- Russia launched its “military operation” in Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Every evening 20 Minutes offers you a look back at the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
- A powerful statement, a key figure, the underlying trends… Here you will find the essential information to better understand a war of unprecedented proportions on European soil.
- This Monday, several hundred residents of Belgorod, Russia, were evacuated to reception centers further from the border with Ukraine.
Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? Every evening at 7:30 p.m. 20 Minutes takes stock for you. Between the strong statements, the progress on the front and the results of the fighting, here is the gist of the day.
The fact of the day
The “see nothing, move on” doctrine is crumbling in Russia. Moscow announced on Monday that it had evacuated several hundred residents of Belgorod. This is the first time for this large city near Ukraine in nearly two years of conflict and has recently been the target of intensifying fire by Kiev forces.
“About 300 residents of Belgorod who decided on temporary evacuation are now accommodated in reception centers in Stary Oskol, Gubkin and Korotchansky district,” said the governor of the region Vyacheslav Gladkov in a video posted on Telegram. On Friday, the official advised residents who wanted to evacuate the city of Belgorod, which has been the victim of increasing Ukrainian bombings.
This unprecedented measure for a major city in Russia contradicts the efforts of the Kremlin, which, for almost two years of attacks in Ukraine, has always wanted to promote the idea that the conflict has not directly affected the daily lives and security of Russians. However, this strategy was undone on December 30, when a Ukrainian attack on Belgorod resulted in 25 deaths, the highest civilian death toll on Russian soil since Moscow's offensive against its neighbor began on February 24, 2022.
Sentence of the day
We may not realize that civilian casualties are not “collateral damage.” These are men and women with first and last names who lose their lives. »
Pope Francis was moved this Monday by the idea of “collateral damage” when civilians die in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. “In a context in which the distinction between military and civilian objectives no longer seems to be maintained, there is no conflict that does not blindly affect the civilian population in some way. The events in Ukraine and Gaza are clear evidence of this,” he lamented. “We must not forget that serious violations of international humanitarian law are war crimes,” the Argentine pope added.
The number of the day
July 2024. The European Council is shaking. Its President Charles Michel announced on Sunday his candidacy for the European Parliament elections, which are scheduled to take place from June 6th to 9th. However, Brussels is worried about the idea that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, familiar with anti-EU diatribes, could take his place. He is the only leader among the 27 who has maintained close ties with the Kremlin after Russia's offensive against Ukraine.
Today's trend
At least four people have been killed and dozens more injured in new Russian night strikes in Ukraine, Kiev said on Monday, as Russia said it would step up attacks against its neighbor. There have been particularly deadly attacks on both sides of the border in recent weeks. On Monday, Ukrainian National Police reported a “massive Russian attack” that killed four people and injured 38 others in several regions of Ukraine.
In the center, in Kryvyy Rig, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, a rocket attack left one person dead, according to the same source. Two people also died in Khmelnitsky, a western city, and rockets killed one in the Kharkiv region (northeast), law enforcement authorities said.
They added that five people were injured in the southern city of Zaporizhia, where two buildings were damaged. The Ukrainian army said it shot down 18 of the 51 rockets the Russians fired at “important infrastructure” or industrial and military buildings.