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
“Now is not the time for elections”: Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky has closed the door to a presidential election in the country. “Now is the time for defense, for battle, on which the fate of the state and the people depends, and not for farce, which only Russia expects from Ukraine. I think this is not the time for elections, he decided in his daily speech. We must come together, not divide, not disperse ourselves in quarrels or other priorities. »
Yet again on Friday, his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba indicated that the Ukrainian president “weighs the pros and cons” on the subject. Because if Russia had not launched its invasion in February 2022, the legislative elections in Ukraine should have taken place in October of this year and the presidential election in March 2024.
The number of the day
3. Once, twice, three times. Ukraine expects a third Russian assault on Avdiïvka in a few weeks, Moscow having launched a major offensive in mid-October aimed at conquering this industrial city in eastern Ukraine which has eluded it since 2014. “There will certainly be a third wave. The enemy regroups after the second unsuccessful wave of assaults. It is in the process of replenishing its reserves, both in terms of equipment and personnel,” assured this Tuesday the mayor of Avdiïvka, Vitaly Barabach.
Sentence of the day
To date, no official request from Polish carriers has been forwarded to any representative of the Ukrainian side. »
These are the words of the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure which, in a press release, assured that it was awaiting the demands of several dozen Polish transport companies which have been blocking three crossing points (Dorohusk, Hrebenne and Korczowa) between the two countries since Monday, protesting against “unfair competition” from their Ukrainian rivals.
Today’s trend
Winter is coming and kyiv is preparing for it. Thus, Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Ukraine had deployed new air defense systems provided by its Western allies, in anticipation of a new wave of Russian attacks against its energy infrastructure this winter.
Systematic strikes on Ukraine’s energy system regularly left thousands of homes without heat last winter. “I had confirmation yesterday of the receipt of ammunition, materials and equipment. Nasams systems (Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) provided by our partners have been put into service. This is a timely strengthening of our anti-aircraft defense before winter,” Zelensky said in a message posted online.