13:51
The question of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s admission to the EU will be discussed at the next EU summit in December
EU Council President Charles Michel said that the question of starting negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join the EU would be discussed at the next EU summit in December.
13:41
A French MEP recommends “mobilizing the savings of the French” to finance the “war economy”.
Financing a “war economy” aimed at increasing the productive capacities of the French defense industry requires “mobilizing the savings of the French”, recommends a parliamentary report published on the occasion of a meeting at the Elysée on the subject with the defense industry. According to Christophe Plassard, Horizons MP for Charente-Maritime, “we must mobilize French savings in favor of the defense industry, through the creation of a savings account or a regulated savings plan, or through a government loan.” His report must be examined by the finance committee on Wednesday.
13:16
Russia starts facial recognition
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian authorities started using facial recognition to stop people from protesting, according to Portal.
13:00
Over 300 fencers are calling on the IOC to ‘maintain’ the ban on Russians from international competitions.
In an open letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), fencers called on “upholding its recommendations on suspension” against Russian and Belarusian athletes who were authorized to return to international tournaments in early March.
“On behalf of more than 300 current and retired fencers, we call on you as the governing body to uphold your recommendations for suspensions of the Russian and Belarusian fencing federations and their National Olympic Committees and to ensure that the International Fencing Federation (FIE) will follow your instructions,” write these athletes in a letter to Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, and Emmanuel Katsiadakis, Acting President of the FIE.
This position follows the FIE’s March 10 decision to reinstate the Russians and Belarusians from April, the start of the qualifying period for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Among the signatories we find the American Lee Kiefer, Olympic champion in foil 2021 in Tokyo, the French Manon Brunet, bronze medalist in the saber behind two fencers competing under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), or the Olympic champion (2008 ), the Ukrainian Olga Kharlan.
12:46 p.m
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia against the participation of Russian athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympics
The foreign ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have issued a joint statement calling on the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian athletes from the Paris 2024 Olympics. The IOC will meet today for a summit where he will decide on this issue.
12:42 p.m
Almaz the dog who digs up 200 mines a day
Almaz and his master Leonid Levchenko have become social media heroes. In the Kiev region, Almaz and his master find up to 200 mines every day.
12:27
The Kremlin wants the investigation to continue
Russia will continue to call for an international investigation into the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline last September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced in his daily press briefing. On Monday, the UN Security Council rejected a Russian resolution calling for the establishment of an “independent international commission of inquiry” into the sabotage.
12:18
Details of downed drones
We mentioned it earlier this morning, according to the authorities, Russian drones were shot down over Kiev. “Air defense forces have detected and destroyed 12 Iranian-made Shahed drones,” military administrator Serguii Popko said on Telegram.
11:47
Explosions heard in Kharkiv
11:33
Henkel has found buyers for its Russian factories
German company Henkel is about to sell its Russian assets, which means 11 of the company’s factories can be bought by a consortium of investors that includes shareholders in pharmaceutical manufacturer “Pharmstandard”, owned by oligarchs Viktor Kharitonin and Yehor Kulkov, but also Ivan, the investment company Kismet capital of Tavrin, as well as the founders of the capital fund “Elbrus”.
11:26
The Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Poltava, Kirovohrad and Kharkiv regions were put on air raid alert
11:25
Romania and Poland hold talks with the European Commission on traceability mechanisms for Ukrainian grain exports
The aim is to ensure that local farmers are not hit by a flood of cheap imports, according to the Polish and Romanian prime ministers. There are logistical bottlenecks that mean that large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, have ended up in Central European countries. This would have had an impact on local farmers’ prices and sales.
10:34
New explosions heard in Kherson
10:31
Belarus wants to deploy Russian nuclear weapons in response to Western “pressure”.
Belarus will deploy Russian “tactical” nuclear weapons in response to “unprecedented” Western “pressure,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry has claimed.
Belarus is “forced to take countermeasures,” Belarusian diplomacy stressed, while ensuring that Minsk will not have control over these weapons and that their use “in no way contravenes Articles I and II of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.” .
10:25
Russia destroyed hundreds of churches and places of worship in Ukraine
According to President Zelenskyy, Russia has destroyed hundreds of churches and places of worship. “For Russia, everything is just one goal. But the rockets and artillery of the terrorist state did not shake our humanity and faith,” said President Zelenskyy.
10:18
Poland has completed building a wall with Belarus
Poland has just completed the construction of its 200 km long and 5.5 m high border wall with Belarus. The installation of sensors and cameras is in the final stages.
10:11
The EU wants to give member states the opportunity to block Russian LNG imports
According to Bloomberg agency, European Union energy ministers are ready to approve a proposal that would give member country governments the power to temporarily ban Russian imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) without imposing new energy sanctions.
09:58
Russia wants to concentrate its energy exports on “friendly countries”.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia should focus on increasing energy exports to so-called “friendly” countries. He said Russian oil shipments to India increased 22-fold last year. Novak said energy revenues accounted for 42% of Russia’s federal budget in 2022 and that the country’s energy industry is sustainable despite challenges from Western sanctions.
09:48
The Kherson hospital was hit overnight
According to local administration officials, around four in the morning, Russian troops shelled a hospital in the Dnipro district of Kherson. “There were at least five explosions. One of the shells hit the fifth floor of the building. The blast destroyed almost all windows of the main building on one side.”
