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