March 5, 2022 - A gathering was held in Zagreb today as a show of solidarity and support of Ukraine, nine days after the Russian invasion started. A large number of people were present in Ban Jelačić Square, waving Ukrainian and Croatian flags. The Ambassador of Ukraine spoke at the gathering with an emotional message.

As an expression of solidarity and support of Ukraine and Ukrainian people due to Russia's aggression against that country, a rally organized by the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) and the Union of Ukrainians of the City of Zagreb began in Zagreb's main square in the presence of several hundred citizens, reports Telegram.hr. Ukrainian Ambassador Vasily Kirilich spoke at the gathering, who spoke through tears about Russia's aggression against his homeland, especially emphasizing the attack on the largest European nuclear power plant, Zaporozhye.

"It's not a war anymore, it's genocide. I ask NATO to stop this devil. If we do not stop today without being late tomorrow, I am asking Europe, the world, and NATO to close the skies in Ukraine and save thousands of lives. No time to think and make statements. It is time to act.", Kirilic said. The Ambassador thanked the Republic of Croatia, the Government, and the Prime Minister. Gathered citizens greeted his speech chanting: "Ukraine, Ukraine."

Several banners were seen at the gathering. On the fence in front of the stage on Ban Jelačić Square on the Ukrainian national flag is the message "I stand with Ukraine", "#stoprussianagression", and songs by Ukrainian bands are played on the loudspeaker. More citizens who came to express their support for the attacked country came to the Square in robes or carrying Ukrainian and Croatian national flags.

Some of them carry banners written in Croatian, Ukrainian, and English, which read, among others, "Glory to the Heroes of Ukraine" and "Glory to Ukraine", "Let's Help Ukraine", "Help Ukraine to save Europe, establish no-fly zone!", “Stop the war in Ukraine!”, “Pray for Ukraine”, “Stop Putin, stop the war”, “Stop the war, save Europe”, “Ukraine is the heart of Europe”.

A leaflet printed in Croatian and English was distributed to those gathered, which reads - We want freedom! Help us realize the dream of our freedom. Russia is just brutally bombing our cities. Putin denies and denies the existence of the Ukrainian nation, we just want freedom and live as free people. Please support Ukraine and our people.

Announcing the rally in Zagreb, Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) President Ivan Zvonimir Cicak on Wednesday called on leaders of other cities and counties to join in supporting Ukraine with their rallies, which will take place in several cities - Split, Vukovar, Rijeka, and Pula.

For more on the Ukraine crisis and Croatia, as well as breaking news, follow our news section.

March the 5th, 2022 - The Croatian Tourist Board Moscow office is still there despite the current events surrounding Russia following its unjustified invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, but it currently has no function at all.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, other sectors of the economy that have openly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine have been joined by officially European tourism.

A statement on Thursday issued a statement from the European Travel Commission, whose members condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression, while helping refugees in need of services such as transport or accommodation.

Support has also been announced for all those who will suffer damage because they will be left without tourists from Ukraine and Russia this season, after the losses brought to them by the global coronavirus pandemic over the past two years. The Republic of Croatia has also suspended all marketing activities on the Russian market, but as has since been found out, the Croatian Tourist Board Moscow office still formally exists.

As it is known, the office headed by Rajko Ruzicka is also in charge of the Ukrainian market. Back in pre-pandemic 2019, Croatia had a total of 1.8 million overnight stays from these two markets. "Given the situation, all promotional activities on the Russian market are currently suspended, and we're in daily contact with the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Moscow office. The Croatian Tourist Board Moscow office also covers the nearby Ukrainian market, so it's too early to talk about the manner and dynamics of its work in the future. All decisions on the offices of the Croatian National Tourist Board are made exclusively by the Tourist Board and the CNTB Assembly,'' CNTB director Kristjan Stanicic said recently.

When it comes to current events playing out across Eastern Europe and their impact on current and future tourism trends, at this time it is very difficult to predict anything in advance, according to the director of the CNTB.

