Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. 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
Three people, including a young teenager, were killed in Russian attacks in eastern and northeastern Ukraine, where Moscow has claimed constant advances in recent weeks, according to a report announced by Ukrainian authorities on Monday. .
Two people, including a 12-year-old boy, died and another was injured following Russian shelling of the village of Mykhailivka in the Donetsk region, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. Russian aircraft dropped two bombs 90 minutes apart which damaged several houses in this town, he said.
During the night from Sunday to Monday, one person was killed and two others were injured in a Russian strike on the neighboring region of Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, where the Russian army was recently seized several villages. The attack hit a leisure site in Slobojanské, a town southeast of Kharkiv, the second largest Ukrainian city and the capital of the eponymous region, according to the governor.
Today’s statement
“ “The wives and mothers of those mobilized are just tired, they want their men to come home” »
The sentence is signed Paoulina, a wife of a Russian soldier engaged in Ukraine, who, like around fifteen other women, demonstrated this Monday in front of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow to demand the return of those mobilized and a meeting with the new minister , Andrei Belousov. Lined up in front of the ministry gates, they held up signs to demand their repatriation. “It’s time for the mobilized to come home”, “I’m alone, I’m fed up”, we could read on some signs.
A sign appealed directly to the Minister of Defense, appointed on May 12 to replace Sergei Shoigu: “Beloussov Andreï Removitch, talk to us, we are here”. The police ordered them to disperse and remove their signs, but it was a sudden and intense downpour that made them flee, Paoulina said.
The growing repression having made demonstrations extremely rare in Russia, associations of women or relatives of mobilized people demanding their return are the only ones to still organize rallies in Moscow.
The number of the day
Twelve. This is the number of days remaining before the holding of the Conference for Peace in Ukraine, organized by Switzerland on June 15 in Lucerne. This Monday, American Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed her participation. She will highlight “the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to encouraging Ukraine’s efforts to ensure a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the principles of the United Nations Charter. “.
Despite the invitation sent by Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, campaigning for a second presidential term, has decided to return to the United States, although he will be present just before in Italy for the G7 summit.
For its part, China denied this Monday that it was “putting pressure” on certain countries so that they do not participate in the conference, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this weekend. “Using force politics is not the style of Chinese diplomacy, (…) China’s position is open and transparent, and in no case do we put pressure on other countries,” declared Mao Ning , spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Last week, Beijing said it would be “difficult” to participate in this summit if Russia was not invited, a statement approved by Moscow.
The trend
Ukraine will ask its allies to grant its army greater freedom to strike with Western equipment on military targets inside Russia, after the United States partially lifted restrictions on certain weapons supplied in kyiv. Last week, Washington gave Ukraine limited authorization to use equipment supplied to it to target military targets on Russian territory, as part of Ukraine’s efforts to repel attacks against its region of Kharkiv (north-east).
Russia pounds this border territory daily with guided bombs dropped from planes from Russian airspace, out of range of Ukrainian weapons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that the only way to put an end to it is to use Western weapons with superior range.
“This is not 100% authorization. There are rules to respect,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba. “We will continue to work with our allies on expanding its scope,” he added.
The use of Western weapons for strikes on Russian soil, and not just on occupied Ukrainian areas, has divided kyiv’s allies, with many reluctant to allow Ukraine to bomb across the border for fear that this brings them closer to a direct conflict with Moscow.