Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? Don’t panic, 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below:
Info of the day
It is the “bloodiest” battle since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Mykhaïlo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidency. The fighting raging between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Bakhmout or Soledar has been the scene of a real communication war between the two armies. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigojine claimed responsibility for Soledar, located near the larger town of Bakhmout. But according to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar, the Russians “attempted to break through the defense” of Ukraine and “completely capture the city, but without success. »
Behind, Moscow temporized. “You don’t have to rush. Let’s wait for official statements,” spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, told the press, while considering that there was “a positive dynamic in the advances” of the Russian forces.
sentence of the day
The end of the war can only be achieved with the delivery of weapons”
Ukraine can win the war within the year if the West delivers more powerful military equipment, including long-range missiles and heavy tanks, argued Mykhaïlo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, in an interview with the AFP. “Only missiles with a range of more than 100 kilometers will allow us to significantly speed up the liberation of the territories”, which will lead to the end of the war “in late spring, early summer, in the summer or probably in the fall, ”he hammered.
However, Ukraine “will not attack” targets on Russian territory once it has obtained the long-range weapons, he assured. “We are waging an exclusively defensive war,” noted the official, warning that without the delivery of more powerful Western weapons, the war could last for “decades”.
The number of the day
250,000 euro. This is the sum collected by the director Michel Hazanavicius to help Ukraine. The filmmaker organized an auction of objects sold by cinema celebrities. In this sale which took place at Artcurial, the guests were able to admire a vanity case by Catherine Deneuve, the watch worn by Jean Dujardin in OSS 117 or the helmet of one of Daft Punk. Tom Hanks donated a typewriter from his personal collection and Natalie Portman, posters.
Half of the amount raised was donated to UNITED24, a fundraising platform set up by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the other half to the foundation of First Lady Olena Zelenska. Part of this sum must go to the hospital of Izioum (east), partially destroyed by the Russians.
The trend of the day
This is the second in three months. A new offensive commander in Ukraine has been appointed by Moscow. This is General Valéri Guerassimov, the Chief of the Defense Staff. “The increase in the command level of the special operation is linked to an expansion of the scope of the missions to be performed, the need to conduct closer interaction between the components of the armed forces”, explained the Russian Ministry of Defense. He specifies that Valéri Guerassimov will have Generals Sergei Surovikin, Oleg Salioukov and Alexei Kim as assistants.
Reputed to be implacable, Sergei Surovikin was appointed commander of troops in Ukraine in October to redress the situation of the Russian army which was suffering setbacks in the face of Ukrainian offensives in the regions of Kharkiv (northeast) and Kherson (south). It was Sergei Surovikin in particular who proposed and organized the withdrawal of Russian forces from the city of Kherson in early November, a major setback for the Kremlin.