Because of the Ukraine war, the EU is arguing about a possible entry ban for Russian vacationers. While Estonia and Finland have submitted, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the Austrian government warn against holding Russians collectively liable. The EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue in Prague on Tuesday.
However, as the “Financial Times” reports, the foreign ministers have already agreed to suspend the agreement with Moscow on visa facilitation. The aim is therefore to issue fewer travel permits for Russian tourists overall.
“It is inappropriate for Russian tourists to walk around our cities and marinas,” a senior EU official involved in the talks told the newspaper. “We have to signal to the Russian people that this war is not okay, it is unacceptable.”
Parts of the 2007 agreement, which concern the free movement of government officials and business people, were already suspended when Russia invaded Ukraine. A complete halt would remove the facilitation for Russians to apply for all EU visas. As a result, several expensive documents would then be required. The waiting times would also be significantly longer.
The Estonian radio station ERR, citing the EU border protection agency Frontex, reports that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, almost a million Russian citizens have entered the EU legally. Around 60 percent of them were made via the neighboring EU countries Estonia and Finland. (TSP/dpa)
It’s a double-edged sword. I am of the opinion that it is a civic obligation to position oneself. But it’s also a damn luxury to be able to do that without risking either going to jail yourself or putting your family in danger. Artists have no obligation to express themselves.
According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Russia plans to increase its troop strength in Ukraine to 250,000. 90,000 new soldiers are to be recruited for the war in Ukraine, a spokesman said, according to the news platform “Liga” on state television. There are currently 160,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. In order to reach the targeted number, reserve battalions and so-called volunteer units would be formed.
Only on Wednesday did Russian President Vladimir Putin order an increase in the size of the army. In 2023, the number of soldiers is expected to increase by 137,000 to around 1.15 million.
It is unclear how Russia intends to do this. Western secret services unanimously report massive problems in the Russian military apparatus recruiting new soldiers. The Russian army has even resorted to prisoners.
A Ukrainian NGO has given the government in Kyiv exclusive access to a satellite made by the Finnish company Iceye. The organization of Ukrainian TV presenter Serhiy Prytula raised 600 million Ukrainian hryvnia (about 16.26 million euros) through a crowdfunding campaign.
The contract between the NGO and the group provides that the Ukrainian government can first make full use of one of the Iceye satellites that are already in orbit. In addition, Iceye will provide access to its constellation of SAR satellites so that the Ukrainian Armed Forces can receive radar satellite images of critical locations at a high repetition rate.
According to Prytula, the company has the most advanced radar satellite imagery technology to date. Unlike traditional Earth observation satellites, Iceye’s radar imaging satellites can provide high-precision images of the Earth in daylight, at night and through clouds.
An Iceye satellite image would cover an area of up to 225 square kilometers and capture images with a resolution of 0.5 meters to 1 meter, depending on the area, Prytula told Ukraine’s Kyiv Independent news portal. The paid satellite would fly over Ukraine twice a day.
“Satellites make it possible to see where other types of reconnaissance cannot,” quotes the Ukrainian aerospace expert Andrii Kolesnyk as quoted by the “Kyiv Independent”. In addition, the satellite images would offer a look behind enemy lines and provide information on the strategy of the Russian troops. (with Reuters)