On October 24, 2024, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Ukraine Dr. Arad Benkyo held a solemn diplomatic reception in Kyiv on the occasion of the main Austrian National Holiday, which has been celebrated on October 26 every year since 1965. On this day in 1955, the Austrian Parliament adopted the Federal Constitutional Law on Permanent Neutrality, which defines the policy of the Alpine Republic – not to participate in war, not to allow the establishment of military bases of foreign countries on its territory and never join any military alliances in the future. Although Austria is a member of the European Union, the country has renounced membership in NATO.
On this occasion, numerous guests – partners and friends of Austria – gathered in the capital’s Hilton Kyiv hotel to celebrate this special day together. These are representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Ukraine, representatives of government agencies, including the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebiynis, representatives of Austrian companies in Ukraine, educators.
The event solemnly began with the singing of the anthems of the Republic of Austria, Ukraine and the European Union.
Dr. Arad Benjo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Ukraine, and Yevhen Perebiynis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, addressed the guests with welcoming remarks.
On June 24, 1992 diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Austria were established.
On June 24, 1992 the Austrian consulate in Kiev was transformed into the Embassy. Austria is the only country that has not formalized the diplomatic recognition of Ukraine, as it believes that the fact of Ukraine’s membership in the UN and a number of international special organizations is a sign of Ukraine’s recognition by the world community in 1945.
There is discord in South Africa’s unity government, with Ukraine as the trigger within the new coalition with no foreign policy cohesion.
South Africa has experienced a number of firsts this year. Most notably, a Government of National Unity (GNU) came to power. It is comprised of the once dominant African National Congress (ANC), the former opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) and several smaller parties. The coalition is the first of its kind in modern South Africa.
But barely four months after it was formed, the main coalition partners are clashing over Ukraine. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber triggered the discord when he signed a reciprocal agreement with Kyiv for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders.
The DA politician called Ukraine a “valued ally and friend” and explained that he was looking forward to seeing President Cyril Ramaphosa attach his signature. What followed his made it obvious that Schreiber had acted on own initiative.
A spokesman for Ramaphosa, who heads the GNU and the ANC, said: “It is unclear how the minister can announce the signing of an international agreement without prior formal approval.”
That statement by Vincent Magwenya has sparked speculation of even more critical reactions from the president behind the scenes.
The two leading coalition partners are known to have different ideas on foreign policy.
“There is no cohesion between the ANC and DA on foreign policy issues, there are no discussions, and so the differences will come to light,” political analyst Daniel Silke told DW.
The two parties are still tussling as a test of the extent to which they can still differentiate themselves from each other, he said.
Silke believes the timing of the announcement on the visa deal with Ukraine undermines the historical ties between the ANC and Moscow that predates Russia’s war in Ukraine.
There was no question that Ramaphosa would traveled to Russia for the BRICS summit . Russia was a “valued ally” of South Africa, Ramaphosa. Schreiber would later use those exact words to refer to Ukraine.
Ramaphosa’s warm relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It has earned him sharp criticism from DA Chairman John Steenhuisen. The DA, according to Steenhuisen, does not recognize an authoritarian regime, especially one that is involved in a controversial military conflict, as a legitimate ally.
No DA cabinet minister accompanied Ramaphosa to the BRICS summit in Kazan.
In an interview with the South African Broadcast Corporation (SABC), political analyst Lesiba Teffo found no reason to fuss over the remarks by the DA chairman.
“This is no surprise to me, the DA has never taken a pro-Russian position in its history to embace Russia, the party takes it cues mainly from the West, the United States,” Teffo said.
The DA is seen as business-friendly and active in engaging Western governments. The ANC, on the other hand, pursues closer relations with its partners in BRICS countries — Russia, Brazil, India and China, and, more recently, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The ANC has applied a policy of non-alignment since it entered government after decades as an apartheid liberation movement.
The ANC and the DA need to show more maturity, according to Teffo. “They simply have to make peace with the fact that they have to work together.”
