LIVE – Ukraine: Ukrainian army confirms Russian takeover of Kherson

In addition to the explosion near the central station on Wednesday night, sirens sounded in Kyiv on Wednesday night, our special correspondent in the Ukrainian capital, Jeremy Payre, explained this Thursday morning, while this anti-bombing siren rang alive again. its duplex.

This is the fifth (siren). Last night there was one, at 1:22 in the morning, to be very precise, followed 23 minutes later by a very strong explosion around 1:45 in the morning. The last siren was at 4:27 in the morning, “explains Jérémie Paire before heading to the shelter.

Russia’s military offensive in the south of Kherson comes hours after new ceasefire talks, which it agreed to.

The talks will begin on Thursday morning at a location in Belarus “not far from the Polish border”, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said.

Initial discussions on Monday, also in Belarus, did not yield tangible results, with Kyiv calling for an immediate end to the invasion while Moscow appears to be expecting a surrender.

A very loud explosion was heard in Kyiv near the central station and the Ibis Hotel on Wednesday night, around 9 pm local time, according to our special correspondent on the spot Jeremy Pear.

Shortly before that, warning sirens sounded in the city. Authorities warned residents to hide in shelters just before the blast.

According to the Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine, the explosion, heard near Kyiv’s central railway station tonight, was caused by a Russian missile hijacked by Ukrainians, by a system that could destroy missiles in flight.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky congratulated himself on Thursday night for thwarting Russia’s “vile” plans, which invaded his country, saying he was proud of the “heroic” resistance of Ukrainians.

“We are a nation that thwarted the enemy’s plans in a week. Plans written for years: vile, full of hatred for our country, our people, “Vladimir Zelensley said in a video published in the Telegram.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced on Wednesday night the “immediate start” of an investigation into the situation in Ukraine, where war crimes are allegedly committed after receiving the green light from 39 countries – members of the ICC.

“I have just informed the ICC presidency of my decision to immediately launch an investigation into the situation in Ukraine,” the chief prosecutor, Britain’s Karim Khan, said in a press release. “Our work of gathering evidence has begun.”

Among the countries that have given the green light: all members of the European Union, but also Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland. Latin American countries such as Colombia and Costa Rica have also given their support.

Ukrainian authorities confirmed the presence of the Russian army in Kherson, a large city in the south of the country on Wednesday night, which Moscow said it had captured in the morning after fierce fighting.

The head of the regional administration, Gennady Lahuta, told the Telegram that “the occupiers (the Russians) are in all districts of the city and are very dangerous.” The city’s 290,000-strong mayor, Igor Kolikhaev, told him he had discussed with “armed guests”, alluding to unnamed Russian troops.

One million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since the Russian invasion began a week ago, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Thursday.

“In just seven days, we have witnessed the deportation of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighboring countries,” tweeted Filippo Grandi. “For millions more in Ukraine, it is time for weapons to be silenced so that humanitarian aid can arrive and save lives,” he urged.

Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the eighth day of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.