Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy: “If you are working for Ukraine, you are needed by Ukraine. If not, you are not.”

Tuesday’s Coverage: UN Finds Mines at Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Map: Institute for Study of War

UPDATE 1656 GMT:

Moldova, which neighbors Ukraine to the southwest, is expelling 45 employees of the Russian embassy, including 18 diplomats.

The Moldovan Cabinet said the Russian presence in Chisinau will be reduced to 10 diplomats and 15 technical staff.

Moldova’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov after a media investigation established that Russia had installed 28 satellite dishes and other communication devices on its embassy’s rooftop and that of a neighboring residential building used by embassy staff.

The Foreign Ministry said, “We consider absolutely unacceptable any acts of espionage and foreign interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Moldova, which represent a direct challenge to the sovereignty and national security of our state.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova complained, “In an attempt to curry favor with its western sponsors, Chișinău has redoubled its Russophobic efforts.”

UPDATE 1637 GMT:

Kyiv’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has visited Liberia, the first trip to the country in Ukrainian diplomatic history.

Kuleba and Liberian officials discussed arrangements to ensure the export of Ukrainian grain to Africa after Vladimir Putin ripped up the July 2022 Black Sea deal last week.

Kuleba also travelled to Equatorial Guinea for two days earlier this week for talks on food security.

Travelling to seize the diplomatic initiative after Putin’s jeopardizing of global grain supplies, Russia is hosting a summit with African officials in St Petersburg on Thursday and Friday.

But Moscow’s effort has been dented with only 17 African heads of state attending. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov blamed “overt brazen interference by the US, France and other states through their diplomatic missions in African countries”.

UPDATE 1632 GMT:

The European Union is banning exports of battlefield equipment and aviation parts to Russia’s ally Belarus.

The sanctions cover “dual use battlefield and aviation goods” and blacklist individuals.

UPDATE 1609 GMT:

Ukraine’s counter-offensive has advanced further on the southern front.

Deputy Deputy Minister Hanna Maliar said forces have moved towards the Russian-occupied port cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk.

Maliar cited “successes” near Staromayorske, a village southwest of Donetsk city. The Ukrainian military claimed the capture of units and documents of Russia’s 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment.

On the eastern front, Maliar said “fierce fighting” continued near the villages of Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka, and Andriivka to the south of Bakhmut.

Ukrainian forces continued to repel Russian attempts to break through near Kupyansk and Lyman, which Ukraine liberated last autumn.

UPDATE 0746 GMT:

Russia’s Economic Development Ministry has raised the duty on imported wine from 12.5% to 20% and banned the import of finished fish and seafood products from “unfriendly countries”.

Russia’s list of “unfriendly countries” includes the US, the European Union’s 27 members, Canada, the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

UPDATE 0655 GMT:

Russia’s lower House of Parliament, the Duma, has voted to raise the maximum age of conscription to 30 from 27.

The bill would increase the number of young men liable for a year of compulsory military service, as the Kremlin hopes to avoid another mass mobilization after the troubled call-up of last September.

The Duma walked back from an earlier commitment to raise the lower age of conscription to 21 from 18.

The bill, which takes effect on October 1, prohibits conscripts from leaving the country once the enlistment office has sent them their draft notice. The fine for those who fail to show up at an enlistment office, after a draft notice is received, has been raised to up to 30,000 rubles (about $330) from 3,000 rubles.

UPDATE 0612 GMT:

Ukraine’s partners have pledged $244 million and special equipment for demining, said Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Tuesday.

Russia mined much of Ukraine after its troops were forced to withdraw from the north of the country in spring 2022. The US State Department estimated in early December that about 160,000 square km (62,000 square miles) — almost half the size of Germany — needs to be checked for the danger of explosions.

UPDATE 0607 GMT:

The US has confirmed another $400 million in military aid to Ukraine.

The package includes missiles for the HIMARS rocket system and the NASAMS air defense system, Stinger surface-to-air missiles, and Javelin anti-tank weapons.

There are 32 Stryker armored vehicles, howitzer artillery rounds, demolition equipment, mortars, Hydra-70 rockets, Hornet nano-drones, and 28 million rounds of small arms ammunition.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday:

The people of Ukraine continue to bravely defend their country against Russia’s aggression while Russia continues its relentless and vicious attacks that are killing Ukrainian civilians and destroying civil infrastructure. Ukraine’s steadfast courage continues to inspire the world.

