WAR IN UKRAINE: June 21, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 122
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the Geneva Conventions — a series of agreements on, among other things, international standards for the treatment of people captured during war — would not apply to the two Americans believed to have been captured by Russian or pro-Russian forces in Ukraine in recent weeks. Peskov's comments come days after Russian media released video appearing to show the two men, 39-year-old Alexander Drueke and 27-year-old Andy Huynh. He said he considers the two men to be "soldiers of fortune" who were not enlisted in the Ukrainian army - CBS
Ukrainian officials say this week will be decisive for Russian efforts to take Severodonetsk, where Russian forces will likely attempt to clear the Azot plant & complete encirclement operations by driving up the T1302 highway - Institiute for the Study of War
Ukraine’s parliament on June 20 passed a bill ratifying the Istanbul Convention, a key human rights treaty on preventing and combatting violence against women. After years of wait and repeated calls from activists to ratify the Istanbul Convention, Ukraine finally adopted the treaty amid its EU membership bid. Read the Kyiv Independent story here.
Kyiv City Council: Taiwan will financially help with the restoration of Bucha to the tune of $500,000. In addition, the Taiwan authorities will send financial and material assistance to the restoration of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.
“Taiwan will continue to stand with Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty, freedom & democracy," foreign minister Joseph Wu tweeted.
Taiwan has also announced a $1.2 million donation to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, $2 million in aid to the city of Kharkiv and previously $3 million to Kyiv. On June 15 Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi thanked Taiwan for $800,000 in funds for medical equipment. In March, a relief fund backed by Taiwan's government raised nearly $33.65 million in a month. The donations, which were in addition to hundreds of tons of medical supplies sent to Europe, went to Ukraine and its neighbors, Newsweek reported.
My analysis: Taiwan’s assistance to Ukraine is significant for two reasons - the island sees itself as a potential target of aggression from a larger neighbour, China, and hence sympathy towards Ukraine, a target of Russian aggression is high among Taiwanese civil society. And, previous to the war, President Zelensky called China Ukraine’s largest economic partner. The provision of Taiwanese assistance to Ukraine is bound to anger Beijing.
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska on being Russia’s target No 2: ‘When you see their crimes, maybe they really are capable of anything.’ Her husband Volodymyr Zelenskiy is leading his nation’s resistance to Putin’s invasion – and her family is under threat. In a rare interview, she reveals the toll of sudden war. Read the The Guardian feature here
Ukraine war: This secret unit's tanks are virtually invisible, and soldiers have one job - to steal the enemy's vehicles. The Ukrainians have captured some 400 Russian armoured vehicles - this unit has taken five of them. Read the SKY News feature here