On the 160th day of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine on Tuesday, August 2, Russian troops continue their attempts to capture the neighboring country’s settlements. Ukraine’s Armed Forces and their territorial defense units are resisting the aggression. It is impossible to readily verify information disclosed by representatives of both sides of the conflict from independent sources.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the “Azov” regiment as a “terrorist” organization

The Supreme Court of Russia declared the Ukrainian regiment “Azov” a “terrorist” organization and banned its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation. On Tuesday, he satisfied the relevant claim of the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation. At the same time, “the decision on the ban on the activities of the organization is subject to immediate execution”, states the decision of the highest Russian court.

In response to the recognition of Azov as a “terrorist” organization, the Ukrainian military said that Russia “after the public execution of prisoners of war of the Azov regiment in Yelenovka is looking for new reasons and explanations for its war crimes”. Azov once again called on the US and other countries to recognize Russia as a “terrorist state”. “Russia has been proving this status with its daily actions for many years. Every day, its army and special services commit war crimes. Connivance or silence is complicity,” Azov said in a statement.

The evacuation of Kiev-controlled areas of the Donetsk region began

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Irina Vereshchuk, announced the start of the planned evacuation by the Ukrainian authorities from the areas of the Donetsk region controlled by Kyiv. “The first train arrived this morning in Kropyvnytskyi. Women, children, the elderly, many people with limited mobility. All were received and resettled,” she said.

In late July, Vereshchuk said that before the start of the heating season it would be mandatory to evacuate the population from unoccupied areas of the Donetsk region. However, citizens will have the opportunity to refuse the evacuation in writing. According to estimates by Ukrainian authorities, more than 220,000 people need to be evacuated from the region.

Ukraine’s first grain dry cargo ship landed on Turkish coast

The first freighter with Ukrainian grain entered Turkish waters. The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, loaded with maize, arrived on the Turkish coast near the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait, AFP reported. On the eve of the cargo ship left the port of Odessa. According to the Istanbul Grain Export Control Center, Razoni transports more than 26,000 tons of corn. On Wednesday, August 3, a delegation made up of representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN will inspect the ship near Istanbul, then head to Tripoli.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the departure of the first corn ship from the port of Odessa “the first positive sign that there is a chance to stop the development of the food crisis in the world”. According to him, another 16 courts are awaiting their turn. The day before, in his traditional nightly video message, Zelensky also highlighted the state importance of grain exports: “About half a million Ukrainians are engaged in growing export agricultural crops, and if we add related industries, that’s more. This brings the state’s attention to the implementation of the export initiative. This is really what our people need.”

The European Union transferred 1 billion euros of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine

The European Union has fully transferred 1 billion euros to Ukraine from the new macro-financial assistance package, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Ursula von der Leyen). “These funds will help Ukraine to meet its urgent financial needs after Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression. One billion euros will strengthen Ukraine at a crucial stage,” she wrote on the social network Linkedin.

Prime Minister Denys Shmygal announced the receipt of the first €500 million of this package to Ukraine the day before, noting that another €500 million is expected on August 2. According to the prime minister, these funds will help finance priority budgetary needs.

The US and Canada have extended sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine

The United States has imposed another round of sanctions against Russia. Under the restrictions, in particular, were former gymnast, head of the board of directors of the National Media Group Alina Kabaeva, “the head of the military-civilian administration of Russian occupation” of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, and his deputy Kirill Stremousov. , the US Treasury said in a statement. In total, 13 individuals, more than 30 companies and two ships were added to the updated sanctions list.

In addition, the United States has imposed visa sanctions on nearly 900 Russian citizens, including members of the Federation Council. As reported on the US State Department website, the sanctions list included, in particular, three Russian businessmen – Dmitry Pumpyansky, Andrey Melnichenko and Alexandra Ponomarenko – and the State Transport Leasing Company, along with subsidiaries.

Canada also expanded the list of sanctions against the Russian Federation, adding 43 persons and 17 legal entities to it. The sanctions included research and production companies Almaz and Salyut, the limited company Gorizont and the Perm Mashinostroitel factory. 43 people on the list of individuals are Russian army officers who, according to Ukraine, were in the Buchansk region during the occupation and may have been involved in the killing of civilians there.

The Latvian Seimas Commission supported the recognition of the Russian Federation as a sponsoring state of terrorism

The Latvian Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs supported a draft resolution recognizing Russia as a state that supports terrorism. In a statement adopted on August 2, commission members call on EU countries to immediately suspend the issuance of tourist visas to citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus.

“For many years, Russia has supported and financed terrorist regimes and organizations in various ways – directly and indirectly,” reads the statement, posted on the website of the Latvian Seimas. At the same time, MPs called Moscow the biggest supplier of weapons to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and recalled Russia’s accusations of poisoning the Skripal family in the UK and the crash of Malaysian flight MH17 over Donbass in 2014.

“Russia has now adopted a similar tactic – brutal, immoral and illegal – in Ukraine, using inaccurate and internationally banned weapons and ammunition, deliberately targeting civilians and public places. intimidate Ukrainian society,” said Rihards Kols, chairman of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Russia threatens US with severing diplomatic ties over ‘sponsor of terrorism’ status

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs allowed diplomatic relations with the United States to be broken in the event that Washington declared Russia a sponsor of terrorism. “The logical result of such an irresponsible step could be a rupture in diplomatic relations, after which Washington risks finally crossing the point of no return with all the consequences that follow,” said a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry. , Maria Zakharova, on 2 August.

In April, the Washington Post reported, citing sources, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Joe Biden to recognize Russia as a sponsor of terrorism. Such a potential move by Washington has been called “one of the most powerful and far-reaching sanctions in the US arsenal”. In late July, the United States Senate of Congress made such an appeal, adopting a non-binding resolution.

Belgium freezes Russian assets for 50.5 billion euros

Belgium, as part of implementing sanctions against the Russian Federation, has frozen assets of Russian companies and citizens worth 50.5 billion euros, local media reported, citing a statement from the country’s Ministry of Finance. This figure includes various financial assets, such as cash and shares, owned by a total of 1,229 individuals and 110 legal entities: Russian politicians, billionaires, banks and corporations, the country’s Ministry of Finance said.

According to Belgian media, €50.5 billion is a “surprisingly large amount” that far exceeds the authorities’ previous estimates. As De Morgen recalled, in July, European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said that Russian assets worth 13.8 billion euros were seized in the EU, most of that amount (more than 12 billion euros) was frozen for five years. member states, said it did not specify which.

Russians banned from taking the TOEFL

The ETS organization, organizing the international exam in English TOEFL, has banned Russian citizens from registering for the exam, writes Mediazona. A user found a notice in his account on the TOEFL website: “To comply with the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, your access to TOEFL products and services is restricted.” ETS responded to a question from a user that, due to US Treasury requirements, DPRK and Russian citizens are prohibited from registering for exams or creating accounts, Mediazona writes, citing a copy of the ETS response.

The DW correspondent tried to register in the system, indicating Russia as his place of residence, and also received such a message. When changing countries, the system moved on to the next stage of registration – indicating citizenship. When choosing Russian citizenship, the system again prohibited continuous registration under the same pretext.