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EUROPE REACTS IN ITS TURN TO THE CEASFIRE
The Russian ceasefire, decreed on this Orthodox Christmas day, is “not credible”, castigated Josep Borell, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs, on Friday. “The Kremlin completely lacks credibility and this declaration of a desire for a unilateral ceasefire is not credible,” he said, on the sidelines of a visit to Fez, Morocco. “The answer that comes to mind for all of us is skepticism in the face of so much hypocrisy,” he adds.
RUSSIAN STRIKE
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar on Friday released photos of the supposed damage after a Russian strike on Kurakhove in Donestk Oblast. According to her, residential buildings were particularly affected.
QUAI D’ORSAY
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted on Friday to the announcement of a ceasefire made the day before by Russia. This “cannot deceive anyone”, lambasted the Quai d’Orsay. “This announcement constitutes a crass attempt by Russia to hide its responsibility, while it continues to multiply the exactions and to relentlessly bombard the whole of the Ukrainian territory, by targeting in particular, in the middle of winter, the critical installations and civilian populations,” he added.
“France reiterates its deep conviction that a just and lasting peace cannot come about without a total withdrawal of Russian troops from all of Ukrainian territory. 11 months the Ukrainian people, who are courageously fighting for their freedom and independence from the Russian aggressor”, concludes the executive.
CEASEFIRE NOT ENFORCED
Vladimir Putin declared a 36-hour truce in Ukraine on Thursday for Orthodox Christmas, starting at noon. But shelling and shooting continue in Kramatorsk and on the front line.
A NON-EXISTING CEASFIRE
While the strikes continue in Ukraine, the Russian army has however assured to respect the unilateral ceasefire of two days decreed by Moscow in Ukraine for the Orthodox Christmas. She accused kyiv of continuing the bombings. “Despite the respect of the ceasefire regime by the Russian troops (…) the kyiv regime continued to bombard Russian cities and positions”, assured the Russian Ministry of Defense in its daily report.
40 GERMAN ARMOR FOR kyiv
Germany will send 40 “Marder” armored vehicles to the Ukrainian army in the first quarter of 2023, a government spokesman confirmed, the day after Berlin and Washington announced a new phase in military support in Kyiv. The information had already been given by the German media Der Spiegel.
“Forty vehicles will be ready in the first quarter, and can be sent to Ukraine”, after an “8-week training” provided to the Ukrainian army, Steffen Hebestreit told the press. For more details on the American and German models sent to Ukraine, you can find our article on the subject.
MUTUAL CHARGES
The Russian army assured to respect the unilateral ceasefire of two days decreed by Moscow in Ukraine for the Orthodox Christmas, but accused kyiv of continuing the bombardments.
“Despite the observance of the ceasefire regime by Russian troops…the kyiv regime continued to shell Russian towns and positions,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily report.
THE FIGHTS CONTINUE
Artillery fire continues on both sides of the front in Bakhmut, the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine, despite the entry into force of a unilateral truce announced earlier by Moscow, according to journalists from the AFP.
Shots on the Ukrainian side and on the Russian side were heard after the start of the ceasefire, at noon local time, in this city with largely destroyed and deserted streets, but their intensity was less compared to the previous days.
RUSSIAN STRIKES IN KRAMATORSK
The Russian army struck twice on Friday the city of Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, after the announced start of a unilateral ceasefire decreed by Moscow, said the deputy head of the administration Ukrainian presidential.
“Occupiers hit the city with rockets twice. A private residential building was hit. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties,” Kyrylo Tymoshenko wrote on Telegram.
LIFE GOES ON
According to Volodymyr Zelensky’s former spokeswoman, Iuliia Mendel, kyiv has seen 22,600 marriages and 13,965 births in more than 300 days of war.
BOMBING IN KHERSON
In a message broadcast a few minutes after the announced start of the ceasefire, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Kyrylo Tymoshenko reported a Russian bombardment on Kherson (south), which caused casualties. However, he did not specify when the strike took place.
Separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine, quoted by Russian news agencies, reported the shelling of their stronghold of Donetsk by the Ukrainian army 15 minutes before the theoretical entry into force of the ceasefire .
RT FRANCE STILL ACCESSIBLE?
The Russian state channel, whose broadcast was banned in Europe last spring, is it still accessible in France? This is what our colleagues of Liberationwho point out that the channel continues its propaganda by offering programs easily accessible online.
MILITARY SUPPORT
Washington promises to provide new material support to Ukraine by sending “tank killers”. Germany has decided to deliver armor used since the Cold War, which can be used in the front line.
Urgent
BEGINNING OF THE CEASEFIRE ANNOUNCED
The ceasefire decreed unilaterally by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas is supposed to have started on Friday at noon local time, an initiative whose sincerity has been questioned by kyiv.
According to the terms of this truce announced the day before, the first of magnitude in Ukraine since the start of the Moscow offensive, Russian troops will cease fighting until Saturday midnight.
SHOOTING AT KHERSON
As the truce announced by the Kremlin is just beginning, new artillery fire has taken place in Kherson, according to the head of the State Emergency Service. On Facebookthe official reports “deaths and injuries” after a fire station, the second in two days.
H-2 CEASEFIRE
Two hours before the ceasefire, scheduled for noon local time, how do we know if it will be respected? Our journalist on site, Claire Cambier, tells us.
Will the ceasefire be respected in Ukraine?Source : TF1 News
CONFLICT UPDATE
A 36-hour ceasefire was declared by Putin on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas. After Paris, Berlin and Washington announced the dispatch of new tanks to Ukraine. Back to the highlights of the last 24 hours.
ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS
While opinions are skeptical about the truce decreed by the Kremlin for 36 hours, on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, researcher Anna Colin Lebedev gives some figures on religion and Russians. “If the citizens of the Russian Federation declare themselves by a very large majority (65 to 80%) to be Orthodox, very few of them have a religious practice. 60% never or very rarely go to church. Only 8% go there once a month or more”, according to the sociologist, who continues in a series of tweets : “Christmas is not a particularly celebrated holiday in Russia, unlike Easter”.
HELLO
Hello and welcome to all in this direct dedicated to the follow-up of the war in Ukraine and its consequences in the world.