It would be “absurd” for the UN-backed International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resume cooperation with Russia, Kyiv has said, following reports the IMF is planning to send its first mission to the country since it invaded Ukraine.
The IMF’s Russian representative Aleksei Mozhin told Reuters this week that the mission – the first since 2019 – would go ahead on 16 September.
It will be the first major international financial body to send its official mission to Russia since Moscow sent its troops onto Ukrainian soil.
Ukraine says it is “concerned” at the reports and said it would be “absurd for the main financial institution of the United Nations to legitimise the Russian regime that commits horrific atrocities”.
The IMF has been criticised by several Western member states during the war for providing what they say are overly optimistic outlooks about the Russian economy.
Poland rows back on claim that drone violated airspace during Russian attack
Poland has rowed back on its claim that a drone likely entered its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine last month.
A Polish army spokesperson said an object that entered the country’s airspace early on the morning of 26 August was “most likely a drone” but weather conditions meant it couldn’t be identified with complete certainty.
After 10 days of analysis and an extensive search failed to produce any trace of a Russian drone, General Maciej Klisz, head of the Polish army’s operational command, said he believed the airspace had not been violated
“As a result of the analytical activities undertaken, I currently state that with a very high probability there was no violation of the airspace of the Republic of Poland on 26 August,” he told reporters.
Poland has reported several other airspace violations during Russia’s war with Ukraine, and General Klisz warned they could happen again.
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