WAR IN UKRAINE: April 10, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 45
There may be an impression outside of Ukraine that the situation in the war-torn country is stabilizing and that thousands of people are returning home. But judging from a visit to the Lviv train station Saturday night it’s anything but.
I personally saw wave after wave of humanity leaving the train station after fleeing the violence in the West. An elderly lady among a large crowd of mostly women and children said they had just arrived from Khremenchuk, an eastern city which has been heavily bombarded. Most arrivals appear to be staying in Lviv or other parts of western Ukraine, while some can be seen boarding buses headed to Poland. Humanitarian aid agencies such as the Red Cross have a visible presence offering everything from accommodation to food and clothing.
The European Union has reopened its embassy in Kyiv. So has Turkey and Estonian and Czech diplomats are reportedly on their way back to the Ukrainian capital. Italy plans to reopen its embassy in Kyiv immediately after Easter, April 22. "We were the last to leave Kyiv, and we will be one of the first to return," said Foreign Minister Luigi Di Mayo.
As I tweeted Sunday morning it’s now time for diplomats representing one of Ukraine’s closest allies, Canada, to return from Poland to Ukraine. Ukrainians I’ve spoken with don’t understand why Canadian diplomats fled Lviv many weeks ago as the city is seen to be relatively safe and has served as a humanitarian hub and base for UN operations. The return of the Canadians would also be welcomed by the sizable expatriate community here as well. Traditionally, Canadian diplomats run towards the fire - not away from it.
It now appears that the largest mission ever undertaken by the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will close due to blockage from Russia, one of its 57 member states. Its Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, established in early 2014 after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, did not get its mandate renewed in late March as Russia did not vote for it. Under OSCE rules all it takes is one abstention to kill a mission or proposal. The OSCE ‘ Troika’ says “no consensus was reached on the extension of the mandate of the SMM due to the position of the Russian Federation.” Sadly, it means the eyes and ears of international community in Ukraine since 2014 ends. I was proud to have served as its spokesperson for two years - including during the downing of MH17 in July 2014.
The World Bank says it expects Ukraine's economy to shrink by 45% this year as a result of the war with Russia. The Bank says enormous financial support is needed immediately - BBC
🇵🇱 Poland is sending 1500 tons of supplies in to Ukraine 🇺🇦 Reportedly, it’s the biggest humanitarian aid shipment of the entire war.