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
A pro-Russian Ukrainian politician was found dead near Moscow, Russian agencies said on Wednesday, with a source within the Ukrainian defense sector claiming a “special operation” by kyiv led to his “liquidation”.
The lifeless body of Illia Kyva, a 46-year-old former Ukrainian MP, was found with “a head injury” in the Odintsovo district near Moscow, Russian news agencies reported, citing local authorities. “The liquidation of the main traitor, collaborator and propagandist Illia Kyva was a special operation of the SBU,” a source with knowledge of their operations told AFP. He was killed “using small arms,” she said.
Sentence of the day
We must now manage Zelensky, bring him back from his somewhat die-hard posture. No one is saying that officially, but I think that’s a bit of what’s coming. »
These are the words of a senior European military official stationed at NATO who, to AFP, commented on Ukraine’s challenge in the face of weakening Western support. However, “even under continuous infusion from the West, Ukraine lacks men, whereas Russia does not have this problem”, further underlined this senior official.
The number of the day
4. This is the number of members of the Russian forces in Ukraine indicted this Wednesday in the United States for “war crimes” against an American citizen, judicial authorities announced, stressing that these were the first prosecutions launched under the US War Crimes Act of 1996.
According to the indictment published on Tuesday, the alleged acts, including torture and inhumane treatment, took place in April 2022 in southern Ukraine. The four members of the Russian or pro-Moscow separatist forces, referred to by name only for two of them, kidnapped an unidentified civilian, in the village of Mylove, and detained him for ten days, according to the same sources. During this detention, the four defendants subjected him to interrogations, “tortured, threatened with sexual assault and execution”, even going so far as to carry out a mock execution.
Today’s trend
The West has sought to isolate it since its offensive in Ukraine, but it is making a return to the international scene. Vladimir Putin landed this Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, the first stop of a short diplomatic visit to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and oil. Upon his arrival, Vladimir Putin went to the imposing Emirati presidential palace to meet with his counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. He was given a welcome with honors: dozens of armed soldiers awaited him at the palace, while an air patrol crossed the sky emitting smoke bombs in the colors of the Russian flag and cannon shots were fired from proximity, according to images released by the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin then traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two leaders must discuss investments, but also “their cooperation in the energy sector”, guaranteeing a “stable and predictable situation” on the international market, believes the Kremlin. In the Emirates as in Saudi Arabia, Vladimir Putin also planned to share his vision of the international situation, with the conflict between Israel and Hamas on the agenda, and “ways to promote de-escalation”, according to the Russian presidency.
The Russian president sees an international context more favorable to his interests. The long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive collapsed this summer against Russian defenses. As for the hitherto unconditional support of the West for kyiv, it is showing signs of crumbling, thanks to political divisions, as the Kremlin hoped. “Putin certainly speaks with more confidence than ever since the start of the war” in Ukraine, notes Nigel Gould-Davies, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.