Harsh tones, threats and mutual accusations: the war in Ukraine continues on the ground, but also on the front lines of the increasingly clear opposition between the West and Moscow. Putin warns that “if third countries intervene, there will be an immediate reaction, that has already been decided” and once again conjures up the specter of a nuclear conflict. Tensions are also increasing on an economic level: Russia is stopping gas deliveries to Bulgaria and Poland, and the European Union comes to an agreement on the embargo on Russian oil. Washington denounces: Ukrainians who wanted to surrender were executed in the Donetsk region.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
All about the conflict | Warpaths | Newsletters | The day | timeline
07:20 Kherson will introduce the ruble
The city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, which Russia is said to have taken control of, will switch to using the ruble, Russia’s currency, from May 1. This was reported by the Russian state agency Ria Novosti, quoted by the BBC. Vice-president of the region’s military and civil administration Kirill Stremousov told Ria Novosti that the changeover will last a period of 4 months during which both the Ukrainian ruble and the Ukrainian hryvnia will circulate.
07:00 Intelligence Gb: “Russian fleet still capable of attacking Ukraine”
The British 007 states in her daily war report that the Russian fleet in the Black Sea – despite losses such as the sinking of the cruiser Movska – is still capable of attacking Ukraine.
05:27 In the intentions of the Russians Mariupol in the Rostov region
Mariupol will become part of Russia’s Rostov region, or at least that is the intention of Mariupol’s self-proclaimed “mayor”, Konstantin Ivashchenko, according to reports on Telegram by Petro Andryushchenko, adviser to the legitimate Mariupol mayor. Ukrinform reports this.
04:40 The UN Secretary General in Kyiv
After his visit to Russia and his meeting with Putin, UN Secretary-General Antònio Guterres has arrived in Kyiv, where he is expected with Zelenskyy. The UN number one will visit the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Bucha, Irpin and Borodianka, scenes of some of the bloodiest aspects of the war. After his visit to Moscow, the UN chief said he was “concerned by the repeated reports of possible war crimes” which “require an independent investigation”. And he reported asking Putin for an urgent ceasefire.
03.04 Afternoon speech by Biden
US President Joe Biden will address “supporting Ukrainians to defend their country and freedom against Russia’s brutal war” at 10:45 a.m. local time (4:45 p.m. Italy). The White House announces it.
02.38 The German Uniper pays gas via a Russian account
German energy group Uniper will pay for gas in Moscow through a Russian bank and no longer through a European-based institution. This is reported by the Rheinische Post. Although Russia has required payments in rubles, it has proposed a system involving the use of accounts at Gazprombank that would convert euro or dollar payments into rubles. This provides leeway some countries could use to continue buying Russian gas without encountering Western sanctions.
02.06 White House: “Weapon” cutting gas deliveries planned
“Unfortunately, this is a move we foresaw, it’s as if it were a weapon that we knew Russia could use in this conflict.” That’s how White House press secretary Jen Psaki defined Moscow’s decision, cut energy supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.
“NATO is raising its tone and sending heavy weapons to let Putin know it will not allow him to defeat Ukraine”
01.29 USA: Russians execute those who tried to surrender
“We now have credible information that a Russian military unit operating near Donetsk executed the Ukrainians who tried to surrender instead of taking them into custody.” This was told to the United Nations by Beth Van Schaack , United States Ambassador for International Criminal Justice Affairs, explains. “If true, it would violate a fundamental principle of martial law, which prohibits the summary execution of civilians and combatants outside of combat for surrender, injury or other forms of incompetence,” he added. Van Schaak went on to say that the United States has “credible reports of people being killed execution-style with their hands tied; bodies showing signs of torture; horrific reports of sexual violence against women and girls”. “Those who unleashed, committed and ordered these crimes must be held accountable and the evidence of this crime is mounting every day,” he said.
01/22 Kyiv: $90 billion in damages
Since the war began, Russia has inflicted around $90 billion (more than €85 billion) in damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure. This is the statement of the Kyiv government, as reported by Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov at the session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, attended by President Zelenskyy.
01.03 Truss (UK): Double support in Kyiv
The crisis in Ukraine must be the “catalyst for change” for the West to reconsider its approach to international security and redouble its support for Kyiv, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said. Speaking at Mansion House in London, Truss described Putin as a “desperate rogue operator with no interest in international norms” and urged the West to “dig deep into its weapons inventories.”
00:50 Microsoft: Moscow coordinates hacker attacks on Ukraine
Hackers allied with the Russian government have carried out more than 230 cyberattacks on Ukraine since Moscow invaded the country, according to US tech giant Microsoft, which is working with Ukrainian cybersecurity experts and private companies to thwart such attacks.
00:45 Russian journalist arrested
Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko from the news portal RusNews was arrested for reporting on the “alleged Russian airstrike” last March on the Drama Theater in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians were hiding. This was reported by the international news agency Sputnik.
00:28 Moody’s: From high inflation risk of social tensions
The international rating agency Moody’s fears that high inflation as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine could exacerbate social tensions around the world and weaken public debt. In a report, Moody’s reminded that the invasion of Ukraine is pushing up energy prices, adding to inflationary pressures that “are likely to last longer than expected”.
00:03 Kyiv: We asked the US for attack drones
In addition to heavy artillery and missile systems, the Kyiv government has asked the US for “strike drones”, specifically the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, with “appropriate ammunition” such as the AGM-114 Hellfire missile. In an interview with Politico, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said he expected “positive results”. Ukraine has already contacted General Atomics, the company that makes the drones, but any sale or transfer requires the green light of the United States government, specifically the State Department and the Pentagon.