While Hungary battles with Ukraine, Austria does so with Russia: diplomats expelled
Russia will expel an Austrian diplomat in response to Vienna’s decision to declare a Russian diplomat persona non grata, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
“We traditionally respond to all such moves. Countermeasures have already been announced to the Austrian side. Soon, one Austrian diplomat of similar rank will leave Russia,” the ministry told Russian state-run Tass news agency. The announcement comes after Austria ordered a Russian diplomat to leave the country last week, citing actions “incompatible with their diplomatic status.”
Russia: We will find a response if US supplies Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine
Russia will find a way to respond if the US decides to supply Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, Moscow’s envoy to the UN said Wednesday, according to Tass.
“I am confident that, if necessary, we will find a response to this step if it happens,” Russia’s UN Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzya told reporters at a press conference marking the start of Russia’s presidency of the UN Security Council in October.
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that if Tomahawks are deployed in Ukraine, they will not change the course of the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly warned Western countries that continued arms supplies to Ukraine risk further escalating the war. The US has not officially announced plans to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv.
Ukraine: Chornobyl confinement lost power after Russian shelling in Kyiv region
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry claimed Wednesday that Russian shelling damaged the energy infrastructure in the Kyiv region, causing a blackout at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant facilities in Slavutych.
It said voltage surges cut power to the New Safe Confinement structure, which isolates the destroyed fourth reactor of the plant and prevents radioactive releases. “Currently, specialists are working to restore the power supply,” according to a statement. Russia did not respond to the accusation, and international verification is difficult due to the ongoing conflict.
Kremlin: EU plan to fund Ukraine with frozen Russian assets will erode trust
Russia on Wednesday criticised the European Commission’s plan to transfer EUR 2 billion to Ukraine from proceeds of frozen Russian assets, warning it would undermine global confidence in property rights.
“These are additional steps toward, probably, the complete destruction of trust in the principle of the inviolability of property,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, responding to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement that the EU would fund Ukraine’s drone production with the assets.
“The boomerang will seriously impact those who are the main depositories, countries interested in investment attractiveness,” Peskov added. Von der Leyen earlier said that the bloc had agreed with Kyiv to allocate approximately EUR 2 billion for drones using revenues from the immobilised Russian assets. The EU previously decided to channel profits from frozen Russian sovereign funds to support Ukraine’s defence industry, despite Moscow’s repeated objections.