French President Emmanuel Macron is set to deliver an address Monday revealing France’s new African strategy.   

Later in the week, the French leader travels to Gabon, Angola, the Republic of Congo and Congo. 

Macron’s visit to Africa comes as many nations there have expressed an anti-France sentiment that has included street protests in some West and North African countries.  

France is also finding that its long economic ties with Africa are starting to fray as Russia, China and Turkey make inroads.  

In addition, Mali has replaced the French troops stationed there with Russian military contractors, something France would not like to see replicated.  

The French leader will also attend a forest-themed climate summit in Gabon.   
…

Italian officials say at least 59 migrants died when the wooden boat they were in began splintering apart in heavy seas Sunday off the Italian coast. At least 12 of the dead are children.    

Some bodies washed ashore at a resort in the Calabria region.  

At least 80 people, including those rescued by emergency workers and others who were able to swim ashore after the boat disintegrated, survived the wreck, officials said.  

Photos show big chunks of the vessel on the beach near the town of Steccato di Cutro, and pieces of wood and other debris all along the shore.  

“It’s an enormous tragedy,” Crotone Mayor Vincenzo said.   

One of the men from the ship was taken into custody by Italian authorities on suspected trafficking charges.  

Survivors estimate that between 150 to 200 people were onboard the vessel that began its journey a few days ago from Turkey. Many of the migrants were from Pakistan and Afghanistan. 

“The reports of the drowning of over two dozen Pakistanis in a boat tragedy in Italy are deeply concerning and worrisome,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Twitter. “I have directed the foreign office to ascertain facts as early as possible and take the nation into confidence,” he wrote.  

Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban authorities did not immediately offer any comment on reports that Afghan nationals were also among the victims. 

Pope Francis said Sunday, “I pray for each of them, for the missing and the other migrants who survived.”   

Francis also said he also was praying for the rescuers “and for those who give welcome” to the migrants.  

Italy has been overwhelmed with migrants who are coming from Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and other places.  

Italy has asked other European Union countries to step up and take in some of the migrants, many of whom are not looking to stay in Italy, but instead are focused on traveling elsewhere in Europe to find work and/or reunite with family members. 

Ayaz Gul contributed to this report. 
…

Yulian Dlaboha is U.S. a high school student whose mother is an immigrant from Ukraine and whose father is of Ukrainian heritage. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Yulian wanted to help, so he started collecting warm socks for Ukrainian soldiers. Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vladimir Badikov.
…

At least for now, the United States is declining to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. But as VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports, there are some lawmakers in Congress who plan to push the White House to change its position.
…

At least 30 people have died following the shipwreck of a migrant vessel off the eastern coast of Italy’s Calabria region.

Some of the bodies washed ashore Sunday at a seaside resort in the province of Crotone, while other bodies remained in the water as emergency workers searched for survivors.

The Adnkronos news agency reports the ship was carrying 100 people from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan and 50 people have been rescued. 
…

An elite Russian infantry force has suffered significant losses in Ukraine, the British Defense Ministry said Sunday.

The ministry said in an intelligence update that imagery from the Vuhledar section of Donetsk oblast shows “concentrated Russian vehicle losses,” with the vehicles probably from Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry Brigade.

The ministry said the Naval Infantry “has been tasked with some of the toughest tactical missions in the war and has suffered extremely high casualties.”

The ministry update, posted on Twitter, said the capability of Naval Infantry brigades has “almost certainly been significantly degraded” because its units have been replenished with “inexperienced mobilized personnel.”

The European Union agreed Saturday to impose new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions “are directed at military and political decision-makers, companies supporting or working within the Russian military industry, and commanders in the Wagner Group,” the EU’s presidency said in a statement.

The 10th round of EU sanctions targets about 120 individuals and entities, including those involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children, those who spread disinformation, Iranians involved in sending drones to Russia and members and supporters of the Wagner Group mercenaries, including its activities in Africa.

The sanctions restrict exports of the electronic components used in Russian weapons, including missiles, drones and helicopters, and bans some rare earth minerals, electronic circuits and thermal cameras, the statement said.

The EU sanctions also prohibit transactions with three more Russian banks and lists 96 more entities, including seven from Iran that provide Russia with military drones used in attacks against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy applauded the sanctions and said in his nightly video address that Ukraine is working to extend sanctions to Russia’s nuclear sector “and all those involved in the missile program and the nuclear blackmail of the terrorist state.”

Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova, who is included in the sanctions, said listing her “violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all other international legal acts concerning human rights.”

Earlier Saturday, in its intelligence update, the British Defense Ministry said Russia has likely depleted its supply of Iranian one-way-attack uncrewed aerial vehicles.

The ministry said there have not been any reports of the vehicles being used in Ukraine “since around” Feb. 15, while at least 24 were reported downed between late January and early February.

“Scores were destroyed in the first few days of the year,” the ministry said.

Ukrainian and Western officials have said that Western sanctions are hampering Russia’s ability to replenish its stocks of guided weapons that rely on imported microchips.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, responding to that report, said Moscow has increased military production “by tens of times” at some factories and was closely studying weapons fired into Russian-held areas from the Ukrainian side in an effort to gain an advantage.

