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.

Restoring destroyed cultural heritage is part of Ukraine's response to Russia’s aggression, a Lviv city representative said in this week's Ukrainian article, translated into English below. War is far from being confined to the front line, and its impact is felt across Europe. A successful Hungarian-born entrepreneur from Spain has just been arrested for smuggling US technology into Russia. The Spanish government has just prevented a Hungarian state-backed railway company from buying up the Spanish train manufacturer Talgo, due to its fears of Russian influence on Budapest. Also, Europe’s delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine and the development of military capacities remain on the agenda of the continent’s press.

According to a survey of Germans by Die Zeit and other German media, the majority of respondents would prefer stronger military support for Ukraine. Recent surveys in other European countries, though, show that this willingness may not be the case. Consent among Italians on military aid to Ukraine has significantly decreased, according to a poll. Another survey shows that, compared to a year ago, Hungarians are less open to Ukraine’s EU accession.

Solidarity has not disappeared, and is reciprocal. While fighting in self-defence and rebuilding the country at the same time, Ukraine has offered assistance to central European countries recently hit by severe flooding, Meanwhile Bulgaria may participate in mine clearance operations in Ukraine. 

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Have a good read!

Kornelia Kiss
Editor of this week's edition

On 4 September another massive Russian air attack struck Ukraine. This time Lviv, an important cultural and logistical centre in western Ukraine, was among the cities targeted. Hitting it with three drones, two cruise missiles and two ‘Kinzhals‘, the Russian army killed seven civilians, and damaged 188 buildings, not far from the city’s main railway station.

This attack wasn’t the first on Lviv since the full-scale invasion, nor the deadliest. For example, in July 2023 a missile hit a residential building, killing ten people. While the mourning over these losses is ongoing, the reconstruction of the buildings is taking place. To see how Ukrainian cities manage to rebuild and adapt during wartime, a team from media project Ukraїner launched a special series of videos and reports. This week n-ost translated one, focusing on Lviv’s reconstruction strategies.

The authors found out that the city often finances renovation with its own budget, eager to prove its economic prosperity. Lviv also aims to reconstruct the damaged buildings the way they were built, as many of those from more than a century ago are part of its crucial architectural heritage. The city centre is also listed as part of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. The process of reconstruction is challenging and time consuming. Liubomyr Zubach, a city representative, describes the reconstruction of the building damaged in July 2023:

"Some parts of the building looked fine, but were severely damaged: they had cracks and had to be dismantled. After that, we restored the ceilings, relaid the floors, and replaced the roofs, windows and doors. We must care about our cultural heritage, including buildings, and this is one of our responses to the enemy."

This piece was originally published by Ukraїner, an independent Ukrainian online media, focusing on documenting the peaceful and war-related dimensions of Ukraine’s reality.

Translated by Olesia Storozhuk.

Spain

Train firm buy-out faces veto ‘over Ukraine concerns’

Spain has vetoed a Hungarian bid to purchase Spanish train manufacturer Talgo, citing "insurmountable" national security reasons. Off the record, Madrid officials admitted the decision is tied to Ukraine. They want to prevent Ganz Mavag, a Hungarian consortium with Orban’s government backing, from accessing Talgo’s automatic gauge changeover technology, which allows trains to transition between Ukraine’s wider rails and the narrower EU rails. The initial deal was worth 620 million euros. While Ganz Mavag has withdrawn its offer, the group plans to challenge the veto in court and seek compensation for damages. (El Español)

In 2016, Hungarian-born businessman Bence Horvath led a logistics company that sponsored Spain’s national football team. This year, the U.S. authorities detained the entrepreneur for smuggling U.S. technology to Russia, evading war sanctions. Horvath moved to Spain as a teenager, and quickly built his company ASM into Spain and Portugal’s second-largest delivery firm, before branching into AI and cryptocurrency. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims he led a multinational network supplying Russian government entities. The scheme fell apart when 200 Motorola radios, capable of military use, were seized en route to Moscow. Experts say this equipment is more technologically advanced than what Kremlin troops currently use. (El Confidencial)

