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Moscow has pledged to do "everything necessary" to allow experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant while Russia's defense minister to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the situation at the facility.
No reliable medicine, empty shops, and Russian flags everywhere. These are the impressions of Ukrainians who have managed to flee from life under Russian occupation in the southern region of Kherson. Having escaped to Zaporizhzhya, some said Sunday that they plan to stay with family in western Ukraine, while others are still working out their plans. Many of those passing through a transit hub for evacuees describe strip searches by Russian forces at check points. But Ukrainian government officials are commending those who have left war-torn Kherson, saying this is the only way civilians can keep safe as battles with Russian forces continue.
VOA United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer reports on the phone call between U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu.
The two discussed “the conditions for the safety operations of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. They have also exchanged views on the fact-finding mission in relation to the Olenivka prison incident. Finally, they have discussed the United Nations’ initiatives in order to facilitate the exports of Russian food and fertilizers,” according to a U.N. statement.
The Ukrainian government has asked parliament to partially restore excise tax on petrol and diesel fuel to boost the state budget, depleted by months of war with Russia, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said,
He said the resumption of excise tax at $101.96 per 1,000 liters could provide the state budget with about $135.54 million each month amid a monthly deficit of about $5 billion.
"The finance ministry is in a challenging situation," Kubrakov told a televised briefing. "Any additional revenues to the budget from taxes that were previously cancelled are essential and matter." He said the tax could be launched in September or October.
Ukraine canceled excise tax, which was $216 for petrol and $142 for diesel fuel, in March after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and cut logistic chains
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said while there was room for a European-level debate on banning Russian tourists, it was important not to make life harder for Kremlin opponents to flee Russia, Reuters reported.
"What is important for us is that we understand there are a lot of people fleeing from Russia because they disagree with the Russian regime," he said following a meeting with leaders of the Nordic countries in Oslo.
"All the decisions we take should not make it more complicated to leave the country, for getting away from the leadership and the dictatorship in Russia," he added.
Several European countries, including Finland's Sanna Marin who was also at the meeting, have called for Russian tourists to be banned from the EU to ensure that they too pay a penalty for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A court in Moscow has begun bankruptcy proceedings against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Russian entity, RFE.RL LLC, after local tax authorities initiated the process earlier this year, a move that prompted the broadcaster to suspend operations in the country. RFE/RL had to close its Moscow bureau in March after 30 years operating in the Russian capital,
The Arbitration Court of Moscow ruled to start bankruptcy proceedings, which were initiated by the Federal Tax Service on March 4, saying that RFE.RL LLC owes about $112,000 to the tax authorities for 2021.
RFE/RL LLC in Moscow represents RFE/RL's interests in Russia. It was established in 2020 due to Russia's controversial law on "foreign agents."
The bankruptcy proceedings stem from Russian media regulations requiring that RFE/RL and other outlets deemed “foreign agents” mark themselves as such with a lengthy notice in large text for all written materials, an audio statement with all radio materials, and a text declaration with all video materials.
They also coincided with a new law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin that took effect on March 5 and allows for prison sentences of up to 15 years for people who distribute "false news" about the Russian Army at a time when Moscow had invaded neighboring Ukraine.
RFE/RL has refused to comply with this mandate and since last year Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has filed more than a thousand administrative charges against RFE/RL LLC and its director, ordering them to pay almost 1 billion rubles ($16 million) in fines.