“We are not just expanding production, but also introducing the latest technologies, perfecting them literally ‘on the march,'” he said in an article published Saturday in National Defense magazine.

“It was funny to hear the Kyiv fantasists reasoning that ‘missiles ran out’ in Russia or ‘production stopped.’”

During the G-20 summit in Bangaluru, India, on Saturday, finance chiefs of the world’s largest economies condemned Moscow for its war on Ukraine, with only China and Russia not signing a joint statement.

With no consensus, India, which holds the G-20 presidency this year, said in what is called a “chair’s summary” that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy.”

Stating that it is essential to uphold international law, the summary said that “the use of or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue are vital. Today’s era must not be of war.”

The declaration noted that references to the war were “agreed to by all member countries except Russia and China.”

On Friday, a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House announced that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion more in military assistance to Ukraine’s defense against Russia. The package includes additional ammunition for HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, 155 mm artillery rounds, munitions for laser-guided rocket systems, and funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment of equipment. U.S. President Joe Biden reasserted his vow that “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia.”

Zelenskyy has been pressing the U.S. and allies for fighter jets, but White House officials have said they are not the weaponry that Ukrainians need in the near term.

“There is no basis on which there is a rationale, according to our military now, to provide F-16s,” Biden said. “I am ruling it out for now,” he said during an ABC News interview Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to support Ukraine’s infrastructure. Blinken said the State Department in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Treasury Department are offering $10 billion in assistance, including budgetary support to Ukraine and additional energy assistance to support Ukrainians suffering from Russia’s attacks.

The Treasury Department said it is sanctioning Russia’s metals and mining sector among others. The action, taken in coordination with the G-7 leading industrial nations, seeks to punish 250 people and firms, puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production, and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

VOA’s Anjana Pasricha contributed to this story from New Delhi.

The Associated Press and Reuters provided some information for this report.
…

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Saturday it was “regrettable” that China had blocked a Group of 20 communique to condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“But for me it was more important that all the others adhered to a clear position of international law, multilateralism and the end of the war,” he said.

Lindner was speaking to reporters after a meeting of finance leaders from the world’s major economies in Bengaluru.

He said that he was cautiously optimistic that there could be progress this year on debt restructuring for highly indebted countries.

China is one of the largest creditors to poor nations in Africa and Asia.

“There was a cautious signal from China,” Lindner said.
…

A man in Spain who was suspected of having the deadly Marburg disease tested negative Saturday and does not have the virus, the health ministry said.

Health authorities in Valencia earlier said they had detected the country’s first suspected case of the infectious disease that has led to the quarantining of more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea.

The 34-year-old man, who had recently been in Equatorial Guinea, had been given the all-clear but would be tested again in the coming weeks, officials said.

He had been transferred from a private hospital to an isolation unit at the Hospital La Fe in Valencia while tests were being conducted, the Valencian regional health authorities said.

Three health staff who are treating the man were also isolated as a precautionary measure, authorities said.

Marburg virus can have a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the World Health Organization. There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat it.

Equatorial Guinea quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement February 13 in its Kie-Ntem province, where the hemorrhagic fever was first detected.

The small central African country has so far reported nine deaths as well as 16 suspected cases of the disease, with symptoms including fever, fatigue, blood-stained vomit and diarrhea, according to the WHO.

Cameroonian authorities detected two suspected cases of Marburg disease February 13 in Olamze, a commune on the border with Equatorial Guinea, the public health delegate for the region, Robert Mathurin Bidjang, said February 14.

Cameroon had restricted movement along the border to try to avoid contagion.
…

Russian tourists are fleeing to Thailand to escape the war in Ukraine or look to move to the Southeast Asian country.

Thailand has become a haven for Russian visitors who are looking to escape Moscow’s war in Ukraine that has now entered its second year.

Visitors are in Thailand but are they fleeing Russia too.

Since Thailand fully reopened its borders and dropped COVID-19 restrictions in October, Russian arrivals have made up the third-largest group of visitors, only behind Malaysia and India, according to government data.

Now thousands of Russians are looking for a new home, fearing economic woes in Russia and a military draft because of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.

Thailand has long been a popular holiday destination for Russian tourists. Thailand and Russia are close trading partners and, in 2019, Russia was Thailand’s seventh-largest market for tourism. Thailand has not followed the lead of Western countries and banned Russian visitors.

Russian tourists have taken advantage of that. For the months of October, November and December, Russian arrivals into Thailand were more than 331,000, according to data released by Thailand’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism.

Thousands of those arrivals also have been investing, buying property, or renting long term in Thailand. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a war mobilization in September, so for many wealthy Russians, the sunny shores of Thailand are an easy swap for the prospect of being drafted into the Ukraine conflict.

All male citizens in Russia ages 18–27 are subject to conscription for one year of active-duty military service in the armed forces.

Russia said it had drafted at least 200,000 citizens into Russia’s armed forces since Putin ordered a partial mobilization in September.

Amin Ettayeb is a sales manager from Moscow for InDreamsPhuket, a real estate agency on the Thai holiday island of Phuket.

