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
The future of Ukraine can be decided this Saturday evening. In the United States, a key vote is taking place in the American Congress which will have to decide whether or not to grant aid of 61 billion dollars (57 billion euros) expected for several months by kyiv. “We are getting closer to an important agreement with the United States,” President Zelensky declared this Saturday to journalists. According to him, Ukraine “cannot wait any longer” in the face of Russian pressure. It calls for at least seven additional Patriot anti-aircraft systems.
Ukraine is facing ammunition shortages and is unable to protect all of its cities and energy infrastructure, which have been regularly targeted by the Russian army for several weeks.
Ultimately, American aid was indeed approved. “The life-saving aid law passed today by the House of Representatives will prevent the war from spreading, save thousands and thousands of lives and help our two nations become stronger,” President Zelensky reacted on X, saying he was “grateful” to American elected officials.
The number of the day
Seven. This is the number of missiles fired during the night from Friday to Saturday by Russia at Ukraine. Two were shot down by air defenses, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Today’s statement
“ “We call on international organizations and human rights associations to immediately and strongly condemn this new brutal murder of a Russian journalist” »
This statement comes from the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova after the death of a Russian correspondent journalist, killed during the attack of a Ukrainian drone in the Zaporizhia region, in the southeast of Ukraine. The attack occurred on Friday as journalist Semion Eremine and his film crew were returning from a report in the frontline village of Pryiutne, the daily Izvestia for which he worked said.
“Semin Eremine’s film crew was attacked by several enemy drones at once. The first strike missed its target, but the second hit the journalist who died from his injuries.” The spokesperson claimed that the act was “revenge” against the correspondent. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 15 journalists have been killed while covering the conflict in Ukraine.
Today’s trend
For several weeks, Ukraine has increased its attacks against Russia, particularly targeting oil and gas infrastructure. The latest, during the night from Friday to Saturday, Ukraine launched drones on eight Russian regions affecting a fuel depot and three electrical substations, a Ukrainian defense source told AFP.
Our file on the war in Ukraine
“At least three electricity substations and a fuel depot were hit and caught fire. The target was the energy infrastructure that powers the Russian military-industrial complex,” the source said. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not mention this affected depot according to kyiv, indicating however that it had intercepted 50 Ukrainian drones during the night, some of which were hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border and even near Moscow.