Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Between the strong declarations, the advances on the front and the results of the battles, here are the essentials of this Tuesday, the 951st day of the war.
News of the day
New tragedy in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine where six civilians – three women and three men – were killed this Tuesday morning by a Russian strike. It took place around 9 a.m. (local time) near a market and a bus stop. Governor Oleksandr Prokudin posted a video from the site on Telegram in which several bodies – including those of elderly women and men – can be seen lying on the ground in the open air. In these images, a body, probably that of a saleswoman, is visible among boxes of vegetables. The artillery fire also injured five people who had to be hospitalized, according to authorities. After this new bombing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced “the daily terror” imposed by Russia.
The city of Kherson, which had nearly 280,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion in February 2022, is the only regional capital to have been occupied by Russia at the start of the war. Located on the western bank of the Dnieper River, it is subject to almost daily Russian strikes from the eastern bank.
This deadly strike coincides with the national day of “defenders of Ukraine”, which honors the memory of soldiers who have lost their lives since the start of the conflict.
The number of the day
377. The number of interviews conducted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights with Ukrainian soldiers returning from captivity in Russia. It appears that they were subjected to “widespread and systematic” torture and ill-treatment throughout their “stay”. The report cites the use of electric guns, batons, plastic pipes, wooden hammers, pliers, knives and sometimes dogs to attack Ukrainian prisoners of war. 119 respondents reported experiencing sexual violence, including rape, electric shocks to the genitals and sexual humiliation.
The Ukrainians are not left out. They also “sometimes” subject enemy combatants taken prisoner to torture or ill-treatment, but only at the beginning of their captivity according to the UN, with the abuse stopping once the prisoners arrive in real places of internment.
Sentence of the day
“ Vladimir Putin must realize that NATO “will not give in” »
Mark Rutte, the new Secretary General of NATO, began his mandate on Tuesday by reaffirming the Alliance’s unwavering support for Ukraine. “We must focus on the war effort […] The more we help Ukraine, the sooner the war will end,” said the former Dutch Prime Minister. He also promised to ensure that NATO was in good shape in the face of the Russian threat. And for that, he warned, it will be necessary to spend more. “There is no free alternative if we want to rise to the challenges that await us. »
Today’s trend
“The whole country is watching how our guys are progressing,” Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, welcomed this Tuesday, referring to the progress of Russian troops on the Eastern Front, where they continue their patient nibbling in the face of Ukrainian troops still in difficulty. Moscow announced this Tuesday the capture of two new villages, including one located only 13 kilometers from the city, strategic for kyiv’s logistics, Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Beloussov also visited a command center in charge of the Pokrovsk zone, where he claimed the capture of twelve localities and 130 km2 in September. Russian troops have also advanced into Vougledar, another important city whose fall seems imminent, and are now “almost in the city center,” acknowledged the regional governor.
The Ukrainians are still installed in part of the Russian region of Kursk since their surprise offensive in early August. Local authorities had to announce on Tuesday the switch to partial or total distance learning for schools in two cities, notably that of Kursk.