“Over 90% [of our clients] are Russians. In November, when it was the peak of people coming in, people were buying everything,” he told VOA.

The family-owned real estate agency has seen a 10% purchase increase since November. Ettayeb said that for the rental market, villas that once went for less than $9,000 per month now go for more than $28,000.

“Rental is totally chaotic right now,” Ettayeb said. “Villas were 300,000 baht per month, some of them now are 1 million baht per month, but people still take it.”

Despite money not being an issue for some, Ettayeb said not all his clients are looking to stay in Thailand long term.

“Not many people want to permanently leave Russia, they just want to make sure they don’t have to go to war,” said Ettayeb. “When things go back to normal, they will most likely go back.” 

Between November 1 and January 21, more than 233,000 Russians arrived in Phuket, according to data from Phuket International Airport. Last year, Russians bought nearly 40% of all condominiums sold to foreigners in Phuket, according to the Thai Real Estate Information Center, Al Jazeera reported.

Emil Saliani, originally from Ukraine, has lived in Thailand for several years. He works as a property sales agent and a development partner of Wyndham Grand and Natai Beach Resort in Phuket.

“We have a new hotel and one beachfront hotel, and we have almost 100% occupancy. Now we have more than 50% who are Russian who are staying for 10-14 days. There are no problems,” Saliani said.

He called the property investment scene a crazy “war market.”

“The project[ed] sales to the Russian market is crazy now. November, December, January was super high season, they sold more than the last 10 years. The ‘war market’ is crazy and the prices are going up by 15 to 20% in sales. The rent, some prices were going up by three or four times.”

‘It’s like a wild market’

This time last year, thousands of Russian tourists were stranded in Thailand following U.S. and other Western countries’ imposition of sanctions on Russia.

The suspension of Visa and MasterCard credit card services and the removal of Russian banks from the SWIFT financial network saw Russians without accessible funds as the Russian ruble crumbled.

Now, Russia still faces heavy sanctions as the war in Ukraine continues.

“The reason for the investment is because they want to move the money [from Russia],” said Saliani. “It’s a bad situation. They worry about the currency.” 

The property market in Phuket has become so saturated that there are now unlicensed agents trying to make money, said Saliani.

“Now, anyone can be a property or rental agent, and [charge] a hundred times more,” he said. “It’s unbelievable, it’s like a wild market no one can control.” 

Local news outlets in Thailand have reported that some Russian visitors also are  illegally working as tour guides and taxi drivers in Phuket.

In a Facebook post this month, Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, former president of the Phuket Tourism Association, called for officials to investigate the prospect of Russians illegally working in Thailand.

Russians flock to Koh Phangan

Since Thailand reopened its borders, the island of Koh Phangan also has become popular among Russian visitors trying to escape the war.

Kimberley Baka, a life coach from South Africa who is based on the island, said it feels like there has been a “takeover” in recent months.

Aside from its famous monthly Full Moon beach parties, Koh Phangan is popular with visitors who enjoy the island’s travel community and budget-friendly prices.

Soaring rental prices are forcing people to leave, Baka said.

“We must have messaged 30 different places, most of them were booked out for a year,” said Baka. “I inquired about four houses, probably the normal value around 12,000 baht [$345] a month each. One Russian woman had subleased all four of them for an entire year and she’s charging 1,300 baht [$37] per day, so [this adds] up to around 40,000 baht [$1,150] per month [per house].”

“Thai people can’t get a good deal,” said Baka. “Many people who have called Koh Phangan home for years are leaving.” 
…

The finance ministers of the Group of 20 countries wrapped up a two-day meeting Saturday in India without issuing a joint statement after China and Russia objected to references that other members wanted to make on Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.

With no consensus, India, which holds the G-20 presidency this year, said in what is called a “chair’s summary” that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy.”

Stating that it is essential to uphold international law, the summary said that “the use of or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue are vital. Today’s era must not be of war.”

The declaration noted that references to the war were “agreed to by all member countries except Russia and China.”

Disagreements surface

The meeting that began Friday in India’s southern city of Bengaluru, coincided with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The strong differences that emerged were similar to disagreements that have marred several such gatherings since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

At a G-20 summit held in Bali in November of last year, leaders had bridged their differences by issuing a statement that said that “most members strongly condemned the war.”

However, at the meeting of finance ministers held in India, China did not want the word “war” mentioned in the joint statement, even as the United States and several Western countries insisted on a strong condemnation of the Russian aggression.

India’s Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth told a news conference the Chinese and Russian representatives did not want to sign up to the wording on Ukraine because “their mandate is to deal with economic and financial issues.”

“On the other hand, all the other 18 countries felt that the war has implications for the global economy,” he said.

German finance minister Christian Lindner said that China’s refusal to join the declaration was regrettable. Reuters quoted U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen telling the news agency that it was “absolutely necessary” for any statement to condemn Russia.

The summary issued by India also underlined other divisions among member countries on the war in Ukraine, saying there were “different assessments of the situation and sanctions.”

At the G-20 meeting, countries such as the U.S., France and Britain said they are announcing stronger sanctions against Moscow as they emphasized the need to isolate Russia for its invasion.

India, on the other hand, which has decades-old ties with Russia, has not joined the economic sanctions imposed on Russia and continues to maintain strong trade ties with Moscow.