"Although booking itself is currently somewhat slower, so far we aren't really noticing any major market disruptions, which has been confirmed by the dynamics of tourist traffic, which has been stable over the past week. However, if the situation in Ukraine doesn't stabilise soon, it's realistic to expect that it will begin to spill over to countries in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine, and consequently to the whole of Europe.

In this context, we can hardly count on guests from distant markets, especially the USA, Canada, China... On the other hand, Croatia is primarily a car destination, we are easily accessible to our most important markets and roads, which in these circumstances is a comparative advantage,'' said Stanicic.

An extraordinary meeting of the European Travel Commission (ETC) was held earlier this week to discuss the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and they expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine. In yesterday's ETC announcement, they emphasised that the Commission's fundamental principle was to promote travel as a catalyst for peace, understanding and respect. This original mission is still valid today, as it was when the organisation was founded more than 70 years ago, after the end of the devastating Second World War.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that travel continues to build bridges between different cultures and people. The ETC is ready to support the Ukrainian people fleeing the conflict. We commend the continued efforts of our members and partners to provide transportation, shelter and food for Ukrainian refugees. There are countless examples of outbursts of support, including from our colleagues in Lithuania who have launched a website and telephone line for Ukrainian citizens who need advice on moving to Vilnius. Airbnb, an associate member of the ETC, is also offering totally free accommodation to up to 100,000 Ukrainians displaced by the war.

Another inspiring example are train operators from many European countries that have offered free travel to Ukrainian refugees. We'll continue to work with the travel community to develop and further promote initiatives across Europe to help the citizens of Ukraine,'' the ETC said.

For more, check out our travel section.

March 2, 2022 - A group of volunteers from the Association for Ukrainian Culture in Dalmatia - CVIT, with the help of a married couple conformed by a Ukrainian and a Chilean of Croatian descent, have set up a space to collect donations for Ukraine to support the refugees at the border. Here is what they need.

Yesterday, the people of Split once again showed their great heart, responding to the action of collecting humanitarian aid for Ukrainians organized by volunteers of the "Association for Ukrainian Culture in Dalmatia - CVIT", reports Slobodna Dalmacija. As we learn from Olga Kysliuk, a Ukrainian woman married to Rafael Barria, Chilean of Croatian descent who brought her spouse to Split, the space they rented for other purposes was made available to collect aid until further notice.

''We had a really good response today, even some Russians came to us with donations for Ukraine, so we decided to leave the door open as long as there is interest. A lot has been collected, and in contact with Ukrainians on the ground we learn that there is still a lack of medical supplies, compresses to stop bleeding and first aid kits, and thermal clothing and flashlights, along with hygiene supplies and instant food, so please adjust their donations to these needs'', Kysliuk states.

According to her, part of the already collected donations will be taken over by Ukrainian volunteers on the way to the border in the early morning hours, while the rest is being organized for transport.

''We do the best we can on our own. We are in contact with the embassy, ​​but the organization is on us. People from all over are really coming and offering what they can, and the smiles they come to our door are worth a lot. Of course, they are not in good spirits, none of us are, so we appreciate that effort. I feel much better today than in the previous days, because I did something useful, not just sitting and crying with my arms crossed while my dear people spend the night in shelters'', says our interlocutor originally from the newly destroyed city of Chernihiv, stating that her family at the last minute found refuge in the countryside, but still in Ukraine.

Donations will be collected at the same address, Ulica kralja Zvonimira 7, today between 16:00 and 20:00, and apparently in the coming days as well. Anyone interested in more information can call 095/542 4292.

For more on the Ukraine crisis and Croatia, as well as breaking news, follow our news section.

