Today
Friday, October 6, 2023
16:58
EUROPEAN UNION
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated today that he wants to “move much faster” on the enlargement of the European Union (EU), pointing out that talks between the 27 states have only just begun and that no decision has been made at this point had been hit. “We are convinced that we need to move much faster on this issue,” the French president told the press following the informal EU summit in Grenada, saying he was “very interested in what we see as ambitious and precise Set a goal.”
But “at the moment it’s too early, no decision has been made yet,” he added. The European Commission is expected to present its recommendations in the autumn to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, which received candidate status in June 2022. Five Western Balkan countries are also candidates for membership. “A consensus is emerging that we are facing a real transformation (…) of our geopolitical vision of our Europe,” he continued.
16:27
STRIKES
Several people were injured in two Russian attacks today, according to local officials. First in Vovchansk, a city about twenty kilometers from Kharkiv and very close to the Russian border. According to the region’s governor, Oleh Synehoubov, “three houses in one building were damaged.” According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, at least two people were injured in the attack. Another attack hit Shevchenkove, still in the Kharkiv region. According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, a 56-year-old man was injured in a rocket launcher attack.
3:19 p.m
VLADIMIR Putin
In a speech, Vladimir Putin assessed that “many people” in Europe shared Russia’s opinion, but they “behave behind the scenes and do not dare to express their opinion.” Explanations:
According to Vladimir Putin, “there are many people in Europe” who share his point of view, but “they hold back and do not dare to express their opinion” pic.twitter.com/sabbEcF5vm — LCI (@LCI) October 6, 2023
3:15 p.m
AMMUNITION
Denmark announced today that it would resume ammunition production on its soil as the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a reduction in reserves. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (…) has put a lot of pressure on ammunition production in Europe, (…) this critical situation has made it clear to me that we have to restart ammunition production in Denmark,” said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen in a statement.
Denmark, which has only a small defense industry, stopped producing ammunition in 2020. Since Western reserves have been reduced by aid to Ukraine, “the supply of ammunition is a matter of national security,” emphasized Troels Lund Poulsen.
14:51
AMMUNITION PRODUCTION
Denmark announced on Friday that it would resume production of ammunition on its soil as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a reduction in reserves. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (…) has put a lot of pressure on ammunition production in Europe, (…) this critical situation has made it clear to me that we have to restart ammunition production in Denmark,” said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen in a statement.
Denmark, which has only a small defense industry, stopped producing ammunition in 2020.
2:02 p.m
PUTIN’S GENERALS
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, around thirty generals have left their positions in the Russian General Staff. When some die in battle, others are fired for criticizing the Kremlin’s power. Almost 20 months after the start of the war, those who maintain their loyalty to the Kremlin are being rewarded.
International
Published today at 1:00 p.m.
12:30
GROZA-GEMETTAL
The Kremlin assured Friday it would only attack “military targets,” despite the previous day’s bloodbath in the Ukrainian village of Groza in which at least 52 people, civilians according to Kiev, died.
“We continue to reiterate that the Russian army is not attacking civilian, but military targets,” Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Previously, the United Nations ruled that “everything indicates” that a Russian missile hit Groza.
12:10
TWO DEAD IN KHARKIV
The Russian bombing this Friday morning killed a 10-year-old child and his grandmother and injured at least 28 people in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, the day after one of the attacks in the same region. The war’s deadliest attack on civilians. “The body of a 10-year-old child was found in the rubble,” Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Telegram, adding that his grandmother also died.
For his part, the region’s governor, Oleg Synegoubov, reported at least 28 injured, including an 11-month-old baby who belongs to the same family as the two victims.
11:30 a.m
FALL OF THE RUBLE
The ruble continued its decline that began at the start of the week on Friday, trading at more than 101 per dollar, a day after Vladimir Putin’s statements about the “stable” economic situation in the country.
The ruble, which is subject to international sanctions because of the attack on Ukraine, has been struggling for months and is particularly putting a strain on the purchasing power of the population. On the Moscow Stock Exchange at 10:49 a.m. local time (07:49 GMT), it was 101.19 rubles for 1 dollar and 106.66 rubles for 1 euro.
10:57
Strikes in Groza
“Everything indicates” that it was actually a Russian missile that hit the small village of Groza in Ukraine, leaving dozens dead, a spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday. “U.N.”
“At this point it is of course very difficult to determine with absolute certainty what happened, but given the location where the cafe was hit, everything points to it being a “Russian missile,” explained Elizabeth Throssell during the regular UN event briefing in Geneva and stressed that the investigation must be followed up.
10:34
BAN ON NUCLEAR TESTS
Russia is considering canceling its ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty after Vladimir Putin’s comments about the Russian arsenal, the speaker of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, said on Friday. “The State Duma Council at its next meeting,” scheduled for Monday, “will discuss the issue of abandoning ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty,” Vyacheslav Volodin said in a press release.
This announcement comes a day after a statement by Vladimir Putin that such an exit could be a “symmetrical response” to the United States, which has never ratified this treaty. “The situation in the world has changed. Washington and Brussels have started a war against our country. Current challenges require new solutions,” assured Mr. Volodin.
10:32
NEW HELP FROM SWEDEN
Sweden announced on Friday new military aid to Ukraine in the form of equipment worth 2.2 billion crowns, or around 190 million euros, and confirmed that it is considering sending hunting Gripen. “We have prepared for a long war and therefore need to make our support sustainable and long-term,” Defense Minister Pål Jonson said at a press conference.
A large part of this aid consists of 155-millimeter artillery ammunition, but also ammunition and spare parts for weapon systems that Sweden has already sent to Ukraine.
10:09
RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI
“We have a team on site and are reporting daily on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told LCI this Friday. “My mission is to prevent a nuclear accident, it is not a political mission,” he emphasized, referring to a “worrying and precarious” situation.
“It is absurd,” he responded to the deficiencies denounced by Greenpeace, believing that “it is not based on technical knowledge.”
08:59
BOMBER PRODUCTION
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called on Friday to speed up production of Su-34 tactical bombers to support Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. “These planes do the most work, making between four and five flights a day,” Mr. Shoigu said, quoted in a Russian army press release, during a visit to an aircraft factory in Novosibirsk, Siberia.
According to the statement, the minister “instructed the factory management to accelerate the production and repair” of the Su-34, “taking into account the fact that they are in high demand.”
08:31
RUSSIAN ATTACK ON KHARKIV
A child was killed and 16 people injured in a Russian attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, on Friday, the region’s governor, Oleg Synegubov, announced.
08:26
Russian drones shot down
Ukraine claimed to have shot down 25 of the 33 attack drones that Russia, which carries out daily night-time bombings of its neighbor, shot down across the country on Thursday night.
The anti-aircraft defense destroyed “25 Shahed 131/136 in the Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions,” the Air Force said in a statement on Telegram.
07:58
International
Published today at 7:25 am.
07:34
UKRAINIAN DRONES COMPLETED
Moscow said it shot down eight Ukrainian drones in western Russia on Thursday evening without mentioning possible damage or injuries, a day after a deadly Russian attack on the Ukrainian village of Groza.
Earlier in the night, the ministry counted two other vehicles shot down in the same area.
07:29
WELCOME
Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the conflict in Ukraine and its consequences around the world. You will find the latest information throughout the day.