In principle, the ANC supports the agreement with Ukraine — the previous ANC all-party government had even initiated the plans. The presidential spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, admitted that talks with Ukraine on the visa waiver began in 2020, but there were delays due to the pandemic.
“The agreement will facilitate the travel of our high-ranking officials participating in the talks on the peace formula,” he said. The imminent signing had also been announced on the president’s website before Schreiber made the move public. However, some agreements with Ukraine were still to be finalized before the planned signing. Ukraine had wanted to obtain visa waivers for all its citizens.
Moletsi Mbeki, the Chairman of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and brother of former President Thabo Mbeki, sees the discord within the GNU as somewhat exaggerated.
In an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, Mbeki said cabinet ministers must adhere to an existing protocol of communication and announce decisions via official government channels, whether it suits the DA or not.
Daniel Silke, the political analyst, believes that the controversy over Ukraine reflects a general dissatisfaction within the GNU. But the alliance is expected to pursue a coherent national foreign policy.
The ANC appears annoyed that what has been a national policy is now being questioned by the DA.
“In terms of the coalition agreement, the ANC expected that, as the larger party, it would continue to set the foreign policy direction in South Africa, which is clearly much more Russia-friendly than the DA’s policy,” Silke told DW.
Disagreements over policy issues within the GNU are likely to continue beyond the honeymoon period of the ANC-DA led coalition, according to Silke.
South Africa is in a deep economic crisis with high unemployment, price increases, recurring power cuts and a desolate infrastructure. The outlooks of the ANC and the DA have diverge often when solutions are discussed.
“Foreign policy can create tensions, but the GNU will not fail because of this,” said Silke.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-throws-up-cracks-in-south-africas-unity-government/a-70648424
Since 2022, Kyivstar, the largest mobile operator in Ukraine, has invested over UAH 1.9 billion in energy independence of the network and has started the second investment phase, which will include the installation of new batteries at base stations and industrial generators.
“Kyivstar, the largest electronic communications operator in Ukraine, continues to strengthen its investments in energy independence. Since 2022, the total amount of investments aimed at maintaining uninterrupted operation of the network in the face of possible power outages has amounted to more than UAH 1.9 billion,” Kyivstar’s press service said on Wednesday.
As of October 2024, 124 thousand new lithium batteries have been installed at Kyivstar base stations. The operation of key network facilities is supported by 2390 generators. More than 68% of the telecom operator’s network already has a four-hour backup power supply, the press service said.
For the Home Internet service, about 50,000 uninterruptible power supplies have been installed in 24,000 apartment buildings in 92 cities.
“The company also plans to re-backup fixed-line communications with powerful batteries and continues to deploy GPON technology, and from 2025 will build a network exclusively using this technology,” Kyivstar’s press service said.
In addition, the company has launched the second phase of investments, which includes the installation of 113 thousand new batteries at base stations and 1427 industrial generators. The process of installing additional equipment has already begun at technological sites throughout the country, the press service said.
Kyivstar’s goal is to provide 25% of the network with the ability to operate from generators and achieve a six-hour backup for all key facilities. Particular attention is paid to critical facilities identified by the National Security and Defense Council, which are provided with generating capacity to maintain communication for at least three days in the event of full-scale blackouts, the company said.
Earlier, Kyivstar President Oleksandr Komarov said that in the second quarter of 2025, the company plans to increase the battery life to six hours on 30% of the network. He said that up to 65% of the network can operate offline for up to four hours.
As of June 2024, Kyivstar served more than 23 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million fixed-line Internet subscribers.
The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, and digital TV.
Kyivstar’s revenues in April-June increased by 9.5% compared to April-June 2023 to UAH 9.425 billion, and by 0.4% in dollars to $236 million. EBITDA amounted to UAH 5.585 billion or $140 million. Operating profit (EBIT) in April-June this year amounted to UAH 4.16 billion, which is 10.5% better than in April-June 2023 and almost twice as much as in January-March 2024. In the second quarter, Kyivstar’s total operating income from mobile services increased by 8.7% to UAH 8.77 billion, including 10.8% to UAH 5.18 billion from data transmission, while income from fixed-line services increased by 16.4% to UAH 0.56 billion.
