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.

Victoria Roshchyna, a 27-year-old Ukrainian reporter, died in a Russian prison recently. A fierce advocate for justice, Roshchyna had been covering the Russian-occupied territories since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She disappeared in August last year, and it wasn’t until May 2024 that Moscow confirmed her arrest. The Ukrainian article of the week, translated by EUD in this newsletter, pays tribute to her life's work and tragic fate in Russian captivity.

Meanwhile, Germany and Italy are engaging in internal discussions about their roles in arms support to Ukraine and a potential peace process between Moscow and Kyiv. In addition, Naples hosted the G7 defence meeting last week, where the member countries condemned the Kremlin for its ongoing nuclear threats and global destabilisation. 

For the first year in four decades, Bulgaria has reported no decline in its population, partly due to the influx of Ukrainian refugees. Hungary’s government is financing the construction of a "village service centre" in the Kyiv region, which includes vital local services, and calls Hungary's assistance to Ukraine "the largest humanitarian operation in the country’s history." And the Spanish press reports about Latin American military volunteers who left the Ukrainian frontline claiming they were being used as "cannon fodder", and will now continue their lives as agricultural workers in Spain.

Enjoy reading!

Fermín Torrano
Editor of this week's edition

On 18 October Ukraine and Russia swapped 190 prisoners of war. The same day, both countries also exchanged 590 bodies of servicepeople killed in action. But this date didn’t bring happiness or relief to the family and colleagues of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who had been in Russian captivity since August 2023. On 10 October 2024, Russian officials confirmed she had died while being transported from the Rostov Oblast to Moscow, in part of the process of an exchange. 

In a piece, translated by n-ost this week, editors of Hromadske Viktoria Bega and Khrystyna Kotsira, recollect memories about Roshchyna, who worked in their newsroom from 2017 to 2022, and share some of her most important works.

They describe her as a person dedicated to the profession, always prepared for an assignment, and reporting on any injustice happening in the country. After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Roshchyna was especially focused on covering life in the occupied territories. Her colleagues pay tribute:

"As soon as a critical event was taking place, Vika was there at once: at rallies, skirmishes or murder sites. She took on the most challenging issues, loved anything concerning law enforcement, and attended scandalous and significant court sessions. Time and geography did not matter to her — at any moment, Viktoria was ready to go on a reportage even before she was told to. She took no days off, holidays or sick leave."

This piece was originally published by Hromadske, a Ukrainian online-media focused on frontline reporting and investigations. 

Translated by Natalia Volynets.

Germany

Financial hurdles in defence sector hamper arms development

While chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for an expansion of arms production in Europe, budget constraints bring significant challenges to this development. "I am not Alice in Wonderland. I cannot create a different reality," said defence minister Boris Pistorius. He has warned that Russia could soon turn its military focus toward NATO states, while they face a lack of sufficient funding to meet the growing demands. The reduction of military aid to Kyiv, along with broader budget constraints, has led to increasing doubts about Germany’s ability to fulfil its defence ambitions, with an arms company insider commenting: "Why should anyone trust the German government if it doesn’t keep its promises?" (Süddeutsche)

Last week, three German state leaders — Michael Kretschmer (Saxony), Dietmar Woidke (Brandenburg) and Mario Voigt (Thuringia) — published a guest piece urging their government to take a more active diplomatic role in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. They advocated for a ceasefire and peace talks to end the war, calling for "a strong and united alliance to bring Russia to the negotiating table" and criticising Germany and the EU for being "too hesitant in pursuing this path." (FAZ) 

The 5th Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin, running from 23 to 27 October, explores themes of war and freedom, with a lineup of 13 feature films and three short film programs. The festival, with the motto "The Art of Being Free", reflects on Ukraine’s current struggle, while also addressing broader historical issues like Soviet colonialism. Highlights include the opening film ‘Fragments on Ice’, which explores Ukraine’s Soviet past, and the satirical ‘The Editorial Office’, shot in war-torn Kherson. (Tagesspiegel)

Bulgaria

Population boost sparked by Ukrainian influx

For the first time since 1985, Bulgaria did not experience a sharp decline in its population in 2023, thanks in part to the arrival of thousands of Ukrainians. In 2023, almost 10,000 Ukrainian citizens officially emigrated to Bulgaria, the second largest nationality after Turkish citizens. The data does not include the approximately 60,000 Ukrainians who received temporary protection status in the country. In 1989, Bulgarian citizens numbered nine million; in 2023, they were just under 6.5 million. In recent years, the possibility of applying for citizenship has been expanded for those who declare they have Bulgarian ethnic roots. In 2023, more than three thousand Ukrainians applied, a number that has increased significantly compared to previous years. (24Chasa)

Hundreds of Ukrainian students have started the new academic year at Bulgarian universities, with more than 500 from the Bulgarian minority in Ukraine. For another 400, who fled to Bulgaria after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the enrollment procedures are underway. These numbers were announced during a meeting between education minister Galin Tsokov and the Ukrainian ambassador in Sofia. The two countries are finalising two agreements in the field of education: one on strengthening cooperation between their respective ministries, the other on the statute of the Bulgarian-language lyceum ‘Georgi Rakovski’ in Bolgrad, Ukraine. (Fokus)

