EU presidency mulls visa ban for all Russians

Advertisements

The Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said Friday that a blanket ban on visas for all Russian travellers could be the bloc’s next step directed at Moscow.

“The flat halting of Russian visas by all EU member states could be another very effective sanction,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.

He said he would propose the idea at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague at the end of August.

The growing calls to stop granting Russian tourists Schengen Area visas have struck a sore spot in Moscow, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said on Friday, a day after her government tightened rules on Russian visitors.

The strong reaction from Russia’s elite shows that it is an effective sanctions tool, Kallas told Estonian radio.

Any damage to Zaporizhzhia plant would cause widespread disaster — scientist

Dr. Alex Rosen, member of IPPNW Deutschland (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), told DW that he is “afraid and very concerned” about the dangerous situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian troops since March.

According to Rosen, any damage to the plant, be it from sabotage, cyberattacks, shelling or accidents, would cause a really widespread disaster depending on the direction and the strength of the wind.

“This is a big danger because one side could inadvertently or actually on purpose use this kill switch,” Rosen said.

He added that a meltdown at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant “would make large parts of the country uninhabitable for decades, if not centuries.”

Ukraine calls for UN, Red Cross to send representatives to Russian POW camps

Ukraine’s security agencies issued a joint statement on Friday calling for the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to send representatives to locations where Russia is holding Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).

The appeal follows earlier allegations by Kyiv that Moscow’s forces have tortured and executed prisoners, including by staging an explosion in a Ukrainian POW camp in Olenivka. Moscow claims Ukraine shelled the facility, killing more than 50 POWs.

First UN ship for Ukrainian grain to dock Friday

The first UN-chartered vessel set to transport grain from Ukraine under a deal to relieve a global food crisis should dock in Ukraine on Friday, the United Nations said. Several non-UN-chartered vessels have already transported food from Ukraine.

According to UN’s World Food Program (WFP), The MV Brave Commander, which left Istanbul on Wednesday, is due to arrive in Yuzhne, east of Odessa on the Black Sea coast.

It will collect Ukrainian wheat grain purchased by the WFP, the agency’s spokesman Tomson Phiri said.

“This is obviously the first shipment of humanitarian food assistance under the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” he said.

UK: Crimea blasts degrade Russia’s Black Sea air fleet

Blasts this week at the Russian-operated Saky military airfield in Crimea have degraded Russia’s Black Sea aviation fleet, Britain said Friday in its regular intelligence briefing.

Eight Russian fighter jets were damaged or destroyed, according to reports.

While the damaged jets make up only a fraction of the overall aviation fleet, Britain said Black Sea capability would be affected, since Saky is used as a primary operational base.

The UK Defence Ministry said the airfield probably remained operational, but its dispersal area had suffered serious damage