With economic declines worsening amid Russian infrastructure attacks, donors reportedly may need to give an extra $2bn monthly
US braces allies for higher Ukraine costs – WaPo
© Getty Images / Chris McGrath
Washington is reportedly bracing its European allies for “worst-case scenarios” in Ukraine, suggesting that Kiev may need its donors to pony up an additional $2 billion a month as Russian attacks on key infrastructure cripple the former Soviet republic’s economy.
The cost warning reflects fears that Ukraine’s economy may contract by an additional 5-9% in 2023 after taking a 33% hit this year, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. There are also concerns that if Moscow’s attacks intensify, a surge in refugees fleeing the country could crash Ukraine’s currency, leaving the government in a “doomsday scenario” in which it can’t pay for critical imports or meet its foreign debt obligations.
“What do you do when you can’t heat your house, you can’t run your shops, factories or plants, and your economy is not working?” Oleg Ustenko, an economic adviser to President Vladimir Zelensky, told the Post. “We are going to be requiring more financial assistance, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is doing this to destroy unity among allies.”
Germany spending $500 billion to ‘keep the lights on’ – mediaREAD MORE: Germany spending $500 billion to ‘keep the lights on’ – media
Europe is already suffering an energy crisis and economic turmoil amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The US-led sanctions campaign to punish and isolate Moscow has sparked soaring inflation and energy shortages. Germany, for instance, has spent nearly $500 billion to “keep the lights on” since the conflict began in February, cutting off its imports of Russian energy, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Zelensky’s government expected to need at least $55 billion in foreign financial aid next year to meet basic expenses, the WaPo reported. An extra $2 billion monthly would push that total to $79 billion. To put that in perspective, Ukraine’s entire state budget was less than $48 billion in 2021.
So far, the US and the European Union have pledged to send more than $30 billion to Ukraine next year, not counting the massive military aid that they’re also providing. Beyond the additional government funding that Kiev will seek, advisers to Zelensky have weighed asking Western leaders to finance direct cash payments to Ukrainian citizens, at a cost of $12 billion, the Post said.
READ MORE: Putin accuses EU of being a doormat for US
Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund think tank in Washington, argued that the West needs to give more money to keep Zelensky’s government financially afloat. However, he added, “I don’t know if the will is there.”
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Intelligence Unit says Iran will consider the Israeli regime’s shelters “legitimate targets” if residential areas in the country come under attack.
In a post published on social media platform X on Tuesday, the IRGC said that any strikes on residential areas in Iran would give Iran’s armed forces the right to attack Israeli shelters in the occupied lands.
The IRGC stated that it has intelligence on the blueprints and the exact locations of these shelters.
Iran began its Operation True Promise 4 after the US and Israel launched their joint military aggression against the Islamic Republic in late February by assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and several senior Iranian officials.
In its latest wave of attacks, the IRGC said it rained down missiles on the Israeli regime’s “secure” intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv.
Iranian armed forces have also pounded American military bases and ...
In a fresh wave of retaliatory strikes, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) targeted the Israeli regime’s “secure” intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv.
The IRGC’s Public Relations Department said in a statement on Tuesday that it had carried out the 79th wave of its ongoing retaliatory Operation True Promise 4 against the Israeli and American targets.
Deploying powerful Kheybar Shekan, Emad, and Sejjil missiles alongside IRGC Aerospace Force kamikaze drones, the operation successfully breached the regime's multi-layered air defense systems, the statement said.
The missiles, it stated, targeted Israel’s intelligence facilities in northern and central Tel Aviv, as well as military commercial and support centers in Ramat Gan and the Negev.
The missiles also hit Israel’s southern military logistics and command headquarters in Beersheba.
The missile strikes triggered widespread panic across Israel and forced the suspension of a Knesset (parliament) session on Tuesday.
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announces staging the 78th wave of its underway retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, targeting such highly sensitive Israeli targets as Dimona, Tel Aviv, and Eilat as well as several US military bases in the region.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC described the latest phase of the operation as a significant development featuring missiles raining down on enemy targets as the nation was leveling momentous support behind the Islamic Republic by attending millions-strong rallies with "clenched fists."
'A distinct record'
The latest phase, it noted, "has set a distinct record in the timeline of the war."
According to the statement, targets in the occupied port of Eilat, Dimona, a heavily fortified city that hosts the Israeli regime's notorious nuclear reactor in its vicinity, and northern Tel Aviv were struck using Emad and multi-warhead Qadr missile systems along with attack drones.
This was the second time the Corps was hitting Dimona, ...
