11 votes

Weekly megathread for news/updates/discussion of Russian invasion of Ukraine - April 13

Automatically posted
Tags: russia, ukraine, military conflict, war, geopolitics, 2022 russian invasion of ukraine, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly on Thursday - please try to post relevant content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Especially significant updates may warrant a separate topic, but most should be posted here.

If you'd like to help support Ukraine, please visit the official site at https://help.gov.ua/ - an official portal for those who want to provide humanitarian or financial assistance to people of Ukraine, businesses or the government at the times of resistance against the Russian aggression.

6 comments

  1. [3]
    skybrian
    Link
    Poland, Hungary ban grain and food imports from Ukraine (Reuters) […]

    Poland, Hungary ban grain and food imports from Ukraine (Reuters)

    Poland and Hungary have decided to ban imports of grain and other food from neighbouring Ukraine to protect the local agricultural sector, the two governments said on Saturday, after a flood of supply depressed prices across the region.

    Ukraine expressed regret about the Polish decision, saying that "resolving various issues by unilateral drastic actions will not accelerate a positive resolution of the situation".

    After Russia's invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states due to logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.

    In a letter to the European Commission last month, the prime ministers of five eastern European countries said the scale of the increase in products like grains, oilseeds, eggs, poultry and sugar had been "unprecedented", and said tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural imports should potentially be considered.

    […]

    Hungary's government said it hoped for changes in regulation at the EU level, including a re-thinking of the elimination of import duties on Ukrainian produce.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      skybrian
      Link Parent
      Another Ukrainian ally bans its grain imports as tensions grow over a glut in Europe […]

      Another Ukrainian ally bans its grain imports as tensions grow over a glut in Europe

      Bulgaria's caretaker government said Wednesday that the ban, which excludes goods in transit to other countries, is temporary but was was being taken as a result of large volumes of grain and agricultural products arriving and remaining in the country over the past year, causing problems for local producers.

      […]

      Following a tide of rising anger from farmers, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia recently introduced temporary bans on Ukrainian grain imports and other agricultural products, saying these have created unfair competition and trading conditions for local farmers. The suspensions of imports are due to last until the end of June.

      Romania's ruling Social Democrat Party has also stated that it plans to request that the country's governing coalition enact a temporary ban on Ukrainian agri-food imports in order to "protect Romanian farmers."

      1 vote
      1. streblo
        Link Parent
        Assuming the markets for grain the Black Sea was giving access to still exist, and port capacity exists elsewhere, it seems like a solution would be for the EU to provide e.g. Bulgaria the means...

        Assuming the markets for grain the Black Sea was giving access to still exist, and port capacity exists elsewhere, it seems like a solution would be for the EU to provide e.g. Bulgaria the means to buy and resell Ukrainian grain outside of Europe?

        4 votes
  2. skybrian
    Link
    Cambridge student designs plastic windows for Ukraine homes (BBC) [...]

    Cambridge student designs plastic windows for Ukraine homes (BBC)

    He has paused his biotechnology studies to concentrate on the initiative, which has already installed hundreds of windows across Ukraine.

    Mr Blakiston Houston designed it as a simple way to make a difference to those in liberated areas of Ukraine who have been left picking up the pieces following Russian retreats.

    "There was an old woman in Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, who had been sleeping in her bathtub for two months because it was the warmest place in her house," he said.

    [...]

    The window design uses polyethylene, PVC piping, pipe insulation and duct tape, to create four layers of insulation.

    It costs around £12 per square metre of window, and can be built at home in 15 minutes.

    The project aims to create hubs across the country that can replace any shattered window within 24 hours, with the work largely being carried out by local people.

    3 votes
  3. skybrian
    Link
    Russia’s oil exports are back to pre-war levels (CNN) […]

    Russia’s oil exports are back to pre-war levels (CNN)

    Moscow’s exports of crude oil and oil products rose in March to their highest level since April 2020, jumping by 600,000 barrels a day, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly oil report Friday. The rise lifted Russia’s estimated revenue from oil exports to $12.7 billion last month.

    The revenue is still down 43% from a year ago, the IEA said, as Russia is forced to sell its barrels to a more limited pool of customers who can negotiate greater discounts.

    […]

    Last week, the [Russian] government said declining energy revenues had contributed to a budget deficit of 2.4 trillion rubles ($29 billion) in the first three months of this year. Its overall income plunged nearly 21% compared with the same period in 2022, Reuters reported.

    3 votes
  4. FishFingus
    (edited )
    Link
    This comes from a mixture of pictures, videos from Reznikov and a quote from (IIRC) the US DoD: AMX-10RCs and Bradleys are confirmed to have arrived in Ukraine. Training on Leopard 2s is ongoing,...

    This comes from a mixture of pictures, videos from Reznikov and a quote from (IIRC) the US DoD:

    AMX-10RCs and Bradleys are confirmed to have arrived in Ukraine. Training on Leopard 2s is ongoing, but one driver did unfortunately manage to do an ollie on another tank and behead it - the Polish instructor was not impressed. Clips and pics if/when I can find them.

    1 vote