Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening. Between the strong declarations, the advances on the front and the results of the battles, here are the main points of the day.
The fact of the day
A heavy toll for civilians, the first victims of bombings or drone attacks. On Thursday, four women were killed by Ukrainian strikes on Donetsk, according to Russia, which occupies the city. The attack also left two injured, a child born in 2018 and a man born in 1987, while another strike on a neighboring town injured a septuagenarian.
In Russia, this time, a woman and her four-year-old child died in a drone attack on the village of Oktyabrsky, located in the Belgorod border region. The two victims were in a car that was targeted. The mother died instantly while her son died of his injuries in hospital. During the day, a gas station near the village of Bessonovka was also targeted, without causing any casualties.
Sentence of the day
“ Until there is a just and lasting peace, the fight against the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine will remain our strategic priority »
On the occasion of the celebration of its 75th anniversary on Friday, the Council of Europe underlined its “determination” to “continue to support Ukraine and its people”.
This was indicated in a joint declaration by 41 of the 46 ministers representing the member countries of the organization. Note that Hungary, Armenia, Serbia, Azerbaijan and Turkey did not associate themselves with this declaration.
The number of the day
17. This is the number of pro-Kremlin media now banned from broadcasting in Europe. On Friday, four were added to this list including the website Voice of Europe and Russian newspapers Izvestia And Rossiiskaya Gazeta. The last being the agency Ria Novosti.
“These media are under the permanent direct or indirect control of the authorities of the Russian Federation and have played an essential role in supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the destabilization of neighboring countries,” says the Council in a press release on Friday.
Today’s trend
Will Russia observe a truce in fighting in Ukraine during the Paris Olympic Games, as Emmanuel Macron would like? This Friday, Vladimir Putin made fun of the intentions of his French counterpart, implying that he would do nothing about it. “These Olympic principles, including the Olympic Truce, are very fair. But few countries have respected it in history, with the exception of ancient Greece,” he argues to the press.
And if the message was not clear enough, the head of the Kremlin hit the nail on the head, recalling that Russia had been excluded from the Paris Games. And therefore that she did not have to comply with the principles of the International Olympic Committee. In the text, this reads: “International sports officials are today violating the principles of the Olympic Charter with regard to Russia but they want us to comply with the rules they impose on us,” he adds. To demand something from others, you must respect the rules yourself.”