March the 1st, 2022 - We recently wrote about Croatian Sberbank clients lining up outside Sberbank in Split and Zagreb to withdraw their cash as countries across Europe and the rest of the world imposed harsh sanctions on Russia following its recent invasion of Ukraine. How safe are Croatian Sberbank savings in reality?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, the sense of general nervousness over sanctions imposed against Russian banks by many countries has resulted in the aforementioned queues in front of Sberbank's branches in both Zagreb and Split as Croatian Sberbank savings are withdrawn. The Croatian Deposit Insurance Agency says, however that ''there is no reason to panic, Croatian Sberbank savings are safe regardless of the war and the sanctions''.

“The deposit insurance system has been in place for more than twenty years now, there is no reason to panic about deposits in any bank. At the moment, Sberbank Croatia has slightly more than 69,952 clients, of which 69,858 clients are insured and protected,'' said the director of the Agency, Marija Hrebac. All deposits up to 100,000 euros have been secured, and DAB currently has over 5.6 billion kuna at its disposal.

More about that can be read by clicking here.

The Croatian National Bank (CNB/HNB) has stated that the impact of the sanctions imposed against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine is divided.

"Given the first initial insight into European sanctions, Sberbank Croatia is not directly affected. However, there are also American sanctions, and under them are all institutions, including Sberbank Croatia,'' explained Vice Governor Michael Faulend, saying that the CNB will continue to look into all of the effects.

He said that the Croatian banking system was "very stable and well-capitalised and that it was important to emphasise that Sberbank occupies approximately two percent in this system. If something were to happen to the bank in an undesirable scenario, its impact on the financial system would not be so disruptive to overall relations,'' he assured those with Croatian Sberbank savings.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

February the 28th, 2022 - Croatian geopolitics expert Professor Vlatko Cvrtila has discussed the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine following Russia's unjustified invasion of that Eastern European country. He also touched on potential Balkan consequences of the war.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Geopolitics expert Professor Vlatko Cvrtila spoke about the current and escalating situation in Ukraine on N1 television, where he went deeper and analysed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He commented, among other things, on how the Russian-Ukrainian crisis could affect the Balkans.

"We're now in a version of the Cold War 2.0. We know how things were back during the Cold War. In addition to opposing ideologies and policies, each side sought to pursue its interests in some undefined territories in the world. These are the territories where the so-called proxy wars. The Western Balkans, that is, our region, is one of those areas, and as such it's another area in which Vladimir Putin would try to possibly sabotage those efforts of the West,'' Professot Vlatko Cvrtila said, and continued:

"The biggest concern is that it could potentially happen here in Croatia's region, given that there are countries and political structures that are very sympathetic to Putin and Russia, and here I mean primarily Serbia, but also Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Dodik has been seriously shaking things up for six months in that country in terms of announcing the exit of those institutions that were founded by the Dayton Agreement, and the Dayton Agreement was what stopped the war,'' he explained.

Vlatko Cvrtila also commented on whether one of the consequences of the Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine would be the formation of a European army.

"I'm not optimistic that it will be something that will form rapidly, but to the question of whether or not there'll be some strategic changes... there certainly will,'' Professor Vlatko Cvrtila concluded.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.

February the 26th, 2022 - Croatian Sberbank clients have begun withdrawing cash from their accounts held with the well known Russian bank following sanctions placed on the country as a result of its unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, growing anxiety over sanctions against Russia and as such Russian banks, imposed by the West over the illegal invasion of Ukraine, sparked queues in front of Sberbank branches in the cities of Zagreb and Split on Friday as Croatian Sbernank clients waited to remove their money.

Fearing for their cash held in that bank, Croatian Sberbank clients began lining up to withdraw their money. The State Deposit Insurance Agency, under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance, convened an emergency press conference, telling people that their savings are safe regardless of the current tragic events in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

"I'd like to remind people about the deposit insurance system that has existed for more than 20 years now and that there's no reason to panic about deposits in any bank in that system, including those in Sberbank. Sberbank RH currently has slightly more than 69,952 clients, of which 69,858 clients are insured and protected,'' said the director of the Agency Marija Hrebac, noting that all deposits up to 100,000 euros are insured in case of a bank failure.

