Ukraine has denied UN allegations of arbitrary executions of prisoners of war on both sides. President Zelenskyj relies on the World Bank for reconstruction. The developments in the live blog.
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Ukraine has denied UN allegations of arbitrary executions
Ukraine has denied UN allegations that, like Russia, it arbitrarily executed prisoners of war without trial. The Foreign Ministry in Kiev thanked the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine for its investigations, but warned against any attempt “that could be interpreted as equating the victim with the aggressor.” It is “unacceptable” to blame the “victim of aggression”.
The head of the UN mission to monitor human rights in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, said at a press conference in Kiev that in the war against Ukraine both sides had executed prisoners without trial or charge. In addition, Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war were mistreated.
Ukrainian human rights envoy Dmitro Lubinets told Telegram that he was “surprised” by the United Nations’ allegations against his country. He was not informed in advance about the findings. Lubinez did not directly reject the allegations. However, he emphasized that he now wanted “to know the facts and the indisputable arguments” on which the conclusions of the UN mission were based.
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Zelenskyj relies on World Bank for reconstruction of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is counting on support from the World Bank to help rebuild the country devastated by Russia’s war. Promising new programs were discussed at a meeting with representatives of the World Bank, Zelenskyy said in a video message. Housing, social infrastructure, the economic basis of life – all of this must be rebuilt, he said.
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has caused at least around 125 billion euros in damage in its first year alone, according to a report.
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War in Ukraine reduces fertilizer consumption in Germany
High gas prices and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine have led to falling fertilizer sales in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, sales fell by 13 percent to 1.1 million tons in the 2021/22 marketing year. So far this year, farmers have been reluctant to buy fertilizer, as reported by Munich-based BayWa, Germany’s largest agricultural trader. One possible consequence is poorer harvests. But as a result, the nitrogen inputs in the groundwater are presumably lower.