Kyivstar’s shareholder is the international VEON Group, whose shares are listed on the NASDAQ (New York) and Euronext (Amsterdam) stock exchanges. In June, VEON announced that it would increase its investment in Ukraine from the current $600 million to $1 billion over five years.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua
Starting November 1, the speed limit on the roads of the Ukrainian capital will be limited to 50 km/h on all eight sections where it was allowed to drive at speeds up to 80 km/h in the spring and summer, according to the website of the Kyiv City State Administration.
These are the sections on Naberezhne Shosse (from Poshtova Square to Prydniprovske Shosse), Prydniprovske Shosse, Stolychne Shosse (to Akademika Zabolotnoho Street), Bazhana Avenue (from the Southern Bridge Crossing to Kharkivska Square), Shukhevycha Avenue (from the Northern Bridge to Balzaka Street), Bankova Avenue, and Balzaka Street. Bandera Avenue (from Obolonskyi Avenue to the Northern Bridge), Naberezhno-Rybalska Street (from Havanskyi Bridge to Elektrykiv Street), P-69 highway (from Ozerna Street to the Kyiv city border, except for the section near the traffic light facility).
In total, 105 road signs will be dismantled in the city, which allowed driving at speeds up to 80 km/h. During the works, there may be short-term partial traffic restrictions on these streets.
“Please note that the speed limit is 30 km/h on the streets near schools and kindergartens with access to the road. Speed limits are also in effect on road sections where repairs are being carried out,” the KCSA emphasized.
In January-September 2024, the number of stores of surveyed Ukrainian retailers increased by 9.5%, or 1,925 outlets, with Kyiv, Dnipro and Lviv regions leading the way, according to a study by the Ukrainian Retailers Association.
“The number of operating stores in the first nine months of this year continues to show positive dynamics. Thus, in January-September 2024, 1925 stores were opened and 649 were closed for various reasons. Accordingly, during this period, the net increase amounted to 1276 retail outlets. It should be reminded that in the first six months of 2024, 837 stores were added,” the association said in a statement.
According to the association, the largest number of stores is concentrated in Kyiv and the region – 5266 retail facilities. It also has the largest increase in retail outlets: in nine months, the number of operating stores increased by 473, including 328 closed stores.
Dnipropetrovska oblast ranks second with 2,075 operating stores. At the same time, 180 outlets were reopened or launched in the region and 64 stores were closed during the reporting period.
Lviv region is the third most concentrated retailer with 1947 retail outlets. Also, 124 new stores accounted for 56 closed ones in the first nine months.
According to the study, Odesa (1316 stores) and Kharkiv (1215) regions are also among the five most saturated regions with stores. In January-September, 98 and 97 new active outlets were recorded in these regions, respectively, while 41 and 77 were closed.
According to the association, these five regions account for more than half (54%) of all operating stores of the surveyed retailers (108 companies).
The German federal government has confirmed the increase in imports of Ukrainian grain in recent years and at the same time denied the negative impact on its market, the Bavarian trade publication Wochenblatt reported.
“Grain imports have been growing since 2022, when the Russian war against Ukraine began. Imports of feed and food grains from Ukraine to Germany reached its peak in recent years – about 741 thousand tons. In the first six months of 2024, the volumes approached 490 thousand tons,” the publication writes.
The largest share in imports is corn. In January-June 2024, Germany imported about 447 thsd tonnes of corn, while in 2023 it was 619 thsd tonnes. At the same time, in 2023, wheat imports reached almost 106 thousand tons, but from the beginning of 2024 to July 2024, only about 16.5 thousand tons were registered. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, wheat imports ranged from 6,000 to 2,000 tons.
The federal government also emphasized that it has no information about any deviations from the requirements and standards during inspections of Ukrainian grain by the official German Food and Feed Inspectorate. According to the Federal Government, food and feed imported into the EU from third countries, such as Ukraine, must comply with the requirements of the food and feed legislation in force in the EU.
This information is contained in the federal government’s response to questions from the parliamentary group Alternative for Germany.
