LIVE – Ukraine: the Ukrainian army confirms the capture of the city of Kherson by the Russians

· Several explosions at night in Kiev. One week after the start ofRussian offensive in Ukraine, several explosions were heard in Kiev, in the evening of Wednesday, as well as in the night, reports this Thursday morning our special correspondent on the spot. A first explosion was heard around 9 p.m. Wednesday near Central Station. This explosion was caused by a Russian rocket, intercepted by the Ukrainian protection system.

· The Ukrainian army confirms the capture of the city of Kherson by the Russians. In the south of the country, Russia is continuing its advance. Ukrainian officials confirmed overnight from Wednesday to Thursday the presence of the Russian army in Kherson, a large city in the south of the country that Moscow announced it had captured after fierce fighting. It is the largest city taken by Russian forces since the invasion began seven days ago.

· New talks expected this Thursday. After a week of offensive, talks around a ceasefire are to be held again this Thursday morning between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Belarus. Initial discussions on Monday, also in Belarus, had yielded no tangible results, Kiev having demanded an immediate end to the invasion, while Moscow had seemed to expect a surrender.

· One million refugees in one week. A million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the start of the Russian invasion last Thursday, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

The American weekly Time pays tribute to Ukraine on its cover this Thursday, a week after the start of the Russian offensive in the country.

Against the backdrop of the Ukrainian flag, the magazine displays, in Ukrainian, a quote from President Volodymyr Zelensky; “Life will prevail over death, and light will prevail over darkness”.

In addition to the explosion near the central station on Wednesday evening, the sirens sounded in Kiev during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, explains this Thursday morning our special correspondent in the Ukrainian capital, Jérémie Paire, while this alarm siren for to prevent bombings rings live again during its duplex.

“It’s the fifth (siren). Last night there was one, at 1:22 a.m. to be very precise, followed 23 minutes later by a very loud explosion around 1:45 a.m. The last siren was at 4:27 a.m.” , explains Jérémie Paire, before going to take shelter.

Russia’s military advance in the south of the country, in Kherson, comes just hours from new ceasefire talks to which it has agreed.

These negotiations will begin Thursday morning in a place in Belarus located “not far from the border with Poland”, specified the Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinski.

Initial discussions on Monday, also in Belarus, had yielded no tangible results, Kiev having demanded an immediate end to the invasion, while Moscow had seemed to expect a surrender.

A very loud explosion was heard in Kiev near the central station and an Ibis hotel on Wednesday evening, around 9 p.m. local time, according to our special correspondent on the spot Jérémie Paire.

Shortly before, the warning sirens had sounded in the city. Authorities had warned residents to hide in shelters just before the explosion.

According to the Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine, the explosion heard near Kiev’s central railway station this evening was caused by a Russian missile hijacked by the Ukrainians, by a system that can destroy rockets in flight.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated himself on the night of Wednesday to Thursday for having thwarted the “sneaky” plans of Russia which invaded his country, saying he was proud of the “heroic” resistance of the Ukrainians.

“We are a nation that broke the enemy’s plans in a week. Plans written for years: sneaky, full of hatred for our country, our people,” Volodymyr Zelensly said in a video posted on Telegram.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced Wednesday evening “the immediate opening” of an investigation into the situation in Ukraine, where war crimes are allegedly perpetrated, after having received the green light from 39 States Parties to the ICC.

“I have just informed the presidency of the ICC of my decision to immediately open an investigation into the situation” in Ukraine, said the prosecutor general, the Briton Karim Khan, in a press release. “Our evidence gathering work has begun.”

Among the countries that have given the green light: all members of the European Union, but also Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland. Latin American countries such as Colombia and Costa Rica have also given their endorsement.

Ukrainian officials confirmed overnight from Wednesday to Thursday the presence of the Russian army in Kherson, a large city in the south of the country that Moscow announced it had captured in the morning after fierce fighting.

The head of the regional administration, Gennadi Lakhouta, indicated on Telegram that “the occupiers (Russians) are in all the districts of the city and are very dangerous”. The mayor of this city of 290,000 inhabitants, Igor Kolykhaïev, announced to him that he had discussed with “armed guests”, implying, without naming them, Russian troops.

One million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the Russian invasion began a week ago, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Thursday.

“In just seven days, we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighboring countries,” tweeted Filippo Grandi. “For millions more inside Ukraine, it is time for the guns to be silenced so that humanitarian assistance can arrive and save lives,” he implored.

Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the eighth day of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.