Two Colombian soldiers serving in the Ukrainian army, who were illegally detained in Venezuela and later taken to Moscow, have resurfaced. In an interview released by Kremlin-controlled RT in Spanish, José Arón Medina and Alexander Ante are critical of Kyiv, which is why Russian observers believe the interview is an example of war propaganda. When the two men vanished as they passed through Venezuela on the way back to Columbia to visit their relatives, both proudly wore their Ukrainian army uniforms. Now, two months later, their families are unable to reach them. Russia and Venezuela have ignored Colombia’s diplomatic requests for information. (El País)

Hungary

Reasons to be wary of Hungarian railway company’s Spanish bid

There could be several reasons why the Spanish government has prevented a Hungarian state-backed railway consortium from buying the Spanish train manufacturer Talgo. According to Hungarian weekly Hvg, the state support of the bid, as well as the Russian links of the Hungarian company at the centre of the proposal are no secret. In addition, the ownership of the company involves private equity funds, which can lead to uncertainty over their ultimate beneficial ownership - a factor that may have played a role in Madrid’s decision to block the deal. However, it is questionable whether Talgo has information that Russia only could obtain by using its alleged Hungarian partners, instead of through conventional intelligence methods. (Hvg)

A majority of Hungarians are reluctant to see Ukraine join the EU. A recent survey by the think-tank Policy Solutions shows that, compared to a year ago, Hungarians are much less open to EU enlargement. The decline in openness towards Ukraine is also striking. A year ago, a narrow majority of Hungarians (51 percent) opposed Ukraine’s EU accession. In 2024, this has increased to  61 percent, and is the least favoured among candidate countries. (Telex)

Ukraine is ready to send aid to central European countries recently affected by severe flooding. "Ukraine is showing solidarity with its neighbours," Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sibiha announced, according to RBC-Ukraine. The foreign minister said that  assistance has been offered to several countries, including Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. It is not yet known whether the Hungarian government has responded to the offer. (Hvg) However, the Hungarian pro-government media commented on the offer in a negative way. The pro-government weekly Mandiner wrote that the Ukrainians "would turn off the gas and oil taps to our country, shut down our economy, but they show sensitivity when it comes to floods" (Mandiner). Disagreements over the oil supply between Kyiv and Budapest were also reported in our previous newsletters.

Italy

Italian public support for military aid to Ukraine collapses 

Consent among Italians on military aid to Ukraine has significantly decreased, a piece in La Repubblica highlights. A poll led by Demos shows that over the past two-and-a-half years, support has dropped from 47 percent - in September 2023 - to 29 percent. Opposition has risen to over 40 percent, partly because of the increasing number of global conflicts. Those supporting military supply, the poll reveals, are voters for the centre left parties’, except the left-wing populist Five Stars Movement, while right wing parties’ voters, among the ruling majority, are mostly against the move. (Repubblica)

The Russian interior ministry has included Italian public TV broadcaster Rai reporter Stefania Battistini and cameraman Simone Traini on its wanted list for allegedly crossing the Russian border illegally in August, while covering Ukrainian forces in Kursk. Italian minister of foreign affairs Antonio Tajani summoned the Russian ambassador to express surprise over Battistini’s inclusion. Other foreign and Ukrainian reporters also have been added to the list, including those from CNN, Deutsche Welle, Ukrainian TV station 1+1 and other Ukrainian journalists. Rai defined the decision as "an act of violation of freedom of information". (Agi)

