Dear reader,
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Welcome to The RUB, a daily package of news, observations, details, nuance and hard news born of the age of AI and 5G.
This era of voluminous, non-stop data flows makes nonsense of the phrase "All The News That's Fit to Print."
Now we prefer the not-so-catchy phrase "We Try to Help You Make Sense of It All."
The RUB is our ongoing attempt to capture everything that matters to you and the reconstruction of Ukraine - the front-page headlines as well as the scribblings on the discarded napkin, the self-assured statements as well as the nervous laugh between sentences.
We give you the news story, but we also give you the entire verbatim interview transcript that underpins it. We seek to capture nuance and even uncertainty that is often left out of traditional reporting.
Each section harbors value, so check them all out.
Table of Contents
- The Reporter's Notepad. Exclusive reporting and notes on stakeholder meetings.
- In Case You Missed It. The most complete Meeting Notes you'll ever see, plus summaries and transcripts of audio and visual events captured in print.
- The Socialite. Important, influential or particularly insightful social media posts that illuminate the mood and plans of Ukraine and the rebuilders.
- Here's What They Think. Summaries of new opinion pieces from influential media outlets, pundits and intellectuals around the world.
- The Sober Second Thought. Reporting on the newest academic and think tank studies related to the reconstruction of Ukraine.
- Just The Facts. All the news fit to read on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Question for Readers: A foreign investor in the renewable energy sector told The RUB yesterday that some of his competitors have adopted the "brilliant strategy" of submitting project proposals and securing the needed permissions now, but they really only plan to start the actual work when the war is over.
Are you familiar with this strategy? Please message editor Adam Brown about it at adam.brown@ukrainerebuildnews.com or send him a message via WhatsApp at +40 724 279 797. It might make a story for The RUB.
In Case You Missed It (Make this a header like The Reporter's Notepad, etc)
The RUB Meeting Notes: On Oct 1, The RUB journalists are attending:
1: The Business Day meeting of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine (CBU), with expected discussion of the labor shortage in the sector.
2: Environmental damage from Russia's war against Ukraine, a presentation in Berlin by researchers of a study on the effects of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam last year.
For recent Meeting Notes, see our exhaustive coverage of the one-hour seminar Successful EIB Tenders and Procurement Ukraine Talk, sponsored by AHK Ukraine - German Chambers of Commerce Abroad and the Agency for Business and Development.
Oleksiy Starodubov took to LinkedIn to announce he has been promoted to Director of Ukraine Operations and Business Development at prominent investor Tetra Tech after a year at the company. Prior to Tetra Tech, he was a contract USAID consultant.
Many social media posters today, including Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, one of the most-followed government officials on social media, are posting their sentiments about Oct 1 - "Ukrainian Defenders' Day."
Oleksandr Kubrakov, the former vice prime minister for the restoration of Ukraine, announced on X that he has founded independent think tank We Build Ukraine, and will focus on post-war recovery.
U-Nation, the first international startup accelerator for southern Ukraine, announced that it's launching in Odesa today with a call for startups in agro, healthcare, edtech and other areas to attend its free training.
Ukraine risks losing the war as allies fail to deliver, The Atlantic says in op-ed
Ukraine is at risk of losing the war with Russia as its allies are failing to provide it with the support the country needs for victory, American authors and Marine Corps veterans Karl Marlantes and Elliot Ackerman wrote in an opinion piece published by The Atlantic on Monday.
Marlantes and Ackerman described the destruction they witnessed during their recent trip to Ukraine, noting, however, that "the most unsettling thing we saw was the American strategy in Ukraine, one that gives the Ukrainian people just enough military aid not to lose their war but not enough to win it. This strategy is slowly bleeding Ukraine, and its people, to death," they argued.
Marlantes and Ackerman, who during their trip met with the drone unit from Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade, highlighted that the current family of cheap and highly effective drones used by the Ukrainians are all made in China.
"No US equivalent exists in the marketplace, as the efforts of several American companies have stalled," they noted.
Rutte's mission as new NATO head is to rally the West and help Ukraine, Reuters analysis says
Mark Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, faces significant challenges as NATO’s new secretary-general, particularly regarding Ukraine, Reuters reports in an analysis piece.
Rutte, known for his coalition-building skills, steps into the role amid rising tensions with Russia and political uncertainty in Washington, including the potential return of NATO-skeptic Donald Trump. Rutte’s ability to unite NATO’s 32 members will be crucial, especially in continuing support for Ukraine, the news agency says.
Ukraine has been central to Rutte’s rise as an international leader, notably after the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by a Russian missile, which killed 196 Dutch citizens. Now, Rutte’s NATO role will involve ensuring the alliance’s eastern flank is adequately protected, particularly with the deployment of more troops and air defense systems.
ETH Zurich researchers publish 'first geo-spatial mapping' of the destruction of the Ukrainian electricity system
Researchers at public research university ETH Zurich have published what they call the "first comprehensive and geo-spatial mapping of the Ukrainian electricity system and its destruction" in the energy research journal Joule.
