As many as 432 citizens of Kazakhstan have been evacuated home from Ukraine on board three planes, and the organization of a fourth flight is underway, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
“Three Air Astana flights evacuated 432 people to Kazakhstan as of today. The sending of a fourth evacuation aircraft is being arranged now. The flight will be organized as soon as the necessary number of citizens gather in Katowice, Poland,” it said.
Since the start of the evacuation campaign from Ukraine, Kazakh offices abroad have helped 553 citizens to leave the country, the ministry said.
A number of Kazakhstanis who earlier left Ukraine have decided to stay in the European Union territory, the ministry said.
There were 30 Kazakhstanis in Katowice, and a bus with 30 passengers was about to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border on Saturday. Another nine people were waiting at an evacuation point near Kazakhstan’s honorary consulate in Lviv, ten people in Kyiv, and seven in Kharkiv.
The banking system of Ukraine remains stable and liquid, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Kyrylo Shevchenko has said.
“The banking system remains stable and liquid even under martial law. From the beginning of the war until February 28, the volume of household funds in the accounts of the largest banks increased, in particular due to the receipt of salaries,” he said in his video message on Thursday.
According to him, the outflow of deposits is hindered by the availability of noncash transactions and the limited work of banks in a number of regions.
“In addition, banks have a reserve of highly liquid assets to ensure all noncash settlements and settlements on deposits of the population, even in the current difficult conditions,” the governor of the National Bank said.
He said that additional support for banks is the conventional collateral, as well as blank refinancing introduced by the NBU for up to one year.
In addition, the NBU supports banks with cash without restrictions, Shevchenko said.
The flow of citizens crossing the border of Ukraine with the EU countries and Moldova is decreasing, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs Volodymyr Denysenko said.
“The flow of citizens at the border of Ukraine with the EU countries and Moldova continues to decrease. The level of workload at checkpoints has also decreased significantly,” Denysenko said in a video message distributed on Thursday.
According to him, over the past 12 hours, the number of cars waiting to cross the border has decreased from approximately 3,900 to 1,425 cars, and the queue of pedestrians is 30-50 people.
Among the busiest, Denysenko noted, were checkpoints Shehyni and Krakovets.
Alfa-Bank (Kyiv) denied media reports about its withdrawal from the Ukrainian market, the bank’s press service told Interfax-Ukraine.
“This is a fake. We are now resuming the work of branches in those cities where possible. All information is promptly posted on our social networks,” the press service emphasized.
According to the bank’s Facebook post, there are 26 branches in Ukraine in 16 cities of Ukraine. The list is being updated.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of October 1, 2021 Alfa-Bank ranked sixth in terms of total assets (UAH 115.443 billion) among 71 banks operating in the country.
Systematic support for Ukraine with a plan to restore it for EUR100 billion, tougher sanctions against Russia and overall energy independence are the main postulates that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki presented at a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on March 1.
According to the report on the website of the Polish government, Morawiecki stressed the need for a broader view of the Ukrainian issue.
“It is also very important to prepare an investment package for Ukraine, because the economy needs new investments and new jobs, and energy security is necessary as an important element of recovery after the war, which may end soon,” the official said.
According to him, this will also lead to the fact that this part of Europe will finally become independent of Russian gas, oil and coal.
“This is a necessary condition for peace to reign here in the long term,” the prime minister of Poland summed up.
During his visit to Brussels, Morawiecki demanded the most detailed package of sanctions and stressed that it was necessary.
On March 1, Ukraine held the first auction for the placement of government domestic loan war bonds, at which it attracted UAH 8.122 billion for the period of one year at 11% per annum. According to the Ministry of Finance, a total of 10 applications were submitted for the auction, all of them were satisfied.
In addition, another auction was held, at which UAH 20.7 million was raised at 10% per annum for 56 days.
The funds from the bonds will be used to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the uninterrupted provision of the financial needs of the state under martial law, the ministry said.
As reported, the total volume of issuance of military bonds is up to UAH 400 billion. They can be purchased by the National Bank. However, according to available information, it was not among the buyers in the first auction.
