EASTER AND HUNTER REGION SUPPORT EVENT

WE ARE IN THE EASTER PERIOD for some it is the EVE OF EASTER SUNDAY and for those others who follow the original calendar it is the EVE OF PALM SUNDAY, and a week later they will celebrate EASTER SUNDAY.

Whichever time and way you mark the significance of Easter take a moment to spare a thought for people who will not be able to mark EASTER in the way that they usually would like to – for those in war-torn Ukraine and those who have had to flee to safety beyond the borders of their homeland this EASTER period is a life and death reality – and living in HOPE and believing in prevailing …

Join by lighting a candle of HOPE and belief  and also on 30 April come and join the MAJOR HUNTER REGION SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

In Mariupol occupiers began exhumation of bodies of civilians and don’t allow to bury the dead

Mobile crematorium deployed to hide the war crimes.

According to residents of the devastated city of Mariupol, the Russian invading forces began exhuming the bodies of civilians buried in the yards. This new level of “clearance” was announced by Mariupol residents who are still in the blocked city.

Moreover, Russian forces in the city forbid the burial of people killed by them. In each yard they put their own sentry, who does not allow Mariupol residents to their own land for their deceased relatives or acquaintances. It is not known why the exhumation is taking place, and where the bodies are being sent is also not known.

Given that Ukrainian intelligence unit has recorded 13 mobile Russian crematoria being used in Mariupol by the Russian forces, it is possible to assume that the Russian forces are trying in every way to remove all traces of their war crimes in our city, the Mariupol City Council stated.

EARLIER:
The military intelligence of Ukraine has repeatedly established the use by Russian forces of mobile crematoria in the Chernihiv region (north of Kyiv).

The operation of Russia’s mobile crematoriums was also recorded in the township Novoyadari, Luhansk region. [see report of 13-4-2022 Ukrinska Pravda, Kyiv]

NEWS UPDATE #86

RUNNING NEWS UPDATES from 28-2-2022 (sourced directly from Ukrainian news UKRAINSKA PRAVDA [TRUTH OF UKRAINE], Kyiv, Ukraine.

___________________

·      Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko welcomed Poland’s decision to bring forward by several months 

the abandonment of coal purchases from Russia and Belarus. 

This will be ahead of the EU’s abandonment by several months.Halushchenko has praised Poland for setting the example of 

a decisive and consistent policy: “This is a really bold step, given the structure of coal consumption in Poland”. [2:14pm 16-4-2022 Kyiv]

·      Italian ports are closing access to Russian ships from Sunday April 17 [Easter Sunday].

This ban will also apply to ships which have changed their flag of origin since 24 February. Ships currently in Italian ports will 

have to leave immediately after “completion of current commercial activities”. [5:45pm 16-4-2022 Kyiv]

Russia has forced all its companies to exit from Western exchanges

·      Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a directive requiring all Russian companies to delist from foreign exchanges

 and place their shares on Russian ones.

More than 30 depository receipts of Russian companies, including GAZPROM, ROSNEFT, and LUKOIL, are traded in the US 

and EU markets.

The directive requires that the circulation of depository receipts on foreign exchanges cease within 10 days. Companies will be 

given five working days to take the necessary steps to terminate their depository receipt agreements. Some exceptions may 

apply for shares already issued outside the country. [6:09pm 16-4-2022 Kyiv]

·      France freezes estates of Abramovich and other oligarchs by almost $ 1 billion 

According to FORBES magazine France has frozen 41 properties due to sanctions against Russia and estimated them at 

US$ 620 million, but in reality the value of the property is approaching US$ 1 billion. Notably,  31 of the 41 properties are 

owned by 8 Russian oligarchs.

    French authorities estimates the value of  all frozen assets at US$ 620 million. However, FORBES considers the value to be understated. Its estimates of just the  31 properties of the 8 oligarchs’ assets to be valued at more than $ 920 million based on reports for the Billionaires of the World list and the history of purchase prices. The estates of the following oligarchs were blocked:

Roman Abramovich: frozen real estate is estimated at $ 340 million. He owns the estate of Château de la Croë of 

               32,000 sq. ft. on the French Riviera, which has 12 rooms and a swan-shaped bath, formerly owned by British King Edward VIII.

In addition, in the Caribbean territory of Saint Barthelemy, France, the oligarch owns a 70-acre Gouverneur estate with 

          bungalows and several tennis courts and swimming pools. The Le Lurin estate was also frozen by the French authorities.

Victor Rashnikov: the frozen estate has an estimated value of US$ 200 million. Through his daughter Olga, he owns the  

           16-room Villa Nellcôte estate on the Riviera. Three properties on Villa Nellcôte have been frozen by French authorities.