The research, they say, has taught them that the reconstruction of the Ukrainian electricity system should meet four main criteria: "fast rebuilding, increased resilience, lowered fuel import dependence, and abatement of polluting emissions."
"Based on an estimation of the country’s wind and solar potential, we argue that these renewables should form the backbone of a future electricity system, as only they meet all four criteria, and we discuss how Ukrainian and international policymakers can facilitate and direct investment," the researchers wrote.
Stalemate in Ukraine may be the best hope for now, Japanese think tank Sasakawa Peace Foundation concludes
Tokyo-based think tank Sasakawa Peace Foundation argues in an essay published Oct 1 that a stalemate in Ukraine may be the best option for now, as neither side is likely to win a decisive victory.
"From this perspective, a stalemate is not necessarily the worst-case scenario," argues Noboru Yamaguchi, a military historian at the International University of Japan. "Instead, perhaps it should be seen as a realistic option to avoid the worst for the time being."
He said the current stalemate could be broken by the sudden weakening of one of the countries, by the entry of new actors into the conflict, or it could drag on for decades as is the case with North and South Korea.
"What is important now is to recognize that efforts must be made to keep the stalemate in place for the time being, and the cost of that is no small thing," he said.
Can we do a file similar to the links file here but without the hyperlinks, which don't seem to work. The main point is to make all the headlines easily visible and in a different style than the actual stories so the separation is clear.
Also, we'll start hyperlinking to the expanded stories on the site but WITHIN the text, as I did in the story below. Only in stories that aren't expanded will we link to the original directly. Also, we'll delete the "read more" portion, as I've done in the story immediately below.
Actually, I would like to find a way to get rid of hyperlinks entirely, as they're visually distracting. Any ideas?
G7 seeks agreement on $50 billion loan to Ukraine by end of October, European Commission EVP says
The G7 is looking to reach a political agreement on the promised $50 billion loan to Ukraine by the end of October and to make the funding available by the end of the year, European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Monday.
"The G7 presidency is now aiming for political commitment on participation in this … loans initiative around the end of October, which would allow all G7 lenders sufficient time to operationalize loans by the end of this year," Dombrovskis said before the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade.
Hungary to continue helping Ukrainian energy sector, foreign minister says
The Hungarian government will continue helping Ukraine boost its energy supply and will encourage Hungary's largest oil and gas company MOL and the power transmission system operator MAVIR to support the development of Ukrainian energy, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said Monday.
"Hungary will continue to support the energy transportation capacities necessary for the security of Ukraine's energy supply," Szijjártó said at a press conference following a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Budapest.
Szijjártó said his government does not impose limitations on the transport of natural gas and exports of electricity to Ukraine.
Seven Ukrainian regions get 600 generators via EU's Civil Protection Mechanism
Seven Ukrainian frontline regions this month received 600 power generators of varying capacities to prepare for the upcoming heating season, the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine said Monday in a press release.
The generators were provided to the Dnipropetrovs'k, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions by the European Union (EU) through the block’s Civil Protection Mechanism and with assistance from the Polish foreign ministry, as per the statement.
BSTDB secures $150 million from Japan's JBIC to support reconstruction of Ukraine
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) has obtained a facility of up to $150 million from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to support Ukraine's reconstruction efforts.
This funding will be instrumental in helping Ukraine, which is currently facing immense challenges, to recover and rebuild key economic and social infrastructure," BSTDB said in a press release on Monday.
Ukraine Facility investment funds may drift toward large firms as small ones fight for survival, BGK official says
European Union funds meant to promote investment in Ukraine's reconstruction risk gravitating toward large companies because smaller ones are too focused on survival to invest, warned a development bank official working with the funds.
Bogdan Zawadewicz, head of Geopolitical Risk Analysis at BGK (Polish National Development Bank), said in an interview with Kyiv Post that the creators of the EU's €50 billion Ukraine Facility "assumed that it could operate even in wartime conditions."
Ukraine MP calls war insurance options 'bureaucratic' and limited; appeals to US envoy Verma and EBRD for help
Ukrainian MP Lisa Yasko said current war risk insurance options in Ukraine are "bureaucratic" and cover only a fraction of the demand, and she called on Richard Verma, the new US envoy to the reconstruction of Ukraine, to help change that.
"The process for securing coverage from international agencies can be slow and bureaucratic, often taking many months," Yasko, a Ukrainian lawmaker and representative to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, wrote in an opinion piece in the Kyiv Independent's Monday edition.
"The recent appointment of the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery brings new optimism," she added. "This role is expected to play a pivotal part in galvanizing international coordination on war risk insurance."
She said Verma, who was appointed last month to replace Penny Pritzker, can help expand coverage and streamline the insurance process by working with US institutions such as the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and USAID.
