WAR ANNIVERSARY ON OUR MINDS

Online This Week

Seabed devastated

THE NORD Stream 1 and 2 explosions last September caused untold damage to the seabed in what is a popular breeding ground for cod and porpoises, according to a new report. The four Baltic Sea explosions stirred up 250,000 tonnes of contaminated seabed – an area twice the size of nearby Bornholm. The WWF called it “another nail in the coffin of the Baltic Sea”.

Denmark could send jets

DENMARK could end up sending its outgoing F-16 fighter-jets to Ukraine, but only if other countries do the same, reports DR. On a mid-February tour of Europe, President Zelensky underlined the urgent need for the jets. According to Politico, the push to send jets to Ukraine is gathering steam in the Pentagon.

Public back arms donations

Ceremonies, demonstrations, illuminations and vandalism mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

DEMONSTRATIONS, torchlight processions, speeches, music and commemorations were held across Denmark on February 24 to mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the War in Ukraine.

Services and events took place in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Roskilde, Helsingør and many more cities and towns across Denmark.

Most notably, a demonstration took place outside the Russian Embassy in the late afternoon where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by video link.

And in the early evening many attended a solidarity event for Ukraine at Enghave Plads, where Ukraine’s ambassador to Denmark, Mykhailo Vydoinyk, was among the speakers.

Busy at Christiansborg

POLITICIANS in Copenhagen were also busy, and Ambassador Vydoinyk was again among the speakers, along with

PM Mette Frederiksen, at a morning service held by Parliament at Holmens Kirke, where the congregation included the Crown Prince Couple.

The Ukrainian flag flew at the main entrance of Parliament and when darkness descended upon the city, Christiansborg was illuminated in yellow and blue.

City Hall was also illuminated in Ukrainian colours following an afternoon event involving Frederiksen, Vydoinyk and mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen.

The event included songs from the Ukrainian Soul Choir and Sankt Annæ Girls Choir, and guests were offered the City Hall pancakes – a tradition that exists for special occasions.

Vandals target Ecco GRABBING a headstart on the proceedings, vandals targeted Ecco's headquarters in Tønder in southern Denmark the night before, draping a Ukrainian flag over a stone plinth promoting its HQ.

Underneath the cloak, a number of large 'Zs' were discovered – the symbol of the Russian army during the invasion. .

Ecco, whose flagship store in Copenhagen was vandalised in August, continues to operate in Russia despite widespread criticism.

Meanwhile, Copenhagen woke up on March 2 to discover that the Little Mermaid has been painted in the colours of the Russian flag.

A big thank you

IN RELATED news, President Zelenskyy has personally thanked Denmark for all its help over the last year, which included the donation of 19 Caesar howitzers last month.

“A true friend knows that our fight is the fight of Europe. Thank you, Denmark,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry wrote in a tweet that included a video featuring a 1945 Danish freedom song written by Aksel Schiøtz.

Both Germany and Switzerland have approved donations of military equipment produced within their borders, enabling the likes of Denmark to send more.

The Russian Embassy in Denmark recently condemned Denmark’s donations, writing: “Denmark is increasingly being pulled into the conflict in Ukraine. The belief that peace can be achieved through weapon deliveries is both cynical and immoral.”

SOME 80 percent of the Danish public support sending more weapons to help Ukraine, according to a Megafon survey, with only 7 percent disapproving. The finding is in line with the billion kroner and counting that Danes have donated to Ukraine, including 693 million kroner via the Red Cross, 195 million via UNICEF and 40 million via Save the Children.

Huge earthquake response

DENMARK has sent aid in the form of donations and emergency personnel to Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquakes that killed over 46,000 people on February 6. Sent via aid organisations such as Red Barnet and Dansk Flygtningehjælp, the donations have mostly been spent on water, food, blankets and tents. A missing Dane was eventually found alive.

Passage to India reopens

AIR INDIA’S Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner touched down in Copenhagen on March 2 – its first flight since the Corona Crisis struck. The 256seat route will be flown three times a week: on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Copenhagen at 19:45, and then returning from New Delhi on the following day at 13:30.

Many Ukrainians will stay

AN IMMIGRATION Ministry survey reveals many Ukrainians would like to make Denmark their permanent home. Some 37 percent of the adult Ukrainians who have left Ukraine for Denmark since the start of the war want to remain here permanently, including over 40 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds. Over half the men are in favour, but only a third of the women.

PM wary of Putin

PM METTE Frederiksen believes Russia will invade other countries if Ukraine loses the war. “I don’t think Putin will stop with Ukraine; he’ll march on to the next country,” she said at the Munich Security Conference. Meanwhile, Defence figures reveal that fighter jets were scrambled to intercept foreign military planes 80 times in 2022, compared to just 30 in 2021.

Helping to clean the Ganges

INDIA’S PM Narendra Modi has turned to Danish expertise to help clean up the Ganges. Initially, a Danish study will assess the pollution levels and determine how they can be improved sustainably. India has also requested Denmark’s help in preparing meetings and discussions relating to climate and the environment during the G20 summit in September.

Heating Ukrainian homes

A DANISH co-operation with UNOPS – the UN’s arm of infrastructure improvement – seeks to heat 50,000 homes in the Mykolaiv Region, one of the areas worst affected by the War in Ukraine. Thirteen mobile boiler houses have already been dispatched, and over a 1,000 generators and other critical supplies will arrive ahead of summer.

Foothold in the US

A NEW US law, the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2030, and it is hoped Denmark can play a role. Ministers Morten Bødskov (business) and Lars Aagaard (climate) recently met US ambassador Alan Leventhal to pursue a collaboration aimed at promoting green growth and Danish companies in the US.

Holding Russia accountable

DENMARK has joined a core group of countries that will investigate how Russian leaders can be prosecuted for actions in Ukraine. The foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said that the need for legal action was necessary following the discovery of mass graves and reports of abuse as areas of Ukraine have been liberated.

Koran burnings

“shameful”

TURKISH President Recep Erdogan has warned that Rasmus Paludan’s continued burnings of the Koran outside embassies in Sweden and Denmark could lead to Turkey not approving Sweden’s bid to join NATO. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the foreign minister, condemned them as "shameful". Raised in Denmark, Paludan also holds a Swedish passport.