News Summary - Day 97 of War
Luhansk, Ukrainian Eurovision winners donate $1.2 billion, EU bans Russian gas and oil, French reporter killed in war, 1000 companies left Russia.
29 May - Russia comes close to capturing all of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine by capturing the city of Sievierodonetsk, one of the most important cities still held by Ukraine in the east.
29 May - The Kalush Orchestra, Ukrainian Eurovision Song Contest (May 14, 2022) winner, sold their trophy on Sunday for $900,000. The Ukrainian band auctioned off on FaceBook its trophy and the pink bucket hat worn by its lead singer. They earned $1.2 million. The band announced that the money raised will be used to buy three drones that the Ukrainian army can use for surveillance.
30 May - Ukrainian authorities urged people living in Russian occupied towns and cities to flee if possible. Iryna Vereshchuk, the deputy prime minister, warned, “My advice: Move to Ukrainian-controlled territory. I know that it’s difficult, but you have to try and find ways and opportunities. Because ultimately, it is a question of your safety and that of your children.”
30 May - The European Union reached an agreement to ban most imports of Russian gas and oil. Russia currently supplies 27% of the EU's imported oil and 40% of its gas. The EU pays Russia around $430 billion a year for gas and oil. No longer. The EU agreement bans all Russian oil imports arriving by sea by the end of the year, which will cut off two-thirds of the EU’s total imports and will cost Russia billions of dollars a year. The ban will only affect oil that arrives by sea but not pipeline oil, following opposition from Hungary.
30 May - A 32-year-old French journalist, Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, was killed by shrapnel while covering the evacuation of civilians on the road to Lysychansk in eastern Luhansk Oblast.
31 May - European Union leaders agreed to give Ukraine $9.7 billion dollars in aid.
31 May - Over 1,000 companies have left Russia since Feb. 24.