Section: The Centre for Eastern Studies (Poland)
Russia’s nuclear project in Hungary: France’s growing role
Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Hungarian government has declared it is fully determined to build the Paks II Nuclear Power Plant, the main contractor of which is Russia’s Rosatom. Several important decisions have been taken over recent weeks to remove the barriers to implementing the project. For example, Hungary and Russia...
Back to trench warfare. Day 495 of the war
At the beginning of July, the fighting in the Bakhmut area began to intensify again. Ukrainian forces renewed their attacks south-west of the town, and declared that they had made further advances towards the enemy-occupied town of Klishchiivka. Russian forces went on the offensive to the north-west of Bakhmut, striking at the Donets-Donbas canal...
Reorganisation of the Ukrainian arms industry. Day 491 of the war
Representatives of the Ukrainian army command and the leadership of the Ministry of Defence have announced that they are taking the initiative on the frontline. On 30 June, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar reported that in the south and east, the defenders were moving from a few hundred metres to two kilometres a day, and that the...
The glass half empty. An assessment of Ukraine and Moldova’s progress in implementing EU recommendations
On 22 June 2023, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi presented the European Commission’s oral assessment of the progress Ukraine, Moldova (and also Georgia) have made in implementing the recommendations which these countries’ governments had received in June 2022. It is an initial and informal opinion...
Ukraine: new problems with the electricity system
In the evening of 27 June, due to a shortage of capacity to cover internal consumption, Ukraine requested 150 MW of power from the electricity systems of Poland and Romania. This was due to the emergency disconnection of one of the nuclear power plant units (although it was reconnected to the grid the following morning). This is another example...
The Ukrainians have established a bridgehead on the Dnieper’s left bank. Day 488 of the war
Ukrainian forces are continuing their offensive operations in Zaporizhzhia oblast and the western part of Donetsk oblast. On 24 June, south of Orikhiv, they again pushed the Russians away from the Zaporizhzhia-Mariupol road and approached the first Russian fortifications in the village of Robotyne. The following day, they intensified their...
Ukrainians damage the Chonhar bridge. Day 484 of the war
Ukrainian forces continued their attacks on Russian positions south and west of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia oblast and south of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk oblast. On 23 June, Ukrainian General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovalev reported that they had achieved partial success south of Orikhiv, and were consolidating around the captured positions in...
Russia intensifies its nuclear blackmail
Recent days have seen an unprecedented escalation of nuclear rhetoric by Moscow. Two leading pro-Kremlin experts on international affairs, Sergei Karaganov and Dmitri Trenin, have called for tactical nuclear weapons attacks on NATO countries (they gave Poland as an example target) to “break the will” of the West and convince it that...
Prospects for the development of biomethane production in Ukraine
On 8 June 2023, Ukraine’s National Committee for Energy Regulation (NKRE) authorised biomethane producers to inject the fuel which has not been used in the local operator’s gas networks to the national gas transmission system. This decision lifts the restrictions previously imposed on producers of this type of fuel regarding their...
Grain comes first: the African peace initiative for Ukraine
On 15–17 June, representatives of seven African countries visited Ukraine and Russia to propose a plan to end the war. The delegation included the presidents of South Africa, Senegal, Zambia and the Comoros (the latter country is currently chairing the African Union), the prime minister of Egypt and representatives of the leaders of Congo and...
