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
At least one person was killed and nine others injured this Tuesday during Russian strikes against Kharkiv, the second Ukrainian city shelled by Moscow’s forces, according to a new report from the authorities, with the railways denouncing a “targeted” attack against its network .
Russia has recently stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s railways, essential for trade, transport of civilians and military supplies. The regional governor said Russian forces had hit Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine, with “guided aerial bombs.” The victims were employees. “This is a new targeted attack on civilian railway infrastructure by the enemy,” denounced the Ukrainian railway company.
By targeting railway lines, Russia is seeking to “paralyze” military supplies, particularly Western equipment, with a view to a new offensive, a senior Ukrainian security official said on Friday.
Today’s statement
“ Believing that Netesov’s hairstyle symbolizes Ukraine and discredits the Russian army, the police drew up a report against him »
The sentence is signed OVD-info, a Russian organization specializing in monitoring the repression of voices critical of the Kremlin. The NGO explained on Tuesday that Russian police launched proceedings against a Muscovite, accused of having discredited the Russian army because his hair is dyed blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine. Stanislav Netessov went to a police station in central Moscow on April 28 after being attacked the day before, beaten and robbed of his phone. Given his hair color, the young man now risks a fine. “The police also told Netesov that they would make him ’embrace his native land in the trenches’ and gave him a summons to the military enlistment center,” the organization continues.
Since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has engaged in a merciless crackdown on Kremlin critics, particularly those, anonymous or famous, who denounce this war.
The number of the day
Six. This is the number of ATACMS missiles, long-range weapons recently supplied to Ukraine by the United States, that Russia managed to shoot down this Tuesday in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that it had shot down six ATACMS missiles, long-range weapons recently supplied to Ukraine by the United States.
Russian air defense claims to have destroyed six ATACMS missiles “over the last 24 hours”, the Russian ministry said in a press release, without indicating where this took place. The governor of Crimea, however, warned the inhabitants of this territory against the presence of “unexploded submunitions” scattered after the destruction of “ATACMS missiles”. The official mentioned the district of Simferopol, one of the cities on the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. He attached to his message a photo of a ball placed on the ground, being, according to him, one of the “submunitions” in question.
Russia did not say whether the missiles or falling debris caused any damage, and Ukraine made no comment. Last week, Washington announced that it had sent these missiles to Ukraine, which had long requested them in order to be able to strike further behind the front line.
The trend
The Ukrainian government published a text last week according to which kyiv will no longer issue passports abroad to men aged 18 to 60, the aim being to mobilize more soldiers against the Russian army. And Poland will not protect the Ukrainian rebels who are on its territory, but is still awaiting decisions from kyiv and Brussels on this subject, Polish officials said on Tuesday.
“We are certainly not going to protect those who resist,” Andrzej Szejna, deputy foreign minister, told TVP Info television. However, he acknowledged that kyiv has not presented any requests regarding expatriate Ukrainians of fighting age. “There is no official position (from Warsaw) because the Ukrainian government has not sent any request to the Polish government” on this subject, said Andrzej Szejna.
Poland has tens of thousands of Ukrainians of military age on its territory, according to United Nations figures.