“We are looking at India’s interests and importing oil from Russia,” India’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, told reporters at the end of the meeting.

Global economic risks persist, says summary

The G-20, which represents the world’s largest economies, was created after the Asian financial crisis in 1999, and it is seen as a forum that focuses on how to manage global economic crises.

The summary document issued by India said the global economic outlook had “modestly improved,” although overall growth remains “slow” and risks persist, including elevated inflation, a resurgence of the pandemic, and high debt in many poorer nations.

The discussions also focused on easing the debt burden of nations — such as Sri Lanka — that are reeling under the impact of higher food and oil prices, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion.
…

Russia has halted supplies of oil to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline, Daniel Obajtek, chief executive officer of Polish refiner PKN Orlen, said on Saturday.

“We’re effectively securing supplies. Russia has halted supplies to Poland, for which we are prepared. Only 10% of crude oil has been coming from Russia, and we will replace it with oil from other sources,” Obajtek wrote on Twitter.

PKN Orlen said it could fully supply its refineries via sea and that the halt in pipeline supplies would not impact deliveries of gasoline and diesel to clients.

As of February, after a contract with Russia’s Rosneft expired, Orlen has been getting oil under a deal with Russia’s Tatneft.

Druzhba has been exempted from sanctions which the European Union has imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The pipeline, which supplies oil to Poland and Germany, as well as to Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, was excluded from sanctions to help countries with limited options for alternative deliveries.

Following the invasion of Ukraine and before the EU embargoed seaborne supplies from Russia, Orlen stopped buying Russian oil and fuels via the sea. The company’s supply portfolio now includes oil from Western Africa, the Mediterranean, the Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico, it said.  

Orlen also has a supply contract with Saudi Aramco as of 2022.

Seaborne supplies reach Poland via an oil terminal in Gdansk on the Baltic Sea. Its capacity tops volumes that can be processed by Polish refineries and is in part used to supply oil to refineries in eastern Germany that are linked to Druzhba.
…

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other Group of Seven leaders adopted a set of additional sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine at an online G-7 summit Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the invasion.

The leaders renewed their commitment to “intensifying our diplomatic, financial and military support for Ukraine, to increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war effort,” and countering the negative impact on the rest of the world, especially the most vulnerable people, they said in a statement, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The G-7 countries also affirmed their coordinated action to “further counter Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression” and pledged to prevent Russia from obtaining military equipment and technology. They also called on other countries to stop providing military support to Russia.

Kishida, as this year’s G-7 president, also announced Japan will impose additional sanctions on Russia, including freezing the assets of some 120 individuals and organizations and banning the export of drones and other materials that can be used for military purposes.

“In order to absolutely not allow one-sided changes to the status quo, we must firmly carry out support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia to regain peace and international order based on the rule of law,” Kishida told a news conference before hosting a teleconference with other G-7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“G-7 serves the core of the international commitment to do so,” he said.

At the summit, Kishida planned to discuss the latest developments in the Russian war on Ukraine and how to support Ukraine’s recovery and affirm G-7 solidarity for the war-torn country.

Kishida noted growing concern about China’s potential transfer of lethal weapons to Russia, and he said that Japan will cooperate with G-7 and other countries to send a “clear message” to third countries to stop supplying weapons to Russia.

Kishida also expressed “strong concern” about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Tuesday that he was suspending Moscow’s participation in an arms control treaty between Russia and the United States.

“Russia’s nuclear threat is unacceptable, and use of nuclear weapons should never happen,” Kishida, whose electoral constituency is Hiroshima, said at the news conference. “As the world’s only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, the 77-year history of non-nuclear weapons use should not be tarnished by Russia.”

As the world observed the one-year anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine, about 1,000 people protested Friday night in Tokyo’s Hibiya Park, holding banners saying: “Russia, stop invading Ukraine.” Outside of the United Nations’ University in Tokyo, demonstrators held a candlelight vigil. And at Zenkoji temple in Nagano in central Japan, about 30 monks prayed for the lives lost in the war.

Top diplomats from Ukraine, the United States, Britain, Sweden, the EU, Lithuania and Sweden at a joint news conference in Tokyo called for solidarity for Ukraine and condemned Russia. U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said Putin is wrong to accuse NATO of expanding eastward. He said the newest NATO members expanded west by their free will because the West has “a pull” of freedom, liberty and respect for individuals.

Also Friday, nuclear and security experts on a panel at the non-profit Sasakawa Peace Foundation released recommendations for the Kishida government to initiate discussions at the G-7 Hiroshima summit toward establishing a framework to protect nuclear facilities in conflict areas, in response to Russia’s repeated attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Due to its pacifist principles, Japan’s support for Ukraine has been limited to non-combative military equipment such as helmets, bulletproof vests and drones, and humanitarian supplies including generators.

Kishida is the only G-7 leader who has not visited Ukraine. Pressure is mounting at home for Kishida to visit Kyiv before he hosts the G-7 summit in Hiroshima. Asked about a possible visit, Kishida said he is “considering” a visit, taking into consideration ways to ensure safety and secrecy, but nothing official has been decided.

