This Saturday, April 16, the 52nd day of the Russian invasion, follow live the latest news from the conflict in Ukraine.
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The main points:
► One military factory The manufacture of tanks in particular was the target of a bomb attack in the suburbs of Kyiv this Saturday morning.
► That’s what the Ukrainian President said on CNN on Friday evening 2 500 and 3 000 Ukrainian soldiers died since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, adding that 10,000 others have been injured.
►From April 15th More than five million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
► Moscow has blocked the RFI website, which broadcasts information in fifteen languages, including Russian. An alternate URL allows access to the site in French and Russian. RFI in Russian is also available on Telegram: https://t.me/RFI_Ru, via a VPN and in Russia in French via satellite on Hotbird.
Times are given in universal time (UT).
07:50: A military factory attacked by a bombardment in Kyiv
In particular, a military factory that produces tanks was the target of a bomb attack in the suburbs of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, this Saturday morning, an AFP journalist noted. A large number of soldiers and police officers were on the scene, preventing access to the complex from which smoke was billowing. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated on Facebook that he had no information about the potential victims at the time.
The Russian Defense Ministry has indeed announced that it has targeted a military equipment factory in Kyiv, a day after Russian forces warned they were stepping up attacks on the Ukrainian capital. “High-precision, long-range air-to-ground weapons destroyed production buildings of a weapons factory in Kyiv,” the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
7:30 a.m.: A pro-Russian demonstration in Belgrade
During a march organized by Serbian ultra-nationalist organizations in Belgrade yesterday (Friday, April 15), demonstrators waved Russian and Serbian flags to protest Serbian authorities who voted to suspend Russia’s membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Demonstrators wave Russian and Serbian flags during a march organized by Serbian ultra-nationalist organizations in Belgrade April 15, 2022 to protest Serbian authorities who voted to suspend Russia’s membership of the UN Human Rights Council. AFP – ANDREJ ISAKOVIC
6:25 a.m.: Explosions heard in Kyiv and Lviv
Explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and in Lviv in the west of the country in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, local media reported. Warning sirens sounded across much of Ukraine on Saturday.
On Telegram, the mayor of the capital Kyiv Vitali Klitschko said that explosions hit the Darnytskyi district on the outskirts of the city. He added that the number of casualties was not known and rescuers were at the scene.
Klitschko again asked residents to wait before returning to the Ukrainian capital because of the bomb threat.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 16, 2022
5.55 a.m .: In Rome, the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum is resumed against the background of controversies surrounding Ukraine
After a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the traditional Way of the Cross at the Colosseum brought together around 10,000 pilgrims of different nationalities this Good Friday. Despite the controversy of the past few days over Pope Francis’ decision to have the cross carried by a Ukrainian and a Russian at the thirteenth station, the Via Crucis passed calmly.
►Discover our report by clicking here
► Also read the French press review: This Ukrainian controversy in the Vatican
5.25 a.m .: Aid deliveries are a big challenge, it says in Great Britain
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, quoted by the BBCThe damage inflicted by Russian troops on Ukraine’s transport infrastructure posed a “major challenge” to those responsible for delivering humanitarian aid to several of the country’s northern regions. Russian troops reportedly destroyed bridges, deployed landmines and abandoned vehicles along key roads as they retreated from the northern region.
04:55: 70% of Severodonetsk destroyed
The head of Severodonetsk’s civil-military administration, Oleksandr Striuk, said Severodonetsk was under heavy fire from Russian forces and that out of a total of 135,000 residents, only about 20,000 remained in the city.
⚡️70% of Severodonetsk destroyed.
The head of Severodonetsk’s civilian military administration, Oleksandr Striuk, said on April 15 that Severodonetsk was under heavy shelling by Russian forces and that only about 20,000 of the city’s 135,000 residents lived.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 16, 2022
4:40 am: In the Donbass, the village of Svyatohirsk is extremely divided over the war
In eastern Ukraine, Donbass is preparing for an offensive by Russian forces. On both sides of the front line, Ukrainian and Russian forces are gathering troops and equipment. Surrounded by fighting to the east and north, the Russian-speaking village of Svyatohirsk is extremely divided over the war, with much of the population choosing not to evacuate.
►Discover the report of our special correspondents by clicking here
Svyatohirsk, April 15, 2022. © Marie Normand/RFI
4:20 a.m.: Russia warns Washington of consequences after its military aid to Ukraine
Russia this week sent a formal complaint to the United States, according to news reports, warning the US government of “unpredictable consequences” following the massive military aid to Ukraine. According to the diplomatic note, Moscow warns the United States and NATO against sending “more sensitive” weapons to Ukraine, judging that such military equipment “spreads fuel on the fire” and could provoke “unpredictable consequences,” the Washington Post reported “.
The warning came as US President Joe Biden pledged $800 million in new military aid to Ukraine, including helicopters and armored personnel carriers. “What the Russians are telling us privately is exactly what we are saying to the world publicly, that the massive aid we are providing to our Ukrainian partners is proving remarkably effective,” said a senior US official quoted by the Post will.
The State Department declined to comment. According to the New York Times, this note was sent through normal diplomatic channels and was not signed by a senior Russian official.
4:00 am Prime Minister and Ukrainian officials in Washington next week
Ukraine’s prime minister and officials will travel to Washington next week for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, sources familiar with the matter said Friday night.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and Central Bank Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko, among others, are expected to meet with finance officials from the G7 countries and take part in a World Bank-organized roundtable on Ukraine, the sources added. The event is the first opportunity for Ukrainian officials to meet face-to-face with large numbers of finance officials from advanced economies since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The fallout from the conflict in Ukraine will dominate next week’s meetings of senior officials from World Bank and IMF member countries, as well as the G7 and G20, as the IMF prepares to downgrade its growth forecasts over the war. Thursday’s meeting will be more of a roundtable than a donors’ conference, although the IMF and World Bank have opened separate accounts to process and channel donations, and new pledges are due to be announced next week.
It will also give officials an opportunity to discuss the devastation in Ukraine and the economic consequences of the war, as well as the continued functioning of Ukraine’s banking and financial sector. “Without support now, there will be no rebuilding in the future,” one of the sources said. The World Bank did not immediately comment on the event.
03h50: More than 2 500 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the conflict began
That was what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday evening on CNN that since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, between 2,500 and 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died and another 10,000 have been injured.
The image is from a video provided by the Ukrainian President’s press office. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine on Friday, April 15, 2022. AP
© RFI