Economic Forum in Davos, union with Britain, and extension of martial law: Highlights war in Ukraine as of May 21-27

Author

Diana Polunina

The war in Ukraine has lasted for three months already. During the 86th — 94th days of the war, which fell on May 21 — 27, martial law and mobilization in Ukraine were extended for three months, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill allocating $40 billion in aid to Ukraine, and the World Economic Forum started in Davos, Switzerland, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also delivered his speech. has compiled business, political and economic news that will help you learn more about the situation in the country that has been fighting for its right to exist for more than three months.

Top news on war as of May 21 — 27:

Martial law in Ukraine was extended for another 90 days, until August 23, 2022. 320 MPs voted for the relevant bill No. 7300. Until this date, the mobilization was extended as well. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already signed the relevant documents.
Last week, Joe Biden signed a bill to provide Ukraine with the largest aid package in the last 20 years in the amount of $40 billion. Thus, $19.7 billion will be send to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry; $6 billion — direct assistance to Kyiv; $4 billion will be used for purchasing weapons; $8.8 billion — economic assistance to Ukraine; $4.35 billion will be used to overcome the global food crisis and for humanitarian aid; the U.S. State Department will also get $700 million to overcome the global food crisis.
Last week, during the first trial on Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, the first Russian war criminal was convicted. The Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv sentenced 21-year-old Russian soldier Vadim Shyshymarin to life imprisonment for killing an unarmed man. In the village of Chupakhivka, Sumy region, he shot dead a 62-year-old local resident on February 28.
According to Petro Andriushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, at least 22,000 civilians died in the city since the outbreak of the full-scale war. However, the real figure, according to experts, could be much higher. "Mariupol is now a city of ghosts," Andriushchenko added.

Top news on politics as of May 21 — 27

Last week, Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Ukraine and even delivered a speech to the Verkhovna Rada. According to him, Poland will do everything possible for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union. Duda also said that "only Ukraine has the right to decide its future" and that there can be no business with Russia after what war criminals have done in Bucha, Borodianka, and Mariupol. He also called Ukrainians in Poland not "refugees" but "guests".
Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin also visited Ukraine. She visited Bucha and Irpin, Kyiv region. The head of the Finnish government also met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to set up a new international political, economic and military alliance that will oppose Russia and become an alternative to the EU, Ukrainska Pravda reports. It will include Britain as the leader, as well as Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and possibly Turkey.

Top news on economy as of May 21-27

On May 22, the World Economic Forum (WEF) started its work in the city of Davos (Switzerland). Its theme is "History at a Turning Point: Government Policies and Business Strategies". One of the main themes at the forum was the war in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently delivered his speech there, talking about what would happen to the world if Ukraine lost. He called for an end to all cooperation with Russia, invited all companies that had left Russia to Ukraine, spoke about our country in the future, etc. You can read more about this here.
Poland decided to officially terminate the contract for the supply of Russian gas ahead of schedule, Anna Moskwa, Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland, said. The 1993 agreement was to be valid until the end of 2022.

Top news on as of May 21 — 27

Viktor Medvedchuk, suspected of high treason, provided testimony the fifth president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko appears in. Medvedchuk, who had been detained in Ukraine after escaping from house arrest, revealed the details of the scheme for removing a section of the Samara-Western Direction oil product pipeline from state ownership, saying that Poroshenko had asked him, as Putin’s crone, to establish contact with Russian authorities, contributed to making by Ukrainian bodies of decisions in favor of the ex-president, so that the pipeline actually became the property of the latter. Medvedchuk also detailed the establishment in 2014-2015 of a scheme for purchasing coal for the needs of the Ukrainian energy sector in ORDLO (temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine), and so on. Petro Poroshenko’s European Solidarity Party called Medvedchuk's testimony "an informational sabotage in favor of Russia."
The Artemsil enterprise, the largest salt mining enterprise in Europe, stopped working in April in Ukraine over the hostilities. The acting director of the enterprise Viktor Yurin told this Vilne Radio. According to him, it is impossible to export finished products from Soledar by rail. Artemsil is constantly under fire and has a partially destroyed administrative building, so now the company is idle until an indefinite time. According to Yurin, now Ukraine will have to import more salt from abroad.
The Microsoft Xbox gaming division will be officially launched in Ukraine, Ukrainian accounts will appear, and the consoles will have the Ukrainian language, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov announced.
As of May 24, 2022, almost 1,000 international companies have publicly announced they are no longer operating in the Russian market, however, over 200 still continue to work there. This is stated in the information of Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, professor and founder of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, who, together with a team of experts and students, has been tracking companies that have cooperated and continue to cooperate with Russia since the first days of a full-scale invasion.
Last week, the Starbucks coffee chain, one of the most famous in the world, left Russia. At the same time, the company will continue to support nearly 2,000 employees, which includes six months' wage and assistance with employment outside the company.