EU Imposes $60/Barrel Cap on Russian Oil Prices; Ukraine Embassies Receive 'Bloody Packages'

On Friday, the European Union took a step to limit the amount of money Russia can make from its oil exports. They set a maximum price of $60 per barrel, in an attempt to reduce the funds available to Moscow for its military operations in Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential aide, has estimated that between 10,000 and 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives in the conflict with Russia thus far.

A top official has recently reported what is believed to be the first official death toll of Ukrainian armed forces since the country's military leader declared in late August that nearly 9,000 soldiers had perished.

Regional leaders in Ukraine reported that a missile strike was conducted by Russian forces on a facility in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, it was stated that nearly 40 shells were fired in the eastern Dnipro region during the night.

According to Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin is still open to negotiations regarding a potential agreement. This follows shortly after President Joe Biden declared that he would be willing to meet with Putin if it would help to bring an end to the conflict.

The entity in charge of exporting Ukrainian crops reported that there is a backlog of 73 ships waiting to be filled with goods.

The United Nations Joint Coordination Center reported that nearly one hundred ships with cargo are currently waiting to be inspected in the territorial waters of Turkey.

In July, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations reached an agreement known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative. This agreement resulted in the lifting of Russia's naval blockade and the reopening of three Ukrainian ports.

Since the agreement was finalized, over 510 vessels have been loaded with 12.7 million metric tons of grain and other food items and have been sent to various places around the globe.

In the past, Kyiv has accused Moscow of hindering inspections and slowing down the progress of ships.

The European Union has come to a consensus to set the cost of Russian seaborne oil at $60 per barrel, bringing an end to the days of negotiations and months of speculation that began when G-7 finance officials declared the price cap in September. An official announcement is anticipated to be made on Sunday.

The cap will be monitored on a regular basis to observe the effects on the market, but it should stay "at least 5% lower than the average market price," as stated in an EU document.

The G-7 created a price cap in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in order to reduce their income. However, energy specialists cautioned that its success is dependent on the backing of other major purchasers, such as China and India. Both of these countries increased their oil purchases from Russia after the Ukraine invasion to benefit from lower prices.

A report released on Friday by the U.S. and Ukrainian branches of the international writers' organization PEN has revealed that Russian forces in Ukraine are deliberately targeting the nation's museums, libraries, and other cultural sites.

The report highlighted that culture is not an unintended consequence of the war against Ukraine, but rather a deliberate target of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has gone so far as to deny the existence of Ukrainian culture and language, and has taken steps to erase them by attacking art museums, music halls, libraries, theaters, and historical sites.

According to the PEN report, the Ukraine Ministry of Culture has reported that 529 cultural heritage sites and cultural institutions have been destroyed or damaged since the beginning of the war on February 24th. This includes both sites of national importance and cultural venues in towns and villages.

One of the most infamous events of the war is the bombing of the main drama theater in Mariupol in March. An Associated Press investigation revealed that approximately 600 people perished in the attack, as they were taking refuge from the siege of the city.

Two large signs with the word "children" written on them were placed on the ground near the theater, suggesting that Russian forces were aware of the civilians inside. It appears that the theater was deliberately chosen due to its cultural importance, according to the report.

Since 2014, Russia has been attacking Ukrainian culture and language, beginning with the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the support of separatist fighters in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces of eastern Ukraine, according to PEN.

PEN Ukraine reported that 31 civilian writers, artists, and other cultural workers have been killed in Russian attacks in 2020. Additionally, some cultural figures have passed away while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

The body responsible for the exportation of agricultural goods from Ukraine has given the green light to three ships to depart the embattled nation.

The Joint Coordination Center, a collaborative effort between Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations, and Turkey, reported that the vessels are transporting a combined total of 106,500 metric tons of grain and other food items.

Two vessels from Odesa are sailing to China and Italy, loaded with corn. A third ship is set to leave from Ukraine's Yuzhny-Pivdennyi port, carrying sunflower seeds to Bulgaria.

The U.S. Army recently granted Lockheed Martin a contract worth $431 million for the production of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) M142 launchers.

Douglas Bush, the Army's assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, expressed that this award will allow them to restock their own supplies while providing essential services to their allies and international partners. He also noted that they are devoted to getting things on contract quickly to make sure their supplies are replenished quickly.

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a mobile artillery system that is mounted on a 5-ton truck and is capable of launching a variety of missiles.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the country's phone companies have sent out an army of engineers to ensure that communication lines remain open. This is to ensure that the public and policymakers can stay connected despite the Russian missile and drone strikes.

Engineers are often overlooked in times of peace, yet they work tirelessly to ensure phone service is maintained or restored. In the case of Russian strikes taking out the electricity powering cellphone towers, these engineers have gone to great lengths to keep the towers running, even going so far as to use generators.

Yuriy Dugnist, an engineer with Ukrainian telecommunications company Kyivstar, expressed that his colleagues were feeling very tired, but were still driven by the fact that they were doing something important. He had just trudged through a half-foot (15 centimeters) of snow to get to a fenced-in mobile phone tower on the outskirts of Kyiv, the capital.

Dugrist and his colleagues provided a look into their new daily habits, which involve utilizing an app on their own phones to keep track of which of the numerous phone towers in the capital region are receiving electricity, either during the intervals of the regulated blackouts that are being used to save energy or from the generators that come on to provide backup power.

This week, four lion cubs that had been orphaned due to bombing and drone attacks in Ukraine were brought to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota. They have arrived safely.

Stefania, Lesya, Prada, and Taras, four cubs, embarked on a 36-hour journey from Ukraine to the Poznan Zoo in Poland. They stayed there for approximately one month, allowing them to recuperate and receive the necessary clearance to fly to the United States.

