- On Thursday, February 24, 2022, Russia launched its “military operation” in Ukraine. Every evening 20 Minutes offers you a look back at the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
- A powerful statement, a key figure, the underlying trends… Here you will find the essential information to better understand a war of unprecedented proportions on European soil.
- This Wednesday, the 679th day of the conflict, Russia and Ukraine exchanged more than 230 prisoners of war.
Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? Every evening at 7:30 p.m. 20 Minutes takes stock for you. Between the strong statements, the progress on the front and the results of the fighting, here are the most important points of the day.
The fact of the day
Russia and Ukraine officially exchanged more than 230 prisoners of war for the first time in several months. “After a complex negotiation process, 248 Russian soldiers were repatriated from areas controlled by the Kiev regime,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Telegram. “More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have returned from captivity,” announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Loubinets, “49. Exactly 230 Ukrainian soldiers have been exchanged between Kiev and Moscow since the Russian attack began in February 2022 [ukrainiens] “repatriated,” said the Ukrainian coordination office responsible for prisoners of war. Total since February 24, 2022 “2,828 defenders [ukrainiens] have returned home! “ Loubinets said again on Wednesday. According to Ukrainian media, the previous exchange of prisoners of war dates back to last August.
Sentence of the day
We don't care what Putin thinks. »
These are the words of Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. Invited by France 2 to comment on the statement made by the Russian President in mid-December that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had risked “burying the Olympic movement” by inviting Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate under a neutral banner committed to the Olympic Games in Paris, the French sports minister replied: “We don’t care what he thinks. » “There are rules set by the IOC. It is the IOC that has the power to decide who participates and who does not,” she said.
The number of the day
2. This is the number of F-16s that Norway sent to Denmark. Oslo intends to participate in the training of Ukrainian pilots on these aircraft, which are eagerly awaited by Kiev. The two Norwegian F-16s will be stationed for an undetermined period of time at the Danish Skrydstrup air base, where the Ukrainians will be trained as part of a multinational cooperation.
Today's trend
Ukraine expects the West to sustain its economy in 2024. The country needs $37 billion in Western financial aid to keep its economy afloat in the face of the Russian invasion that has been going on for nearly two years, its Prime Minister Denys Chmygal said. during the first meeting of his government this year.
In 2023, Ukrainian authorities had indicated that they would need $41 billion in external financing from their allies and international organizations to keep the economy going. But new commitments of Western aid to Ukraine have fallen sharply against a backdrop of political disagreements in Europe and the United States, falling to their lowest level since the Russian invasion began in early 2022, the German research institute Kiel Institute said in early December.
“The outlook is uncertain […] “since the largest outstanding commitment – from the European Union – has not been approved and aid from the United States is declining,” explains the institute, which lists the military, financial and humanitarian aid promised and delivered to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
In total, Ukraine's allies and major international organizations (World Bank, IMF, etc.) have promised almost 255 billion euros in aid since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including 182 billion in short-term aid (already delivered or planned within a year). ). These commitments include 141 billion euros in financial aid, almost 16 billion euros in humanitarian aid and 98 billion euros in military aid.