Ukraine energy minister accused of hindering West-backed push to decentralize power generation, FT says
Ukraine's energy minister is under increasing criticism for delaying a program, widely supported in the West, to decentralize power generation capacity to increase Ukraine's resilience to Russian attacks, the FT reported.
Energy Minister German Galushchenko is being accused of delaying decentralization efforts for two years and only taking some action this summer, announcing low-cost loans for investors in the sector, the newspaper said.
“The energy ministry is not interested in decentralisation," said an energy official, which the FT didn't name. "Rather, they are interested in centralisation, they want as much of energy sector, particularly generation, under their state companies,” said an energy official."
Much of the West-backed resilience strategy for Ukraine involves building numerous smaller energy production facilities, often based on renewable energy, throughout the country to shift away from large, centralized production that's prone to Russian strikes.
Russia aims to boost defense spending almost 30% in 2025 budget
The Russian government aims to spend a record 32.5% of its 2025 budget next year on defense, suggesting it's preparing for a continued war of attrition against Ukraine.
The government’s draft budget earmarks almost 13.5 trillion rubles (over $145 billion) on national defense, about 22% more than planned 2024 defense spending, according to figures from a State Duma news announcement.
The numbers, in the draft budget the government submitted to the state Duma on Monday, are up by about 145% from the 5.5 trillion rubles that the government spent on defense in 2022, the year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Norwegian DFI Norfund given green light to invest in Ukraine to promote reconstruction
The Norwegian government has given the green light to Norfund, the state development finance institution (DFI), to invest in Ukraine, with an eye to boosting the reconstruction of the country.
The government has proposed that NOK 250 million ($23.8 million) be set aside in 2024 for Norfund, which focuses mainly on equity investments, to invest in Ukraine, according to a press release.
United Nations Office for Project Services to open office in Warsaw for Ukraine reconstruction
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) plans to open an office in Warsaw to encourage and support early reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
"The body will first and foremost carry out programmes for the reconstruction of Ukraine," the ministry said in a press release late last week, adding that it is also expected to "strengthen the presence of Polish companies in UN programmes."
The ministry said the local UNOPS office "is supposed to hire about a hundred employees, mainly from Poland, increasing the opportunities for our citizens to be employed in international structures."
UNOPS, based in Copenhagen, says it seeks to maximize the effect of resources related to reconstruction and taps international expertise in areas such as project management and infrastructure building.
In an earlier communique, UNOPS said it plans to "build a team of local and international experts to contribute to projects aimed at advancing the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine."
'Big Four' accounting firm to help Ukraine's defense ministry with risk management deficiencies
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry will receive support from one of the so-called Big Four accounting firms to improve its risk management and compliance system, the ministry said in a press release on Monday, without naming the firm.
The ministry has launched a project with the support of the UK Special Adviser on Defense Program and funded by the UK government to demonstrate the "effectiveness of our three layers of protection in risk management," Deputy Defense Minister Stanislav Haider said.
Coffee Break
(Long Reads to Ponder)
(Make the above the last section header. This section will include longer feature articles from various newspapers that aren't necessarily newsy)
Washington Post: Ukraine’s artillery is helping boost Scranton’s economy
In a feature article, The Washington Post outlines the economic impact of US support for Ukraine in northeastern Pennsylvania and other areas where spending on military aid is creating jobs in a local boom.
The article focuses on the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, operated by General Dynamics, which is supplying 155mm artillery rounds to Ukraine as part of a broader US defense effort fueled by $175 billion in emergency aid.
Over 200 new positions were created at the plant since the 2022 Russian invasion. Local contractors, such as Gentex, have also benefited, expanding their workforce to meet rising military demand, the newspaper reports.
Once a struggling area, the region is experiencing a manufacturing resurgence, reversing economic decline caused by the closure of coal mines and textile mills. Conservative pushback on continued Ukraine aid is mounting in Washington, but local leaders argue that this defense spending is not only vital to U.S. security but also crucial for local economies.
Forbes: AI Avatars Help War-Torn Ukraine Deliver Vital Services
Forbes highlights the push by the Ukrainian government to use AI-generated avatars to help citizens, particularly those in Russian-occupied territory, access vital social services.
The avatars appear in cost-effective, AI-generated videos that provide guidance on resources such as pensions, healthcare, housing, and unemployment benefits, says Deputy Minister of Social Policy Kostiantyn Koshelenko.
Synthesia, a London-based AI video company, has given Koshelenko's ministry free access to its platform, allowing quick production of easily shareable content that engages citizens more effectively than traditional text-based communication, Forbes says in its science section.
This collaboration, which started in May, has produced multiple training videos, including content for over 20,000 social service workers. Forbes highlights that Ukraine has previously used AI-generated humans for public outreach, such as the appointment of Victoria Shi, an AI spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(Also, Sober Second Thought and the What They Think sections should logically go here, but I'm not sure if people will read this far. Any thoughts?)