On Tuesday, the cubs flew for nine hours from Warsaw, Poland to Chicago. After clearing customs, they made an 8-hour drive from Chicago to The Wildcat Sanctuary. The International Fund for Animal Welfare, which partnered with the sanctuary on the rescue, reported that the cubs arrived after midnight.

Rescue workers in Odesa, Ukraine, reported that three cubs - Taras, Stefania and Lesya - were discovered in a cardboard box at a train station. The fourth cub, Prada, was given up to a wild animal rescue group in Kyiv in a similar box. It is thought that the cubs were trafficked through the illegal exotic pet trade in Europe, according to Mahoney. The circumstances of their surrender remain unclear.

Meredith Whitney, Wildlife Rescue Program manager at the international fund, noted that the majority of big cat species are facing a growing number of threats to their survival in the wild, particularly the rising demand for exotic pets. To combat this, the organization is collaborating with the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance and other groups such as The Wildcat Sanctuary to put an end to the exploitation of big cats in the US and globally.

The sanctuary, which has provided a home for around 300 large cats, collaborated with the international fund and the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation to locate a business that could transport the cubs to the United States and cover the cost of the flight.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Ukraine without delay, according to a statement from a German government spokesperson.

During a discussion that lasted for an hour, Scholz expressed his disapproval of the Russian airstrikes against civilian targets in Ukraine and reaffirmed Berlin's commitment to helping Kyiv in strengthening its defensive capabilities against Moscow.

The representative of Scholz reported that the political figures talked about the "particularly tense" global food crisis and decided to remain in contact.

The Russian government's summary of the phone call stated that Germany had initiated the conversation, and President Putin provided a thorough explanation of Russia's "special military operation".

Vladimir Putin reportedly highlighted the damaging actions of certain Western countries, such as Germany, in providing weapons and military training to the Ukrainian government.

The leader of Russia reportedly implored the German government to reevaluate their stance on the conflict in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry has reported that Ukrainian embassies and consulates in various countries have been receiving packages containing bloody items, some of which include animal parts, as part of a coordinated effort to spread fear and terror.

In the past few days, a series of explosive letters have been sent to various places in Spain. Ukraine's foreign ministry has reported that bloody packages have been delivered to embassies in Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Italy, and Austria, as well as the consulates general in Naples, Italy and Krakow, Poland, and the consulate in Brno, Czech Republic.

The ministry announced in a Facebook post that the packages contained animal eyes and were submerged in a liquid with a distinct color and odor.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba declared that, despite attempts to intimidate them, they will continue to strive for victory. Kuleba stated that these attempts are futile and that they will continue to work diligently for the success of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government announced that additional security measures have been implemented at all of their embassies and consulates.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, declared that President Vladimir Putin of Russia would be willing to engage in discussions about a potential resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.

He made his remarks to the press shortly after the U.S. President Joe Biden declared that he would be willing to meet with Putin if the Russian leader was ready to put an end to the conflict.

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin cautioned that if Russia succeeds in its conflict in Ukraine, it will not be the only one to gain a sense of strength.

During a trip to Australia, Marin declared that China has a significant part to play in ending the war, implored Europe to take more action to bolster its defensive capabilities, and noted that the area would not be able to manage without the assistance of key allies.

Marin declared that Europe needs to become stronger, and that he must be honest with everyone about the current state of affairs.

Without the United States, we would be in a difficult situation in the war in Ukraine. The US has provided a great deal of weapons, financial assistance, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as Europe is not yet strong enough to do so.

A Reuters report has indicated that Ukraine has suffered a significant loss of life in its conflict with Russia, with estimates of between 10,000 and 13,000 soldiers killed. This information was provided by Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to the Ukrainian president.

This is believed to be the first time a high-ranking official has given an estimate of the number of Ukrainian military personnel killed since the country's military leader reported that nearly 9,000 soldiers had perished by the end of August.

The United Nations has declared that it will leave the decision of establishing a court to investigate potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine up to the individual member states.

Earlier in the day, the European Union suggested the formation of a United Nations-supported court to look into potential war crimes in Ukraine. Additionally, they proposed utilizing frozen Russian assets to reconstruct Ukraine.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric declared during a daily press briefing that the choice to create a tribunal, with or without the U.N.'s participation, is up to the member states of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General is conscious of the conversations that have taken place in different forums about the potential of creating an international tribunal in relation to the events in Ukraine, particularly concerning the crime of aggression. He noted that any further remarks on the topic would be mere speculation.

Hanna Maliar, the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, recently spoke while standing next to a dud warhead that was designed to look like a nuclear component of a Kh-55SM strategic cruise missile. This type of missile was used by Russian forces during a recent attack on Ukraine.

At the briefing, it was stated that the Kh-55SM strategic cruise missile has the capability to transport nuclear warheads.

At a joint press conference held at the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron declared their continued support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

President Macron expressed his gratitude for the U.S. standing with the Ukrainians, noting that it is not only beneficial for them, but for all Europeans. He went on to say that if we do not show respect for the country and its principles, there can be no stability in the world.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to attend the first state dinner of President Joe Biden's administration as a guest.

Joe Biden recently stated that he has no plans to communicate with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future, however, he would be open to doing so if Putin is truly committed to bringing an end to the conflict.

Biden stated that he is ready to talk to Mr. Putin if he is interested in finding a way to put an end to the war. However, he has not taken any steps in that direction yet.

Vice President Biden emphasized the importance of backing the Ukrainian people, stating that it is "absolutely critical." He went on to express his disbelief that Russian President Putin could ever defeat Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have both declared their commitment to continuing to support Ukraine. This comes as a Russian warship has been deployed to the region, causing Ukraine to be on high alert.