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.

Ukraine is convicting Russian soldiers guilty of committing war crimes, even though the end of war is not yet on the horizon, and the suspects are not present at their trial. Why is this important, even if the criminals are not imprisoned? What is its significance? An article translated from Ukrainian into English this week answers these questions with experts addressing the legal and ethical challenges of the process.

Also in this edition, we present the personal diary of Olivia Kortas, Kyiv correspondent for Zeit, reflecting on how war has become part of everyday life, and the life changes of a Kharkiv theatre director after two years of invasion and recent massive Russian bombardment. Meanwhile, France is reviving an arms factory in Belfast, as old-fashioned missiles become crucial for the war in Ukraine, and the Paris Mayor has come out with a statement against Russian athletes parading at the opening ceremony in the Olympic Games.

In the rest of the EU, Italy arms sales to Ukraine spike, Spain looks at the high losses of Russian armoured vehicles in the small town of Tonenke, and Bulgaria claims to extend the social protection of Ukrainian refugees in the country.

Fermín Torrano
Editor of this week's edition

In March this year, a Ukrainian court convicted 15 Russian soldiers of war crimes committed exactly two years earlier, in March 2022. Back then soldiers forced the entire village of Yahidne in Chernihiv region, north Ukraine, to move to a school basement and to spend 27 days there. 17 out 368 civilians didn’t survive due to the harsh conditions.

But these 15 perpetrators, whose personalities were identified and whose crimes were proved in court, are unlikely to serve their sentences of 12 years in a Ukrainian prison as they are back in Russia. So does this conviction in absentia make any sense?

Ukrainian prosecutors claim it does. Since the beginning of the full-scale war the Prosecutor’s Office documented more than 124,000 war crimes committed by Russians against Ukrainian civilian people and infrastructure. While the recent report published by the UN Commission stresses that the scale and the gravity of violations against civilians proves it has a systematic and widespread character.

In a piece translated by n-ost this week, journalist Maia Orel talks to Ukrainian prosecutors, judges and lawyers to understand the legal basis of the war crimes trials and the ethical and technical challenges they face. Describing the urgent need for justice, a judge from Chernihiv, Vladyslav Kukhta, claims:

“The full-scale hostilities in Ukraine have been going on for two years already, and there’s no knowing how much longer they are going to last. What happens to the recollections of those survivors if we postpone the trial until the end of the war? Besides, not every one of those victims will live to see the war end. We either come hot on the heels and hold those trials in absentia, or we may never have the chance to hold them in praesenti.”

The article was originally published by Hromadske, a Ukrainian online-media strong in reporting from the frontline and on touchy topics around the war.

Translated by Tetiana Evloeva.

Hungary

Life in Kharkiv: "No point in thinking about the end of the war" 

How will two years of war change a person? Reporter Szabolcs Vörös spent two days walking around Kharkiv with a local theatre director, Tetjana Holubova, who showed him the places that were important to her before the war - if they still exist. Tanja has rejected all the Russian content she used to consume, and she is not thinking about the end of the war. "There is no point. Especially with fallen friends. I've forgotten what peace is like," she says. For now, she is only living for today, she says. (Válasz Online)

A Moscow-funded propaganda network was uncovered in a joint operation by six European secret services. The pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian narrative was disseminated mainly through the Prague-based Voice of Europe portal, but a Budapest-based website, the Visegrád Post, was also spotted. The investigation concluded that it was receiving funding from the Kremlin, in return for following Moscow's instructions. (Hvg) The portal was run by two French citizens with Hungarian ties who have also appeared as commentators in the pro-government media. They were in contact with some politicians of the far-right opposition party Mi Hazánk, but there was no indication that they gave money to politicians of any Hungarian party. (Hvg)

There are problems with the care of Ukrainian refugees in Hungary according to the experiences of aid workers and refugees, reports 24.hu. Health institutions often do not accept the official document proving asylum status. "In two years, the Hungarian state has not been able to properly inform its own institutions about the rights of Ukrainian asylum seekers," says Hungarian Helsinki Committee's chief legal officer, Zsolt Szekeres. (24.hu)

Bulgaria

Sofia: walking "in the shoes" of Ukrainian refugees

In Bulgaria the situation for Ukrainian refugees is partially different from Hungary. According to official data, Ukrainians in the country currently number 170,000. In recent months Caritas Bulgaria has directly helped around 1,200 of them: mothers with children, elderly people and unaccompanied minors. According to a report by Svobodna Evropa, the charity organisation also promotes initiatives to raise awareness among Bulgarian citizens and make them walk "in the shoes of refugees". With 131 other international organisations, Caritas Bulgaria signed an appeal to the EU Commission, demanding that Ukrainian refugees be guaranteed the right to reside in the EU even after the end of the temporary humanitarian protection, which runs until March 2025. (Svobodna Evropa)

The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation could lead to some form of ceasefire, but without any international recognition of the status of the territories now illegally occupied by the Russian army. This possible scenario, according to the diplomat and former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Stoyan Stalev, "will lead to a clear and lasting rift between countries that respect international law and those that do not". From this point of view, says Stalev, "the invasion of Ukraine represents the opening of a real Pandora's box". (Bloomberg Bulgaria)

With a political crisis in Bulgaria and early elections due at the beginning of June, centre-right GERB and the reformist ‘We Continue the Change’, both former allies in the outgoing majority, have started to bitterly argue, including over military aid to Ukraine. According to GERB leader Boyko Borisov, the recent government's support for Kyiv has been completely insufficient, and borders on incompetence. However, despite the problems and delays, Sofia has done much more than anyone could have expected, as repeatedly confirmed by Ukrainian political authorities. "Bulgaria turned out to be one of the most active countries in helping Ukraine," Sega newspaper argues. (Sega)

Italy

Italians shipped arms-related machinery to Russia during Crimea annexation era 

Italian companies played a key role in providing Russia with the machinery for large-scale production of ammunition, according to an investigation in IrpiMedia. Between 2011 and 2017, Italian company Vasini shipped ammunition machinery and spare parts worth 3.5 million euros to the Russian factory Tula. And 30 shipments were sent after the illegal annexation of Crimea, after which the EU started introducing embargo on the supply of armaments. Like other Russian arms factories, Tula aimed to reduce its dependence on western imports, but needed the hardware to make these arms, explains IrpiMedia. In 2017 the large-scale production of ammunition by Tula for Russian security forces began, including for T-5000 rifles. These rifles were used in Russia’s war in the Ukrainian Donbas region. (Irpi Media)

In 2023 Italian weapons were sold to Ukraine to the value of 417 million euros, explains an investigation in L’Espresso. Sales to Kyiv have boomed, considering that in 2022 they were worth only 3.8 million euros. These are weapons sold by companies based in Italy, outside of the involvement of Parliament. The figure excludes the 2.2 billion euros in donations by the Italian Ministry of Defence, following Rome’s decision to allow the donation of weapons to Ukraine, still informing Parliament. (L’Espresso) In the meanwhile, the Parliament is going to vote on a bill that, in experts’ opinions, would further reduce transparency regarding military exports. (il manifesto)

In the small northern-east town of Pordenone, dozens of writings appeared on the walls urging passers-by to learn about the early 20th century Ukrainian revolutionary anarchist Nestor Makhno. A piece in Meridiano 13, describes the life and deeds of Makhno, who reminds that the struggle for Ukrainian independence did not originate on 24 February 2022, nor in 2014, but "runs through the entire history of the 20th century". (Meridiano 13)

France

Old-fashioned missiles built in Northern Ireland trendy again

French military company Thales is re-investing in an old factory it has owned since 1993 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to produce old-fashioned missiles that are now central to fighting in Ukraine. The factory was in survival mode, producing the STARStreak missile and Lightweight Multirole Missile, only when export contracts came in. The last time one of the plant's weapons was used was four decades ago, during the Falklands War in 1982. Today, the entire range is 'combat proven', which means it has been tried and tested in the field. Between 2022 and 2024, the plant doubled its production, and plans to double it again by 2026. (Les Echos)

