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
Was the Russian military plane shot down near Belgorod transporting 65 Ukrainian prisoners for a detainee exchange? In any case, this is the Moscow version. The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday morning that Ukraine had “shot down” a Russian military plane which was transporting “Ukrainian soldiers for an exchange”, in addition to the six crew members and three Russian soldiers. . According to Moscow, the Ukrainian army “knew” that the Russians would fly the prisoners to Belgorod and then to a meeting point on the border.
Ukraine did not respond directly to these claims but military intelligence (GUR) said it “does not have reliable information” on the passengers of the downed Il-76, while confirming that a prisoner exchange was ” planned” but ultimately did not take place. He also assured that he had “not been informed” of the need to secure the airspace in the area. Ukraine did not know “the number of vehicles, the route and the mode of transport of the prisoners”, he affirmed, accusing Moscow of having in this case deliberately “put them in danger”.
Sentence of the day
Europe must do more to support Ukraine in the country’s defense. »
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sounded the general mobilization in an interview with the weekly Die Zeit. “The contributions planned by European countries so far for 2024 are not high enough,” he added. The Social Democratic Chancellor also said he was “irritated” at being regularly criticized in Germany for too hesitant support.
Germany does “much more” than other European countries, he defended himself, indicating that his country was currently providing more than half of the arms support to Ukraine and that it would be “vain to think that we can do it alone in the long term.” “That’s why I call my colleagues a lot and ask them to do more,” he insisted.
The number of the day
10,000,000. This is the number of complaints that could land in the international directory of damages caused by Russia in Ukraine. “I would not be surprised if we reached 10 million,” Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi, executive director of the Register of War Damages in Ukraine, a new international institution backed by the Council of Europe which should be operational, told the press. in April.
The creation of this register was decided at a Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik last May, in order to keep track of the damage inflicted by Russia on Ukraine since the invasion of February 24, 2022 and calculate the amount, with a view to ultimately obtaining reparations. The Ukrainian jurist noted that 4 to 6 million Ukrainians were refugees abroad and 2 million were displaced within the country itself. But he did not venture to estimate the amount that the final bill could reach.
Today’s trend
Difficulties are piling up on the Eastern Front for the Ukrainian forces. Indeed, for the first time, the Russian army managed to enter the town of Avdiivka. “Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups entered the southern part of Avdiïvka, but they were repelled,” said Mayor Vitaly Barabach, saying the situation was “difficult but under control”. “They are no longer there now, the Ukrainian army has dislodged them and retaken its positions,” he assured, but “the enemy continues to attack.”
Vitaly Barabach confirmed that this was the “first” incursion of Russian forces into this industrial city in the Donetsk region. But he did not indicate when it took place or how long it lasted. Russian forces have been trying for months to surround Avdiivka, where Ukrainian soldiers are holed up in fortified positions. It is one of the epicenters of fighting since the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive last summer.