"Even if there were serious problems, theoretically, if all other systems failed, the Croatian deposit insurance system wouldn't fail and would certainly protect Croatia's financial stability. If the worst-case scenario occurs, we can pay off all Croatian Sberbank clients who have deposits of up to 100,000 held with Sberbank,'' said Hrebac, saying that there is approximately 3.8 billion kuna of insured savings in that Russian bank. She added that only about 80 clients are currently not protected, and they're primarily financial institutions.

"We have the funds at our disposal, if the worst-case scenario happens by chance, those who have saved with Sberbank will be able to access their funds, which they keep there," Hrebac emphasised. According to the Croatian National Bank (CNB/HNB), as of June the 30th, 2021, total deposits entrusted to Sberbank RH amounted to 9.5 billion kuna.

Sberbank itself previously said that they would continue to operate as usual. “Sberbank Croatia (RH) will be operating as usual, providing all products and services to all its clients. Sberbank Croatia is part of the Sberbank Europe Group - a European financial institution with a European banking license. We operate here on the local market, primarily at the service of Croatian Sberbank clients, under the regulation and supervision of the European Central Bank and the local Croatian National Bank,'' reads the statement on the website.

To briefly recall, back in November, the Russian Sberbank announced that it was withdrawing from the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. The bank's operations here in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Hungary were sold to Miodrag Kostic's group, known and often referred to be regional media as the "Serbian sugar king". The sale was agreed between Sberbank Europe on the one hand, and Belgrade's AIK Bank, Gorenjska Bank from Kranj and AEC Ltd. on the other.

The value of the transaction is unofficially estimated at 500m euros, and its completion and formal completion is expected later this year, provided regulators give the green light for it.

"Sberbank Europe AG has decided to reduce its geographical presence in the CEE region in order to focus on key markets," said the then-largest Russian bank, which has been under sanctions since 2014 over the Russian annexation of Crimea.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 24 Jan 2022 - EU foreign ministers said on Monday that notions of "spheres of interest" had no place in the 21st century and condemned Russia's threats against Ukraine, threatening Moscow with "massive consequences" if it attacks Ukraine.

"Notions of 'spheres of influence' have no place in the 21st century," the Council said in conclusions on the European security situation.

EU foreign ministers met in Brussels today and the main topic was the tense situation on Ukrainian borders, where Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops.

"The Council condemns Russia’s continued aggressive actions and threats against Ukraine, and calls on Russia to de-escalate, to abide by international law and to engage constructively in dialogue through the established international mechanisms," the conclusions say, adding that "any further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs."

That "includes a wide array of sectoral and individual restrictive measures that would be adopted in coordination with partners."

Due to the situation in Ukraine, some countries have announced downsizing their diplomatic missions and advised against travel there.

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said Croatia was monitoring the situation and that for now there was no reasons to withdraw diplomats.

"The EU High Representative for the foreign and security policy, Josep Borrell, has said that for now there is no reason to evacuate. Croatia will follow the situation and the EU's position. There might be a change, but for now the member states won't withdraw their diplomats," he said.

ZAGREB, 3 Dec 2021 - Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Friday that Croatia was one of Russia's "fundamental partners in the EU."

Speaking after the tenth session of the intergovernmental Croatian-Russian commission for economic, scientific and technical cooperation, Patrushev said he was glad that despite the pandemic, the Croatian and Russian sides were meeting face to face.

He said the working group's work was successful, that a broad dialogue was held, and that he saw there were a number of cooperation areas.

Patrushev said Russia and Croatia cooperated the most in energy, infrastructure, healthcare, and education, and that the potential to cooperate in agriculture was high.

This year's trade doubled on the preceding period, so we can conclude that the potential for advancing relations is big, he said.

Both sides are interested in agriculture, he said, expecting a higher volume of trade in this field.