09:44
Power failure in the region in Odessa
According to Odessa residents, there are major power outages in the region.
09:39
Aid of more than 8 billion euros for Russian families and soldiers
Banks in the Russian Federation have granted credit breaks worth around €8 billion to help soldiers and their families, according to the central bank.
09:10
The 10th Russian Tank Regiment lost a “large part of its tanks” in the attack on Avdiivka
The British Ministry of Defense claims that the Russian 10th Armored Regiment bore the brunt of the attack on Avdiivka and probably lost “a large proportion of its tanks” when attempting to encircle the town from the south.
08:44
Russia supplies cyber weapons to Iran in exchange for drones
According to the Wall Street Journal, Russia has started shipping surveillance equipment and software to Tehran. While the Kremlin previously limited itself to only supplying “security” software, the decision was reversed after Iran began supplying drones and ammunition.
The WSJ says Russia has already handed over wiretapping and surveillance equipment and lie detectors. In addition, Moscow may have shared more advanced cell phone hacking software and other software with Iran.
08:18
Bulgaria could sell a large amount of ammunition to Ukraine through intermediaries
Former Defense Minister Boyko Noev on the BTV channel believes the country may transfer old Soviet ammunition to Ukraine.
According to him, the sale of his weapons to Ukraine will be through intermediaries. “It’s a lot of ammunition that can steer the war on the Ukrainian front in certain directions,” he added.
07:55
Joe Biden is using his emergency services to expand microelectronics manufacturing
In a memorandum addressed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, used his emergency powers notably to allow the country to increase production of printed circuit boards for national defense needs.
07:44
Explosions heard in Kherson
07:40
Drone attack causes fire in the city of Dnipro
One of the drones was aimed at a private company in the city of Dnipro. It caused a “fire” in an area of four thousand square meters, said the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region Serhii Lysak.
07:35
68,781 criminal cases initiated for crimes committed by Russians
Since the beginning of the war, the national police have opened 68,781 criminal cases for crimes committed by Russians. According to the Interior Ministry, 56,711 cases were opened, particularly for violations of the laws and customs of war.
07:10
Ukraine needs $14 billion to meet its most pressing needs
Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko recalled that last week the World Bank assessed Ukraine’s losses as a result of Russian aggression and announced that the need for recovery was estimated at $411 billion. “The key need for 2023 is already $14 billion. We are now actively looking for possible sources to fund this need,” the minister said. He explained that this sum is needed not only to rebuild housing, social infrastructure, schools, hospitals and orphanages, but also to restore business.
06:55
Russian troops advance in Bakhmout
According to the American Institute of the War, the Russian soldiers have been advancing towards the center of Bakhmout for two days. In particular, they have occupied the Azom factory and are advancing towards the city center.
06:45
Western companies leaving Russia are forced to donate to the Russian state
Western companies looking to leave Russia and sell their assets are now required to make a direct donation to the Russian state, according to the Financial Times, which adds that this decision puts pressure on groups that have not yet left Russia, and them with it to criticism either to continue operating in Russia or to finance its full-scale war against Ukraine by direct payments to the state.
Previously, companies wishing to withdraw from Russia had the option of making a “voluntary contribution” of 10% of the sales value to the country’s state budget or deferring payment of the sale for several years. From now on they have no choice.
06:31
France will deliver a SAMP/T surface-to-air anti-aircraft defense system to Kiev “very soon”.
In an interview with Le Figaro, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu gave some details about France’s next arms deliveries to Ukraine.
“We will very soon supply Kiev with a surface-to-air anti-aircraft system SAMP/T, which will ensure protection of both the battlefield and the civilian population,” the minister explained, specifying that this equipment “will cost several hundred million euros.
In addition, France will “double” the supply of 155mm shells “to bring them to 2,000 per month from the end of March”.
06:26
Russian drones shot down over Kyiv
According to the head of the military administration of the city of Kiev, Serhi Popko, the Russian drones used to attack the Ukrainian capital in the evening were all destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses.
The remains of a downed drone were found in the Sviatochynsky district, where a store caught fire during the attack. The fire was brought under control by the fire department. According to a report, there is no victim.
06:18
Arrival of the first western heavy tanks
The first British and German heavy tanks have arrived in Ukraine, a long-requested military contribution to countering the Russian invasion.
Promised in Kiev earlier this year, the Challenger and Leopard main battle tanks arrive in time for the spring offensive planned by the Ukrainian armed forces.
In a post on Facebook Monday, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced that “British Challengers, American Strykers and Cougars and German Marders” have been “added to Ukrainian units.”
Portal
06:10
“War economy”: Macron calls on manufacturers to take “increased risk”.
Emmanuel Macron will today bring together arms manufacturers at the Elysée Palace to take stock of the transition he is calling for to a “war economy” and to encourage them “to take increased risk, particularly in arms exports.
Nicolas Chamussy (Nexter), Eric Trappier (Dassault Aviation), Pierre-Eric Pommellet (Naval Group), Patrice Caine (Thales) and Guillaume Faury (Airbus) are invited to the Elysée at the beginning of the afternoon. “We urge manufacturers” “to be even more aggressive in attracting new export customers” to “bring to life over time these materials that we have been producing rapidly and in large quantities,” the presidency said .
06:00
Hello everyone !
Welcome to this directorate dedicated to the war in Ukraine. The conflict enters its 398th day.