The command of the armed forces of Germany, as part of the planned EU mission to train Ukrainian military personnel, intends to accept 5,000 Ukrainian military personnel for training, Ntv reported on Sunday.
According to the channel, recruits will participate in basic training as part of the EU mission, while more experienced soldiers will receive special training. In particular, in the Bundeswehr, the Ukrainian military will be trained in the use of the Iris-T air defense system, the first installation of which, according to German media, Berlin has already transferred to Kyiv.
In total, the EU mission plans to train 15,000 Ukrainian military personnel.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said that at the moment she considers it more important to supply Ukraine with air defense systems, rather than tanks.
Earlier, a senior European official told reporters on condition of anonymity that a decision on the EU mission to train Ukrainian military personnel is expected to be made at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in Luxembourg. According to him, the EU is preparing a mission, which should start functioning in mid-November. “We will train 12 thousand people and another 2.8 thousand will receive specialized training,” the official said.
The two-year mission mandate trainees will include both new recruits and experienced military personnel. There is a need for basic training and special training, the official explained.
Six vessels carrying nearly 154,000 tonnes of foods departed from Ukrainian ports on Thursday after receiving approval from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC).
“The Joint Coordination Center (JCC) reports that six vessels left Ukrainian ports today [on October 13] carrying a total of 153,505 metric tonnes of grain and other foods under the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” the center said.
In particular, the Wei He vessel is heading to China with 62,860 tonnes of sunflower meal on board, the Marlen bulker is carrying 33,000 tonnes of sunflower oil to Iraq, the Irmgard is carrying 30,817 tonnes of rapeseed to Germany, and the Ak Hamza is carrying 7,000 tonnes of corn to Lebanon.
Another two vessels – the Dignity (14,000 tonnes of corn) and the Yaf S (5,828 tonnes of wheat) – are bound for Turkey.
“Grains that reach a destination may go through processing and be transshipped to other countries,” the JCC said.
“As of October 13, the total tonnage of grain and other foodstuffs exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 7,363,704 metric tonnes. A total of 666 voyages (335 inbound and 331 outbound) have been enabled so far,” the center said.
The United Nations, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine signed a document in Istanbul on July 22 on opening a corridor to export grain from three Ukrainian ports – Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny.
CHINA, GERMANY, IRAQ, LEBANON, TURKEY, Ukrainian foods, VESSELS
German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock told her Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau that Berlin would not pay reparations for World War II to Poland under any circumstances, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
“The question of reparations, as you know, from the point of view of the German authorities, is closed,” Burbock said during a press conference in Warsaw. The conference took place after ministerial talks on the subject.
In turn, Rau expressed the hope that Germany’s position could change.
On Monday, the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry sent a note to Germany, which requested about $1.3 trillion in reparations for material and other damage that Germany inflicted on Poland during the occupation in 1939-1945.
German authorities believe that the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines will permanently fail if they are not quickly repaired, Tagesspiegel reported on Wednesday, citing sources in the German government.
“If the gas pipelines are not quickly repaired, a lot of sea water will get into them, and the pipelines will corrode,” the newspaper notes.
After the incident with gas pipelines, the German authorities intend to strengthen control over the movement of ships in their territorial waters. Berlin also intends to pay more attention to the protection of critical infrastructure, coastal areas of the country, terminals under construction for receiving liquefied natural gas and telecommunications cables passing under water.
As reported, on the night of September 26, a leak occurred on one of the lines of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. It happened in the Danish exclusive economic zone southeast of Bornholm. Also, gas leaks were recorded from both lines of the first Nord Stream northeast of Bornholm.
According to the Tagesspiegel, the German Federal Intelligence Service and state security agencies suspect that sabotage was the cause of the incident.
By his decree, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Oleksiy Makeev as Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany.
The relevant document No. 662/2022 was published on the website of the head of state on Friday.
“To appoint Aleksey Sergeevich Makeev as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Federal Republic of Germany,” the decree says.
Oleksiy Makeev is a special representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on sanctions policy.
Makeyev’s predecessor as Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, was fired by President Zelensky on July 11. He has held this post since 2014.
Florian Bollen, a German businessman and co-owner of craft breweries German Kraft Beer, Tarantino Family restaurant chain is coming under the control of Florian Bollen, the chain’s website says.
“From October 1, 2022, the Tarantino Family will come under the control of the German businessman and co-owner of craft breweries Florian Bollen. The new owner already owns the German Kraft Beer chain in London, plans to invest and develop the restaurant market in Kyiv,” the message says.
Bollen’s LinkedIn indicates that the businessman will take over the restaurant chain.
“The start of work in Kyiv will be a great confirmation of our belief in the victory of the Ukrainians and a good example for European investors,” he commented.
The Tarantino Family network in Kyiv includes restaurants “Rukkola”, “Murakami”, Villa Riviera and others, in total 28 objects. Among the owners of the network is Dmitry Fedotenkov.
As reported, the capital’s law enforcement officers are investigating the criminal activities of the owners of a well-known restaurant chain for the legalization and withdrawal of funds in the Russian Federation. According to the Kyiv prosecutor’s office, citizens of Ukraine – the owners of a large restaurant chain – retained control over the business in the territory of the aggressor country, transferring it to the management of a Russian restaurateur. The name of the network was not called, but later information spread in the media that it was about the Tarantino Family.
