misleading information, according to new research on people's susceptibility to conspiracy theories, disinformation and factual relativism in central European countries. The paper was put together by the Hungarian Digital Media Observatory and its Czech-Polish-Slovak partner, the Central European Digital Media Observatory. In Hungary, support for the view that Ukraine has committed genocide against the Russian minority living on its territory is extremely high, with 62 percent agreeing with this statement, compared to Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovakia, where only a minority agreed. (Telex)

"The fear these drones cause is like nothing else," says a 444 journalist while describing everyday life in Kherson, which is under constant threat from Russian drone attack. Civilian targets are frequent, and, because the aerial weapons have thermal cameras, cloudy weather no longer offers shelter. Some believe these drones are deliberately being tested on civilians in Kherson. People in the city survive by listening for the sound of drones and trying to adapt to the situation by helping those in need, by creating a new underground children's home, for example. (444)

How to buy and sell a home in the shadow of the missiles? Telex's on-the-spot report looks at the Ukrainian real estate market. Three years of war have not completely paralysed the country. Small apartments in Kyiv are once again as expensive as they were around 2014. Also in cities such as Kharkiv, the market has not stopped. The sellers are typically Kharkiv residents who are leaving the city, and the buyers are mixed: some are from eastern Ukraine who still plan to return to the occupied territories if they are reunited with Ukraine, but also an increasing number of soldiers and war widows. (Telex)

Italy

Paperwork delay worries Ukrainian refugees

A bureaucratic stalemate is causing uncertainty and fear among Ukrainian refugees in Italy. At the end of 2024, a decree established that Ukrainians can renew residence permits until March 2026, but only upon request. The problem is that the guidelines for this request have not yet been issued by authorities. Meanwhile, some people have been unable to sign employment contracts, others can’t access social and health services, and some are unable to move to other European countries. (Linkiesta)

Italy’s Parliament has definitively approved the decree that authorises the sending of weapons to Ukraine until the end of 2025, but the list of vehicles, materials and military equipment permitted for transfer remain classified (Repubblica). Although unofficial estimates indicate a total cost of more than three billion euros due to military support for Ukraine, the Observatory on Italian Military Spending reports the existence of "hidden" costs not clearly accounted, in particular regarding the restock of military supplies. The Defense Multi-Year Programmatic Document highlights a 43 percent increase in defense-related costs in the last three years. (Inside Over)

Catholic newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reports on the story of Barbara Caranza, a restorer specialised in the protection of cultural heritage in crisis areas. "As soon as the conflict broke out, I was immediately contacted by Ihor Poshyvailo, director of the Maidan Museum in Kyiv," Caranza says. "The first step was to move endangered works of art and protect those that couldn’t be moved." With the support of her NGO, she also organised online meetings with museum workers and directors to talk not only about safeguarding the artworks, but also about securing people and managing stress with the support of psychologists and psychiatrists. (Osservatore Romano)

Spain

Suspicious blast at factory making weapons for Ukraine

Six workers were injured, one of them seriously, after an explosion at a storage unit in a weapons factory in southern Spain. The plant, acquired in 2023 by the German defence company Rheinmetall, manufactures mortars, artillery shells, aerial bombs and other munitions supplied by Europe to Ukraine. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but this is the second incident at the facility in two years. The circumstances bear striking similarities to other attacks on arms factories across Europe since Russia’s full-scale invasion, including incidents in the UK, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. (El Cronista)

Spain’s foreign minister made a surprise visit to Ukraine on 28 January to meet Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukraine’s deputy minister for culture and strategic communications, to discuss upcoming reconstruction efforts and cultural initiatives. During the visit, a small humanitarian package of ten million euros was also announced (RTVE). Three days later, Spain’s culture minister took part in a conference in the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod alongside around twenty counterparts. He also announced a new contribution of 200,000 euros to the European Solidarity Fund to support the Ukrainian cinema industry, following the 300,000 euros which Madrid contributed last year. (El Mundo)

Soldiers, civilians and an analyst on the Trump effect: Lola Hierro, special envoy of El País to Ukraine asked soldiers, civilians, activists and analysts from different cities about their feelings on the new US president, before his new mandate and the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion. In a podcast, the newspaper highlights the widespread Ukrainian belief that a ceasefire now would lay the groundwork for a new armed conflict in the future. (El País)

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, Katarina Kukla, Clara Marchaud, Oksana Mamchenkova, Francesco Martino, Antonina Rybka and Fermin Torrano. Michael Bird was our proofreader.

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