Liquidation of Ibox Bank and pro-European protests in Georgia: last night's highlights

Protests in Georgia

Tens of thousands of people came to the Georgian parliament to protest. They oppose the adoption of a bill on “foreign agents” similar to the Russian one. The protesters were supported by Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who promised to veto the law.

Clashes broke out between the protesters and law enforcement officers, and law enforcement officers began using pepper spray and water cannons against the demonstrators. The protesters broke through the barricade, but later security forces managed to push the demonstrators away from the parliament.

The United States and the EU criticized Georgia's law on “foreign agents” and supported the protesters. The EU called the bill “a very bad development for Georgia and its people”. And the United States noted that it has several tools that “allow to bring to justice anyone in any country in the world who is involved in the suppression” of peaceful assemblies.

Liquidation of Ibox Bank

The National Bank of Ukraine has decided to revoke the banking license of Ibox Bank and liquidate it starting from March 7 due to violations of the law. It is no longer possible to replenish bank cards through IBOX terminals.

Monobank reported that the operator of the IBOX terminal network temporarily does not accept replenishment of their cards, as it needs time to conclude an agreement with another partner bank (previously it was Ibox Bank).

Zaluzhnyi meets with Western military leaders

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi met with a group of senior military leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Poland to discuss the situation at the front, particularly near Bakhmut, the supply of military aid and training of the Ukrainian military.

The military leaders agreed to continue to work together in these and other important areas, Zaluzhnyi summarized the meeting.

The issue of permits to travel abroad

National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksii Danilov said that the next meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff will consider the issue of permits for men of military age to travel abroad. In particular, he mentioned the case of stand-up comedian Andriy Shchegel.

Installation of Western missiles on Ukrainian MiGs

The U.S. military is studying whether the AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missile, designed to fire from Western fighter jets, can be installed on Ukrainian MiGs.

The main problem is that the American and Soviet systems are so different that the missile and the aircraft cannot communicate with each other. The military is working to solve this problem.

Hungarian delegation supports Sweden's NATO bid

On March 7, a Hungarian parliamentary delegation said it supported Sweden's NATO membership bid after meeting with the speaker of the Swedish parliament. The purpose of this meeting was to smooth out what the Hungarian ruling party called “political disputes”. Ratification is expected shortly.

Hungary and Turkey are the only two of the 30 NATO countries that have not yet ratified Finland's and Sweden's accession protocols. And according to the protocol, the consent of all members is required.

Other news:

• Andrii Lukaniuk, a commander of the 80th Brigade, is killed in Donetsk Oblast while performing a combat mission in Chasovyi Yar;
• U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron have a phone conversation to discuss support for Ukraine and the “challenges posed by China”.
• Denmark signed a memorandum on the reconstruction of Mykolaiv Oblast;
• Bulgaria's Constitutional Court rejected a request to declare unconstitutional the decision to provide military aid to Ukraine;
• the National Bank says that the improved energy and seasonal activation sectors have revitalized the industry and services sectors.