Did you miss the latest developments on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes gives you an update every evening. Between strong statements, advances on the front and the results of the fighting, here is the essential information from this Monday, the 936th day of the conflict.
The fact of the day
More than a month after the unexpected offensive led by Ukraine in Russia in the Kursk region, the Russian army claimed on Monday the reconquest of two small villages located not far from the border, those of Ouspenovka and Borki, after having already claimed on Thursday to have retaken ten localities from the hands of the Ukrainians.
Russia nevertheless ordered on Monday, for reasons of “security” in this same region, the evacuation of villages located less than 15 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. These areas have not been the scene of fighting so far and the Russian authorities have not detailed the reasons for this decision. The acting governor of the Kursk region called on residents to “understand” and to “follow the official recommendations.” The official did not indicate how many people were affected.
In parallel, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andrii Sybiga, invited on Monday the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit the part of the Russian Kursk region occupied by Ukraine, a “pure provocation” according to the Kremlin. “Ukraine is ready to facilitate their work and to prove its respect for international humanitarian law” in this territory, Andrii Sybiga declared on X.
Statement of the day
” “The fact is that Russia is militarily invincible” »
The words were signed on Monday by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in a surprising statement to Chancellor Scholz on the eve of a summit with the five presidents of Central Asia.
The leading Central Asian power, Kazakhstan is a military and economic ally of Russia, with which it shares more than 7,500 kilometers of common border, and its president regularly meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
“Cooperation between our countries is developing within the framework of a strategic partnership and alliance,” continued Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, assuring however that “in Kazakhstan, the population feels genuine sympathy for the Ukrainian people.” Astana has already half-heartedly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and since the war has diversified its military and economic ties, particularly with China and Western powers.
The figure of the day
37. This is the number of people imprisoned for “extremism”, a term generally used to describe opponents, who were pardoned this Monday by the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
In the past two months, Belarusian authorities have repeatedly pardoned people detained for protesting against the government. In early September, Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 30 political prisoners and another 30 in mid-August. Each time, the Belarusian presidency claimed that these detainees had repented and had applied for clemency. According to the human rights NGO Viasna, another 20 people were released in July after serving their sentences and 18 others were “pardoned or exchanged.”
This country, an ally of Moscow, under Western sanctions due to internal political repression and its support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, still has more than 1,300 political prisoners, according to Viasna.
The trend
The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture announced on Monday that it had placed the director of the documentary on the list of “persons posing a threat to national security.” Russians at Warwhich deals with the invasion of Ukraine from the point of view of Russian soldiers and is heavily criticized by kyiv.
This film by Russian-Canadian Anastasia Trofimova has been at the centre of controversy since its presentation at the Venice Film Festival in early September, with Ukrainian authorities considering it “Russian propaganda”. The director, who spent several months in a Russian battalion fighting in Ukraine, shows the daily lives of soldiers. She told AFP that her film was “an anti-war documentary” and showed “ordinary people”.
Ukraine’s Culture Ministry said Monday that Anastasia Trofimova was now “on the list of persons posing a threat to Ukraine’s national security,” in part because of her documentary. “This propaganda film does not address or acknowledge the atrocities committed by Russia during its invasion,” which was launched in February 2022, the ministry charged in a statement.