Patrushev said they also talked about possible cooperation in fighting the pandemic and agreed that the relevant state institutions should work on the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.

Croatian Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić said the meeting focused on bilateral relations as well as on topics of concern for the commission. He added that economic cooperation was good and had the potential to grow.

He said they talked about intensifying trade and that next year, on the 30th anniversary of its independence, Croatia would organise a large economic forum in Russia.

He voiced confidence that there will be opportunity to discuss visits planned for next year, including that of Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in January.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated politics page.

September the 11th, 2021 - The Croatian company Holosys develops and manufactures advanced electrical devices which are based on NB-IOT (narrowband Internet of Things) for the remote reading of energy consumption. They're present in as many as fifty countries around the world.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, as of this week, they have added the largest country in the world - Russia - to their already impressive list of their export markets. Namely, the Croatian company Holosys performed at the EcwaTech 2021 fair at the beginning of the week, the largest event in the water industry in Russia, and clearly caught many an eye.

“It was our first step into this enormous market and we're pleased to be able to present our solutions to all visitors, both from Russia and abroad. We've established contact with numerous utility companies and system integrators from this part of the world and we're continuing with more talks about specific projects. As always, making new contacts means new learning opportunities and opportunities for growth,'' they said from Holosys.

As Tomislav Lekic, CEO of the Croatian company Holosys, explained, they're entering the Russian market with new technology that is beginning to be applied in various economic sectors, and interest is growing due to a number of advantages - better signal coverage, reliable data delivery, savings for utilities and companies. Holosys independently develops, manufactures and supplies the NB-IoT Bridge and the NB-IoT Pulse Reader P1-N, modules that enable connection to the telecom operator's NB-IoT networks.

The company has been doing business with numerous companies and utility companies across Croatia for fifteen years now, while worldwide they work with established manufacturers of telemetry equipment, system integrators and utility companies. Their solutions are in more than 500,000 measures of water and gas consumption in the world.

All these experiences are built into the development and improvement of the NB IoT system, and according to Director Lekic, the Croatian company Holosys' NB-IoT device can connect up to five metres at once, so less equipment is needed to establish a stable transmission of readings.

''The ideal scenario for the implementation of the solution includes a module that connects to the consumption measures, and which connects to the mobile network through which it sends the collected data. The data is then displayed via software and can be analysed at a remote location.

The devices are extremely durable and can operate at temperatures from -20 to +80 degrees Celsius, the battery lasts up to ten years, depending on the frequency of sending the consumption data, and the devices have IP68 protection against water penetration,'' explained Lekic.

They further explained from the Croatian company Holosys that utilities and companies get a long-term and reliable solution for secure data transfer, and it is possible to implement it where the standard mobile signal fails to reach, so it is ideal for rural areas and underground infrastructure. Implementation, they claim, is simple, and as the infrastructure is significantly simplified, meaning that maintenance costs are kept low.

''With the implementation of NB-IoT, utility companies gain access to the real-time monitoring of their distribution network, and in the event of a breakdown or leak, they can react much faster and as such work to reduce losses. They also get the infrastructure through which end users can access an application that sounds an alarm in the event of a pipe burst and provides information on excessive customer consumption,'' concluded the director.

For more, make sure to check out Made in Croatia.

ZAGREB, 19 July 2021 - A Russian MUZ TV music channel crew is visiting Split-Dalmatia and Šibenik-Knin counties until 23 July to film a special program on tourist experience and attractions in the two Adriatic regions, the Croatian Tourism Board (HTZ) said on Monday.  

The visit was organized by the HTZ with the support of the tourism boards of the two counties. The Russian crew will visit Split, Šibenik, Omiš, Mount Biokovo, Brač island, Kornati National Park, Krka National Park and Skradin.

The footage will be shown in the Independent Traveller (Otpusk bez putevki) show, which is watched by more than two million people per episode. The program will also be available on MUZ TV's YouTube channel, the HTZ said.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.