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 Ukrainian army has succeeded in establishing positions on the Russian-controlled bank of the Dnieper River in the south of the country, an official from the administration installed by Moscow in the occupied zone admitted on Wednesday for the first time. “About one and a half companies, divided into small groups, are on a stretch from the railway bridge to (the village of) Krynky,” Vladimir Saldo, the leader of the occupied part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, said on Telegram. He is the first Russian official to admit that Ukrainian forces managed to cross the Dnieper in this area and anchor positions there. The Kremlin refused to comment on the subject this week, and the Russian army said nothing about it in its daily reports.
If the Ukrainian army managed to break through the Russian lines in this sector, it would be a significant success, while its vast counter-offensive elsewhere in the country since June has not had the expected results.
The number of the day
2. This is the number of rescue workers killed during a Russian strike in southeastern Ukraine, while they were working in a building that had just been attacked for the first time.
Sentence of the day
We deeply regret that the Finnish authorities have chosen the path of deliberate distancing from the good character of the relations we had before. »
These are the words of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov who “deeply regretted” that Finland was considering closing its border with Russia. Finland announced on Tuesday that it was considering restricting border traffic, or even closing its crossing points with Russia, after an increase in the number of illegal migrant crossings.
Today’s trend
A Russian delegation led by Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov is visiting North Korea, according to Pyongyang state media. The visit comes about a week after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ties between Pyongyang and Moscow were “growing and dangerous” before urging Beijing, North Korea’s ally, to rein in the country with nuclear weapons.
The delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday, according to the official KCNA agency, to discuss “cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, science and technology.” A reception was held at the Koryo Hotel in the North Korean capital on Tuesday, according to KCNA, during which speeches were delivered and participants agreed to “further revitalize bilateral relations in all areas and take them to a higher stage.
For its part, the state agency also revealed on Wednesday that a North Korean delegation led by its Minister of Sports and Culture had left for Russia to participate in a forum in the Russian city of Perm. Analysts say the latest moves indicate the two countries want to emphasize their growing alliance, despite criticism from the international community.