           FORBES also found Rashnikov’s apartments in central Paris, which have already been frozen. They are located on the 

           same street as the Elysee Palace, which is now occupied by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Built in the 1890s, the villa has a swimming pool and crystal chandeliers, and is home to notable figures: in the 1940s 

           the Gestapo settled here during the Nazi occupation of France, and in 1971 it was rented by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

Alexander Ponomarenko: the frozen estate is estimated at US$ 176 million. It has two villas on the Riviera set out on a 

               property of 170,000 sq. ft..

Andriy Melnychenko: his frozen real estate has an estimated value of US$ 80 million. He owns Villa Altair in the Antibes, 

             France, which features a home theatre, wine cellar, sauna and swimming pool. Three other properties belonging to Villa Altair

            are frozen by the French.

Arkady Rotenberg: frozen real estate has an estimated value of US$ 62 million. He owns a 97,000-sq.ft. Villa Shoshana 

               estate on the Riviera. In 2014, he bought it for US$ 47 million.

Alexei Kuzmichev: frozen real estate has an estimated value of US$ 57 million. Kuzmichev owns the villa La Petite Ourse 

             on the coast of Saint-Tropez on the Riviera. The house has the same name as that of his already confiscated yachts 79-foot 

             La Petite Ourse and 54-foot La Petite Ourse II.

Vadym Moshkovych: frozen real estate has an estimated value of US$ 6 million. He owns an approx. 10-acre villa on the  

           Riviera in Nice, which he bought for US$ 3.6 million in 1998.

Gennadiy Tymchenko: the exact cost estimate is unknown. Through his wife, Elena, he owns two properties on the Riviera. 

         Tymchenko’s daughter Ksenia Frank-Tymchenko has two other real estate properties nearby, both are frozen.

      These houses are located on the same street as Le Club de Cavalière, a 5-star hotel and spa with a private beach, 

         which Elena owns through the French firm Sogeco. It also features Le Grand Coeur, a 4-star hotel and spa in the

          Alpine ski resort of Meribel. Both hotels are on the list of frozen property.

[8:03pm 16-4-2022 Kyiv]

·      Romania has banned Russian-flagged vessels from entering the Black Sea and Danube ports from April 17.

The prohibition applies applies to any vessels registered under the Russian flag, including those that have changed the

 Russian flag to the flag of any other country or changed their registration in Russia to registration in any other country

 after February 24.  [9:15pm 16-4-2022 Kyiv]

·      Ukraine may block transfers of about 200 billion hryvnias to Russia and Belarus of companies associated 

with those countries so that the money cannot be used to wage war against Ukraine.

This was announced in a broadcast of the United News by First Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin.

   He said that the National Police is monitoring the operations of companies related to Russia and Belarus, which pay 

the aggressor funds that can be used to wage war against Ukraine.

   Currently, the official said, the National Police has initiated additional financial control over about 7,000 companies with 

Russian or Belarusian registration, or Russian or Belarusian owners. [10:56pm 16-4-2022 Kyiv]

·      Hunger awaits the world if Russia does not unblock the ports of Ukraine – the UN

The New York Times points out that Ukraine’s storage facilities are overflowing with grain, which in an ordinary year helps 

to feed 400 million people worldwide.

     However, the supply chain has been disrupted by the war, and ports cannot function properly near the war zone.

     David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Program, believes that the problem of global food supply is to keep

 the southern ports of Odesa, the Black Sea, the South and Mykolayiv on the Black Sea coast threatened by Russian attack open.

     Beasley said he spoke by phone and expressed his concerns in writing, but the Kremlin did not respond to any of the UN’s concerns.

LOSSES OF UKRAINIAN DEFENCE FORCES

President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on 16-4-2022 the number of Ukrainian Defence force personnel killed in action 

against the invading Russian forces:

            Ukrainian Defence personnel:  between 2,500 and 3,000

            Wounded in action:  nearly 10,000 (many in serious or critical condition)

Ukrainian defence authorities estimate that the number of Russian forces personnel killed in action has passed    20,000.

       Losses of aircraft:                            163

       Losses of helicopters:                     144

       Losses of tanks:                               756

       Losses of armoured vehicles:    1,976

NEWS UPDATE #83

·Official: Oligarch Usmanov’s sister’s yacht DILBAR arrested in Germany.

The Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany (VKA, German counterpart of the FBI) has identified the owner of the superyacht DILBAR – the sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov Gulbahor Ismailov. The agency says the yacht is subject to European sanctions. German authorities had blocked the 156metre yacht DILBAR two days after Usmanov came under EU sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The cost of the Dilbar yacht is estimated at US$ 600 million. It is the largest motor yacht in terms of displacement, and, has a crew 96 people

The yacht has been undergoing modernisation in the port of Hamburg since the end of October 2021. [12:29pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·Russian-British joint gold-mining company, Petropavlovsk, one of the largest, may sell its “subsidiaries” and leave investors with nothing.

Due to the sanctions, one of the largest gold mining companies in Russia, Petropavlovsk, plans to sell its subsidiaries, as a result of which investors may be left without any payments.

Registered in London, Petropavlovsk, which operates in Russia, has a US$ 200 million outstanding loan from the sanctioned GAZPROMBANK and about US$ 86.7 million in revolving credit lines. Payments on the lines came due in late March in the amount of almost US$ 10 million.

The condition of these loans is that GAZPROMBANK buys 100% of the group’s gold production. But British restrictions prohibit further sales of gold to the sanctioned bank, so Petropavlovsk is looking for other buyers for it.

The international credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings downgraded the credit rating of the gold mining company Petropavlovsk to “selective default” and revoked it.[1:45pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·The 25th World Energy Congress, to be held in St. Petersburg in October 2022, has been officially cancelled.

The Congress was originally scheduled for 24-27 October 2022. [ 2:06pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·Against the background of the departure of foreign companies, Russians are buying up home appliances of Russian and Belarusian production – in March, sales increased by 50-70%.

From the end of February to the end of March the demand for all electronic goods increased several times, and the sales leader was imported goods in medium and high price segments.

Due to sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have banned the export to Russia of a range of goods, construction materials, various technical equipment and parts, which has provoked rising prices and disruptions in production in Russia. Consequently, the sales of domestically-produced brands have risen by up to 2.5 times more than the same period last year. [2:41pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·UBER taxi service resumes work in Kyiv after receiving a positive decision from the city authorities.

As of today, UBER has resumed operations in Kyiv. To support the immediate reconstruction of the city, UBER will not charge any commission fees – this means that the full fare paid by passengers will go directly to local drivers. [2:36pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·The world’s leading manufacturer of disposable tableware and food packaging – the Finnish HUHTAMAKI – has initiated a process to close its activities in Russia.

This follows the earlier decision to suspend all investment in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

HUHTAMAKI has four production units in Russia, employing about 700 people.Net sales in Russia account for approximately 3% of the group’s total sales. [5:45pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·The town of Fuentes de Andalusia in southern Spain was renamed UKRAINE for a week to express solidarity with Ukrainians.

The city, in the province of Seville, with a population of 7,200 people, was renamed at the initiative of residents to demonstrate solidarity with Ukrainians in the face of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

In addition, five streets were temporarily renamed:Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Kherson and Odessa. [5:50pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·SEB Bank in the Baltic States will stop servicing payments to and from Russia and Belarus in any currency from June.

After May 31, regular payments will stop automatically.

It is noted that from June the bank will provide payments to Russia and Belarus and from these countries only if they are necessary to ensure the most important government functions or will be made for humanitarian aid or pensions.

Earlier, the SWEDBANK Group decided to suspend payments to and from Russia and Belarus, in compliance with all requirements of the sanctions of the European Union and the US Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Payments to Russia and Belarus will be possible until April 20, 2022 inclusive, payments from these countries – until May 6, 2022 inclusive.[6:05pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·The United States is preparing new measures to combat Russia’s evasion of sanctions – within the “next week or two” will announce measures against companies in Russia and other countries to circumvent the sanctions. [7:06pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·Ukraine will play in the Volleyball World Cup in 2022 instead of Russia. [8:32pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

·Britain imposes sanctions on two of Abramovich’s partners: freezes assets worth 10 billion pounds.

The United Kingdom has added to the sanctions list two business partners of oligarch Roman Abramovich – Eugene Tenenbaum and David Davidovich: the government has frozen their assets worth up to 10 billion pounds.

“These measures, combined with others announced to date, have reduced key sources of revenue for Putin’s military machine,” the UK government added.

According to British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the freezing of the assets of Tenenbaum and Davidovich for a total of up to 10 billion pounds “is the largest action to freeze assets in the history of Great Britain.”

·Russians stole radioactive items from Chernobyl, which police seized from pilferers.

“They took a lot of things, in particular, they robbed a police station right on the territory of Chernobyl. There were radioactive items that were seized from pilferers who took them from the irradiated danger zone.

