4 April 2022 18:23

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Bucha massacre as a result of flirtation with Putin: Highlights on war in Ukraine on April 2-4

Author

Olexandr Zakharov

The 40th day of the war against the Russian invaders continues in Ukraine. has compiled business, political and economic news over the weekend and Monday to help you learn more about the situation in the country that has been fighting for its right to exist for more than a month.

The major developments of these days were:

Photo: t.me/OP_UA

The tragic events in the occupied Bucha near Kyiv have already been called Bucha Massacre (#BuchaMassacre). On April 2-3, the world saw terrible images from Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, as well as dozens of villages in the Kyiv region — with people shot, tortured, and raped (both women and children).

Photo: Wikipedia

We described in detail how the world reacted, and the reality of the Ukrainian war and why the Bucha massacre could become its "black swan".

The US Department of Defense announced additional assistance to Ukraine in the amount of up to $300 million.

According to the Americans, Kyiv, among other things, will get:

Laser-guided rocket systems;
Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (this is the so-called "suicide" drone);
Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems;
Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles ((HMMWV, another name is Humvee);
Night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, and optics;
Tactical secure communications systems.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Bucha to Ukraine to see firsthand the consequences of Europe's cooperation with Putin.

Speaking personally in Bucha, the President once again explained that these were the consequences of flirtation with the Russian Federation. Merkel replied to this invitation that she considered the decision not to admit Ukraine into NATO to be right.

Zelensky, for his part, advised those are now in the Kremlin to "think faster, if any brains are still left," because it is getting harder to talk during negotiations with every evidence of the terrible genocide that Putin’s savages are committing here.

Photo: t.me/OP_UA

Politics

Friends of Vladimir Putin in Hungary and Serbia won the elections.

Photo: Getty Images

According to preliminary data, the Fidesz party of the current Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban won the parliamentary elections on April 3. It leads with 53.71% of the vote and can count on 135 out of 199 seats.

In Serbia, where the president and parliament were elected on April 3, incumbent President Aleksandar Vučić also announced victory, Interfax-Ukraine reported. The data is still preliminary: after counting 18% of the votes, Vučić is gaining 66.15%, but exit polls promise him 59.8% of the votes.

The coalition "Together we can do everything" led by the "Serbian Progressive Party" Vučić wins the parliamentary elections. According to preliminary data, he was supported by more than 50% of voters.

Photo: Getty Images

According to Vučić, the country will continue its policy of military neutrality and will not cancel Russian culture.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Germany is more active than all EU countries in preventing the strengthening of sanctions against Russia. He called on the head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, to "listen less to businessmen," and Europe as a whole — to take decisive action against Russia, tvn24.pl reports.

"There is no need to turn a blind eye by the Hungarians. Everyone who reads the transcripts of the European Council meetings knows that Germany is the main brake on very strong sanctions against Russia," Morawiecki stressed.

Economy

Photo: facebook.com/denis.kudin.3

In Q1, Ukraine's GDP fell by 16% compared to the same period in 2021. Here it should be understood that almost two-thirds of the quarter Ukraine was not in the acute stage of the war, said First Deputy Economy Minister Denys Kudin.

At the same time, the fall in GDP for the whole of 2022 could reach 40%, the deputy minister added.

Children under the age of 18 when leaving Ukraine abroad will be able to take out cash up to 10,000 euros. They are considered individuals — the only thing is that an adult fills out the form for the child. This means that the currency limit for a mother with three minor children without filing a declaration is 40,000 euros, Obozrevatel reports.

Photo: facebook.com/NationalBankOfUkraine

As Oleksii Lupin, Director of Open Market Operations Department of the National Bank, explained, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau asked the NBU to send an official explanation to the customs that interprets this rule incorrectly.

Only 15 million UAH remained on the special account of the National Bank to help the army, the Ukrainian Central Bank reported. The amount of 14.35 billion UAH has already been allocated for the needs of the military. In particular, 950 million UAH were allocated to the National Guard of Ukraine, 1.65 billion UAH — to the National Police, 10.78 billion UAH — to the Defense Ministry, and 980.2 million — to the State Border Service.

Business

The company Wargaming that created the cult MMO game World of Tanks is disengaging from activities in Russia and Belarus.

Photo: facebook.com/wargaming.net

At the same time, access to games for Russians and Belarusians will continue, Wargaming informed. As a result of this decision, the Lesta studio from St. Petersburg, where the business in Moscowia was accumulated, will become independent, and the Minsk studio will be closed. Wargaming expects significant losses over the transfer of its business in Russia.

The sanctions roller will continue to roll the Russian economy into asphalt, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on his Facebook page.

International business, he said, is disengaging from interaction with Russia.

Photo: facebook.com/dmytro.kuleba

The results for the last few days are the following:

Wizz Air cancels all flights to and from Russia until at least October 30, 2022;
Finnish manufacturer of forestry equipment Ponsse PLC left Russia and Belarus;
Danish manufacturer of thermal automation, refrigeration and drive technology Danfoss announced its withdrawal from the Russian Federation;
American Amsted Rail Company closes office in Moscow and phases down production of bearings in Saratov;
Disney completely stops the rent movies in Russian cinemas from April 7;
Production at the PSMA Rus factory in Kaluga, where Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel are assembled, is halted due to a lack of components;
Auction Christie's banned customers from Russia and Belarus from participating in the auction.

Context.