€1.5 billion for Ukraine from profits of frozen Russian assets and Boeing and Antonov cooperation: Ukraine’s weekly news digest

While Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is in the middle of its third year, the situation is still intense, with regular updates on attacks on civilians, offensive and defensive operations, and responses from the international community.

Here is what you may have missed on the news from Ukraine from July 22 to July 29.

Boeing and Antonov Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding

On July 22, 2024, the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the Ukrainian company Antonov signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of drones – a Memorandum of Understanding.

Future areas of potential cooperation include training, logistics and repair services for unmanned aerial systems used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, the companies will also explore opportunities for Antonov to provide engineering support to Boeing.

“This agreement demonstrates our ongoing efforts to find more opportunities to work with Ukrainian industry, which was underscored by our signing of the Ukrainian Defense Industry Compact earlier this year,” said Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

German manufacturer Rheinmetall has received its first major order from the Ukrainian government

Rheinmetall has received its first order from the Ukrainian government to construct an ammunition factory in Ukraine, announced in February 2024.

The order for the Duesseldorf-based technology group covers the complete technical equipment of the factory up to commissioning. It is foreseen to begin in the short term and to be completed within a few years. The intention is to start the ammunition production in the Ukraine within 24 months.

“We are putting our words into action, and together with our partner, we will create a Ukrainian competence center for ammunition,” said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG.

On June 10, 2024, Ukroboronprom’s joint venture with Rheinmetall opened the first workshop for the repair and production of German armored vehicles in Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones hit about 200 critical infrastructure facilities in Russia

Ukraine’s defense forces used long-range drones to target about 200 Russian critical infrastructure facilities. All these facilities were related to military logistics and included factories, fuel, and ammunition depots.

Those numbers were reported by Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview with The Guardian.

Speedboat-like sea drones, meanwhile, had sunk about a third of Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet. “It became a trap for them and for some [vessels] a grave,” Syrskyi said.

The EU makes the first payment of €1.5 billion in support of Ukraine from profits of frozen Russian assets

On July 26, 2024, the European Union announced the first payment of €1.5 billion from the extraordinary proceeds of Russian assets frozen in the EU to support Ukraine’s military capabilities as well as to support the country’s reconstruction.

The immobilization of the Russian Central Bank’s assets is a result of EU sanctions against Russia, adopted in the wake of its war of aggression against Ukraine. The extraordinary revenues generated in this context by the EU operators do not belong to Russia and are held by CSDs. The EU has now started to channel these revenues to Ukraine.

Stats of the week

During almost a year of operation, 57.55 million tonnes of cargo have been transshipped through the Ukrainian Corridor. 2,059 vessels has exported cargo to 46 countries, including 39 million tonnes of Ukrainian farmers’ products.
Source: Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. Date: July 27, 2024.

This week (July 22 – July 28), the Russian army launched about 700 guided aerial bombs and more than 100 drones into Ukraine.
Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine. Date: July 28, 2024.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, 564 Ukrainian children have been killed, and 1,487 children have been injured. Most victims among children are from the Donetsk region. 
Source: Prosecutor General’s Office. Date: July 28, 2024.

More than 75% of wounded soldiers return to service after rehabilitation. 
Source: Nataliia Kalmykova, Deputy Defence Minister. Date: July 27, 2024.