Japan has joined the United States and European nations in sanctioning Russia over its invasion and providing humanitarian and economic support for Ukraine. Japan was quick to react because it fears the possible impact of a war in East Asia, where China’s military has grown increasingly assertive and has escalated tensions around self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

Kishida at the online G-7 also explained Japan’s support for Ukraine. That includes a new $5.5 billion in financial aid, which Kishida unveiled Monday, bringing total Japanese support for Ukraine to more than $7 billion.

Japan has also accepted more than 2,000 displaced Ukrainians and helped them with housing assistance and support for jobs and education — a rare move for a country that is known for its strict immigration policy.
…

Russia has likely depleted its supply of Iranian one-way-attack uncrewed aerial vehicles or OWA-UAVs, the British Defense Ministry said Saturday in an intelligence update.

The ministry said there have not been any reports of the vehicles being used in Ukraine “since around” Feb. 15, while at least 24 were reported downed between late January and early February.

“Scores were destroyed in the first few days of the year,” the ministry said.

The British ministry said Ukraine will likely seek more stock of the unmanned vehicles, despite their bad track record for destroying their intended targets.

“Russia likely sees them as useful decoys which can divert Ukrainian air defenses from more effective Russian cruise missiles,” according to the ministry’s report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday Russia’s killing of so many people in Ukraine cannot go unpunished.  He said he wants the Russian military and political leadership brought before the International Criminal Court.

“They must be held responsible,” Zelenskyy said.  “I believe in accountability.”

On Friday, a year after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, the White House announced that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion more in military assistance to Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

The package includes additional ammunition for HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, 155 mm artillery rounds, munitions for laser-guided rocket systems, and funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment of equipment. President Joe Biden reasserted his vow that “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to support Ukraine’s infrastructure. Blinken said the State Department in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Treasury Department are offering $10 billion in assistance, including budgetary support to Ukraine and additional energy assistance to support Ukrainians suffering from Russia’s attacks.

The State Department also marked the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday by sanctioning more than 60 top Russian officials, including Cabinet ministers and regional leaders, and three enterprises that run the country’s nuclear weapons program.

Additionally, the U.S. announced broader global sanctions against companies for helping Moscow evade export restrictions and access key technologies.

The Treasury Department said it is sanctioning Russia’s metals and mining sector among others. The action, taken in coordination with the G-7 leading industrial nations, seeks to punish 250 people and firms, puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production, and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

“Our sanctions have had both short-term and long-term impact, seen acutely in Russia’s struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. 
…

Turkey has begun work to rebuild homes following this month’s devastating earthquakes, a government official said Friday, as the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 50,000.

More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and neighboring Syria.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority announced the death toll in Turkey due to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday night.

With Syria’s latest announced death toll of 5,914, the combined death toll in the two countries rose to above 50,000.

Facing an election within months, President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year, although experts have said the authorities should put safety before speed. Some buildings that were meant to withstand tremors crumbled in the latest earthquakes.

“For several projects, tenders and contracts have been done. The process is moving very fast,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, adding there would be no compromise on safety.

Authorities say tents have been dispatched for the many who are homeless, but people have reported trouble accessing them.

“I have eight children. We are living in a tent. There is water on top (of the tent) and the ground is damp. We are asking for more tents and they don’t give them to us,” Melek, 67, who was waiting in a line to collect aid outside a high school in the town of Hassa.

The school was being used as an aid distribution center by a group of volunteers called Interrail Turkey. One volunteer, Sumeyye Karabocek, said the shortage of tents remained the biggest problem.

Half a million new homes needed

Erdogan’s government has endured a wave of criticism over both its response to the devastation and what many Turks say were years of non-enforcement of construction quality control.

The Turkish government’s initial plan now is to build 200,000 apartments and 70,000 village houses at a cost of at least $15 billion, he said. U.S. bank J.P. Morgan estimated rebuilding houses and infrastructure will cost $25 billion.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said it estimated that the destruction has left 1.5 million people homeless, with 500,000 new homes needed.

It said it had requested $113.5 million from the $1 billion in funds appealed for by the United Nations last week, adding that it would focus this money on clearing away mountains of rubble.

The UNDP estimates that the disaster had produced between 116 million and 210 million tons of rubble, compared with 13 million tons of rubble after the earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999.

Turkey also issued new regulations under which companies and charities can build homes and workplaces to donate to the urbanization ministry for people in need.

Many survivors have left the region of southern Turkey that was hit by the quake or have been settled in tents, container homes and other government-sponsored accommodation.

In Antakya, Saeed Sleiman Ertoglu, 56, loaded up what remained of his stock from his waterpipe shop that was not damaged.

“The glassware was very beautiful, more than usual, but then we had this (earthquake), and it all got ruined,” he said, after his home and shop survived the first tremors but not the later one. He estimated that just 5% of his merchandise survived.

“What can we do?” he said. “This is an act of God, and God’s will always bears gifts.”
…

Ukrainians and their supporters marched in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, one year after Moscow launched its full-scale war on Ukraine. Poland is host to more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees. Lesia Bakalets has more from Warsaw.
…

Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch.

One year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Friday marked one year since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There were several meetings at U.N. headquarters during the week to mark the somber anniversary.

On Friday, the Security Council held a high-level meeting on the conflict. The Ukrainian foreign minister was defiant, saying Ukraine would continue to resist Russia’s attack and would win. “Putin is going to lose much sooner than he thinks,” Dmytro Kuleba said.

Ukraine Will Resist and Win, Foreign Minister Tells UN

Support remains strong for Ukraine

On Thursday, the international community reaffirmed its strong support for Ukraine, adopting a resolution calling for “a comprehensive, just and lasting peace” as soon as possible in Ukraine, in line with the principles in the U.N. Charter. Only six countries voted with Russia to reject the motion.

At UN, Ukraine Finds Strong Support One Year into Conflict

POW tells of ‘3,000 hours of Russian hell’

The violation of the human rights of Ukrainians by Russia in the conflict, particularly of the thousands of children abducted to Russia and the treatment of Ukrainian captives, was the subject of a meeting Wednesday. Ukrainian marine Artem Dyblenko told the gathering of his 125 days — or 3,000 hours — as a Russian prisoner of war that he endured physical, moral and psychological abuse. “Three thousand hours of Russian hell,” he said.

At UN, Former Ukrainian POWs Appeal for Justice

Casualty figures released, but likely are low

The U.N. Human Rights office published new figures Tuesday on the casualties incurred since the war began one year ago. Their monitors have confirmed at least 8,006 civilians have been killed and 13,287 injured over the past 12 months, but they acknowledge the true toll is much higher.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Exacting Devastating Toll on Civilians

In brief

While Ukraine has been in the spotlight this week, the world body also has been tending to other crises and situations.

— Humanitarians have been working tirelessly to assist earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The death toll has risen to 47,000 and thousands remain homeless after the February 6 quake. Another quake on Monday killed several more people. The United Nations is coordinating humanitarian assessments in affected parts of Turkey to determine what is needed. In Syria, 368 aid trucks have crossed into opposition-controlled parts of northwest Syria since February 9, when crossing points became usable again. A U.N. flash appeal for nearly $400 million to cover needs for the next three months is nearly 40% funded, while a $1 billion appeal for Turkey, is just over 7% funded. The U.N. says it has not received any money for key areas, including temporary settlement support and debris removal.

— The U.N. Security Council expressed “deep concern and dismay” Monday regarding Israel’s announcement that it plans to expand settlements and retroactively legalize nine existing ones. It is the first time in more than six years the 15-nation council has expressed itself about settlements, mainly because of the veto power of the United States, which traditionally acts to protect ally Israel at the U.N. It comes at a time of rising tensions and violence between the two sides. At least 58 Palestinians and 11 Israelis have been killed since the start of the year.

— The council also met Monday to discuss the latest ballistic missile provocations by North Korea. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she would seek Security Council unity in responding to the launches, despite previous opposition from China and Russia. The divisions among the council’s permanent members over what to do about Pyongyang has prevented new action. The U.S. and its western allies, plus Japan and South Korea, want to see tougher sanctions imposed on North Korea, but China and Russia say that is a “dead end.”

— The U.N. is assisting victims of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which killed at least 7 people in eastern Madagascar this week. Humanitarians are helping the government by providing food, water and other aid. The U.N. says at least 79,000 people were impacted by the cyclone.

— On Tuesday, the U.N. mission in Mali, MINUSMA, said three Senegalese peacekeepers were killed and five others injured in central Mali when their convoy hit an improvised explosive device. The head of the mission, El-Ghassim Wane, said this was yet another tragic illustration of the complexity of the operational environment and sacrifices made for restoring peace in the country. Mali is one of the most dangerous U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Quote of note

“Life is a living hell for the people of Ukraine.”

— Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council meeting marking the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. He has repeatedly called for peace in line with the U.N. Charter and international law.

What we are watching next week

On Monday, in Geneva, the United Nations with the governments of Sweden and Switzerland will convene a high-level pledging event for Yemen. Despite an ease in fighting, nearly two-thirds of the population are projected to need humanitarian assistance. The country remains one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies the U.N. is working on, with aid agencies helping 11 million Yemenis each month in 2022.
…

The latest round of EU sanctions imposed on the Myanmar junta were welcomed by advocacy groups monitoring human rights violations in the Southeast Asian country.

Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for the human rights advocacy group Justice for Myanmar, said in a statement to VOA on Thursday that the sanctions were “important in catching up with sanctions already imposed by the U.S., U.K. and Canada on arms brokers and units of the military responsible for supplying and manufacturing arms.”

In a statement released Monday, Burma Campaign UK said, “This round of sanctions is well targeted, focusing on suppliers of aviation fuel, arms brokers, military procurement entities and members of the Burmese [Myanmar] military and associated bodies.”

This sixth round of EU sanctions imposed on the junta Monday includes nine individuals and seven entities the EU says have contributed to escalating violence and human rights violations in Myanmar.

According to Justice for Myanmar, or JFM, arms brokers targeted in the latest round of sanctions include Aung Hlaing Oo, Sit Taing Aung and Kyaw Min Oo, along with the companies Dynasty International, International Gateways Group and Sky Aviator Company Limited.

