LIVE – War in Ukraine: Russian diplomacy denounces Emmanuel Macron’s “absurd” remarks on the delivery of tanks

STALINGRAD

The Russian city of Volgograd (ex-Stalingrad) inaugurated on Wednesday, according to the Ria Novosti news agency, a bust of Stalin, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Nazis in Stalingrad, commemorations in which Vladimir Putin will participate . A further step in the communication operation, around the Battle of Stalingrad, led by the Kremlin.

RUSSIA

Russian diplomacy on Wednesday denounced Emmanuel Macron’s “absurd” remarks about arms deliveries to kyiv. “Does the French president really believe that deliveries of heavy weapons, planes to the kyiv regime (…) will not lead to an escalation of the situation?”, lambasted the spokesperson, Maria Zakharova.

SENATE

The president of the Ukrainian Rada (unicameral parliament) speaks in front of the French Senate, this Wednesday. It is the first time, for twenty years, that the president of an assembly of a foreign country is thus called upon to mount the tribune of the Senate.

BOYCOTT OF RUSSIAN ATHLETES

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister once again opposed the reintegration of Russian athletes into international competitions, including the 2024 Olympic Games. They have been excluded since the start of the war in Ukraine, but the IOC has expressed the wish to include them again, provoking anger and opposition from Ukraine ever since.

A CRITICISM SALVATION

Olympique de Marseille’s new Ukrainian recruit, Ruslan Malinovskyi, drew criticism from his compatriots after greeting Russian player Aleksandr Golovin at the end of the match between OM and Monaco on Saturday 28 January.

This friendly gesture was not well received by some Ukrainians, so Ruslan Malinovskyi explained himself on Instagram. “I want to apologize to the Ukrainians for responding to the Monaco player’s gesture. I understand that it would be better if I bypassed him, but he happened to come up to me and say hello. After the match, all the players shake hands, and I do it mechanically”, he defended himself.

STALIN STATUE

The Russian city of Volgograd (ex-Stalingrad) inaugurated on Wednesday, according to the Ria Novosti news agency, a bust of Stalin, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Nazis in Stalingrad, commemorations in which Vladimir Putin will participate .

Monuments to the glory of Stalin, father of the victory over the Nazis but also instigator of bloody purges, are rare in Russia. This inauguration also comes as the Kremlin has continued to present its offensive against Ukraine as a “denazification” operation, in line with the legacy of the Second World War.

SEARCHES IN UKRAINE

Ukraine was carrying out a series of searches and police operations on Wednesday targeting an oligarch, administrations and officials for corruption, an evil that is eating away at the country and has notably affected army supplies in the midst of the war. .

David Arakhamia, the leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, announced on Telegram that the police operations were targeting billionaire Igor Kolomoiski, ex-Minister of the Interior Arsen Avakov and the Ukrainian tax authorities in particular, while the Customs Directorate has , she was sacked. Senior officials from the Ministry of Defense also received visits from investigators.

NOT A “WAR PROFITIER”

A few days before a new aid plan for kyiv, Norway, via the voice of its prime minister, defended itself to AFP to be a “war profiteer”. According to Jonas Gahr Støre, since last year, the Scandinavian kingdom has been working hard to help compensate for the collapse of Russian gas deliveries to Europe, of which it has become the main supplier, thus helping it to get through the winter. warm.

But by the way, Norway is filling its coffers considerably, taking advantage of runaway gas prices, still at a high level today after hitting historic highs last year as a result of the war.

This year, the government is planning a record budget surplus of 1.127 billion crowns (104 billion euros) which will supplement the country’s sovereign wealth fund, already the largest in the world with more than 13.400 billion crowns in assets.

EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON FOR “FALSE INFORMATION”

A journalist and former Russian MP, Alexander Nevzorov, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for allegedly spreading “false information” about the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine.

“Mr. Nevzorov is sentenced to an eight-year prison term to be served in a penal colony,” said judge Evgenia Nikolaeva of the Basmanny court in Moscow, according to Russian agencies.

From the first weeks of its assault on Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022, Russia implemented heavy penalties to suppress any criticism of its offensive and the army. Exiled abroad, the journalist now runs a YouTube channel with nearly two million subscribers.

MISSILES THAT WILL NOT DETER THE RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE

According to the Kremlin spokesman, the deliveries of long-range missiles to Ukraine, which could notably be made by the United States, will not deter the Russian offensive.

Missile supplies with a range of 150 km would lead “to a heightening of tensions, to an increase in the level of escalation. We see it, this would involve additional efforts for us, but it will not change the course of events, the special military operation will continue,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

LONG RANGE MISSILES FOR UKRAINE?

US President Joe Biden has said he will discuss his weapons needs with Volodymyr Zelensky. Washington could in particular supply kyiv with GLSDBs. We explain what it is in the article below.

KHERSON, STILL BOMBARDED

According to the British Ministry of Defence’s daily update, Kherson remains the most regularly bombed major Ukrainian city outside the Donbass. On January 29, local authorities reported, for example, the death of three civilians and the damage to two foreign ships moored on the river, causing an oil spill.

“The precise reasons which push Russia to spend its depleted ammunition stocks in this city are not clear”, notes the ministry, which nevertheless estimates that these bombardments would be aimed at demoralizing the Ukrainians and preventing any counter-attack through the Dnipro river.

DISTANCIAL COURSES

Despite the war, schools continue to organize lessons for young Ukrainians, with distance education, but also exchanges between teachers and parents. “Children should not get used to either teachers or school,” explains the director of a school in Nikopol, Oksana Skrypnyk.

A GLOBAL PROBLEM

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that Russia’s war was a global problem that also affected the security environment in Asia. He also felt during a speech at Keio University in Tokyo that Russian President Vladimir Putin had misjudged the resilience of Ukrainians and the unity displayed by NATO members to support Ukraine.

FAREWELL CEREMONY

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have lost their lives since the conflict began. “My motivation after such an event increases even more. I understand that we have to work tirelessly for our land to be liberated,” says Oleksiy, whose best friend died in the war.

UPDATE ON THE SITUATION

In the article below, find a summary of the information related to the conflict of the last 24 hours.

THANKS

The day after the meeting in Paris of the Ukrainian and French Defense Ministers, Oleksii Reznikov thanked his counterpart on Twitter. “We thank the president, the government and the French nation for providing AMX-10s, more CAESARs, ammunition for Crotales, for training our soldiers and for providing fuel and equipment,” he said. added.

A NEW LONG RANGE MISSILE FOR UKRAINE?

The United States announced a new aid package for Ukraine, which could contain the long-range GLSDB missile. Explanations in the video below.

HELLO

Hello and welcome to this direct dedicated to the war in Ukraine. Find here all the information related to the conflict that started in Eastern Europe, 342 days ago.