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 essentials of the day.
The fact of the day
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out two sabotage operations on trains carrying fuel in Buryatia, in the Russian Far East. kyiv has claimed a number of attacks on Russian territory since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, but this is the first time that these are operations carried out thousands of kilometers from the front. The first attack took place during the night from Wednesday to Thursday in the Bessolov tunnel in Severomouisk, the longest in Russia. Four explosive devices were detonated when a train passed by. The Ukrainians then targeted an alternative section of the railway line to which rail traffic was diverted after the first attack.
This is the “second stage of the SBU’s special operation aimed at decommissioning this important railway line” crossing the border region of China and Mongolia, underlined the same source. The SBU refused to comment on these claims and no official information has been released on the Russian side. However, the Telegram Baza channel, close to Russian security services and followed by more than a million people, reported on Friday “sabotage” having caused explosions on two trains. The authorities have opened an investigation for a “terrorist act”.
Sentence of the day
Never has an inmate, placed in solitary confinement for more than a year, had such a rich social and political life. »
These are the words of Alexeï Navalny who is already serving a nineteen-year prison sentence and who has just seen Russia initiate new proceedings against him. “They launch new criminal proceedings against me every three months,” denounced the charismatic anti-corruption activist, number 1 critic of the Kremlin, on social networks.
The number of the day
25. This is the number of Shahed 136/131 attack drones launched last night by Russia in the South and East of Ukraine. “In total, the enemy used two Kh-59 missiles and 25 Shahed 136/131 attack drones,” the Ukrainian Air Force said, claiming to have shot down 18 drones and one missile over the regions southern.
Today’s trend
The Russian army is advancing “in all directions” in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu assured on Friday. “Our military is acting with competence and determination, occupying a more favorable position, and extending its zones of control in all directions,” he said. The Ukrainians’ combat capabilities were “considerably reduced” after their counter-offensive, he even assured.
The Ukrainian counter-offensive, launched this summer after months of preparations, has stalled in the South and East, without significant progress or hope of a breakthrough. And, since the beginning of autumn, it is the Russian forces which have shown that they still have resources by launching attacks. The soldiers of Moscow thus attack relentlessly at Avdiïvka. Further north, Russia this week claimed the conquest of a small village near Bakhmut, a town conquered in the spring by the Wagner paramilitary group but still the scene of a hellish battle which began in the summer of 2022. AFP was unable to independently verify these claims, but Russian forces had not claimed any advances in the area since the spring.
Overall, the front line has barely moved over the past year and the liberation of Kherson by Ukrainian soldiers on November 11, 2022. Despite the supply of Western weapons, the Ukrainian summer offensive has continued. ended in failure in the face of the solidity of the Russian defense lines. The Kremlin army, despite an economy dedicated to the war effort, is not moving forward either. However, she stopped de facto to retreat and controls nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory. And these Russian forces continue to bomb cities in Ukraine every night.