Ukraine crisis in Czechia: what happens now (May 13)

Russian troops continue their attacks in the Donbass and towards Zaporizhzhya. The shelling of the Mariupol Azovstal steel plant also continues while the intensification of the attack is expected in the near future due to the evacuation of civilians. Meanwhile, Ukraine destroys Russian bridges over the North Donets River. The refugee crisis in the Czech Republic continues as the government has decided to set up a tent village to manage the humanitarian disaster at Prague’s central train station.

Russia has resumed its attack on the Azovstal Mariupol steelworks in Mariupol, after 300 women, children and the elderly were evacuated from the site last week. According to Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereschuk, the encircled area is still defended by around a thousand Ukrainians, many of whom are seriously injured. While the Russian offensive also continues in the Donbass, the Russian army has reportedly withdrawn from the Kharkiv region, says the British Ministry of Defense. Meanwhile, Finland’s leaders gave the green light to NATO membership. Sweden, too, is moving forward with applying to join NATO in tandem with Finland, possibly as early as next week. Although this decision was widely expected, it shows how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought non-aligned countries closer to NATO.

The war is directly affecting Europe’s gas supply, as Ukraine’s gas transmission operator said it would cut off nearly a third of Russian gas flowing through the country to Europe, citing “force major”. This could drive up natural gas prices in Europe and create a potential conflict with Russia’s Gazprom, which has called a Ukrainian proposal to move gas transit to another station on Ukrainian territory “technologically impossible”. On Tuesday, Ukrainian forces made strategic gains, pushing back Russian forces in parts of the country. Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to send a new $40 billion aid package to Ukraine.

Despite weeks of fear that the Kremlin would double its assault on Ukraine on VE Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not stepped up his war efforts by staging a huge parade in Moscow. While major cities across the Ukrainian border experienced one of the quietest days since the invasion, the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa was hit by a volley of Russian missiles on Monday night, a regional Ukrainian military official said. Attacks earlier in the day forced European Council President Charles Michel to seek refuge during an official visit. In the Czech Republic, the influx of refugees seems to have stabilised, but the central station in Prague is now facing a humanitarian crisis as dozens of Roma refugees are neglected by the city.

A military parade was held in Moscow. In a well-attended speech, President Vladimir Putin defended the attack on Ukraine as a necessary response to the actions of the West, which he said was planning an invasion of Russia. In response, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Putin continued his expedient distortion of history with the intention of justifying the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, representatives of the world’s most economically powerful G7 have pledged to end their dependence on Russian oil; the EU struggles to adopt a Russian oil embargo. As Putin continues his invasion, Russia’s war spending reaches 900 million dollars a day, which is paid indirectly by Europe. Russia still receives up to $1 billion a day from Europe alone to pay for Russian coal, gas and oil, which Europe imports from Russia.