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo claimed that Russian and Belarussian athletes would not be "welcome in Paris" for this summer’s Olympics. This follows the same direction as the last announcements made by the International Olympic Committee, which are seen by Russia’s officials as a "conspiracy". A maximum of 55 athletes with Russian passports will be allowed to participate individually under a neutral banner, but the Committee will not invite them to take part in the opening ceremony on the river Seine. (Libération)

Be careful with historical analogies on the Russian-Ukrainian war, says an article by Mediapart. For example on the ‘nazification’ of the Putin regime: "It is not a rising power like Hitler's Germany, it does not have the same demographics, it does not use the same type of mass mobilisation," argues the historian Pierre Grosser. But he warns that Putin is in the process of denying the existence of Ukraine and, as Hitler did with the German-speaking minority of the Sudetenland, is using the argument of Russian-speaking minority to destabilise this country. (Mediapart)

Spain

Regional threats set to rise if Ukraine falls

How imminent is the spread of war across Europe? What are the potential consequences if Ukraine succumbs to defeat? A TV program for La Sexta brought together prominent international Spanish reporters, analysts, and even Josep Borrell, high representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to discuss this hypothetical scenario. They addressed the risks facing regions such as Transnistria, Latvia and Estonia, as well as the challenges confronting the European weapons industry, which nearly vanished after the Cold War. (La Sexta)

Moscow continues to lose Russian armoured vehicles in eastern Ukraine, as it advances a few kilometres. Since the Avdiivka offensive began in October, the ratio stands at nine wrecked vehicles to one in favour of the Ukrainian forces, according to OSINT sources. This week, El Confidencial explains the latest Russian setback at Tonenke, a small village on the frontline. Beyond the significant number of armoured vehicles lost, the recent attack highlighted the intricate nature of the 2024 front. It appears that the detonation of a mine in Tonenke possibly alerted the Ukrainian defence, as the Russian advance had initially remained undetected due to electronic warfare countermeasures. Subsequently, artillery strikes and, ultimately, drones neutralised the Russian threat. (El Confidencial)

Through the stories of six war veterans, a feature in El País sheds light on the challenges confronting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian fighters as they transition back to civilian life. This issue looms large, with approximately 100,000 already having reintegrated, and many more expected to follow suit in the years ahead. The statistics are concerning. In the United Kingdom, one analyst outlines, 17 percent of the country’s war veterans receive prison sentences. These figures worry experts analysing the future of Ukraine, since the size of the army and brutality of the conflict are much higher. (El País)

Germany

International Criminal Court "hesitant" to try Russia

Putin's war crimes, particularly in light of the atrocities committed against Ukrainian civilians need to be investigated and prosecuted, writes SZ legal-political correspondent. The International Criminal Court's hesitance stems from the complexity of the process. While there is widespread international backing for Ukraine's investigative endeavours, apprehension emerges regarding the nation's only partial engagement with global institutions. The hesitance may be rooted in the Ukrainian fear of relinquishing control. (SZ)

Describing her personal experience during massive shelling in Ukraine, Zeit’s Ukraine correspondent Olivia Kortas depicts a diary-like impression of 11 days in Kyiv, and reflects on how war has become part of everyday life: "One or two weeks without rocket attacks, and you no longer think about the threat of war every moment. Until it returns within seconds," she says. The author highlights how the threat on Kyiv and other cities show the urgent need for effective defence weapons: "Every day, Ukraine must decide what it protects. And what it does not. After nearly a week of massive attacks, the shortage of air defence systems and ammunition has become drastically evident." (Zeit) 

Ukraine’s loss of its cultural sphere due to the deaths of artists and intellectuals is viewed through a historical lens by FAZ. “They are the same old methods - those of the Russian and Soviet empires,” highlights the author, as regimes under Russian control persecuted and executed Ukrainian writers, artists and intellectuals. From historic poets such as Taras Shevchenko to contemporary writers like Volodymyr Vakulenko, the threat of "targeted" violence persists. Despite the invasion, Ukraine aims to preserve their cultural identity: "The culture of Ukrainians proves that there is no "little brother nation" and that Ukraine is its own nation," writes the article. (FAZ)

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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