Ukrainian athletes have earned record 29 medals at the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing.
“The national team of Ukraine has put a golden end to its performance at the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing. On the final day of the competition, our athletes won the victory in cross-country skiing in the 4×2.5 km open relay,” the press service of the National Olympic Committee said.
In particular, Dmytro Suyarko (guide Oleksandr Nikonovych), Hryhoriy Vovchynsky, Vasyl Kravchuk and Anatoliy Kovalevsky (guide Oleksandr Mukshyn) brought Ukraine 11th gold and a total of 29th medal in Beijing 2022. “This is an absolute record for Ukraine at the Winter Paralympics,” the Committee stressed.
Thus, Ukraine takes the second place at the Paralympics with 11 gold, ten silver and eight bronze medals.
The Kusum Charitable Trust (India, part of the Kusum Group) donated 20 tonnes of medicines to Ukraine as humanitarian aid.
The Kusum group told Interfax-Ukraine that humanitarian aid will be sent to help the wounded and injured as a result of the war on the territory of Ukraine.
The list of drugs also included the necessary antibiotics for antipyretics.
“The first part of the aid, which is more than 20 tonnes of vital medicines for a total amount of more than UAH 6 million, was delivered by an Indian Air Force aircraft to a safe area and is on its way to Ukraine,” the Kusum group said.
“Kusum recognizes and appreciates the efforts of the Ukrainian Embassy in India, the Indian Foreign Ministry and the Indian Air Force for their support in delivering this humanitarian aid on time and with the utmost care,” the group said.
The Kusum group of pharmaceutical companies includes four modern plants: three in India and one in Ukraine, as well as two own research centers.
The Swiss Federal Council has decided to increase humanitarian aid to Ukraine and other countries of the region to CHF 80 million.
“In response to the refugee crisis, the Federal Council, at its meeting on March 11, decided to increase humanitarian assistance to Ukraine to CHF 80 million. With this contribution, Switzerland expresses its solidarity with the people of Ukraine in difficult times,” the Federal Council said in a statement on Friday.
A quarter of this amount will go to help Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries. Three quarters are intended to help those who remained in Ukraine. The funds will benefit the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, UN agencies, international and local NGO and projects implemented by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Ukraine.
About 12 million people are currently dependent on emergency assistance as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Since February 24, when Russia launched a war against Ukraine, the number of refugees from Ukraine to Poland has reached 1.52 million, the Polish Border Guard Service reported on Twitter on Friday.
According to it, on March 10, some 87,000 people from Ukraine crossed the Polish border, and on March 11, as of 7:00, another 25,400.
According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at 13:00 Kyiv time on March 10, in general, the Russian military offensive against Ukraine forced 2.473 million people to leave the country in 15 days of the war in search of security, protection and help.
The department clarifies that 60.6% of all refugees fell on the share of the Ukrainian-Polish border, while Hungary received 225,050, Slovakia – 176,090, Moldova – 104,930, Romania (data as of March 8 ) – 84,670, and other European countries (data as of March 9) – 258,840.
According to the OHCHR, 99,300 arrived in Russia from Ukraine, and 860 arrived in Belarus.
The department indicates that after a slight decrease, the flow of refugees has increased again: if, after a peak of 208,940 on March 6, the next day it decreased to 200,900, on March 8-9 – to 185,180 and 174,620, respectively, then on March 10 it jumped again to 190,430.
“As the situation continues to evolve, about 4 million people may leave Ukraine,” the OHCHR notes.
According to it, as of mid-2021, there were 53,470 Ukrainian refugees in the world who applied for the appropriate status, of which 36,490 were in Europe.
As of mid-2020, the OHCHR estimated the Ukrainian diaspora in the world at 6.1 million, including 5 million in Europe.
The organization clarifies that the right to free movement within the Schengen area means that there are very few border controls in the European Union, so arrivals in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia only reflect border crossings in these countries, however, according to the UN, a large number of people moved to other countries.
In addition, the OHCHR does not take into account persons from border countries who leave Ukraine and return home.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), which already approved a EUR668 million immediate financial support package for Ukraine on March 4, may increase assistance and develop an additional support package for the country’s reconstruction after the war end, bank president Werner Hoyer said.
“We are working hard to provide more support — I envisage a package for a total of EUR2 billion from the EIB — for critical infrastructure and to rebuild what the Russian army has knocked down, in a free and independent Ukraine. We also hope to announce in the coming days further financing to support Ukraine’s neighbors in and outside the European Union as they offer shelter and protection to refugees fleeing war,” he said.
“The European Investment Bank made the first two disbursements totaling EUR129 million to the government of Ukraine for the most urgent needs. These funds are part of the EIB’s Ukraine Solidarity Urgent Response of which EUR668 million was approved by the EIB Board of Directors on March 4. The financing benefits from the EU guarantee under the External Lending Mandate and complements other initiatives announced by EU institutions,” the report says.
“We are grateful to the European Investment Bank for close cooperation and efficient use of existing mechanisms to support Ukraine in these difficult times. We appreciate the swift actions, which allowed us to get essential funds for meeting the country’s urgent financial needs. We also hope to discuss new projects aimed at rebuilding economic and social infrastructure in the country in the near future,” Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.
Lithuania’s Seimas has adopted a resolution in which it invited all member states of the European Union to support Ukraine’s aspirations to become a full member of the EU as soon as possible and to agree on granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate.
“The Lithuanian Seimas unanimously adopted a resolution, which invites all member states of the European Union to support Ukraine’s aspiration to become a full member of the European Union as soon as possible, and to agree on granting the EU candidate status to Ukraine,” the Lithuanian Seimas tweeted on Thursday.
“The Seimas resolution also states that “Ukraine should be subject to an accelerated procedure for accession to the European Union without reservation”,” LRT.LT reports.
“Granting Ukraine the candidate status at this time would be an important sign of moral support for its people, who are defending their homeland and their right to decide their country’s future, without sparing their lives,” the resolution reads.
“The Seimas also maintains that admitting a country whose people have shown “incredible will and determination in their fight for European values” to the European Union “will inspire and strengthen the Union itself”,” it reads.
The resolution notes that Ukraine has been seeking EU membership for more than a decade and that Ukraine and the EU have been bound by the Association Agreement for the past five years. Thus, according to the resolution, Ukraine’s application to join the EU is the result of its strong commitment to European integration.
Also in the resolution, the Lithuanian Seimas confirms its readiness to provide Ukraine with all possible assistance in its quest for EU membership.
