WAR IN UKRAINE: June 18, 2022
A Ukrainian girl, who cannot leave her pet, in front of a train meant to evacuate her to Przemysl, Poland. Photo by Alexander Zenkovich
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 118
The sanctions imposed by the West on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine are "mad and thoughtless", President Vladimir Putin has said. However, Mr Putin's own officials have warned that the Russian economy is suffering serious damage from the sanctions. Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said on Thursday that "15% of the country's GDP" was threatened by the international response - BBC
The Ukrainian government released a thirty two page presentation deck that lays out a plan to slash the civil service by two thirds concurrently with transferring a significant number of government functions to digital services and the private sector. Says long-time Ukraine observer Bohdan Chomiak: “In principle there is nothing wrong or right about the administrative reform proposal. However, the proposal lacks merit because there is no opportunity for significant public scrutiny.”
Ukrainian farmers complete this year's sowing. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported that Ukraine’s farmers have sown 13.4 million hectares of land in Ukrainian-controlled territories, which is approximately 95 percent of projected totals - Kyiv Independent
After Russia failed to take Kyiv during the first phase of its invasion of Ukraine, its focus turned east. Behind the lines in the Kharkiv Region, a motley group of militants and mercenaries is plugging the gap — and they’re not ashamed to brag about it. Read the feature by Bellingcat here
Unholy War: UK sanctions Putin’s Patriarch for backing Ukraine invasion. Britain has this week imposed sanctions on Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill for his “prominent support of Russian military aggression in Ukraine.” This dramatic step was not entirely unprecedented. The European Union similarly sought to sanction Patriarch Kirill in early June but the initiative was blockedby Hungary. Read the full Atlantic Council Ukraine Alert feature here