The Ukraine war has been raging on for 492 days. PMC Wagner is recruiting members like nothing is amiss, BBC News Russian reports. Russia’s senator Elena Mizulina, known for her fight against the “LGBT propaganda” and abortion rights, plans to leave the Federation Council, according to RBC’s sources. Ukraine is set to receive a $890 mln loan from the IMF — the money will be spent on supporting the state budget. The US approved the sale of ammunition worth $440 million to Taiwan. The number of people detained in France during the recent protests has reached 400. Today also marks the last day of Tinder operating in Russia.

Find out what happened overnight in Novaya Gazeta Europe’s 30 June round-up

BBC: recruitment to PMC Wagner continues as normal

People are still being recruited to the Yevgeny Prigozhin-founded PMC as usual, despite the attempted rebellion and the Russian government’s order on PMCs having to sign contracts with the Defence Ministry, a BBC News Russian correspondent has verified.

The correspondent called the PMC Wagner hotlines in several cities — from Kaliningrad to Krasnodar. He got confirmation that they were still looking for employees and that “nothing has changed”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that, following the rebellion, the Wagner mercenaries had the option of “departing for Belarus”, although it was unclear in what capacity. BBC notes that there have been no signs of a large-scale move of Wagner members to Belarus and that the majority of them, it seems, are still armed and stationed at their bases in the east of Ukraine.

Ukraine to receive a $890 mln loan from IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed “the first review of the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Ukraine”, which will allow the authorities to draw the equivalent of $890 mln. The loan is part of the $115 bln total support package for Ukraine. The money will be spent on budget support.

“The authorities have made strong progress toward their commitments under the EFF under challenging conditions, meeting all applicable quantitative performance criteria through end-April and structural benchmarks through end-June, and remain highly committed to the program,” the IMF statement reads.

Russian senator Elena Mizulina to leave Federation Council — RBC

Russian senator Elena Mizulina, known for her fight against the “LGBT propaganda” and abortion rights, is set to leave the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s Parliament, following the September elections, RBC’s sources claim.

There has been no official confirmation.

Mizulina took part in the drafting of the bill on banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” among minors and worked on the amendments to the family law. Her daughter, Ekaterina Mizulina, is in charge of Russia’s Safe Internet League.

Third night of protests in France: over 400 people detained

Protests have continued for the third day in a row In Paris, Lille, Toulouse, Amiens, Dijon, and other big French cities, following the death of a 17-year-old at the hands of a police officer. At least 421 people have been detained, Le Figaro reports, citing the Ministry of Interior sources.

Most of the detainees are aged 14-18. At least two stores were damaged in Paris during the protests. The protesters are burning cars and clashing with police officers.

There have also been protests in Brussels, which is currently hosting a two-day European Summit, focused on the war in Ukraine and migration problems.

Minister of the Interior of France Gérald Darmanin stated that the government would deploy 40,000 police officers all over the country, including 5,000 in Paris, to quell the riots. All French officials were told to postpone non-urgent trips and remain in Paris, CNN reports, citing a government source.

On 27 June, police officers stopped a car in Nanterre, a Paris suburb, for repeated traffic violations. A 17-year-old teenager who was at the wheel, Nahel M., refused to show his licence and tried to leave the scene. One of the police officers opened fire, and the driver died from a fatal wound to the chest. Afterwards, protests erupted in multiple French cities.

30 June marks last day for Tinder in Russia

Starting from 30 June, Tinder will no longer be operating in Russia, it will also become impossible to log into the app from the territory of the country.

The Match Group company, which owns Tinder, announced their plans to leave Russia on 2 May. “We are committed to protecting human rights. Our brands are taking steps to restrict access to their services in Russia,” the statement read.

Russian newspaper Vedomosti previously reported that Russia’s VK was developing an application similar to Tinder. The app could be launched by the end of summer 2023.

US State Department approves $400 mln military sale to Taiwan 

The US State Department has approved the sale of ammunition and logistics support to Taiwan estimated at $440 mln, the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency reports.

The Pentagon is prepared to sell Taiwan 30mm ammunition for an estimated $332.2 mln, as well as spare and repair parts for wheeled vehicles, weapons, and other logistics-related elements estimated at $108 mln. The agency has already notified the Congress about the potential sales.