Ukrainian Eurovision-winning band raises $ 900,000 for army through trophy auction
The Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine celebrates after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Palaolimpico Arena in Turin, Italy, on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
Luca Bruno | AP
The PD-2 is manufactured by the Ukrainian manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems Ukrspecsystems and has a range of more than 124 miles, according to the company. The auction was held on Facebook and was presented by Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula.
The winning bid comes from the European crypto exchange WhiteBit, which made the purchase with 500 ethers worth $ 900,000.
Eurovision is an international song contest held annually since 1956, where European countries present bands and songs to compete for more votes from the audience and a jury. Ukrainian hip-hop and folk band Kalush Orchestra won with their song Stefania, a powerful ode to Ukrainian mothers.
– Natasha Turak
After a failed attempt, the EU to continue negotiating possible sanctions on Russian oil
The EU will continue to work on Monday to reach an agreement to seize Russian oil, after attempts to do so failed on Sunday.
The talks are largely stopped by Hungary, a major Russian oil user, and its leader, Viktor Orban, is on friendly terms with Russian Vladimir Putin.
Budapest over the weekend expressed support for a European Commission proposal to impose sanctions only on Russian oil introduced into the EU by tankers, which would allow offshore energy importers Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to continue receiving its Russian oil through a gas pipeline to an alternative. sources can be found. However, talks were interrupted by Hungary’s demands for EU funding.
The proposed sanctions on oil imports would be part of the EU’s sixth package of sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in late February.
About 36% of EU oil imports come from Russia. Energy prices, already high earlier this year, have skyrocketed since Putin launched the war on Ukraine.
– Natasha Turak
UK ministry says Russian forces likely suffered “devastating losses” among officers
The Russian military patrols the destroyed part of the Ilyich steelworks in the port city of Mariupol, Ukraine on May 18, 2022. The Russian army has probably suffered “devastating losses” among its middle and lower-ranking officials in the conflict, which are likely to worsen. problems to modernize its command and control approach, said the UK Ministry of Defense.
Olga Maltseva | AFP | Getty Images
The Russian military has likely suffered “devastating losses” among its middle and lower-ranking officers, which is likely to exacerbate problems in modernizing its command and control approach, the UK Defense Ministry said.
Junior officers are leading lower-level tactical actions because the military does not have highly trained and empowered non-commissioned officers to play that role in Western forces, the ministry said in an intelligence update.
“More immediately, it is likely that the battalion tactical groups (BTG) that are being reconstituted in Ukraine from multi-unit survivors will be less effective due to the lack of minor leaders,” the ministry added.
“Brigade and battalion commanders are likely to deploy forward in danger because they have an uncompromising level of responsibility for the performance of their units,” the ministry said.
The lack of experienced and credible commanders is also likely to translate into a drop in morale and continued poor discipline after multiple credible reports of riots located among Russian forces, the ministry added.
– Chelsea Ong
West waited too long to face Putin and now has all the power, the professor says
The world, particularly the West, should have been more attentive to Putin’s actions in Georgia and Ukraine in previous years and should have been more actively involved with Russia at the time, says Angus Blair, a professor at Cairo American University. .
Ukraine’s Donbass “unconditional priority” for Moscow, says Lavrov of Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General Zhang Ming in Moscow, Russia, on May 18, 2022.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Reuters
The “liberation” of Ukraine’s Donbas is an “unconditional priority” for Moscow, while other Ukrainian territories should decide its own future, the RIA news agency said on Sunday. Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergei Lavrov.
“The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, recognized by the Russian Federation as independent states, is an unconditional priority,” Lavrov said in an interview with French television channel TF1, according to RIA.
For the rest of the Ukrainian territories, “the people should decide their future in these areas,” he said.
– Reuters
The EU does not reach an agreement on the oil embargo on Russia
The flags of the European Union and Ukraine fly in front of the EU Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium, on February 28, 2022.
Yves Herman | Reuters
The European Union has not reached an agreement on the oil embargo on Russia, a senior EU official told Reuters.
Diplomats will still try to advance ahead of a Monday-to-Tuesday summit on an exemption for pipeline deliveries to landlocked Central European countries, officials told the news agency.
The proposed sanctions, which would be the EU’s sixth package in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, face concerns over oil supplies from countries such as landlocked Hungary.
The talks have been going on for a month and will continue on Monday, Reuters said.
– Leslie Josephs