Sofia, together with Athens and Bucharest, is calling on the EU to take collective measures to prevent the Ukrainian energy deficit from having a heavy impact on consumers. The call came after a meeting between the energy ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania on 15 October. According to the three, improving energy interconnections and breaking down barriers to the energy market are essential to help Ukraine and avoid price spikes. In the meantime, "Bulgaria will continue to support the reconstruction of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure," said Bulgarian minister Vladimir Malinov. (Mediapool)

Hungary

Chasiv Yar under siege: “Russians shoot at everything”

Hungarian reporter József Makai accompanied an aid convoy to the town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk region, which the Russians have been besieging for months. The aid workers must always hurry: in their experience, the Russians shoot at everything. The car carrying the aid had already been attacked three times. People living in the city still need basic supplies: food, drinking water and dog food. (Átlátszó)

The Hungarian government has supported the construction of a "village service centre" in Synyak in the Kyiv region, which includes a doctor's office, municipal offices and a post office. Levente Magyar, the ministry's state secretary, highlighted at the handover ceremony that the investment of two million euros was completed in a relatively short time. Magyar added that "Hungary is carrying out the largest humanitarian operation in its history to help Ukraine" (Index). After that, in Kyiv, Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sibiha held talks with the state secretary. (Index)

Ukrainian film director Denis Tarasov's historical drama ‘Diagnosis: Dissident’ was recently shown in Hungary at the Alexandre Trauner Art/Film Festival, with the director in attendance. The weekly Magyar Hang calls the film "a shockingly powerful story of Soviet-era repression", and believes that it can be placed alongside European films such as ‘The Lives of Others’, ‘Work Without an Author’, ‘Leave No Traces’ and ‘Cold War’, "which bravely faced up to the former [communist] regime." The director noted that he aimed to help audiences deal with traumas, as there are still plenty of people alive who have experienced Soviet oppression. The advisor of the film was a former political prisoner, who has been subject to forced psychiatric treatment. (Magyar Hang)

Italy

The G7 on defence condemns Russia 

At the G7 ministerial meeting on defence in Naples, the members condemned Russia for its global destabilisation and its rhetoric on nuclear weapons during its invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte took part in the discussions. "The support of the Ukrainian population and Ukraine’s territorial integrity amid Russia's aggression remains unchanged," assured Italian minister Guido Crosetto, who highlighted the tension between supporters of international law and those undermining democracy through military force. (Avvenire)

Pope Francis’ envoy Cardinal Zuppi travelled to Moscow from 14 to 16 October, for a mission focused on addressing the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, especially the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, and the exchange of prisoners. According to the Vatican, establishing a communication channel could help the negotiation process. Ukrainian authorities estimate Russia deported at least 20,000 children from Ukraine, and subjected them to "re-education", aimed at erasing their Ukrainian identity. Some results have been achieved already. A piece in Domani explains that "a small group of children has already been reunited with their families". (Domani)

In less than a week, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni was excluded from two key leadership meetings of major Western leaders. Firstly, the preparation meeting for the Ramstein summit on Ukraine, which was cancelled due to US president Joe Biden’s focus on the aftermath of the hurricane in Florida. Then, on 18 October, Biden met with leaders from the UK, Germany and France, but not Italy, despite the country holding the G7 presidency. Meloni downplayed her absence, citing a planned trip to Lebanon and Jordan. Her absence has raised concerns about Italy’s diminishing role, a piece in La Stampa highlights, particularly in military contracts and support to Ukraine. (La Stampa)

Spain

From the frontline in Ukraine to the vineyards of Spain 

Latinos make up the largest group of foreign military volunteers in the Ukrainian army, but their experience is often fraught with challenges. Frequently, they are deployed as storm troops and "cannon fodder," and over 100 Colombians have reportedly been killed, along with many others from different countries. Some of them abandoned their post due to poor treatment by the military, and they travelled to Spain to work in grape harvesting or agriculture. Spanish intelligence is now monitoring the situation to ensure that the presence of these men, many of whom were part of paramilitary groups in their home countries, does not pose a security threat. (El Mundo)

Desertions by foreign troops add to the many already reported by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, with estimates suggesting tens of thousands of cases of soldiers abandoning their posts in the Ukrainian army, more than half in 2024. Reporting from the besieged city of Kurakhovo, El País correspondent spoke with members of four brigades, who all agree on the same diagnosis: the lack of troop rotations and fresh reinforcements. Soldiers at the front are described as "exhausted" and "demoralised," according to an officer from the 46th Airborne Brigade. (El País)

Two hundred Spanish military personnel, along with 40 vehicles and an amphibious assault ship, are being deployed to Romania, the NATO’S European flank closest to Ukraine. As part of a rapidly advancing multinational brigade strategy by the EU and the security alliance in response to the Russian threat, Spain is adding this new mission to its existing deployments in Latvia and Slovakia. (Huffington Post).

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

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