On the 55th day of the war in Ukraine, Russia took off in the morning this Tuesday, April 19 “new stage” its offensive in the east of the country. Kharkiv notably announces human casualties and Mariupol faces repeated attacks by Russian forces. US President Joe Biden and his allies met via video conference to discuss new sanctions against the Russian. A fifth exchange of prisoners has taken place between Ukraine and Russia.
Follow our live from Tuesday April 19th dedicated to the war in Ukraine
Here’s the information to remember this Tuesday.
The Battle for Donbass
Russia has announced it has carried out a dozen airstrikes and missiles in eastern Ukraine, starting with Kyiv “Battle for Donbass”, a massive offensive that had been feared for weeks. According to the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, it is one “new stage” of the war.
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The situation in Ukraine on 19 | INFOGRAPHIC WEST FRANCE
Also read: REPORT. In the face of the Russian onslaught, the Ukrainians of Sievierodonestk are holding “their” city
According to Moscow, “High Precision Missiles” to have “13 Strongholds neutralized” as well as “Concentrations” by troops near the key city of Sloviansk, Donetsk region. The city of Kreminna, which had around 18,000 inhabitants before the war and is located about fifty kilometers northeast of Kramatorsk, is said to have fallen into Russian hands.
The fights “are incessant” in several cities, “it’s hell”said the Ukrainian governor of the Lugansk region, Serguiï Gaïdaï, and called on the residents to flee.
Local authorities have registered three dead and twenty wounded in the bombings in Kharkiv. The city of Mariupol could fall in the coming days, according to a European representative.
UN calls for ‘humanitarian pause’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for this “Humanitarian Break” in war. He wants the fighting to be suspended for four days on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter “Enabling the opening of a number of humanitarian corridors”.
This Tuesday, for the third day in a row, no civilian evacuation corridor could be organized due to the lack of agreement with the Russian side, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
She adds that in Mariupol, “The Russians refuse to open a corridor for the exit of civilians towards Berdyansk”.
New sanctions considered
US President Joe Biden held a video conference call with his allies on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron was particularly present alongside his British, German, Italian, Polish and even Canadian counterparts. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, were also present at the meeting.
At the end of this remote meeting, the Italian government announced that the allies were considering new sanctions against Russia. Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the will ” [renforcer] our sanctions against Russia again.
Emmanuel Macron added on Twitter: We will continue to increase our financial, military and humanitarian assistance in support of Ukrainians. »
A fifth prisoner exchange
75 Ukrainians detained by the Russians were released on Tuesday in a prisoner exchange. This is the fifth since the conflict began.
We exchanged 60 soldiers, including 10 officers. 16 civilians also returned home.Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told Telegram.
According to them, this is the fifth exchange of prisoners since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.
Russia, on the other hand, said it had expelled 36 Belgian and Dutch diplomats in retaliation for a similar move in Brussels and The Hague.
MENU. War in Ukraine: Battle for Donbass, new sanctions… Update on day 55 EXPAND