Ukraine receives €4.5 billion EU aid, Russian troops hit Kharkiv - Wednesday brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
Ukraine received the first tranche of 4.5 billion euros from the European Union under the Ukraine Facility program. Meanwhile, Russian forces launched a missile strike on Kharkiv.
Read below for more details about what happened on Wednesday, March 20.
EU sends first tranche from €50 billion aid package to Kyiv - Borrell
The European Commission paid out the first tranche of assistance within the framework of the Ukraine Facility for a total amount of EUR 50 billion. So far, 4.5 billion euros have been transferred, according to EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell.
At the same time, the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Olivér Várhelyi says that the next tranche will be in April.
Strike on Kharkiv
Russian troops attacked Kharkiv on March 20. It was later revealed that the occupiers struck at a printing house in one of the districts of Kharkiv. Due to the shelling, four fatalities and seven injuries have been reported.
Attack on Engels' airfield carried out by Defense Intelligence of Ukraine - sources
The Russian city of Engels, where the airfield is located, was attacked overnight on March 20. This was the work of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine sources within the intelligence services.
Polish authorities strike deal with farmers to ban some Ukrainian products transit
The Polish authorities signed an agreement with farmers on subsidies per ton of grain and the temporary closure of the border with Ukraine for the transit of some agricultural products.
It applies, in particular, to wheat, corn, wheat flour, rape and sunflower.
Lithuania joins Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine
Lithuania has decided to allocate 35 million euros to purchase ammunition for Ukraine as part of the Czech initiative, said Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.
Ukraine can produce 2M drones per year, but condition exists
Ukraine is capable of increasing drone production to 2 million units per year. However, additional financial assistance from Western countries is needed, says Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
Ukraine expects shell deliveries from Czech initiative in April, PM says
In April, Ukraine expects the delivery of the first batch of artillery ammunition under the Czech initiative, reports Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