JFM’s statement highlights how these Myanmar arms brokers and companies are linked to companies in the EU. For instance, “Aung Hlaing Oo and Dynasty International both have business with EU companies, and future activities will be prevented through these sanctions.”

It added, “Dynasty International brokered the supply and maintenance of G120TP aircraft from the German corporation Grob Aircraft SE.” However, “the German government stated they are not aware of the sale of Grob G120TP aircraft to the Myanmar air force,” JFM said in its statement.

The new EU sanctions also apply to an aviation fuel supplier, Asia Sun Group, which brokers the supply of jet fuel to the junta. This company “stands complicit in its [the junta’s] international crimes,” the statement reads. “This will help disrupt the supply of jet fuel to the junta, which it needs for its continued indiscriminate airstrikes.”

Additionally, JFM said, the “new designations fill major gaps in the EU’s sanctions regime, targeting key arms brokers and military institutions.”

The EU has restrictive measures on 93 individuals and 18 entities. Those who are sanctioned are subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban in EU territory.

The EU announced its first round of sanctions in March 2021, after the military coup in February of the same year that ousted the democratically elected government of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and sparked global outrage. Further targeted sanctions followed, with two rounds in 2021, and two more in 2022.

“These sanctions will take time to have an impact, which is why we need the EU to speed up the implementation of sanctions — two rounds a year is not enough,” Mark Farmaner, executive director of Burma Campaign UK, told VOA.

Additionally, “monitoring and implementation of EU sanctions is up to individual EU member states,” Farmaner said. “There is no transparency about how they monitor sanctions or action taken regarding breaches of sanctions.”

According to the statement by JFM, “the junta’s response to mass resistance has been the continued commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity, murdering over 3,000 people, arbitrarily arresting over 19,000 more, displacing 1.1 million people and carrying out indiscriminate attacks across Myanmar, enabled by the supply of funds, arms and jet fuel.”

JFM’s Maung told VOA that “the EU, U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia need to coordinate better and speed up the pace of their sanctions designations to have a meaningful impact to cut the junta’s access to arms and funds.”

Three military arms procurement bodies, which have been sanctioned by the U.S., Britain and Canada in December 2021, also were placed under the latest EU sanctions.

These bodies were the Myanmar Office of the Quarter Master General, the Myanmar Directorate of Defense Industries and the Myanmar Directorate of Defense Procurement.

“The EU has taken the important step of sanctioning the crony conglomerate IGE [the International Group of Entrepreneurs Co. Ltd.] in 2022, but the impact of this is reduced because the EU did not also sanction Ne Aung [the owner of the IGE] and his partners, while the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia have not sanctioned IGE at all. More action is urgently needed,” said Maung.

Ne Aung’s brother, the commander of the Myanmar navy, Moe Aung, was included in the latest round of the EU sanctions. Their father, Aung Thaung, now deceased, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2014 for “perpetuating violence, oppression and corruption.”

Other individuals listed in the latest round of EU sanctions were Maung Maung Aye, chief of general staff for the Myanmar army, navy, and air force; Myo Myint Aung, Yangon region economic minister of the State Administration Council; Zin Min Htet, deputy minister for home affairs and chief of the Myanmar police force; Ko Ko Maung, regional military commander in Kachin state; and Myo Myint Oo, union minister for energy.

The Myanmar junta has not yet made any comments regarding the EU sanctions.
…

While most of the world is focused on the battles still to come in Ukraine, the Czech Republic’s chief envoy in Washington says his country is already at work on the massive task of rebuilding.

“We’re sending generators to provide electricity, we have a constant flow of delegations traveling to Ukraine, to identify what is needed on the ground, evaluate those needs, and provide our help to them,” Ambassador Miloslav Stasek said in an interview this week.

Speaking at his residence adjacent to the embassy in a wooded area in northwest Washington, Stasek said his country has decided to focus its efforts on Dnipro, a major city in eastern Ukraine that has been heavily damaged by Russian airstrikes.

“It is dangerous for people to travel there, for sure,” Stasek acknowledged. “This is very close to the [battle] front, but that’s why we picked this area, because Russian forces have inflicted heavy damages [there].”

The Czech Republic’s commitment to helping Ukraine dates from the earliest days of the war a year ago, the diplomat said.

“On February 25, the second day of the conflict, we stopped issuing visas to Russians,” Stasek said, adding that his government was pleased to see some other European countries follow suit.

Stasek also pointed out that Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, together with his Slovenian and Polish counterparts, became the first foreign leaders to visit Ukraine and meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a time when “Russian forces were 60 kilometers away from Kyiv.”

On the eve of the one-year mark of the war, Fiala issued a statement in Prague recalling the journey his country undertook to support Ukraine.

“We clearly knew from the very first moment — perhaps thanks to our own historical experience — that we had to stand up for Ukraine. And we did it — not only the government, but the whole country, and it makes me truly proud,” said Fiala, who took office in November 2021.

Throughout the past year, the Ukrainian government’s message to its supporters has been consistent: weapons, weapons, and more weapons. Their requests initially were met with careful consideration — bordering on hesitation in some capitals — but Prague was quick to respond: It became the first country to deliver attack helicopters, main battle tanks, multiple rocket launchers and armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.

