Germany stops coup, silence on Ukraine NATO ambitions, $1.1 billion for Oschadbank

• The EU will provide Ukraine with 18 million euros in aid despite Hungary’s objections.

That’s according to an announcement by the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis. According to Euractiv, the commission is looking for an alternative solution for macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, which will not require Hungary’s approval.

• Germany will not be deploying its Patriot anti-air batteries in Ukraine – but it will send them to Poland.

“After a conversation with the head of the German Ministry of Defense, I decided to withdraw support from (deploying Patriots to) Ukraine, to my disappointment,” Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak explained.

• German law enforcement have stopped a far-right, Russian-assisted coup.

German Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann reported that law enforcement officers conducted about 130 searches at addresses associated with 52 suspects. According to Bild, during the special operation, 25 people were detained, including a Russian citizen, named only as Vitalia B.

• Lithuania has also decided to revoke the broadcasting license of Russian opposition channel TV Rain.

The Lithuanian decision follows an analogous decision by the Latvian authorities – TV Rain is based out of Latvia. TV Rain will cease cable broadcasting, but will continue live broadcasts on YouTube, the channel stated.

• Ukraine’s power grid may face a total collapse if Russian strikes on critical infrastructure continue.

The warning comes from the international aid organization Mercy Corps, who forecasted that the situation become catastrophic in the coming weeks. If that happens, millions of people in Ukraine will face a winter humanitarian crisis, the NGO warned, adding that the country's cities "will become almost unliveable over the next four months."

• Ukrainian embassies and consulates are still receiving dangerous packages.

Embassies in Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Denmark, as well as the consulate in Polish Gdańsk received suspicious packages over the past two days, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, noting that “All the envelopes have the same sender’s address: a Tesla car dealership in the German town of Sindelfingen.”

• The U.S. does not object to Germany transferring Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine.

Sources told the German FAZ newspaper that U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan has already told Germany his position on this issue. Meanwhile, the U.S. authorities note that they have not asked for such deliveries, since this should be done at Germany’s own initiative.

• Ukraine’s NATO membership is a “verboten” topic for Western policymakers.

That’s the conclusion reached by journalists at Politico, who said that policymakers avoid the question even when pressed directly. "And last week, when NATO foreign ministers met, their final statement simply pointed to a vague 2008 pledge that Ukraine would someday join the club,” Politico noted.

• Six of the seven graffiti works around Kyiv attributed to famed street artist Banksy have been put under police protection after one had been stolen.

The stolen piece – located in the ruined Kyiv suburb of Hostomel – had already been recovered, and officials are discussing the fate of the artworks, Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba stated.

• The French Supreme Court has validated a $1.1 billion court reward in favor of Ukraine’s Oschadbank.

The case was related to the seizure of Oschadbank property in Crimea following Russia’s occupation of the peninsula. The compensation also includes accruing interest – about $100,000 per day – until the payment is eventually made. Russia has stated that it will not recognize this decision and will not compensate Oschadbank.

• The day’s long read: Russia is ready: What Putin has planned for Belarus, Lukashenko and the north of Ukraine

Former foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin explains what the recent visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Belarus really means for dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine