Today
Thursday, March 2, 2023
15:56
A “TERRORIST” ATTACK, ACCORDING TO VLADIMIR PUTIN
In a televised speech, the Russian president denounced an attack by “neo-Nazis” and “terrorists” who “opened fire on civilians.” “We will destroy them,” he said. According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin has canceled a trip to the Russian Caucasus planned for today to follow the development of the situation in the Bryansk region.
15:17
SITUATION UNDER CONTROL, ACCORDING TO FSB
The Russian Security Services (FSB) said the situation was “under control” in Russia’s Briansk region on the border with Ukraine, where authorities had reported an incursion by Ukrainian “saboteurs”.
“The area is being controlled and inspected. A large number of explosives of various types have been found, demining is underway,” said the FSB, quoted by Russian news agencies. He also confirmed the casualty figures of one dead civilian and one injured child provided by the local governor.
14:45
DRONE ATTACKS “IMPOSSIBLE” WITHOUT OUR HELP?
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday the drone strikes he accused Ukraine of conducting against military bases in Russia in early December could not have been carried out without Washington’s help.
“Some time ago, Kiev launched drone attacks on bases of our long-haul aircraft in the Saratov region and also in the Ryazan region,” he said from Geneva for his address to the UN Human Rights Council and the Disarmament Conference. “We know that these attacks would never have been possible if the United States had not provided the Ukrainian military with very thorough and sophisticated support, including, of course, targeted intelligence and also technical support.”
14:32
THE FEAR OF FLASHING WITH “CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES”
The growing involvement of the USA and NATO in Ukraine threatens a direct military confrontation with “catastrophic consequences,” Russia warned in Geneva on Thursday in a speech boycotted by many Western diplomats.
Ahead of the disarmament conference, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov denounced the countries that were pushing for “escalation.” “The most serious strategic threat today comes from the policies of the United States and NATO aimed at further fueling the conflict in and around Ukraine,” he accused.
14:04
O. ZELENSKA STARTS RUSSIA’S INJURIES
Russia has violated the principle of soft power, Olena Zelenska said, and the world must decide “whether the language of aggression is acceptable to them.” “Russia has not only attacked Ukraine, but also all global principles of peaceful coexistence, human rights and the progress we have made,” the Ukrainian first lady chafed in a remark reported by The Guardian.
13:27
UKRAINIAN “SABOGER”
The Russian army on Thursday attempted to “eliminate” Ukrainian “saboteurs” who had entered the Briansk region bordering Ukraine. The Kremlin has denounced a “terrorist attack” and indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is monitoring the situation in real time. Kiev hit back, calling the information a “deliberate provocation”.
International
Posted today at 3:46pm
13:26
V. PUTIN CHECKS SHOT AT CIVILIANS
Ukrainian “terrorists” and “neo-Nazis” shot at Russian civilians, Vladimir Putin condemned on Thursday after Moscow reported a group of Ukrainian “saboteurs” smuggled into a Russian region bordering Ukraine. The Russian army “protects Russia and our people from neo-Nazis and terrorists (…) who today carried out a new terrorist attack, infiltrated our border area and opened fire on civilians,” the Russian head of state affirmed.
13:20
MOSCOW AND BEIJING WILL NOT SIGN THE FINAL TEXT
Russia, like China, refused to sign the final G20 text calling for the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. The two countries were the only members of the G20 summit, taking place in New Delhi, India, not to endorse the statement calling for Russia’s “complete and unconditional withdrawal from Ukraine’s territory.”
13:19
RUSSIA STRENGTHENS ITS SANCTIONS AGAINST CRITICS
Russian MPs on Thursday passed amendments that would see even tougher penalties of up to 15 years in prison for 5 previously punished statements made about Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The text also introduces sanctions for criticism of Russian “volunteers”, a term used by the authorities to describe in particular the mercenaries of the Wagner paramilitary group.
These changes were adopted at the second reading, the most important of the Russian legislative cycle. They must then be finally approved at third reading, then validated by the upper house of parliament and signed by Putin.
12:56
A. BLINKEN HAD A “SHORT” EXCHANGE WITH S. LAVROV
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a “brief” meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in India on Thursday, the first since the start of the war in Ukraine, a US official said on condition of anonymity. On the sidelines of the G20 talks, the head of American diplomacy informed his interlocutor of the United States’ commitment to support Ukraine and called on Russia to reverse its decision to suspend the New Start nuclear arms treaty.
12:13
S. LAVROV CONFIRMS THE FAILURE OF A JOINT G20 COMMUNICATION
Russian diplomatic chief Sergei Lavrov confirmed on Thursday that there would be no joint communiqué at the end of a G20 ministerial meeting in India, and castigated Western countries for the failure. “We talk about good manners. Well, our Western colleagues have become very bad at it. They no longer think about diplomacy, they blackmail and threaten everyone,” the Russian foreign minister told journalists.
Discussions on the text have stalled in particular because Russia insisted on including the need for an “impartial” investigation into the explosions that damaged Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
11:50
Kyiv REPLIES IN MOSCOW
In response to Moscow, Ukraine denounced a “deliberate provocation”. “The story about the Ukrainian sabotage group in Russia is a classic deliberate provocation. Russia wants to scare its people to justify its invasion of Ukraine,” said Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, on Twitter.
11:49
Moscow condemns “a terrorist attack”
The Kremlin on Thursday denounced a “terrorist attack” after the incursion of Ukrainian “saboteurs” into the Briansk region bordering Ukraine. “We are talking about a terrorist attack. Measures are being taken to crush terrorists,” his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that President Vladimir Putin was “constantly receiving reports” on how the situation was developing.
11:36
A NEW DRONE ATTACK IN UKRAINE
The governor of Russia’s Briansk region, which borders Ukraine, Alexandre Bogomaz on Thursday reported a Ukrainian drone strike on the village of Souchany. This resulted in an apartment fire. Mortar fire that damaged two houses in the village of Lomakovka.
11:34
A BOMBED RUSSIAN BORDER REGION
The governor of a Russian region bordering Ukraine, Kursk, Roman Starovoit, reported on Thursday a Ukrainian bombing raid on the village of Tetkino that left one dead and one wounded. According to him, this bombardment damaged three houses and caused a power failure in this village.
11:26
Who attacked her?
The statue of the Little Mermaid, a symbol of Copenhagen, was damaged during the night from Wednesday March 1st to Thursday March 2nd. A Russian flag has been painted on the base of Denmark’s most famous monument, which has been vandalized many times in the past. An investigation was launched by the local police.
International
Posted today at 10:30am
11:06
MOSCOW ‘NOT READY’ TO ACCEPT G20 JOINT COMMUNICATION
Russia is “not ready” to accept the content of the joint communiqué of a G20 meeting on Ukraine, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said in India on Thursday. “After the speech of the Russian foreign minister (Sergey Lavrov, ed.), I don’t think Russia is ready to accept an acceptable explanation,” he told reporters.
10:51
MOSCOW ATTEMPTS TO ‘ELIMINATE’ A GROUP OF INFILTER ‘SABOTECERS’
The Russian army on Thursday attempted to “eliminate” a group of Ukrainian “saboteurs” who had infiltrated the Briansk region on the border with Ukraine. Local governor Alexander Bogomaz announced that one civilian was killed and one child injured. “A reconnaissance and sabotage group has infiltrated the village of Lyubetchane from Ukraine. (…) The Russian armed forces are taking all necessary measures to eliminate this group,” he said on his Telegram channel. AFP has not been able to independently verify this information.
10:38
Moscow and Beijing condemn “blackmail and threats”
Foreign ministers of Russia and China on Thursday denounced Western countries for using “blackmail and threats” to impose their views. During an interview on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in New Delhi, Sergei Lavrov and Qin Gang “unanimously rejected attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, to impose unilateral approaches through blackmail and threats,” Russian diplomacy said in a statement.
10:36
THE G20 AGENDA “TURNS INTO A FARCE,” ACCORDING TO S. LAVROV
“A number of Western delegations have turned work on the G20 agenda into a farce and want to blame the Russian Federation for its economic failures,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to the Tass news agency’s report on the G20 meeting in New Zealand. Delhi.
10:00 a.m
AN ICONIC STATUE VANDALIZED IN COPENHAGEN
The statue of the Little Mermaid, symbol of Copenhagen and Denmark, was destroyed overnight from Wednesday to Thursday with a Russian flag on its pedestal. It was painted under unknown circumstances on the stone on which stands the statue of the storyteller Hans Christian Andersen’s heroine, which is located in the Danish harbour.
Danish police have announced they have opened an investigation without providing any clues as to the origin of this apparent show of support for Moscow amid the war in Ukraine.
Copenhagen woke up this morning to the destruction of the famous Little Mermaid: a Russian flag was painted on a pedestal #afp pic.twitter.com/39cHy2zwA8 – Camille Bas Wohlert (@BasWohlert) March 2, 2023
09:55
WASHINGTON CALLS ON RUSSIA TO EXTEND GRAIN TREATMENT
At a G20 meeting on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Russia to renew the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports that expires this month. “It is imperative that the G20 commit to expanding and expanding the Grains Initiative to strengthen food security for the most vulnerable,” he told G20 foreign ministers’ address, according to a transcript from New Delhi in India.
09:39
“DO NOT DELIVER WEAPONS” TO MOSCOW
Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged China on Thursday not to supply weapons to the “Russian aggressor” Ukraine, as feared by the United States. “My message to Beijing is clear: use your influence in Moscow to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops! And don’t deliver any weapons to the Russian aggressor,” said the federal chairman in the Bundestag.
09:37
DISCUSSIONS ABOUT UKRAINE SECURITY MEASURES
Germany and “other partners” are in talks with Kiev about “future security obligations for Ukraine,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday. “Is Putin ready to negotiate a return to principles and a just peace? At the moment there is nothing to suggest that,” he argued before the Bundestag, regretting that the Russian president “is more likely to use threatening gestures such as the suspension of the new agreement with the United States beginning”.
09:05
ON THE BATTLEFIELD
The city of Marinka was wiped off the map after months of bombardment by the Russian army. When the Russians go to war, it is also to monopolize the region’s natural resources. That of Pokrovsk, 40 kilometers from Marinka, resisted.
International
Posted today at 9:01am
09:04
AT LEAST THREE DEAD IN BUILDING IN ZAPORIJIA
Ukrainian police said in a statement that a Russian missile “according to preliminary information from an S-300 battery” destroyed more than 10 apartments in a residential building in Zaporizhia “where people were sleeping peacefully”. “During the search, six injured people were recovered from the rubble, as well as the bodies of three people,” the source said.
09:01
PICTURES OF TORN BUILDING IN ZAPORIJIA
Ukrainian rescuers are searching for possible survivors after a Russian missile was fired at an apartment building in the city of Zaporizhia.
AFP08:52AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS ON THE ROOFTOPS OF MOSCOW?
In response to the drone incursion in the Moscow region, Russia would install anti-aircraft systems on the capital’s rooftops for the first time, according to local media. An adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister shared a video on social media of one of his defense systems being assembled.
Russian media reports that another air defense system has been installed in Moscow. They are beginning to realize that drones can penetrate deep into Russia. pic.twitter.com/Nj8jkjuGYg – Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 1, 2023
08:49
REVIEW OF THE LAST 24 HOURS
Ukraine on Wednesday March 1 shared pride in surviving the winter despite intense Russian bombardments against energy infrastructure. In India, the G20 will try to come up with a common response to this “dirty war”. The highlights of the last 24 hours.
International
Posted today at 8:27 am
08:43
“WE WILL NOT FORGIVE,” O. ZELENSKA STARTS
“Zaporizhia bravely resists the Russian aggressor. In retaliation, he attacks civilians. A high-rise building was hit last night. Three floors are completely destroyed, people are dead. We continue to search under the rubble,” Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska responded on twitter. “My condolences to the victims. We will not forgive him.”
Zaporizhzhia bravely resists the Ru aggressor. In retaliation, she attacks civilians. A high-rise building was deliberately hit last night. 3 floors are completely destroyed, people died. We continue to search under the rubble. My condolences to the victims. We won’t forgive that. pic.twitter.com/b0t2WCKuLG – Олена Зеленська (@ZelenskaUA) March 2, 2023
08:39
INSTITUTIONAL TORTURE IN KHERSON?
A team of Ukrainian and international lawyers, led by a British lawyer, has collected evidence that the torture centers set up by the Russians in Kherson, southern Ukraine, were “not accidental”. Rather, as the British daily The Guardian reports, they were planned and funded directly by Russia. They are part of a “calculated plan to terrorize, subdue and eliminate the Ukrainian resistance and destroy Ukrainian identity”.
08:33
PICTURES OF TORN BUILDING IN ZAPORIJIA
In Zaporizhia, rescuers continue to pull victims from the rubble of the building hit by Russian missiles. Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear power plant, said at least three people were killed in the strike.
“Zaporizhia. The terrorist state wants to turn every day into a day of terror for our people. But evil will not rule our country. We will drive out all the occupiers and they will definitely be held accountable for everything.” – @ZelenskyyUa 📹: @ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/ewywXPJ0NY — Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 2, 2023
08:14
ROCKET LAUNCH KILLS AT LEAST TWO DEATH IN ZAPORIJIA
On Wednesday night, a missile fell on the city of Zaporizhia in south-eastern Ukraine, a region regularly hit by Russian attacks. “People lie under the rubble. According to preliminary information, two people were killed,” City Council secretary Anatoly Kourtev said on Telegram, saying that this building was “virtually completely destroyed.”
07:59
A “DIRTY WAR” WHICH VIOLATES “ALL THE LAWS OF HUMANITY”.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has urged the G20 to respond “clearly” to Russia’s war in Ukraine, as she did at last year’s Bali summit, and to adopt a “spirit of shared responsibility” and not fragmentation, but one Systematic to show opposition”. It is a “dirty war, which is also being waged in violation of all the laws of war and simple humanity,” she said in her speech from New Delhi, India.