Explaining complex things in simple words: Ukraine Recovery Conference, Azov brigade discrimination, Russian army's non-combat losses

UKRAINE RECOVERY CONFERENCE

On June 11-12, the Ukraine Recovery Conference URC2024 is ongoing in Berlin

• Russian aggression caused enormous damage to Ukraine: some cities and villages were destroyed, critical infrastructure was damaged, territories were mined, and cultural heritage and the environment were irreparably damaged.

• The aggressor must compensate for the damage caused to Ukraine. Today, our friends and partners help us recover the country. After all, it is impossible to postpone the establishment of a normal life for the post-war period.

• This is already the third Ukraine Recovery Conference. The previous two took place in Lugano and London. This year, more than 2,000 politicians, diplomats, representatives of business, municipalities, and civil society from different countries are taking part in the event.

• URC2024 will address energy, human capital, mental health, cultural heritage issues, etc. Special attention will focus on the involvement of civil society and the role of horizontal connections between cities, communities, and municipalities.

• The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is personally participating in the Conference. The program of his visit to Germany also includes negotiations with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a speech in the Bundestag, and a visit to the base where the Ukrainian militaries are training.

AZOV BRIGADE DISCRIMINATION

The U.S. State Department lifted the ban on the use of U.S. weapons by the 12th special purpose brigade ‘’Azov’’ of the National Guard of Ukraine.

• Azov is a legendary formation of the newest Defence Forces of Ukraine, which in 10 years went from a volunteer battalion to a brigade of the National Guard.

• ‘’Azovians’’ participated in the main battles of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Their fate is inextricably linked with Mariupol, which they liberated in 2014 and defended in 2022.

• Hundreds of Azov fighters from the Mariupol garrison are still in Russian captivity. Contrary to international humanitarian law, the enemy is holding shameful trials against them. Many prisoners were treacherously killed by the Russians in the camp in Olenivka.

• Due to false slanders, Ukraine’s international partners discriminated against Azov for a long time, in particular for the supply of modern weapons. Even social networks introduced censorship on mentions of this formation.

• The decision to remove unreasonable suspicions and restrictions from Azov is fair and long overdue. This is a victory of common sense over Russian propaganda and a contribution to strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities.

  

RUSSIAN ARMY’S NON-COMBAT LOSSES

On June 10, a Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed in North Ossetia, and a fire has broken out on the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Levchenko in the Barents Sea.

• After the beginning of the full-scale aggression against Ukraine in Russia, accidents of military equipment, planes, and ships became more frequent. This year, the Il-76 plane and Mi-8 helicopter crashed in March, another Mi-8 crashed in February.

• These crashes are not an accident, but another consequence of the Russian criminal aggression. Sanctions deprived Russia of access to imported components and, therefore, the ability to properly service its civilian and military aircraft fleets.

• The Russian army does harm not only to itself, but also to the civilian population of the Russian Federation: planes crash into residential buildings, ‘’abnormal landings’’ of ammunition regularly occur, and missiles do not reach and fall on Russian territory.

• The Russian army is degrading and losing the ability to safely handle technological types of weapons. In this context, there is a reasonable concern about the state of nuclear weapons.

• Demilitarization of the Russian Federation is a necessary prerequisite for peace and security, both for Russia's neighbours and for the Russians themselves.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security