The Italian government keeps ruling out Ukraine’s right to use military aid provided by Italy to strike on Russian territory. But, according to a piece in Il Fatto Quotidiano, PM Giorgia Meloni cannot veto the UK's possible decision to send long-range Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, which are partly produced by the Italian public subsidiary company Leonardo. While the government restricts the use of military aid, it has no control over components produced by Italian companies. Analyst Francesco Vignarca, campaigns coordinator of the Peace Disarmament Network, underlines that Leonardo, although partly state-owned, operates as a private company, and can transcend politics. (IlFattoQuotidiano)

Bulgaria

Bulgaria invited to contribute to demining Ukraine

At the invitation of Kyiv, Bulgaria could participate in mine clearance operations in Ukraine. Presently, Ukraine is probably the country in the world with the largest landmine-infested territory, which spreads across 174,00 square kilometres, according to the Ukrainian government. The proposal came during a meeting between Ukrainian deputy defence minister Oleksandr Balanutsa and the Bulgarian ambassador to Kyiv, Nikolay Nenchev. The two also discussed the possibility of cooperating in maritime, air and anti-missile defence. "Bulgaria supports Ukraine's entry into NATO," Nenchev said. "This will significantly increase our defence capabilities in the region." (BGOnair)

A senior Russian military figure has made threats against logistics hubs in Bulgaria, Poland and Romania, following the possible authorisation by western countries to Kyiv to use long-range missiles on Russian territory. The statements by the Russian reserve general Sergey Lipovoy are reported in Sofia with particular concern. According to Lipovoy, Russia "will be forced to hit warehouses with long-range missiles in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria" to force the West to take a step back. Given its strategic position, Bulgaria today represents NATO's frontline on the Black Sea. Russia’s war of words on this issue is not new. As bTV reports, the Kremlin requested in 2021 the withdrawal of NATO troops from Bulgaria and Romania as a "security guarantee", between Russia and the Atlantic alliance. (bTV)

The Bulgarian parliament has extended negotiations for the sale of two Russian-made nuclear reactors to Ukraine for another six months. The reactors were purchased for the Belene power plant in northern Bulgaria, which was never completed, and are of interest to Ukraine to upgrade its Khmelnytskyi power plant. Negotiations between the two countries have been ongoing for two years, and Bulgaria is asking for at least 600 million USD. In recent months, the European Commission has hinted that the purchase could be financed by the EU through European support funds for Ukraine. (Euractiv)

Germany 

Majority support military aid to Ukraine, but east-west divide clear

Seventy-three percent of west Germans support stronger military aid to Ukraine, compared to only 60 percent in east Germany, according to results released in the ‘Deutschland spricht’ (‘Germany is speaking’) event, organised by Zeit Online and nine other media outlets, which aimed to bridge divides across political views. This year, over 5,000 participants engaged in one-on-one discussions on pressing issues, including Germany’s military support for Ukraine. The results reveal a significant divide between West and East. (Zeit Online)

Tegel Airport, which has been accommodating many Ukrainian refugees in a refugee camp, has been the focus of a large Spiegel report. The article highlights allegations of racism against Ukrainians from security staff, including claims of discriminatory behaviour, as well as other conflicts. One Ukrainian refugee said: "It is like living in a nightmare; they do not treat us like human beings." The security companies, which cost 85 million euros in 2024, are subcontracted by Berlin’s authorities through a complex chain, leading to substantial profits for involved companies. Despite knowing these issues, Berlin’s authorities continue to funnel large sums into the facility. (Spiegel)

Germany's military capacities have barely increased since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, argue experts from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), in a guest contribution for FAZ. The piece adds: "Our data-driven research has left us very concerned." The IfW Kiel Military Procurement Tracker shows that, at the current pace, it would take decades for Germany to reach its previous level of 2004, including ten years for aircraft, 40 years for tanks, and 100 years for howitzers. Russia could produce the entire Bundeswehr's 2021 stock in just two to seven months. The authors suggest Germany must ensure long-term funding, develop a European armaments strategy, and focus on innovation and logistics, because "a failure of deterrence would mean incalculable costs". (FAZ)

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

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