World about Ukraine: January 2024, digest 2

Hackers Hit Moscow Internet Provider in Response to Kyivstar Cyber Attack 

Hackers linked to Ukraine’s main spy agency have breached computer systems at a Moscow-based internet provider in retaliation for a Russian cyber attack against Ukrainian telecom giant Kyivstar, a source with direct knowledge of the operation told Reuters on Tuesday.

The hacking group, dubbed “Blackjack”, has previously been linked to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The hackers deleted 20 terrabytes of data at M9 Telecom, a small Russian internet and TV provider, leaving some Moscow residents without internet, the source said.

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Businessmen to drive lorries with aid to Ukraine

Two businessman are travelling to Ukraine to deliver van loads of donations to those living through the war. Mike Racz and Karl Pemberton said the support they had received had been “overwhelming”. The duo were originally planning to fill a small van with donations but are now taking two larger lorries with them. Mr Racz, from Wolviston, County Durham, said he “did not expect the amount of donations and love and support and aid” that people had offered. Mr Racz’s partner, Kateryna Seranova, is from Ukraine and said the dangers her family faced were still very real.

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Rishi Sunak pledges £2.5bn in military aid to Ukraine during Kyiv visit

Rishi Sunak made a £2.5bn commitment to Ukraine’s defence on Friday during a visit to Kyiv, and pledged that the UK would not falter at a time when military aid from the US has stalled.

Sunak met the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, embracing him warmly, and addressed Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. The two leaders held talks and signed a new UK-Ukrainian security treaty. It guarantees that the UK will give “swift and sustained” help should Russia attack Ukraine again.

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Zelenskyy says Western hesitation on aid emboldens Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Western hesitation on aid is emboldening Russia – comments he made during a visit to Lithuania as he embarked on a previously unannounced tour of three Baltic states. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy told his Lithuanian counterpart that Ukraine must strengthen its air defences and replenish its ammunition supplies as Russia intensifies its missile and drone attacks in its nearly two-year war on Ukraine.

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Garden centre donates fifth ambulance to Ukraine

A garden centre in Cumbria has delivered its fifth ambulance to Ukraine since the country was invaded by Russia. Since 2022, the Pot Place, a garden centre in Plumpton, has been delivering medical vehicles and supplies to the country. Paul Thomas, a co-owner of the garden centre, said ambulances only last around six months in the country due to the poor roads. The latest vehicle procured by the company was driven to the Ukraine-Poland border by Mr Thomas and his team.

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French foreign minister visits Kyiv and pledges solidarity as Russia launches attacks

France’s new foreign minister arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Saturday to meet with his counterpart in a sign of support for Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale invasion nears its second anniversary. Stéphane Séjourné noted that Ukraine was his first destination abroad since his appointment in a government reshuffle this week. “Ukraine is and will remain France’s priority,” he said. “The defense of the fundamental principles of international law is being played out in Ukraine.”

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Warsaw rally calls for military, financial aid to Ukraine

Nearly 3,000 Poles and Ukrainians have gathered outside the European Union’s representative office in Warsaw, calling for military and financial support for Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion, and for Kyiv’s accession to the EU, according to news outlets.

The rally took place on Monday night, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

It was co-organised by the Ukrainian group Euromaidan Warszawa and Poland’s Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), among others, under the motto Stop Russian terror.

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World Bank’s IFC Has Mobilised Nearly $1 Billion for Ukraine

The World Bank’s private investment arm has mobilised nearly $1 billion to rebuild Ukraine’s private sector and is shifting its broader investment focus towards equity, its managing director told Reuters.

Around $620 million of the funds mobilised for Ukraine – part of a $2 billion package announced in December 2022 – are from the investment arm’s own balance sheet and another $360 million from external financing, said Makhtar Diop, managing director of the International Finance Corp (IFC).

But the path ahead is not without its challenges.

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