Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? Do not panic, 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
The fact of the day
After yet another inspection Thursday of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporijjia, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants to be reassuring. “No mine or explosive” was observed on the roofs of the two reactors of this sensitive infrastructure, said Friday Rafael Grossi, the director general of the agency.
On the other hand, the IAEA still claims to be able to have access to the roofs of the four other units of the plant. As a reminder, Ukraine and Russia had accused each other of preparing attacks on the plant.
Falling into the hands of the Russian army on March 4, 2022, the largest power plant in Europe has been targeted by fire and has been cut off from the electricity network on several occasions, a precarious situation which raises fears of a major nuclear accident.
sentence of the day
“We once again call on the Russian authorities to release Mr. Navalny immediately and unconditionally, as well as all political prisoners”
These are the words of a spokeswoman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the conviction of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny. Vladimir Putin’s opponent was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Incarcerated since January 2021, he was already serving a nine-year prison sentence before this new conviction for “extremism”.
The sentence against the 47-year-old man was unanimously condemned by the international community. In the wake of Friday’s verdict, Washington denounced an “unfair trial”, while the EU deemed the sanction “unacceptable”. Germany denounced a “flagrant injustice”, while the UN demanded “the immediate release” of the opponent.
The number of the day
7. Like the number of African leaders who are calling for the unblocking of Russian grain and fertilizer exports in order to revive the old agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea.
Last month, Russia withdrew from a UN-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea, leading to a spike in grain prices that hit hard affected the poorest countries.
The trend of the day
Drone attacks are on the rise. Ukraine on Friday attacked the Russian naval base of Novorossïysk in the Black Sea with drones, Russia also claiming to have repelled a dozen air raids on annexed Crimea, where Kiev has been intensifying its strikes for three weeks.
The attack was claimed by the Ukrainians, while the Russians said the drones “were destroyed” by fire from their ships. On Tuesday, Moscow claimed to have foiled a strike by three Ukrainian naval drones against patrol boats 340 kilometers southwest of Sevastopol. A similar operation had taken place a week earlier.