Ukraine claimed on Tuesday March 5, 2024 that it had destroyed a Russian warship near the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia, a new snub inflicted on Moscow in this strategic area of the Black Sea.
kyiv also says it has struck an oil depot in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine. In recent weeks, similar attacks against oil sites have followed one another in Russia.
On the Black Sea, the Ukrainian navy claimed that a “special unit” had on the night of Monday to Tuesday “destroyed the most modern Russian patrol boat, the Sergei Kotov”, “hit by Magura V5 maritime drones”.
The strike was carried out “in Ukrainian territorial waters, near the Kerch Strait”she said, adding that the ship had already been “severely damaged” in September by the Ukrainians.
“There is no safe haven for Russian terrorists in the Black Sea and there never will be. Nor will there be any safe space for them in heaven.”welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky, indicating that this attack had shown “what Ukraine is capable of”.
The operation was carried out by Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) with the cooperation of the navy.
The GUR released a black and white video on Tuesday depicting the alleged strike. In the images, we can see a naval drone approaching the Sergei Kotov – 94 meters long – then an explosion with a large flame, smoke and debris projected above this building.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the attack, but Russian military bloggers close to the army have confirmed it, with some emphasizing the Russian navy’s inability to defend itself.
Macron makes waves in Washington
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “never asked for foreign troops to fight for his country”said Tuesday, March 5, 2024, a spokesperson for the White House, questioned about comments by French President Emmanuel Macron concerning the sending of troops.
“There will be no American troops engaged on the ground in Ukraine. And you know what ? This is not what President Zelensky is asking for. It requires tools and capabilities. He never asked for foreign troops to fight for his country.”said John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council.
Emmanuel Macron judged Tuesday in Prague ” necessary ” to shake up Ukraine’s allies, whom he urged to “not to be cowardly” facing Russia “unstoppable”. The French president also said ” to assume “ his recent controversial comments on the possibility of sending Western troops to this country at war.
The warning was not appreciated by Germany, already after a series of recent tensions on the Ukrainian issue. ” We do not need […] discussions about having more or less courage »reacted German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. “It doesn’t really help solve the problems” of Ukraine.
On the question of sending troops, a large majority of Western countries had already made it known that they absolutely did not envisage such a scenario.
Navalny’s wife invited by Biden
The White House has invited Yulia Navalnaïa, widow of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech on Thursday before Congress, but she will not be able to attend, it was announced on Tuesday his spokesperson.
“I can confirm she was invited. She can no longer attend”said Karine Jean-Pierre during her daily press briefing.
She clarified that the invitation came from the American president himself, during a recent meeting in San Francisco.
The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, informed him that he invited Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich to attend the speech, in order to “shining the spotlight” on the fate of their son Evan Gershkovich, journalist from Wall Street Journal imprisoned in Russia for almost a year.
Putting Russia “in check”
It’s necessary “put Russia in check” without him ” make war “said French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné on Tuesday evening in an interview on the French television channel LCI.
“We are experiencing a tipping point which must lead us to stand up to Russia and we must play the balance of power to protect the French, protect the Europeans”he estimated, adding: “Our conviction is that we must continue to support Ukraine”a country that was invaded by Russia on February 24, 2022.