Prisoner swap, embargo on Russian oil, and heavy weapons from Germany: Highlights on war in Ukraine as of April 28

Author

Yulia Ustymovych

The 64th day of the war against the Russian invaders continues in Ukraine. has compiled business, political, and economic news that will help you learn more about the situation in a country that has been fighting for its right to exist for more than two months.

The major developments of the day are:

Ukraine will deliver fire strikes against Russian military facilities on its territory in self-defense. Mykhailo Podolyak, Adviser to the Head of the OP, announced this on Twitter: "Ukraine should decide whether to strike Russian military facilities", Blinken said. Russia has attacked Ukraine and is killing civilians. Ukraine will defend itself in any way, including strikes on the warehouses and bases of the Russian killers. The world recognizes this right," Podolyak said.
The Russian invaders are planning to force the occupied areas of the Kherson region of Ukraine to use the Russian ruble from May 1. According to CNN, this was stated by the appointed deputy chairman of the military-civilian administration of the Kherson region Kyrylo Stremousov.
A new prisoner swap took place, 45 of our people were released from Russian captivity: 33 Ukrainian military and 12 civilians, said Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.

Politics

Sanctions against Russia related to the embargo on oil and gas should be imposed immediately, according to Foreign Ministers of Lithuania and Spain Gabrielius Landsbergis and José Manuel Alvarez, Interfax-Ukraine reports. "The need to impose an embargo on Russian oil and gas has been discussed for several weeks. Here, in our opinion, the positions of both Lithuania and Spain coincide, that this should be done immediately," Landsbergis said at a joint press conference with Alvarez in Vilnius following the talks.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a working meeting in Kyiv with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov during his visit to Ukraine. "Today, in a conversation with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, cooperation has been established for repairing Ukrainian military equipment at the production facilities of Bulgaria. This is very important for Ukraine. I am sure that such cooperation will be beneficial both for Bulgarian companies and for the Bulgarian economy. And for us, quality and timing are very important, because we are fighting every day," Zelenskyy said at a briefing.
The German Bundestag adopted a statement calling on the government to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine, including increasing the supply of heavy weapons. The vast majority of MPs supported the common proposal of the Union (CDU/CSU) and the parties on the "traffic light" coalition. 586 deputies voted in favor, only 100 voted against, seven abstained.

Economy

As of April 26, of those who had a job before the war, 59% are still working (in March there were 46%). Such data were obtained in the course of a survey conducted by the Rating sociological group. In particular: the number of people working in the usual manner has increased (from 23 to 32%); 24% work part-time or remotely; 3% started another job.
U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to ask for approval of a package of laws that will help the administration use the assets of individuals affiliated to the Russian Federation to provide assistance to Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. Biden's proposals, in part, involve the use of confiscated assets of sanctioned individuals to fund aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine and Japan have signed an agreement on a $100 million loan for a period of 30 years at 1% per annum with a grace period of 10 years, the Ministry of Finance reported. In particular, Ukraine will get a grant of approximately $2.3 million that will be used to purchase medical equipment.

Business

The USAID program Competitive Economy of Ukraine, Ukrposhta, and Techbureau have launched the Made in UA Support Project that will provide $100,000 in assistance to 100 Ukrainian craft producers.
On April 29, Ukrposhta will open its branches in Bucha and Borodianka. "Tomorrow will be a pleasant day: we are opening our branches in Bucha and Borodianka. Stay tuned," Ihor Smilyanskyi, CEO of Ukrposhta, wrote on his Telegram channel. He also noted that he continues to hold talks with the aim of continuing the work of Ukrposhta in the temporarily occupied territories, so that the Ukrainians there can get pensions from Ukraine and purchase food.

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