“We wanted to open the gate for other countries to follow suit,” explained Stasek. He said he was glad to see that his country, along with other Central and Eastern European nations, had taken the lead in answering Ukraine’s call for help.

“The ‘Zeitenwende’ brought about by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, has indeed led to a subtle but noticeable shift in the power-balance of Europe,” Martin Weiss, who served as Austria’s ambassador to the United States from 2019 to 2022 and is currently the president and CEO of the Salzburg Global Seminar, told VOA in a written interview from Austria. “Zeitenwende” is a term made famous by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year depicting the “critical shift” in geopolitics caused by the war.

While “the Baltic states, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and others” are making their weight felt, the Paris-Berlin axis is now “leading from behind, to put it nicely,” Weiss said.

The war has also enhanced ties within European countries, Stasek told VOA. Having had to diversify energy supplies “almost overnight,” the land-locked Czech Republic reached an agreement with the Dutch government to lease a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal to facilitate the delivery of American LNG through Germany.

Before the war started, nearly 99% of the Czech Republic’s gas energy needs came from Russia; that figure is now near zero, Stasek said. Nearly two-thirds of his country’s oil demand was met by Russia and that is now down to a “minimal” level.

The sudden shifts in the energy sector have had “negative side effects” for his country’s economy and social welfare, Stasek acknowledged.

“With energy prices going up, [the] price of regular stuff in the shops also goes up, as does the cost of services,” he said. Being land-locked makes it especially costly to acquire energy from new sources.

Currently the country’s inflation rate stands at about 17%, one of the highest in Europe – a fact partly attributable to decisions by its independent central bank to keep interest rates low and the Czech currency strong against both the dollar and the euro.

“Our exports are now very expensive and not as competitive in the global marketplace,” he said.

In a fact sheet examining the war and its impact on the Czech society, the Prague government acknowledged that hosting Ukrainian refugees has been a sizable burden for both the central government and local administrations.

Together they have provided free health care and education for a peak number of almost 490,000 refugees, according to the U.N. High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), which is equivalent to a sudden expansion of the Czech population by 6%.

Stasek expressed satisfaction that his country didn’t have to build shelters for the refugees. “People opened their hearts and their homes” to bring them in, he said, noting that Ukrainians already represented “the biggest minority group in our country,” totaling 200,000 people before the war started.

Stasek pointed out that his country played a significant role in forging a united European Union response to the severe challenges brought on by the war during Prague’s rotating EU presidency in the second half of 2022.

“For us, the biggest task was to keep the unity of the European Union and strengthen transatlantic ties, to not allow Russia to divide us,” he said. To that end, “we were able to keep everybody together, and [together] put a ceiling to energy prices.”

Toward the end of its rotating presidency, Prague urged the bloc to consider negotiating energy prices as a single entity in order to put pressure on suppliers and get the price down for member states.

But, he maintained, inflation and the other stresses caused by the war have not deterred the Czechs from doing their best to help the Ukrainians. “This is the price we have to pay,” he said.
…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday his nation will be victorious against Russia as the war with the neighboring country entered its second year with no apparent end in sight.

“We endured.  We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year,” Zelenskyy said in a statement released on social media. “Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world,” he added.

Leaders of the Group of 7 were set to meet virtually Friday to announce new sanctions against those aiding Russia’s war effort.

The White House said Friday it is imposing sweeping new sanctions targeting banking, mining and defense sectors as well as “over 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that are supporting Russia’s war effort.”

The White House also announced Friday an additional $2 billion in assistance to Ukraine. “Specifically, the United States is committing additional Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and counter-UAS and electronic warfare detection equipment, as well as critical ammunition stocks for artillery and precision fires capabilities that will bolster Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian aggression,” the White House said in a statement.

The United Nations approved a resolution Thursday demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Russia troops from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, China on Friday called for a cease-fire and the opening of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. It was part of a 12-point proposal that also urged the end of Western sanctions against Russia, suggested measures to prevent attacks on civilian infrastructure, ensure the safety of nuclear facilities and establish corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid.  China has sought to be seen as neutral in the conflict but has refused to criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The diplomatic moves come against the backdrop of continued fighting in eastern Ukraine.  Ukraine said Thursday it has repelled attempted Russian advances along the length of the front line of fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, leaving the war in a stalemate a day ahead of the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion.

Russia controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory, far short of the quick, countrywide takeover many military analysts predicted a year ago as Moscow’s tanks rolled into Ukraine’s eastern flank.

In the most recent fighting, Moscow’s forces have made progress trying to encircle Bakhmut, with Ukrainian military spokesperson Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov saying Moscow was trying to use its manpower advantage to exhaust Kyiv’s forces.

“The enemy, despite significant losses, does not abandon attempts to surround Bakhmut,” he said.

But Ukraine said Russian troops have failed to break through Ukrainian lines to the north near Kreminna and to the south at Vuhledar, where they have sustained heavy losses assaulting across open ground.

Gromov said Ukrainian forces repelled 90 Russian attacks in the northeast and east in the last day.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. 
…