Russia could end this war at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine and stopping its brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities and people. Until it does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes.

The US has now committed more than $41 billion in military assistance to Ukraine during Russia’s invasion.

UPDATE 0600 GMT:

The European Union is considering plans for transportation of grain out of Ukraine, following Vladimir Putin’s ripping up of the July 2022 deal lifting Russia’s blockade of three Ukrainain Black Sea ports.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told reporters Tuesday:

We are ready to export almost everything. This is about 4 million tons per month of oilseeds and grains and we achieved this volume in November last year.

Wojciechowski said the EU is reviewing several initiatives from member states for a joint plan to cover additional transport costs.

The solidarity lanes are rail, road, and sea transport connections through EU member states bordering Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said after Putin’s destruction of the grain deal that they are pursuing shipments through Romania’s Black Sea ports.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has issued an anti-corruption warning to officials, speaking of the “fury” of “millions of hearts” over those enriching themselves during Russia’s invasion.

Zelenskiy devoted much of his nightly video address to the topic:

No one will forgive MPs, judges, “military commissars” or any other officials for putting themselves in opposition to the state. For some, it’s about islands and resorts during the war, for others it’s about lining one’s pockets in the military enlistment office, for others it’s about bribes in the courts. For any public official, this is a betrayal of state principles, a betrayal of the interests of society….

Any internal betrayal, any “beach” or any personal enrichment instead of Ukraine’s interests triggers fury at the very least.

Earlier on Tuedayk, Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Ponomaryov was detained without bail in Kyiv pending trial on treason allegations.

Ukraine’s security service said Ponomaryov had “willingly collaborated” with Russia in the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine.. The official is accused of re-registering his businesses in the area under Russian laws, transferring money into local branches of Russian banks, supplying the Russian military with “fuel-oil materials” for their vehicles, and providing equipment used to make fortifications.

The Fight Against Corruption

Zelenskiy, then a TV comedian and actor, was elected President in 2019 on a platform of combatting Ukraine’s long-entrenched corruption in public and private services.

The issue has been highlighted during Russia’s 17-month invasion by a series of high-profile cases.

In February, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Development, Vasyl Lozynskiy, was arrested as he allegedly received a $400,000 bribe. Authorities claimed he was part of a network of 150 officials taking kickbacks.

Raids were carried out against the homes and businesses of oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, and the head of the Kyiv tax authority over allegations of bribery and evasions of customs payments. The Ukraine Security Service also says it has discovered embezzlement of more than $1 billion from two oil companies.

The Defense Ministry has been under scrutiny, with journalists and corruption watchdogs reporting purchases of military rations at inflated prices in a $355 million contract. Oleksii Reznikov, Defense Minister since November 2021, was under pressure for managed to keep his post.

See also Ukraine War, Day 344: Zelenskiy Government’s Anti-Corruption Drive

In May, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyazev, was detained and dismissed on suspicion of accepting $2.7 million in bribes. Last month, Zelenskiy ordered the removal of the military head of the Odesa region, Yevhen Borysov, after a newspaper revealed he had real estate worth millions of dollars in Spain.

In his nightly address, Zelenskiy said he was presented with preliminary results of the inspection of other “military commissars”: “The results are disappointing. Of course, law enforcement officers will implement them in a legal manner, and society will see everything.”

The War and EU Membership

Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and NATO are conditioned upon an effective system of governance and safeguards against corruption. The message was reinforced at the NATO Summit in Lithuania earlier this month, with the G7 nations presented a military, economic, and financial framework for reform.

See also EA on China Radio International: Ukraine, NATO Summit, and Reality v. Propaganda

Zelenskiy said on Tuesday night:

There will not be those who are reluctant to make decisions necessary for our defense or European integration because of some personal benefits. Every law that is needed to strengthen the position of our troops must be adopted. Every law that is necessary for Ukraine to start negotiations with the EU on accession must be adopted.

And I don’t want to hear any more excuses. And no one else does. Ukraine does not give you any more time. If you are working for Ukraine, you are needed by Ukraine. If not, you are not.