These have disappeared and we understand that they are now in parcels sent from Belarus by the retreating Russian soldiers to their family Russia. Do not envy those mothers and wives who will receive such “gifts”. [9:34pm 14-4-2022 Kyiv]

NEWS UPDATE #82

·      Australia has imposed another package of sanctions against Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine – in particular, the sanctions list of GAZPROM and TRANSNEFT. A total of 13 companies are blacklisted. In addition to the oil and gas sector, Australia has imposed sanctions on Russia’s largest telecommunications company, ROSTELECOM, Russia’s largest electricity producer, RUSHYDRO, shipping companies and ports, and the diamond mining company ALROSA. Previously, on April 7, Australia imposed financial sanctions and a travel ban on 67 more Russians, bringing the total number of people and organizations affected by the sanctions to nearly 600.  [4:40am 14-4-2022 Kyiv]
 
·      Fiji police seized Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov’s Amadea superyacht and detained its crew.
It is noted that the captain of the ship was interrogated about how it arrived in Fiji without customs clearance. This was 
confirmed to Reuters by an employee of the Center for Management and Control of the National Police.
 Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitivini Kiliho told Fiji Sun that the Foreign Government had asked the Prosecutor 
General’s Office for help in a criminal case and that Fiji had agreements with other countries to impose sanctions on Russian 
oligarchs. According to the Fiji Times, EU delegations in Fiji also asked for cooperation. [7:00am 14-4-2022 Kyiv]
 
·      Russian cruiser “Moscow” was hit by missile from Ukrainian forces of the on the night of 13 April:
Ukrainian forces fired Neptune missiles that guard the Black Sea have caused very serious damage to the Russian cruiser. 
A fire raged from the ammunition stores, later it listed and while being towed back by tugs which had come to its rescue, 
sank in the Black Sea within 24 hours of being hit.
      With the loss of the cruiser the Russian Black Sea Fleet has also lost 16 ‘Calibre’ cruise missiles in the Black Sea – 
from a total of 72 to now 56. [10:56pm 13-4-2022; 9:05am and 10:54 14-4-2022 Kyiv]
 
·      Speaker of the Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko said that she was surprised by the fact 
that Russia imports nails, despite the country’s metal production.
In 2020, imported nails were imported to Russia by two main suppliers – Belarus and China. They supplied the country 
with 84.3% and 10.7% of total imports. Another 2.1% of imports of nails came from Finland, while the share of other 
countries was about 2.9%. [9:21am 14-4-2022]
 
·      In Russia, the shipping container market expects a serious shortage of containers after international lines 
leaving Russia complete the withdrawal of their containers.
It is not possible for Russia to make up the shortfall as it only produces 10,000 containers a year, and up to US$ 1.4 billion
 is needed to buy them in China.
According to market participants, between 200,000 and 300,000 containers need to be replaced.
   President of “Eurosub St. Petersburg – Transport Systems” Dmitry Nikitin said at the conference that the operational 
capacity is 750 – 800,000 TEU (containers in twenty-foot equivalent), of which only -200 – 250,000 are Russian.  
Furthermore Russia does not have the capacity of fitting them out for operational use. [10:37am 14-4-2022 Kyiv]
 
·      The owner of the rights to the fonts:  Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, Tahoma and Helvetica – the American 
company Monotype – has blocked access to their on-site catalog for Russian users.
The site has not been accessible since 11-4-2022. They are still included in the Microsoft software pages if purchased 
and supplied prior to March 2022, but not thereafter.[10:54am 14-4-2022 Kyiv]
 
·      International banks BNY Mellon, Deutsche Bank, Citigroup and JPMorgan could earn hundreds of millions of 
dollars by delisting Russian companies from Western stock exchanges.
Unexpected income is generated by the fact that banks that have issued depository receipts will take a commission from 
investors. It is unknown at this time how much the banks will earn but experts estimate that it could be in millions of dollars.
More than 30 depository receipts of Russian companies, including Gazprom, Rosneft, and Lukoil, are traded in the US and
 EU markets. They were issued by BNY Mellon, Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, JPMorgan. [11:41am 14-4-2022 Kyiv]
 
·      More than 22,000 Ukrainian teachers went abroad due to Russia’s military aggression.
The Ukrainian Minister of education pointed out that teachers have the opportunity to settle in European countries. For example, 
teachers can teach the Ukrainian language and history of Ukraine, as well as teach in Saturday community schools.
    The Minister added that the education departments of the countries of the European Union supported Ukrainian teachers.
     “I want to mention Greece, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic countries, Slovenia. I do not know any country 
in the European Union that would not support us and the educators in this particularly difficult time,” he added.  [11:50am 14-4-2022 Kyiv]